SWTOR serious challenger for WOW?

[HotStuff]

Have a look at this and click on the hours heading.

http://www.xfire.com/genre/mmo/massively_multiplayer_online/

It is just for xfire users, at the time of posting wow took 41% and SWTOR took 25%. That seems like a big challenge, until I tell that yesterday, SWTOR was at 31%. Is SWTOR on the decline already or is it simply settling before it challenges WOW?

 

[Huung]

It'll probably jump up again just after Christmas, when more people get the game, and have more time again to play it.

At the end of the day, it'll never rival WoW... nothing will. It doesn't matter how terrible WoW becomes, or how good a new release is, people have invested too much time into WoW to just give it up and see it for what it is.

The shares which SW:TOR are experiencing currently are very good, but they can't hope to sustain them, especially after the "free month" subscription period dies off. It's always the same with MMOs.

 

[Kasatka]

It'll probably jump up again just after Christmas, when more people get the game, and have more time again to play it.

At the end of the day, it'll never rival WoW... nothing will. It doesn't matter how terrible WoW becomes, or how good a new release is, people have invested too much time into WoW to just give it up and see it for what it is.

The shares which SW:TOR are experiencing currently are very good, but they can't hope to sustain them, especially after the "free month" subscription period dies off. It's always the same with MMOs.

I'm afraid i have to disagree - no game has 100% immunity to being knocked off a no.1 position. Gamers grow up and their tastes in games can mature, their financial situation and spare can vary. Too many variables to categorically state that 'WoW has an avid fan-base that will not desert it'.

And as time goes on and little 'uns come into the MMO scene they are going to be more interested in recent, cheaper, shinier MMOs tbh.

 

[waterproofbob]

I must admit, I'm really enjoying SW:TOR. I'm enjoying the storyline and the way the levelling is done. I've put that in bold as those that know me will know how awful I am when it comes to games that involve me reading or watching cutscenes.

Most of your interaction with NPCs is video cut scene based, however the way it is implemented has made it very fluid. Your decisions in these conversations have obvious and long term, in some cases permanent effect on your character. My Sith is now so evil I'm almost at a point of no return although I'm only on level 25. It is also drawing me into the RPG side something I've never really found to happen in a game before.

This is all before we mention the fact that it is Star Wars and I have force lightning. The game as a new fantasy mmorpg has obvious similarities to WoW. However when I gave WoW a stab, although I levelled and enjoyed bits. I was aware that I was playing just for that next level and the storyline if it was good almost entirely passed me by.

Whether it will compete with WoW long term only time will tell. I'm very much enjoying it at the moment and so far there has been basically nothing that has annoyed me. For me to be able to say that honestly about a game is nuts. I love BF3 and EVE and there's big chunks of those games that I hate.

From a is it dropping off already point, doesn't seem like it. My server in particular has had a 20min queue to join the server 24hours a day pretty much for the last 3 days. We shall see.

TL;DR

FORCE LIGHTNING BIATCHES

 

[AcidK]

The best part about most of the NPC interactions is the various awesome one liners (especially from sith players). Nothing beats lines like (actual lines from game):

During torture scene, Sith Inquisitor starter quest
Victim: (after being shocked by lightning) Please, don't so that again, I'll do anything
Me: Sing me a song
Victim: Erm... What? Okay, but what do you want me to sing?
Me: I don't care, just make it cheerful...

or

When listening to an imperial officer whining
Me: I don't beleive I said 'Hello expandable fool, tell me about your day'...

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Lets not forget xfire users has fallen from 2.7m active to a 10th/20th of this active.

EDIT: I still use xfire, and it would be nice to know how many people log in each month, though the porn adverts during the night really peeve me.

 

[Panda with issues...]

I must admit, I'm really enjoying SW:TOR. I'm enjoying the storyline and the way the levelling is done. I've put that in bold as those that know me will know how awful I am when it comes to games that involve me reading or watching cutscenes.

You've probably matured to the level where you'll really enjoy KOTOR (and 2) as well as Mass Effect and Dragon Age Origins.

 

[Ghostwolf67]

My thoughts upon reading this discussion. Take them with a pinch of hate filled salt

So i guess when you boil down the question is really can a copy kill the original? No.

