Putting The RPG Back Into MMORPG 69
Garthilk writes "In the last two weeks since E3 I've read at least three gushing reviews about an upcoming game by Simutronics, called Hero's Journey. MMORPG.com gave it their E3 best of show award. CorpNews said it blew their pants off. IGN even had a good interview with the CEO of Simutronics. Warcry even goes so far as to say that it will turn gaming world upside down. The question still lingers though, can a company who has focused on text based roleplaying games cut it in the graphical world?" From the MMORPG.com article: "In a year full of big budget, big company titles, Hero's Journey offered graphics on par with all the major players and an extremely exciting look at their game play. E3 2005 marked a show where several high profile games were touting very similar features (state based combat), and in swept Hero's Journey with their innovative group combat, highly cinematic missions, interactive environments and hands down the best character creation ever put into an MMORPG."
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:2)
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:1, Informative)
Try the http://www.play.net/hj/ [play.net] site directly for screenshots that aren't 6 years old.
That was a totaly different game than what it is now.
Royce
Re:Old vaporware seeing new light? (Score:1)
Does it run in WINE?
Role or Roll playing? (Score:2, Interesting)
Can the GMs award extra experience for clever solutions? Can they award a character extra experience for behaving as a particular character (priest, druid, etc) should? Can they subtract experience for a player acting out of character?
Until/unless that happens the "R" in computer RPGs will stand for "roll".
Re:Role or Roll playing? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Role or Roll playing? (Score:3, Interesting)
Clever solutions... (Score:2)
You mean like this? [thenoobcomic.com]
Re:Role or Roll playing? (Score:1)
Re:Role or Roll playing? (Score:2)
I also played Gemstone IV (and Gemstone III before it). The GMs were very good at recognizing good roleplaying, and I never heard any complaints about GM favoritism or anything along those lines. I also share your concern -- when Gemstone III was linked up with the Zone [zone.com], they offered a free trial which drastically increased the number of players for a few months
A sure sign a character isn't in his proper role.. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:A sure sign a character isn't in his proper rol (Score:1, Informative)
'WoW - Leeroy's Attack' [bredband.net]
Never played WoW but that's funny.
Re:A sure sign a character isn't in his proper rol (Score:1)
Re:A sure sign a character isn't in his proper rol (Score:2)
Of course a text-based company can. (Score:2, Insightful)
3D engines OTOH, judging by the amount of shovelware on Gamespot these days, seem to be pretty much a dime a dozen.
You can when you charge upwards of $50/month (Score:1)
http://www.play.net/dr/platinum/ [play.net]
Re:You can when you charge upwards of $50/month (Score:1)
Text based company in a graphical world (Score:5, Insightful)
IANAGame Programmer, but it seems like it would be a lot easier to slap some pretty front end on an existing good game than to create a good game to go with your pretty graphics.
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:1, Interesting)
They're not "slapping a GUI" on any MUD. They've spent 3 years developing a toolkit for their GMs to readily edit and update the world.
My only complaint with their graphics engine is the lack of dramatic shadows. The terrain looks great, but the models look flat and boring.
Yes, gameplay is everything (Score:2)
I suspect you'll be proved right. I've played many games with flashy graphics and sound effects and given up halfway through. The best games, invariably, are those that require real strategy and/or provide real plot development.
Graphics and sound effects can make or break a game with that kind of gameplay, but nothing can make a game without it.
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:1)
I have often wondered (and commented on slashdot on occasion) at why 3D MMOGs had not taken a leaf from the books of those for whom gameplay is, quite literally everything.
The articles list features (e.g. the roleplaying GM) that I remember seeing 5 years ago in a MUD. I am sure they were around longer than that though.
While this example us a lot fo work to implement, most other neat features of MUDs are a trivial extension to make 3D.
One has to wonder why EQ an
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:1)
AKA: it was me talking, not the parrot...
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:2)
But, the design is the hard part. If you already have the design for a good game, scrapping your existing code to start from scratch with a graphical environment shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:1)
-Jeff
Re:Text based company in a graphical world (Score:2)
Re:In game actors (Score:2)
The Website...in case you needed it. (Score:3, Informative)
Screenshots Here: (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Screenshots Here: (Score:1)
Is it just me or does providing a link to screen shots of a game where what's being touted is the game play strike a bit of "missing the point"
REWARD (Score:2)
Missing:
One slightly worn pair of pants, last seen near CorpNews crew at E3.
Return to the nearest half-naked person matching a CorpNews crew description...
The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:4, Insightful)
And he will have to share it with thousands of people who use the letter "u" as a pronoun.
