Curse

Tidus the one · Sep 07, 2006, 02:14 AM // 02:14

Lately, Anet has been trying to get more money to support the server. To me, I think the "character slots and the skill packs" is a way anet uses to make money. Although different people might believe that it is free to maintain a server for players to play. But I do not think the monthly payment from City of Villains and City of Heroes is enough to maintain the 3 servers CoV, CoH, and GW. So what is my point? I'm guessing that Anet wanted to make more meaningless expansion packs just for the money to maintain the server. Of course there are disadvantage and advantage to these things. Advantage: players can play freely without monthly payment. Disadvantage: People are experiencing server instability (error 7). I tried both dial up and Cable on guild wars, but neither got me disconnected. I just wanted to hear some opinions.

[DE] · Sep 07, 2006, 02:18 AM // 02:18

You would be referring to NCSoft not Arenanet. Anet has only made Guild Wars. NCSoft has been involved in both COV, CoH, Lineage and the likes...

xxinsainxx · Sep 07, 2006, 02:18 AM // 02:18

btw nc soft is the publisher that did the other games arena net only made guildwars so they only have to pay for their servers nc soft is just the publisher i im wrong then im wrong but i think i got it and ya ther gona come up with ways to make money ther a business thats what they do. lol phantom u posted exact same time i did

sinican · Sep 07, 2006, 02:23 AM // 02:23

they are trying to break the mold of typical mmorpg's with the pay per month thing...

i highly doubt they have any financial difficulties in their venture with this... its all about breaking numbers... over 2mil copies...

most of the money in other mmogs is in a live development team that constantly add new content without the addition for new expansions(though they have been cheating with this lately) and mainting the multiple servers that maintain their persistant worlds...

all the servers do at anet with GW is host our virtual lobies(towns and outposts aka districts) and maintain a game data link to instanced areas that are actually hosted on p2p connections the cost they have in maintaining these servers is a fraction of typical mmog's really they only have to maintain a single cluster of servers and the bandwidth we all use playing the game... which in most counts by the volume they use is probably extremely cheap per mb/gb considering also the amount of large downloads for updates...

thier cost are well covered by the amount of boxes they sell and their ability to keep new expansions coming rapidly

Age · Sep 07, 2006, 02:28 AM // 02:28

It is NCSoft that are selling the char. slots and skill packs not ArenaNet.

angshuman · Sep 07, 2006, 02:31 AM // 02:31

1). NCSoft owns Guild Wars (the publisher usually owns the rights to a game).

2). NCSoft owns ArenaNet (this has nothing to do with the Point 1 above, it's just a co-incidence in this case).

Poison Ivy · Sep 07, 2006, 02:34 AM // 02:34

Oh bloody hell, another one of these: "Omigosh uz goin poor" threads.

They have given this more thought than you, their financial play is worked out to a point you wouldn't even begin to comprehend (judging by your vocabulary and lack of knowledge), they just need to add more stupid "piss us off" products in their little online shrine.

[DE] · Sep 07, 2006, 02:40 AM // 02:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terra Xin

Anet is in the buisness to make money.

Wah?!?!?! No wai! Companies don't want to make money! They just want to give and give and give to the consumer! /sarcasm

On a side note, a little extra money never hurt anyone. Just because they are selling character slots and UAX packages doesn't mean anyone is going broke, after all players asked for these.

(oooh good analogy right here, If you have a limonade stand and let's say you make $5 dollars from limonade do you quit? No! You can still make more money, and maybe even sell cookies for a little extra! It never hurts to have extra money...)

Terra Xin · Sep 07, 2006, 02:49 AM // 02:49

yes... thank you for the sarcasm...

and now for my encore:

Quote:

Originally Posted by The OP

To me, I think the "character slots and the skill packs" is a way anet uses to make money.

For the analagy, if you were in the business to make lemonade, and you suddenly decide to make cookies on the side... you'd be putting more effort into making the cookies. But if you did sell cookies, they would sell just as well.

Quantum Duck · Sep 07, 2006, 02:51 AM // 02:51

I don't see these Financial Problems you speak of. NCSoft has a public report available for Q2 of this year, and they took a very slight loss due to the total flop of Auto Assault (Too bad too, I thought it was a great concept). CoV and CoH looked like they were pretty much breaking even with relatively low costs and enough subscribers to stay afloat. Lineage and Lineage 2 lost a lot of subscribers over the last couple years (Mostly in Asia, shortly after WoW was released in Asia was the hardest hit, probably not a coincidence), but they're both still making a bit of money dispite fairly high costs.

