NCSoft Is Not Our Enemy, But I'm Really Questioning Their Business Sense


Adeon Hawkwood

 

Posted

If we don't get CoH back, I'll do everything within my -admittedly limited- power to prevent as many people as I can from buying that game.


NCSoft will be getting no more of my money and my GW2 purchase was halted the day of the announcement. I'm a loyal and very profitable customer. I hope to return to giving them all of my money, should CoH survive.

 

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Shuttering a still (apparently) profitable mmo to make way for a new one (that is not a upgrade or sequel to the shuttered mmo) should instill gobs of confidence in their intended audience that the new one might be around for not just weeks but maybe months!


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ogi View Post
Shuttering a still (apparently) profitable mmo to make way for a new one (that is not a upgrade or sequel to the shuttered mmo) should instill gobs of confidence in their intended audience that the new one might be around for not just weeks but maybe months!
Don't worry, my confidence had long since been shattered when they did this to Tabula Rasa. City of Heroes was the only NCSoft title I'd touch, because I thought its age and the size of its player base kept NCSoft from killing it off.

I think from now on I'll be taking my MMO money to games run by independent studios, if possible. If NCSoft really does subscribe to Electronic Arts' philosophy of publishing games, then I don't want anything to do with their titles, regardless of how awesome or fun they are. They'll all get put on the chopping block the moment they stop being profitable "enough."


 

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I am done trying to figure out their thought process. Spock would have an aneurism trying to figure out their logic.

I am just keeping my fingers crossed that they take our actions seriously enough to sell the IP.


@Winter. Because I'm Winter. Period.
I am a blaster first, and an alt-oholic second.

 

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Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon View Post
a subscription-based Korean grinder.
What? Are you saying that isn't the description of what sort of game the American public is dying to play if only it could be brought over and introduced? Because, honestly, none of us who play MMORPGs have any idea what the games they want us to play are really like, so we'll all just be lining up to play them. And I'm sure that causal gamers' heads will explode in delight at the idea of a game that you have to spend money and long hours on and non-gamers will be coming out in droves to try this exciting new entertainment. Their corporate leaders will be standing on the world stage in a virtual money rain and hailed as business geniuses that all game companies should aspire to be.

You really shouldn't question the business logic of such a successful profitable gaming company, you know.


 

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Because that worked so well for Aion, amirite?


 

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there was a time when I really wanted to play that game. but that time aint now. I do love hyung tae-kim's work, and the martial arts focus works for me, but for the less anime nerd audience, it is going to be written off as a tera wannabe


but if nc plays ball, i'd go with a good will purchase.


 

Posted

Alright, I know this is one of those CoH Forum Memes, but I am going to say with all of my inborn honesty that this is a slap in the face. I'm not joking whatsoever.

First, NC kills my MMO with no explanation. Then, we find out that they shot themselves in the foot with their terrible, homogeneous, grindy MMO's and funding a brand new one, and decided to axe an American MMO to make up for it. Then they fail to deliver any sort of update on our game services, while Paragon does their best to keep us in the loop. NOW I find out they're porting this Aion clone over to America not even two weeks after putting the knife into City of Heroes? One of the MMO's, I might add, that's responsible for their huge losses last quarter?

I don't care how overused it is on these forums or how much hyperbole comes with it. This is a slap in the face.


My guides:Dark Melee/Dark Armor/Soul Mastery, Illusion Control/Kinetics/Primal Forces Mastery, Electric Armor
"Dark Armor is a complete waste as a tanking set."

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ogi View Post
Shuttering a still (apparently) profitable mmo to make way for a new one (that is not a upgrade or sequel to the shuttered mmo) should instill gobs of confidence in their intended audience that the new one might be around for not just weeks but maybe months!
Haha, two thumbs up for this post.

The first thing I thought of when I heard CoH was being shut down was,

"Okay, Kim whoever, don't bother even launching Blade and Soul here in North America."

And I'm not just saying that because I want to boycott them out of spite. Korea is just too far removed from us (and Europe for that matter). It shows in NCSoft's horrid handling of other games like Aion and the Lineage series as well. They just can't deal with it all. Aion's servers are a lag fest and people d/c constantly, with PvP fort sieges resetting all the while, not to mention the chats are completely overrun with unobstructed gold spam, and the same goes for Lineage.

Not to mention that if I was an original Guild Wars player, I'd be awfully nervous right about now too. Their account login system didn't port over to the new system, either. (Aion and Lineage 2 did, but CoH and GW1 didn't. See a pattern of plans developing there?)


 

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Originally Posted by shadow35 View Post
Not to mention that if I was an original Guild Wars player, I'd be awfully nervous right about now too. Their account login system didn't port over to the new system, either. (Aion and Lineage 2 did, but CoH and GW1 didn't. See a pattern of plans developing there?)
My (possibly misinformed) understanding was that CoH actually did better than GW1 recently. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if GW1 saw a spike in players after GW2's been out for a while since they have that whole GW2 rewards for accomplishments in GW1 thing.


MA Arcs: Yarmouth 1509 and 58812

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by shadow35 View Post
Not to mention that if I was an original Guild Wars player, I'd be awfully nervous right about now too. Their account login system didn't port over to the new system, either. (Aion and Lineage 2 did, but CoH and GW1 didn't. See a pattern of plans developing there?)
I think you are reading into it a little bit too much here, although I can see where you are coming from.

Side note: I don't have the option to flick my lineage 2/Aion accounts over *yet* (actually, to be honest, i wont be able to flick my Aion account over anyway, as i am on an EU account).

Why didn't Guild Wars flick over? I don't know, why don't you ask the Arena.net guys?

Why wasnt City of Heroes flicking over? I don't know, why dont you ask the Paragon Studio guys...

