Rave
Stalker
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2005
- Posts
- 2,400
- Location
- Florida
- Society
- Freelancer
- Avatar Name
- RP Rave Prospector
Well, I haven't posted a thread here in years. And, yes, this is a rant. I haven't played significantly in years, but I came back around to check out the migration and have logged into the game every day thus far. However, this is not a rant about loot, lack of support from MA, withdrawal times, or anything that we usually complain about. This is something I've been mulling over the last few days when I look at the state of the game compared to where it first began back in 2003.
So, one day back in 2003, I saw an ad about a new game that was being developed called "Project Entropia". Some of you here probably remember this video. For those of you unfamiliar, its worth a view. I waited with anticipation for beta to be available. When that day arrived, I scrambled to submit an application for access to beta. I received an e-mail back stating I would be allowed to jump in, and I did. It was terrible, as to be expected for a beta test from an indie developer, and it was great. You could see the breadth of MindArk's concepts for the game, and the aspirations were leaps and bounds above the current state of MMOs at the time.
I put $20 into the game (oh, I was a teenager at the time, so I didn't have a ton of money to throw at a game) and bought the Pioneer set and the Castorian longblade that were in the TT. I recall watching people grind Tantardions in the desert and couldn't wait to get "that good" and be able to do the same. But, instead, I was only able to whack small exarosaurs and bercy's with my crappy longblade. So, I spent most of my time exploring. That's how I came across Hadesheim. For those of you unfamiliar, you may be asking "What is Hadesheim?". Oh, it was an actual city which has since been turned into a crater by robots. We really never got a true replacement for the city, have we? You can see it in the trailer previously linked. Let me tell you, it was an amazing sight to see in an MMO in 2003. I loved Project Entropia from the get-go.
Why do I tell you all about my personal experience with the game back then? Because, for me, those first few years were full of hope and excitement for what the game would turn into. I slowly worked my way up to better armor, weapons, HP, etc. I felt like I was actually "moving up" in this virtual world. I had amassed quite a few friends (most of whom have long left the game by now). It honestly felt like we were seeing that trailer come to life. Then we saw the creation of Treasure Island and Crystal Palace, which garnered plenty of press within the video game world when these properties sold for crazy amounts of real-world cash. The game also boomed steadily for a while, and we reached our "Second Golden Age", which for me, was really the height of "Project Entropia". Ah, and the new engine/graphics, fantastic!
We still got actual loot by the way. I can recall looting stuff all the way from crappy Paladin parts, to Angel parts, DOAs, ML-35s, amps, etc. Societies eventually fought for land. Apartments were constantly bought and sold. We had player run events (boxing championships in Twins!). Loot wasn't a guaranteed profit anymore than it is now, but the swings weren't as drastic (at least in my experience). There was still a sense of "man, this game is developing nicely even if a bit slowly" although we still had our complaints (server issues, clipping bugs, optimization issues). But I was still as excited as I was on day 1 because my avatar kept growing, as did my friends list, society, etc. There were still plenty of things on the development roadmap we had been waiting too long for, though.
So, where did MindArk fail? This is my opinion and I realize not everyone will feel the same.
They gave up full control of the game. Planet Partners. I despised this transition more than anything else I've encountered in any video game. Instead of focusing on fixing all the existing issues (which we still have now, a decade later!), MindArk decided to expand the universe while also giving up full control. I understand that "Project Entropia" was meant to be a project that introduced concepts we had never seen in the virtual world before. But it was, for me, an abject failure. Giving control over small swaths of land to players (LAs, TI, FOMA, etc) was an awesome idea. Giving control of entire planets to other companies? Not an awesome idea.
We went from a single-concept sci-fi universe to a "spaghetti" universe. Arkadia wasn't too bad at all (Cyrene was kind of interesting too). But everything else breaks the cohesion you would expect to have in a single game. I absolutely hate seeing "AVATAR found a rare item (Gorgon Harness (M)) worth 10 PEC and has been added to the HOF" in my chat 500 times a day. How the hell is that a rare item and how the hell is "Ancient Greece" somehow in this universe? Why was I seeing King Kong in this universe? Or things like "Booty Raid"? Or anything with the name "Motorhead" in it? Or "Forum Troll"?