And then Guild Wars, purely on sales, is their big money maker so far this year. It was a big enough money maker to counteract all the money lost on Auto Assault in Q1, and almost enough to make up for AA in Q2. Now that they're not funding AA and Nightfall is coming out, the Guild Wars series is likely to put NCSoft back in the black next quarter.

How is being the most successful, fastest growing devision (Assuming I'm reading all this technical language and these charts right) of a major multinational corporation a Financial Problem?

Gun Pierson · Sep 07, 2006, 02:52 AM // 02:52

Character slots and skill packs: is an option mainly for pvp players, who by the way asked for this. It's only normal anet/ncsoft is asking one time fees for this. Some people had to develop these options. The sun doesn't shine for nothing they say.

2 million copies sold will maintain the gw servers on their own for a while, also the point of expansions is to replace somewhat the monthly fees. Like in magic the gathering, expansion packs give a fresh impulse to both creator/seller and buyer/player. You're talking about meaningless expansions, I hope you're not refering to factions. With every expansion we'll get new skins, areas etc. After a while we'll have the choice amongst hundreds of weapons and dozens of armor.

The error7: the only thingy I'm a bit worried about as since the release of the game I never had those. Recently got a few err7 in the urgoz's elite mission. But I have confidence in anet to solve this issue. Afterall they have some of the best developers in the gaming business who left Blizzard. Why did they leave? Because they didn't agree with Blizz' new money making wagon strategy called 'WOW' and wanted to make their own online game, which we're playing now. Still have that press article.

Numa Pompilius · Sep 07, 2006, 08:55 AM // 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by angshuman

1). NCSoft owns Guild Wars (the publisher usually owns the rights to a game).

2). NCSoft owns ArenaNet (this has nothing to do with the Point 1 above, it's just a co-incidence in this case).

And NCSoft, not ArenaNet, is the company haemorrhaging money, to the point they've fired their entire QA staff and in-game moderators. As has been pointed out, GW is doing fine, but NCSoft is losing money due to dropping interest in City of Heroes/Villains, and because AutoAssault flopped.

It is unfortunate that NCSoft owns ArenaNet, but ArenaNet obviously needed a ton of cash to develop GW, so it couldn't be helped. Also, while I'm no fan of NCSoft, it could've been a lot worse - ArenaNet might've been owned by Sony.

Guinevere Ac · Sep 07, 2006, 09:13 AM // 09:13

following the op starter suppositions i would be inclined to declare microsoft in financial problems, because they are about to sell a new windows...

AH AH AH

WE asked for additional slots, NCSOFT shareholders want to
1- earn money
2- please customers so they can earn MORE money

AND NOT

1- please customers
2- try to see if they can profit anything by pleasing their customers

KurtBatz · Sep 07, 2006, 09:24 AM // 09:24

Let's take two companies. Sony Online Entertaiment and NC Soft.

SOE - Make a TON of changes to Star Wars Galaxies that NOONE wants. Fans are horrified and leave in droves. Disaster.

NCSoft - Make changes to the game that HUNDREDS of people have been specifically asking for - the chance to buy new slots and the opportunity to unlock skills in PVP, without being forced to PVE (some people just aren't interested in PVE and NCSoft have said time and time again this game isn't about grind)

The PVP unlock skills don't affect a thing. If you want the skills and don't want to pay, just go and unlock them, it's fun to explore anyway.

If you want more slots, buy a pre-release pack for Nightfall if you're a cheap skate and get one for next to nothing. They don't exactly cost much and I'm amongst the thousands of people who asked for the opportunity to be able to buy more.

Introducing the features that people WANT and actually ASKED FOR isn't a sign of financial difficulty. It's a sign of listening to what the hell the playerbase are actualy asking for. Something SOE /never\ do.

KurtBatz · Sep 07, 2006, 09:37 AM // 09:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ole Man Bourbon

I was done for the night, but yeah, Oh. Lordy. SOE was bad with SWG. WOWSERS. NCSOFT is the total opposite, I agree. Adding always. People who whine about Anet are typically totally lost.

