General Discussion

>>> TO BE CLEAR: I AM THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE <<<

This continues my attempt to address the comments you have all been so kind as to leave.  As with my first set (found in the discussion thread for part 1 of the article) I have tried to keep my replies orderly and segregated by user name.  Please let me know if anything I mention below is unclear.  I'm glad to clarify at any time.

Here are my responses to your comments:

@drarkanex - While there is certainly tension in the piece it reflects the combined experiences of many gamers during the launch period.  I drew from the experiences of those I play with and members of the community as well as my own when penning the article.  While it may be written from a perspective outside of the US, the issues are not by any means exclusive to one region.

@puffmouse - There have been other games which have successfully charged premium fees for enhanced service and options.  I think that there are any number of ways in which games could integrate this in the future.  Either that or simply raise the base fee to enable the company to provide adequate service at all times. Sometimes you eat at a fast food joint, but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed that more than a classy restaurant. ;)

@araczynski - I do place the blame on Funcom for all the issues encountered with the launch with the exception of obvious failures within the reseller or postal systems.  Funcom made all the decisions which led up to the shortages and shipping delays.  While it is noble of you to want to "let them off the hook" I don't think gaming companies deserve to be given more consideration than any other sort of company.  Good to hear you've been enjoying the game.  It's a lot of fun to be sure.

@impulsebooks - Thanks for the comments.  While we do see blue names, I find too many of them belong to the volunteer moderators.  It is a shame that the Community Relations staff seem to be unable to respond quickly enough.  Even more disappointing is that when an actual dev chooses to comment it usually means that they are simply explaining away another stealthy adjustment, while not responding to the issues being raised by the playerbase.  Communication has improved since launch but it is still lacking.

@Asherett - There was, and it caused a lot of issues during the launch phase.  As I said in my other comment post (part 1) there are delays to publication so the opening of the forums did not happen until after I last touched this piece. The major problem was the initial separation, and within the scope of this article it is extremely relevant.

@BogSvarog - Glad you've had positive experiences.  I hope they continue to enhance the later game so you can enjoy it even more.

@AOCtester - You are of course entitled to your opinions, but I'm going to have to continue to hope Funcom comes out on top after they've dug in and fixed the pile of glaring issues still siting in the inbox.  Why?  Because in the grand scheme of things the company has done a good job.  While this piece highlights a lot of issues with the launch I believe that the game itself is in a fairly decent state.  Having played as many MMOs as I have there is a sliding scale in my head.  AoC comes out above average for a released product.  And yes, that is a sad commentary on this genre, and I believe it can and should be improved upon.  The largest problem we face is the fact that unlike a movie (they are also expensive) the ROI for an MMO is long term.  A movie will enter production, shoot, go through editing and post production, and then release within the span of two or three years.  Almost no MMO will manage that tight of a time schedule.  It will also take more time to recover the initial investment money, as a movie runs for a few months in theaters while an MMO is expected to keep people engaged for years.  Because of this economic reality we are forced to deal with people who have (usually) very little understanding of the genre making the decision to launch.  On one hand if AoC does well it encourages the premature release of software.  On the other, it reassures investors that putting out a better quality product increases your chances of seeing a good return.  I'll keep rooting for developers who manage to make it to release, because failed products do nobody any good . . . except perhaps as a cautionary tale most people would rather forget about.

I have two characters that are higher than your arbitrary level of 40+ at this time.  My article has nothing to do with issues outside of the launch itself, so it is relatively unimportant how high a level I was when it was written (I wasn't that far off 40) since I avoided talking too much about gameplay.  As it stands I am still (in my 50's) enjoying the game and will continue to pay for it after the initial 30 days.  I agree that there are serious issues which need to be addressed, particularly in terms of class bugfixing (as opposed to nerfing) and the addition of content.  However as the veteran of far too many MMOs I can't say that I didn't expect this issue, and I can't say that I've not encountered it in any other game.  It is, sadly, an inherent part of the industry because we are so hungry for the new worlds that we tolerate a bit too much.  I'd like to see quality rise in released products, but as I've said elsewhere in my comments, economic factors are hard to fight as a game developer.  Maybe an MMO gamer will win a massive lotery jackpot and finance a game that does get the rights to stay in Beta as long as it needs to.  I've got my fingers crossed.  (And my resume in an open window, so let me know if it happens, ok?)

