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Thread: Anarchy Online Booster Pack with Land Control

  1. #141
    Geez people its just not that expensive, why the whine? It will probably cost the same as one or two pizzas.

    This is the gaming industry and despite what you may think, unless you're SEGA or Microsoft you just don't make *that* much money. Its why copying illegally games is different then the music industry, the amount of money is so much less in the pool that you really do hurt things.

    Any sort of expansion in any other computer game makes you pay. Why do you keep saying "should have been released in the original, should be a patch". You don't want to pay for creativity and new content?

    Warlords, Heroes of M&M, Baldur's Gate, Mech Warrior they released small expansion packs and guess what? You paid for them! You ALWAYS have to pay for them. And the price isn't that much.

    Heck a 12 year old can probably shell out 20.00 a month without batting an eye these days, learn to manage the money if this is something you actually want to do. This is cheap entertainment in a world where 20.00 won't get you a drink and a cover charge at a bar.

    The real economics of the world aren't going to change for some idyllic socialistic gamer utopia. If you like a product support it and you support it with money, that's all. Love will get you only so far, criticism if its not constructive will get you nowhere, but financial backing will allow an idea to live and maybe grow.

    ---------

    Unfairness to large versus small guilds? I don't see the problem with that. Heh I'm in a guild where I am the only active person right now, I'm effectively an independent. You don't balance a game or a world to make everyone equal. You balance it to be interdependent, interesting and to give people a chance, someway to succeed, win or count. Its not a very fun game if they do make everyone self-sufficient and equal. Go play Diablo for that. It makes everyone generic and gives no reason to form bonds with others.

    So maybe the little groups will build some coalitions, maybe they'll have extremely good tactical teams to take out a large groups camp, maybe the small group will hire and pay a large group to get a camp for them, maybe small groups will merge with large groups to take advantage of this and all these possibilities and more will ensue.

    One of the best things about this game is that you can know your enemy, communicate with them, party with them and then in certain areas put a gun to their head. That allows for great potential roleplay if you want to do it.

    No professional game that is released has EVER been perfect and bug free. No matter how much time, money or god-like programmers work on it will it ever be 100% stable. Just by putting anything online you guarantee instability and compatibility problems. Let them have that. You'll never find any other game online that doesn't exhibit those problems. People know about them they work on them, keep up criticzing and analyzing, suggesting and testing. But try to keep the juvenile language and heated passion out of it. Its a waste of bandwidth to flame like that and it doesn't make anyone's day better. Learn to campaign for issues you don't like or do like.

    If you want to criticize the booster pack then take it apart. I have yet to see many people discuss logistics and scope for the land reforms, most people complain about payment and downloadability and sarcasm to point out the games other problems (which, incidentally have their own threads to complain about them).

    I hate "whining" about whining. Feels like metawhining, that which transcends and makes whining more complete and these forums feel like that. The forums on this game sound like the forums on all the other online roleplay games, same gripes, lets try to be more thoughtful.

    My take on the pack:

    A cd, while less convenient to wait for, is better for loading on your computer then a download. Eventually my computer will corrupt or I'll need a format or the game will need to be reloaded, the CD will make that faster and keep the data better. So I'll wait for it even though I'd want it now instantly.

    The price will be inconsequential and will change the scope of some parts of the world, I hope. Because I'd like to see the environment effected by players and not programmers all the time. In this way you'll know when you log off that you have made a difference others can see. That's always a good thing to my mind even if my player can't directly participate in it, it makes the world cooler for me.

    The concept of military actions and reasons for militant organizations and large cooperative group efforts. I enjoy that, even though I'm not in a miliatry group. Maybe they'll see their people aren't enough and hire outside help, maybe I'll go to a party on one of their bases, maybe I'll wander through the desert and stumble onto one. Anything that brings people together is good. You may like to wander the world by yourself but its not meant for solo play. You can't roleplay by yourself unless you're severely disturbed, so anything that encourages groups gathering and roleplaying will help the game's reputation.

