HJ release date.

[Sylvester]

Late 2009


Just some comments from someone who's been trying to get off WoW and find a new home.

First, some observations after reading HJ stuff on the play.net boards here and a few place else:

Game's graphics is about 3 years behind. From the pimped out screenshots it looks more like WoW graphics but WoW is cartoony and thus can get away with it. HJ tries to be realisitic but to me its not too great. Not really concerned though since gameplay = 90% of a game.

Gameplay seems wierd but cool talking about weapons leveling with you and players being able to jump around real time but still come off with point and click interface.

supposedly this game's content is being built by volunteers?

After reading Play.net boards which i heard were officials for simutronics i can say that their billing system is completely wtf? Something about tiered pricing plan with several levels starting from 15$, some people suggesting 30$ or 80??! I have -never- heard this from any MMO, they must either think that this is some cutting edge virtual reality game or they be smoking something because to charge that much for a out dated small time game is laughable.


Heres my take on all this. Ok so they make the core engine of the game using company funds. They're strategy is to make up and/or even profit by selling the core engine to developers who want it ala Bioware. The HJ GAME was never really a huge priority, or at best 2nd to the sale of the engine etc. Why?

They realize that most of the game is going to be volunteer made which means essentially its FREE for the company. So, they take their sweet time. If the game gets made in 1 year great! If they make it in 10 years great! They already profited off the sale of the engine and the game essentially costs nothing to make. Now, of course they want to get it made in a timely manner and hence why they do hire product managers but for the vast majority of the game it is all free volunteer work.

Personally, I think the game will be very very niche especially since some free games have better graphics. Secondly, the game will come out sometime mid to late 2009. The subscriber base will not number more then 15 or 20k probably less seeing how theres SO many nice MMOs coming out by then. It'll mostly cater to those people playing Gemstone, and probably a good indication of how HJ will turn out would be how good Gemstone was on graphics, gameplay, and controls. I don't know much about Gemstone,but a game predating UO is pretty ahead of it's time and thats something.

[Parkbandit]

LOL.

If it takes you 10 years to produce and market a game.. chances are you are/have missed the boat.

The key to gaming is being fresh and new. This thing is DOA, except for those playing GS4 still and wanting to try out something new.

[mgoddess]

After reading Play.net boards which i heard were officials for simutronics i can say that their billing system is completely wtf? Something about tiered pricing plan with several levels starting from 15$, some people suggesting 30$ or 80??!

They have the same billing scheme for GS/DR and it seems to work just fine. :shrug:

[CrystalTears]

That billing scheme won't fly for HJ, or any MMORPG for that matter.

[Alfster]

Not at all (although gs players probably would pay extra to get an extra verb or two)

[Tsa`ah]

Chances are that any former Simu customer that is playing WoW and looking for something else will not likely return to a Simu product.

I'm not likely to shell out more cash for HJ than I am for WoW, and I'm less likely to play a game where you have to pay for more options. Pretty much every MMO out there has a standard fee and it is up to the player/s to band together for the better gear. I'm not about to play a game where that allows for the cash work around.

Let's not even get into Simu's track record for implementation and delivering new content.

I'll spend my cash on a game where equipment is bound to the character, new content is delivered pretty regularly in many different ways, and I don't get the shaft end of game play because I wasn't willing to shell out 40 dollars in excess of the standard subscription ... let alone pay for "events".

[Sean of the Thread]

Word

[SpunGirl]

2009, now? LOLCAKES.

-K

[Sylvester]

Hey guys, yeah I did a little research on Gemstone and I didn't realize it was a text based game, but then I was surprised to find out people were shelling out 15 bucks a month for a text game, and then I was completely floored when I realized that some people pay 50 bucks for this game.

Im having trouble understanding why people pay so much for text? and I'm being really serious when I say this but do you think there is something wrong like emotionally/mentally with the people who play this game? <- Again, not to offend just a very serious question, I'm not completely stable myself and do some foolish things...just 50 dollars per month? Dude that would be one of my most expensive bills I pay a month!

[Alfster]

Generally yes.

Read through some threads and you'll understand.