Can this game equal the kind of heady heights of traffic WoW did in its hayday? No.

Can this game draw away the some of the WoW crowd? For a time in large cases most will go back, or play both.

Does this game draw a crowd simply beacuse its star wars (simlarly why people bought the star trek MMO)? Yeah i'd say its gonna be 30% star wars fans and 60% MMO fans with some grey area inbetween to allow for overlap.

However when I gave WoW a stab, although I levelled and enjoyed bits. I was aware that I was playing just for that next level and the storyline if it was good almost entirely passed me by.

If a story is good it never just passes by




PS: the story sucked.

 

[HotStuff]

The shares which SW:TOR are experiencing currently are very good, but they can't hope to sustain them, especially after the "free month" subscription period dies off. It's always the same with MMOs.

Looks like this is coming true. After the one month subscription, it has dropped from around 25% share to 17% share.

It would be nice to have an alternate MMORPG game to play. It would be a shame if this game falls by the wayside. The game can only be as good as the money that is continually given to the developers.

 

[Spicypixel]

WoW has ruined the market.
Because it's a time investment to get to x level with y gear you'll always be inclined to keep with that if the difference isn't so big.
Pretty much sad panda.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

The game can only be as good as the money that is continually given to the developers.

There are many games which survive without continuous developer input and financial incentive of subscriptions, such as diablo 2 and starcraft, which had consistent minor updates.

Unfortunately i admit that these are poor examples due to the success of their studio in other ventures.

But there are plenty of games which survive and receive additional content without subscriptions.

In my view new content does not make a game, the quality of the original content to drive re-playability does. Other than diablo 2, any list of games here would be games i like.

 

[AcidK]

The thing that TOR has that WoW doesn't is a noticable change of storyline dependant on class choice and character choices throughout gameplay. For instance the storyline for a Sith Inquisitor varies greatly to that of a Sith Warrior, albiet the settings with which the story plays out is the same. Add to this voice acting on 90% of quests and character choices that can effect the quest type and overall outcome (as well as a variation of reward) and you have a game that can be replayed, even with the same class, to gain a different story, or at least driven differently, each and every time.

What WoW lacks in this regard is quest variants, which TOR has implemented quite well, that not only flesh out the character you want to play but also change the style of play dependant on your choices, not just your 'quest zone' choices.

 

[Kasatka]

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

SWTOR Numbers

 

[HotStuff]

time to have another look at the stats.

wow = 44.4%
SWTOR = 8%

Looks like this game is nose diving. I haven't played wow for about 3 months, was kinda hoping to start playing SWTOR, but now I can honestly say I am sorta gearing up for wow again.

 

[Panda with issues...]

time to have another look at the stats.

wow = 44.4%
SWTOR = 8%

Looks like this game is nose diving. I haven't played wow for about 3 months, was kinda hoping to start playing SWTOR, but now I can honestly say I am sorta gearing up for wow again.

Thank you. An interesting contribution considering the questions this thread posed.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

I played the first free weekend, had the game been free and just the £10/m sub costs, i probably would be playing it right now. As a coop game, it was very impressive. As an MMO not so much.

 

[Ronin Storm]

As a coop game, it was very impressive. As an MMO not so much.

Perversely, that's the most attractive thing I've heard about this game from my play-interests perspective.

 

[Panda with issues...]

Perversely, that's the most attractive thing I've heard about this game from my play-interests perspective.

Anyone who played KOTOR, KOTOR 2, Dragon Age Origins and to a lesser extent Mass Effect was begging for this to basically be a single player game.

 

[Kasatka]

Anyone who played KOTOR, KOTOR 2, Dragon Age Origins and to a lesser extent Mass Effect was begging for this to basically be a single player game.

Not really - i was beeing it to be like Kotor mixed with Baldur's Gate - ie amazingly well crafted plot and character progression, but with party management and multiplayer ability.
However by MP i mean co-op small groups, not forced into environments with thousands of others playing the same race/class combo with the same companions and same ships.
Also any MMO that demands i pay high street retail value AND a subscription is woefully mistaken and needs to get with the times.