ACTA RIP....

[Burger]

That's fine for people in clubs or groups that have plenty of players but the rest of us are left out in the cold.

Even then, people give up gaming... move house, have kids, switch games, get bored, get PS3's, etc. So the existing groups will disband too. Then the game will be no more.

 

[WereRogue]

Or maybe you are just an idiot and are missing the point.

See, that's sort of what I've been thinking all along . . . .

Whatever. I'm pissed that people are reacting the way they are, but I guess I shouldn't have expected any more nobler behavior.

<shrugs> If the game dies from lack of support, it will not be because MGP stopped producing miniatures, it will be because players quit playing the game for no real reason.

-Ken

 

[thePirv]

Guys, play nice with each other, or the thread fairy will visit. . .

Seems like a thread gets nuked every time people show a lot of disappointment at teh company anyway.

I'm amazed someone hasn't dropped the modhammer on this thread already.

 

[Admiral Phlop]

I also play Battletech and that game is produced by one company and the minis are produced by another company. There is nothing that says that another company can't pick up the rights to produce the models. In Battletech there have been new models put out the game and the manufacturer of the minis then produces those same models. This in my way of thinking is good for both, as the game company doesn't have the costs of the manufacture and shipping problems to deal with. The casting company is already setup to do this so they take on those costs. We hopefully will see the models going in this direction.

 

[Nightmares about Minbari]

All depends on what vital signs your looking for to declare a game alive or dead, really.

The game will be played for months, possibly years to come, by those groups of regular gamers that have extensive figure collections, so from that aspect, the game's still alive.

However from the hard financial angle that a games company has to look at a game from, once sales drop below a certain point, the game is dead and new money isn't going to be put into it.

Unfortunately from what Planet Mongoose and the earlier announcement are saying the world financial crisis might well mean that companies like Mongoose have to drop 'dead' games just to stay alive. All in all, it looks like ACTA is on it's death bed from a cold hard light of day view, even if some of us will probably be playing it for months or years to come.

As someone who's probably put more time and effort into this game than probably 90% of the people here, I've probably more right to complain about this than most, but that's just not the sort of guy I am. Unfortunately guys, we live in the real world and now our favorite game just caught a stray bullet from it.

All I can suggest is that those of us still in a position to play the game don't throw our figures out of the pram in anger, we keep pestering Mongoose so they know we want figures to come back so that they know the range would have player support, and hope that the American govenment doesn't plunge the world into a huge worldwide depression that will forever kill off ACTA.

Oh, and Matt, ACTA figures better be the first figures you bring back on line when Mongoose is able to produce figures again, otherwise ACTA players are likely to lynch you.

 

[tneva82]

If we stop playing the game, then yes, it will stop being supported.

Oh please then tell us how we playing will ensure there's steady line of models on sale? Didn't sure seem to do that looking at announcement...

The game can be played with counters easily enough

True for all miniature games(including GW games). Yet no miniature game has survived this sort of blow no matter how high quality rules and dedicated fans there are.

Are you all so addle-brained that you cannot create your own scenarios or campaigns or whatever?

Yes. Doesn't help to ensure models are on sale though which means no new players which inevitably means game dies(or do you think YOU will be forever playing ACTA? Think again...I can 100% certainly assure NOBODY will play ANY game FOREVER!).

You have fleets, you have rules. I'm sure there will be counters released (if, that is, MGP has any ACTA players to release them to) and that's all you need to play the game.

That's not all you need to ensure you have models on sale and therefore can attract new blood. New blood is THE requirement for any miniature game to survive.

I don't know, maybe things are clearer to me

Or maybe you are still unaware of cold hard realities what this does to any miniature game. It's not like something like this hasn't happened before in miniature gaming. Regardless of how dedicated fan base it has and regardless of quality of game it always results in death of game with only few isolated gamers playing game occasionally.

Good luck finding players for ACTA in 10 years if miniture line isn't restored at some point...I bet you won't find any. Regardless of how dedicated current players are.

 

[mikeg99]

Or maybe you are just an idiot and are missing the point.

See, that's sort of what I've been thinking all along . . . .

Whatever. I'm pissed that people are reatcting the way they are, but I guess I shouldn't have expected any more nobler behavior.

<shrugs> If the game dies from lack of support, it will not be because MGP stopped producing miniatures, it will be because players quit playing the game for no real reason.

-Ken

If I recall correcty, you were the first one to call people "idiots." Once again, you are missing the point. PEOPLE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT NOT PLAYING THE GAME. PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT NOT GETTING NEW PEOPLE INTO THE GAME.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

I also play Battletech and that game is produced by one company and the minis are produced by another company. There is nothing that says that another company can't pick up the rights to produce the models. In Battletech there have been new models put out the game and the manufacturer of the minis then produces those same models. This in my way of thinking is good for both, as the game company doesn't have the costs of the manufacture and shipping problems to deal with. The casting company is already setup to do this so they take on those costs. We hopefully will see the models going in this direction.

That'd be good, but MGP haven't even hinted there's a chance of that. SST, maybe, they've suggested they might get models (or some other announcement) to perk them up, but us, we get the royal screw-job.

 

[[Omicron]Urobach]

Is that all really.....??? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

they want to stop their ACTA minature range???

WHY?????