[Donquix]

Hey guys, yeah I did a little research on Gemstone and I didn't realize it was a text based game, but then I was surprised to find out people were shelling out 15 bucks a month for a text game, and then I was completely floored when I realized that some people pay 50 bucks for this game.

Im having trouble understanding why people pay so much for text? and I'm being really serious when I say this but do you think there is something wrong like emotionally/mentally with the people who play this game? <- Again, not to offend just a very serious question, I'm not completely stable myself and do some foolish things...just 50 dollars per month? Dude that would be one of my most expensive bills I pay a month!

the fact that it's text really has nothing to do with it. Theres little to no functional difference between replacing your life with text or replacing your life with cartoony orc 3d models.

[mgoddess]

just 50 dollars per month?

Some people pay more then that, too.

(For instance, my husband and I pay $90 a month for two premium accounts. There's people out there with four, six, eight even premium accounts...)

Yes, it gets expensive, but if you like playing it, you'll pay for it.

And for me, text-based is the only way to go. I can play GemStone on pretty much any computer I use (from my old Celeron 500mhz to my new Pentium 4 3ghz), with a browser or an FE. I don't have to buy the software AND pay the monthly fee. Text, for me, is much more customizable then any sort of 3D/graphical art. I can use my imagination with text, whereas with graphics.. if they're crappy, then my gaming can suck.

[Sylvester]

Some people pay more then that, too.

(For instance, my husband and I pay $90 a month for two premium accounts. There's people out there with four, six, eight even premium accounts...)

Yes, it gets expensive, but if you like playing it, you'll pay for it.

And for me, text-based is the only way to go. I can play GemStone on pretty much any computer I use (from my old Celeron 500mhz to my new Pentium 4 3ghz), with a browser or an FE. I don't have to buy the software AND pay the monthly fee. Text, for me, is much more customizable then any sort of 3D/graphical art. I can use my imagination with text, whereas with graphics.. if they're crappy, then my gaming can suck.


Okies.... thats a bit too crazy for me.... :::backs up slowly and fumbles with the exit doorknob:::

[AestheticDeath]

50 dollars per month? Dude that would be one of my most expensive bills I pay a month!

Do you live on your own? Id hate to see the room/house you live in for $50 or less a month.

For grown ups $50 a month should be fairly easy to come by, and a lot of people spend that much or more on a disposable income based item/service of some sort.

[Sylvester]

Dude with 50 bucks I can get a WoW account a UO account AND a AoC account when that comes out....50 $ is NOT a lot of money. It IS ALOT of money when you take it outside and light it on fire till it's charred and black and pieces of it flutter into the wind.

[Jolena]

Just..wow. :lol:

[Snapp]

I don't spend $50+ a month on it, but don't knock GS until you've at least tried it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but neither are graphical games.

Also, I'll be suprised if HJ ever comes out at this point.

[mgoddess]

Dude with 50 bucks I can get a WoW account a UO account AND a AoC account when that comes out....50 $ is NOT a lot of money. It IS ALOT of money when you take it outside and light it on fire till it's charred and black and pieces of it flutter into the wind.

Who's going outside and burning money?

I'm certainly not. I was just saying that some people can justify spending that much money on GemStone (like I can). It's all a matter how you want to spend your money.

(And if spending $50 on GemStone is crazy, then you're in the wrong market with playing any sort of MMO. You might want to take your money and go spend it on some books or something more tangible, that you can read/use over and over again.)

[Alfster]

(And if spending $50 on GemStone is crazy, then you're in the wrong market with playing any sort of MMO.

Now that's retarded. Wow's 15 bucks a month and what, a total of 20 bucks for the original game now?

MMO's price is based on what normal people will pay. 15 bucks a month is perfect for an MMO's price and any more than that you're pushing people away.

[SpunGirl]

GemStone, to outsiders, can be VERY difficult to digest. I would also agree that there are several people who play that have issues, but *most* of the people I've met in GS don't have any more issues than a person who doesn't play (or has some other escape).

As to why people pay that amount for a game, I can't answer. I've never played any other online game, and none of the others really interest me. But between a mortgage payment, utilities, and car payment, the idea of $50/month (at the high end!) being the "biggest bill" every month is laughable.

-K