Why New Frontiers, why not just 1.70?

[Esselinithia]

As you see there are free expansions coming with some patches, you might wonder why these stuff aren't just bigger patches? Why you need new title screens, etc. The reason is simple: To provide a new release. Game mags, and game stores care for new releases. A new release means new review, new interest, new box, new thing to sell in stores, etc. Mythic as a publisher with a few games knows about this, and some bigger patches are made into expansions for this very purpose. This makes DaOC look just as current as the new MMORPGs and helps to catch new players.

But if it works only if the people who read the reviews see the NF on game mag cd, etc. can buy the game, the game and the whole service with support and everything is competitive with other games, etc.

 

[Draylor]

And 1+1=2

Which is the most obvious comment Im not quite sure yet

 

[Bloodhunter]

woooh... almost passed out of not careing...

 

[Thorwyn]

Why Attack of the Clonewarriors, not just Star Wars 2?

Why giving names to large updates? Because it´s easier to identify the update. When you´re talking about 1.65 you don´t know what that is. When you´re talking about Foundations, you know "ah! houses and stuff". People tend to give names to things in order to not forget them.

 

[Wazkyr]

People tend to give names to things in order to not forget them.

so right so right

 

[Xplo]

woooh... almost passed out of not careing...

caring

 

[old.Tohtori]

People tend to give names to things in order to not forget them.

So that's why people call me Chief Pooped His Pants?

 

[Elewyth]

this was the most useless thread ever.....

 

[Gilth]

this was the most useless thread ever.....

why you wrote then

 

[Formash]

As you see there are free expansions coming with some patches, you might wonder why these stuff aren't just bigger patches? Why you need new title screens, etc. The reason is simple: To provide a new release. Game mags, and game stores care for new releases. A new release means new review, new interest, new box, new thing to sell in stores, etc. Mythic as a publisher with a few games knows about this, and some bigger patches are made into expansions for this very purpose. This makes DaOC look just as current as the new MMORPGs and helps to catch new players.

But if it works only if the people who read the reviews see the NF on game mag cd, etc. can buy the game, the game and the whole service with support and everything is competitive with other games, etc.

Publicity... non existant in the UK afaik.

The only time DAOC has been publicised fully in the UK was at its original launch. I've never seen SI or TOA marketed in Game, HMV, Virgin, Gamestation, etc,etc.

The only reason for new opening screens is to let you know which version of the game you are playing, imo. It certainly doesn't bring in new players to the game, as the marjeting isn't there. (unless ofc, you have mr noob 1 & 2 sat right next to you when playing.. for example, in an internet cafe, one might point out the castle loading screen of NF, and say ooh that looks good...) but then you could say the same of the loading screen for Jet Set Willy on 'teh Spectrum'

Agreeing with other posters here, you have definately stated the obvious... The loading screens come with the NF install, the TOA install, etc. There's no point in having a big patch incorporating all this, as it would be a stupid size. 270 mb is bad enough when you have to download it on a 56k modem, yet im sure there are still people out there playing on 56k, and loving it. Patches that are 500mb we can do without.

eek, ive caught 'state the obvious syndrome' now as well.

 

[Elewyth]

why you wrote then

postfarm 111.. or is its 222 now?

 

[Tilda]

this was the most useless thread ever.....

Says the most useless poster ever.

 

[old.Whoodoo]

This ranks up there with the daftest questions ever.

From your title, 1.70 IS New Frontiers. Why the new logos, cause wannadont have nout to do with the game now for one, they needed to reflect that as well as advertise the fact that at last 16 maps have undergone a total revamped, 6 have been added, a completely new RvR system, new RA system, new siege...etc etc etc. .1.70 is not just a patch, the game engine got a total makeover, and not by one of those daft programs on BBC1 with a gay cross dressing tosser and his rag doll andy pandy bum chum.

Now, upon stepping out of your closet you might actually see this, but hiding in Nisse's Lair for the last 6 months has done you no good at all.

So, like anyone who brings out a new improved model, from cars to baked beans, they advertise it. Wow, thats business sense, and Im sure Mythic went without the need of a rocket scientist to think it up. Get more peeps beck to daoc, sure, new peeps, why not, tell the existsing peeps, hell yeah, and lastly, those on 56k got it on a free CD with a skr1pt k1dd13s porn mag.

