Mosquito net.

Originally posted by HappyFunBall

7 years.  Ouch.  Did they lose a ton of money on this title or what?

I was sad to see it go away 100%.  Not sure why they couldn't have made a f2p version with an item shop.  I actually liked the game.  It was different, to say the least.

 

Before the purchase, the game was competely different and underwent a redesign either right before or right after the aquisition of "Destination Games"  If you look you'll find screenshots.

Originally posted by HappyFunBall

Originally posted by Atrayo

Hi There,

Whenever an MMO project takes 7 years in production its soon to be a "problem child". The recent APB MMO project also had a period of 7 years in development. Look what happened to that game developer running out of capital. Luckily for that project new owners stepped in to save the game title.

As for "Richard Garriott" and his brother "Robert Garriott" that often handles the business side for Richard. (Origin Systems & Destination Games) It seems his success was more so with the "Ultima" franchise he created. Be it the early PC games on floppy disks or "Ultima Online" itself. He has yet to replicate the success he encountered so many years ago.

I'm sure he as a person has benefited from the many lesson's learned personally and professionally. But, his spark of a genius or genie was left behind with the "Ultima Series". What wonders he could have developed if he didn't sell out to Electronic Arts.

What would "Walt Disney" be if he sold Mickey Mouse and the Disney intellectual property to another company?

7 years.  Ouch.  Did they lose a ton of money on this title or what?

I was sad to see it go away 100%.  Not sure why they couldn't have made a f2p version with an item shop.  I actually liked the game.  It was different, to say the least.

 

Holy crap a promotion to encouraging customers to try their game!

Well I never!

I think you guys are posting a lot of epic, character driven settings when people throw out names like Krynn, WoT, bladerunner..  There are fun to read, but ultimately boring to play in.

...a popular zone in the original EverQuest...

What?  Was it?  I don't recall that being the case =)

 Sounds like to you want "Mindfulness!® The Buddhism MMORPG!"  "Where loading times are no longer an inconvenience, but an opportunity!"

The "ride" can be whatever you want in an MMOG.  In an MMORPG, it should always be character and plot development and interaction.

I think you should read some of my earlier posts, but I'll give you the cliff notes.

When EQ was released, the world thought 250k subs was a LOT of people.

WoW was released, showing that this was in no way the cap, it was just that a demographic was yet to be tapped, i.e., the casual gamer.

Does this mean that EQ and DAoC and EVE and a slew of others have ceased to exist? No, just that the market has room to not only grow, but shift.

This is where reading my previous blog posts really come into play.

A game tailored to RP needs to be smaller in scope, larger in flexibility and here is the big one: More expensive.

RP is a niche, just like PVP is a niche.

Time is money. My time, your time, the dev's time. We as consumers, want different different things to do with our time. A per son who wants a collaborative story may not want 1000 quests to choose from, that are being done by 5000 people. They my want 1 or 2, that are mailable, changeable and unique to just a few.

Some people are willing to pay for more interaction and a collaborative story telling environment, that is funded by a smaller group of individuals that ISN'T available 24/7 because the group they play with is not playing, 24/7.

Please read my previous posts if you are wonder how I feel these could be accomplished.
 

I have a couple of points here:

Its seems to me that if given a public forum to post opinion anonymously, you're bound to have people trolling, complaining and basically ruining it for whatever demographic the espouse to represent. In this case, RPers.

For every person you mention who's MO is to whine, the overwhelming majority are playing their game, the way they see fit. This is true for any service.

However, I will say that MMORPGs are not conducive to Role Playing.

They are systematic, controlled and are basically the antithisis of what Role Playing really is: Collaborative Story Telling.

I play table top every other week. Some times we role play, sometimes we just bash against the NPCs. As, Dungeon Master, I am as much a part of the game, working for the common goal with the players to have fun, build the world and occasionally tell a story about some characters we imagined.

The fact that individuals are able to get together, focus and RP together in these heartless online worlds, in spite of the rude, the ambivalent and the sarcastic points the heart of the issue:

The issue isn't that Role Players are the problem, but that there has yet to be a game worth their time and investment.

If you'd like to see some of the ideas I have about presenting a format for real online RPGs, check this out.

For the record: I'm entirely sick of hearing that "white heterosexual males automatically have it easier than X, Y, or Z category."

That's as horrible as saying " I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

Because, you know, white people are so busy holding everyone else down that they don't have time to be as naturally talented as any other demographic.

As someone who *is* white, I can attest to white privilege.

Sure I have been affected by prejudice because I was born into a poor family in a trailer park.

The difference is, I can LEAVE that trailer park, cut off my mullet and apply for a job or a loan and the person on the other side see's a white person. 

The fact of the matter is, you cannot leave the color of your skin.

