Weekly Newsletter 01_28_08: Conspiracy Flavor of the Month

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Updated Fri, Jan 02, 2009 by Dalmarus

Conspiracy Flavor of the Month

January 28st, 2008 - By Dalmarus

Like most people that enjoy being part of an online community, I think it's safe to say I have a semi love/hate relationship with various forums around the Internet. They are a great place to go in the hopes of not only reading about the trials and tribulations of your fellow gamers, but to also share some of your own.

This is where the love/hate part of this relationship rears its ugly head sometimes. There are some absolutely wonderful nuggets of pure information and entertaining anecdotes out there, but to get to them, I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time having to trudge through what can sometimes be a vicious wasteland. I know I'm not alone in my observations, as I see this feeling voiced throughout the spider web we call the Internet.

So what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China? Patience, young Grasshopper... all will be revealed in due time.

One particular (for lack of a better phrase) conspiracy theory that manages to continually rise from the dead is the ongoing battle on population numbers for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and its eventual fate. One group cries that Vanguard doesn't have more than 4000 current subscribers and is currently in the agonies of its death throes. Others scream that the numbers are well above 25,000 or more. The battle wages back and forth, with each group trying to convince the other that they are right.

Rather than try to sway anyone's opinion one way or another, I have another suggestion. Even though it may be considered radical in today's environment, take another few minutes to just hear me out.

First and foremost, we all know that whether we ever want to admit it or not, SOE is a business that has a responsibility to make a profit for not only itself, but also its stock shareholders. Although Vanguard means a lot to many people on a personal level, at the end of the day it's a tool to be used by SOE as a means to an end.

Dwarves make good bait...

While I doubt anyone is going to argue with the above information, it's important to set that out in the open first before we delve farther into my idea. Now that we agree that Vanguard has to make a profit (or prove that it can in the foreseeable future), we should also be able to agree that if it doesn't show signs of making one, it may go the way of The Matrix Online and become a game with bare skeleton crew. At that point, updates will become very scarce and largely focus on bug fixes first and foremost. Where added content in the future may become something we only talk of when reminiscing about the good old days.

Bear with me; we're almost to the big reveal. Before I spill it though, let me state for the record that I do not, in any way, shape, or form, believe that this is going to be Vanguard's fate. I just had to get it out there as the premise for my coming question.

So keeping all of the above ideas in mind, here's my big question that I want the community to ask themselves when they read this - Are you having fun with the game as it is right now?

Take a few seconds (or minutes) to really think about your answer. Don't worry; you don't have to share it with us if you choose not to. It can be your little secret.

For myself, the answer is an absolute yes. I have a lot of fun whenever I have time to get on and play. I find it enjoyable as it is right now. It's for this reason, and this reason only, that outside of the realities of a business having to garner continued consumer support, I really do not care what the population numbers are.

Does that mean I don't care about the game? Nothing could be further from the truth. I love this game and want to see it succeed.

What it does mean though is that I don't care if there are 1000 or 3000 people on at any given time. Can I find a group most of the time I log in? Yes. Do I enjoy exploring, hunting, and talking with people in the various chat channels? Yes. Do I enjoy crafting or diplomacy if I'm not in the mood to go hunting? Yes - well, minus some minor hair pulling as I still try to get a good grip of the crafting mechanics, haha.

Do you see the point I'm trying to make here? If you enjoy the game as it is right now, then enjoy it and look forward to the coming changes or added content. If you're worried about population numbers, how about convincing your friends to give the game a try rather than spouting a stream of doom and gloom?

I play the game because I enjoy it. How about you?

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