Johnny_Velocity
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:I'm a little confused by the question. I believe you are saying NCSoft overall reported a record level of sales (I read that as "record sales" the first time - wait, they don't sell records....) That may be true. But the NCSoft webpage I linked to in post #279 in this thread includes a downloadable spreadsheet with NCSoft's quarterly report, which has individual sales for each game. Reported in Won, of course. As an individual game, CoX trended downwards. Aion and, of all things, Lineage I were the games that helped NCSoft set record sales. (Incidentally, the fact that Lineage I, launched in 1998!, had a surprising upturn is something CoX fans can take heart in.) I'm requoting my sources for convenience.Originally Posted by Red Valkyrja
Oh, and by the way, where did you get your revenue information? Because NCsoft recorded record sales.
Quote:Originally Posted by Johnny_Velocity
It is an extrapolation similar to and extending from the discussion in TonyV's thread last month based on NCSoft's Q4 2009 earning release from a couple of weeks ago based on a $45/customer (per quarter) average, which has been the eyeball average for a couple of years now. However, UnSub does a more detailed look here. At the end of the day, however, NCSoft no longer provides subscriber numbers, so this is only an estimate, and is probably best considered a subscriber-equivalent anyway since some sales are based on RMT transactions like booster packs. -
Quote:To answer your first question: I was responding specifically to the POV of Samuel Tow, who appears to not only agree that his is a selfish desire, but actually embraces the notion.Originally Posted by Red Valkyrja
I'm sorry but how does wanting to keep a unique name= selfishness, but must have someone else's name≠selfishness?
What would make the game more accessible to new players is a name generator at the ID screen. We were all new players once. I do not consider myself a veteran player. When I create a new character, I'm in the same boat as someone on a trial account as far as naming is concerned.
It took me a month to find these forums, I didn't come on here complaining that the name I wanted was "In use" or "Unavailable." Why? Because there are countless tools out there to help anyone find a unique name. I just so happen to have about five or six sitting on my desk, plus bookmarked websites none of which are name generators.
If people are dead set on having that name and only that one name, then what do they do with the next character they create? You know, because that mythical 'best name' has already been taken.
If me wanting to keep my names to myself is selfish, then so be it. But don't come on here claiming that your POV is any less selfish.
Oh, and another reason I like having unique names? If even one other person has that name on the same server, then it's too common for me, I don't want it.
I've made no claims that my POV isn't selfish, but since Sam took the point of view that he does not want global names since, essentially, there was nothing it it for him, I attempted to show that there was in fact something in it for him - making the game more accessible may prolong the game's life via more subscribers. (To which he responded, in essence, (1) that he didn't think that would be the result and (2) even if it were so, he'd rather find a different way to draw subscribers that did not impact him.)
But I can assure you my motivation is not covetousness - I have no desire to have any specific person's specific name.
As for the rest, we'll simply count you as another vote in favor of Going Rogue: Thesaurus Edition. -
Sure, maybe the collector's edition of Going Rogue should include one.
I can see the Gamespot review now: "Be sure to get the Thesaurus edition...you'll need it! -
Quote:You see, here's a great illustration of how different people want different things. I have no use whatsoever for the tails, yet I have to acknowledge that at least some people are salivating over them.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
As far as ideas go, I share what I have, but I try to avoid redundancy. No sense suggesting animated tails for the umpteenth bazillion times when BABs already knows, as evidenced by I17. Long as I have anything decent, I'll pass it along, and help as much as I can during Beta. I don't think anything I had to say about Dual Pistols really mattered in the end, but I know I tried.
And I'm not actually against multi-use names as a concept. I just don't see a good way to implement it that wouldn't bug me, and I don't see enough of a need for it to inconvenience myself over. Put it this way - I DO NOT WANT end game content and rather doubt I'll have any use for it, but I can't really argue against it as it's been made patently clear to me that that's what people want. I can see a need for this, so my opposition isn't going to be TOO vehement. But in general, I'm still not a fan.
Conversely, I'd love more end game content (loosely defined), and I'm shocked that almost any long-time player would be indifferent towards it. So go figure. (Specifically, what I want more of is Mender Silos' Task Force - eye-popping use of existing mythos, soloable yet quite challenging - virtually perfect in my book.)