Re:The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:2)
Re:The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:1)
Yeah, as everyone knows, MMORPGs are fun until someone else logs in =)
However, I think actual roleplaying would be possible in MMORPGs if it was just more encouraged. Make clear where OOC chatter belongs, and such.
As for "u", well, just tell people that you're supposed to properly spell things and make moderators carry big sticks.
I've seen both things getting done, though they were all in small servers (role-playing stuff working wonderfully in NWN, chat monitoring and spelling policy working wonderfu
Re:The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:2)
Re:The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:1)
The best online RPG experiences I've had have been by and large lacking the "massive".
Even impromptu Neverwinter Nights matches between strangers have garnered a better experience than the most elaborate WoW guild raid. Invariably, the desire for that next lvlup or that sack'o'lewt drives MMORPG players to abandon the game in favour of the dull strive for precious things, like so many lab rats flicking switches.
If you really want to make a MMORPG awesome, make it great to play without any gold, x
Re:The problem is the "masses" of "massive" (Score:1)
Realism vs. Fun..ism (Score:3, Interesting)
"For example, you may dress as a pirate, a knight in shining armor or any other of the amazing combinations they offer. The frilly pirate shirt will act just as well as the armor for protection. Obviously, this sacrifices realism, but it ensures that players get to look how they want and still effectively play the game."
Somehow I think this thinking is a little flawed, especially if there is any sort of PVP... which isn't always 'fun.' For example, I want to look like a kick-butt world-owning mega warrior when I'm really a level nothing mage. Real is sometimes better, especially when real = believable.
On the other hand, it really stinks to build up your super awesome frilly-pirate-shirt wearing character, only to have him permantly eliminated by the first baddie he happens to fall into. (which is probably more real)
I think that the storytelling abilities text-based players have will aid this company but their who-cares-what-it-looks-like attitude probably comes from the same place.
There's got to be a better balance, at least for me...
Re:Realism vs. Fun..ism (Score:1)
What's so innovative? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:What's so innovative? (Score:1)
Re:What's so innovative? (Score:1)
Maybe... (Score:1)
Subscription costs on-par with other MMOs would be a good start (for those unaware: in their current games it's $15/mo for a single character slot [there's only one server], $3/mo per extra character slot, or 10 slots for "premium" accounts which are
Wake Me Up... (Score:2, Troll)
I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound even a little bit innovative. Perhaps I am a slow reader, but where in that entire article did it mention a new idea that isn't just a refinement of an old one? As far as I can see, this is just World of Warcraft part 2. Great, so they have refined the boring MMORPG formula a little more and have made that same shitty gameplay more refined. If you strip down the cosmetics, the game is same boring shit that we h
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1)
If you've ever played
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1)
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1, Flamebait)
Maybe you and I were playing different games here, but I am pretty damned sure that their MUDs had the same hack and slash game play as nearly every other MUD out there. MUDs were not the holy grail of gaming. There were some great ones that turned the boring hack and slash crap on its head. Armaged
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1)
I'm guessing that you've had a bad experience with MMORPG's. Hey, it happens. There isn't a perfect game out there and there will be
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:2)
Think of your wet dream game far into the future with full VR suits. Is it a game where you log in, go to a dungeon, and hunt down NPCs for expe
Re:Wake Me Up... (Score:1)
Or maybe not.... (Score:1)
OK, so the difference is a promise to use GM's to make dynamic content and events? Like I haven't heard that before.
It's all fun and games till the GM takes control of a level 12 troll to attack some lowbie village where the lowbies would love to band t
Re:Or maybe not.... (Score:1)
Re:Or maybe not.... (Score:2)
No one has done it yet.
Obviously you aren't speaking with any knowledge of MMORPGs. Don't tell me you are. You aren't. You might have played a ton of 'em. You might have been a DM for some piddly-esque crap mud. I don't care.
It isn't that they wouldn't want to. It's that these things cost money. These things create issues themselves. These things take resources.
Every fucking MMORPG that has come out has promised this shit and failed. And your li
Permadeath (Score:2)
This would be a perfect opportunity to implement a permadeath [slashdot.org], which for some reason people keep demanding as an essential element in a good online RPG.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that the permadeath hardcore g
Video of the E3 Hero's Journey Demo (Score:1)
Looks great, except... (Score:2)
I see some nice steampunky elements in their screenshots... I wish they'd run with that rather than resorting to the same old elves and druids and rogues and blech.
Re:Looks great, except... (Score:1)
Am I too late to post on this? (Score:1)