I am uncertain how that has anything to do with the topic at hand? A sub-par MMO with barely any support these days, has what relationship to the possibility of PWI going Private?
I am uncertain how that has anything to do with the topic at hand? A sub-par MMO with barely any support these days, has what relationship to the possibility of PWI going Private?
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
You realize that the first thing on your link was a "Last chance!" sale...so uh, calling out folks for being doomies while linking that - would that qualify as ironic?
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
Mind actually contributing something to the discussion, rather than outright trash the entire thread due to your perceived notion of the thread being all "doom and gloom" ?
You realize that the first thing on your link was a "Last chance!" sale...so uh, calling out folks for being doomies while linking that - would that qualify as ironic?
Mind actually contributing something to the discussion, rather than outright trash the entire thread due to your perceived notion of the thread being all "doom and gloom" ?
You guys first. Oh wait, I forgot what forums I was on.... Sorry, I'll think of something better for you than an impossible task. ...Eventually....
The continuing speculation out there is kind of interesting...
It is all interesting. Not sure if they will all merge or not... I am thinking not that likely. It seems like the Chinese game companies have all soured on the US stockmarket. I think this year they all got hit hard by the same devaluations, imo there simply very rightly worried that trend will continue this year. I don't think they want to get in a situation where there forced to sell more of there companies to investors simply to float there valuations. I think we all have to realize China isn't exactly the free country most of us live in... so its very possible there is something more at work with regards to all these companies deciding to go private around the same time. My bet is none of them are really going private at all and they all end up listed at home on the Chinese market. That is some speculation right now though... it could simply be the case of companies in the same market getting smacked around by the same realities.
It does seem real strange though to see all these Chinese game companies making moves to going private so close to each other. A few of them merging... who knows possible I guess. Merging with Shanda could have some upside though for both of them... with Shanda filling the mobile stuff that PWE has been taking heat for not moving fast enough in. PWE on the other hand has some great inroads into the more standard stuff with NW hitting Xbox in China now. Guess we'll see... I still don't see any possible changes including a merger really meaning anything at all for STO, guess we'll see.
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
You should learn to skim the English language then. There has been some back and forth about what the possible changes could mean and some speculation about what is driving things ect. However I think the majority of the people posting have been pretty certain it will mean nothing at all for STO in general.
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
I've seen maybe two posts in the entire thread that veered towards doom predictions.
I see lots of posts speculating change.
One way I think the forum community here is broken is the assumption of negativity or doom where none is intended. There is a tendency to assume what a poster's motivations are for posting and it's frequently inaccurate.
I tend to get excited by change (particularly when I'm critical of the direction of something -- and I don't see critical as necessarily negative) and I think some people interpret that as doom (particularly if they don't want change). I am legitimately excited by the prospects of this. I am a fan of privately held companies and a fan of development phases where a company's founder takes the reins. I think it can be a very good thing for a company to step back from Wall Street and analyze what it's doing. I also think PWE going private and selling Cryptic could be very good for both companies, good for investors, and good for us as the users of those products.
Heck, I know we have some posters here with very... well-crafted identities, I suppose you'd say. Like nabreeki. And there's an assumption that everything he posts is an effort at provocation. And while he does play devil's advocate and perhaps engage in some colorful stances and while I frequently disagree with him? Not EVERYTHING he posts is an effort at provocation and I legitimately enjoy his perspective when he cuts through the forum theatre to give his real perspective. And sometimes, when he actually does post something thoughtful, sincere, and real, people try to assign him the motivation of being provocative. And that's not fair to him.
There is frequently more accusation of negativity on these forums than there is actual negativity. I think it's not uncommon for posters to post lengthy and detailed reviews or deconstructions of things, some of which are quite smart.
And then, perhaps offput by the detail level and disinclined to read the full post, the knee jerk reaction by people who reply is to assume a post is intellectually challenged SIMPLY because it came from a forum poster or that it is negative SIMPLY because it's a very wordy deconstruction. And that just plain isn't the case.
My simple rules for enjoying the forums:
1. Don't be offput by wordiness or lengthy posts.
2. Don't assume that a typo or factual error invalidates an entire argument. If I say that all cows are purple and that most cars have four wheels, the error regarding cows doesn't invalidate the observation about cars.
3. Try to avoid assigning motives. Let each individual post speak for itself in terms of motives and don't try to link a poster's position in one post on one topic with their position in another post on another topic.
4. Don't assume that forum posters are uneducated, stupid, hateful, or low status members of society. What this boils down to is often a version of an appeal to authority fallacy in negative form. It's an implied appeal to authority by implying a message board poster lacks authority. And worse than a standard appeal to authority (which at least verifies that someone has some authority, typically), it becomes an obfuscation tactic on anonymous forums since people can't exactly link scanned copies of their college degrees, LinkedIn pages, and performance reviews. So it ends up being an unfair putdown coupled with a logical fallacy.