@JK-Kanosi - Sometimes it takes a long time to get the winds of change blowing.  I think that by expressing dissatisfaction we continue to send messages to companies which may eventually get through.  Believe me when I say that those game developers love the product they are working on and would like nothing better than to give us perfection.  The realities of economy dictate that they are fighting against the tide of money in order to keep the game from releasing too soon.  Keep speaking out against the problems you see in released games.  Fight the good fight, so to speak. :)

@Ozmodan - Since I covered the launch there are of course more issues with the game than what I wrote about.  As to your assertion that most people will not continue past 30 days I can only say that I don't think you're right.  What actually happens remains to be seen, of course.

@Stikato - Yes, I'm serious.  I still play and will continue to do so after the first 30 days.  Many of the launch pains have been resolved and Funcom has regularly updated the game in the past weeks.  More importantly: I'm having fun.  If you have to choose between eating and buying AoC, eat.  But if you have the disposable income it won't hurt you to take a look.

As to your assertion that I reviewed the game, it's inaccurate as Stradden pointed out.  If I reviewed anything it was the launch.  I did not touch on the gameplay or content in any meaningful way in this article.  As a result if you are looking for an actual game breakdown you'll need to look somewhere else.

@galad2003 - I did not experience all of the issues that I illustrated in the article.   I had my own subset of problems during the launch period.  Other issues were experienced by my guildmates or other members of the AoC community.  The article is by no means a laundry list of my personal grievances.  I believe it is vital to note that the largest resellers available were having issues with the game during early access (code problems) through release.  Choosing to believe that by selecting a "superior" reseller you would somehow become immune to launch issues is simply the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.  The faulty handling of the launch in the distribution and resale arena all comes back to Funcom eventually.  If multiple people who ordered the game from different reputable sources have an issue your entire premise becomes null and void.  I am sorry you feel the piece was so poor.

@Leucent - Considering I gave a factual account of what happened during the release I don't believe it is possible for me to have been biased.  The piece relates the experiences of myself and other players during the launch period.  Unless people believe that I have actually lied about what occurred it is simply a recounting of historical fact.  Aside from that, I am an AoC customer still, and if I were trying to rip the game up I'd have done a much better job. ;)

@ajax7 - No, this was a recouting of events during the launch of AoC.  I never made any assertion as to the the quality of this launch as compared to any launch aside from that of Funcom's last game.  How each individual feels the launch went is up to them.

@mike470 - The article has a focus on the launch.  It would be inapprorpiate to run too far off on a wild tangent to address issues outside of that specific subject matter.  As a result some thing you and other readers may have wished to see in the piece were not included.  The ability to stay focused on the task at hand is important, and is often what differentiates a professional piece from amateurish ramblings.  I a glad you liked the article, despite it not going further into the game itself.

I too appreciate Stradden's decision to run my piece.  The original article received exactly one rewrite by myself.  The only things I changed were ones I believed needed adjustment or explanation.  As  result I added some small bits to the whole (perhaps 10% more words in total) but the soul of the piece remained a critical look at the launch itself.  This article was shopped to MMORPG.com because I believe the site is capable of taking a critical look at issues in the industry.  My beliefs have ben sustained by the publication of this piece, which is not an attack on Funcom, but an evaluaton of what went wrong when AoC launched.

@neonaka - Thanks for the positive feedback.  While I personally am enjoying playing AoC, I think it is only fair to look at the flows within a game (in this case the game's launch) and see if there isn't a lesson to be learned.  If one game company can do a better job of launching a MMO as a result of MMO players speaking out about how AoC hit the streets it will make our beloved industry that much better.

@Wakygreek - The quality of F2P MMOs is lacking.  Mark Jacobs (From EA Mythic) had a good take on the F2P market in a recent article over on Gamasutra.  He asked the F2P developers to "show me the money" . . . because you don't engage in years of backbreaking work without hope of making a profit.  He also pointed out that it is far easier to provide service to a smaller number of paying cstomers than a larg number of users, of which only some are subscribers.  In F2P games you often (in almost every case actually) have inferior service when compared to P2P.  While you may not wish to pay more for an MMO, I personally have no problem paying for a steak instead of a hamburger.  To each their own. ;)

@woalCE - I was trying to steer clear of too many in game examples of issues.  The article was already long enough, after all.  It was certainly a big negative to have the traders turned off for an extended period of time.  On that we agree. :)

@tinywulf - I'm on them enough.  As far as a release game goes it has been relatively stable, yes.  Par for the course I think. ;)

@denshing - There is really only one reason o cancel your account to any game.  You're not going to play.  That can be for any reason you feel appropriate, but it remains simple.  If you play subscribe, and if you don't . . . don't. :)

@Ragemore - So because it is possible for two different game companies to make the same mistakes my recount of the AoC launch is meaningless?  We should, instead, simply ignore the fact that it happened?  Or are you simply offended that I didn't write an article for every single launch in the past decade?  The article could have been written about any title.  The point is evaluating what happened.  The rest is simply factual information used to populate the piece.  Had WAR launched and AoC delayed you would have very likely seen a piece on that game instead.

