Are Europeans getting the Shaft - again???

[__________Spacegipsy]

The info that I find on the net in relation to the Release Date of the Booster Pack is very disturbing.

Some ppl say they have pre-ordered, but haven't received any information so far, when their pre-ordered copy will be shipped.

I didn't pre-order, but just checked various reseller-sites and found varying information:
Webhallen.com (Sweden) has it listed with Release 28.11.
Joysoft.de (Germany) has it listed (US version) with Release 29.11. , the don't have a confirmed date for the German version, their estimate is 28.11. - this date is - however - unconfirmed until today!
Okaysoft.de (Germany) also has it listed with Release 29.11. (US version) and has another version (multi-language) listed with Release 27.11. ??
Play.com (UK) has it listed with Release 6.12. (!!!!)
Koch-Media (Germany) also has it listed for a Release in December (4.12.).

So I might draw the conclusion that nobody really knows... I mean at least the pre-orders should have already been shipped if release is on Thursday in the US (in the stores).
If the US gets the Booster before the Europeans, all Europeans will be at a big disadvantage - since - more than likely - all *good* areas (or even *all* areas) will already be occupied and it will much harder to try and take over an area than to *freshly* occupy one.

Solution: FC should withhold the functionality of the Tower Vendors until the Booster has been released in Europe and the US. Simple....
It is simply not right that Europeans (who make for a large portion of the player-base) are being put at such a big disadvantage.

[______________Xiries]

I thought u silly European people knew that us Americans get what we want first!! 8) Also, if there are so many more of u european players, then what does it matter? U will overrrun the area asap!

[Centurion3]

Originally posted by Xiries
I thought u silly European people knew that us Americans get what we want first!! 8) Also, if there are so many more of u european players, then what does it matter? U will overrrun the area asap!

wha... what?

[__________Spacegipsy]

Originally posted by Xiries
I thought u silly European people knew that us Americans get what we want first!! 8) Also, if there are so many more of u european players, then what does it matter? U will overrrun the area asap!

Thank you very much for your extremely considerate and well thought out answer.

[Cz]

The boxes are sent out at the same time to both Europe and the US. We only control it as far as to our distributors though. From there it's their job to get it to the stores. Same goes for our pre-order distributors. We send / sent (I didn't get word on that) it to them, and they have to forward it to those of you who pre-ordered.

I'll bring up the idea of not turning on the booster features yet with Marketing and the dev team, but I really doubt it's an option.

[Liet]

I doubt we'll get tower functions delayed due to useless distributors. So what I think FC Marketing should do is make a few calls and put some preassure on their distributors. I mean if what is beeing said here is true, all distributors should already know when they will get their copies. And there is no reason there should not be enough copies for those of us who ordered back in aug/sept. I have tried to contact support at Digital River (first in a nice friendly email, then in a bit harsher one), but they don't reply. As of now my order status is: Backordered.
I must say that is some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced, and FC should try to avoid having such poor distibutors. IMO if someone else wants the distribution in the future, they should have it. Digital River is just not good enough.

[gozzo]

If this happens, and I get my Booster after it goes live and all areas are taken - -

I leave AO, and send the booster back, end of story !

[_______________Vydas]

I understand the (potential) frustration, and I would be annoyed, too - most especially if I had ordered it long ago.

I do just want to point out, however, that it is true that many players live outside the US, so chances that all the good stuff will be gone already aren't perhaps too bad. And, I also understood that you can (and might very well want to) take down someone else's towers, even if you have none of your own (but I do think you need NW activated to do that).

Nevertheless, I do agree that the domicile of a player really shouldn't be a disadvantage of any sort, so a delay is a valid suggestion.

[___________wrecklass]

I'd be willing to bet that a primary issue is the local customs laws of the country. I know that just sending stuff from Canada to the U.S. can delay things as much as 6 weeks, and more on occasion.

Funcom can control when it ships, but they can't control the customs offices of other countries.

[Linney]

Yeah baby yeah... grovy!

Forget about the Clans, Forget about the Omnis ...
This time its war!
US Vs. EU! ...

