Alganon reveals much of the overhauled launch experience

kool. best of luck to Quest Online, hope the revamp works out.

According to a post they made on MMORPG.com, apparently they've flagged character models for revamping, as well. But I believe it will be in an update after they launch.

Let me get this straight: a "trial" player can't even team with other people unless they're already friends? And you have to pay real money to repair your ingame equipment?

LOL

Decisions like this make me anticipate Derek falling on hjis face with this game even more.

Gotta get more popcorn.....

".. but the whole reason behind that back-and-forth is a game"

Nah. Game's dead and buried. The only reason remaining is the entertainment value of Allen and Smart repeatedly groin-punching each other.

Paying real cash to repair items? Those items better not be the gear you need for end-game.

It's like they made a bet with Allods to see who could shit up their game the most.

How long before a developer shows up and starts to troll everyone?

It is curious how arrogant Derek Smart is considering that he has never experienced anything even approaching critical success. I don't care that he's abrasive or unusually forthcoming as a developer. That's actually pretty cool (though he comes off as unhealthily unstable at times when dealing with even minor and valid criticism). His problem, in my opinion, is flaunting the fact that he is (according to him) independently wealthy by churning out poor products, and his constant need to insult people that he has never even met and knows nothing about. His discussions with business partners, on the other hand, is his business - and if he chooses to air that dirty laundry, whatever.

He is therefore in no position to argue from authority (as he always does), or berate people and refer to them as "inconsequential" (as it can be argued that since he has never actually been successful, he's merely as "consequential" as the people he's debating on the Internets).

But reading some of his exchanges, I have to admit that while he does lack tact I know nothing about him so I don't want to insult him personally. He may very well be a savant and a magical person to work for - but he's just an asshole on the Internet. I've met plenty of people like that.

Anyways, back to Alganon, unless Quest pulls off a miracle I don't see this game lasting very long with the payment model they've chosen. If it was free-to-play it might stand a chance, especially if they could keep up a good development pace post launch. But $40 for an admitted WoW clone that has just been hobbled together into something else, and been so publicly dragged through the mud by the lead designer? I just don't see this working.