5. Don't set out to discredit people or whole arguments. Let each idea stand or fall on its own.
You should learn to skim the English language then. There has been some back and forth about what the possible changes could mean and some speculation about what is driving things ect. However I think the majority of the people posting have been pretty certain it will mean nothing at all for STO in general.
You have fallen into the same thinking as most of the Trek fans that play STO.
STO doesn't matter to PWE. AT ALL. They bought Cryptic for the licence with Wizards, as in Neverwinter. Only a few months ago they started selling Neverwinter on Xbox One in China... THAT is the reason they bought Cryptic in the first place. Shanda publishes D&D online in China, Purchasing Cryptic was PWE answer to that at home. Although I'm sure they had no issues with picking up a US developer... make no mistake the majority of PWE income comes from the Asian market, and most future profit Shareholders have hoped for (and I'm sure there founder as well) is expected to come from a growing market in China for First class IP games like D&D properties.
STO is just a nice to have... I can't see why they would close it as for it to not be turning a small profit at this point is close to impossible. CBS isn't likely to do anything with there licence, cause frankly they can continue to sell new IP licences if they wish cause its not an exclusive deal they have with Cryptic. They will just keep cashing the cheques.
Anyway just saying. STO makes very little difference to the value of Cryptic. Cryptic scored big when they landed a D&D licence... that IP has a lot more international value then Trek. Also have to say Atari was so very very short sighted at the end of the day. I know they had some $ flow issues... still when Cryptic landed a D&D licence they should have gotten smart and started setting up publishing deals for countries like Korea and China.
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
It is all interesting. Not sure if they will all merge or not... I am thinking not that likely. It seems like the Chinese game companies have all soured on the US stockmarket. I think this year they all got hit hard by the same devaluations, imo there simply very rightly worried that trend will continue this year. I don't think they want to get in a situation where there forced to sell more of there companies to investors simply to float there valuations. I think we all have to realize China isn't exactly the free country most of us live in... so its very possible there is something more at work with regards to all these companies deciding to go private around the same time. My bet is none of them are really going private at all and they all end up listed at home on the Chinese market. That is some speculation right now though... it could simply be the case of companies in the same market getting smacked around by the same realities.
It does seem real strange though to see all these Chinese game companies making moves to going private so close to each other. A few of them merging... who knows possible I guess. Merging with Shanda could have some upside though for both of them... with Shanda filling the mobile stuff that PWE has been taking heat for not moving fast enough in. PWE on the other hand has some great inroads into the more standard stuff with NW hitting Xbox in China now. Guess we'll see... I still don't see any possible changes including a merger really meaning anything at all for STO, guess we'll see.
Well, it may tie into larger concerns about a tech bubble, a bad business fit between eastern monetization and western stockholder orientation, any number of things.
I do think there may be something to eastern monetization and western stock markets being a bad fit.
If anyone has ever played Vampire the Masquerade tabletop... A low humanity score for a non-vampire character is fine. And being a vampire is also fine by itself. But a vampire with a low humanity score will end up constantly being triggered into frenzy, sending the character into uncontrollable, unquenchable attack mode.
Now... Maybe being an eastern model F2P game is a bit like being a vampire. You're skilled in generating health and strength extracted from players -- you have a unique strength in this regard given the heavily psychological nature of the product offerings.
And maybe being a publicly traded company with a shareholder orientation is a bit like having a low humanity score, since shareholders may expect you to consider their needs before customers.
Each, by itself, is potentially fine. But put together, you wind up in frenzy mode and self-cannibalizing value. Because the F2P model means you have a special skill for extracting value from customers. And the NASDAQ market reality gives you a limitless hunger. The two put together may be less effective together than they would be apart.
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
I'm confused by your reading of Antonio's post. How is his saying sto is safe because DND is too valuable to be let go, no matter what the performance of sto may or may not be, a doom post?
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
You should take time to read a thread before offering blanket judgments about the forums as a whole and the majority of posters in this thread. I took the time, and it was interesting and thoughtful, until your reactionary posts.
I'm confused by your reading of Antonio's post. How is his saying sto is safe because DND is too valuable to be let go, no matter what the performance of sto may or may not be, a doom post?
Oh, perhaps the "doesn't care about" part needed to be bigger for your eyes for easier reading? Please. :rolleyes:
If they "didn't care" about STO "at all," it wouldn't even be getting the development or advertising it does.
