Post by grimgryphon on Jul 12, 2015 19:13:50 GMT
TonyPeaches seems pretty willing to fall on his sword so I'm putting his post here before they wipe it from their forums...
www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/one-year-later.33781/
One year later and still this game is proving to be a failure for the UO community...
I had such high hopes for this game when I heard about it, because of the fact that UO is almost universally held as the single best game that has ever been created by man. At this point, I don't think this even warrants debate as it is so widely agreed upon in the gaming community; especially by those who play/ed it. I still play it regularly, as do many people, just waiting for somebody to grow a pair and make a new game that is actually good, like UO is.
It is incredible to me how far Lord British and his team have deviated from the path that leads to 'best game ever'. I never thought I would say this, but you guys sold out. Big time. I get spammed quite near daily by Portalarium (yes I know I can unsubscribe, but that is far beyond the point) with offers about buying this house and that house, this item, that plot, etc.
This game has been catered, since conception, to those willing to drop what many others on Earth would consider obscene amounts of money. I understand that there are resource demands and obvious financial needs that must be met in order to produce a proper product. However, the fact of the matter is that this game is not a proper product; it is broadly perceived as teetering on the edge of mediocrity. It is, at this stage, as close to a disaster a game in development could ever be. Given how far SotA is in the development process and how little there is to show for it in the form of an actual game, the likelihood of overcoming failure approaches zero by the minute...
At this point, the only way the dev. team can salvage this project as a commercial product is by maximizing revenue and minimizing product development, leaning on the ever weakening peg-leg of Richard Garriott's reputation as an AMAZING GAME CREATOR (this will be addressed later).
And it is working... Flawlessly.
The amount of work it would take to turn SotA into something good is daunting. I know for a fact that the strain of riding the mediocrity train has been the #1 haunt of every single producer of this game who had a hand in UO or at least the Ultima series. However, as a company trying to make money, what is the smarter business decision? To quietly take one on the pride-chin, collecting undeserved bounties gained by manipulation and legitimate dishonesty to fans, or to invest millions in a total make-over in blind hope of having any significant chance to create 'the best game ever', as the game was most definitely intended to be, and purported to be, during the initial funding campaign.
In regards to my comment about Richard Garriott being an amazing game creator, I'd like to personally address you, Lord British. I hope that you have a chance to read this before your moderators remove it:
Seriously, what happened Richard? How could you go from UO, the best game ever created by man, to this sorry excuse for a successor to the Ultima series? I am a loyal UO player and I will likely be playing into my geriatric years; until I can't remember my macros and am too arthritic to use a keyboard. That is, unless you step up and make a game that is even approaching the same level as UO. The scrutiny in my words does not come out of spite or disrespect, quite the opposite in fact. It comes out of respect for you as the creator of the current best game ever, and perhaps the fact that I am coming to terms with the impending possibility that you may be in the process of relinquishing that title.
Any remaining backers praying that this game will miraculously get a re-make and actually be enjoyable to play are hoping, with everything they can muster, that you will not fail them. They are quiet mushrooms among the ranks of badgers in this community, stomped out like a burning sack of crap if they so much as express a negative opinion about the current state of the game, the direction it is headed, or even JUSTIFIED concern with what the final, "finished" product will look and feel like if the course remains unchanged. The saddest part is that a lot of these people have had to literally shift identity in order to even subtly express their opinions. These forums are like a social microcosm of the tainted capitalistic world we live in - those who pay simply get, and those who do not are unheard, unheeded, and downright disrespected by the badgers-at-large.
The ball is in your court Richard, which hoop are you going to shoot for? The time to make that decision is running out, and to be frank, counting grains of sand is your only hope if there is any left to count. I know you are a man of depth and have therefore heavily considered the myriad of potentialities associated with a horrible reception of the finished "spiritual successor to the Ultima series". If you are as creative, intelligent, and spiritual as I think you are, you will understand the previous statement and the very essence of my message at large.
To the rest who are not Richard, whether you agree or disagree with me, I urge you to seriously consider what I decided to post this morning. I understand the hesitation most of you have towards listening to people who seemingly appear out of nowhere with an overwhelming amount to say. However, I think everyone involved in this project, regardless of pledge value or role, needs to take a step back and really consider the integrity of this project as well the possibility that this game will completely fail if the proper steps aren't initiated as soon as possible.
That is, if the goal of this project is to create the next 'best game ever' and not the pursuit of profit...
