Holyshit...

[Andrath]

I always stuck with GS because it wasn't like Everquest or DAOC or Baulder's Gate...but now Simu has gone and made a game that looks from the first screenshots better than EQ2.....is everyone gonna try it b4 they switch from GS or just straight switch over?

[KymberlynX]

Post a screen shot or link?

[Kainen]

Originally posted by Andrath
is everyone gonna try it b4 they switch from GS or just straight switch over?

Newsflash chief.. not all of us are going to switch over. I have no intrest in playing a graphics based game.. if I did I would kick my son off the gamecube and play it myself.

[Mistomeer]

It's not that I have no interest in playing a graphical game, it's that I wouldn't play one by Simutronics.

[The Cat In The Hat]

Originally posted by Kainen
I have no intrest in playing a graphics based game

I'm totally with you, I have no interest at all in playing anything graphic based online. occasionally I'll play something like Zelda, but mostly just because I like to run around on the horse :lol:

[Drew]

Originally posted by Andrath
I always stuck with GS because it wasn't like Everquest or DAOC or Baulder's Gate...but now Simu has gone and made a game that looks from the first screenshots better than EQ2.....is everyone gonna try it b4 they switch from GS or just straight switch over?

http://forum.gsplayers.com/viewthread.php?tid=11328

[CrystalTears]

http://forum.gsplayers.com/viewthread.php?tid=11328

Unless Simu pulls a rabbit out of their ass customer support-wise, I'm not playing it. Sure it looks nice, but looks of a game will only take you so far. We have no idea how the gameplay will be, and I can only guess how they'll handle the updates. It's like a graphic nightmare.

[Avei]

I dunno. That elf chick was fugly. Cute body.. but man did her face look fucked up

[Chelle]

What the hell are they doing that for? Why not fix the games they already have. I wonder how much it'll cost. Since GS a text game costs more than EQ a graphical game.... jeez.

[ALARM]

Prerendered shots touched up using photoshop.

If you've been in and around the biz long enough you begin to recognize press shots and real game shots.

This game isn't coming out 2k5... if it even comes out at all.

It's in the same catagory development wise as will enhancement was.

[Tsa`ah]

I had to get down to the posted links before I realized you were babbling about HJ.

Read the other thread and you'll understand why everyone is skeptical.

As I said in the other thread, if Simu had their shit together ... this would be HJ II and the reception and response would be a bit warmer.

Since everyone knows that Simu is a cluster fuck on crack when it comes to implementation, upgrades, and CS ... well ... they have a lot to prove with this one.

[Straight-up]

Having played Asheron's Call, EQ, and DAOC among others, I can easily say that Simutronics' customer service is 10000% better.

With that having been said they could certainly improve. I have seen the same CS arguements against Psinet and any other customer support based company there is out there. Face it folks, the customer is NOT always right...matter of fact they are USUALLY wrong. Not always but they generally are either wrong or expect way too much for their perceived wrong.

Implementation I will agree with. Simu couldn't find their ass with both hands, a map, a pack of dogs, a GPS and a ground guide.
Straight

[Keller]

Originally posted by Straight-up
Having played Asheron's Call, EQ, and DAOC among others, I can easily say that Simutronics' customer service is 10000% better.

With that having been said they could certainly improve. I have seen the same CS arguements against Psinet and any other customer support based company there is out there. Face it folks, the customer is NOT always right...matter of fact they are USUALLY wrong. Not always but they generally are either wrong or expect way too much for their perceived wrong.

Implementation I will agree with. Simu couldn't find their ass with both hands, a map, a pack of dogs, a GPS and a ground guide.
Straight

I couldn't agree more.

[ryllina]

Originally posted by ALARM
Prerendered shots touched up using photoshop.

If you've been in and around the biz long enough you begin to recognize press shots and real game shots.

This game isn't coming out 2k5... if it even comes out at all.

It's in the same catagory development wise as will enhancement was.

They are real screen shots. :)

Ashley

[Sean of the Thread]

The only good thing about their HJ is that it will suck some of you kiddies out of GS. I've played many graphical mmorpgs and they all suck after awhile. Always come back to GS (not that GS is good, because I mainly hate it hehe)

They have trouble with their txt game how do you think their EQ clone is gonna be???

[Numbers]

Originally posted by Straight-up
Having played Asheron's Call, EQ, and DAOC among others, I can easily say that Simutronics' customer service is 10000% better.

They also have about 5% of the customer base that those other games have.

