I hate it when anyone developing a mmo compares it to WoW. I don't want to hear about what you-as-David doing differently from WoW-as-Goliath. Every time someone makes this comparison it feels like they don't think their stuff is strong enough on its own for curious players to make their own conclusions -- instead they have to draw a picture, which is stupid. If someone wanted something different from WoW they'd be actively looking for it. They would have already stumbled over your game, and really don't need you saying so to come to that understanding if it is indeed the case. Bleh.
EA's Betting That Bashing WoW Will Sell More Old Republic
- Thread starter Greg Tito
- Start date
As much as i will get TOR, and how i have quit wow. You won't beat Blizzard. They're Animals. And iirc Blizzcon is close to the ToR Launch. What ever they are announcing will steal the thunder.
They got to the top for a good reason, mocking them won't do a lot.
They got to the top for a good reason, mocking them won't do a lot.
"Publisher Electronic Arts is gambling a lot of money and clout that the first MMO from story-based RPG experts BioWare will be able to unseat World of Warcraft as the Subscription King. "
I doubt it somehow - EA aren't stupid, they know they're not going to get anything like 12 million for a long old time.
"It's a big bet for my label and for EA," said Gibeau but he thinks that his game has a lot going for it. "I love Blizzard products, but they're not the entire market. There is an opportunity to come in with a new IP." He didn't stop there.
Didn't stop? He didn't start! He was only saying that WoW isn't the only one about.
""When I play World of Warcraft, you go and get your quests, and you go and do your quests, but it feels more like doing a shopping list at times," Gibeau said. "[TOR] is more about talking to characters, learning what's going on, investing in it, getting emotionally attached to it.""
Pointing out differences (and something that's true for a lot of people when trying to get into MMOs) in his game.
"Just in case you weren't clear as vodka on this subject, Gibeau wants to make sure you knew that TOR is different. "On multiple levels we're highly differentiated and different from World of Warcraft. We're not being slavish or imitating them at all. We're doing our own thing. We're doing our own unique way. BioWare and Blizzard have been around for almost the same period of time. They've built incredible audiences. They have their own unique cultures, and they do things very differently.""
Still don't see what he's saying that's wrong - he's complimented them here.
"Perhaps if BioWare showed off more character creation and the first few levels of play, that would get people more excited about the game."
They did those massive 6-hour opening previews a few months back that everyone raved about. This article is a little... off.
Not really close.
I doubt it somehow - EA aren't stupid, they know they're not going to get anything like 12 million for a long old time.
"It's a big bet for my label and for EA," said Gibeau but he thinks that his game has a lot going for it. "I love Blizzard products, but they're not the entire market. There is an opportunity to come in with a new IP." He didn't stop there.
Didn't stop? He didn't start! He was only saying that WoW isn't the only one about.
""When I play World of Warcraft, you go and get your quests, and you go and do your quests, but it feels more like doing a shopping list at times," Gibeau said. "[TOR] is more about talking to characters, learning what's going on, investing in it, getting emotionally attached to it.""
Pointing out differences (and something that's true for a lot of people when trying to get into MMOs) in his game.
"Just in case you weren't clear as vodka on this subject, Gibeau wants to make sure you knew that TOR is different. "On multiple levels we're highly differentiated and different from World of Warcraft. We're not being slavish or imitating them at all. We're doing our own thing. We're doing our own unique way. BioWare and Blizzard have been around for almost the same period of time. They've built incredible audiences. They have their own unique cultures, and they do things very differently.""
Still don't see what he's saying that's wrong - he's complimented them here.
"Perhaps if BioWare showed off more character creation and the first few levels of play, that would get people more excited about the game."
They did those massive 6-hour opening previews a few months back that everyone raved about. This article is a little... off.
GW2 is out in 2012 last I heard, and that's as close a date as we've got. TOR is scheduled for this year, no firm date yet though.Worgen said:
Not really close.
Oh geez... as if Rift's tagline wasn't bad enough...
Stop comparing yourselves to the 800-lb gorilla. It's only going to make people look at how like it you are.
And on a more specific note: EA, Didn't you learn anything from talking to James [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2794-An-Open-Letter-to-EA-Marketing] a few weeks ago?
I just pray ArenaNet has more sense when their opus [http://www.guildwars2.com/en/media/videos/] is ready...
Stop comparing yourselves to the 800-lb gorilla. It's only going to make people look at how like it you are.
