Aion's community address for November
by Rubi Bayer 
Nov 26th 2009 at 8:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Exploits, News items
The good news, of course, includes the stunning nine-minute trailer depicting the future of Aion. Player response was overwhelmingly positive, and netted NCsoft more than a few immediate resubs. The Community Team has also been doing a good amount of work that, while not quite as fun to look at as the trailer, brings results that players can't help but be just as happy about. The Aion team has set up a dedicated Game Surveillance Unit focused solely on taking out bots, gold spammers, and the like. (It seems to be working so far, a recent Tweet reports over 27,000 botting accounts banned this week.) The community address also mentioned the ubiquitous grind complaints. Some short-term changes to grind, loot, and risk vs. reward are on the way, and a more long-term solution seems to be in the works.
On the downside, the server transfer system has been delayed until the Community Team can be sure of releasing a solid finished product. It's a frustrating issue for players, but hopefully the delay will be worth it.
The full community address can be read here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Nadril said on 8:24PM 11-26-2009
I feel like they are going the right direction with Aion now, or starting too. While it will be hard to get back those they lost (me being one of them) I think that if Visions is a solid product and as such of a game changer as they say it is than the game will be in good shape. After all other games have gone through drastic changes that have been for the better, EVE probably is a good example because it started off real poor but now it's really filling a good niche. The PvP players who like a more action oriented style (as opposed to EVE) have really been wanting a solid game for a while now, and if Aion can deliver with these changes and updates than I think they will have a solid consumer base.
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Jay said on 8:51PM 11-26-2009
27,000 accounts banned in addition to the 16,000 accounts from before?
If so that's now the incredible figure of 4 bots for every hundred people. O_o
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crsh said on 10:43PM 11-26-2009
Did players get some info regarding how the future features will be delivered? Will it be a free content patch or a paid-for expansion pack?
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Nadril said on 12:09AM 11-27-2009
Considering it is NCSoft I am 99% sure it'll be a content patch. They really don't do expansion packs with the exception of Guild Wars (whos content model is dependent on it).
Just look at Lineage II if you want an example of how much content they add.
starzzareblind said on 12:10AM 11-27-2009
Pretty sure it will be a content patch.
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Amana said on 1:36AM 11-27-2009
When though? This is NCSoft remember. They're ruthless.
I can see them dangling this 'video' carrot for a very long time, getting resubs, but not actually releasing anything that comes close to what we see in that clip for an even longer time.
I'm not resubbing until something approaching that clip is actually *live*.
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Nadril said on 1:53AM 11-27-2009
The NCSoft Korean team is actually really fast at putting out content patches. Usually a major chronicle happens every 6 months in Lineage II and they generally have a large amount of changes.
From what I heard it's on the test servers currently, so I would imagine that they want to get it out fast so that they don't lose too many people. I wouldn't see why they would hold out on a content upgrade, they would just lose more people as time went on.
Granted I'm not resubbing until the patch is live as well, but they have no reason to not release it when it gets finished.
Amana said on 4:45AM 11-27-2009
I certainly hope you're right, in that it doesn't take forever for this content to be realized on the US/EU servers.
I'm certainly not trying to be down on it, as the video shows things that are genuinely exciting to me that would cause me to resub in a heartbeat.
But as we said, a resub isn't going to happen until that content is live.
If it's on the test servers already that's a great sign.
(PS are you referring to a Korean or Western PTR? Is there Western PTR for Aion?)
Mantees de Tara said on 2:28AM 11-27-2009
How can they deliver huge content modifications if they are still discussing botting and server transfer since months? o_O
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Nadril said on 2:57AM 11-27-2009
I assume it is because any botting issues/server issues are handled by the NCSoft team in America, not Korea. The Korean devs are really quick with putting out content patches and such.
YetiJames said on 3:51AM 11-27-2009
Too little too late, I still feel sick I paid out for the darn collectors edition.
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Amana said on 4:52AM 11-27-2009
I know how you feel Yeti - and I purchased two copies even.