[Galleazzo]

Yea, great, they got screen shots, woop de fucking doodle doo. Everyone got screen shots. A screen shop means they used GS money to hire an artist to do up some pics.

Do we know any fucking thing else about this game? No we don't.

But they got pretty pics.

Woop de fucking doodle doo. Anyone gets a hardon to play a game because they got a good staff artist is frigging mental.

:lol:

[Andrath]

:wtf:

[Bardon]

For the record....

Those are actual game screen shots from HJ. They are not "rendered" (which, typically means from a program like Max). They also are not retouched in anyway, except for the addition of the "www.herosjourney.net" overlay.

I did those screen shots myself. Some are done with 6x AA turned on (not sure which I did that). That is the only thing that might not be "realistic" though I was surprised that it didn't seem to impact frame rate much.

We're releasing more this week, and we have an AVI about ready to roll out too so you can see it in motion.

Those who attended Simucon have already seen this stuff, so there are plenty of first-hand accounts.

Also, the upcoming NVIDIA GPU Gems II (being published by Addison-Wesley) ... Chapter 1 of the book, which I authored, discussed the techniques used to create the nature visuals of HJ in detail.

By the way, thanks for the compliement! Being convinced those shots could only have been "rendered" is the highest form of flattery. :)

-- David (aka Bardon)

[Alarke]

Simu is still 5 years late...

[imported_Kranar]

I'm reserving judgement until I see the video.

[Tsa`ah]

I'm reserving judgement until I see a release.

I was stoked when the first clips and screen shots were released. When that did not happen, when my rates were increased, when a few of my characters were scwered, and the tradition continued ... I lost what respect I had for Simu as a gaming company.

Oh man, I got the high-score, FIFTY-THOUSAND, beat that.

[Adhara]

So sometime this week you will release an AVI showing what you showed at Simucon last year? Did I understand right or...?

Heh. Regardless. Physicist-designed grass will not get me to play a game by a company I know is terrible with customer service, a company that is 5 years late in releasing a game (if they do release it in 2005) and only has a small AVI to show for those 5 years. Pretty pathetic compared to the giants out there if you ask me.

The only way I see myself playing HJ is if they offer to pay my GS accounts while I beta test it.

[Tsa`ah]

GM interaction is about the only thing Simu has going for it, as someone pointed out. CS however ... that's iffy.

I'll take my last pay event as an example. J and I both had a terrible, horrible, Ebon's Gate experience a few years ago. All of the limited release items were gone in 5 minutes. In the first hour there were people running around with 6 or more alters. We tried the highlight dealie, got the maps ... yet no matter how we tried, neither of us had any luck getting an alter. Rooms were closed, groups were picked etc. During course of the whole event J and I managed 1 feature alteration. Since this was still new and we were going on what we had seen in the last few weeks, we had drawn up our ideas, J got a nice hefty bolt after his initial idea was turned down and he submitted his second ... If I remember right, his was nothing compared to some of the head to toe crap we had seen, an hour later I got mine.

The next two days we chased, we waited and got zilch. Meanwhile people were bragging about having 20-30 alterations.

J and I both demanded service or refunds. We even took every item we purchased and stuffed them in a Mule locker. What did we get? Tough fucking shit pal. We don't give a fuck if you got screwed, and we certainly don't give a fuck about anyone else that got screwed.

In comparison, EA, through UO, actually cares if you spent some additional cash on them and got nothing. I shelled out 30 bucks for a pay event and got screwed over. My connection kept crashing, A few UO merchants were buggy, and the list goes on. When I put in my assist the person responding was understanding and gave me contact information. I talked with a few of the UO people on the phone and they offered me a refund or service in a limited capacity.

Guess what Simu didn't do that EA did?

Add this to the heap of other fuckings issued by Simu and you have my reasons for not giving Simu a dime until reparations are made in some capacity. Those are also the reasons for not believing this product will be worth a shit and a half should it ever be released.

[edited to add]

Not like you have the fortitude to respond to this Bardon ... Whatley.

[Edited on 12-7-2004 by Tsa`ah]

[Makkah]

Tsa'ah should stop sucking at games, or perhaps quit online games altogether if it makes you so bitter.


rht

[Tsa`ah]

You should stick to the topic and stop sucking up web space by simply existing.

Take your identity crisis elsewhere.

[theotherjohn]

Originally posted by Tsa`ah
The next two days we chased, we waited and got zilch. Meanwhile people were bragging about having 20-30 alterations.

