Green Monster Games (Curt Schilling)

[Fog]

Originally Posted by Bongk

I mean really is there a single person besides 2bit who has not turned of quest text scrolling yet? I know you will argue this 2bit also because it is how you are. But why are we even reading quest text, shouldnt this shit be voice overs by now?

You better make it an option. I like to use my computer often with sound off, and even if it's on I'm frequently talking on vent and listening to music; I don't want to have to rely on audio for any very important information besides easy-to-hear sound effects.

[Draegan]

Bongk I'll take 2bit's opinion over yours. You just seem to be shouting for this and that without considering dev time, tech support etc of each idea. At least 2bit considers this first whether his ideas are good or bad.

[Bongk]

Originally Posted by Draegan

Bongk I'll take 2bit's opinion over yours. You just seem to be shouting for this and that without considering dev time, tech support etc of each idea. At least 2bit considers this first whether his ideas are good or bad.

yes lets all worry about dev time and tech support. They asked for ideas not for business advice.

This game is years out and you guys are stuck thinking about things in yesterdays technology.

[Draegan]

Originally Posted by Bongk

yes lets all worry about dev time and tech support. They asked for ideas not for business advice.

This game is years out and you guys are stuck thinking about things in yesterdays technology.

Sure. I think all devs should put in robots that give handjobs by stimulating my brain by a really cool USB brainwave sender-outer.

You need to be realistic when suggesting things. As far as technology goes, you have to plan for that. Don't you think WOW had the right idea for allowing for max audience with their tech requirements? Didn't VG and EQ2 teach a lesson on what happens when you go for real high tech requirements?

[Bongk]

Originally Posted by Draegan

Sure. I think all devs should put in robots that give handjobs by stimulating my brain by a really cool USB brainwave sender-outer.

You need to be realistic when suggesting things. As far as technology goes, you have to plan for that. Don't you think WOW had the right idea for allowing for max audience with their tech requirements? Didn't VG and EQ2 teach a lesson on what happens when you go for real high tech requirements?

so which titles have you shipped and worked on to know the industry so well, to be able to tell everyone what will and won't be possible years in the future.

High Tech requirements and high graphic requirements are two different things, you keep bringing everything to a grpahics level. Scripted encounters and quests mean nothing to the client PC. And if you think EQ and VG failed because they had to many new ideas think you are mistaken. The reasons they failed have been gone over many times here and those were never the conclusions.

EDIT: also if you have been reading the other thread for game ideas from the anonymous dev. I have been stating there that graphics should take a back seat that this high poly photo real shit sucks and makes games worse as it takes to much of the budget and dev time for something that doesn't add "fun".

[Draegan]

Any game that's being release in the next 3-4 years should be able to work fully on the computers that are new today. I was also not referring to scripted encounters and quests either.
--

On a completely different note:
I was just posting on another forum for a game in BETA where I was discussing customization in your game. I believe that any game that comes out should allow for full customization on how you receive and view game date. Whether this is your combat log, chat log, combat text above your character, unit frames. Basically WOW Mods.

No game should ship without at least moveable and resizable UI elements, completely customizable chatboxes and everyone should just steal the SCT and SCT damage mod.

[Ukerric]

Originally Posted by Laerazi

That said, I think the world would feel much more alive and meaningful if there were 100 epic multi-chain quests that each had a compelling story and cutscenes, instead of, say 3000 fetch/kill quests.

One of the major problem with long quest chains as opposed to wide quest hubs is quest synchronisation.

The Epic quests of LOTRO are a good example of this. Everyone is going to be on those quests (or nearly everyone). However, if you want a group for Book 3, chapter 6, you have to find people. And you get mostly:
- People who are on chapter 6, but can't do it for now/are farming some stuff/are busy (ok, we can ignore them)
- People that are too low a level to be able to contribute for that encounter (ok, we can ignore them too)
- People who are not yet on chapter 6, and thus have no interest in helping you, since it's not going to advance their quest
- People who've already finished chapter 6, and thus have no interest in helping you, since they've done it and they don't get anything from it anymore.

and then, when you're lucky, you find enough people that don't fit in the 4 categories above to build a working group. Which, 6 months after launch, when the number of people in the zone is expressed in toes and fingers, isn't going to happen.

If you have few long quest lines, the odds of finding somebody to help you is low. If you have multiple quest lines, you have better odds of having people in one of these at your stage, which is why you get the scattershot of 20 quests running at the same time.

The answer to this is quite simple: Allow people who don't have the quest step to benefit from the quest.

Right now, if I help someone doing a quest I don't have, I get the xp from the mobs being killed, and that's all. It might be a bit better than solo grinding xp, but usually it's not that much more interesting. But what if I could benefit from the quest. I help someone complete the quest step X, I should get a good chunk of quest XP, maybe as much as doing the quest, maybe a little less. If there's gold to be had, I should get some share as well. And faction. Of course, you do this on group questlines. Solo questlines don't require help, so no incentive for help is required (and you place solo questlines so people have things to do when they don't have enought time to group).

