rec.autos.simulators

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-- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard>
-- http://www.racesimcentral.net/
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BD

On Wed, 26 Feb 2003 16:29:04 -0500, "ymenard"

This event is the flaw I saw - once the game isn't supported anymore, you are
stuck with an useless CD-ROM.

Did anyone else get an e-mail by mistake telling about a free Sims Online copy?
I got one because I had had a MCO account as a beta tester - then today they
sent another e-mail apologizing for the mistake as ithe offer was only for
'active accounts'.

--
__________   ____---____       Marco Antonio  Checa  Funcke
\_________D /-/---_----'      Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru
       _H__/_/                      http://machf.tripod.com
      '-_____|(    

remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying

They giving refunds to software buyers?

LOL!

Larry

--
__________   ____---____       Marco Antonio  Checa  Funcke
\_________D /-/---_----'      Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru
       _H__/_/                      http://machf.tripod.com
      '-_____|(    

remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying

Is it an online-only game too? If so, then they didn't learn anything
from the experience...

--
__________   ____---____       Marco Antonio  Checa  Funcke
\_________D /-/---_----'      Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru
       _H__/_/                      http://machf.tripod.com
      '-_____|(    

remove the "no_me_j." and "sons.of." parts before replying

EA should have definitely setup some tier structure that ranked the players and
controlled the balance of gameplay.

You're absolutely right, IMO. A levelled structure would have given people incentive
to try and make into the upper 'hot shoe' ranks, plus it would keep said hot shoes
out of the noob races. Four other problems that I think contributed to MCO's demise:

1) A large group of people did not seem all that interested in racing but rather
wanted to build cool virtual cars and show them off. To satisfy that group, there
needed to be some sort of virtual car show/cruise night kinda thing. The hub view
feature was a start but didn't go nearly far enough. Tied into that, there should
have been more variation in car appearance, e.g. you should have been able to paint
it *any* base color, add stripes or flames as an overlay, raise/lower suspension,
etc.

2) The heavy emphasis on creating a working economic model through the car & part
auctions lead to a game where most people chased dollars, not other racers. Sure, you
need money sinks in an online game, but it's a *game*. If I want to deal with money
problems, I'll stick to real life. <grin>

3) Excessive warping in races. The game could indicate you were ahead for all of a
five-lap race (and you adjust your driving accordingly) only to find out when you
crossed the finish line that you actually were passed (invisibly) back on lap one...
that's frustrating. The game<-->server communication was set up to minimize cheating
by hacking the game, but had the side effect of making the racing unsatisfying.

4) Lack of marketing to target audience. It appeared in the *** magazines, but no
ads in any of the car mags or cable TV shows, no promotion at car shows, etc.

Interesting concept, flawed execution.

...Klinn