Personally I am very lucky that I am able to play L2 on Korean servers it has allowed me to see and play the game in it's best (my opinion) environment.
Before a PTS or major update the Koreans have alot of hype a date usually announced with little information, then when that date comes theres a mini-site with CGI video's and an elegant layout for what will be added.
Now we don't get that on NA servers, and I can understand why, in fact I have no problem with it. What I do think is "going to far" is how things were handled this time around.
- For the PTS release there was no announcement before hand to stir up interest within the community instead it was announced if i am no mistaken the day before it went up. Weather this is because the "team" knew this was going to be the most lack-luster PTS in ages is unknown (gone was GM and CM participation and interaction such as Omega's killing sprees and Mistryls attempts to do good with things like the Hiene RPA event and gone was Chaos Week.)
- The big day, launch day (today as of writing) was once again not announced a week before to get people excited, no it was announced the day before much like the pts.
To me alot of a presentation is making your audience feel involved and getting them excited and invigorated over the product you are selling. Now like I said I know that the NA market is one of the last things on NC's minds, to them this is the land of City of hero's and Villains, Tabula Rosa and Guildwars. But are we now in danger of getting to the point where CT2's PTS will just go up without a word, maybe a mention of it half a week in on the test server forum? Most likely not, but still for the bashers this launch comes as a nice piece of ammunition to use in the "we are all doomed NC hates us" rants. And to the FanBoy's they have there work cut out for them if any rebuttal made on behalf of NCNA has a chance to come off as half-plausible to anyone.
All in all I feel it was a pretty big let down for the North American and European player base to have things go this way, after Interlude which didnt bring much in terms of new areas (that were highly acclaimed anyways) or large changes, This was a chance to really re-energize the base in terms of new areas new race and new UI, the software was all in place, but the heart of the staff in charge...
Well I suppose thats the biases of the post, to ask you, how do you feel about the way things were handled? And how you would like to see them handled in the future?
The only thing that actually disappoints me is the utter lack of communication with us.
It would be fun to try the game in Korea, they get tons of events and prizes and stuff. Even restaurant tie-ins. XD I didn't even know they had TGI Fridays in Korea. Wild.
From the time the Game Started the NA has done nothing but QQ about every dam thing (not everyone mind you but 80% at least) If I was a GM and had work with a bunch cry babies hell I would not give a dam also why hype up a bunch cry babies. When I'm in the game I feel like the mother of the server sometimes. I'm always helping people to teh point I stoped that it's killing my money now I just help in any way that I can without giving you money or gear. I will loan my clan mats that are close 2 me gear but that's it. And I'm glad you can't Power lvl anyone 20 lvl under you I think 1/2 the people I took the time 2 power lvl quit the game and that's a lot. Just a waste..... any way think Happy thoughts a New Update is here with a new race lest have FUN! :D
on the other hand they have added all the new skills on the skill page on time.
also, there was a mini page for Kamael long before the PTS. there is still a link to it on home page.
From the time the Game Started the NA has done nothing but QQ about every dam thing (not everyone mind you but 80% at least) If I was a GM and had work with a bunch cry babies hell I would not give a dam also why hype up a bunch cry babies.
Having done GM work for both UO and Shadowbane...
I can 100% assure you, its like that in every single MMO you will ever play from now until the end of time.
From the time the Game Started the NA has done nothing but QQ about every dam thing (not everyone mind you but 80% at least) If I was a GM and had work with a bunch cry babies hell I would not give a dam also why hype up a bunch cry babies.
Having done GM work for both UO and Shadowbane...
I can 100% assure you, its like that in every single MMO you will ever play from now until the end of time.
Enjoy!
End of Lineage 2 this my Last game Not playing L3 or any other Online game. I already cut down my Playing time a lot.
I miss them updating the animation videos and stuff on the website. The really cool videos, I've had to get from other places and that was one of the best things I ever got from the website and always looked forward to.
on the other hand they have added all the new skills on the skill page on time.
also, there was a mini page for Kamael long before the PTS. there is still a link to it on home page.
And thats something 1 or 2 web designers could have done in a week, but somehow it took the whole team ages to do it.
There is no NCNA support or service. Events are copy&pasted, left to run on their own, if something goes wrong, tough luck. Support tickets are answered with nothing etc. EULA is hardly enforced and when it is, it seems to be totally random.
So yeah, screw it. Dont expect anything from this Company since they will 100% fail in delivering it.