    The ability to customize your land is something I want more information about. As some people asked already, how much can you customize it, can you add shops, buy npc guards etc.? I'd like to see speculation on that. I would love an armed camp with the luxurious home of a famous bureaucrat replete with swimming pool and landscaped gardens. Or see smart barracks and mess hall. Or have docs be able to set up experimental labs and clinics...

    Perhaps you could have a military group take the land, keep the land and then bring in other clans(departments) to help develop and run the business and land for them so they can keep saluting and shooting. Sounds like a nice cooperative step to me.

    How much would you like to be able to customize the mining and towers? Should you have to pay a tax to maintain it? What if a group builds a base in the middle of nowhere, then disolves and leaves the game? Is the base still out there? Does it fade away?

  2. #142
    I think the booster should come seperate if you choose and pay only $10 rather than $20 when you already have most of what you're getting already. That or some sort of rebate for current customers, $20 for only part of a future expansion pack plus software you already have is a bit outrageous.

  3. #143

    FUNCOM did u need money???

    Did u really need money?????????????????????????
    OTs....We fight???
    Junior "Tradition" Rm

  4. #144

    some comments

    Originally posted by Specialone

    I live in Connecticut (god help me)
    We CT residents must all think similarly.....

    Originally posted by Specialone

    As far as the (booster) is concerned:
    ...
    B) I won't buy it. As it was so clearly addressed above, I don't think we should have to pay for content when the ENTIRE premise this mmorpg is based on (and what keeps us paying) is that content will be added to the persistent world on a regular basis. I know we are getting a wee bit of content, but considering that the AO population is generally voicing the same concerns ad nauseum re: high lvl content, boredom, minimal tradeskill usage, pet and mob pathing issues unresolved after a year etc...
    I am also quite annoyed by this. While I think new content is great, certainly every game must continue to add new content, places to explore, dungeons, enemies, new missions, quests, etc.
    however some issues must be addressed prior to/in addition to new content, and should have more "weight" or importance than new conent. The issues that should be resolved first & foremost are:
    -high lvl content
    -boredom
    -minimal tradeskill usage
    -pet and mob pathing issues

    I'm sure there are more, but these are important issues and many players/customers would like to see these issues addressed (WITHOUT INCURRING ADDITIONAL COST TO US) before the new content is added.

    I think that if you (Funcom) address these "issues" first & foremost, with regular patches (free of charge to current account holders), you will see a generally happier customer base, who will be more inclined to purchase updates (whether they be called boosters or expansions, or whatever).

    The above stated items should be addressed regardless of whether one purchases the booster/expansions or not.

    While I understand that some "issues", such as high level content, may be easier to address in an expansion of some sort (such as a new area to explore which is accessible only for higher level characters), there still should be SOME CONTENT in the existing areas which would enhance the gameplay/enjoyment of the higher level characters who wish to remain in these (existing) areas.

    Issues such as pet pathing, and tradeskill items should be fixed because they affect almost everyone. Even if your character is not a tradeskill oriented or pet-accompanied profession, you still benefit from other players around you who have the skills to create items you need, or summon their appropriate pets when they are on your team. It would be nice if these skills worked correctly and these pets were able to actually help you, instead of hiding in some far off corner of your mission because the pet cannot path around a table or stalagmite.

    Originally posted by Specialone

    FC - I think if you really want us to buy an "expansion" down the road, you should not ask us to pay for this booster. I would bet that if this booster was a free dl (or optionally a minimally priced CD) and it was really quite good, most of us would be happy to pay for an expansion down the road...

    In contrast, if I pay for a "booster" that ends up being a disappointment, it is unlikely that i'd even think about buying an Expansion later.
    I'd have to agree with this as well. I am more likely to spend larger amounts of money on an expansion CD for a game which I really enjoy, than to spend it on a game which "may or may not" be fun to play.

    If I'm not sure if I'd like the expansion, I'm more likely to spend that money on someone elses game and wait around until a friend who may have AO would show me that it was good. I am less likely to "see for myself" if I am already dissatisfied with the gameplay/content.

    Presently, only some of the issues discussed really affect any of my characters (I don't get to play, and level, as often as I'd like), but I hope that when my characters get to the point when these things are affecting me, they will be resolved.
    «¤ W¥RM ¤»

  5. #145

    constructive criticism?

