What Grinds My Gears: Questioning Loyalty towards CoH

So, as I tend to surf the global channels often, I happen upon a discussion about questioning people's loyalty to CoH if they play other NCsoft games. Lately the talk has been about Aion.

Don't think this is turning into a flame-fest, well, at least from me, against Aion. In fact, I've subscribed to it and I'm loving every minute of it.

However, there are the folks that say, "OMG! So and so is playing Aion now! Well, looks like they weren't so loyal to CoH after all!" Or the "Well, looks like so and so is playing Aion... good, glad they're gone."

The funny thing is that people tend to see things no more than 3 feet in front of them. They see playing Aion as a breakaway from CoH. They think that subscribing to Aion hurts CoH. Well, sadly, they are mistaken.

Any business made from subscriptions and sales of Aion actually helps CoH. CoH isn't only getting funding from their own subscriptions. They get funding from NCsoft, who in fact is taking in the money from both products. If Aion does well, it means there is a larger pool of money that can be distributed between the products that NCsoft produces/distributes. Just like the money taken in from CoH is used to fund other NCsoft titles.

Every major company makes a product that competes with itself, well, because no matter what product is bought, the corporation takes in money. Maytag makes more than one washing machine. Blizzard makes more than one MMO. NCsoft is just another company that is making its own competition just so it can continue to produce the products that we love so much.

So, the next time that you see someone bash someone for playing another NCsoft game, you march right up to them and give them a stiff right hook to the jaw! Any money that can go towards the preservation of CoH is clean money in my book!

And that's the way it was. Goodnight, Paragon City.


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*pokes NCSoft again for unified subscriptions again*

I wants both Aion AND CoH on one plan!

Your logic holds if people subscribe to both games. If enough people left CoH for Aion*, however, NCsoft would have no problem in shutting CoH down. It doesn't matter that each game is owned by the same company. Each title must stand on its own. The success of NCsoft's other games did not save Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault or Dungeon Runners.

Now, if people playing CoH also subscribe to Aion, that is indeed a win-win for NCsoft. But I wonder how many people who play MMOs subscribe to more than one at a time? (I honestly do not know.)

* I think this is unlikely, as the games do not have a lot of overlap

Heretic thought patterns detected.

I think you should be loyal to your friends and family.

And nothing else.

I think it would offer a competitive edge if NCSoft allowed access to all of their MMOs, present and future for a premium subscription fee. Something along the lines of 2x the standard monthly fee.

Frankly? Stupid argument. *shrug*

I *enjoy* COH. (And I'm enjoying Aion, as well.) In the end, my "loyalty" is not to a game, but to my feeling like I'm getting proper value for my entertainment dollars. COH has done so for years, and has done little to nothing to make me question it.

Eventually, I'll get bored with COH. These things happen. The continual evolution of the game has been putting that off over and over again, among other things. At that time, I'll remain loyal to my entertainment dollars. If I feel like spreading them around - some here, some to Aion, some to wherever else, so be it.

Anyone wants to complain? They have the right to do so once they take over my payments, and pay me more in addition to *not* be elsewhere. But I don't think anyone can afford my price for that.

See my Guides and Tutorials

I don't think I have yet to encounter 'loyalists'. Maybe I did and just blocked out the noise.

It's already been said before, but it's just a game. In fact, it's a game I'm paying for on a monthly bloody basis. This has nothing to do with loyalty and all to do with me keeping paying them as long as they bring forth enjoyable services.

On that note, I cannot care less if people switch to other NCSoft MMOs or if they're even switch to the 'enemy' Champions Online, it's their bloody money and their own business.

And if CoX and Paragon Studio break apart because I stopped renewing my subscription? Well, I'm afraid that would just show Paragon Studio had a flaky business model all along.

Edit: Apparently some think my post sounds trollish. I do not feel sorry for that in the slightest. If someone gets offended because people pay money for games they're not currently playing, I won't talk around a subject just to avoid hurting their feelings because, honestly, they'll find reason to have their feelings hurt one way or another.

Or if it was about the last sentence, I wasn't actually trying to suggest that Paragon Studio doesn't know how to do business, far from it. Rather, I tried to show that 'loyalists' seem to think that CoX is dying as much as the doom-sayers so 'traitors' are hurting the game. I'd love to see CoX go strong for another five years, but I won't have anyone give anyone else lip about taking their subscription money elsewhere.

Long story short, they can stop telling people what they can do with their money and they need to stop believing that, only because not every player loves the game as much as them, Paragon Studio is suddenly threatened to die alone and forgotten.

Even shorter version: Loyalists are stupid and I'm pretty sure CoX will continue even with some people taking their money elsewhere.

I'll be honest, I thought about going to Aion, but I didn't because:

1. I really wasn't ready to start a brand new MMO. And I will only pay monthly for one at a time.
2. I had just bought several used games, and there was no way the wife was gonna let me spend 50 dollars on another a day later
3. I'm happy here.
4. I have too many other side projects going on at the moment (Unplayed and unopened console games that I'd really like to get to, DnD campaign, MUGEN, RPG Maker)
5. I'm of the kind that waits till an MMO has been out for a good while to try it out (I am aware that it has been out longer in Asia)
6. Did I mention that I'm happy here?

The use of the word loyalty in the context of a game is giving me a shivering case of cognitive dissonance (or else I am coming down with the flu).

Anyone is free to play as many games as they want.

But they can only post in one forum otherwise you're an unloyal jerk.

Ever since you RP death your main toon, you've been on a Tear on the boards with spouting constant whatevers. You bored? Miss Arachnos Commander already?


JJ

I've been "on a Tear" on the boards since WAY before I killed PK. Where have YOU been?