[Edited on 12-7-2004 by Tsa`ah]

If you want, you can activate your account and myself or others will teach you how to play GS so the above and similar things do not happen to you

[Tsa`ah]

Heh, another one.

I took two characters near cape prior to the GSIV hype and exp modifiers.

The game I can play. The getting shafted, no.

[Jolena]

Well wow..I went to that Ebon's gate two years ago with Stunseed and we ended up with around 25 services total between the two of us. We had maps but we also had a lot of friends and contacts who knew where the merchants were and we had memorized a lot of it during our rushing around to catch a merchant. A few spinners, a few random picks, a lot of room order, etc. and I spose we were lucky but to blame Simu for that incident with you and "J" whoever that is, in my opinion, is pretty childish Tsa'ah.
We went to EG this year as well and we only got around 7 or so each which is not near as much comparitively, however the main reason we go to EG is not for alterations but for the RP interaction and to see friends in game that we normally don't get to hang out with. It's been said time and time again that EG is NOT the merchant filled event that say the "Dhu" is or what the upcoming "Wavedancer" is expected to be. Hence why it's only 30 dollars or so instead of 70+. If you went to EG expecting to get a lot of alterations then yes you were to be disappointed, because it's simply not that kind of event nor has it really ever been.

Also..as a side note, in every EG I've been to, the merchants have worked tirelessly, even hunting down the people, who have not been given alters at all to make sure they got at least 1 or 2. I dunno what happened on your end and I'm certainly not unsympathetic but your blame is placed wrongly in my opinion.

More luck to you in other games, however.

[Tsa`ah]

J, my cousin and probably the only person who played the GS that I interacted with in the real world.

I don't think it's childish at all, but you are entitled to your opinion. While EG may be considered a "RP" event, it wouldn't sell more than 20 tickets if there weren't any merchants.

Despite descriptions, add ons are merchant events. RP is an added attraction. When a person shells out cash to attend an event, there should be something in it for them other than some alternate descriptions on standard 4x gear.

While you got the service you paid for J, myself, and others I know did not. I sat in front of the computer logged on for 8 hours, in front of 3 other merchants waiting on room order. In every instance the merchant stopped working within 5 slots of me. Tell me, what are you supposed to do? Get up and find another merchant and repeat the process if things are going too slow? Hell, let's create another account, buy another ticket and park a zombie in the room.

In a pay event, one should not have to hunt like this. I had the maps, I had the names high lighted, yet each and every time I went from one disappointment, I sat for a few hours waiting on the next.

GMs looking for characters to work for? You got lucky. I've never seen it.

Again, when one buys a ticket, one buys a ticket to circumvent the BS you go through with standard merchant events.

The point of my post, in case those of you ragging on the tangent completely missed it (and that is evident), was that Simu can't get it right with a small text game, why am I to believe they can get it right with graphics?

The worse graphics game on the market, UO, handles things better than things are handled in GS.

[Edited on 12-7-2004 by Tsa`ah]

[Jolena]

Well I personally am not going to switch to HJ even if it does turn out to be cool but I will most likely help beta test it if given the chance just to get a good look at it. As I said, text games hold a lot more appeal for me.

As for EG and the merchants hunting down people for work, I'm sorry you have not seen it but for the last two EG's I've been to, they have indeed done so and I'm sure that there are others here who have seen it and can post to attest to it as well.

Again, I'm sorry for your bad experience and I'm not unsympathetic but I honestly don't feel that Simu is to blame for your experience in that aspect.

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Jolena
Again, I'm sorry for your bad experience and I'm not unsympathetic but I honestly don't feel that Simu is to blame for your experience in that aspect.

How are they not? Do you not think over 23 hours in a pay event should reap something other than dissapointment?

They have every means of implementing systems in which everyone gets a fair shake, they prefer not to. In fact, they seem to cater to the people that think they deserve more than a person getting screwed. Line jumpers, bending rules for so and so, opening up a door for one person who just got serviced by another gm ... because?

No, Simu is at complete fault.

[Jolena]

Well..this is a bit of a tricky area. While I do wholeheartedly agree that everyone going to a pay event should get at least ONE merchant service (Id rather they get around 2-3 at the least but I'll just say one for the purpose of this argument), I also think that the events are much more the alterations. There are several shops that only ticket holders get acess too, several rp opportunities that only ticket holders get to participate in, etc. So I spose it's a double edged sword, because while no you did not get a merchant service (and I agree that's fucked up) you can't say you got NOTHING for your 23 hours of attendance. Because in fact you did get the opportunity to get merchandise not offered to others without tickets, etc as I listed above.

