Hyperstrike

Hbdts!

There's also the fact that at least some of us have more or less liquidated our fortunes.

I'd build myself a nice little chalet up on that island Wade-laruu popped into orbit.

With a base portal for easy access.

HELLUVA view!

FPARN. She was still VERY not-bad looking.

Okay. I've been trying to stay positive on this. I've been trying to stay civil on this. I've been trying to give the guys at NCSoft the benefit of the doubt.

But there's only so much horse manure I can take. And, truth be told, I passed it a while back and have been holding onto the edges of my civility with mildly tacky fingertips.

Well. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

I really REALLY wish I knew what the hell NCSoft's problem was. It's like dealing with a schizophrenic off their meds.

"Exhasted all options". BULL! If they'd exhausted all options, the game would be SOLD!

This means that they're asking for a completely unrealistic price or conditions of sale.

Or it means that, for whatever reason, they simply want to bury the title and have NOT been engaging in negotiations for the property in good faith. They've just been stringing both potential buyers, and the community along, trying to keep us quiet.

The first is stupidity, plain and simple. The fact that they won't even discuss the asking price even points at the second.

The second is just shady business. On par with the forged Garriott letter.

In both cases, it may have actually accomplished what they want, had they not been so ham-handedly clumsy about their public presence.

And, if this stands, they've essentially announced to the world that they've adopted a "churn and burn" model. But they're doing it with supposedly Triple-A titles!

• Use one title's revenues to finance the next
• Spend as little money on the title as possible post-launch
• Once they've milked the title for all they think its worth, they close up shop and move on to the next thing.

This is a VERY dangerous business move. Since one or two not-very-successful products can basically crater them. I mean, look at AutoAssault and Tabula Rasa. In a full-on churn and burn, that would have basically destroyed the company right there.


And worse, it absolutely DESTROYS customer retention. In a print medium, a game from a churn and burn is still playable, weeks, months, years, DECADES after the game ceases to be produced. Not so with an MMO. And players only need this to happen to them a couple times before they simply give up on the medium and look for something else.



Were I ArenaNet or Carbine, I'd be VERY VERY nervous right about now. Once the sales fall off for GW2, that's it.


And worse, NCSoft, in its headlong rush to kill this game dead are pointing out (in thousand-foot high, flashing neon pink letters) exactly how ephemeral cash shop setups are. They're willing to nuke a money-making title, shortly after new paid content is released, on a short timeframe.


This isn't just sucktastic for the people who actually bought into the cash shop, it's also a dangerous flash point that's bad for EVERY game that uses this kind of economic tool.



Yes...everyone understands that you're paying real money for electronic gimcracks. Everyone understands that the stuff will go away sooner or later. This is not only sooner, but pretty nearly "immediately".


Okay, now some people, in a couple places have been suggesting retaliation against NCSoft. Turning Anonymous on them, etc, etc.


First, the Anon guys are just as dangerous to YOU as they are to anyone else. They make all sorts of noises about "social justice", etc, etc. Bull. They're a bunch of criminals with a big crowd of know-nothing cheerleaders.


Second, that THEN allows NCSoft to play the victim in all this. We want to avoid that option like an ebola ward. They're not a victim here. They're an aggressor, and need to be pointed out as such.


As for people talking about how CoH didn't make money. Did you miss the fact that 80 people were laid off? That less than HALF of them were actually working on CoH? Outside of a few shared resources (like managerial and office staff), the rest were on the new project. That's not a studio that's not making money.


So, NCSoft, with their childish antics, have made their position clear.


Fine.


The gloves are now coming off. Enjoy the ride.

Also remember this:

NOW:
NCSoft: Talks have failed...


THEN:
NCSoft: Richard Garriott has given us his letter of resignation...
Richard Garriott: Uh? WHAT? No I didn't!

Not going to get my panties in a bunch until we hear from Brian Clayton and TonyV.

The Offended Young Girl will be there. She's extra-special peeved this month, so whoever she's going against ought to be VERY careful.

Thanks for the team tonight guys. Was a blast (even though I was tanking).

How high is that on the Wesley Crusher scale? .8, .85 Wesleys?

Caught you online. But figured I'd reiterate it in public. Congrats BLA.

Sorry, woulda been there for Kheld Friday but I had three Archvillains to tank tonight. My 9 month old nephew and 2 nieces.

And all I can say is "Curse of Weariness?" PFFT! Try three kids at the same time!