    Originally posted by Heket
    My take on the pack:

    A cd, while less convenient to wait for, is better for loading on your computer then a download. Eventually my computer will corrupt or I'll need a format or the game will need to be reloaded, the CD will make that faster and keep the data better. So I'll wait for it even though I'd want it now instantly.
    I agree. I'd rather have a CD because I am constantly messing around with things on my PC and have to format quite often. A CD format is preferred. I think it might be nice if you offered something like this:
    -Download only format (entire game) /a little less than the standard price (because you dont get the cool books/map)
    -CD format (entire game) /standard price
    -Download format (expansion only) for those that have fast connections, cheaper than option 1 or 2.
    -CD format (updates only - not including standard game (cheaper than options 1 or 2, but a little bit more expensive, due to physical cost, than option 3).

    Originally posted by Heket
    ....I'd like to see the environment effected by players and not programmers all the time. In this way you'll know when you log off that you have made a difference others can see. That's always a good thing to my mind even if my player can't directly participate in it, it makes the world cooler for me.[/B]
    It would be really neat if, say there were some very difficult UNIQUE missions, for example, one mission might require you to have to put explosive materials (provided by the mission generator, just like the spiked food sacks) in a certain spot in a mission somewhere. It would be really cool if when you completed that mission, the cave or building or whatever actually blew up. Wouldn't it be neat if other players would see it blow up and could be like "Hey look at that guy running away from that building - he looks su****ious - lets go check him out.." or if you suddenly hear an announcement one of the NEWS channels : "Citizens of Omni-Trade, this is a special announcement. A building in the NW quadrant of the city has been compromized, please keep alert for any su****ious activity or clan members in the area. Omni-Pol has be investigating further, and will be suppling additional personnel to address this issue." or something like that. Maybe those kind of missions would be available only to higher level characters (might make game play more interesting for them?).
    I really like the idea of possibly affecting our world in a physical sense, in a way others would see and be able to interact with. -Endless possibilities there...

    Originally posted by Heket
    ...You can't roleplay by yourself unless you're severely disturbed, so anything that encourages groups gathering and roleplaying will help the game's reputation.[/B]
    I'd like to see some of the military stuff added, I think it will encourage more group play. Perhaps more options for some of the less militarily inclined, like special shop (booths) where you can sell wares (maybe you can "occupy" certain booths in TIR or Omni-Trade, near Bronto burger and such, and if you pay an upkeep fee to "rent" the use of the booth, it might put your character name above the booth, or in front of the counter. Or maybe it would display your wares in the counter in little windows, like in some of the specialty shops, depending on what items you are trying to "sell". Just like in real life, the people selling stuff would have to "rent" or "lease" the use of such counters....Perhaps there would be some benefit to using these booths, as opposed to just spamming the shopping channels. Perhaps your "lease" could include hiring an NPC to sell your wares at set price while you are away doing missions (isn't EQ doing something like this now?).

    Originally posted by Heket
    The ability to customize your land is something I want more information about....B]
    With property ownership, can you only modify the placement of your tower or building, or the land surrounding it as well. There are lots of questions about the insides, but what about the surrounding area....In addition to furniture and stuff, it would be really neat if you had the ability to affect the landscape of your property, aside from just the buildings. Could you plant and/or remove trees, rocks, etc. Create lakes/pools, raise or lower terrain (to promote/discourage visitors)....

    Originally posted by Heket
    How much would you like to be able to customize the mining and towers? Should you have to pay a tax to maintain it? What if a group builds a base in the middle of nowhere, then disolves and leaves the game? Is the base still out there? Does it fade away? [/B]
    I think it would be neat if there was some type of upkeep for the property/buildings...if you don't maintain them, they deteriorate (like the ruins in parts of old athens, etc). It would give more justification for why there might be guild fees (in an RP kind of way).
    «¤ W¥RM ¤»

  6. #146
    I will buy booster pack they seems to be kewl
    Two sisters practicing medicine on Rubika and Shadowlands Pomy and Julka.

