Green Monster Games (Curt Schilling)

[Eomer]

It doesn't even have to be Fallout licensed. Any sort of modern, semi-modern, or sci-fi post apocalyptic world setting would make for a great MMOG I think. Rifts would probably be the absolute ultimate MMOG license for such a game.

[redjunkopera]

BSG MMO plz

Battlestar would be awesome, but I think Stargate would lend itself better to an MMO...

[Ngruk]

Well I can assure you it won't be BSG. It won't be western, it won't be space, it will be cool though!

Things are progressing at an incredible pace right now as well. All the things you don't take into account when you sit around and say "How cool would it be....." are in play now.

The business aspects of everything are in the works and being completed. Matching 401ks, dental, vision, etc. etc., all the things you have to address with every bit the focus you want to put into the game if you want the worlds best and most creative talent to work with/for you have to be taken care of and paid attention to.

Our HQ is leased and ready! We even have employees on the ground running!!

It's getting fun, and staying terrifying at the same time.

Going to look back on these past few weeks in about 5 years and say "Wow, remember when......" and laugh.

[Kuro]

Originally Posted by Ngruk

Well I can assure you it won't be BSG. It won't be western, it won't be space, it will be cool though!

Things are progressing at an incredible pace right now as well. All the things you don't take into account when you sit around and say "How cool would it be....." are in play now.

The business aspects of everything are in the works and being completed. Matching 401ks, dental, vision, etc. etc., all the things you have to address with every bit the focus you want to put into the game if you want the worlds best and most creative talent to work with/for you have to be taken care of and paid attention to.

Our HQ is leased and ready! We even have employees on the ground running!!

It's getting fun, and staying terrifying at the same time.

Going to look back on these past few weeks in about 5 years and say "Wow, remember when......" and laugh.

Can I be a Cyborg Ninja Pirate Riding a T-rex into battle against Napoleon?

[Man0warr]

Since Salvatore is involved I hope its FR setting.

[Lost Ranger]

Originally Posted by Man0warr

Since Salvatore is involved I hope its FR setting.

I dont. Not because I dont like FR, I really like the FR setting but if its FR then the game is already limited in what they can do with it. We have all seen the high fantasy thing done to death and if they pick FR then we are just going to see the same thing again... and in a world most of us know because we have read books/PnP whatever.

If they want to go with fantasy then whatever... I have hopes that someone will show some balls and stop following the crowd like the rest of the lemmings. I cant take anymore fucking elves :P

[Cybsled]

I dont. Not because I dont like FR, I really like the FR setting but if its FR then the game is already limited in what they can do with it.

Ironically, that probably would have helped DDO ;(

[Man0warr]

I think it would be a good thing. DDO failed because they used the most obscure and unpopular setting, Eberron.

Toril without Drow Elves, or atleast without good drow elves, would be sweet. Or we would have a ton of Drizzts. So many good starting races/cities.

[Lost Ranger]

Yeah maybe. Ill admit one of the things that puts me off about a FR based MMO is dealing with all the unoriginal wannabes that you KNOW will be around. Every other halfling will be some form of Regis, every other Drow will be Drizzt... human rogues will have 1000 different Artemis ect.

Its amazing how much Drizzt related material you see in games that have nothing to do with him. In EQ2 I couldnt believe how many Dark Elfs on the RP server tried to roleplay the loner dark elf who turned good. Reading their background stories in their profiles was like reading Salvatore everytime. I can only imagine how bad it will be if its in a real Drizzt setting.

I see pros and cons I guess.

[keflex]

Originally Posted by Ngruk

Well I can assure you it won't be BSG. It won't be western, it won't be space, it will be cool though!

Things are progressing at an incredible pace right now as well. All the things you don't take into account when you sit around and say "How cool would it be....." are in play now.

The business aspects of everything are in the works and being completed. Matching 401ks, dental, vision, etc. etc., all the things you have to address with every bit the focus you want to put into the game if you want the worlds best and most creative talent to work with/for you have to be taken care of and paid attention to.

Our HQ is leased and ready! We even have employees on the ground running!!

It's getting fun, and staying terrifying at the same time.

Going to look back on these past few weeks in about 5 years and say "Wow, remember when......" and laugh.

i'm not very fond of the EQ playstyle (which it sounds like you're partial to), but good luck to you and your endeavors -- this world needs more good developers.

[Ngruk]

Actually ya, EQ and WoW now, are playstyles I enjoy. But as I stated much earlier, this isn't about making MY game, it's about making thee game. You get creative genius working together and in the right direction, whatever you end up with is going to be fun.

[Froofy-D]

Originally Posted by Eomer

It doesn't even have to be Fallout licensed. Any sort of modern, semi-modern, or sci-fi post apocalyptic world setting would make for a great MMOG I think. Rifts would probably be the absolute ultimate MMOG license for such a game.

Fallout or any-post Apocalyptic setting is ideal for a game mainly because there is a logical reason for certain futuristic techs to exist (weapons, power armor) without the existence of other game-breaking tech (like cars, airplanes, etc...). Whereas as many futuristic games like Neocron, SWG, AO really suffer in the realism department because its 4000AD and you cant even buy a car.

Ngruk since you are actually reading all the posts, here's my 2CP on what would truly make a next gen MMOG since nothing out or in development seems like anything more than EQ 1.5.

- 1st and foremost can we please have something more than: a) leveling treadmill to max level then: b) start raiding. I think if an MMOG finally breaks this mold it will be extremely popular. Mainly, more RPG and less online mob exterminator. This will be the hardest by far.

