http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/21/pathfinder-online-looks-to-crusader-road/

I think this is a very awesome idea. 

Originally posted by DeaconX

Official Site:

https://goblinworks.com/blog/

 

Game Forum:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/licensees/pathfinderOnline

 

 

Based on the popular pen and paper RPG system (D20), Pathfinder Online is being developed by Goblinworks which was launched by Ryan Dancey, formerly the chief marketing officer CCP's Eve Online.

 

Goblinworks currently consists of Dancey, Paizo Publishing CEO Lisa Stevens, and Mark Kalmes, previously a programmer for Microsoft, Cryptic Studios and CCP.

Pathfinder Online aims to bringing the world of the tabletop game, originally released in 2009, to the video game industry in the form of a sandbox-style MMORPG, with players exploring the River Kingdoms.

Players will be able to buy and sell user-created items and content, while building up their own settlements in the world and then taking on NPCs and other players in battle.

Stevens explained, "A lot of big picture work has already been done on Pathfinder Online, and it's going to be a bit different from your traditional fantasy MMO."

"It's going to focus around the characters you create, in a world that will grow out of your interactions, developing the way you choose to develop it."

 

The entirety of Pathfinder Online at launch will take place in a 133-square-mile region known as the Crusader Road area. To get an idea of how absurd this is, look at this image:

 

 

See that little red box? That's the Crusader Road area. And the remainder of the map that it's shown on is only a small fraction of the entire Pathfinder world, Golarion which can be seen here:

 

 

Check the Official Site linked above for more details

 

Sources:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38710/Former_CCP_Staffers_Found_Pathfinder_Online_Studio.php

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/21/pathfinder-online-looks-to-crusader-road/

Good question. If I know the people at Paizo (and subsequently Goblinworks) it's to show what they plan to start with and how much more they will have to exapand into. Sure, I'd like them to start with all of the known world, but that would probably mean they would be working on the game until 2025 or so, lol!

What country is this game company from? The company that is actually making this game, I mean.

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by DeaconX
<>

 

Why did they show off the map of the world when the MMO game will only take place in the red box part?

The way I understand it is that the entire map will be playable eventually. The red box is the area players will be restricted to in the mean time.

Well I'm interested. Looks cool so far. Maybe let us know when it's playable in some form.

After reading these blog posts, I'm much more enthusiastic about this project, and especially so with the outline of how they plan to implement the heirearchy and mechanics of 'social units'. Also with that, they hint at numerous opportunities for the socio-politically inclined player(s), such as the following,

"...the political structures of these entities will be varied. Some will be actual kingdoms with power vested in a single monarch. Some will be oligarchies. Others will be more democratic—even a direct democracy is possible.

[Coming from Eve, wherein the mechanics really don't support anything other than oligarchy and autocratic personality cults, I find this appealing.  Hopefully, the mechanics will enforce the rule of law when a 'kingdom' is established as a democracy, and prevent a potential tyrant from amassing total power.]  

The economic structures of kingdoms will be varied as well. The kingdom may tax its members on their earnings to fund its operations, and that tax rate could vary from nil to 100%. Ayn Rand to Karl Marx and everything in between.

The combination of politics and economics will create a matrix of variety in kingdoms, and that matrix is further complicated by alignment, creating a three-dimensional structure of options. If you can imagine it, you can likely custom-tailor a kingdom to deliver."

Also, they seem to be aware of the mistakes made by others in the past and are eager to innovate, both of which are refreshing changes,

"We want to mirror some of the amazing things that occurred in Ultima Online and EVE Online, but we also want to strike out on our own path.

We also want to avoid some of the missteps that have happened in other games. We want to ensure that there's always enough space so that new settlements and kingdoms can form. We want to avoid the problem of choke points that restrict access to key resources, making whomever got to those points first the de facto "winners" in the economy.

We're going to design Pathfinder Online so that each level of social organization arises when the game is ready for it. Slowly adding these increasing levels of sophistication will allow the society of the game to ramp up gradually and with good cohesion. As new players join, they'll always have ways to become a part of that process."

