hypothetical
Latest
EVE Evolved: Designing EVE Onland, part 1
When I'm not playing or writing about EVE Online, I can usually be found huddled over my computer typing lines of code into a compiler and chipping away at bugs that make varying degrees of sense. Designing my own hardcore space game is a really fun challenge and very fulfilling work, but I have a dirty little game dev secret: I've actually always wanted to make a fantasy game. While the budget and personnel required to take on a project the scale of an MMO remain quite far outside my grasp for the moment, it's still fun to think about how I might design such a game if the opportunity arose. The MMO genre seems to be heading for a sandbox revolution this year, and there's no bigger sandbox than EVE Online, but could all of EVE's gameplay translate to a fantasy game? EVE is probably the most atypical MMO out there, maintaining a subscription-based single-shard PvP sandbox in a genre that's typically headed in the exact opposite direction. There are several new sci-fi sandboxes on the way that may or may not qualify as massively multiplayer titles, but the vast majority of MMO gamers still prefer to keep their feet on the ground in fantasy lands. I often find myself wondering how much of EVE Online's core gameplay is possible only because of its setting -- and how much could actually be applied to a fantasy MMO. Not only should it be possible to adapt most of what makes EVE great to a modern land-based game, but many of the mechanics sandbox gamers now attribute almost solely to EVE actually started life in classic fantasy MMOs like Ultima Online. In this week's unusual EVE Evolved, I'd like to start a game design thought experiment as I delve into the hypothetical world of EVE Onland.
The Daily Grind: If you were given $100 to spend on MMOs, what would you buy?
Today a fun hypothetical: Let's say your awesome Aunt Irma visited you for your birthday and gave you $100 with a strict stipulation. She doesn't want to see you spend it on drugs or subscriptions to the New Yorker; instead she demands that you spend all $100 on MMOs that very day. What would you buy? Would you purchase a few MMOs that have been on your wish list? Would you splurge on an indulgent cash shop purchase? Would you add another character slot or pay for subscriptions for the next six months? Think carefully, as you have only $100. How would you spend it on MMOs? 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!
The Daily Grind: If you could play only one studio's MMOs forever, what would it be?
OK, this is kind of a goofy hypothetical, but let's just go with it for a minute. What if, instead of being limited to playing one MMO for the rest of your life (the desert island scenario), you could only play one studio's MMOs for the rest of your life. In this scenario, you would have at your disposal all of the games that this one particular studio makes and will make, but no others. And publishers don't count (unless the studio also publishes). There are a few things to consider here, such as the studio's current line-up, how long you think the studio will last, and the depth and breadth of the studio's MMO library. SOE would probably be my pick here just because I don't think that studio is going anywhere, it has a wide selection, and there are a couple of big titles on the horizon. What about you? If you could only play one studio's MMOs forever, which one would it be and why? 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!
PlanetSide 2 devs run through a hypothetical battle scenario
The gulf between sparse previews of an MMO and actually getting your hands on it is wide indeed, but the makers of PlanetSide 2 have an idea. If they can't allow you in the game yet or show you a hands-on, why not describe how a battle scenario might go from start to finish? Creative Director Matt Higby did just that for fans, conjuring up an imaginary skirmish between two forces over the fate of a base, and in doing so highlighted how such PvP fights might occur in the game. In this scenario, he envisions a base being attacked; that attack is then repulsed by its defenders. The former defenders proceed to launch aircraft to continue the rout until the attackers have retreated into their own base. Attack aircraft and air transports, he says, will be the first responders on the scene, as they're the quickest to get anywhere. From that point, he imagines the attackers rallying support to go on the offensive once more, with vehicles leading the way and ground troops following, swarming the base and capturing it for good. Higby says that the tug-of-war between bases will be anything but dull and simple: "Now, distracting that tug of war is all the other regions that are all around here... There's lots of little strategic decisions and options that you can do in there that radically change the balance of the big battle that's happening."
The Daily Grind: An MMO of Ice and Fire
Many in the gaming world who are also avid fantasy readers are abuzz over the discussion that A Song of Ice and Fire has been optioned for a video game. Cyanide studio announced their acquisition of the title and the questions began - how will they tell it? Console RPG, or MMO? As we know the book is in development at HBO as a series, so it's likely that Cyanide plans to cash in on that interest as well. We were wondering if you also were interested in a Song of Ice and Fire MMO, or do you think the genre is in fantasy-overload, regardless of how awesome the IP is? Would you play it? Or would it have to be something stunning before you'd go near it?