    As a doctor i would prescribe you to use some common sense and a vacation to Real Life"

    If i ever start a new character in Eve i will choose a name something like "aieerjjnnvajjnasdio11e3".

  7. #147

    Land SAKES!

    Land Sakes! I just thought that title would fit!

    Well, THIS is something I found about about a week ago.. and a great idea. The idea of PVP for a tangible reason, nice. Competition will be great. There will be an actual conflict, and more of a reason to try and push it in a particular direction.

    ----------Join the clans, and fight tyranny--------Sic Semper Tyrannus!
    Myles "Anam" Pippin
    Nec Timeo, Nec Sperno

    Biographical Page

  8. #148

    Unhappy Down load the booster pack and pay for it?

    AO is a brilliant concept I will say. Its stunningly rendered and has a huge potential, which is why I purchased the game for £19.99 in the high street. Now after several months of playing, hearing the promises of AO and rising through the levels I have to stand back and ask myself, should this land control pack be given to existing player for free?

    In the blerb that announced the pack from AO it clearly states that “New boxes of the game will contain the game client and the new booster pack”. This is very fine for new players, but what about the rest of us who purchased the earlier game, are we not being discriminated against? If we were to buy it now, as new players, we would enjoy a working system free of the problems the existing players have experienced in the past. Is that fair to a loyal player base to effectively have to buy the game twice?

    I think not.

    I appreciate that FunCom are a business and that this could be a real money spinner for them as effectively all the existing players will have to fork out money in the long run and will effectivly issue a re-release of the game on our high street.

    What I ask for is that at least give us, your loyal fan base, a significant discount, and a “thank you” for enduring the many problems with the game and sticking with you despite the many issues which have been raised in these forums.

    I wish AO the very best, and hope they learn to address the many concerns of the users. Please don’t fall into the trap of exploiting your existing player base, else they will ultimatly go elsewhere.

  9. #149
    Dhuan wrote:
    If we were to buy it now, as new players, we would enjoy a working system free of the problems the existing players have experienced in the past.
    Dhuan, if you think the expansion is going to be bug free, let me discuss a little real-estate deal. A property in Brooklyn with a very short commute to Manhattan island. Bridges the two, so to speak.

    When they release the expansion, it WILL be broken. How bad it's broken is yet to be determined. Some of the bugs will be minor, maybe you'll be able to accidentally walk through the towers if you hit them at the right angle. Some will be a bit more annoying, maybe you'll be able to walk through the towers and end up falling through the zone in the process. Others will be right down bad, maybe if you shoot a certain gun at a tower, you'll never be able to fire again until you've zoned or camped. Maybe the towers will die, but keep killing.

    Most of these bugs, they'll eliminate in internal testing, most of the rest will be caught on test before it goes live, but a few WILL slip through until there're several thousand people interacting with the code on a regular basis.

    Two nights ago, I downloaded a bug-fix for windows XP. The bug in question could have supposedly allowed malicious code to be run on my computer, if an electronic vandal decided to do so. Windows XP has been around for a while now, with probably a few million people interacting with the code on a regular basis. Only a fraction of windows users are also AO players.

    Only the military can afford bug free code.

  10. #150
    Originally posted by Sean Roach

    Two nights ago, I downloaded a bug-fix for windows XP. The bug in question could have supposedly allowed malicious code to be run on my computer, if an electronic vandal decided to do so. Windows XP has been around for a while now, with probably a few million people interacting with the code on a regular basis. Only a fraction of windows users are also AO players.

    Only the military can afford bug free code. [/B]
    Sean I am sorry to break this to you, but after working 12 years in software engineering I can honestly say even the military dont have bug free code. And as for Microsoft, its not the worlds best example of reliable software, also we dont have many alternatives to Microsoft.

    I think the object of my previous post has been missed, it was to point out that we are getting a less than perfect product and then being asked to buy it all over again with no mention of a discount for existing players.

    Hope funcom listen to the hundered or so complaints about this. I myself will probably purchase the expansion pack eventually but I am not happy about the way its been presented to us.

    Thnx.