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
There is nothing negative in what I have said. Fact is fact. If you think PWE purchased Cryptic because STO was a game they really wanted to own your mistaken. They could care less about STO. Have they ported STO for the Chinese market... Have they ported STO to Xbox One or PS4 ? No they have not... they have done exactly that for there D&D property. That doesn't mean I hate STO or I think there going to close the doors. Its simply a fact. Trek won't sell in China plain and simple. PWE is a company built on the Chinese market... Yes Cryptic gave them a slightly larger stake in the Western market. Doesn't change the fact that what excited them was the D&D licence. That isn't a doom and gloom statement... its a simple truth. It pertains to this thread, there is nothing to worry about in terms of STO no matter who holds the Ownership papers is the point. Cause anything a new owner might be looking to change is most likely going to be either on the expense or sales side... and in terms of expense all the money has been spent on NW porting it and translating it ect... and most of the future sales in terms of % is going to be NW heavy.
Simply not sure why you feel pointing out the obvious for people that seem to miss it so easily is negative. lol
There is nothing negative in what I have said. Fact is fact. If you think PWE purchased Cryptic because STO was a game they really wanted to own your mistaken. They could care less about STO. Have they ported STO for the Chinese market... Have they ported STO to Xbox One or PS4 ? No they have not... they have done exactly that for there D&D property. That doesn't mean I hate STO or I think there going to close the doors. Its simply a fact. Trek won't sell in China plain and simple. PWE is a company built on the Chinese market... Yes Cryptic gave them a slightly larger stake in the Western market. Doesn't change the fact that what excited them was the D&D licence. That isn't a doom and gloom statement... its a simple truth. It pertains to this thread, there is nothing to worry about in terms of STO no matter who holds the Ownership papers is the point. Cause anything a new owner might be looking to change is most likely going to be either on the expense or sales side... and in terms of expense all the money has been spent on NW porting it and translating it ect... and most of the future sales in terms of % is going to be NW heavy.
Simply not sure why you feel pointing out the obvious for people that seem to miss it so easily is negative. lol
And yet you still manage to hide your true fears and thoughts in plain view. There's no need to hide them in walls of text. Just simply say what you mean to rather than talk out of both ends of your mouth.
Each, by itself, is potentially fine. But put together, you wind up in frenzy mode and self-cannibalizing value. Because the F2P model means you have a special skill for extracting value from customers. And the NASDAQ market reality gives you a limitless hunger. The two put together may be less effective together than they would be apart.
Its an interesting idea and I'm sure there is some truth to your point.
In the case of PWRD though I think it simply has more to do with investors expecting big inroads in mobile gaming and not seeing them happening fast enough. Perfect worlds offerings just don't easily lend themselves to mobile success I don't think. I also think it highlights a major issue being a Online game company listed in a western market. I think there are a lot of investors (read large big block investors) that simply have no clue what they are doing. lol People that hear from X or Y that This or that is going to be huge and you should be investing in it. A few of the large capital funds are run on the opinion of one person that at the end of the day has no clue about what is going to in fact sell down the road... still they hold half a millions shares and get a say. None of those investment types have a clue.... they are pushing all these companies to monetize mobile.
Myself I think there all barking up the wrong tree... there is some $ in mobile gaming, I believe that it won't last long term or continue to grow in a huge way. I think its already happening its just way to easy to whip up mobile games. To much competition and just to much quality 100% Free stuff from small developers. The only mobile stuff that will strike it big will be the stuff that goes viral like a farmville. Good luck recreating that on purpose. IMO I think PWRD may well see the investors are pushing them down a dead end and are hoping to get away from that... developing actual AAA stuff for things like growing Console market in a country like China is exactly the way to go imo. I am not sure the investors really understand how huge it is if PWE can pull off an actual money generating AAA MMO on Chinese consoles, combined with something like an actual legit D&D licence means there the competition really won't be a factor, unlike a mobile sector where any kid with a few hundred hours and some talent can make a Free "Version" of your work. lol
And yet you still manage to hide your true fears and thoughts in plain view. There's no need to hide them in walls of text. Just simply say what you mean to rather than talk out of both ends of your mouth.
And if you like, look at the full thread there to see what we think of you crybabies.
Troll away my friend... I posted the same thing. I suggest you find a good English as a second language class to attend. My point that you highlighted about new owners in general looking over the big marks on the Expense and Sales ledgers... was simple STO isn't a major expense, nor is it a major source of future revenue. So it will be most likely completely ignored by any new ownership. As your friend sistersilicon stated... if anything is looked at at all in regards to Cryptic it will be in regards to its console port of there D&D game.
Also keep in mind I have pretty much left STO at this point... I could honestly care less what happens to the game to be honest... run it for 20 more years or close it next week. Doesn't much matter to me. I posted in this thread cause I find the news interesting. As someone who has traded and still has a few PWRD shares and dabbled with GAME (Shanda) I find it interesting.