So, what was your question?

 

[Flimgoblin]

think it was a statement rather than a question... not sure who it's directed at mind you

 

[Bloodhunter]

caring

who cares

 

[Esselinithia]

Publicity... non existant in the UK afaik.

The only time DAOC has been publicised fully in the UK was at its original launch. I've never seen SI or TOA marketed in Game, HMV, Virgin, Gamestation, etc,etc.

The only reason for new opening screens is to let you know which version of the game you are playing, imo. It certainly doesn't bring in new players to the game, as the marjeting isn't there. (unless ofc, you have mr noob 1 & 2 sat right next to you when playing.. for example, in an internet cafe, one might point out the castle loading screen of NF, and say ooh that looks good...) but then you could say the same of the loading screen for Jet Set Willy on 'teh Spectrum'

Agreeing with other posters here, you have definately stated the obvious... The loading screens come with the NF install, the TOA install, etc. There's no point in having a big patch incorporating all this, as it would be a stupid size. 270 mb is bad enough when you have to download it on a 56k modem, yet im sure there are still people out there playing on 56k, and loving it. Patches that are 500mb we can do without.

eek, ive caught 'state the obvious syndrome' now as well.

It is so obvious that you fail to understand it without further explanation. Why Mythic makes free expansions, why not just patches and paid expansions? Because in USA the game is marketed, and new frontier is a new title, new reviews. Mythic made a decision for it, the engine changes in NF aren't that new, and if you see, when they added new zones, pre toa, that patch had no name for new zones, and new internal updates for the game, 1.70 isn't too big compared to that and it is made bigger, to make it into an expansion. Do you care for the patch before toa with nice new stuff added? Do you care for any more major patch, or when housing, etc. came? No, you don't.

Also optional content updates can still come in patches, and I think most people go to the frontiers, this is why GOA thinks there is no need for a COOP server, so your players have to download the 270 megz as well, why download some installer files, etc. as well? Also with patch system GOA would be able to avoid downloading a big installer? How? There are 2 kinds of updates: Changed files and added files. If GOA can start uploading some patch files for a 270 megz patch long before the patch time, say visible models, that are 100% safe to download, these added files will arrive to your computer in much smaller patches. They had time for this. The patch way has many advantages over the installer way, not to mention the cases when you have to rerun installer, etc. because of problems, while patch way is tried and true.

So you have non named major patches, and you have named updates that are better download wise as updates, why Mythic did choose the addon way? And while with Foundations, if you don't update you don't lose pre patch functionality, it ADDs to the game, in New Frontier you lose old frontier anyway, so it replaces part of the game, and a very iimportant part... Updates it, so it is an update. Do you think downloading a single 270 mb file is good for dialup users without download managers from a servers that had problems with handling all the downloads at once? Do you think it is better than downloading files with the normal patcher, in smaller batches? I think what you stated as obvious benefit doesn't clearly happen.

Lets see what Mythic did with coming of New Frontier: 7 day trial campaign, come back to camalet campaign, new reviews and articles about the game and the expansion. So the publicity part worked on their side. Why it didn't work on EU side? Because DaOC never had publicity, never had real distribution, and it is one of the identified long term problems. And NF which was used for publicty overseas was a good time to fix this problem. Also you can send review yourself to game sites, etc. and maybe even some game mags that accept them.

 

[[GOA]Erivoss]

It is so obvious that you fail to understand it without further explanation. Why Mythic makes free expansions, why not just patches and paid expansions? Because in USA the game is marketed, and new frontier is a new title, new reviews. Mythic made a decision for it, the engine changes in NF aren't that new, and if you see, when they added new zones, pre toa, that patch had no name for new zones, and new internal updates for the game, 1.70 isn't too big compared to that and it is made bigger, to make it into an expansion. Do you care for the patch before toa with nice new stuff added? Do you care for any more major patch, or when housing, etc. came? No, you don't.

