Vesuveus wrote:

sugaree wrote:

Over on my blog, at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, I've written some thoughts about where we are and how we got this way.  My own feelings on the subject, at least.  They're not here for several reasons, only one of which is their length. 

 

Finally read it. I was expecting more specific examples. For instance, you mention in the 2nd paragraph about MxO "changed hands several times". I know it went from 'lith to SOE. Did it change hands internally at 'lith?

Also, the qualifications of Chadwick; I know he has done comics for decades. I remember Concrete from elementary school. I'm 30 later this year. He also helped the W bros. conceptualize a lot of the details of the movies. Then there is his Matrix comics in Vol.1 and 2.

Personally, I think he was qualified. However, I didn't like all things he brought into the Matrix Universe. The lazers were just the first things that came to mind.

I look forward to your next post. ETA?

Well I know Sega had something to do with it, and there was some other company i just cant remember its dam name, something like Bioware or Bio something another which was during the very early stages of Beta, then it went to Warner bros then to soe.

Ic3b3rg wrote:

Vesuveus wrote:

sugaree wrote:

Over on my blog, at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, I've written some thoughts about where we are and how we got this way.  My own feelings on the subject, at least.  They're not here for several reasons, only one of which is their length. 

 

Finally read it. I was expecting more specific examples. For instance, you mention in the 2nd paragraph about MxO "changed hands several times". I know it went from 'lith to SOE. Did it change hands internally at 'lith?

Also, the qualifications of Chadwick; I know he has done comics for decades. I remember Concrete from elementary school. I'm 30 later this year. He also helped the W bros. conceptualize a lot of the details of the movies. Then there is his Matrix comics in Vol.1 and 2.

Personally, I think he was qualified. However, I didn't like all things he brought into the Matrix Universe. The lazers were just the first things that came to mind.

I look forward to your next post. ETA?

Well I know Sega had something to do with it, and there was some other company i just cant remember its dam name, something like Bioware or Bio something another which was during the very early stages of Beta, then it went to Warner bros then to soe.

   The game was always developed by Monolith, according to all the interviews I've read (including one with Toby Raigaini where he talks about going to Eon in 2001, I believe, to throw their idea of a Matrix MMO past the Wachowskis).  Warner Bros. and Ubisoft were originally going to co-publish the game, but Ubisoft dropped out (some believe this was a reaction to how the sequels were received by the general public, but they dropped Uru Online at around the same time and pretty much pulled out of the MMO market altogether).

   By E3 2004, it was announced that the new co-publisher of the game would be Sega.

Awesome read, sugaree.  Anxiously awaiting Part II...

Endomorph wrote:

But after you all unsubbed at Rarebits last changes Familar faces kept vanishing from Mara C on a regular basis, which left the servers next to empty these past few weeks, i would be suprised if there were more then 20 active subscriptions.

I feel the final nail in the coffin was hammered in by us the Players who didnt give Rarebit the chance to see what he had planned.

The beginning of the end was when Rare decided to reinvent the wheel and change a dynamic, constatly evolving storyline-based game into a static griding-based game.  I understand his problem (overdoing it to the point of burnout), but I feel his cure was worse than the ailment.  He could have just toned things down like doing one weekly event instead of five.  But, he tried to change MxO into World of MatrixCraft overninght.  And thats the antithesis of why most of us became attracted to this game in the first place. 

Big surprise it didn't work out.  When he stopped Live Events alltogether (I dont count the monthly Polyvinyl board meetings), thats when things started to fall apart.

I dont even know if, had Rare stayed on and clung stubbornly to his New Approach, we wouldn't have had the same outcome (albeit the game might have ended a little later).

Rare was a great asset to this community and did some fantastic things for us, but not everything is black and white.

Mathalos wrote:

The way I see it is, if SOE had not bought the Matrix Online, we would of closed down in August of 2005. They took the initiative to buy a game that had already lost 20 million. I don't blame them for not putting a lot of money into the game. No business in their right mind would put money into a product that is not going to give them any profit back. That's like saying Microsoft should continue to update Windows 98 just because a few people still use it. Microsoft moves onto products that make them money like any other business does. SOE chose to keep Rarebit hired to continue development on the game for the past few years. I want to thank SOE for the last four years and I want to thank them for not giving up on us sooner, because I know they very well could have. A first impression lasts forever, and the Matrix Online did not get a good one. We can not blame SOE for what happened to this game, the fate of this game was decided before it was even launched.

I disagree that the fate was decided before it was launched.