The idea of Planet Partners wasn't the problem, it was the execution. PPs should have designed their planets under very strict direction of MindArk (oh, and that whole thing with MA being re-organized several times is a whole other issue) so we didn't end up with the spaghetti universe we now have. Arkadia, Cyrene, and Calypso together represent what the game/universe should have felt like. Instead, it feels like we have fragments that aren't meant to be side-by-side, but are. Beyond that, MindArk's "illicit" relationship with certain players in the game has caused nothing but problems (you all know what I'm talking about). So many player-owned areas are dead because, I feel, the system was underdeveloped.
Honestly, MindArk had an opportunity to refine and optimize the game well before these expansions took place. Create a smooth product, increase advertisement, use digital platforms like Steam and GOG to get additional growth, and work on creating a single, cohesive, well-oiled product. There have been a lot of excellent things that have been added over the years, don't get me wrong. Landgrabs were interesting, Migration and Mayhem events are fun (even though I generally never do that well but I enjoy it), WOF events, missions to upgrade UL equipment, public events like robot attacks, etc. But at the end of the day, this game is still a mess. I'm dealing with bugs from a decade ago, and new bugs that are extremely aggravating.
We have plenty of complaints across the board as is evident on these forums. But I think this all comes down to the PP expansions and the corrupt relationships that have circled the rumor-mill for years. I'm not as avid of a gamer as I once was, but I still keep myself up to date on everything. Yeah, everyone hates companies like EA, Activision, Blizzard, etc because everything is about micro-transactions now. Guess what game has been doing this for 17 years? And yet, it's the least prosperous. Imagine having a well-refined, interesting product that can provide money from micro-transactions back to the players? What we have is a mish-mash of concepts all thrown into a mixing bowl and dumped on the floor that can provide money from micro-transactions back to players. Those companies are successful for a reason despite not giving players a chance to redeem their expenses, hm.
A long rant, but it's been bothering me for years now and I wanted to vent.
MindArk, you FAILED to develop Project Entropia as it was meant to be.
So, one day back in 2003, I saw an ad about a new game that was being developed called "Project Entropia". Some of you here probably remember this video. For those of you unfamiliar, its worth a view. I waited with anticipation for beta to be available. When that day arrived, I scrambled to submit an application for access to beta. I received an e-mail back stating I would be allowed to jump in, and I did. It was terrible, as to be expected for a beta test from an indie developer, and it was great. You could see the breadth of MindArk's concepts for the game, and the aspirations were leaps and bounds above the current state of MMOs at the time.
I put $20 into the game (oh, I was a teenager at the time, so I didn't have a ton of money to throw at a game) and bought the Pioneer set and the Castorian longblade that were in the TT. I recall watching people grind Tantardions in the desert and couldn't wait to get "that good" and be able to do the same. But, instead, I was only able to whack small exarosaurs and bercy's with my crappy longblade. So, I spent most of my time exploring. That's how I came across Hadesheim. For those of you unfamiliar, you may be asking "What is Hadesheim?". Oh, it was an actual city which has since been turned into a crater by robots. We really never got a true replacement for the city, have we? You can see it in the trailer previously linked. Let me tell you, it was an amazing sight to see in an MMO in 2003. I loved Project Entropia from the get-go.
Why do I tell you all about my personal experience with the game back then? Because, for me, those first few years were full of hope and excitement for what the game would turn into. I slowly worked my way up to better armor, weapons, HP, etc. I felt like I was actually "moving up" in this virtual world. I had amassed quite a few friends (most of whom have long left the game by now). It honestly felt like we were seeing that trailer come to life. Then we saw the creation of Treasure Island and Crystal Palace, which garnered plenty of press within the video game world when these properties sold for crazy amounts of real-world cash. The game also boomed steadily for a while, and we reached our "Second Golden Age", which for me, was really the height of "Project Entropia". Ah, and the new engine/graphics, fantastic!