And on a more specific note: EA, Didn't you learn anything from talking to James [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2794-An-Open-Letter-to-EA-Marketing] a few weeks ago?
I just pray ArenaNet has more sense when their opus [http://www.guildwars2.com/en/media/videos/] is ready...
Are you sure you are looking at Da2 and not Da:O? Checking metacritic right now, user reviews for da2 is still low, it's actually got the highest user reviews on the ps3 with 4.2 (its 4.1 for pc)Raiyan 1.0 said:The Metacritic user scores have stabilized by now, though. Last I checked, the PC had around 8.3/10 with over a thousand reviews. Funny thing is, it was the console versions that had the lowest scores (both were below 7.9, I think). Looks like it isn't just the 'PC elitists' throwing a hissy fit.  
I would hardly say EA is bashing WoW, More like taking a few diggs, only your taking diggs at the big bully in the playground...
Anyway, I shall be picking this upBioware haven't disappointed me...yet. been waiting for a good Starwars MMO for a while now (i know about Starwars Galaxies but i didn't here about it until it like died...)
Anyway, I shall be picking this up
Bioware haven't disappointed me...yet. been waiting for a good Starwars MMO for a while now (i know about Starwars Galaxies but i didn't here about it until it like died...)You know after seeing TOR in action at PAX (not playing it, I wasn't going to wait in the 6+ hour line but watching the monitors of people playing) I can understand why people might be getting worried.
The dungeon run I saw (The Taral V video on their website [http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/taral-v-developer-walkthrough]) looked like a pretty unabashed WoW clone and not a very good one at that. The trash looks mostly unchallenging, watch when even the clothie (the sage) gets aggro, her health rarely drops below 75%, let alone something approaching the danger zone. Everything looks like pretty much a tank and spank affair and don't get me started on how the video handled that supposedly hard boss. The only thing that really seems different from WoW is the dialogue with the jedi master but that doesn't seem like a real selling point.
Now before people jump down my throat about how story is a unique selling point, yes it is but its not a very good one. Player retention in an MMO is all about end game content, you need something to keep people playing after they've hit max level and done a few alts and typically that is grouping, instances and raids. Seeing this instance doesn't fill me with confidence that Bioware can get end game content how they need it for good player retention.
The dungeon run I saw (The Taral V video on their website [http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/taral-v-developer-walkthrough]) looked like a pretty unabashed WoW clone and not a very good one at that. The trash looks mostly unchallenging, watch when even the clothie (the sage) gets aggro, her health rarely drops below 75%, let alone something approaching the danger zone. Everything looks like pretty much a tank and spank affair and don't get me started on how the video handled that supposedly hard boss. The only thing that really seems different from WoW is the dialogue with the jedi master but that doesn't seem like a real selling point.
Now before people jump down my throat about how story is a unique selling point, yes it is but its not a very good one. Player retention in an MMO is all about end game content, you need something to keep people playing after they've hit max level and done a few alts and typically that is grouping, instances and raids. Seeing this instance doesn't fill me with confidence that Bioware can get end game content how they need it for good player retention.
There's no quotes in the article from the EA exec saying they are trying to unseat WoW. He is just trying to say that TOR will be different from WoW by mostly saying they are trying to involve players in quests more.Serris said:
The only WoW "bashing" in this article is is the comparison of WoW quests to doing shopping lists, which is not that far from the truth.
I know it's hard for people to believe, but it's very likely that SW:TOR will actually surpass WoW. Not immediately, mind you, but over the course of 2-3 years.
When players get tired of WoW, they tend to drift to other MMOs, such as Age of Conan, Warhammer, and (most recently) Rift.
However, the player has no reason to keep playing those games once they get tired of them. Those games are trying to compete with a gameplay style and fantasy setting that Blizzard has already perfected. There's a reason WoW is immensely popular. Blizzard has the formula down.
WoW got where it was because it entered a market where mediocrity was, for some reason, acceptable at the time. They succeeded because they produced a decidedly superior product that drew in an audience that no one even knew existed.
But now, BioWare is catching the market at the perfect time, with the perfect product. EA isn't stupid, even though they might seem it at times. The reason that "development" has been taking so long is that EA/BioWare is waiting for players to get tired of Cataclysm. There really has been no better time to enter the market, except for when WoW entered it.