Lastly, I like their choice of time based progression, rather than grinding out experience. This allows me to use my time in game to pursue other things, and these statements are encouraging,

"The upsides outweigh these downsides. One huge upside is that unlike almost every other MMO, your character gets better in EVE even when you're playing another game! That makes it easy to make EVE your "second" MMO, the game you play in addition to something else (like World of Warcraft). It also levels the playing field between people who can only put in a few hours a day (or a few a week), and those who can play continuously. Finally, it encourages characters to specialize, but doesn't inflict overt penalties if the player doesn't do so. No skill training is ever wasted—the worst scenario is that you wasted some time training a skill you're not going to use right away. Your character's advancement doesn't create dead ends or "worthless builds."

In the end, if your a sandobx fan, I would definitely keep an eye on Pathfinder Online. I will be.

Pathfinder online? Did i read this good? I must be dreaming....

If it will be anything like UO it will be fine :O

Originally posted by Royalkin

After reading these blog posts, I'm much more enthusiastic about this project, and especially so with the outline of how they plan to implement the heirearchy and mechanics of 'social units'. Also with that, they hint at numerous opportunities for the socio-politically inclined player(s), such as the following,

"...the political structures of these entities will be varied. Some will be actual kingdoms with power vested in a single monarch. Some will be oligarchies. Others will be more democratic—even a direct democracy is possible.

[Coming from Eve, wherein the mechanics really don't support anything other than oligarchy and autocratic personality cults, I find this appealing.  Hopefully, the mechanics will enforce the rule of law when a 'kingdom' is established as a democracy, and prevent a potential tyrant from amassing total power.]  

The economic structures of kingdoms will be varied as well. The kingdom may tax its members on their earnings to fund its operations, and that tax rate could vary from nil to 100%. Ayn Rand to Karl Marx and everything in between.

The combination of politics and economics will create a matrix of variety in kingdoms, and that matrix is further complicated by alignment, creating a three-dimensional structure of options. If you can imagine it, you can likely custom-tailor a kingdom to deliver."

 

Also, they seem to be aware of the mistakes made by others in the past and are eager to innovate, both of which are refreshing changes,

"We want to mirror some of the amazing things that occurred in Ultima Online and EVE Online, but we also want to strike out on our own path.

We also want to avoid some of the missteps that have happened in other games. We want to ensure that there's always enough space so that new settlements and kingdoms can form. We want to avoid the problem of choke points that restrict access to key resources, making whomever got to those points first the de facto "winners" in the economy.

We're going to design Pathfinder Online so that each level of social organization arises when the game is ready for it. Slowly adding these increasing levels of sophistication will allow the society of the game to ramp up gradually and with good cohesion. As new players join, they'll always have ways to become a part of that process."

 

Lastly, I like their choice of time based progression, rather than grinding out experience. This allows me to use my time in game to pursue other things.

In the end, if your a sandobx fan, I would definitely keep an eye on Pathfinder Online. I will be.

Which is what I am extremely weary off. I do not want to see yet another EVE p2w system.

In fact, I don't want to see another game focused on economy in the first place, but it seems to me that CCP and all its developers, even those that quit, can't put that drug down.

Originally posted by AdamTM

Which is what I am extremely weary off. I do not want to see yet another EVE p2w system.

In fact, I don't want to see another game focused on economy in the first place, but it seems to me that CCP and all its developers, even those that quit, can't put that drug down.

With all due respect, I think stating that the game will be based off the economy is a little short-sighted. A player-driven economy is a consequence of a virtual world sandbox, rather than being its focus. I really don't see how its possible to have a virtual world sandbox without a player driven economy, being that it is a definitive aspect diferentiating it from a themepark.

Personally, and I admit this is a relative point of view, I really hate grinding experience, quests or not. Time based progression creates a sitaution where adventuring becomes something that players do because they find it fun, not because its a necessary action in order to progress their character. Also, for those players not-inclined to combat, it affords them more time to pursue thier chosen activity.