We still got actual loot by the way. I can recall looting stuff all the way from crappy Paladin parts, to Angel parts, DOAs, ML-35s, amps, etc. Societies eventually fought for land. Apartments were constantly bought and sold. We had player run events (boxing championships in Twins!). Loot wasn't a guaranteed profit anymore than it is now, but the swings weren't as drastic (at least in my experience). There was still a sense of "man, this game is developing nicely even if a bit slowly" although we still had our complaints (server issues, clipping bugs, optimization issues). But I was still as excited as I was on day 1 because my avatar kept growing, as did my friends list, society, etc. There were still plenty of things on the development roadmap we had been waiting too long for, though.
So, where did MindArk fail? This is my opinion and I realize not everyone will feel the same.
They gave up full control of the game. Planet Partners. I despised this transition more than anything else I've encountered in any video game. Instead of focusing on fixing all the existing issues (which we still have now, a decade later!), MindArk decided to expand the universe while also giving up full control. I understand that "Project Entropia" was meant to be a project that introduced concepts we had never seen in the virtual world before. But it was, for me, an abject failure. Giving control over small swaths of land to players (LAs, TI, FOMA, etc) was an awesome idea. Giving control of entire planets to other companies? Not an awesome idea.
We went from a single-concept sci-fi universe to a "spaghetti" universe. Arkadia wasn't too bad at all (Cyrene was kind of interesting too). But everything else breaks the cohesion you would expect to have in a single game. I absolutely hate seeing "AVATAR found a rare item (Gorgon Harness (M)) worth 10 PEC and has been added to the HOF" in my chat 500 times a day. How the hell is that a rare item and how the hell is "Ancient Greece" somehow in this universe? Why was I seeing King Kong in this universe? Or things like "Booty Raid"? Or anything with the name "Motorhead" in it? Or "Forum Troll"?
The idea of Planet Partners wasn't the problem, it was the execution. PPs should have designed their planets under very strict direction of MindArk (oh, and that whole thing with MA being re-organized several times is a whole other issue) so we didn't end up with the spaghetti universe we now have. Arkadia, Cyrene, and Calypso together represent what the game/universe should have felt like. Instead, it feels like we have fragments that aren't meant to be side-by-side, but are. Beyond that, MindArk's "illicit" relationship with certain players in the game has caused nothing but problems (you all know what I'm talking about). So many player-owned areas are dead because, I feel, the system was underdeveloped.
Honestly, MindArk had an opportunity to refine and optimize the game well before these expansions took place. Create a smooth product, increase advertisement, use digital platforms like Steam and GOG to get additional growth, and work on creating a single, cohesive, well-oiled product. There have been a lot of excellent things that have been added over the years, don't get me wrong. Landgrabs were interesting, Migration and Mayhem events are fun (even though I generally never do that well but I enjoy it), WOF events, missions to upgrade UL equipment, public events like robot attacks, etc. But at the end of the day, this game is still a mess. I'm dealing with bugs from a decade ago, and new bugs that are extremely aggravating.
We have plenty of complaints across the board as is evident on these forums. But I think this all comes down to the PP expansions and the corrupt relationships that have circled the rumor-mill for years. I'm not as avid of a gamer as I once was, but I still keep myself up to date on everything. Yeah, everyone hates companies like EA, Activision, Blizzard, etc because everything is about micro-transactions now. Guess what game has been doing this for 17 years? And yet, it's the least prosperous. Imagine having a well-refined, interesting product that can provide money from micro-transactions back to the players? What we have is a mish-mash of concepts all thrown into a mixing bowl and dumped on the floor that can provide money from micro-transactions back to players. Those companies are successful for a reason despite not giving players a chance to redeem their expenses, hm.
A long rant, but it's been bothering me for years now and I wanted to vent.
MindArk, you FAILED to develop Project Entropia as it was meant to be.