Troll away my friend... I posted the same thing. I suggest you find a good English as a second language class to attend. My point that you highlighted about new owners in general looking over the big marks on the Expense and Sales ledgers... was simple STO isn't a major expense, nor is it a major source of future revenue. So it will be most likely completely ignored by any new ownership. As your friend sistersilicon stated... if anything is looked at at all in regards to Cryptic it will be in regards to its console port of there D&D game.
Amusing how you keep contradicting yourself in each of your posts. Or do you not know what the words "completely" and "ignore" mean? Your attempts to insult my knowledge of my native language is hilariously amusing considering your own apparent lack of knowledge in basic English words.
Also keep in mind I have pretty much left STO at this point... I could honestly care less what happens to the game to be honest... run it for 20 more years or close it next week. Doesn't much matter to me. I posted in this thread cause I find the news interesting. As someone who has traded and still has a few PWRD shares and dabbled with GAME (Shanda) I find it interesting.
And yet you still care enough to check the forums along with keeping up with the hipster trend of whiney, bitchy Delta Rising signatures.
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
Sorry for all the posts I know you won't read... anyway, just thought I would point out some obvious for you.
Perfect world sees themselves as a MMO company... American Investors see them as a game company that should be doing mobile junk like everyone else. The founder has made a good offer to remove the say idiot American Investors have. That is the simple way to look at things.
Xbox ones First MMO...
First Console MMO in China...
That is what PWE has had Cryptic working on for awhile now. They JUST got the xbox version of neverwinter out in china at the end of Sept.
STO is fine... even Champions for that matter. Those are Cryptic "Legacy" product if you want to think of it that way. Sure they get some spot content here and there and as long as they generate a profit nothing needs to change there. Its all hands on deck for there push into new but the same markets they already know. There will likely be a Western Xbox release as well this year... so I think we can expect PWE will be at the fore of a wave of Free to Play MMOs for Xbox and PS4 in 2015-2016. So yes neverwinter is there golden child right now... so what, that doesn't have any bearing on STO. Not sure why you think where all wining cause we can admit the truth.
And yet you still care enough to check the forums along with keeping up with the hipster trend of whiney, bitchy Delta Rising signatures.
Ah so its my Sig that bothers you. lol
Don't worry the Devs are big boys and girls they can take the joke. Your joke about the forums masses though some of the kids on the forums may get there feelings hurt there.
Amusing how you keep contradicting yourself in each of your posts. Or do you not know what the words "completely" and "ignore" mean? Your attempts to insult my knowledge of my native language is hilariously amusing considering your own apparent lack of knowledge in basic English words.
Ok I have to ask.
What is it you are trying to say exactly.
That "completely ignored" is in some way incorrect English grammar ?
That "completely ignored" is in some way incorrect English grammar ?
No, that "completely ignored" literally means that STO and CO wouldn't get any attention at all... good or bad. They'd just be running until their servers crashed.
Honestly, I literally had hope that your IQ was above the double digits, but you actually were confused by this.
No, that "completely ignored" literally means that STO and CO wouldn't get any attention at all... good or bad. They'd just be running until their servers crashed.
Honestly, I literally had hope that your IQ was above the double digits, but you actually were confused by this.
Well perhaps you have a hard time gleaning meaning. I would have thought my wording was clear. My meaning was that the Legacy titles will continue much as they have with no real changes. Right now neither title is being actively developed. STO does get "expansion" style content added every 10-16 months sure, that is hardly ongoing development work on the scale of there current future projects. The systems guys are busy porting the Cryptic engine to other platforms... the content guys I would assume are also on that project working on a smooth port. Neverwinter is a Xbox One China launch title (or at least it was I think they missed the launch honestly) that has been there major project the last few years frankly. The only point I was making, (which is the same point your friends on the other forum are making) is that the ownership change won't be looking to change what Cryptic is working on. The D&D stuff is to important to the companies future... the legacy games are just that and we are going to see a few more years of maintenance mode. (a few new releases a bit of new content and the odd half arsed "expansion")
I'm curious now how you will read what I just wrote. Thanks for the fun anyway.
Antonio, perhaps you've been distracted by that young Amadeus fellow again, but you apparently missed the fact that most of the posts in this thread have been about how if PW goes private again, it nearly inevitably means that Cryptic will be somehow disassembled and STO discarded, because of course there's been no development here at all in the past year (well, except for LoR, Featured Episodes, and the Delta Quadrant content, but if you disregard things you don't personally play...).
In fact, to the best of my knowledge, when a company goes private again, it's usually because someone in the company believes that having to produce income for shareholders is hampering what their company can actually do. That's potentially a hopeful sign for us, possibly entirely neutral, but not inevitably terrible.