  11. #151
    Oh, I agree with you that we shouldn't have to pay twice for the client to get the expansion.

    And I wasn't suggesting that all military code is bug-free, only that for missile guidance and the like. The stuff they use the spiral model on because they HAVE to use the spiral model on it, because any bug, even the most minor, could have the absolute worst possible consequences.

    Nor was I suggesting people used Windows because it was "stable". I know perfectly well there are more stable OS's out there, but Windows has the most games available for it that people want to play. Thus, it can be assumed that if you play AO, you probably use Windows, but it can not be assumed that if you use Windows, you probably play AO. And Windows demonstrates how even programs which have the interaction of far more people than AO, have bugs surface occassionally, years afterwards. Remember, ME was based on 95, and XP is based on NT4. I doubt they started over from scratch.

    Besides, I doubt we could call FC the paragon of software design either. The expansion will be buggy.

  12. #152

    Question Interesting how postage costs 1/2 of the product.

    Its interesting to note that the cost of postage in the US for the booster pack is 1/2 of the products value! And for the European delivery service they seem to have manage to aquire the most expensive methods possible for standard delivery.

    Hmm, is our postage realy all going to the delivery company?

    Just wanted to point this funny little factet out. :-)

  13. #153

    voice control

    Hey CZ.. could you give us a bit more info on the voice control features mentioned for the booster pack?

    edit: I finally found where it was said that these will be prerecorded voice tags.. oh well, I was hoping for scripting that could be triggered by key words such as "root" being assigned to casting your root nano, etc.

    THAT would be much more helpful and a lot less annoying than voice tags..

    I guess maybe it shouldn't be called voice commands, but instead be called voice tags...
    Last edited by Hodaka; Oct 11th, 2002 at 18:02:34.

  14. #154
    I'm not concerned at all personally.

    I had Dragon Naturally Speaking installed in my computer, and at one point I asked Verant to put voice control into EQ. Eventually they did.

    I was wanting to be able to command the computer to "/shout train of two orcs and a goblin shaman headed towards the greater faydark zone", while effectively running to that same zone.

    I got it installed. "/tell (name of friend here) well, I got voice activation running"
    10 seconds and 6 frames later, the computer types out /tell (name of friend badly mispelled here) sell id bought choice artic vacation fun ting."

    I gave up. I made a macro and put it in hotkey 10 to shout that I had a train on my tail, and that I was going toward the, generic, zone border.

  15. #155
    That may very well be the case in long commands. However, most control packages can be setup to work quite well with simple commands such as "heal", "sit", "fly", "dance", etc. I'd never try anything above 1 or 2 words...

    Originally posted by Sean Roach
    I'm not concerned at all personally.

    I had Dragon Naturally Speaking installed in my computer, and at one point I asked Verant to put voice control into EQ. Eventually they did.

    I was wanting to be able to command the computer to "/shout train of two orcs and a goblin shaman headed towards the greater faydark zone", while effectively running to that same zone.

    I got it installed. "/tell (name of friend here) well, I got voice activation running"
    10 seconds and 6 frames later, the computer types out /tell (name of friend badly mispelled here) sell id bought choice artic vacation fun ting."

    I gave up. I made a macro and put it in hotkey 10 to shout that I had a train on my tail, and that I was going toward the, generic, zone border.

  16. #156
    But simple things like that would be less useful. Also, my framerate was terrible from the moment I turned voice recognition on, not from the moment I started speaking.

    Something I'd like to see instead would be a quick way to access a hotkey on a different page. Something like <shift and hold>88 to get key 8 on selection 8, and <shift and hold>91 to get key 9 on page 1, both without "turning the page" to that other list. Sort of like using the Alt key to access the extended ascii set.

    Best would be if this worked with the number pad. And scripting.

    And I'd still like to see a little crease or break in the middle of the hotkey bar, to remind you which button goes to which number.

  17. #157

    Lightbulb Paying Twice for Client?

    I thought the Bosster was $19.99 and the Client was added just for the heck of it? The only problem I have is that I will have to spend $40 because I have 2 accounts. There should be a different option for people with more than one account. If you already have the software.... FC should make the option of just purchasing additional Licensing.