@BlueCadwal - I'm flattered you gave me so much credit.  I must have written some very influential words to have you believe I am capable of hurting a title which has shipped over a million copies. :)  By your own admission you can't dispute the factual account I've given of the AoC launch.  You appear to be upset simply because I had the audacity to write candidly about these issues.  Further you expect Stradden to state the obvious: that this piece is written by a single author, and as a result other writers here at MMORPG.com may feel differently.  Why should he bother?  Finally, Amsterdam and Oslo aren't anywhere near each other.  I don't work for Funcom nor have I applied to them for a position at any time, though if you'd actually done your homework you'd be able to see who I did work for.  (My name, by the way, is Mathew, so shortening it and using a "t" too many isn't really something I appreciate.)

@jonaylward - So you believe that Coke Zero is a genderless product?  That Sex in the City's target audience is the same as The Sopranos?  That Band of Brothers and Roots are equivalent pieces of television?  All products have an audience.  I am at peace with the differences between men and women.  I can accept that I am more likely to be interested in technology than the average woman.  I am also able to accept that there are plenty of women out there who know more than I do about beer, football (soccer for you in North America), and cars.  The fact that my own wife sits next to me playing Age of Conan does not negate the fact that compared to other games in the genre AoC is less female-oriented.

@craynlon - My point is that many people will gladly pay more to get more.  It's the reason we have hundreds of different choices when it comes to cars.  While not everyone may buy a BMW or Audi, many of those people are happy they aren't stuck with a KIA.  In the past higher levels of service have been available to those who paid a premium.  Think of it like an extended service contract on a new laptop.  You may not need it, but it's there when you do.  Some people will buy it and use it a lot while others may not end up using it much at all.  Those who choose to go with standard service simply pay for the basics and receive the standard level of customer care as a result.

@Gondis - I didn't review the game.  I evaluated the launch.  I gave a balanced look at the issues involved in releasing AoC to market.  Hard to say anything glowing about something that either works or it doesn't.  As a result I pretty much found myself limited (by the self-imposed scope of the article at least) to addressing the issues which cropped up.  Perhaps even more importantly, you agree with me in many ways.  Hardly cause to think I've written a bad article. :D

@voodookhan - EverQuest, Everquest II, World of Warcraft, EvE Online, Asheron's Call, Dungeons and Dragons Online . . . need I go on?  The majority of MMORPGs are going to be more friendly to female gamers for many different reasons.  Skimpy Clothes are not female unfriendly.  I know alot of women who like them.  But the general atmosphere of those games is one of equality.  In AoC the first woman you meet is a whore who has been chained up by a scavenging pirate.

@Lizante - I'm also one of those gamers with no patience.  I have to play a game as soon as I think I want to.  Because of this I see no reason not to wait out the initial growing pains.  SOME people should definitely not buy the game at this time.  I agree 100% that it is better for folks to wait if they can't handle the flux of a newly launched MMO.  With the number of titles out on the market I am sure you can find a way to kill a few months. :D

@Elikal - The lack of complete patch notes is a nightmare from all directions.  In many cases someone at Funcom has simply failed to properly document, and in others they have made a mistake and merged changed code into the patch tree when they did not intend to.  I believe it is unlikely that too many stealth changes are meant to be hidden from the players.  But the sad fact is they ARE being hidden.  I agree with you that it needs to stop.  I'd rather seen ten pages of relatively mundane notes as long as it included that one change vital to my class.

@mindmeld - 100% agreement.  They vastly improved on the AO launch. :)

@Dento - To be fair I think that Sigil employees cared very much.  The economic realities (which I've touched on already) are what doomed Vanguard.  Well, that and a couple of key decision points which went wrong. :(  I hope you're able to come back and play AoC when it is in a better state.

