AC2 - Should they bring it back?

[Snow Angel]

I did a poll a while back on AC Friends:
http://vnboards.ign.com/Message.aspx?topic=104114297&brd=5258

Combined, over half of the poll-takers said they'd try AC2 if it were to return. And the AC2 vault board still gets a post every day or two. I'd do another sort of poll here, but we don't have that feature. But it might be an interesting discussion anyway. :)

1) Did you try AC2 before? (When: beta, retail, end of life? Thoughts?)

2) If AC2 were to return, would you try it? (For sake of argument, let's assume Turbine would clean-up any remaining bugs first.)

3) Would any of these ideas make you more inclined to try it?:
- A time-limited free trial
- Part of a "Turbine Pass" discount package subscription with AC1 and other Turbine games.
- A time-unlimited free trial (limited some other way such as lower level cap, or area access)
- Another idea?

[Roberto]

1) feb after launch to close. some beta, but the lag at the time was unbearable.
2) yes.

having said that, I don't expect that Turbine will bring it back. Too many other irons in the fire at this point.

[Atarax]

I never liked AC2 much... Skill based is a better system for me...

[Khereya]

I wrote a reply and when I went to post it not only did it say I had to log in, but the response was lost *sigh*

I think they should....... it still has a large following and was the most balanced, fun game I've ever played, I have not been happy in any games since.........

I will try to rewrite my response and post it....

PLEASE bring it back

[JJC]

> 1) Did you try AC2 before? (When: beta, retail, end of life? Thoughts?)

Beta

> 2) If AC2 were to return, would you try it?

Probably not. If it were to cost any money then absolutely not.

Here is the biggest hurdle - It's economically unviable. It's going to lose money for Turbine if they have to spend any money to get it up and running. They couldn't support it with a live team, for example, so it would never get any new content which would kill it quick. It's the staff to run the game and not the hardware that makes it expensive to run these things. So after you run through all the content the game is essentially over.

> - Another idea?

It needs to be paid for. As part of a "Turbine Pass" you essentially subsidise the AC2 with LoTR money which is likely being used to fund other, unannounced projects. In other words it hurts all of the Turbine properties unless the game is economically viable. If it doesn't add value to the package then it shouldn't be done. Given the utter failure of AC2 in the marketplace, coming so close after an expansion, I don't see AC2 as adding value to the Turbine product line without real market research and online polls don't count.

---

> I wrote a reply and when I went to post it not only did it say I had to log in, but the response was lost *sigh*

You have to have "stay logged in checked" otherwise it forgets after a certain point in time.

JJC

[Khereya]

>> I wrote a reply and when I went to post it not only did it say I had to log in, but the response was lost *sigh*

You have to have "stay logged in checked" otherwise it forgets after a certain point in time.

JJC

how can I do that? I don't see an option :-/

[Khereya]

I rewrote it so here it is....

1) beta-end of life
2) yes, with all my accounts
3) 15 day free trial would allow players to get an idea of the game

I believe the timing is right for AC2 to make a comeback…. AC2 has maintained a loyal following even after being shut down…. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an active movement to bring a game back even after two years there are boards where people continually ask and watch for any hint of it’s return (as am I). We’d all be happy with one server to play it on. I’d bring all my accounts back and I know others had multiple accounts as well…….

It was a game that allowed you to have the full experience in both pvp and pve……

I miss my slasher, my tyrant, and the musical instruments…… some of the jam sessions would last hours… and my tumy that “eeped” when hit lol

It was a game you could solo/fellow/raid in…… it had it all….. there was always something to see or do, whether with friends or solo….

At the moment there are people looking for a game with pve/pvp…… I’m sure if it was released again it would not only bring back loyal players but would attract many new ones…….

You could pvp or pve in gear you got while questing/making/leveling/trading/buying (this will attract many pvpr’s frustrated in other games and the “need” to respect due to the differences between the pve and pvp stuff)

You could do quests/dungeons/raids without having to join/change allegiances(this will attract many knowing they can play more freely)

You could get gear through professions/quests/drops/leveling/trading/buying (this will attract many that can’t get stuff or don’t currently have the avenue to get it)

You could pvp at any level with the skills/gear you have (this will attract many new players to a balanced environment)

You could retrain skills on the trees with a system that made if fair…. Most other games you can not respect without a cost and full gear change, you are pressured to have separate skill to pve and pvp. (a lot of people are unhappy with this)

No xp “chains” to create politics or other issues (this will attract people who both like to get xp on their own or allow assistance when requested)

[JJC]

> how can I do that? I don't see an option

It might be "remember me" or something like that. I'd have to log out and then log back in to say exactly but it's right under the password box on login.

