Hardcopy of Mechanics

[Anebriated]

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that they are even considering selling this? When GS3 was out everyone had to work together to test different skills and whatnot to learn how things worked. This caused people to work together, meet new people and have a good time. Now Simu is trying to sell a book that contains all the answers. Just the fact that they are selling the answers to game secrets makes me feel that they dont care for anything except the money(not that that is a news flash). Anyone else bothered by this? /rant

[Trinitis]

Me and some friends talked about this one night.. I really think they will not release all the mechanics..doing so would ruin the game..and give away "trade" secrets.

-Adredrin

[Anebriated]

See even that doesn't make sense to me. All the mechanics have been posted that are meant for public knowledge. I dont see what mechanics are left that dont fit into one of the two categories(already released or not meant for public knowledge)

[theotherjohn]

I do not think they will do it as it will not be enough money to be worth the effort.

Why would you buy one? Someone will post it on their website or post it here

[Prestius]

What's the big deal about it? Just about every gamemaker on the planet sells strategy guides, background materials, etc for its games.

For some people, a nice printed refernece volume with all the history, lore, verb usages, creatures, maps, etc would be a nice thing to have. I am not one of those people, but I can see the appeal. I hope there's enough demand to warrant producing such a volume (or volumes).

As to the money issue, I figure the more ways that Simu can make money without sucking up in-game resources, the more in-game stuff they can do, the more programmers they can hire, the more events they can run without having to raise the subscription rate.

-P

[Moist Happenings]

Ha. they'll sell you the mechanics but they won't tell you that you're supposed to LISTEN to a demon to get it to tell you a message(yes, i'm still pissed about that). I think it's stupid that they'd consider selling it, but hey, welcome to the lazy generation. Kids these days don't have the patience or the attention span to spend time figuring these things out. And they're trying to get a new audience. They know that most(not all, of course) people grow up and have less and less time for gemstone and eventually stop playing. I started playing when I was 10. i'm 20 now, and I find myself with less and less free time to play each year. They know that a lot of their original audience is leaving or has left, and they're trying to solidify themselves in the market.

Edit to add:

The sad truth is that the future of gemstone is Bobmuhtol and Warclaidhm.

[Edited on 12-27-2003 by Neff]

[Rastaman]

If Simu can make money doing it, you can be sure they'll do it. They're money whores. I also hate them.

[Kitsun]

Originally posted by Rastaman
If Simu can make money doing it, you can be sure they'll do it. They're money whores. I also hate them.

Commentary like this always surprises me. They are a business. Businesses try to make money.

Books aren't free for them to make. It takes time to compile, edit, etc. The game isn't cost free to run. They have offices, billing centers, help desk centers, employees in different areas, etc.

What makes Simu worse than any other business? They certainly aren't criminals like Enron.

[DaMaGe]

Because they lost sight of what makes a good roleplaying game, and decided to focus entirely upon monetary gains. That's why.


-Adam

[Rastaman]

Of course every company is in it just for the money. But most companies get their customers to like them through a concept called Customer Service. An idea of which Simutronics knows nothing.

[DaMaGe]

Oh, they know the concept.

The problem is, they seem to be catering to the wrong customers.


-Adam

[Kitsun]

Originally posted by DaMaGe
Because they lost sight of what makes a good roleplaying game, and decided to focus entirely upon monetary gains. That's why.
-Adam

Everyone has a different idea about what elements are necessary for a 'good' roleplaying game.

While I did notice the price hike a while back, I also noticed the amount of work that has gone into creating an evolving product. I did not see them taking our money and adding nothing new to the game. If they had been focused entirely upon monetary gain, thats what they would've done, right?


Originally posted by RASTAMAN
Of course every company is in it just for the money. But most companies get their customers to like them through a concept called Customer Service. An idea of which Simutronics knows nothing.


As far as Customer Service goes, I see them doing quite a bit. They have a message board where you can voice concerns and opinions. They have assist queues for ingame help and questions. They have a website for concerns. There are feedback email options.

If they had 'no concept' of customer service, those features of Gemstone and the website wouldn't even exist.

What I see is the concept being exercized quite well. What more do you expect?


Originally posted by DaMaGe
Oh, they know the concept.
The problem is, they seem to be catering to the wrong customers.
-Adam


Thats interesting. How do you define 'wrong customer.' All of us pay the same amount for an account, we're all entitled to the same services and consideration for that account as well.

Instead of shooting out blanketed one-liners, how about you solidify what your trying to express?

[DaMaGe]

I'm not going into all of this again. I've stated my opinions often enough; I thought everyone knew my stance on Simutronics.

The fact of the matter is that instead of quashing those who wish to use Elanthia as an oversized chat room full of treasure and uber-weapons, they're trying to maintain a balance between those types of people and those of us who wish to roleplay.

I understand that those types of people have just as much right to be and have fun their way, because we all pay to play. But it's my understanding that this is a roleplaying game, and I come here to roleplay. That type of behavior infringes upon MY fun, just as my roleplaying may infringe on their fun.

But I repeat, this is advertised as a roleplaying game. I don't see the need to cater to anyone who would treat it as otherwise.


-Adam

[StrayRogue]

Simu is the American dream: they'll make any amount of money of whatever dumb fucking mug they can. Capitalism at its best. What makes me laugh the most is these dumb as fucking retards who moan about it, just like the billing issue months back, who say they won't stand for it, then simply pay Simu for the shit they do. Purely pathetic, indeed, these are the morons Simu relies upon to be dedicated customers.

[DaMaGe]

I want to be StrayRogue when I grow up.


-Adam

[StrayRogue]

Nice to know you tools still know what the American Dream is. Simu is doing pretty damn good at it.

Its simple: have a poorly financed game and get crappy GM's, customer service etc.
OR
Pay for your game and get what they pull these days. Be thankful they don't charge for MA account transfers. Be thankful they don't nix your dumb OOC names, or your dumb OOC antics with your second account wizards.

Ever since we started paying for GS it wasn't about RP. You think the bosses at TSR give more of a shit about the CR of a Black Dragon or how many books they sell per annunum?

Either way, the GS system is easily worked out without some book that retails for $30.99. Hell, even if they did, how long would it be before its available on the web for nothing?

[Edited on 28-12-03 by StrayRogue]

[Latrinsorm]

Originally posted by Neff
Kids these days rant rant rant I started playing when I was 10. i'm 20 now

How in the hell are you old enough to say "Kids these days"?


Originally posted by Kitsun
Commentary like this always surprises me. They are a business. Businesses try to make money.

Monopolies are evil. Ask any economist. Simutronics is a monopoly. There is no one who offers a product interchangeable with theirs. Trying to make money is great, but monopolizing is evil. Of course, they started up selective pricing too, which is doubly evil.

Neff = whippersnapper
Simu = evil
Strayrogue = Overcaffeination
Buying mechanics book = hell no