Gaming insider interview with Brad Mcquaid

Zandil

http://gaminginsiders.com/features/visionary-realms-future-of-mmos/

goboygo

Nice read.

Zandil

Yeah despite what you think about him, it must be extremely hard to talk publicly about your failures and faults from the past.  

Charlie.Cheswick

"This game will be the feel good, come back story of a generation."

-Charlie.Cheswick

Aradune

Zandil said:

Yeah despite what you think about him, it must be extremely hard to talk publicly about your failures and faults from the past.  

Thanks Zandil.  Yeah, it is hard, but while I don't want to focus on it, I am willing to talk about my failings in the context that, in the end, they made me stronger, allowed me to know myself much better, my limits, etc., and they taught me a lot as well.  If the past was just left there, it would truly be a defeat.  But, on the other hand, if I use the past as lessoned learned, hard as they were, so that I and the team can avoid similar mistakes going forward, well, then there's at least something positive about it all.

Knytta

A Good read.

Brenics

Did I miss something? Was that the whole interview or do I need to register to read more of it? Because I do not see anything but him blaming M$ and and why Vanguard failed. Nothing about SWG and how he killed that game. The guy had one game that was great and most people would look at that and say he got lucky. After all it was brand new to people and people tend to fall in love with their first time and the rest after is just blah.

I do hope he finds that success with Pantheon, yet I wouldn't trust him with my money. The odds are against him to pull off another winner in that game.

Wizardry

I do have a problem and yes i like Brad and feel he is good at many things from a game designer perspective.

I feel he either doesn't grasp the plausible realism aspect or doesn't commit to it because it is too costly.

I like him grew up amazed my Ultima series but unlike him ,i expect the industry to advance and use the newer tools they are given and to not live on those past ideas ..UNLESS they are good ideas.

I can touch on a few things that lead me to believe he doesn't learn from his past.Mob aggro,he used the same idea of proximity aggro in all games all mobs.You have no idea how much it bothers me seeing that same aggro on every single mob,take a page out of FFXI and learn something about the BEST aggro system in gaming period.

Combat/fights:He tends to stay with that same multiple fight formula,like 5/10 mobs all rushing in and even so bad to aggro through walls.There are so many things wrong with that design but he either refuses to understand it or doesn't afford the extra effort to make it better.

Spike damage and timers:Yet again he stays true to those past formulas and they are imo bad.Yes again i point to FFXI and how timers and spike damage should be done or improve on that and make it better.

XP:You should NOT get xp for doing quests,it doesn't even make logical sense.You ever do something for someone in real life and get experience as a reward,of course not it is a dumb idea.There are a LOT of ideas that can tie into questing,it is just easier simpler to make a menu system that ties the same two ideas into every quest,it is LAZY game design.

The very positive??He has yet to show me the stupid goofy ideas i see other games using like somersaults,and do some spinning 360 move to auto heal your entire group or any other goofy idea like that.He also doesn't do any of those goofy jump puzzle maps.So he keeps a level head when comes to dumb ideas.

Collections is a nice touch to games,i like that ,hope we see more of that.

Summary?I do seriously wish this game and Brad the best of luck,i hope he has learned what not to repeat from his past games.Give me anything,any genre at all with the depth that FFXI had or in case of those that fell in love with SWG,sure i am game for that as well.Just don't repeat another EQ/EQ2/Vanguard,they were good for their time but not anymore.

goboygo

A good number of these responses are normal and for lack of a better word, human.  There are also some rants in here from some deeply inverted and dare I say damaged people.  Time to take a step back from gaming and re-evaluate whats important and what drove us to games in the first place.

user547

Brad McQuaid killed SWG?  As far as the Microsoft funding and change in management, that's a verifiable fact.  It's not really arguable. 

Charlie.Cheswick

It's pretty odd how many negative preconceived notions there are about what this game will become. There are even more aimed at Mr. McQuaid. This is a person who has accomplished more at his lowest point than most at their peak.

I support this game. Not with money... yet, but with hopes & dreams. And the tears of forum posters who perceive this game to be a three headed goat who eats children in their sleep.

Well, let me sayeth unto you, this goat shall rise to it's hind legs, brothers & sisters, and dance the jig of kings with it's cloven hooves trampling your dead bodies into puddles of grey gooey goodness.

This, I command!

delete5230

Charlie.Cheswick said:

It's pretty odd how many negative preconceived notions there are about what this game will become. There are even more aimed at Mr. McQuaid. This is a person who has accomplished more at his lowest point than most at their peak.

I support this game. Not with money... yet, but with hopes & dreams. And the tears of forum posters who perceive this game to be a three headed goat who eats children in their sleep.

Well, let me sayeth unto you, this goat shall rise to it's hind legs, brothers & sisters, and dance the jig of kings with it's cloven hooves trampling your dead bodies into puddles of grey gooey goodness.

This, I command!

+1 on this,

I'll be walking into this game with no preconceived notions other than It will be a group based game with some solo and best of all seamless and no cash shops. This is my requirement's. I'm not sure about dungeon finders and cross realm play, I hate them too, lets hope for none of this if were to have a virtual world to live in.. 

It's up to Brad and his team to set the agro radius, mob reactions, and players abilities.  Speaking of players abilities, I'm hoping they will be deep and intricate like all other SOE mmos, where you can pick and choose what's on your action bar instead of five like all cross platform games.  And if some are worthless I look forward to disregarding them ( could be part of the experience).