> don’t think I’ve ever seen such an active movement to bring a game back even after two years

Meridian 59.
One of the earliest online games, Sierra Online ImagiNation Network, has a loyal following to the point that people have rewrote the code to have a working server and clients.

JJC

[Viatorus]

1) Did you try AC2 before?

Release until the bitter end.

2) If AC2 were to return, would you try it?

It was a disaster when it came out, and had more than a few disastrous elements along the way, but in the end, I do have to say it was a solid game. An empty, solid game.

3) Would any of these ideas make you more inclined to try it?:

No, if it came out, I would play it. I miss my HammerZerk and the other crazy hybrids I played. TB has no reason to dish it out again, it came, it sucked *cough, early MS release, cough*, it lost people, it kept a loyal fanbase but never grew again...and it died. It's over with. Release the code? TB's proprietary code? I think not.

[Khereya]

> how can I do that? I don't see an option

It might be "remember me" or something like that. I'd have to log out and then log back in to say exactly but it's right under the password box on login.

> don’t think I’ve ever seen such an active movement to bring a game back even after two years

Meridian 59.
One of the earliest online games, Sierra Online ImagiNation Network, has a loyal following to the point that people have rewrote the code to have a working server and clients.

JJC

ok ty, I marked it

wow, I would definitely play if that was done......

[habu68]

1. Started playing about two weeks after release. I took a few breaks here and there, but always returned. I bought Legions and played that until they announced The End.

2. If it were to get released again, I would play until the end again.

3. They wouldnt have to do anything to convince me. In fact, to try and convince them, Ill pay double the going rate for an MMO these days :)

[Gustaive]

I would try it. I would play if i was a certain price or if Turbine had a station pass.

[self_adhesive]

played beta.

was ridden with bugs, but released anyway. so i held off and heard reports that game was buggy as beta with not much content.

did not make me want to sign up. by the time folks who played actually thought the game was well put together, it was also time to schedule a take down of the servers.

let it stay dead. there's only room for one AC.

[Thadda Al-Munik]

ac 1 gameplay with ac 2 graphics and you have best game in the world. there would be no more games coming out b/c of it's awesomeness. but hey, we're falling on deaf ears with this.

[Nim the Slayer]

1). Beta

2). Yes, I would

3). 15 day free trial isn't really enough time for us worker types...I try to get on once a day but sometimes 2 or 3 days go by...and then, only for a few hours at that...better to make it 30 or 45 day free trial... :cool:

[Khereya]

3). 15 day free trial isn't really enough time for us worker types...I try to get on once a day but sometimes 2 or 3 days go by...and then, only for a few hours at that...better to make it 30 or 45 day free trial... :cool:

If I remember right there was also the 30day free when you start a subscription, so that would actually give you 45 days ;-)

[BARTZ]

i played for a few months. i enjoyed the graphics alot. didnt care for the skill tree thing. i would have thought they would go with the type of character developement ac 1 had, its the best. and i am still po'd they shut down ac2 right after they released expansion for it, very bad deal as far as im concerned. so other than free trials i probly wouldnt buy a subscription at this time.

[zzsuit]

I'd rather see AC1 get the revamp i was hoping for with ToD. same game, only change is cleaner graphics (not a huge boost, just things like, make body segments flow together like ur acutlay one piece, not 9) maybe more unique combat graphics things like that.

[Khereya]

The skill tree was different, but it allowed you to have any spec you wanted and still be balanced in both pve and pvp. The way they intermingled the crafting with it helped both the crafter and others. It allowed crafters an equitable market as well as the items crafted were in balance with everything else. To be honest I haven't seen this amount of balance in any other MMO I've played. It was also good for new players to help them advance both level wise and monetarily.

At the time they shut it down they had worked most of the bugs out that Microsoft caused due to pushing it's release 6 months early.

The market is ready for this to be released, I would suggest at the time when drudges and empyreans were released.

Plus everyone could obtain a combat pet.. or two (armadillo repeatable quest) ;-)

[Snow Angel]

The skill tree was different, but it allowed you to have any spec you wanted and still be balanced in both pve and pvp.
Aye I thought the skill tree was good once I played with it a bit. At first I was a little skeptical coming from AC1. AC2's skill tree let you develop with a pretty good balance between specializing in your class tree and taking other skills without becoming unbalancing. My feral didn't play the same as every other feral, unlike some other strict class based games, where one ____ is like all ____s.