[CrystalTears]

With the amount of money people pay for paid events, let alone the game itself, the merchants should be going through hoops for the players, not the other way around, but that's just me.

[Landrion]

Originally posted by Tsa`ah
The worse graphics game on the market, UO, handles things better than things are handled in GS.

[Edited on 12-7-2004 by Tsa`ah]

I tend to agree with the first part of that statement, if not the second. UO was the worst pile of trash I have ever wasted money on. Now, I hear theyre introducing l33t ninjas! Go UO - biggest piece of crap on the market.

I might say that SWG is as or more reviled than UO if I had made the mistake of purchasing that nightmare - but I didnt.

As for Hero's Journey. Simu misses the boat on some things to be sure. But theyre hitting stuff better than years ago as well. Will HJ ever be a serious competitor to games like WOW. Probably not. If they even come close - someone huge will probably buy them out (as Sony did with Verant). I imagine theyll get a comfortable subscriber base - enough to support keeping the game up. I doubt theyll screw up enough to be unviable like Earth and Beyond.

[CrystalTears]

In general, Simutronics are nobodies in the graphic games world. People won't go out of their way to play a game that's comparable to others when they don't even know the company it's coming from.

Oh I'm sure some will. I'm sure people who play their games now will take a stab at the game. I just think they're swimming upstream in a downstream world with this concept.

Maybe if they advertised their product, maybe they'd get more exposure, and maybe even more people to play. Their PR staff needs a serious restructure. :D

[ryllina]

Originally posted by CrystalTears
With the amount of money people pay for paid events, let alone the game itself, the merchants should be going through hoops for the players, not the other way around, but that's just me.

Most of them do - At least that's how it was when I was doing pay events.

Ashley

[Galleazzo]

Ya know, Tsa'ah, yer behind the curve. Didja notice that the GMs this past EG were trolling for anyone who didn't get an alter, and begged anyone who didn't get one to let them know so'd they could catch up?

[Tsa`ah]

It appears that I am not the one behind the curve Bevan; I no longer play ... therefore I am no longer part of the curve, and have not been for several months now.

The experience cited was from the EG that took place a few years ago, during the introduction of feature alterations.

[Parkbandit]

All this talk about how right or wrong Tsa`ah was for feeling the way he did is completely meaningless. Perception is reality in this case. The customer (aka Tsa`ah) felt he deserved better customer service and the company (aka Simutronics) did not. Company lost a customer... it happens everyday. Personally, if Simutronics were my company, I would have given Tsa`ah something in an effort to keep him as a customer. What exactly did they have to lose? 20 minutes of work by a GM to give him an alteration or two?

20 minutes of GM time = Zero cost.

Tsa`ah not playing GS4 for the past 3 months = $40.00

$40 > $0

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Parkbandit
All this talk about how right or wrong Tsa`ah was for feeling the way he did is completely meaningless. Perception is reality in this case. The customer (aka Tsa`ah) felt he deserved better customer service and the company (aka Simutronics) did not. Company lost a customer... it happens everyday. Personally, if Simutronics were my company, I would have given Tsa`ah something in an effort to keep him as a customer. What exactly did they have to lose? 20 minutes of work by a GM to give him an alteration or two?

20 minutes of GM time = Zero cost.

Tsa`ah not playing GS4 for the past 3 months = $40.00

$40 > $0

And that's really the gist of it. Something for the time and money other than tough shit.

In reality the loss looks like this ...

$658.80(12x54.90) > $0.00

1 Premium and 1 basic account, neither will see activation.

[Numbers]

Posted on 12/7:

Originally posted by Bardon
We're releasing more this week, and we have an AVI about ready to roll out too so you can see it in motion.

-- David (aka Bardon)

Really?

Well... now we know where Simu-speak comes from.

[Mistomeer]

Why would anyone who has been a Simu customer play that?
You can go play a game like WoW, EQ2, AO, etc. where you may or may not get good customer service or you can stick with Simu where you know you're gonna get fucked.

[Darnell]

Originally posted by Mistomeer
It's not that I have no interest in playing a graphical game, it's that I wouldn't play one by Simutronics.

ROFLMAO. That's EXACTLY how I feel also.

D
"I'd throw Sony in there too after the Original EQ and SWG experiences"