Originally posted by AdamTM

Originally posted by Royalkin

Which is what I am extremely weary off. I do not want to see yet another EVE p2w system.

In fact, I don't want to see another game focused on economy in the first place, but it seems to me that CCP and all its developers, even those that quit, can't put that drug down.

A drug that I would gladly accept. To each his own I guess. There are way too many MMOs that deny player interaction outside of combat, let's not see this be one of them. Having a player driven economy is one of the most important features in a sandbox game, I wouldn't change that.

Originally posted by Royalkin

Originally posted by AdamTM

Which is what I am extremely weary off. I do not want to see yet another EVE p2w system.

In fact, I don't want to see another game focused on economy in the first place, but it seems to me that CCP and all its developers, even those that quit, can't put that drug down.

 

With all due respect, I think stating that the game will be based off the economy is a little short-sighted. A player-driven economy is a consequence of a virtual world sandbox, rather than being its focus. I really don't see how its possible to have a virtual world sandbox without a player driven economy, being that it is a definitive aspect diferentiating it from a themepark.

Personally, and I admit this is a relative point of view, I really hate grinding experience, quests or not, and adventuring becomes something that players do because they find it fun, not because its a necessary action in order to progress their character. Also, for those players not-inclined to combat, it affords them more time to pursue thier chosen activity.

A player-driven economy is fine. A player driven economy as the center of your game-design is a bad idea, or at least for me its a bad idea because I don't enjoy playing the market.

EvE is a perfect example of this, there is not an aspect in the game world that does not revolve around money and the economy. Its just another disguised progression system, it doesn't really solve anything of what you say in your second paragraph. Yes your character can progress by just paying for the subscription and queing skills, but if you don't GRIND for money, you will be effectively completely useless even with LVL5 skills.

You are just substituting one kind of grind for another kinf of grind. This might be a question of perspective, but for me its the same thing.

A sandbox can certainly have player based economy, its fine really, but we need to remember that these are games, they do not need to necessarily follow the free-market economy in real life. There is nothing saying that the economy must be the driving factor of a sandbox, in fact, a free-market economy simulation in a MMO brings the exact same problems with itself like it does in real life.

Its actually one of the things i think why sandboxes are not as popular, because the economical libertarian model is by its very -definition- concerned about individual wealth and not the collective, it is therefore, essentially, anti-social. Which is a bad thing for an MMO.

PS: Because this might be misunderstood: economy and combat are not the only parts of a game, especially an MMO, focusing on either is a big mistake. What I am advocating is interdependant game design.

I dunno about this, I doubt marketing officers really know much about game devolopment, they are mostly responsable for advetising it and such aren't they? Needless to say a combo fo sandbox+theme park? could be quite nice, Imma pay attention to this title and see where it goes.

Originally posted by AdamTM

 

PS: Because this might be misunderstood: economy and combat are not the only parts of a game, especially an MMO, focusing on either is a big mistake. What I am advocating is interdependant game design.

That is what EvE does. That is EXACTLY what eve does.

There is one basic truth of wealth building: It take efford. If it did not, everyone would have it. So yeah, if you want anything resembling a player driven economy you have to factor this in.

If you have a magic way to make Efford =/= Grind, please do share.

Originally posted by hfztt

Originally posted by AdamTM

 

PS: Because this might be misunderstood: economy and combat are not the only parts of a game, especially an MMO, focusing on either is a big mistake. What I am advocating is interdependant game design.

That is what EvE does. That is EXACTLY what eve does.

There is one basic truth of wealth building: It take efford. If it did not, everyone would have it. So yeah, if you want anything resembling a player driven economy you have to factor this in.

If you have a magic way to make Efford =/= Grind, please do share.

No EVE does not.

Tell me something in EVE that has nothing to do with combat or economy?

I'll actually make it even easier, name something in EVE that is not directly tied to economy.

Also this has really no impact on what i said. Wealth in itself does not need to be important at all in a game/sandbox/themepark. These are not mutually exclusive concepts. There can be player driven economy without wealth playing an overt role.