@markt50 - I don't buy tat we need to accept that bad things are going t happen and stick our heads in the ground to avoid having to deal with them.  I can guarantee you that any game company worth a damn has meetings to come up with reports telling them what went wrong after major events like game launches.  Pieces like this article are critiques, so of course the will be negative in nature.  But we need to not be afraid to stand up and say something when we think there are improvements to be made.  The gaming industry is young and tis genre even younger.  There will be painful experiences as advancements are made and the processes mature.

***

Thanks again for all your comments.  Please reply if you have anything further to discuss.  I'll do my best to watch the threads.

 

@AOCtester - You are of course entitled to your opinions, but I'm going to have to continue to hope Funcom comes out on top after they've dug in and fixed the pile of glaring issues still siting in the inbox.  Why?  Because in the grand scheme of things the company has done a good job.  While this piece highlights a lot of issues with the launch I believe that the game itself is in a fairly decent state.  Having played as many MMOs as I have there is a sliding scale in my head.  AoC comes out above average for a released product.  And yes, that is a sad commentary on this genre, and I believe it can and should be improved upon.  The largest problem we face is the fact that unlike a movie (they are also expensive) the ROI for an MMO is long term.  A movie will enter production, shoot, go through editing and post production, and then release within the span of two or three years.  Almost no MMO will manage that tight of a time schedule.  It will also take more time to recover the initial investment money, as a movie runs for a few months in theaters while an MMO is expected to keep people engaged for years.  Because of this economic reality we are forced to deal with people who have (usually) very little understanding of the genre making the decision to launch.  On one hand if AoC does well it encourages the premature release of software.  On the other, it reassures investors that putting out a better quality product increases your chances of seeing a good return.  I'll keep rooting for developers who manage to make it to release, because failed products do nobody any good . . . except perhaps as a cautionary tale most people would rather forget about.

I have two characters that are higher than your arbitrary level of 40+ at this time.  My article has nothing to do with issues outside of the launch itself, so it is relatively unimportant how high a level I was when it was written (I wasn't that far off 40) since I avoided talking too much about gameplay.  As it stands I am still (in my 50's) enjoying the game and will continue to pay for it after the initial 30 days.  I agree that there are serious issues which need to be addressed, particularly in terms of class bugfixing (as opposed to nerfing) and the addition of content.  However as the veteran of far too many MMOs I can't say that I didn't expect this issue, and I can't say that I've not encountered it in any other game.  It is, sadly, an inherent part of the industry because we are so hungry for the new worlds that we tolerate a bit too much.  I'd like to see quality rise in released products, but as I've said elsewhere in my comments, economic factors are hard to fight as a game developer.  Maybe an MMO gamer will win a massive lotery jackpot and finance a game that does get the rights to stay in Beta as long as it needs to.  I've got my fingers crossed.  (And my resume in an open window, so let me know if it happens, ok?)

I dont care how bad any MMO launch has gone before.  Earlier MMO games are no excusies for new games to launch a) incomplete b) bugged c) without features.  If something then the MMO companies should be LEARNING what not to do.  Instead comments like from you are exactly telling them they dont have to bother.  Its perfectly fine to throw things out about a year before its actually at any state to be released.

Its not my fault that Funcom has bad managment team.   And its defenetly not my fault that other MMO games didn't launched unfinished.  What I can say that when I played GTA 4 witch in many ways is way more complicated game in ALL departments, then Im just ashamed that the MMO comunity is trying to make up excuses for what AOC stands for.    And don't bring up the argument that one is single player and other is MMO.  Cause thats not valid.  Just compare the bugs on its own and then tell us why ppl should be paying simulare amount for those two games.... 

"@Dento - To be fair I think that Sigil employees cared very much.  The economic realities (which I've touched on already) are what doomed Vanguard.  Well, that and a couple of key decision points which went wrong. :(  I hope you're able to come back and play AoC when it is in a better state."

There were and I'm sure there still are some employees that cared for VSOH no doubt but that fact is over shadowed and outweighed by the horrible management which is really what causes most of these problems with bad launches and upset customers.

Poor decisions and even worse communication.

I don't know who you are but if you are a funcom rep and you're looking to try and calm the mob why not step up and take responsibility for the screw ups and give us some clear communication of whats being down to fix the issues instead of  hollow and meaningless BS

Originally posted by Dento

I don't know who you are but if you are a funcom rep and you're looking to try and calm the mob why not step up and take responsibility for the screw ups and give us some clear communication of whats being down to fix the issues instead of  hollow and meaningless BS

 

In about 2 minutes you could google me and find out.  No, I don't work for Funcom.  I have no desire to calm the mob.  I'm part of the mob.