The D&D stuff is to important to the companies future... the legacy games are just that and we are going to see a few more years of maintenance mode. (a few new releases a bit of new content and the odd half arsed "expansion")
You've proven my point about you right here, Doomy McDoom. It's clear that you don't even know what maintenance mode is... CO is a lot closer to that existence, but only barely. Maintenance mode doesn't get new expansions or content, it's only gets what it exactly says: maintenance, such as making sure that the servers are still running and the connection to the Internet is running.
You've proven my point about you right here, Doomy McDoom. It's clear that you don't even know what maintenance mode is... CO is a lot closer to that existence, but only barely. Maintenance mode doesn't get new expansions or content, it's only gets what it exactly says: maintenance, such as making sure that the servers are still running and the connection to the Internet is running.
I think we have a difference of opinion in regard to the quality of recent work done on this game.
That's ok though... not really what this thread is about anyway.
Fine have it your way... Sure I'm Mr. Doomy McDoomickins. Cause I dare say what the majority of folks who have played this game in the last year are thinking. Its ok by me honestly... I know full well STO will be online for at least a few more years. I also know full well myself and many people I know can see the situation for what it is, I have made the decision to stop playing. If you still are good on you, don't worry I won't go anywhere though. Doomy McDoomickins sticks by his guns, I'll keep on keeping on right up to the EOL party.
Well perhaps you have a hard time gleaning meaning. I would have thought my wording was clear. My meaning was that the Legacy titles will continue much as they have with no real changes. Right now neither title is being actively developed. STO does get "expansion" style content added every 10-16 months sure, that is hardly ongoing development work on the scale of there current future projects. The systems guys are busy porting the Cryptic engine to other platforms... the content guys I would assume are also on that project working on a smooth port. Neverwinter is a Xbox One China launch title (or at least it was I think they missed the launch honestly) that has been there major project the last few years frankly. The only point I was making, (which is the same point your friends on the other forum are making) is that the ownership change won't be looking to change what Cryptic is working on. The D&D stuff is to important to the companies future... the legacy games are just that and we are going to see a few more years of maintenance mode. (a few new releases a bit of new content and the odd half arsed "expansion")
I'm curious now how you will read what I just wrote. Thanks for the fun anyway.
Where D&D stuff comes into play they are out gunned and out- just about anything you can think of because of the fact that they only use the dungeon aspect of mmorpg gaming. I keep using Gw2 as an example because thats the game I'm involved in since I've put sto on the back burner (most likely forever).
-PvP
-PvP Competitive play
-Non Combat dynamic events/missions
-Exploration(oddly enough this mmorpg based on an organization of peace and EXPLORATION has the least to explore in any mmorpg out these days)
-Week or monthly events (I would not count these things they put out like dilithium, R&D, etc events as something that would entice a player to come over for the event
-Fleet Vs Fleet content (absoletuly nilch of this and is the back bone of just about every *successful* mmorpg out to date)
So really in all this game and their others are all about queues which loosely relates to adventure style as dungeons. In which out of all the dynamics and elements that make a game great they just chose one of those tied massive grindfests to them and called it a mmo in which they sort of disguise the game as unique but as the player grinds they realize all the gimmicks and they spread the word that this game is horrible and then when they see it on the forums here they will ban me :P Although if they took an approach that might be more productive they would listen and develop content to keep players playing their game. I am still laughing about massively actually calling out Cryptic on the KDF tho. I never imagined any columnist even giving a TRIBBLE about the KDF much less to call them out on it lol.
Comments
I am uncertain how that has anything to do with the topic at hand? A sub-par MMO with barely any support these days, has what relationship to the possibility of PWI going Private?
Hrmmm, "Last chance!"...screams DOOM!
Oh please, I only skimmed the thread and even I saw the doomies practicing their craft.
You realize that the first thing on your link was a "Last chance!" sale...so uh, calling out folks for being doomies while linking that - would that qualify as ironic?
Mind actually contributing something to the discussion, rather than outright trash the entire thread due to your perceived notion of the thread being all "doom and gloom" ?
What's ironic about a sale?
You guys first. Oh wait, I forgot what forums I was on.... Sorry, I'll think of something better for you than an impossible task. ...Eventually....
It is all interesting. Not sure if they will all merge or not... I am thinking not that likely. It seems like the Chinese game companies have all soured on the US stockmarket. I think this year they all got hit hard by the same devaluations, imo there simply very rightly worried that trend will continue this year. I don't think they want to get in a situation where there forced to sell more of there companies to investors simply to float there valuations. I think we all have to realize China isn't exactly the free country most of us live in... so its very possible there is something more at work with regards to all these companies deciding to go private around the same time. My bet is none of them are really going private at all and they all end up listed at home on the Chinese market. That is some speculation right now though... it could simply be the case of companies in the same market getting smacked around by the same realities.