[Senvilan]

It's a shame this game was given the boot after such a relatively short amount of time, especially considering the 20+ million dollars that was spent on it (or so I've heard).

I guess alternate payment models weren't really around back a few years ago, atleast not many that I know of, but I was thinking that a relaunch of AC2 could actually be financially viable if they tried an alternative method to a subscription fee.

For instance, instead of charging a monthly fee to play it, they could add a cash shop in-game (I'm honestly not in favor of this option at all, in fact, I can't stand it, but I'd be willing to deal with it if the game could be revived) where players would be able to buy items and money with real life currency, and then do some online advertising about the relaunch. I know that would cost a bit in itself, but I bet we'd all be amazed at how many people would give AC2 a chance if it were f2p, and thoroughly advertised. This model has done very well in a number of MMO's (RF Online, for example, had such a huge influx of players once they changed to this model that they actually opened two new servers to satisfy the demand).

Or, another model that has seen a decent amount of success, is making a portion of the game free-of-charge (limited content, equipment, items, etc) and then offer the rest of the remaining content for a fee. This model seemed to work pretty well in Anarchy Online because from what I've heard, it's still doing pretty well these days. Of course, Anarchy Online, since it's in a futuristic setting, also has a lot of in-game advertising which I'm sure helps them a ton financially. I think it would seem a little strange to see a Mountain Dew poster plastered somewhere in the world of AC2 lol.

Anyway, I have no idea if any of those other methods would actually be profitable for AC2 (considering how long the game has been gone now) but I'd say it's certainly something to be considered.

Here's hoping ;).

[Khereya]

if they allowed game time cards that would bring a large amount of interest, many use them these days. The problem I would foresee with this is it would attract "farmers" the bane of many other games. The set up made the game very unattractive to this type of player, and kept "prices" fair amongst the whole population. Plus I believe they didn't allow third party add ons really helped, macros were easy to make and run in game, it was all that was needed (buff bots were widely used for those curious about this).

the only thing I would add would be some form of permanent storage like a bank, maybe chests in main towns? that was the only thing I feel it really lacked, and it would allow more character play instead of being a mule ;-)

[Kid]

Like some others said, I would rather have Turbine focus on AC1 and revamping graphics (someway, somehow). AC1 doesn't get as much attention as it is and if AC2 was brought back, I can only imagine it would be worse. It's nothing against Turbine, it's just the games don't generate enough revenue to have a big team or for Turbine to put a lot of focus on AC1 when they have bigger games (like LOTRO).

[Trozen]

I loved it, and even tho I am enjoying the original very much now(never played it before ac2), I would go back in a hartbeat.

[Platinumstorm.]

I would love for them to bring Ac2 back.

[Phelan Wolf]

Have I tried AC2, Yes very briefly.
Would I again? Yes, Mainly to see the lore aspect. There have been times that I have sat and wondered where the AC1 is headed MAINLY to see what would happen in AC1 to LEAD to AC2.

I think one server should be revived, completely clean. Take the money from AC1 we pay, and use that for AC2. (so we pay our monthly, and it opens up both worlds.) Maybe if it sticks long enough (2 months?) We pay a extra $5 a month to continue on both 1 and 2.

[elkingo]

let it stay dead. there's only room for one AC.


Exactly, and no room for an AC3 as some suggested on a different thread.

[elkingo]

Have I tried AC2, Yes very briefly.
Would I again? Yes, Mainly to see the lore aspect. There have been times that I have sat and wondered where the AC1 is headed MAINLY to see what would happen in AC1 to LEAD to AC2.

I think one server should be revived, completely clean. Take the money from AC1 we pay, and use that for AC2. (so we pay our monthly, and it opens up both worlds.) Maybe if it sticks long enough (2 months?) We pay a extra $5 a month to continue on both 1 and 2.


Wasn't AC2 set in like thousands of years ahead of AC1 so it wouldn't effect AC1?

[ACGuy31]

1) Did you try AC2 before? I played AC2 during the beta, worked on the AC2Online atlas and had an active allegiance. The lag at the time was too bad for me to consider purchasing the retail game. A few months later, after giving Turbine time to fix the problems, I started playing again. I played off and on until Legions was released. I wasn't around for the final months, because of the low server population on Darktide (usually 20 or less players). I made my peace a few months before it closed down and moved on.

2) If AC2 were to return, would you try it? Legions did a pretty good job on it's own in cleaning up most of the remaining bugs. I'd play again if Turbine was willing to take the chance on a large advertising campaign.

[Atarax]

1.) Yes.

2.) No. -- I didn't like the gameplay style. It's probably the same reason I play AC and not Wow.