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Was going to ask if this was a Vanguard jab but it's really the tale of every MMO not named WoW.
Pan'Theon: Rise' of th'e Fal'Len - #1 Thread in MMO
- Thread starter gogojira_sl
- Start date
wow, you can predict the future? why are you wasting time here and not picking lottery winners and making billions on the stock market?
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edit: quoting myself as I was going to edit the original post but forum logged me off
Above all things the truth of that statement should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone making or funding MMOs. Instead we have zenimax (TESO) saying "ready or not, april bitches!".
I look back at that keynote speech Rob Pardo gave at the GDC right after WoW hit it big. You remember the one, the key blizzard design paradigms? "concentrated coolness, control is king, etc"
Every game made after that used it as a checklist for designing their games. The formula was used, everything was copied, from animations, models, UI, character advancement, combat, etc. It's all been done and even improved upon since in the many clones that followed. And they've all failed. What did they do wrong? gamers nitpick over this feature or that, same-y-ness vs too different, etc. None of it matters.
The one thing that WoW did that hasn't been tried yet by god damn anybody is "don't release until you are ready". And more than anything this has proved to be the only thing that WoW had (has) that nobody else does.
I understand there is financial considerations at play but at the outset when you start one of these ventures this should be the first question you answer. Do you have the funds to see it through to the end? If you don't, the lessons learned from every mmo released since WoW should be; Why even start?
I think its great you're deviating from the norm and making a niche game. I'm just not sure KS is the way to go, but i'm not sure if finding a financial backer is any better. Either way you're kind of in a bind. On one hand you're eeking out donations to fund the game, the other you lose control of when and how it's released. But of all the lessons from other games and certainly you learned from Vanguard, you cannot release before the game is ready, or don't bother at all.
The only game that I can think of that was forced to release before it was ready and actually became a success is Eve Online, and it succeeds as it offers a niche, something nobody else does, does it better than anyone else who tries, and it has zero competition. And even it was released pre-WoW when games could survive at bad start and slowly grow over time.
I don't think a group based PVE game is niche enough, or rather, that you can differentiate what your game offers vs the norm, to do what Eve does and dominate its field. every game has group PVE, dungeons/raids that provide "hard" content for groups. You gotta really sell the vision and why the vision is different than whats already out there, in a way that really sets you apart.
Skanda
I'm Amod too!
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Boogie wasn't where most of that money came from. It was the addons that generated 75% of that. It was already at 14k before the interview. The interview did generate a spike of ~40 pledges but that only generated around 4k so they were all little donations.
I think it is sad when people are more excited about who is interviewing you than you or your game.
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Maybe a little off topic, but I really wonder what Brad meant back when he said he had a really productive talk with Smedley after his departure from SOE. Even the Pantheon domain was originally registered to SOE. Wonder if they fall short if SOE has some input/funding in some way. Then again nothing probably came of it, but yeah speculation is fun.
Design issues aside, Rift launched super polished, didn't overextend itself, and was delayed to make this so. Just an exception I thought worth pointing out.
BilboFaggins
N00b
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Vanilla WoW with bards, monks and enchanters that has slower tactical combat that requires thought rather than button mashing in an open world with very few instances... I think I just came in my pants.
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Wow wasn't finished when it released. Worked out alright cause it was in an era where the only competition was the dying EQ, the pvp focused and dying AC/UO, the unpopular anarchy and the way fucking shitty EQ2. It released with completely broken talents, unbeatable endgame content, a few broken quests, completely fucking terrible itemization(didn't have spellpower for a couple of months), lack of leveling content to hit the cap without grinding and unfinished zones(silithus was an empty lot until multiple patches later, mount hyjal was never added until several expansions later etc).
If any game released in wow's state nowadays, people would go crazy.
If any game released in wow's state nowadays, people would go crazy.
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TrollfaceDeux
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
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popsicledeath
Potato del Grande
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Nemesis
Bridgeburner
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really, really pleased after watching the Boogie interview.
I've already contributed, and I've been cynical and snarky in this thread because I didn't feel like the initial approach to this project was doing it justice.
I've just upped my contribution and I hope that you guys all consider chipping into this as well if you come to this thread as many times a day as I do.
Brad, thanks for your continued involvement in this thread, and thanks for your patience, persistence, and humility.
This community is volatile, but passionate. And we want this to work!
/wipes a tear
I've already contributed, and I've been cynical and snarky in this thread because I didn't feel like the initial approach to this project was doing it justice.
I've just upped my contribution and I hope that you guys all consider chipping into this as well if you come to this thread as many times a day as I do.
Brad, thanks for your continued involvement in this thread, and thanks for your patience, persistence, and humility.
This community is volatile, but passionate. And we want this to work!
/wipes a tear
I would love group sizes to flex to eight. Same as bigger raids. Let us not just have a single platform for success but instead create a foundation for various groups of friends to adventure together and have fun.
As for the interview I thought It came across well and would chalk up anyone having issues with it to having a blatant negative agenda agsinst brad and/or the game.