It does seem real strange though to see all these Chinese game companies making moves to going private so close to each other. A few of them merging... who knows possible I guess. Merging with Shanda could have some upside though for both of them... with Shanda filling the mobile stuff that PWE has been taking heat for not moving fast enough in. PWE on the other hand has some great inroads into the more standard stuff with NW hitting Xbox in China now. Guess we'll see... I still don't see any possible changes including a merger really meaning anything at all for STO, guess we'll see.
You should learn to skim the English language then. There has been some back and forth about what the possible changes could mean and some speculation about what is driving things ect. However I think the majority of the people posting have been pretty certain it will mean nothing at all for STO in general.
I've seen maybe two posts in the entire thread that veered towards doom predictions.
I see lots of posts speculating change.
One way I think the forum community here is broken is the assumption of negativity or doom where none is intended. There is a tendency to assume what a poster's motivations are for posting and it's frequently inaccurate.
I tend to get excited by change (particularly when I'm critical of the direction of something -- and I don't see critical as necessarily negative) and I think some people interpret that as doom (particularly if they don't want change). I am legitimately excited by the prospects of this. I am a fan of privately held companies and a fan of development phases where a company's founder takes the reins. I think it can be a very good thing for a company to step back from Wall Street and analyze what it's doing. I also think PWE going private and selling Cryptic could be very good for both companies, good for investors, and good for us as the users of those products.
Heck, I know we have some posters here with very... well-crafted identities, I suppose you'd say. Like nabreeki. And there's an assumption that everything he posts is an effort at provocation. And while he does play devil's advocate and perhaps engage in some colorful stances and while I frequently disagree with him? Not EVERYTHING he posts is an effort at provocation and I legitimately enjoy his perspective when he cuts through the forum theatre to give his real perspective. And sometimes, when he actually does post something thoughtful, sincere, and real, people try to assign him the motivation of being provocative. And that's not fair to him.
There is frequently more accusation of negativity on these forums than there is actual negativity. I think it's not uncommon for posters to post lengthy and detailed reviews or deconstructions of things, some of which are quite smart.
And then, perhaps offput by the detail level and disinclined to read the full post, the knee jerk reaction by people who reply is to assume a post is intellectually challenged SIMPLY because it came from a forum poster or that it is negative SIMPLY because it's a very wordy deconstruction. And that just plain isn't the case.
My simple rules for enjoying the forums:
1. Don't be offput by wordiness or lengthy posts.
2. Don't assume that a typo or factual error invalidates an entire argument. If I say that all cows are purple and that most cars have four wheels, the error regarding cows doesn't invalidate the observation about cars.
3. Try to avoid assigning motives. Let each individual post speak for itself in terms of motives and don't try to link a poster's position in one post on one topic with their position in another post on another topic.
4. Don't assume that forum posters are uneducated, stupid, hateful, or low status members of society. What this boils down to is often a version of an appeal to authority fallacy in negative form. It's an implied appeal to authority by implying a message board poster lacks authority. And worse than a standard appeal to authority (which at least verifies that someone has some authority, typically), it becomes an obfuscation tactic on anonymous forums since people can't exactly link scanned copies of their college degrees, LinkedIn pages, and performance reviews. So it ends up being an unfair putdown coupled with a logical fallacy.
5. Don't set out to discredit people or whole arguments. Let each idea stand or fall on its own.
:rolleyes:
Your own words look a little flavored with doom, especially with the claim that D&D is like their new golden child rather than Star Trek. (Even though from my own observations both games get roughly the same amount of attention and content.)
Seriously, the STO forums have really turned into a parody of themselves.....
Well, it may tie into larger concerns about a tech bubble, a bad business fit between eastern monetization and western stockholder orientation, any number of things.
I do think there may be something to eastern monetization and western stock markets being a bad fit.
If anyone has ever played Vampire the Masquerade tabletop... A low humanity score for a non-vampire character is fine. And being a vampire is also fine by itself. But a vampire with a low humanity score will end up constantly being triggered into frenzy, sending the character into uncontrollable, unquenchable attack mode.
Now... Maybe being an eastern model F2P game is a bit like being a vampire. You're skilled in generating health and strength extracted from players -- you have a unique strength in this regard given the heavily psychological nature of the product offerings.
And maybe being a publicly traded company with a shareholder orientation is a bit like having a low humanity score, since shareholders may expect you to consider their needs before customers.
Each, by itself, is potentially fine. But put together, you wind up in frenzy mode and self-cannibalizing value. Because the F2P model means you have a special skill for extracting value from customers. And the NASDAQ market reality gives you a limitless hunger. The two put together may be less effective together than they would be apart.