THAT is white privilege.  I can CHOOSE the context that I am viewed in.  This is a white dominated country. 

Not suprised that this thread is still going.

Here is the thing people:

Some of you are using words that offend people either because you think its cool or accepted or on purpose. 

You could use other words.

There are MANY words available in the dictionary with the meaning you're looking for.

If you continue to use them just to offend or get attention, you're a jerk.

In language, context is everything.  

However, if you are white and live in a western society, you have always had the choice of which context you wish to be viewed in.

Set aside that you and your social circle are not affected by bogotry or racism.  Set aside that you have multi racial friends and family.  It doesn't matter.

If you are white, chances are you never realize the leg up that you have simply by walking into a job interview and being a certain color.  It doesn't matter that lived in a 20' foot trailer with my partents for years under the poverty line.  I still had it easy in comparison simply because I am caucasion in the USA.

As such I will only have a glimpse of the deep seated, unconcious racism that permiates even the most forward thinking of western society's institutions, let alone the blantant overt bigotry that is alive and well, but moved to the anonymous internet.

So context being everything, if you are white, remember you have had the choice all along.  The context of these words is forced upon others, regardless of what you mean by them.

The scale for this IP needs to be reconsidered.  The typical, single avatar MMO doesn't fit.

Take a step back, start the  player a s a squad leader, then move up in ranks, commanding more and more units.

Advancement is provided with more points to spend on your army, per the rules set out in the tabletop game.

You can fight NPC or PvP armies.

Guilds can pool resources, assign tasks and create even larger armies.

AT IT'S HEART: Warhammer is an "instanced" game.   An MMO version should be too.

Originally posted by Wharg0ul

Originally posted by Isturi

500,000 Han Solo's HERE we come. Woot. Lol I jest but I can imagine this is going to be a VERY popular class non of the less.

I wonder if we get our own Wookie??

 

Exactly!

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"Now you too can have your very own* ICONIC STAR-WARSY experience!! Be JUST LIKE Han Solo, in an EPIC cartoon galaxy!!"

* note: by "very own" we mean just like everyone else's, since all story arcs and dialogue choices are pre-determined and gameplay is limited to our linear, corridor-styled, guided experience. But it's an RPG, right? You can PRETEND that you are having a unique experience, and that you are the chosen one fated to save the galaxy!!

It seems to me, from the interview I just read, that they are trying very much to be all things to all people.

I am worried that this will be watered down. RPG player, MMO players, FPS players, strategy player, D&D players, raiders, book readers, star wars fans will all be taken care of in this online utopia.

Ivan the Pinko-commie-hippie and John the capitalist pig-dog-yankee-blue-jeans-cowboy will love this same game.

Seems to good to be true.

Flag.

 I've said this over an over, but it remains true for me at least.

The revolution will come when a company can provide a customized, personal and meaningful experience to the player.

This means costs go up, they charge us more, we get more and the game is a little less massive.

I for one, would pay more if I knew my actions were unique and affected the greater story arc of the world as a whole.  But this means that not everyone gets the "sword of such and such" or the "robe of badassery", but they could take with them the fact they took part in something that shaped how the game would be played.

Considering the HUGE controversy and hype that was around this game before release, its interesting to ponder its long term effect on the MMORPG genre.

I was very heavy into EQ at the time, I think EQ was still top dog as well.

The newcomers at the time were really innovative.

Where DAoC's hook was RvR, 3 realms, 3rd person, Shadowbane went  with the almost sandbox "make what you will" "build your own empire" 3rd person perspective.

Not the economic simulation that EVE became, but not the hum drum MMORPG of the time.

Sadly, the MMORPG space hasn't really pushed the boundaries since, with "instancing" being probably the most inventive "feature" (read workaround) in the past 5 years.

There is something to be said about evolutionary design in MMOs.  Make them better, don't re-invent the wheel.  An conversly, being inventive for inventions sake, doesn't a good game make.  But the current tendancy to make careful, safe games that appeal to the largest demographic, using a huge budget, I think will only weaken the future of MMOs.

Sadly this is mostly Scott Jennings' project being cut.

You may remember him as Lum The Mad.

I would have loved to see his ideas put in a published game =(

He’ll certainly be missed.  I wasted MANY an afternoon with friends bickering over minutiae because of him!

But I think we all know he’s running around with the "Vice Presidential Action Rangers" (lead by Al Gore, with Stephen Hawking, Nichelle Nichols, Gary Gygax and Deep Blue)

http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Anthology_Of_Interest_I

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts, that:

1) Stealth of some kind will be in as a "charge" like ability for paper tiger type classes to gain ground.

2) It will be timed and/or "draining" to use.  No permanent "wait and gank".

3) No stun locks.

4) Possibly: Can't be used in combat.