SOE's Free Realms

[Cuppycake]

Siddar, really, can you blame them? Honestly? You want them to keep putting tons of money and dev resources to EQ, 10 years later...when they have a massive potential new market to tap and a killer CURRENT game to do it with? When they have put years of development time and millions of bucks into Free Realms and finally about to let it loose? You don't think they want to put out the best game possible and using all their talented staff to do it?

Also, if you really think they're still "feeding off EQ profits" then you're crazy. Believe it or not, there are subscribers to their other games. I say this with the utmost love for EQLive, but I'm sorry - there's no "EQ paying their salary". You're a fool for thinking that. EQ's profits are almost for sure long spent, both paying off EQ itself, and in the dozens of millions of dollars they've put into other SOE titles. Sorry...

[PosterOfStuff]

Originally Posted by Flight

I disagree. Betas have become one of two things :


i) a publicity/PR gimmick;

ii) a no-win, rope around the neck for the developers.


Either way, most of the people in the beta are just looking to get a head start for launch, find broken strats and play the game for free. It has nothing to do with testing, improving or fixing, for the vast majority.


If you are launching a quality game then you don't need the PR or the sales pitch. Blizz will prolly carry on the whole beta thing, but I think they are making a mistake. Further, even the term 'beta testing' is farcical. The whole concept of 'closed / open beta' testing should be done away with.

I think Point 1 you raise is a given. Its also what I call mutal benefit. Both parties get something out of it, the player gets to try before they buy, and the business gets free advertising. Its win/win imo.

For Point 2 the last thing development houses (not developers) need is less responsibility on delivering solid code. Personally I think what you raise in this point is so fundamentally wrong in so many companies today. That is everyone trying to avoid as much responsibility as possible. Although I am sure the vast majority of publishing houses will give you a hell yeah to this point.

I agree with what you said about what the majority of people are really doing in betas (Everquest is a classic example). But thats just what happens when you don't pay people to test things, they bring their own goals with them.

Everyone needs PR, and when you run open betas like WOW did thats massive advertising for free (kinda). You just got to make sure you can deliver. And delivering is what alot of these companies with closed betas etc are just not doing. Thats fact and not just theory either.

The interesting things for me with Free Realms besides the launch will be the ongoing support SOE delivers to this product. And what Free Realms will be competing against.

What do 10 to 12 year olds do on the internet now ?

[Soygen]

Weird. I don't remember ever hearing about this game, let alone signing up for beta. However, when I go to the web page and log into my old EQ/Station Account, it says I'm already signed up for beta. Is it some automatic thing?

[Siddar]

Originally Posted by Cuppycake

Siddar, really, can you blame them? Honestly? You want them to keep putting tons of money and dev resources to EQ, 10 years later...when they have a massive potential new market to tap and a killer CURRENT game to do it with? When they have put years of development time and millions of bucks into Free Realms and finally about to let it loose? You don't think they want to put out the best game possible and using all their talented staff to do it?

Also, if you really think they're still "feeding off EQ profits" then you're crazy. Believe it or not, there are subscribers to their other games. I say this with the utmost love for EQLive, but I'm sorry - there's no "EQ paying their salary". You're a fool for thinking that. EQ's profits are almost for sure long spent, both paying off EQ itself, and in the dozens of millions of dollars they've put into other SOE titles. Sorry...

Truth is I dont really disagree with the logic of why there doing it. I just disagree with the impact its going to have.


Yes I do think there still feeding off EQ profits meager as they maybe at this time. EQ has probally made a profit every month sense luanch with the exception of maybe a few months when luclin was first released. EQs ever shrinking number of Devs shows that there is no free lunch for EQ it pays for itself are it does without. In this case even if it does pay for itself it still goes without because of the view that Free Realms has a higher future potential return for Dev manhours spent.

LoN station Store the stealing of the EQ dev team for six months of the year is how Free realms is being paid for. I would also look for all the money EQ EQ2 Nov expansions makes to be invested in server hardware for Free Realms and finishing development of game. Not just the profit but the captial that would normaly be returned to both games to fund the following expansions.

