Why I think p99 is actually pretty important

t0lkien · #1 08-09-2013, 06:27 AM

I'll just leave this here - it's something I wrote years ago after logging out of EQ Live for the last time, updated with a preamble:

Goodbye to the Bard

p99 maintains an experience that has yet to be recaptured by the multi-billion dollar industry EverQuest spawned. My feeling is it and other portals like it are more relevant to modern MMOs and the industry than many understand, and may yet be a catalyst for change. At least, that's my hope.

CHusk2 · #2 08-09-2013, 06:48 AM

Well said,

A lot of people don't realize how much time, effort, & resources has to go into a project like this. A small, independently motivated group of highly skilled and community-minded people have achieved something that MMOs now only dream of. Back in the early days of UO & EQ, communities had to exist, because you really just couldn't survive without a close knit group.

Normally, I like this guy's work. But on this issue, I think he's way off the mark in terms of MMO communities. http://blip.tv/MUD2MMO/mud2mmo-mmo-c...ilding-6560542 But sadly, this seems to be the way MMO players & developers think currently.

Many times change is brought about by a small group nobody expected..... No, I'm not going to quote Margaret Mead. Not gonna' do it.

t0lkien · #3 08-09-2013, 07:05 AM

I actually totally agree with what he is saying, and championed that exact point at THQ when I worked with them. The suits looked at me stupidly without any understanding and didn't believe me, and went off to continue trying to figure out how to monetize this sense of community they didn't "get" because they didn't care about anything but money.

Thanks for the link, I've put it on my FB [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Nyrod · #4 08-09-2013, 07:38 AM

hi guys, actually this topic is like #1 between me and my friends that are gamers. although we all play often completely different genre of games we all agree, new games (especially mmo's) always end up disappointing us. it seems no one wants to really make a game that will change the way games(mmo's) are played or create something worth playing its all about "how can we make bagrillions off these idiots?"

and it works, sadly [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Boone · #5 08-09-2013, 09:58 AM

Well written t0lkien!

Games today just seem to be about instant gratification; no one wants to work for the rewards. I dont feels its just mmo's either. I look back at my early gaming days, with classics like the Bards Tale, Wizardry series, The Ultima games. You actually had to work at something to achieve a goal, much like the original EQ. I would talk to friends who were also playing those games and although they were single player games, they still built a sense of community around those who were playing them. I dunno what the answer is; maybe we just have to wait for the small indie developers to start in the mmo field. I would assume there is still a market for it, just that its not going to bring in a bazillion dollars.

On that note, Mark Jackobs (sp?) new redo of DAoC looks like a step in the right direction from a small development team. Here is hoping its the start of a new trend.

Gadwen · #6 08-09-2013, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boone [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

On that note, Mark Jackobs (sp?) new redo of DAoC looks like a step in the right direction from a small development team. Here is hoping its the start of a new trend.

Are you talking about camelot unchained? with no PvE leveling or item drops and pretty much all advancement is centered around crafting and PvP?

Some of his ideas are good, but the bad ones are insanely bad.

Armada · #7 08-09-2013, 10:30 AM

These feelings have been expressed and talked about for a long time. While I don't mean to detract from your meaning, it's been expressed before many times. The problem is, it changes nothing, and probably never will. Money is a companies main goal, not really about the feelings of very few in the grand scheme of gaming.

In the end, ya we know, we all have said it before. It's probably why we are here in the first place. Don't mean to be rude, but ya we get it already. There have been many posts trying to explain why we are here, but if we are here, we already get it.

Gadwen · #8 08-09-2013, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armada [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

These feelings have been expressed and talked about for a long time. While I don't mean to detract from your meaning, it's been expressed before many times. The problem is, it changes nothing, and probably never will. Money is a companies main goal, not really about the feelings of very few in the grand scheme of gaming.

This is the sad truth, the quality of an individuals experience is meaningless. It all comes down to how many people they can get to play and now how much they can get them to spend at the cash shop. Providing easy access to "advancement" has proven to be very popular.

We also have to consider that despite all of McQuaids rambling about his "vision" EQ had the same goals any modern MMO, get people to spend money on it. Everything else that happened was just an accident imho.

I don't really think that an emulated server with an average population of 700-900 people is really going to make a big dev go wait a second...these guys are on to something. Seeing 10+ million people paying for WoW subs though...now that's serious business.

Boone · #9 08-09-2013, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gadwen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Are you talking about camelot unchained? with no PvE leveling or item drops and pretty much all advancement is centered around crafting and PvP?

Some of his ideas are good, but the bad ones are insanely bad.

Yeah, Camelot Unchained. What I meant about it was that he's going out of his way to do something different and just break out of the "me too" mold. Whether it will work or not remains to be seen however I do applaud him for at least trying.

In my reading, which admittedly isn't a whole lot, he is not trying to appease the masses but targeting a specific core audience. It been a while since we've seen that and I really hope it works. I haven't played every mmo out there however out of the ones I have played, original EQ and original DAoC are the only ones that held my interest over the long haul.

Bodeanicus · #10 08-09-2013, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gadwen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Are you talking about camelot unchained? with no PvE leveling or item drops and pretty much all advancement is centered around crafting and PvP?

Some of his ideas are good, but the bad ones are insanely bad.

I wouldn't trust him to remake Bejeweled. Warhammer was a colossal clusterfuck with colossal class imbalance that made one side unplayable until the next patch, and to be perfectly honest, DAoC wasn't that good, either. It just had no competition for the PVP crown, at the time. Don't believe me? Go play on the Uthgard server, and have your eyes opened at how bad the game really is.

Maybe he can find another corporate climbing whore like Sanya to distract him so we'll be saved from another gabillion dollar clusterfuck disappointment.