I'm confused by your reading of Antonio's post. How is his saying sto is safe because DND is too valuable to be let go, no matter what the performance of sto may or may not be, a doom post?
You should take time to read a thread before offering blanket judgments about the forums as a whole and the majority of posters in this thread. I took the time, and it was interesting and thoughtful, until your reactionary posts.
Oh, perhaps the "doesn't care about" part needed to be bigger for your eyes for easier reading? Please. :rolleyes:
If they "didn't care" about STO "at all," it wouldn't even be getting the development or advertising it does.
There is nothing negative in what I have said. Fact is fact. If you think PWE purchased Cryptic because STO was a game they really wanted to own your mistaken. They could care less about STO. Have they ported STO for the Chinese market... Have they ported STO to Xbox One or PS4 ? No they have not... they have done exactly that for there D&D property. That doesn't mean I hate STO or I think there going to close the doors. Its simply a fact. Trek won't sell in China plain and simple. PWE is a company built on the Chinese market... Yes Cryptic gave them a slightly larger stake in the Western market. Doesn't change the fact that what excited them was the D&D licence. That isn't a doom and gloom statement... its a simple truth. It pertains to this thread, there is nothing to worry about in terms of STO no matter who holds the Ownership papers is the point. Cause anything a new owner might be looking to change is most likely going to be either on the expense or sales side... and in terms of expense all the money has been spent on NW porting it and translating it ect... and most of the future sales in terms of % is going to be NW heavy.
Simply not sure why you feel pointing out the obvious for people that seem to miss it so easily is negative.
And yet you still manage to hide your true fears and thoughts in plain view. There's no need to hide them in walls of text. Just simply say what you mean to rather than talk out of both ends of your mouth.
Seriously, this post over on the CO forums is more intelligent and observant of what the actual business changes will be than anything I've seen in this thread: http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=4580731&postcount=10
And if you like, look at the full thread there to see what we think of you crybabies.
Its an interesting idea and I'm sure there is some truth to your point.
In the case of PWRD though I think it simply has more to do with investors expecting big inroads in mobile gaming and not seeing them happening fast enough. Perfect worlds offerings just don't easily lend themselves to mobile success I don't think. I also think it highlights a major issue being a Online game company listed in a western market. I think there are a lot of investors (read large big block investors) that simply have no clue what they are doing. lol People that hear from X or Y that This or that is going to be huge and you should be investing in it. A few of the large capital funds are run on the opinion of one person that at the end of the day has no clue about what is going to in fact sell down the road... still they hold half a millions shares and get a say. None of those investment types have a clue.... they are pushing all these companies to monetize mobile.
Myself I think there all barking up the wrong tree... there is some $ in mobile gaming, I believe that it won't last long term or continue to grow in a huge way. I think its already happening its just way to easy to whip up mobile games. To much competition and just to much quality 100% Free stuff from small developers. The only mobile stuff that will strike it big will be the stuff that goes viral like a farmville. Good luck recreating that on purpose. IMO I think PWRD may well see the investors are pushing them down a dead end and are hoping to get away from that... developing actual AAA stuff for things like growing Console market in a country like China is exactly the way to go imo. I am not sure the investors really understand how huge it is if PWE can pull off an actual money generating AAA MMO on Chinese consoles, combined with something like an actual legit D&D licence means there the competition really won't be a factor, unlike a mobile sector where any kid with a few hundred hours and some talent can make a Free "Version" of your work. lol
Troll away my friend... I posted the same thing. I suggest you find a good English as a second language class to attend. My point that you highlighted about new owners in general looking over the big marks on the Expense and Sales ledgers... was simple STO isn't a major expense, nor is it a major source of future revenue. So it will be most likely completely ignored by any new ownership. As your friend sistersilicon stated... if anything is looked at at all in regards to Cryptic it will be in regards to its console port of there D&D game.
Also keep in mind I have pretty much left STO at this point... I could honestly care less what happens to the game to be honest... run it for 20 more years or close it next week. Doesn't much matter to me. I posted in this thread cause I find the news interesting. As someone who has traded and still has a few PWRD shares and dabbled with GAME (Shanda) I find it interesting.
Amusing how you keep contradicting yourself in each of your posts. Or do you not know what the words "completely" and "ignore" mean? Your attempts to insult my knowledge of my native language is hilariously amusing considering your own apparent lack of knowledge in basic English words.
And yet you still care enough to check the forums along with keeping up with the hipster trend of whiney, bitchy Delta Rising signatures.
Sorry for all the posts I know you won't read... anyway, just thought I would point out some obvious for you.
http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/30/xbox-one-secures-its-first-mmo-and-its-coming-to-free-to-play-crazy-china/
Perfect world sees themselves as a MMO company... American Investors see them as a game company that should be doing mobile junk like everyone else. The founder has made a good offer to remove the say idiot American Investors have. That is the simple way to look at things.
