» Mon May 14, 2012 10:55 am Graphics don't make a game. How old are you?
But hey, maybe they'll appease players who love graphics above all else by announcing that every single texture in the game has been optimized for tessellation. That would be awesome.
If they learn anything from Rift, it's to make sure you have enough content.
From the interview, it appears that ZO want a quick, easy ride to max level like Rift, so unlike Rift they need a lot of end game content at the end of that ride. And some of that end game content needs to be challenging and difficult enough to occupy the hardcoe players. Not all of the content, but just enough to engage those hardcoe players until new content arrives. Big games may make their money from a large, casual playerbase, but never forget many small games do very well simply because they've connected with a smaller, dedicated, hardcoe market.
From the interview, it appears that ZO want a quick, easy ride to max level like Rift, so unlike Rift they need a lot of end game content at the end of that ride. And some of that end game content needs to be challenging and difficult enough to occupy the hardcoe players. Not all of the content, but just enough to engage those hardcoe players until new content arrives. Big games may make their money from a large, casual playerbase, but never forget many small games do very well simply because they've connected with a smaller, dedicated, hardcoe market.
Open world PVP provides that sense of progression. Capturing the Imperial City will no doubt feel immense. I'd love to hear that they've created an equally dynamic system for PVE players, because I feel that's something the MMO genre is missing right now. They could slap the word 'Radiant' on the new dynamic system and everything would make sense. Their current idea about having a heroic dungeon tell a different story (part 2, it sounds like) to its normal difficulty counter-part is really not much of a solution. If it's still a fully scripted and linear event, then it's still going to be repetitive. Create something dynamic for PVE, and I'll be amazed. In fact, I might be tempted to play PVE over PVP for once.
Give players meaning. A reason to stick around. Give them pride.
Easier said than done, right?
I will call on two past titles that hit it right on the head while everyone is talking about combat systems. By no means am I saying it isn't important, it's just too obvious.
One, DAoC gave players a feeling of pride for their realm. They would do well to delve into the reasons why players felt pride in their realm. The entire leveling process was done in secluded lands that fit a certain theme and art style. The character became familiar with it and that design helped that player feel like it was their home. Stepping into the frontiers was a culture shock to many. Your enemies lands and character appearance was vastly different than your own. They were trying to kill you and take your land. They were laying seige to your keeps and attempting to take your relics. People don't generally like others coming into their 'home' and stealing their belongings. It's that sort of meaning in PvP and PvE that keeps people coming back.
Two, Ultima Online. While these two online games are vastly different, Zenimax needs to look at a big reason why (to piggyback the above) people feel as though they can call it a home. Public player housing. Being able to purchase and own a small piece of the world your character 'lives' in. Being able to decorate that home however you would like to and to show it off to your friends. In the last two installments of TES single player games, housing was a huge advantage to have. You wanted that house because it acted as your bank. You used that extra space to hold all of the riches you gathered from adventure and gathering. It was like a really large backpack, like a huge safety net, it was a 'home'. So many developers under-value the housing feature and often throw it aside for more PvP and PvE content.
Ultimately, making your players feel as though they have a home in your game world is a great weapon to have as a game company. A reason, meaning for, a home are all crucial to THIS player base. We aren't your typical ADD kids running around 'pew-pewing' everything in our mothers basemants. Zenimax needs to understand who their audience is.
Easier said than done, right?
I will call on two past titles that hit it right on the head while everyone is talking about combat systems. By no means am I saying it isn't important, it's just too obvious.
One, DAoC gave players a feeling of pride for their realm. They would do well to delve into the reasons why players felt pride in their realm. The entire leveling process was done in secluded lands that fit a certain theme and art style. The character became familiar with it and that design helped that player feel like it was their home. Stepping into the frontiers was a culture shock to many. Your enemies lands and character appearance was vastly different than your own. They were trying to kill you and take your land. They were laying seige to your keeps and attempting to take your relics. People don't generally like others coming into their 'home' and stealing their belongings. It's that sort of meaning in PvP and PvE that keeps people coming back.
Two, Ultima Online. While these two online games are vastly different, Zenimax needs to look at a big reason why (to piggyback the above) people feel as though they can call it a home. Public player housing. Being able to purchase and own a small piece of the world your character 'lives' in. Being able to decorate that home however you would like to and to show it off to your friends. In the last two installments of TES single player games, housing was a huge advantage to have. You wanted that house because it acted as your bank. You used that extra space to hold all of the riches you gathered from adventure and gathering. It was like a really large backpack, like a huge safety net, it was a 'home'. So many developers under-value the housing feature and often throw it aside for more PvP and PvE content.
Ultimately, making your players feel as though they have a home in your game world is a great weapon to have as a game company. A reason, meaning for, a home are all crucial to THIS player base. We aren't your typical ADD kids running around 'pew-pewing' everything in our mothers basemants. Zenimax needs to understand who their audience is.
But absolutely - player owned homes in an open environment would lend themselves to that goal very well too, and I'd love to see Zenimax reconsider this decision. Don't do what Bioware did and say "we're working on it, and it will come in the form of DLC." - that doesn't work. Players get impatient. They'll realize they're paying monthly for a product that isn't yet complete enough to their satisfaction. Do it from the start, and do it well.
