What can SE learn from Bioware's failing Star Wars MMO?

[DeadRiser]

Some of SWTOR wasn't that bad. I had fun when I did it with a friend. But with a friend, it was TOO FRIGGIN EASY. It was almost a walk in the park and everything died in 2 seconds.

I also hated how everything was so linear. You never saw many people out in the world. I did like the Star Wars theme, but the easymode/linear questing or level specific zones made it very dull.

[Toxsik]

dont clone games, thats what ya gotta take away

Exactly TheVedis!!! BTW I tried that game and it sucks balls. It looks cool, the fact that its star wars, and you get a lightsaber is great! I got to nail that green alien before I even left the 1st world Other than that was lame.

[casker]

It's really weird seeing FFXIV players talk about why another mmo sucks, lol.

Here's one: only main scenario and other important quests need to be fully voiced.

[Agoven]

MMOs will go the way of MUDS...truly it's a fad that is beginning to wane.

We all knew SWOTOR would fail...said it so before it launched...it's like watching a movie you can only watch it so many times.

It's the same reason why LOTRO wasn't very successful either.

Fan boys/girls only cling to the fad for so long and grow out of it...or find a new fad to get into.

The reason why Final Fantasy is long staying is because it's first and foremost Final Fantasy...not a fad.

[Alokin1988]

SWTOR failed for many reasons. To sit here and list them would take quiet a while. SE I think has a good idea on why it tanked so badly. If they don't, then we are in deep trouble.

That said I want to point out 1 thing about FFXIV currently that turns me off from the game. It's a little too Tedious. For example; the grand company quest's. Instead of being able to just look up the information online, talking to npcs, or doing a few quest to get an idea of who I want to join. I'm forced to do a series of quest for all 3 which boil down to "go to this faraway zone to talk to one person and have one easy battle." It's just too tedious. Often I find myself accepting a new quest, seeing where it is on the map, and then saying to myself "I'll do this tomorrow." This isn't exactly fun, its just tedious.

[DeadRiser]

MMOs will go the way of MUDS...truly it's a fad that is beginning to wane.

We all knew SWOTOR would fail...said it so before it launched...it's like watching a movie you can only watch it so many times.

It's the same reason why LOTRO wasn't very successful either.

Fan boys/girls only cling to the fad for so long and grow out of it...or find a new fad to get into.

The reason why Final Fantasy is long staying is because it's first and foremost Final Fantasy...not a fad.

LOL I love Final Fantasy and the series.. but I can't take this seriously. The only reason XIV is still alive is the fan boys/girls that stayed...

[Duelle]

LOL I love Final Fantasy and the series.. but I can't take this seriously. The only reason XIV is still alive is the fan boys/girls that stayed...

This. As mentioned, XIV is not that different from games like TOR. The main difference is that unlike what companies like EA do (abandon their games), SE decided to try remaking the game. Sure, the fact that Final Fantasy is a flagship brand may have had something to do with it; after all, if it had been Mana Online, or Romancing Saga Online, or World of Chrono Trigger, I doubt SE would have pulled as many resources for them as it has for XIV.

For the record, the reason I was driven away from TOR was actually the bullshit that took place over the mod system. May have been my own fault for clinging to the ambrosia of near perfection that was the beta's mod system (two builds before launch), but it was far far better than what we got at launch, and still is a ground-breaking concept the developers chose not to go with.

I actually liked the class storylines, and the fact that it at least tried to tie up loose ends from the Knights of the Old Republic games (though I'll be the first to say bringing Revan into the flashpoints was a huge mistake). I liked the companions and what they added to character dynamics, because unlike other games, we're forced to develop personalities for our characters as we play the story and make decisions (my jedi knight was a by-the-book guy unless there were women involved, for example).

[Alokin1988]

MMOs will go the way of MUDS...truly it's a fad that is beginning to wane.

We all knew SWOTOR would fail...said it so before it launched...it's like watching a movie you can only watch it so many times.

It's the same reason why LOTRO wasn't very successful either.

Fan boys/girls only cling to the fad for so long and grow out of it...or find a new fad to get into.

The reason why Final Fantasy is long staying is because it's first and foremost Final Fantasy...not a fad.

MMO's are not a fad, they're a genre. The problem is they've not been involving since WoW came out until this point.

We knew SWTOR would fail not because of it being an MMO or the Star Wars franchise but because it was a bad game. Same thing with LOTRO. If anything the fact that their basted on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings is probably the main reason why they're still going. As a matter of fact LOTRO is still doing very well, they're even getting an expansion this/next year.

Fan boys/girls don't cling to fads, the cling to whatever they're fans of. A Star Wars fanboy will never abandon Star Wars for the next big thing, they're going to stay with Star Wars. That's what a fanboy is, that's what a fanboy does.

Final Fantasy is no different from the other two. The only reason why all 3 have not been terminated completely is because of their name.

[DeadRiser]

This. As mentioned, XIV is not that different from games like TOR. The main difference is that unlike what companies like EA do (abandon their games), SE decided to try remaking the game. Sure, the fact that Final Fantasy is a flagship brand may have had something to do with it; after all, if it had been Mana Online, or Romancing Saga Online, or World of Chrono Trigger, I doubt SE would have pulled as many resources for them as it has for XIV.

I just love how it's not AS MUCH as a spamfest as SWTOR and other MMO's are. Your current action has to complete and you can't just stop it mid action. I am one of the few that likes the way we are planted to the ground when we select an action (except for self buffs and whatnot). It just makes battle flow and look more beautiful. In other mmo's, I never pay attention to my character. In XIV, I do a lot of the time just to watch the animations. I want SE to build up on that. I don't want them to do what all the other MMO's have done already and I'm afraid that's what they are going to do.

[Pandastirfry]

The reason why Final Fantasy is long staying is because it's first and foremost Final Fantasy...not a fad.

I can't let this go by without comment...
How exactly do you justify the statement that "Star Wars", a franchise that debuted in 1977 and still enjoys broad market appeal and new additions to it 35 years later, is "just a fad" while "Final Fantasy" which released in 1987 and enjoys comparatively narrower market appeal but still is a continuously updated franchise is not a fad but a cultural touchstone?



And as to MUDs dying off... You do know what killed them right? MMORPGs, why play text only when Everquest has actual characters. What will kill the MMORPG will be it's replacement not some new fad but genuine innovation to the genre, like full immersion VR or some such nonsense