But whereas all the other entries in the genre came off as little more than clones of the successful WoW formula, BioWare actually has a product that will combine a recognizable license with (presumably) superior gameplay and a lasting story.
I've played many of the post-WoW MMO's (Age of Conan, Warhammer, etc.) and what shocked me most about them is how they essentially just copied WoW's formula but did a bad job of implementing it. The reason these games can't sustain a large playerbase is that they just assume that, for some reason, players will prefer their game over WoW despite inferior gameplay, which is all those games have going for them.
Sure, LOTRO and Guild Wars placed a sizeable emphasis on the storyline, but that's essentially as far as the genre has come in terms of storytelling. People underestimate the value of a well-told story on keeping people playing. Text boxes just don't do it in this day and age. By introducing a strong storyline with full voice acting, BioWare will be able to keep players interested in what goes on in their world.
Combine BioWare's famous dialogue/storytelling with the absurd marketing power of the Star Wars license, and you have the only type of game with the ability to usurp WoW's position as the top MMO on the market. I have very little doubt in my mind that we're going to see a huge shift in WoW's playerbase within a year of SW:TOR's release.
Of course, SW:TOR could definitely be knocked out by Titan. No one really knows what Blizzard has up their sleeves, and it is very possible that they're developing Titan as a direct counter to The Old Republic. I wouldn't doubt it at all.
When players get tired of WoW, they tend to drift to other MMOs, such as Age of Conan, Warhammer, and (most recently) Rift.
However, the player has no reason to keep playing those games once they get tired of them. Those games are trying to compete with a gameplay style and fantasy setting that Blizzard has already perfected. There's a reason WoW is immensely popular. Blizzard has the formula down.
WoW got where it was because it entered a market where mediocrity was, for some reason, acceptable at the time. They succeeded because they produced a decidedly superior product that drew in an audience that no one even knew existed.
But now, BioWare is catching the market at the perfect time, with the perfect product. EA isn't stupid, even though they might seem it at times. The reason that "development" has been taking so long is that EA/BioWare is waiting for players to get tired of Cataclysm. There really has been no better time to enter the market, except for when WoW entered it.
But whereas all the other entries in the genre came off as little more than clones of the successful WoW formula, BioWare actually has a product that will combine a recognizable license with (presumably) superior gameplay and a lasting story.
I've played many of the post-WoW MMO's (Age of Conan, Warhammer, etc.) and what shocked me most about them is how they essentially just copied WoW's formula but did a bad job of implementing it. The reason these games can't sustain a large playerbase is that they just assume that, for some reason, players will prefer their game over WoW despite inferior gameplay, which is all those games have going for them.
Sure, LOTRO and Guild Wars placed a sizeable emphasis on the storyline, but that's essentially as far as the genre has come in terms of storytelling. People underestimate the value of a well-told story on keeping people playing. Text boxes just don't do it in this day and age. By introducing a strong storyline with full voice acting, BioWare will be able to keep players interested in what goes on in their world.
Combine BioWare's famous dialogue/storytelling with the absurd marketing power of the Star Wars license, and you have the only type of game with the ability to usurp WoW's position as the top MMO on the market. I have very little doubt in my mind that we're going to see a huge shift in WoW's playerbase within a year of SW:TOR's release.
Of course, SW:TOR could definitely be knocked out by Titan. No one really knows what Blizzard has up their sleeves, and it is very possible that they're developing Titan as a direct counter to The Old Republic. I wouldn't doubt it at all.
OHCRAPIVEBEENFOUNDOUTArdenon said:What, you're mentioning a praise about their product?! You must be an agent from EA!ZeroMachine said:
*runs*
Yeah, but if anyone else made DA2 it probably would have been fine, but this is Bioware we're talking about, we expect only the best from them. My point from earlier still remains, they had hypnotized their audience succesfully and they probably could have hyped up TOR with that following and it would have sold better than it will.Captain Placeholder said:
"Hating" on World of Warcraft isn't the way to get more players. It -is-, however, a surefire way to embarrass yourself when your MMO doesn't succeed with flying colors.
For Bioware's sake, I really hope SW:TOR does well. I'm definitely gonna check it out, either way. It'll be my first step into MMO's.
For Bioware's sake, I really hope SW:TOR does well. I'm definitely gonna check it out, either way. It'll be my first step into MMO's.
so people is the sky still in place where you live?
because it hasn't shown any signs of falling down just yet
because it hasn't shown any signs of falling down just yet