But I submit that the "lack of names" complaint comes up often and from disparate sources (by this I mean to imply that I think it is mainly casual players who do not post often). The opposition primarily seems to be the same set of people over and over, mainly on the theme of "it's not a problem if you are willing to use a thesaurus." To me, this pattern suggests a greater demand for a solution to this problem than you are willing to give credit for. A silent-ish majority, if you will.
But that's my opinion, and it is an issue that is virtually impossible to quantify and thereby prove to anyone's standard, so I'll leave it at that. -
Quote:As I stated very clearly - twice - the subscription number estimate is an estimate.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Suffice it to say it's not an official subscription numbers printout from the company.
The 25% revenue drop, however, is cold hard fact.
I encourage you, since you do not agree that global naming will help open doors to subscribers and/or you feel a different way of increasing numbers would be less impactful to your personal playing style, to help spread the word of this great game and/or improve the in-game experience via some other route or other ideas. -
Quote:First of all, pot meet kettle. But what part of:Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
This comes down to personal opinion. Stop trying to pass yours off as incontrovertible fact agreed upon by all, please.
...do you take as me passing of my opinion as incontrovertible fact? Did I not qualify it enough?!? Of course this is opinion! Sheesh!Quote:Originally Posted by Johnny_Velocity
It is my firm belief that global naming would make the game more accessible to new players. (In PnP terms, who would join a campaign if the GM only allowed your name choice if you roll a 1 on a d20?)
In a game whose revenues fell 25% this past quarter (now an estimated 75K subscribers), perhaps you should consider that making the game more accessible to newcomers might be in your best interest.
It is an extrapolation similar to and extending from the discussion in TonyV's thread last month based on NCSoft's Q4 2009 earning release from a couple of weeks ago based on a $45/customer (per quarter) average, which has been the eyeball average for a couple of years now. However, UnSub does a more detailed look here. At the end of the day, however, NCSoft no longer provides subscriber numbers, so this is only an estimate, and is probably best considered a subscriber-equivalent anyway since some sales are based on RMT transactions like booster packs.Quote:Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Also, would you kindly provide a source for that subscriber number estimate? That's the first I've heard of it. -
Quote:We already have the potential for ambiguity. But how often do you see Fire Man, Fire-Man, F1re Man, Fir3 Man, and/or xXFire ManXx in the game at the same time NOW? You don't, because this is an imaginary problem - a bugaboo thrown out there because you are against global naming in general.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
It's not always the case, but it's often enough the case to where it WILL spawn same names. That's the point. I don't want to deny people the names because they're bad, I just don't want ambiguity in the naming system.
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Quote:Thank you, THANK YOU, for the admission that, at the end of the day, it comes down to selfishness.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Well, I wouldn't want this kind of trade, and I'm afraid I'm not very generous with arguments that encumber me so that other people can have what they want. I'm all for live and let live, but when it bugs ME, it has to do something for ME, or I'm not happy. I don't find unique names problematic, restrictive or in any way bad. As such, I see no need for a system to make non-unique names possible at ANY cost, no matter how small. Just as you don't mind the ambiguity but mind the restrictions, I don't mind the restrictions but mind ambiguity.
And for the vocal vets who always chime in against this idea, I strongly suspect the same motivation.
It is my firm belief that global naming would make the game more accessible to new players. (In PnP terms, who would join a campaign if the GM only allowed your name choice if you roll a 1 on a d20?)
In a game whose revenues fell 25% this past quarter (now an estimated 75K subscribers), perhaps you should consider that making the game more accessible to newcomers might be in your best interest. -
Quote:Seems like our already-existing color-coding scheme (an option you may not have turned on) would be imminently helpful in that regard.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
What happens when you see two people with the same name, then? Without global appended, how do you tell them apart? How do you tell their chat apart? A non-unique, global-appended naming system fails for the same reason all of those fail - they need to be unambiguous in all situations but visible in no situation at all, which is an oxymoron.
Besides, how often does that happen? I don't hear about it happening in CO, and I never really see people with similar names in the same area in CoX.
I'd gladly trade a little ambiguity for more naming options. Gladly. I mean, even if we didn't have some of the best UI people in the business to help us through this awful problem you describe, I'm a savvy interweb using guy. I think I could cope.
