Originally posted by Yukari_Momma

Anyone else read Steph's article in Game Developer Magazine in the December issue?  It talked about all the challenges of making a MUD an MMORPG.

Sorry your post got lost in the gigantic pissing contest going on over here right now. As to your question, no I haven't read that article. Did you? If so, care to relate anything?

Originally posted by darquenblade

Originally posted by Yukari_Momma

Anyone else read Steph's article in Game Developer Magazine in the December issue?  It talked about all the challenges of making a MUD an MMORPG.

Sorry your post got lost in the gigantic pissing contest going on over here right now. As to your question, no I haven't read that article. Did you? If so, care to relate anything?

I can't say everything that is in it.  It's a five page article.  She goes in depth on her perspective of MMORPGs, what they should be about, and how someone can try to bring all the goodies of MUDs into the graphical field and what things it just isn't possible to transport over.  Now, I realize some out there say "How is this relevant?  We want HJ info!"  but these articles ARE HJ info.  The whole engine is HJ info.  A lot of other mmorpg companies talk about what their game can do and people accept that as game info, but Simu has been keeping them seperate in terms of names and so people sort of wash away this fact in their minds.  Since Steph is the lead designer, it's safe to say her perspective will be in there just a tad.  What she loves about a game will most likely be seen in HJ.

No, there's not much involving the name "Hero's Journey" in there.  It's about making games.  Still, it's a good article and does give a perspective on some of the goals of HJ.

Link? (he come to town...)

Can't link it, but it's possible to buy back issues to Game Developer magazine.  Also, those in the biz (including educators that can prove they help towards video games) can get free subscriptions.  To me, buying it is worth it since this magazine has so much interesting information on the industry.

Simutronics has one of the worst business/development models. They are virtually incapable of doing anything that's beyond a medium sized project. The fact is that most of the people there do not work together, they seem to do everything solo and then try to combine it. That's why DR/GS have some amazingly fresh and enjoyable systems, but it's also the reason things like this game and the Necromancer's guild are due out 5 years after anyone will give a damn.

Their system DID work in the past, because of how MUDs were typically developed and the competition, but they are as useless as a Polaroid camera in today's world. I don't want to make Simu sound bad, they have developed some amazing stuff, but they need to update the way they do things if they want to remain competitive. It's obvious that their mini to mid sized development stuff does work and is enjoyed by most people, but any system of large size they try to due is plagued by delay after delay after delay, then it's scrapped and rebuilt, then delayed again, then the original people have all left and the new people can't understand what was being done before and they start over once again.

IF/When HJ comes out don't expect any huge content updates to ever arrive on time, they will all be delayed, in fact don't expect any huge updates period. It will all be small stuff added at a decent rate. The only real hope Simu has is that the skill/exp/level system is something that will keep players playing past the "cap" or not have a cap in place at all. If you look at stuff like EVE it's primarily their skill system that keeps accounts active long term, (and allowing you to purcahse Gamecards with in game money) vs something like EQ or WoW where people hit the cap, get the better gear then quit until the expansion.

It looks like HJ got bumped off the forums "in development" list and relegated into even further obscurity now.