I always find it precious that you come in here and say people are wrong about this as if it's a definite. Unless we actually had a game of this type released to see the result your statement is bullshit. Just like people can't prove that it would work you can't prove that it wouldn't. Pointing to Pantheon in anyway as evidence is just retarded. This thing was a clusterfuck from day 1.
You Luddites had your day in the sun. Vanguard crashed and burned. You guys keep attempting to make your argument infallible by saying, "Yeah, well...that was a clusterfuck! No TRUE Scotsman("hardcore" game)would fail!", anytime numerous examples of "hardcore, niche" games failing are cited. You'll always point to the
oneexample that succeeded(EVE), even though it took them years to build that base, and you'll use that against the numerous failures. It's also funny how very few(none)of you play the one example you can cite. If that's the case, is it
reallya hardcore game that you're clamoring to play, or are you just hoping to get one more taste of the "glory years"? I'm betting it's the latter.
Now, I've had the same circular debate on this with Lithose. It doesn't mean that
someof the systems present in EQ shouldn't be explored and wouldn't work for today's gamers. However, this "EQ 1.5" nonsense is ludicrous. A game that is "EQ with better graphics!" will fail miserably.
EQ btw sustained 500k a month on a monthly sub level. Explain why that doesn't count as proof.
Because it did so at a time when your other options were: DAoC(mostly PvP focused), UO(mostly PvP focused and nearing the end of it's "reign"), or Asheron's Call(mostly PvP focused). You then compound that with the fact that nobody wanted to leave their "friends". Those are all the ingredients SoE needed for 500k(430k were the last numbers released by Sony, so I'm not sure where 500k comes from)subscribers. Once a viable alternative came out(WoW), EQ was dismantled very quickly.
It's not comparable because it was nearly a
decadeago. A
lotchanges in 10 years, especially in the world of technology and consumers of said technology.