If it all works and Free Realms makes a fortune then it was good investment but if it flops like everything else SoE has done sense the release of EQ then EQ is looking at looseing a years worth of devlopment and being in a large hole in regards to funds needed for continued devlopment.

[Rum]

Originally Posted by Soygen

Is it some automatic thing?

it must be.

when i look at my subs it says active yet i cant seem to find anything anywhere about setting up so i can play the game.

[Soygen]

Originally Posted by Rum

it must be.

when i look at my subs it says active yet i cant seem to find anything anywhere about setting up so i can play the game.

Heh, I didn't even look under my subs. Yeah, mine says 'Active' as well.

[IruleYcauseImSweet]

I liked Cuppy a lot more before she became a schill ><

Anyways, point be made, we wonder why it took three months to get a vote about the new progression server and we wonder why it will take them another three to four months to push it out. By them having this huge gap, they lost tons of NEW incoming revenue. I know for one I was so let down, that I hopped on a PVP-progression EMU and have no want to reactivate my account come summer for something that they dropped the ball on again. This time thanks to the reallocating of manpower.

[Vilgan]

EQ profits seem paltry compared to what this game could end up making if done right. Pull EQ devs off of EQ to work on Free Realms? Hell yeah! Anything else would be moronic from a business standpoint.

Yeah, sure you could hire people.. but in house people are already familiar with how stuff works and you know them. And people who are STILL playing EQ are not going to leave in huge droves because they are a bit more ignored.

So ya, I'm kind of glad to see Sony making business decisions that don't suck. Maybe it'll mean they make lots of cash and make EQ3 someday. Odds are still high that it'll end up flopping (this is Sony after all...), but the potential reward really has to put Free Realms at the top of their priority list.

[Sinnes]

This game would be awesome if they added Pedobear as an raid mob.

[XadionDarkborn]

Originally Posted by Rum

it must be.

when i look at my subs it says active yet i cant seem to find anything anywhere about setting up so i can play the game.

When you first log in as "existing beta" you will download a small plug in- then once that is done it instructs you to go back to the webpage- log in via existing beta button thign again and then it will start where it loads etc.


Things look great, look smooth and have a well done art style that will appeal to its target audiance- many of them EQ babies...literaly- the babies that where left for hours in the play pen while we raided VexThall are now ready to start their addiction. This game is not for us or 90% of FoH's user base.

What it does show is for once in their life Sony has spat out a GOOD engine, light weight and delivering visuals we expect. That alone is worth its weight in gold for it now gives them a foundation for more games. Look at Square and spending 500mil or whatever to build the emotion engine or whatever for the FinalFantasy movie, they wrote that bitch from 00000101 to what it is now- and is used in more shit than we know- of cource it broke them and only sonys "infusion" of millions saved them (thanks PS exclusive main FF titles forever lol)

If you....'r "friend" is in beta, try it out- play around give some actual feed back and enjoy.

As for pedo bear- they need to have an Evil Teddy Bear raid/named/group mob named "Predros" or something

[column]

I hope all the GM's look like Chris Hansen.

[I'm Rich Bitch]

Originally Posted by Soygen

Heh, I didn't even look under my subs. Yeah, mine says 'Active' as well.

I have an "Active". How do you play? I really want to see this game. I think this will be a major win for SOE.

[XadionDarkborn]

FOILED!...my friend attempted and sent me this screenshot- super sekretz beta revealed

[Gnome Eater]

Originally Posted by Mist

People actually listen to what the 'gaming press' has to say? They're more full of shit than the real press. Gaming is one area which would actually be improved if gaming publications disappeared and all reporting was done by bloggers.

yeah no offense but who exactly listens to the gaming press? I would rather listen to word of mouth from gamers I trust

[p0wl]

Massively's Free Realms beta key giveaway - Massively