Mrmm! Take City of Heroes. Good example.

Players - "We want capes!"

Capes are introduced.

Players - "We want to play the bad guys"

City of Villains is released

Players - "We want evil bases!"

Evil bases are released

Players - "More costumes!"

More costumers are released

So on and so on and so on.

Star Wars Galaxies

Players - We want a few bug fixes

Entire game is raped, decimated, destroyed, p***ed on from a great height, stamped on, sliced apart, chainsawed and massacred. Creature Handlers - the single best pet training class I've ever seen in any MMORPG ever in the history of ever - removed completely. People lose their kimogillas, rancors, gackle bats, dragons and such OVERNIGHT. Combat is destroyed. Entire classes removed. Game dumbed down into a kiddy X-Box game. More bugs introduced. Jedi's become the worst class in the game. A beautiful, fun, intelligent game with so many wonderful things going for it killed by the asshats that are Sony.

Bitter? Moi? ^^

..and don't get me started on Everquest 2. PLEASE don't get me started on EQ2. * sobs *

Ole Man Bourbon · Sep 07, 2006, 09:49 AM // 09:49

Lol, that's being kind, too. The Jedi elite class was the stupid thing they did to sink the ship at first. Uber class? What?

The NYTimes had a front-page article about how pissed SWG people were with the stupid NGE. How can you screw up a SW MMO? Ask SOE.

PS you do realize that they went from about 30 classes down to about 6, eliminating all crafting and combat diversity in one fail swoop without warning, right? CH was nothing compared to some of that other shit. I had a whole farm of houses with materials for Weaponsmithing. Then they just got rid of the class. O.O

Knightsaber Sith · Sep 07, 2006, 09:49 AM // 09:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tidus the one

the monthly payment from City of Villains and City of Heroes is enough to maintain the 3 servers CoV, CoH, and GW.

CoV and CoH share 11 servers (not including the test server).
Anet and Cryptic studios aren't related and the above comment looks to be from someone that doesn't know what they're talking about.

Dr Wu · Sep 07, 2006, 02:58 PM // 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gun Pierson

The error7: the only thingy I'm a bit worried about as since the release of the game I never had those. Recently got a few err7 in the urgoz's elite mission. But I have confidence in anet to solve this issue.

I have been playing since GW was made public..I have 3 accounts..never had an Err7 problem untill a week or so ago. Now I am getting 3 or more a day. I have done everything asked..
Defragged my HD
Defragged GW DAT file
Got rid of all Windows start up stuff, (info got from this web site).
My ISP is rock solid (satelite), and I check it immediately I get an Err7
So something has changed to be causing this, and they need to fix it fast.
Nothing pisses me off more than getting kicked 3/4 way thru' a mission.

Dr Wu

Loviatar · Sep 07, 2006, 03:49 PM // 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Wu

Got rid of all Windows start up stuff, (info got from this web site).
My ISP is rock solid (satelite), and I check it immediately I get an Err7
So something has changed to be causing this, and they need to fix it fast.
Nothing pisses me off more than getting kicked 3/4 way thru' a mission.

Dr Wu

two things to note

1. satelite has a very long ping to start with by definition (the satelite jumps each way added the the rest)

2. your connection does not go directly to the Anet servers but only to your ISP connection to the net where it will follow the usual ping pong route everybody elses does.

the satelite only gets you onto the net instead of a cable/wire doing the same thing.

meaning it might not be the Anet server but something they (Anet) have no control over between them and you

Dawgboy · Sep 07, 2006, 05:16 PM // 17:16

If Nightfall is anything like Factions, well...there might not be a fourth chapter. They turned off a LOT of players with this crappy expansion/whatever. I think quite a few people will wait before buying Nightfall just to see what other people say about it. I know I won't be putting out another 50 bucks unless it's for a Prophesies-style game. Maybe if/when they have a pve preview weekend I'll make up my mind to buy it, but in all likelihood I'll just wait.

Hey ANet- You CAN'T FORCE me to play pvp, even if you mask it as faction farming! Just because you put a dress on that dog doesn't mean I want to dance with it.

I don't mean to tick off any pvpers, it's just not thing. My idea of a fun time is not being yelled at or taunted by a bunch of pre-pubers.