content-generation
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Pathfinder Online goes diving into dungeons
For those of you unfamiliar with the Pathfinder game system, what you need to know is that it's based on the core rules of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. Needless to say, dungeons feature pretty heavily in the tabletop game. So Pathfinder Online has presented itself with a bit of a conundrum: How can it combine the traditionally instanced format of MMO dungeons with the open-world approach of the game? As detailed in the latest development blog, the team is aiming at something between the normal instancing methodology and more sandbox-style open regions. In short, while dungeons themselves won't be instanced, the entrances will be hidden in various locations. When a dungeon is generated, a player who finds the entrance will have that dungeon locked to him or her until the dungeon is cleared, at which point it will despawn and be replaced by another dungeon. It's an interesting idea, and it's well worth reading the full blog for a look at how this system might work in practice.
The Daily Grind: Content contentment
The players have spoken, and they want more content. Unfortunately, those players -- you, our readers, as well as the folks behind Massively -- aren't at all unified when it comes to what we actually accept as "content." Some players don't care if a given piece of content plays exactly like another, so long as it's visually new and interesting and different. Others want a distinct set of lore behind every new piece of content, with the visuals and gameplay coming far later. And still others will complain if the additions play the same, believing everything else secondary to new mechanics. In short, all developers need to do is constantly churn out a stream of new content with unique textures and models, unique mechanics, and unique lore, and everyone will be happy. Well, except for players who want to see expansion to the game's underlying elements... you get the idea. So what do you want, first and foremost, in your new content? What elements are most important to convince you that it's new and improved, and what elements just seem to be a cheap recycling of existing assets?