To unsub after less-than-a-month was painful considering the purchases.
Having said that, this new content (presuming it delivers on the video promise) would turn that around for me. I wouldn't see the point in remaining angry and abstinent at the expense of having a good time in (assumedly) great content.
DrewIW said on 5:50AM 11-27-2009
That's really your fault, not Aion's.
Paul said on 4:44AM 11-27-2009
Frankly I really like Aion
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SleepingPanda said on 7:07AM 11-27-2009
I can agree wholeheartedly; I, too, like Aion.
Paul said on 7:14AM 11-27-2009
There was like a bunch more to my response too... guess it got cut off @_@
Flowette said on 5:01AM 11-27-2009
I, too, like Aion.
Why is it that with every story about Aion that features on Massively.com that we see "I would re-sub if..." and "I cancelled my sub..."? Is this the "MMO tourism effect" that I saw referenced in a blog article a while back?
From what I gather, NO MMO is perfect at launch. I accepted that when I purchased the product. Teething problems come with the territory it seems.
From the point of view of subscriber (yes, still), the changes they've made have been very good so far and have had a positive impact on my playtime. It's being tinkered with weekly, progress is being made.
Repeated for effect: I, too, like Aion.
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Amana said on 6:49AM 11-27-2009
Flowette said on 5:01AM 11-27-2009:
" Why is it that with every story about Aion that features on Massively.com that we see "I would re-sub if..." and "I cancelled my sub..."? Is this the "MMO tourism effect" that I saw referenced in a blog article a while back? "
Because, Flowette, that's how I (and presumably some others) feel.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't say what I do for 'effect'; I state how it actually is for me.
I am happy to accept flaws - I'm hardly that unrealistic. But at the end of the day, for *me*, the game as it stands does not suit my particular playstyle. Is that okay?
If you'd prefer other folk not to state opinions that differ from those of your own, then perhaps you're frequenting the wrong site?
Pedro said on 9:27AM 11-27-2009
Amana, i don't think he was refering to you but to people like YetiJames who come forward and spout "too little too late" for every MMO they try for two weeks.
Unfortunately, that kind of people are the worst for MMOs. They try out an MMO for two weeks and make a judgement of the product in those two weeks time, including the normal launch problems as being problems that will plague those games forever.
The simple fact is that those persons aren't being honest with themselves because they aren't truly giving this new MMO a chance (be it Aion or something else) because they form an opinion in a short time, stop playing the game and think that the game won't evolve besides what it is at launch.
If i had the same attitude torwards WoW when WoW came out i would've said that WoW was an unstable and buggy steaming pile of **** because it had a poorly thought PvP system, semi-decent PvE and some classes weren't even complete when it came out. But i stuck with it and the came really prove to be awesome.
Nowadays, people jump to an MMO expecting to see in it not only every single great feature in most other MMOs at launch but also something unique that makes it truly original as well as being totally polished and relatively bug-free. They expect an MMO to release with the quality that some MMOs in the market took years and millions upon millions of dollars to achieve.
Honestly, those are unrealistic expectations and reveal a severe lack of understanding about how MMOs differ from other games. This coupled with some people trying a game without even wanting to stay there in the long term really affects the word of mouth for that game.
Flowette said on 9:50AM 11-27-2009
I think Pedro hit the nail the head there :) /salute
If I'd heard nothing but "THIS GAME FAILS!" for weeks on end, and you can be tricked into believing that from time to time, then you might well end up believing it. I find myself wading through comment walls to get to the point where I can actually find a well-argued, cogent opinion (be it positive or negative).
My comments, Amana, were aimed at restoring some of the balance to the Aion discussion. I'm realistic enough to know that it's not everybody's cup of tea - it aint - but I also find it borderline farcical based on some of the comments from what I suspect are trolls. It's not a direct swipe at you, it was a blanket statement in a sea of blankets :)
Here's to opinions!
*raises mug of tea*