- something besides kill/collect/delivery quests which are 90% of current MMOG quest content. WoW made a small start at this with quests like the Mechanical Yeti quest, the Mortar Combat team (so funny), and Tooga's quest. But it would be so great if there was more like these. Probably the 2nd hardest issue here.

- Mounted and aerial combat, one of the few things that no MMOG has done really.

- Interactive NPCs just like 'real' RPGs like Baldur's Gate. In pretty much every MMOG currently NPCs are static quest/mission dispensers and nothing more.

- Voice overs are a must for key NPCs. You cannot have memorable NPCs without them. For example, I can't really remember the name of a single non-mob NPC from my ~3 years in EQ. Yet I can clearly remember Charsi and Deckard Cain from Diablo2 which I probably only had installed for a month or 2. Same with Aribeth from NWN or General Barnaky from Fallout Tactics.

- reasonable system specs, since you cannot hope to 'change the online landscape' when your game runs like trash on the average PC. Gameplay and graphics are not mutually exclusive, but gameplay and 10fps are. Why many current developers knowingly limit their playerbase with ridiculous specs is beyond me.

- 'everything visible' gear system. Basically everything you equip can be seen on your avatar - rings, necklaces, bags, backpacks, everything.

- cut-scenes for major events.

- Please do not revisit past MMOG combat system mechanics errors. When you are hiring mechanics designers make sure they can write you 4 page essay on topics like: damage-delay system, melee-caster balance, mudflation, PVP balance, resists, stat caps, etc... Ask them questions like: Why were slow weapons better in WoW but fast weapons were better in EQ (pre-WoW normalization and EQ delay modifier)? If they cant answer stuff like that they have no place designing an MMOG combat system, or even itemizing the game. More importantly if they ever mention the Morrowind/Oblivion leveling system as anything synonymous with "good" just terminate the interview on the spot.

[Tyen]

wru fallout

[Ngruk]

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

Fallout or any-post Apocalyptic setting is ideal for a game mainly because there is a logical reason for certain futuristic techs to exist (weapons, power armor) without the existence of other game-breaking tech (like cars, airplanes, etc...). Whereas as many futuristic games like Neocron, SWG, AO really suffer in the realism department because its 4000AD and you cant even buy a car.

I don't think it matters. If the world being created is interesting and awesome looking, and the game is fun, you accept the setting don't you?

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

Ngruk since you are actually reading all the posts, here's my 2CP on what would truly make a next gen MMOG since nothing out or in development seems like anything more than EQ 1.5.

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

- 1st and foremost can we please have something more than: a) leveling treadmill to max level then: b) start raiding. I think if an MMOG finally breaks this mold it will be extremely popular. Mainly, more RPG and less online mob exterminator. This will be the hardest by far.

IMO the good games make leveling something in the back of your mind, and not something that you stare at the EXP bar every four minutes, tapping your screen because you think it's stuck.

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

- Mounted and aerial combat, one of the few things that no MMOG has done really.

- Interactive NPCs just like 'real' RPGs like Baldur's Gate. In pretty much every MMOG currently NPCs are static quest/mission dispensers and nothing more.

- Voice overs are a must for key NPCs. You cannot have memorable NPCs without them. For example, I can't really remember the name of a single non-mob NPC from my ~3 years in EQ. Yet I can clearly remember Charsi and Deckard Cain from Diablo2 which I probably only had installed for a month or 2. Same with Aribeth from NWN or General Barnaky from Fallout Tactics.

- reasonable system specs, since you cannot hope to 'change the online landscape' when your game runs like trash on the average PC. Gameplay and graphics are not mutually exclusive, but gameplay and 10fps are. Why many current developers knowingly limit their playerbase with ridiculous specs is beyond me.

- 'everything visible' gear system. Basically everything you equip can be seen on your avatar - rings, necklaces, bags, backpacks, everything.

- cut-scenes for major events.

Some cool ideas for sure, certainly nothing that hasn't gone through our grinder already at least once. The most important one is system specs though, IMO.

Every spec, no matter how small, that you move up the scale, eliminates a base of customers. That's a huge deal.

Originally Posted by Froofy-D

- Please do not revisit past MMOG combat system mechanics errors. When you are hiring mechanics designers make sure they can write you 4 page essay on topics like: damage-delay system, melee-caster balance, mudflation, PVP balance, resists, stat caps, etc... Ask them questions like: Why were slow weapons better in WoW but fast weapons were better in EQ (pre-WoW normalization and EQ delay modifier)? If they cant answer stuff like that they have no place designing an MMOG combat system, or even itemizing the game. More importantly if they ever mention the Morrowind/Oblivion leveling system as anything synonymous with "good" just terminate the interview on the spot.

Hehe, check.....

[Cadrid]

Originally Posted by Ngruk

IMO the good games make leveling something in the back of your mind, and not something that you stare at the EXP bar every four minutes, tapping your screen because you think it's stuck.

Levelling-curve is a totally different issue.

Where games have run into trouble is a lack of different things to do. Most games the goal is to hit max-level and then get phat loots. Whether you're aware of levelling (hi2u EQ hell-levels) or not (WoW quests) makes little difference when the only rewarding aspect of the game is levelling. As soon as you hit the level cap, most games say "Okay, now that you're done levelling, go raid!" While EQ tried to remedy this with Alternate Experience, it was just xp-grinding with a new cap. WoW, too, failed to offer a well-designed alternate form of character development; the PvP system is an xp treadmill with the added "fun" of being unable to stop grinding or else you lose levels.

Levelling up as a part of the game is all fine and dandy. For a game to retain its fun factor, though, there need to be various forms of advancement offered for various types of players. Raiding should not be the only "end game".