 

[Cuthalion]

well if mongoose are producing at a loss then it makes good business sence to stop production, and who is to say another miniture company wont pick up the licence within the year?? and who knows if mongoose dont go down the same path that games workshop has in the last few years and go more plastic??? so dont panic, its a blow but not the end of the line for B5 by any means.

 

[Burger]

<shrugs> If the game dies from lack of support, it will not be because MGP stopped producing miniatures, it will be because players quit playing the game for no real reason.

If a game dies from lack of support, it is because Mongoose stop supporting it.
Mongoose will stop supporting it if it is not profitable to support it.
It will not be profitable to support it if they don't sell rule books/fleet books/supplements.
They will not sell if there are not new players.
:roll:

 

[B_Steele]

I know its no consolation for some of you out there, but I am a HUGE supporter of ACTA and don't you think for a minute that I am going to give my designing and writing stuff for it take a rest.

The minis may be gone, but my ideas are definitely NOT.

I can't say that we will ever see models for some of my ideas that I plan on assaulting Matt with over the months, but it doesn't mean I won't invent them for you guys to use.

ACTA is not dead in my neck of the woods, and I don't plan on giving it up quietly.

Cheers all, we all want good games - you are not alone.

-Bry

 

[tneva82]

<shrugs> If the game dies from lack of support, it will not be because MGP stopped producing miniatures, it will be because players quit playing the game for no real reason.

You know players quit playing for number of reasons...They die, get bored after 20+ years, find new job and move to city without anybody to play with, go to school and again nobody to play with, they end up in job where they simply don't have time to play, they get married and have no time etc etc etc.

That's the whole point. NOBODY plays forever. You might think you will still be playing in 10 years from now but are you really, really, really sure? No-one can make such a prediction(10 years ago I could have swore I won't be essentially quitting WHFB any time soon. Look at now...I don't have time nor much of opponents to play with so models are collecting dust...).

And without new blood: Game dies. Without fans stopping to play the second support stopped. Oh no. It dies gradually as old gamers quit for various reasons and there's no new blood to replace it. And lack of new blood just fastens the process(if you have gaming circle of 3 players and 1 quit odds are you won't end up playing as much as before. You also could get more easily bored due to playing against same opponent all the time. Then second player quits. What is 3rd to do? Without fresh blood...He has to quit as well).

 

[mikeg99]

However from the hard financial angle that a games company has to look at a game from, once sales drop below a certain point, the game is dead and new money isn't going to be put into it.

Unfortunately from what Planet Mongoose and the earlier announcement are saying the world financial crisis might well mean that companies like Mongoose have to drop 'dead' games just to stay alive.

I do not think the criticism comes from Mongoose having to drop the miniatures line. No one expects Mongoose to produce a product to continuously lose money on it. The issue for several people is that Mongoose has promised us grand plans and support for many of their games. Within weeks of the promise of support, they can the product. I know that is the issue for me. I never expect them to stick with something that loses moeny. Just be honest and tell me that the game (or miniatures for the game) is gone. Don't post promises that won't be kept 2 weeks later. The decision to cancel the minis line did not happen overnight.

 

[Admiral Phlop]

I also play Battletech and that game is produced by one company and the minis are produced by another company. There is nothing that says that another company can't pick up the rights to produce the models. In Battletech there have been new models put out the game and the manufacturer of the minis then produces those same models. This in my way of thinking is good for both, as the game company doesn't have the costs of the manufacture and shipping problems to deal with. The casting company is already setup to do this so they take on those costs. We hopefully will see the models going in this direction.

That'd be good, but MGP haven't even hinted there's a chance of that. SST, maybe, they've suggested they might get models (or some other announcement) to perk them up, but us, we get the royal screw-job.

The announcement of the end of production of mini's was just this morning, it would take months probably to work out the details. Who knows, the parties may have something in the works already. I will agree with the individuals on here that if there are no mini's then you can kiss this game goodbye, as it takes miniatures to bring in new blood to keep a game going.

 

[Nightmares about Minbari]

Mike

Understood, however financial changes can hit a company very, very quickly. They might not have known that this was going to happen at the start of the year. Heck, they might not have known at the start of the week.

Perhaps I have an over generous nature, but I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[WereRogue]

The game can be played with counters easily enough

True for all miniature games(including GW games). Yet no miniature game has survived this sort of blow no matter how high quality rules and dedicated fans there are.

Precisely because people would rather let a game die (and spend copious amounts of time and energy complaining about it) than try to figure out how to keep it alive (using that same time and energy).

-Ken
Conspiracies, Inc. - Riling the masses since 1971.

 

[tneva82]

The announcement of the end of production of mini's was just this morning, it would take months probably to work out the details.

Good thing about planet mongoose was this phrase: For this year, miniatures production is being mothballed (though we still plan to bring things back on line in 2009),

Maybe ACTA(and SST) will come back available on 2009? Though customer faith at that point MIGHT be bit "low" at that point I'm affraid

 

[Twin-Linked Aldades]

I just can`t imagine myself playing (recruiting fresh blood) with counters.

It`s like a boardgame then, not a `miniature` game, dunno, just doesn`t feel well with me, prolly cause I enjoy the painting just as much as the actual playing of preferably campagnes etc.

Most of my game group is now on a scrimmage to find as many models asap to get going, but all realise that it will be dwindling downwards and *shivver* we might even have to dust off our Evil Empire armies for a while till we find a new `dada` to play.

 

[Poi]

How can we trust the plan to return to production in 2009?

None of Mongoose's long term plan's come through.