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Quote:I have to wonder what the OP's motivations are. Late night global channel discussions, in my experience, come in wide and strange varieties. Why elevate this one onto the forums with an obvious trolling post?Originally Posted by poptart_fairy
These threads are more obnoxious than the whiners.
It's like he wanted to replicate the "Generic Rant" thread, but with an actual topic.
Oh, wait, I forgot. It's oh-so-fashionable to bash doomsayers. So if you can't find any handy, drag some in from your late night global channel. Now it makes sense. -
Gratuitous negative reference to Champions Online and/or Jack Emmert.
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Please let us be able to mail SG invites to self!
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Quote:Originally Posted by Scythus
This topic reminds me of that one song by Queen.Quote:Originally Posted by Basilisk
"Fat Bottomed Girls"?"Princes of the Universe?" It is a very Highlander-like question...Quote:Originally Posted by Quinch
Another One Bites The Dust?
I'll bet States and Shalice are each other's "backup" for when they hit 500. -
Saw the same group in AP this morning in the AE building.
Most were CL 41 now, so they've obtained 20 levels in 24 hrs-ish. They were effective level of 49, as they were being led by a level 50 fire/kin. One was locked in follow mode, running against the wall facing Wentworths. They all had the leadership pool. The ones I saw were fire/kin and fire/emp. Only one was in a SG.
I one-starred them all for future recognition in case they make alts, but their global was also their toon name in each case, so I suspect they are all one-offs.
Interesting - I've never really seen RMT'ers in action. -
Shockwave mobs into a corner or other fixture, which positions them well for Eviscerate's smaller but much more damaging cone.
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Quote:I'd say that was dead on. I can't recall if the team search gives actual level or combat level, but there aren't any flashback missions that land on 21, so level pacts would have to be it.Originally Posted by srmalloy
Judging from the lack of sense most of those names make, I'd hazard they were a level-pacting group of RMT farmers grinding influence.
I've seen Victory Gardener in Wents a few times lately - that's definitely a real player's toon (not bad costume work either). -
Okay, I was remembering Austin, too (not that I was there), so I found it real quickly:
February 23, 2006 at Cyberjocks in Austin.
At least, that's what TPTB describe as the first ever.
Catwhoorg gets the prize, at least for naming the first one. -
I don't remember, but it is easily findable - I was searching through old news posts on the main page (for something unrelated) and read the announcement just a couple of days ago. (I just don't remember what it said.) You can find it too by scrolling back a good ways, if you need a primary source.
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If you are making two teams, and one is supposed to be a secret team, why would you name the first team "Alpha Team."
Doesn't that imply at least one more team? Wouldn't any competent enemy commander be saying "Okay, there's Alpha. Now, where is Beta, Gamma, and/or Omega?" -
Personal vehicles
Global naming
Personal apartments
Expanded crafting (but I love the current system revolving around enhancement sets - just more!)
The ability to pick powers across sets (while retaining ATs/classes)
Custom emission points for powers
More dissimilar zones
A more dynamic mission delivery system - and a working mission computer in your SG base (beyond the one SF)
Custom missions NOT tied to the AE fiction - i.e., they don't start in the AE building -
It's that large, easy-to-find button that says "Go to hospital."
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Thanks very much for the update!
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Quote:The /whoall command will list everyone (who is not hidden) on your current map. The player search feature can help you find players on other maps or other level ranges (again, if not hidden).Originally Posted by Caverous
I played the game a year or two ago, and just started playing again last night. I'm loving running around and beating stuff up, but where is eveyones else?! I don't think I've even seen another hero yet. I'm on the Champion server, is there another server that's more populated or are the starting areas on all servers like this?
In any zone that has one, the auction house Wentworth's is often the best place to find people gathered. Everyone ends up there sooner or later between missions.
Hope that helps! -
Finally! I've been waiting months to reroll an existing character and get those costume parts!
Oh, and to express my love for my wife. -
Quote:Jinx! Buy me a Gladiator +3% Def!Originally Posted by Sardan
IIRC, literally minutes after they posted the screenshot of the Resistance character she was complaining that there wasn't more info. I expect more of the same, post-haste.