Can I be blamed to bring this up?
Expecting a ban,
TonyPeaches
www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/one-year-later.33781/
One year later and still this game is proving to be a failure for the UO community...
I had such high hopes for this game when I heard about it, because of the fact that UO is almost universally held as the single best game that has ever been created by man. At this point, I don't think this even warrants debate as it is so widely agreed upon in the gaming community; especially by those who play/ed it. I still play it regularly, as do many people, just waiting for somebody to grow a pair and make a new game that is actually good, like UO is.
It is incredible to me how far Lord British and his team have deviated from the path that leads to 'best game ever'. I never thought I would say this, but you guys sold out. Big time. I get spammed quite near daily by Portalarium (yes I know I can unsubscribe, but that is far beyond the point) with offers about buying this house and that house, this item, that plot, etc.
This game has been catered, since conception, to those willing to drop what many others on Earth would consider obscene amounts of money. I understand that there are resource demands and obvious financial needs that must be met in order to produce a proper product. However, the fact of the matter is that this game is not a proper product; it is broadly perceived as teetering on the edge of mediocrity. It is, at this stage, as close to a disaster a game in development could ever be. Given how far SotA is in the development process and how little there is to show for it in the form of an actual game, the likelihood of overcoming failure approaches zero by the minute...
At this point, the only way the dev. team can salvage this project as a commercial product is by maximizing revenue and minimizing product development, leaning on the ever weakening peg-leg of Richard Garriott's reputation as an AMAZING GAME CREATOR (this will be addressed later).
And it is working... Flawlessly.
The amount of work it would take to turn SotA into something good is daunting. I know for a fact that the strain of riding the mediocrity train has been the #1 haunt of every single producer of this game who had a hand in UO or at least the Ultima series. However, as a company trying to make money, what is the smarter business decision? To quietly take one on the pride-chin, collecting undeserved bounties gained by manipulation and legitimate dishonesty to fans, or to invest millions in a total make-over in blind hope of having any significant chance to create 'the best game ever', as the game was most definitely intended to be, and purported to be, during the initial funding campaign.
In regards to my comment about Richard Garriott being an amazing game creator, I'd like to personally address you, Lord British. I hope that you have a chance to read this before your moderators remove it:
Seriously, what happened Richard? How could you go from UO, the best game ever created by man, to this sorry excuse for a successor to the Ultima series? I am a loyal UO player and I will likely be playing into my geriatric years; until I can't remember my macros and am too arthritic to use a keyboard. That is, unless you step up and make a game that is even approaching the same level as UO. The scrutiny in my words does not come out of spite or disrespect, quite the opposite in fact. It comes out of respect for you as the creator of the current best game ever, and perhaps the fact that I am coming to terms with the impending possibility that you may be in the process of relinquishing that title.
Any remaining backers praying that this game will miraculously get a re-make and actually be enjoyable to play are hoping, with everything they can muster, that you will not fail them. They are quiet mushrooms among the ranks of badgers in this community, stomped out like a burning sack of crap if they so much as express a negative opinion about the current state of the game, the direction it is headed, or even JUSTIFIED concern with what the final, "finished" product will look and feel like if the course remains unchanged. The saddest part is that a lot of these people have had to literally shift identity in order to even subtly express their opinions. These forums are like a social microcosm of the tainted capitalistic world we live in - those who pay simply get, and those who do not are unheard, unheeded, and downright disrespected by the badgers-at-large.
The ball is in your court Richard, which hoop are you going to shoot for? The time to make that decision is running out, and to be frank, counting grains of sand is your only hope if there is any left to count. I know you are a man of depth and have therefore heavily considered the myriad of potentialities associated with a horrible reception of the finished "spiritual successor to the Ultima series". If you are as creative, intelligent, and spiritual as I think you are, you will understand the previous statement and the very essence of my message at large.
To the rest who are not Richard, whether you agree or disagree with me, I urge you to seriously consider what I decided to post this morning. I understand the hesitation most of you have towards listening to people who seemingly appear out of nowhere with an overwhelming amount to say. However, I think everyone involved in this project, regardless of pledge value or role, needs to take a step back and really consider the integrity of this project as well the possibility that this game will completely fail if the proper steps aren't initiated as soon as possible.
That is, if the goal of this project is to create the next 'best game ever' and not the pursuit of profit...
Can I be blamed to bring this up?
Expecting a ban,
TonyPeaches
