Green Monster Games (Curt Schilling) - Page 21

Frax · 10-10-2006, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neric

I doubt that there is an alternative to it. If you want to make levels easy and fast, then you don't need levels at all. Reaching max-level has to be an accomplishment that one can be proud of and it requires a certain amount of mindless grind.

I'd really like to see a skill based progression game without 'xp = level' but where skills determine your level. Kind of like how Dungeon Seige does their leveling, just more indepth. In fact, a full 3D dungeon siege fantasy mmo would be pretty kick ass if they expanded on the skill systems and spell creation.

Transvaal · 10-11-2006, 12:46 PM

I like what Amadeus was saying about the chances for the "really uber" quest reward, but something nice to consider with that would be some higher percentages the more times you completed a quest.

It would suck to do the quest 10 times (assuming it was a decently lengthy quest) and still get the same (if not worse) crappy staff. Maybe every time you complete it, the prefix percent goes up a little, as well as the bonus 0 percent. I don't think you would ever want them up to 100% or so, but at least know your chances are getting better.

Another way to make quests vary more would be to have maybe a database of 20 total steps possible in X quest. Make the total number of steps the same for any given person, but make the steps be possibly different. If step 3 was "kill Evil_Boss_00", you could make a zone with three different hideouts where he could possibly be located.

Eventually, all possible quest locations / events would be posted just like original EQ epic quest walkthroughs, but at least it wouldn't be EXACTLY the same. Heaven forbid evolving questlines either...

Transvaal

snarkteeth · 10-18-2006, 01:48 PM

Hey curt,

I guess I'll start by saying I'm really excited about GMG

I'm curious if you have any clear vision of how the community will interact with the game designers and developers. The only MMO I have really invested a lot of time in is EQ2, and those types of relationships tend to be extremely cliquey. For example, you will have developers forming relationships with specific guilds, leading to those guilds being copied to Beta to test specific raid content before it goes Live, or 'chosen' community members from forums/fanfaire who have special behind-the-scenes avenues through which their opinion can be stated. Can you envision your self/team persuing relationships like these?

Looking forward to more information about your project(s)!

Best of luck,
Befallen.Snark
eternal-chaos.org

Ngruk · 10-19-2006, 12:46 AM

I won't speak to specifics, or promise a utopian resolution to the community stuff.

What I will tell you is that a few of the people in GMG, that are slated to handle the planning, design, construction, and support of our communities are well respected and well known in the industry, to companies and gamers alike.

Our intent is the production of a title that launches globally, and support of a global community as well. Not 4 guys in a room with their thoughts on what they think the Asian, or Italian, or German community wants, but specific people tasked with the support of gaming communities outside the english speaking customer base.

Will we play favorites? No. Will we search far and wide for players and player bases that offer us awesome alpha and beta testing audiences? Yes.

Our goal won't be to find cliques or invite friends, it will be to make sure that on launch day our game is debugged and as friggin cool as can be to play. To do that it takes players input in some instances to make it happen.

snarkteeth · 10-19-2006, 01:41 PM

Thanks for your quick and informative response

I've read through a few forum threads (here and elsewhere) concerning GMG, and usually I do my browsing at 3AM so I apologize if I missed this being answered, but I am curious: If you were approached by SOE (much like sigil was) into the development process of your game X, would you consider (key word) signing on under the SOE 'label' and the competitive 'station pass' system?

I know little to nothing about the mechanics of "profit sharing" so I am not sure if the two options are compatible, this is just a hypothetical scenario

Kuro · 10-19-2006, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neric

EQ epic quests were cool if you had a spoiler and that's actually how 99.99% of the playerbase "solved" them.

My main was a rogue, so my epic magically appeared in my inventory upon its release.

Ngruk · 10-19-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snarkteeth

Thanks for your quick and informative response

I've read through a few forum threads (here and elsewhere) concerning GMG, and usually I do my browsing at 3AM so I apologize if I missed this being answered, but I am curious: If you were approached by SOE (much like sigil was) into the development process of your game X, would you consider (key word) signing on under the SOE 'label' and the competitive 'station pass' system?

I know little to nothing about the mechanics of "profit sharing" so I am not sure if the two options are compatible, this is just a hypothetical scenario

GMG has spoken with about 12 different companies to date. SOE is one of them. I have a very long and very good relationship with SOE and the people there so that's a good thing.

I can't speak to specifics on the final deal because we don't have one yet. What we are doing is working with capital I have put in to this point, and we will continue to do so until we arrive at a deal that works for all parties involved on many levels.