Put incentive to people to help others advancing a quest they don't have themselves, and suddendly, it's a lot more easier finding a group to advance your quest. Or even do a quest for warrior A, then a quest for cleric B, then a quest for rogue C... The idea is to encourage people to play together - that's what MMO are for. Instead of segregating them into little pockets of content with little chance of seeing someone else.

[Bongk]

Originally Posted by Draegan

Any game that's being release in the next 3-4 years should be able to work fully on the computers that are new today. I was also not referring to scripted encounters and quests either.

Than what the fuck are you railing on me about? I never asked for higher computer requirements or better graphics...

Making things higher end server side does not mean I need a better computer on client side.

[Draegan]

This happens in WOW right now with a lot of the SMV/Netherstorm 5 man quests. My new toon still has those 5 mans to do and I just don't bother because I don't feel like annoying guildmates to run me through them since I don't need the rewards, but I like finishing things off.

[Twobit Whore]

Originally Posted by Ukerric

and then, when you're lucky, you find enough people that don't fit in the 4 categories above to build a working group. Which, 6 months after launch, when the number of people in the zone is expressed in toes and fingers, isn't going to happen.

VG has this exact problem in areas. Dungeons with 6 step quests that take you to different areas. If you get to part 4 and your group falls apart then finding a full group on part 4 is impossible. So you decide to help out some people just starting and getting them to catch up and by the time you get to part 4 the group falls apart and you've gained next to nothing. This also goes back to the running back and forth to an NPC every step annoyance as well. Allowing people to work on steps ahead of where they are would be a decent option so that you can form a group and work on what's going to help everyone instead of dragging several people down to help several others catch up.

I also like the solo quests leading to a group culmination. You can work on what you have up until you need a group and then try to find people for a one shot completion. You may not find it instantly, but if it's just one group quest in your log you can work on other stuff while keeping an eye out for others. Of course that requires your game to be soloable.

[Bongk]

Originally Posted by Twobit Whore

I also like the solo quests leading to a group culmination. You can work on what you have up until you need a group and then try to find people for a one shot completion. You may not find it instantly, but if it's just one group quest in your log you can work on other stuff while keeping an eye out for others. Of course that requires your game to be soloable.

Definately agree. Solo steps for the most part and solo steps after the group part, even that are completable before finishing the groups parts. Can even go farther and have raid steps to for very epic quests.

Being able to get credit for quests before you have them via flags ro whatever for completing them is a step in the right direction for sure. Tryuing to find people on your step sucks. The reason it is worse ion VG is the content is bad, Noone wants to just grind in trengal for example. If the content was betetr it wouldn't be so hard to get people in there.

Any new game even if large portions are groups based MUST have soloing for every class, or it will fail IMO.

[Agraza]

Originally Posted by Ukerric

The answer to this is quite simple: Allow people who don't have the quest step to benefit from the quest.

This is something I loved about EverQuest. Often enough you could get quest items and learn what they were for later on. If someone in my group was ignorant of a quest he could benefit from we educated him and he took the giant toes he'd looted and turned them in rather than vendoring them. It was pretty easy to get people to help you perform quests because they could go and get the items with you and get caught up later.

Quest Logs, with their system of character flags, prevents this from occurring frequently, and makes the log as much a burden as it is a benefit.

[Daezuel]

"Curt Schilling challenged Roger Clemens to come out from behind his prepared statement, calling on Clemens to surrender the final four Cy Young Awards he has won unless he obtains a retraction for his citation in the Mitchell Report as a user of steroids and human growth hormone.

In a scathing indictment of several of the biggest names in the game, the outspoken Boston Red Sox pitcher Wednesday urged baseball to strip Clemens of his statistics and records over the past decade unless he can refute the Mitchell Report, called the career of Jose Canseco a drug-aided "sham" and "hoax" and expressed concern for the sport that Clemens and Barry Bonds each has yet to clear himself amid evidence each used performance-enhancing substances."

I fucking love this about you Curt...mad props.

FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Schilling offers suggestion to Clemens

[Azzikai]

Originally Posted by Agraza

This is something I loved about EverQuest. Often enough you could get quest items and learn what they were for later on. If someone in my group was ignorant of a quest he could benefit from we educated him and he took the giant toes he'd looted and turned them in rather than vendoring them. It was pretty easy to get people to help you perform quests because they could go and get the items with you and get caught up later.

Quest Logs, with their system of character flags, prevents this from occurring frequently, and makes the log as much a burden as it is a benefit.

/agree

Ages ago when I was playing a Shaman in EQ I went on a fear raid. Even though I was still quite a few steps away from it, I was able to loot the tear I would need later. Same for my Rogue, I pickpocketed the notes before I even started it. I did my Hate trip shortly thereafter. My Cleric got those stupid shards before she set foot in Lake Rathe.

There were still character flags I had to get before moving on with my quests but the vast majority of that stuff could be collected whenever. That is how quests should be. I know people like how quest objectes seemingly break up the grind and that the old way of playing EQ is probably gone for good but it would be nice to have somethings not be a shopping list.

[Draegan]

Well technically the Mitchell Report is all hearsay. Eye witness accounts are not enough to hold someone accountable to a crime in federal courts.

I havn't paid too much attention to this, is there more substantial proof other than a trainer talking?