1.70 "isn't too big compared to that"? Maybe it's a different 1.70 than the one we released... you know 27 pages of patch notes, complete rehaul of ALL pvp in the game and the addition of 24 zones.... Not to mention that this is an official expansion, not just a random patch. The pre toa patch added all of 3 more zones in the game, zones which didn't do ANYTHING to change the gameplay (aside from giving mid a nice pl spot).

Also optional content updates can still come in patches, and I think most people go to the frontiers, this is why GOA thinks there is no need for a COOP server, so your players have to download the 270 megz as well, why download some installer files, etc. as well? Also with patch system GOA would be able to avoid downloading a big installer? How? There are 2 kinds of updates: Changed files and added files. If GOA can start uploading some patch files for a 270 megz patch long before the patch time, say visible models, that are 100% safe to download, these added files will arrive to your computer in much smaller patches. They had time for this. The patch way has many advantages over the installer way, not to mention the cases when you have to rerun installer, etc. because of problems, while patch way is tried and true.

Ahha our own patcher specialist here. So tell me, how many gigs of files are going to have to be on these patchers? And what bandwidth is it going to require for several thousand people to patch 270+ megs? In fact, can you tell me how we change the patcher so it patches you to 1.70 but still let's you play 1.69? The Frontiers installers were available ONE MONTH in advance, they even got put on cover cd's for magazines. YOU had time to download it and install it before then (we even said it would not affect your current game install and even suggested you download early to avoid the rush). Did people listen? No, and so we had a hellish one night where everyone tried to patch. To be honest I'm quite happy that the patcher actually survived the whole night.

Sorry but you have no idea how patching works so please don't try and make it look like you do.

So you have non named major patches, and you have named updates that are better download wise as updates, why Mythic did choose the addon way? And while with Foundations, if you don't update you don't lose pre patch functionality, it ADDs to the game, in New Frontier you lose old frontier anyway, so it replaces part of the game, and a very iimportant part... Updates it, so it is an update. Do you think downloading a single 270 mb file is good for dialup users without download managers from a servers that had problems with handling all the downloads at once? Do you think it is better than downloading files with the normal patcher, in smaller batches? I think what you stated as obvious benefit doesn't clearly happen.

Again please tell me how we half patch people 1.70 while still allowing them to play version 1.69? You can't because you don't know (hint: it can't be done, at least not simply - ie requiring quite a few manipulations on the client side). As for dial up users, they've had a month to download the file (and if you use a download manager like 99.9% of dialup users do you can even stop/start the download when you want). Not to mention all the available installers on cover cd's of various magazines across Europe. As for the gameplay changes - ask Mythic, we just apply their patches, that's all.

Lets see what Mythic did with coming of New Frontier: 7 day trial campaign, come back to camalet campaign, new reviews and articles about the game and the expansion. So the publicity part worked on their side. Why it didn't work on EU side? Because DaOC never had publicity, never had real distribution, and it is one of the identified long term problems. And NF which was used for publicty overseas was a good time to fix this problem. Also you can send review yourself to game sites, etc. and maybe even some game mags that accept them.

We have a 7 day trial going too - just like in the US. You can create a character on any of the live servers and if you like the game you can simply continue paying after your 7 day trial is over and carry on playing the same character. Want me to send you a cd as proof? Sure DAoC publicity (outside of France/Germany) is poor, we know that and I'd like to think it's being addressed (NF on cover CDs, NF reviews etc). Sure it's not the best, but at least there's progress.

 

[Elewyth]

you do realise he cant answer your post cos hes a clueless forum troll with no odea what hes talking about... cant believe you guys are wasting your lunch breaks talking to this idiot.. no matter what you say hes right and your wrong... you could go round his house shove the evidence in his face and youd still be wrong... some people just test my patience.. this guy.. pffft legalise handguns imo..

 

[Elewyth]

Says the most useless poster ever.

says the most useless EX- MOD ever..

 

[Carrera]

you do realise he cant answer your post cos hes a clueless forum troll with no odea what hes talking about...

no matter what you say hes right and your wrong...

I hope you realise you are the worst culprit on these boards for the 2 things above? Why the change of avatar by the way?

 

[Carrera]

And didn't people only have old at the start of their name on BW when people ported their accounts across in a forum update?

 

[Elewyth]

Why the change of avatar by the way?

why not?

and the old. part was made for parody reasons...