Xbox ones First MMO...
First Console MMO in China...
That is what PWE has had Cryptic working on for awhile now. They JUST got the xbox version of neverwinter out in china at the end of Sept.
STO is fine... even Champions for that matter. Those are Cryptic "Legacy" product if you want to think of it that way. Sure they get some spot content here and there and as long as they generate a profit nothing needs to change there. Its all hands on deck for there push into new but the same markets they already know. There will likely be a Western Xbox release as well this year... so I think we can expect PWE will be at the fore of a wave of Free to Play MMOs for Xbox and PS4 in 2015-2016. So yes neverwinter is there golden child right now... so what, that doesn't have any bearing on STO. Not sure why you think where all wining cause we can admit the truth.
Ah so its my Sig that bothers you. lol
Don't worry the Devs are big boys and girls they can take the joke. Your joke about the forums masses though some of the kids on the forums may get there feelings hurt there.
Ok I have to ask.
What is it you are trying to say exactly.
That "completely ignored" is in some way incorrect English grammar ?
No, that "completely ignored" literally means that STO and CO wouldn't get any attention at all... good or bad. They'd just be running until their servers crashed.
Honestly, I literally had hope that your IQ was above the double digits, but you actually were confused by this.
Well perhaps you have a hard time gleaning meaning. I would have thought my wording was clear. My meaning was that the Legacy titles will continue much as they have with no real changes. Right now neither title is being actively developed. STO does get "expansion" style content added every 10-16 months sure, that is hardly ongoing development work on the scale of there current future projects. The systems guys are busy porting the Cryptic engine to other platforms... the content guys I would assume are also on that project working on a smooth port. Neverwinter is a Xbox One China launch title (or at least it was I think they missed the launch honestly) that has been there major project the last few years frankly. The only point I was making, (which is the same point your friends on the other forum are making) is that the ownership change won't be looking to change what Cryptic is working on. The D&D stuff is to important to the companies future... the legacy games are just that and we are going to see a few more years of maintenance mode. (a few new releases a bit of new content and the odd half arsed "expansion")
I'm curious now how you will read what I just wrote.
In fact, to the best of my knowledge, when a company goes private again, it's usually because someone in the company believes that having to produce income for shareholders is hampering what their company can actually do. That's potentially a hopeful sign for us, possibly entirely neutral, but not inevitably terrible.
You've proven my point about you right here, Doomy McDoom. It's clear that you don't even know what maintenance mode is... CO is a lot closer to that existence, but only barely. Maintenance mode doesn't get new expansions or content, it's only gets what it exactly says: maintenance, such as making sure that the servers are still running and the connection to the Internet is running.
I think we have a difference of opinion in regard to the quality of recent work done on this game.
That's ok though... not really what this thread is about anyway.
Fine have it your way... Sure I'm Mr. Doomy McDoomickins. Cause I dare say what the majority of folks who have played this game in the last year are thinking. Its ok by me honestly... I know full well STO will be online for at least a few more years. I also know full well myself and many people I know can see the situation for what it is, I have made the decision to stop playing. If you still are good on you, don't worry I won't go anywhere though. Doomy McDoomickins sticks by his guns, I'll keep on keeping on right up to the EOL party.
Where D&D stuff comes into play they are out gunned and out- just about anything you can think of because of the fact that they only use the dungeon aspect of mmorpg gaming. I keep using Gw2 as an example because thats the game I'm involved in since I've put sto on the back burner (most likely forever).
-PvP
-PvP Competitive play
-Non Combat dynamic events/missions
-Exploration(oddly enough this mmorpg based on an organization of peace and EXPLORATION has the least to explore in any mmorpg out these days)
-Week or monthly events (I would not count these things they put out like dilithium, R&D, etc events as something that would entice a player to come over for the event
-Fleet Vs Fleet content (absoletuly nilch of this and is the back bone of just about every *successful* mmorpg out to date)
So really in all this game and their others are all about queues which loosely relates to adventure style as dungeons. In which out of all the dynamics and elements that make a game great they just chose one of those tied massive grindfests to them and called it a mmo in which they sort of disguise the game as unique but as the player grinds they realize all the gimmicks and they spread the word that this game is horrible and then when they see it on the forums here they will ban me :P Although if they took an approach that might be more productive they would listen and develop content to keep players playing their game. I am still laughing about massively actually calling out Cryptic on the KDF tho. I never imagined any columnist even giving a TRIBBLE about the KDF much less to call them out on it lol.
You might not like the recent addition of content, but it is still new added content. Games in maintenance mode do not receive that.