Sure, the fickle public and overhyped expectations were terrible but not fatal blows. 

But when it comes to SOE, as Fen said somewhere else, we paid for a service not a favor.

And, you play the hand that's dealt you.  Don't give up before you even start.

sugaree wrote:

Over on my blog, at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, I've written some thoughts about where we are and how we got this way.  My own feelings on the subject, at least.  They're not here for several reasons, only one of which is their length. 

 

BTW I really appeciate your article, although I disagree about the community.  Sometimes the truth hurt and we knew that this day would come had we kept going in the same direction.  I wish I had been wrong.  I apologize for lashing out at some of the pollyanna/seenoevil crowd.  I just saw this disaster coming miles away, and it really frustrated me.  I can assure you I take no pleasure whatsoever in seeing where we are now.

Also, I loved your Sugar Shack Neighborhood Contact articles!  I was a big fan   Someone today on another thread was asking what happened to them.  I'll try to find that post if you havent already.

Nice take on everything, sugaree.  I like reading about other's opinions.  Even though we didn't meet from being on separate servers, you were a presance on the forums and we will all remember the work you put into your summaries for us lazy folk who couldn't seem to do all the contact missions.  *thumbs up*

Personally I think I put most of the blame for the game's condition on WB and Monolith first and foremost.  As we know in the beginning they found the game costed too much and the fact they gave it only four months is testament to the fact that WB thought it was going to be a massive money-maker to cash in on.  After they saw otherwise, instead of scaling back (slim the LET, program more static content, slim large Dev team down, ect...) they auctioned it off to the highest bidder.  not to mention people urged monolith in beta to not only take time to add more content, but fix some bugs, they didn't listen.  Without SOE MxO would already be dead.

That doesn't mean SOE wasn't at fault either.  Communication between Walrus and Virrago (or whomever) should have been better.  SOE should have programmed more static content and not bothered with CR2.  they could have limited IL combat to one-on-one withouty CR2.  They could have stripped all the buffs off the clothes and made clothing stets or find a way to give more clothing choices without CR2.  I wouldn't have taken as long and other things could have been worked on as well.

Once i saw that WB was selling this game to SOE, I knew the game was done for.  I didn't realize it would have took this long to die.

I had to be shoved in the direction of your blog, Sugaree, by my long-time friend, Soulfire, and I'm glad that I made the effort to read it.  Blogs are usually mind-numbingly boring diatribes of self-indulgence . . . which is why I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than read them . . . but everything you had to say, Sugaree, was spot on. 

Unfortunately, your comments, our feelings, and many, many, anguished cries for help have fallen on deaf ears over the years, and now we are being forcefully disconnected with no recourse.

As for my feelings about SOE . . . well, when they said " We Have Your Game " it always did sound more like a ransom note from kidnappers rather than a marketing slogan.

Othinn1 wrote:

Ic3b3rg wrote:

Vesuveus wrote:

sugaree wrote:

Over on my blog, at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, I've written some thoughts about where we are and how we got this way.  My own feelings on the subject, at least.  They're not here for several reasons, only one of which is their length. 

 

Finally read it. I was expecting more specific examples. For instance, you mention in the 2nd paragraph about MxO "changed hands several times". I know it went from 'lith to SOE. Did it change hands internally at 'lith?

Also, the qualifications of Chadwick; I know he has done comics for decades. I remember Concrete from elementary school. I'm 30 later this year. He also helped the W bros. conceptualize a lot of the details of the movies. Then there is his Matrix comics in Vol.1 and 2.

Personally, I think he was qualified. However, I didn't like all things he brought into the Matrix Universe. The lazers were just the first things that came to mind.

I look forward to your next post. ETA?

Well I know Sega had something to do with it, and there was some other company i just cant remember its dam name, something like Bioware or Bio something another which was during the very early stages of Beta, then it went to Warner bros then to soe.

 

   The game was always developed by Monolith, according to all the interviews I've read (including one with Toby Raigaini where he talks about going to Eon in 2001, I believe, to throw their idea of a Matrix MMO past the Wachowskis).  Warner Bros. and Ubisoft were originally going to co-publish the game, but Ubisoft dropped out (some believe this was a reaction to how the sequels were received by the general public, but they dropped Uru Online at around the same time and pretty much pulled out of the MMO market altogether).

   By E3 2004, it was announced that the new co-publisher of the game would be Sega.

Ah Ubisoft that was it.

I don't agree with all that's been said, but that pretty much covers almost everything about the game o.O

Also MxO has been destined to be a niche game, though I wished it wasn't so.