You mention how the Korean servers play the game as it's supposed to be played. I have met others where I currently am, that play the game the way it was meant to be played and several play on the Korean servers as well as their own region's servers. When I tell and SHOW them how the NA servers are played, they always say something similiar to "Oh, no wonder". NA support doesn't exist because NA players CHOSE not to play the game as it was meant to be played. Instead, they do what they want, cheat as they want, and do anything necessary to circumvent the policies in order to achieve what they want, by any means possible, PWNAGE. I have no sympathy for the NA playerbase. No matter how much they lay blame on NCNA, it was ultimately their own choice, and they chose poorly, selfishly and greedily. At this point it's only a matter of time. There will be no discretion on either party's end, the end will come swiftly and most likely in the dark. It will just come down to when it's simply not cost effective to even have the NA servers running.
I agree with Cheeky, in general, about the lack of organization or planning in CT1.
On the other hand, I can see from a corporate point of view that they're prob'ly not wanting to blow their horn any about lin2/NA.
It really started off as a promising title, but successively been beaten down from chronicle to chronicle. It's become the Ford Pinto of NCSoft. Or in a more modern sense, it's the Chrysler in Daimler-Chrysler. The lin2 team is the NJ Jets, the Florida Marlins, no hope of success, just riding it out til the end of the season.
The PTS was left to run broken for half a week without a single NCSoft employe checking in on it. The letter event was left to run broken without a $%^ NCSoft clue. Another example, I received via email from a GM a different players' account info, an apparent cut and paste error as they sent my email the response to a different players' petition. I wrote the GM staff about it and they didn't even open my message for 10 days. Flagrant carelessness of players' info, followed by a complete lack responsiveness.
Whatever talent might have been associated with it has drained away. The additions and changes to the game lack any sense of vision, and are poorly executed. It's not just poor planning - far more basic than that. It's a lack of work ethic, lack of integrity, lack of vision.
If I were in charge of NCSoft, I might rather keep quiet about the nc/na lin2 team. It's kinda like this guy where I work, dumb and crude, the son of one of the senior guys -- we just try to keep him from hurting anything, and keep him out of view of any clients.
I'm not sure who's the bigger fools: those who continue to work for such an organization, or those of us who send them subscription money.
If you were GM Cochese in UO i'll have to set you on fire. :) On topic, the OP wasn't talking about GMs at all, gms don't market the game, or maintain this site (or you better hope not).
You mention how the Korean servers play the game as it's supposed to be played. I have met others where I currently am, that play the game the way it was meant to be played and several play on the Korean servers as well as their own region's servers. When I tell and SHOW them how the NA servers are played, they always say something similiar to "Oh, no wonder". NA support doesn't exist because NA players CHOSE not to play the game as it was meant to be played. Instead, they do what they want, cheat as they want, and do anything necessary to circumvent the policies in order to achieve what they want, by any means possible, PWNAGE. I have no sympathy for the NA playerbase. No matter how much they lay blame on NCNA, it was ultimately their own choice, and they chose poorly, selfishly and greedily. At this point it's only a matter of time. There will be no discretion on either party's end, the end will come swiftly and most likely in the dark. It will just come down to when it's simply not cost effective to even have the NA servers running.
well there used to be alot less cheating but since nc was to lazy to enforce the eula the players learned there is no punishment to cheating so they cheat all they want
what do you think how many people would be thieves in real life if there was no punishment to stealing
its pretty much the same if theres a way to gain something without giving anything or barly any risk involved alot of people will use that ways even if unmoralic
also from what i saw from korean servers they had very different pvp playstyles
and if the korean developers dont want to change the game for na needs they should have made an NA dev team that changes stuff (fix buff stacking for ******ed damage for example)
or either remove gg or make it actually useful against walker since right now the only noticable effect of gg is messing with your system
as for the support its nonexistent most of the time and if you get a real person you usually have to ask yourself if they either just dont read the stuff or if they have a problem wiht understanding english
L2 had alot of potential even many old players who learned to hate L2 or NC still do consider the pvp system as a very good one
but NC coninually developed the game in the wrong direction made classes unplayable and sometimes tried half [censored] fixes that dont do much
NC also faild in marketing the game in a proper way so that there is not enough new players but they do have a drop system that depends on lower level players to get base mats
and also the way L2 is played in NA is often a very competetive pvp based one that sounds like a good way to play a pvp game and cant be called invalid its NCs job to cater the need of their players and not the players job to cater ncs needs
The support is seriously lacking, 1 thousand general template answers that you get for all things you petition and not only... it's getting disgusting to some point, and I don't think it will improve...
I have had several interactons with support. Some have been low level, some high level. I an quite happy with support, they have done fine by me.
Perhaps this relates to me being a bit older so I have reasonable expectations, not all 'me me me whine whine'. Sorry folks, but I sure see an awful lot of that here, we pay a trivial, minimal feel and people expect the kind of service that would come from paying $150 a month, not $15. Hush!