I would Love that RL =P ...

I don´t bother if the US gets it first! ... Then there will be alot of chanses to get rid of some clan asses ...even US-clan asses

Zhaga / Synaptikk, Engi / Adv, 104 / 70

[Darkbane]

As an example, games are always released in the UK on a Friday. Diety only knows why... but it seems our distributors are incapable of working any other day or something...

[_____________Losobal]

On the flip side, you could view it as:

US gets the booster first, and gets to deal with any new potential bugs that haven't been caught, or conflicts the new graphics or whatever have for a day or so before the EU gets it. So when EU gets it, its actually a better game, cause it may have been patched already

[lilnymph]

there is a very simple reason the US get things first, its because the Americans have less brain power than us Europeans, so to give them a fighting chance, they have to be given things early, to have chance to do all the hard things (you know, read the box and manuel, take off the shrink wrapping) before we get it

Hugs

lilnymph

ps, this post was a joke, flame it and you have NO sense of humour

[Gearbox]

*GASP!*

/FLAME

Hehe. =)

I'd assumed that the Europeans would get it second because of the whole WW2 thing.

I mean really- if you guys got it first, you'd only start shooting one another, taking each others' towers, and we'd have to ride in with the cavalry to bail you out again, and it'd just be sort of embarrassing.

[Darkbane]

Nah, that would imply the US get it after us - you've been late for every other war we've had...

[mordien]

Originally posted by Cz
The boxes are sent out at the same time to both Europe and the US. We only control it as far as to our distributors though. From there it's their job to get it to the stores. Same goes for our pre-order distributors. We send / sent (I didn't get word on that) it to them, and they have to forward it to those of you who pre-ordered.

I understand that you don't control it the whole way, but I thought that you would have some control over your distributor. It's in your own interests to make sure this release goes as planned.. And I really hope it will!

I pre-ordered like so many others and haven't received any information at all. Don't you think it's time to to update the distributor or tell them to let the buyers get some info .. it seems that this is just confused!

[lilnymph]

Originally posted by Blue Cat
*GASP!*

/FLAME

Hehe. =)

I'd assumed that the Europeans would get it second because of the whole WW2 thing.

Resists the urge to point out one or two facts about world war 2, it would only upset the poor Americans

hugs

lilnymph

[MORB]

Originally posted by Lordvold
If this happens, and I get my Booster after it goes live and all areas are taken - -

I leave AO, and send the booster back, end of story !

That's stupid. The point of land control is that you have to fight over it. And anyway, even though there's lots of controllable areas, there's not quite enough for everyone. So, even though the first weeks, there will be a lot of free areas, the regular way in a few weeks of getting control over an area will be to fight for it - and it will be like that for the whole duration of the game.

The time span where lots of controlled area are free will be rather short, and people who get to control land before the others won't be advantaged significantly - they will have to defend those lands like everyone. And if they wouldn't have been able to take over some already controlled area, there's chance that they can't defend it against a well planned attack either.

[gozzo]

Time for us Europeans to get together and bump this to hell and back.

What is the point in FC introducing this in one Continent before another ?

Giveing the Americans a chance to claim ALL areas and have them well defended BEFORE we even get up and running.

There is NO logic to this, atall.....

To the above poster, shut it ! - Your view means squat to me.

What your saying is it's fine, dont worry, all areas will be taken yes, but you can go through the LENGTHY and EXPENSIVE process of TRYING to defeat them.....

Stuff that, the idea is to be able to do BOTH things, BUILD and DEFEND.......

As it is its not going to happen.

[MORB]

Ok, I'll say it in another way:

Any guild which set ups in a few months from now will have to boot some other guild off a controlled land if they want a controlled land of their own.
The people getting the booster pack earlier won't need to do that, but that's just an exception.
The actual NW gameplay will logically involves that you attack, and not only defend (everyone sitting on their towers defending them wouldn't be of much interest, wouldn't it ?) - it's just that they're trying to balance it so that land owners doesn't change too easily.

Basically, if you want to defend you towers, you need that there's people who attacks them. And so, attacking is as much important as bulding and defending.