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I totally agree, whilst Bioware is excellent at RPGs that doesnt always mean that they'll make an awesome omg wtf MMO. They should have looked at the defunct SWG MMO which dragged its corpse on for years longer than it should have which had some pretty awesome sandbox elements such as town/city building, the awesome space element and a really good crafting system.
SWG was not by any means perfect but SW TOR should have looked at certain elements it did well.
SWG was not by any means perfect but SW TOR should have looked at certain elements it did well.
This is stuff I've been saying about Bioware for several years and it's always frustrated me to an extent that they're constantly given a pass for storytelling. Worse were the people that gushed as if moral choice was in games was invented by Bioware. We have had choice in RPGs well before video games came along.
Bioware being lauded so much on these to things - even though I actually like Mass Effect 2 and 3 - i was rather glad to see them recieve this tremendous amount of backlash on story and choice and with TOR, reamed for its lacking gameplay. I just knew an MMO could not sustain itself on story alone. You have to have people there for PvP, endgame and sufficient low and intermediate content, too.
And if we really want to see how sloppy Bioware is on gameplay and overall design all we have to do is waltz back all we have to do is go look at the fist Mass Effect, ye gods it's hideous on every level but character design, acting and story. Were it not for those things, I migh have confused it with a very early Dreamcast game.
Bioware being lauded so much on these to things - even though I actually like Mass Effect 2 and 3 - i was rather glad to see them recieve this tremendous amount of backlash on story and choice and with TOR, reamed for its lacking gameplay. I just knew an MMO could not sustain itself on story alone. You have to have people there for PvP, endgame and sufficient low and intermediate content, too.
And if we really want to see how sloppy Bioware is on gameplay and overall design all we have to do is waltz back all we have to do is go look at the fist Mass Effect, ye gods it's hideous on every level but character design, acting and story. Were it not for those things, I migh have confused it with a very early Dreamcast game.
As much as I love bioware, I did raise an eyebrow when they announced an MMO. It was a weird call and I think I'll advised in a market saturated with MMOs, especially with the rise of
free to play. Of course, these things are always clearer with the power of hindsight.
But you do also raise a good point about combat mechanics. I personally loved DA:O's combat but admittedly it is an area they are often lacking in. It gets a pass because of the compelling stories and characters, which frankly I'm ok with, but that won't cut it with an MMO. It'll be interesting to see what happens, in any case.
free to play. Of course, these things are always clearer with the power of hindsight.
But you do also raise a good point about combat mechanics. I personally loved DA:O's combat but admittedly it is an area they are often lacking in. It gets a pass because of the compelling stories and characters, which frankly I'm ok with, but that won't cut it with an MMO. It'll be interesting to see what happens, in any case.
Awesome blog!! It's important to note that most ALL stocks are sinking like ships right now (I know because I watch my portfolio much more closely now that both my husband and I are both semi-retired and not working full time), but EA in particular definitely did nosedive largely due to the failure of TOR.
You're also right that an MMO won't survive on good story that someone can play on their own... MMO's become addictive when people MUST work with other people in order to advance the story line. I don't know if they did this, but it doesn't sound like they did. It's fine to be able to play the game on your own until you adjust to the game, but at some point a good MMO makes you want to group up with other people to tackle certain objectives or quests. In reality, it's the other people in the game that tends to draw most players back... and once they get into a guild or regular group of people - that's where the addiction lies.
Another important aspect you mention is the gameplay... OMG YES! Bioware games still seem stuck in the 90's. I still remember the huge disappointment of playing the Dragon Age games and the "paths" with all the invisible walls they force you on and even the the fact that travel from one location to another still necessitated the old load screen. Almost every other WRPG on the market has moved to a more open world concept... and while the game doesn't need a compete sandbox, the narrow paths just felt way too retro... especially when combined with the mediocrity of the actual combat.
The games still manage to be fun, but it almost seems like they are fun in spite of Bioware rather than because of Bioware.
You're also right that an MMO won't survive on good story that someone can play on their own... MMO's become addictive when people MUST work with other people in order to advance the story line. I don't know if they did this, but it doesn't sound like they did. It's fine to be able to play the game on your own until you adjust to the game, but at some point a good MMO makes you want to group up with other people to tackle certain objectives or quests. In reality, it's the other people in the game that tends to draw most players back... and once they get into a guild or regular group of people - that's where the addiction lies.
Another important aspect you mention is the gameplay... OMG YES! Bioware games still seem stuck in the 90's. I still remember the huge disappointment of playing the Dragon Age games and the "paths" with all the invisible walls they force you on and even the the fact that travel from one location to another still necessitated the old load screen. Almost every other WRPG on the market has moved to a more open world concept... and while the game doesn't need a compete sandbox, the narrow paths just felt way too retro... especially when combined with the mediocrity of the actual combat.
The games still manage to be fun, but it almost seems like they are fun in spite of Bioware rather than because of Bioware.
DA:O was a fucking masterpiece, but the game was built without EA's help or influence by the time the publisher snagged them up. Once EA had them under their thumb, they decided to streamline gameplay, blur genres, and pimp them out to the MMO scene. EA got what they deserve.
Are EA’s upper management and John Riccitello to blame for how investors look at the game? Sure! John Riccitello for the last 18 months should have been hammering into investors heads in person and in reports that the Star Wars MMO should be seen in the same light as ‘buying a studio’ or ‘creating an R&D unit’. The game would be something that would pay-off divided later...getting into the MMO space is planning for the future not profiting now. That might have lowered the stock price slightly when they started to talk in those terms, but would have stabilized the price much higher when they game got off more slowly than expected.
The stock price drop is about expectations, and the industry needs to start thinking of MMOs as long term investments not short term profit engines.
The stock price drop is about expectations, and the industry needs to start thinking of MMOs as long term investments not short term profit engines.
