armchair-design
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Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make?
For this week's Leaderboard, let's play a little game. It's called Grossly Oversimplified MMO Development. Yeah, I know, that title needs work. At any rate, you've just been promoted to creative director at Acme Games, Inc. and now it's up to you to choose the primary focus of your company's next MMORPG. Now, before you get all uppity about the five choices and the fact that you can only pick one, realize that picking one doesn't exclude the others from your game. For example, you might have story content in your virtual world title, or PvE content in your PvP title. Ultimately, though, your game cannot be all things to all people, and this choice is your baseline in terms of what the game exists to facilitate. Head past the cut to get started! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
The Daily Grind: Which two MMOs would you mash together?
Remember our MMO Blender series? It was pretty fun; we cherry-picked a whole bunch of mechanics from various games and smashed them together into one game. That is not exactly what we're asking for today. We don't want you to cherry-pick mechanics; we want you to pick two distinct games and shove them together without regard for what gets broken. No plucking crafting from Ryzom and combat from TERA; just pile both of them together into one big mass. Yes, parts of it would probably be messy. But what would a fusion of Final Fantasy XI and Guild Wars look like? Or WildStar and Star Trek Online? Just take two games, maybe two of your favorites, maybe two that each has half of the features you'd like, maybe even two that you dislike separately. Smash them together and tell us about the resulting collision. Which two MMOs would you mash together? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Leaderboard: What's the best MMO design decision of all time?
Last week we stirred up some discussion by asking Massively readers for their opinions on the worst MMO design decisions of all time. In the interests of fair play, and because of today's peace-on-earth-and-goodwill-toward-men Christmas thing, we thought it prudent to ask for the opposite opinion. So, how about it? What's the best MMO design decision of all time? It's kind of a broad question, we know, so In lieu of the traditional Leaderboard voting options, feel free to write in your answers. Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Some Assembly Required: A look at EQII's dungeon maker
So you're an armchair game designer, eh? Well, EverQuest II invites you to put your money where your mouth is -- at least as it relates to dungeon creation. While Sony Online Entertainment's venerable fantasy title is no stranger to player-generated content given its spectacular player- and guild-housing mechanics, this winter's Age of Discovery expansion upped the ante a little bit in the form of the new dungeon maker toolset. The system is a bit rough around the edges, but it's nonetheless a fantastic first iteration that adds a lot of fun and replay value to an MMO that was already chock-full of both.
The Soapbox: On armchair development
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. A couple of weeks ago I penned a Soapbox that, to put it mildly, elicited passionate responses. While a few people sided with me in my belief that MMO combat is silly and sucky, the cries of the masses drowned us out with variations on "you know nothing, Jon Snow" and "go back to consoles, you inexperienced newb!" Some of the responses got me to thinking about game design in general and about game designers and their cult celebrity status in particular. When you cut through the anonymous insults and keyboard courage, most of my would-be critics were actually right about one thing: I'm not a game "developer." You know what's funny, though? That doesn't make a lick of difference when it comes to the ability to talk intelligently about games and game design.
