A quick introduction: 

I've played most mainstream MMO's out there and various others.  I enjoy both group and solo game play, yet I tend to prefer group oriented activities.  For this reason, I consider Final Fantasy XI to be the best MMORPG I've ever played.  However, I always find myself going back and playing World of Warcraft; I've played it far more than any other MMORPG. 

Now, by all means, there's many things about WoW that I don't like, but there are two very good things about it.  Things that make it more accessible or... playable: 

For one, it is very casual friendly.  You can play for a very short amount of time and actually accomplish plenty.  You can jump online at any time for any amount of time and can always find something fun to do.  The best part about it though, is that if you do find some time to play for a few hours you can enjoy group content at any point in the game. 

Secondly, WoW is polished much more than any other MMORPG.  The graphics aren't that great in terms of technology or realism, but they look good.  The animations have been perfected down to fluid movements and matching sounds.  Bugs, glitches and lag are minimal.  When you press a key for an action, you can be sure that it will work.  The interface is initially attractive and simple, but it is also very malleable.  The game runs smoothly.  Do you understand what I mean by polish?  I hope I explained that good enough. 

My question is about polish.  What level of polish can I expect to see in Citadel of Sorcery?  I understand that it's hard to compete with a game that has millions of subscribers and unlimited resources, but a sense of polish is important to me.  From everything that you've shared with us so far, CoS is likely going to be a great change from your typical MMO.  I'm really looking forward to a game that is actually attempting to put the RP back in MMORPG.  I just hope that it feels completed and perfected so that I can not only love the game but also want to play it. 

Also, since I brought it up, will players be able to do much in limited amounts of time?  Let's say 30 minutes to an hour.  Can one manage to advance his or her personal story in that time?  I don't expect it would be much, but I guess what I'm really trying to get at is would it be fun?  Or would I have to play for hours in order to truly enjoy myself?  What about other things to do that require larger amounts of time (probably requiring a group)?  Will we have the freedom to play one way, the other, or both as we wish? 

Thank you in advance for doing your best to answer my questions. 

Originally posted by Dippy11

For one, it is very casual friendly.  You can play for a very short amount of time and actually accomplish plenty.  You can jump online at any time for any amount of time and can always find something fun to do.  The best part about it though, is that if you do find some time to play for a few hours you can enjoy group content at any point in the game. 

Secondly, WoW is polished much more than any other MMORPG.  The graphics aren't that great in terms of technology or realism, but they look good.  The animations have been perfected down to fluid movements and matching sounds.  Bugs, glitches and lag are minimal.  When you press a key for an action, you can be sure that it will work.  The interface is initially attractive and simple, but it is also very malleable.  The game runs smoothly.  Do you understand what I mean by polish?  I hope I explained that good enough. 

 

My question is about polish.  What level of polish can I expect to see in Citadel of Sorcery?  I understand that it's hard to compete with a game that has millions of subscribers and unlimited resources, but a sense of polish is important to me.  From everything that you've shared with us so far, CoS is likely going to be a great change from your typical MMO.  I'm really looking forward to a game that is actually attempting to put the RP back in MMORPG.  I just hope that it feels completed and perfected so that I can not only love the game but also want to play it. 

 

Also, since I brought it up, will players be able to do much in limited amounts of time?  Let's say 30 minutes to an hour.  Can one manage to advance his or her personal story in that time?  I don't expect it would be much, but I guess what I'm really trying to get at is would it be fun?  Or would I have to play for hours in order to truly enjoy myself?  What about other things to do that require larger amounts of time (probably requiring a group)?  Will we have the freedom to play one way, the other, or both as we wish? 

First though: we aren't new to making games, nor playing them.  I point this out so that you know we understand polish.  How polished will our game be?  How loyal a person are you?  Really loyal?  Really really loyal?  Or, is any answer to that question just talk?  Some things cannot be promised, only demonstrated.  It is our intention to be polished, you'll be the judge of our success or failure when the game comes out.

As to your second question about short vs. long game play.   We intend to offer you the chance to play either way.  If you want a long Quest, you can go on one.  If you want to take a long Quest  in short steps, you can do that as well, yet still complete a big Quest.  If on the other hand you want a short Quest, or you just want to do other types of game play... we offer a whole bunch of ways to enjoy yourself.  This is the part where I'm going to take that short cut. 

Go to the Q & A section on our web site and look under 'Design'.  Read the message titled:  "Isn't all this added story driven game play too difficult for the average player?"  Particularly the second half of the answer, it will talk about some of the many other types of game play available in Citadel of Sorcery.

We have talked a lot about the depth of the Quest system, so much so that players may think at this point that this is the only way to enjoy yourself in the game.  This is just not true.  Besides exploring, monster trapping, artifact collecting, bounty hunting, and several mini games, there is also the Adventure system.  Think of it this way, a Quest is an envovled story that you choose to take on and oomplete.  An Adventure is something you happen upon and take part in or not...

We will eventually post an article about how the entire Quest vs. Adventure systems work, but this is as much as I'm going to talk about on  these separate play systems at this point.  I hope that answers at least part of your question.

Jatar

Citadel of Sorcery dev team member.