The beauty of this is that we have something so special, so different and so unique, something we know and they know has never been done before in so many ways, that we are extremely comfortable in allowing the business aspects of the final deal to fall into place as they need to. THere is no pressure to get something done for the sake of needing money.

One major aspect of the business at GMG is the 50/50 profit share with the employees. Any deal done at this point will have an impact on that plan and it's my responsibility to every person working with/for me to see that any deal done at this stage is done so in the best interest of the people in GMG on the back end where the 50/50 plan comes to fruition.

Cadrid · 10-19-2006, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ngruk

I can't speak to specifics on the final deal because we don't have one yet. What we are doing is working with capital I have put in to this point, and we will continue to do so until we arrive at a deal that works for all parties involved on many levels.

Since it was mentioned, I'll take the opportunity to lay it down as plainly as I can:

Do not hype the game early.

Between Project Offset (working title), Vanguard, and Spore I have become frustrated with the way developers handle their hype machine. If a game is hyped early, followed by 6+ months of zero news, the fanbase shrinks considerably with the sense of getting the shaft. As you may or may not know, it's one hell of an insulting experience to show loyalty and dedication towards a product, only to be given the cold shoulder.

If you feel like you won't be able to keep fans' hunger for new info sated consistently (or at least keep in contact with them), just don't say anything. Wait until you're ready to take on the task.

Cliff Notes version: Don't pull a Peter Molyneux.

Ngruk · 10-19-2006, 06:30 PM

The biggest mistake in the industry is overhype. Fact of the matter is has there been an incredible game released in the last 10 years that you don't know about? Great games get known, hype or not.

On the hype meter I see it as a 1-10 system. Most companies now hit 10 6 months or more before launch. The goal here is to stay where we are now, which is about the 1 area, and hit 10 on launch day.

No need to tell you how revolutionary or great it is, if it is it will tell you that itself.

Kuro · 10-19-2006, 06:31 PM

Well, I believe ideally you'd want to hit 10 at a point before launch date, so that there will be enough people when the game launches that you're able to form groups

Abalieno · 10-20-2006, 05:19 AM

So we know it's a fantasy themed game.

I don't care much (at this level) of who writes the lore or who draws the concept art. Who is in charge of game design, instead? Because that's where the match is going to be played. It's a game and it needs gaming sensibility.

That's what is relevant in a start up project. The ideas you bring along, the vision and, consequently, if you have the numbers to pull it off.

Right now we are in the stage: "we are making something cool, but we cannot say what it is". Too easy.

What about giving an idea? For example, level treadmill or skill based?

That would be already something.

Then I can be skeptical because it feels not different from those hollywood actors opening restaurants, just in an extravagant new flavor. I won't doubt of the passion, but creating a MMO is first and foremost shaping up a world and dedicate yourself to it. I'm not so sure that Salvatore or McFarlane want to sacrifice other projects to concentrate on this one. A MMO isn't something you do in your spare time and quit after a couple of years. It's a marathon. It requires complete, total dedication and the desire to develop a culture of MMO design that is HARD to find within the genre, even more so outside.

This industry needs new blood because what is sure is that we won't see anything innovating or interesting from the current "players" (meaning those already in the genre, like SOE, Mythic, Funcom, Turbine, Cryptic and so on). But I would suggest everyone to read Damion Schubert's speech, because there's a kind of stupid innovation of which noone feels the need of.

And the fantasy genre has still A LOT to say. Because till today we have only seen *one way* to portray it, which is extremely superficial and simplistic. The fantasy myth has a lot more to deliver than a power progression, more or less varied, more or less long.

You CAN innovate without stepping in other genres because till now we only had ONE point of view on the fantasy genre, cloned between every other game. Games have transformed the fantasy genre into a one dimensional thing. But the fantasy genre isn't one dimensional.

Maybe someone, at some point, will wake up and grab the only licence who is appropriate for an online world. Stormbringer, Elric and the multiverse. I know I did as a starting point for my dream mmorpg.

Malakie Torsade · 10-20-2006, 06:40 AM

Ugh, Salvatore. Did he get better after the Dark Elf Trilogy? I read Exile and Sojourn which were (IMO!) no better than half the fan-fic out there (emo munchkin character included.) After that, I couldn't stomach the thought of reading more of his angsty, repetitive, totally predictable writing. Maybe he got better.

McFarlane... honestly I never saw people's gripes with him. I really like his artwork and enjoyed reading Spawn (stopped reading around issue 80 for no particular reason.) I heard he was an ass, but why all the hate for him?

Anywho, good luck with the game and all that. Whatever you do, make sure to have a deep crafting system... hell, just steal SW:G's! Noone will notice!

Ngruk · 10-20-2006, 12:15 PM