I remember seeing the "transfer the account" page for the past few months though.


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surgepoint View Post
If we don't get CoH back, I'll do everything within my -admittedly limited- power to prevent as many people as I can from buying that game.
Supplies: Post-it notes, pen

Time: 10 min per store

1. Write notes ahead of time.
2. Travel to store
3. Stick notes to the back of all NCSoft games

Players shouldn't let players buy NCSoft games, or should at least let them know what they're getting into.

If COH dies I'll be doing this every week at the local Wal Mart, Best Buy, and Game Stop. It'll just add some time to my weekly grocery shopping to stop at those places, you know?


Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.

 

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I sort of want to go with Nalrok's "slap in the face" logic but I'm deciding to leave it as shrug-worthy and move on. Focus more on positive efforts, y'know?


 

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I... simply can't agree with that, QS. A positive effort may in fact be slapping NCSoft back in the face, you ask me.

I'm not one for [Vengeance], but if THIS is what they do... then they are quite simply asking for a little retribution. They think we are stupid MMO players who will sub up for anything for a 'fix'. Not this guy.

Seesm to me to be a transparent ploy to get us to move. Screw that. I have already made my decision regarding all MMOs from here on out based on this one action: I'm not spending thousands of hours and dollars on something **I** create(+), only to be told "oh well, it's gonna die. All of it." due to some corporate stupidity.

Fool me once, people. THAT is the lesson I've learned from this.

So no, I'm not down with just focusing on positive efforts given this news. I think a teensy bit negative might just fit the bill. Making them look bad in all quarters of the globe might just be the thing they need to make a better decision than just RageQuit like they have...

They can prevent it... and that's why the positive stuff has to happen MORE than the negative... but bad press is bad press. No company wants it, and they don't want more than they plan for when they make these decisions.

Game on, NCSoft.

Mike

/(+) - This is, of course, due in large part by what Cryptic/Paragon Studios did... without their 'language', I had not the 'voice' to create.
//two wrongs, sure, whatever. Can't probably save the studio, but MY STUFF is being removed. This is unacceptable as long as I was paying for it, and that is... well, that.
///Reminded of the sensation of pounding on a brick wall... my fists hurt a little now...
////... sounds so 'me me me'... Sigh... maybe it is.


August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012

 

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Originally Posted by Codewalker View Post
Because that worked so well for Aion, amirite?
Man, I was thinking the SAME thing.


 

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Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon View Post
Blade & Soul is indeed headed to America. Because if there's anything that says 'we know what we're doing', its shuttering a successful American studio in the midst of an MMO recession - and then bringing over a subscription-based Korean grinder.
I hope everybody who's got a couple minutes is posting in that thread and telling potential Blade and Soul customers exactly what awaits them down the road regarding NCSoft.


 

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Originally Posted by Feycat View Post
Man, I was thinking the SAME thing.
Me too. Ah well, can't even muster a /facepalm for this level of stupidity.


The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.

 

Posted

Ah... so THERE is where Paragon Studio's lost publishing support is being realigned towards: the westernization of that game.

Edit: interesting that the announcement was done one week before Paragon got canned, and the websites that got the scoop got embargoed until two weeks after the announcement of Paragon Studios shutdown...


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Starsman View Post
Ah... so THERE is where Paragon Studio's lost publishing support is being realigned towards: the westernization of that game.

Edit: interesting that the announcement was done one week before Paragon got canned, and the websites that got the scoop got embargoed until two weeks after the announcement of Paragon Studios shutdown...
The more I think about it, the more that statement flies through my head.

"And now the truth comes out."


My guides:Dark Melee/Dark Armor/Soul Mastery, Illusion Control/Kinetics/Primal Forces Mastery, Electric Armor
"Dark Armor is a complete waste as a tanking set."

 

Posted

Yeah. I think it's about time for some energy to be spent on negative campaigning against this game and NCSoft.

This is the worst slap in the face I can imagine. I am PISSED OFF now.

War is now declared. It's on now.


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim View Post
Alright, I know this is one of those CoH Forum Memes, but I am going to say with all of my inborn honesty that this is a slap in the face. I'm not joking whatsoever.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

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One of the MMO's, I might add, that's responsible for their huge losses last quarter?
For marketing and development, but B&S didn't open 'til June 30th. Revenues won't kick in until Q3. And to be fair, its reportedly been selling like gangbusters in Korea.

And to also be fair, its very pretty and I've heard good things about its combat. Then again, well, yeah, Aion. And if it comes out buy 'n sub in this market? Hooboy...

Quote:
I don't care how overused it is on these forums or how much hyperbole comes with it. This is a slap in the face.
The slap in the face was two weeks ago. Today was more confirmation to me that it was delivered by Moe Howard.


Blood Widow Ricki * Tide Shifter * T-34 * Opposite Reaction * Shaolin Midnight * ChernobylCheerleader

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim View Post
Alright, I know this is one of those CoH Forum Memes, but I am going to say with all of my inborn honesty that this is a slap in the face. I'm not joking whatsoever.

First, NC kills my MMO with no explanation. Then, we find out that they shot themselves in the foot with their terrible, homogeneous, grindy MMO's and funding a brand new one, and decided to axe an American MMO to make up for it. Then they fail to deliver any sort of update on our game services, while Paragon does their best to keep us in the loop. NOW I find out they're porting this Aion clone over to America not even two weeks after putting the knife into City of Heroes? One of the MMO's, I might add, that's responsible for their huge losses last quarter?

I don't care how overused it is on these forums or how much hyperbole comes with it. This is a slap in the face.
This. A thousand times this. This was all very clearly done so they could bring that bullcrap here to the states, but they realized they were lacking resources to do that properly, so they kill the only game that their Korean subscriber base didn't care for.