  18. #158

    Post My two credits worth

    Personally, I'm kinda glad they're including the client with the booster. I downloaded the software (and have had to more than once due to my own failure to back it up to another HDD) and do not have a client cd because at the time, I believe, there was yet an additional charge to have them mail me one (that, and I wanted to play NOW... not in however many days it took to ship the cd to me)

    Now that I've been playing for a while, and knowing how often I end up reloading my system because of all the tinkering and goofing around I do, it would be nice to have the client available for install off of a cd for once.

    As for the relevance for charging for the booster AND client for those that already have the original client, the same thing happened with EverQuest when Ruins of Kunark came out. For those of us with the really old EQ boxes, the box promises 5 continents, when the initial release only had 3. (soon after, they changed the box to read 3... but mine and some of my friends have the first release boxes that promise us 5.)

    Kunark was continent 4, but was sold to us as an expansion and it also had a copy of the original client included with it... so I ended up paying 50 some dollars for the original game, and another 50 or so for the expansion (which was a delayed portion of the original game) + client and a new cd key. And I'm not the only one who did this... thousands did.

    Seeing that AO doesn't have nearly the player base that EQ (or even DAoC) has, I'm sure they're probably not doing quite so well in the capital department... so if they want me to pay 20 bucks for a booster pack before the expansion comes out... I will. In fact, I already have. Went to EB and pre-bought it yesterday. came to 21 and change... big deal, I spend less on ordering pizza for me and my roommate. I pull in 20k a year, gross... (just under 10 bucks an hour, in other words) and if I can afford an extra 20 bucks, I'm sure most of the rest of you can check your couch cushions and piggy banks and come up with the cash.)

    Having more capital to work with can allow them to hire more creative talent to get the game up to the level that all of us want it to be at... plus it helps fund them so that they'll release Shadowlands. (certainly don't want Shadowlands to have the delays that Shadowbane does just because they didn't have the funds to keep the project moving forward).

    I can understand that people who already have the client think that they're paying for an additional copy, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. Considering how much a CD costs to mint, the price drop you'd see from them not including the cd is not going to make much of a dent in the cost of the booster.

    Up till recently, if you downloaded the software and took the 7-day trial, FunCom would send you a cd for around $9.95 if I remember correctly (I could be wrong, this was a few months ago). Now, if you sign up online and download the software, they will send you a copy for free. FunCom doesn't really consider this disc to cost anything, or they wouldn't be sending it out at no cost.

    The only way that this booster might disappoint me in regards to the client cd, would be if it contained an outdated version of the client (11.x, 13.x, etc) and I still had to download all the patches before the booster is released. That's it... otherwise, I'm happy with what I've already paid for. Even if I had the original AO client cd, I wouldn't mind a new one either... just to eliminate the afforementioned patching issue.

    Call me a fanboy if you want, that won't really bother me. I've played my share of MMORPG's... AO just happens to be the one that interests me the most right now, and while it continues to do so I will be content to help them out by purchasing their products. Criticism has its place in helping to make a better game, but so does raw capital... and I'm not going to make a fuss over 21 bucks. It's just not that big of a deal to get bent out of shape over, and if it helps FunCom make a better game, all the better.
    Hans "Kryllis" Kirklin
    84 Solitus Doctor - Loyal employee of Omni-Tek (Atlantean Dimension)
    "Yes, I know my beard doesn't match my hair... I'm a doctor, not a cosmetologist!"

  19. #159

    Talking Whoa!

    OK OK OK, with all thats going into the booster, I now see the error of my ways. Hell, even without all the improvements, I want Funcom to be around for a while(I dig this game) so givin the kids another 20 bucks isnt such a big deal..sheeeesh!

  20. #160
    Land control! New cars! Guild bonuses! w00t! But really try to balance PvP first pleeease!!!!
    .
    . : Oldskule - 87 Martial Artist RK1 Kung Fu Fighter! : .

    . : Ternak - 112 Soldier RK1 *Dead* : .


    . : Jenerik - 8 Enforcer RK1 Just another generic Enforcer : .

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