Come time for pre-release, I'm sure will have many bugs.  I for one plan on ignoring them, if the game shows potential OVERALL !............Many will use this as ammo to ridicule. I foresee much of that given the hide behind internet and Haters.  Could you imagine how people would clam up if we were all in a real life room   

Do you think players could look at the OVERALL potential of this game. Good or Bad but ignore early stage bugs ?

I'll invest, but will wait until after first round.

Burntvet

If this game actually "launches", it might be worth some money or hype.

Until then, it is just another "crowdfunded" MMO that might not ever see the light of day, unless it finds a major investor.

The "company" behind this game has never released anything and does not have the funding to take this title to completion.

And "potential" is worth exactly nothing.

So, when there is a released game, and it is good, then talk to me.

Distopia

Brenics said:

Did I miss something? Was that the whole interview or do I need to register to read more of it? Because I do not see anything but him blaming M$ and and why Vanguard failed. Nothing about SWG and how he killed that game. The guy had one game that was great and most people would look at that and say he got lucky. After all it was brand new to people and people tend to fall in love with their first time and the rest after is just blah.

I do hope he finds that success with Pantheon, yet I wouldn't trust him with my money. The odds are against him to pull off another winner in that game.

There's a very good reason they made no mention of SWG, I'll let you figure out what the reason is..

fodell54

Aradune said:

Zandil said:

Yeah despite what you think about him, it must be extremely hard to talk publicly about your failures and faults from the past.  

Thanks Zandil.  Yeah, it is hard, but while I don't want to focus on it, I am willing to talk about my failings in the context that, in the end, they made me stronger, allowed me to know myself much better, my limits, etc., and they taught me a lot as well.  If the past was just left there, it would truly be a defeat.  But, on the other hand, if I use the past as lessoned learned, hard as they were, so that I and the team can avoid similar mistakes going forward, well, then there's at least something positive about it all.

Holy run on sentences Bat Man. I mean come on. Say that first sentence with all the pauses in one breath. WOW!  Honestly, I really did love Vanguard as a concept but the horrible coding made it a horrible game. You can talk about your past experiences making you stronger all you want but you still pocketed a portion of money from Kickstarter to "pay" yourself.  Like the saying goes, "If it smells like shit it's usually shit."

Also, you're supposed to be a professional and come here typing sentences like a fourth grader and I think that I maybe be a bit generous in the grade level. Seriously, if you want to be looked at in a different light then project yourself in a different light. All I'm seeing is Brad doing his same old song and dance.

Charlie.Cheswick

Thebeasttt

Using my best judgement I simply cannot be optimistic about: the engine, the team or the game itself. That said I wish them the best of luck with attempting Pantheon.

If they somehow manage to pull off legit EQ1 immersion they'll have my sub for life. Or at least until he sells out for the 3rd time

Brenics

user547 said:

Brad McQuaid killed SWG?  As far as the Microsoft funding and change in management, that's a verifiable fact.  It's not really arguable. 

He was involved yes, "Visionary Realms, Inc. was founded by Brad McQuaid and an elite group of experienced MMO developers. We've worked on EverQuest (original game and just about every expansion), EverQuest 2 (original game and just about every expansion), Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, EverQuest Next, Free Realms, Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Myst 3: Exile, and more."

Also I found this a good read.


http://www.thegrouchygamer.com/?p=39

Does this sound familiar?

"As a fansite operator, I can testify that Brad wasn’t around for us either. As a matter of fact, Brad never showed support for the affiliate program. Whether you believe that the Affiliate Program was a good idea or not, the CEO of the company should probably support it. When we challenged Brad on his record of (lack of) support for the program, he let us know that he thought it was better spending his time posting on sites like FOH and MMORPG.COM, to evangelize the program. Evidently that took a lot of time, or it just wasn’t possible to cut into his Hero-Clix schedule."

Just can't trust him with anyone's money IMHO!

delete5230

Brenics said:

user547 said:

Brad McQuaid killed SWG?  As far as the Microsoft funding and change in management, that's a verifiable fact.  It's not really arguable. 

He was involved yes, "Visionary Realms, Inc. was founded by Brad McQuaid and an elite group of experienced MMO developers. We've worked on EverQuest (original game and just about every expansion), EverQuest 2 (original game and just about every expansion), Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, EverQuest Next, Free Realms, Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Myst 3: Exile, and more."

Also I found this a good read.


http://www.thegrouchygamer.com/?p=39

Does this sound familiar?

"As a fansite operator, I can testify that Brad wasn’t around for us either. As a matter of fact, Brad never showed support for the affiliate program. Whether you believe that the Affiliate Program was a good idea or not, the CEO of the company should probably support it. When we challenged Brad on his record of (lack of) support for the program, he let us know that he thought it was better spending his time posting on sites like FOH and MMORPG.COM, to evangelize the program. Evidently that took a lot of time, or it just wasn’t possible to cut into his Hero-Clix schedule."

Just can't trust him with anyone's money IMHO!

So Brenics,

What your saying, you took it upon YOURSELF to my a fan web site, and your mad because Brad didn't give you personal attention ?

Well, maybe it wasn't that good

SavageHorizon

Wizardry said:

I do have a problem and yes i like Brad and feel he is good at many things from a game designer perspective.

I feel he either doesn't grasp the plausible realism aspect or doesn't commit to it because it is too costly.

I like him grew up amazed my Ultima series but unlike him ,i expect the industry to advance and use the newer tools they are given and to not live on those past ideas ..UNLESS they are good ideas.

I can touch on a few things that lead me to believe he doesn't learn from his past.Mob aggro,he used the same idea of proximity aggro in all games all mobs.You have no idea how much it bothers me seeing that same aggro on every single mob,take a page out of FFXI and learn something about the BEST aggro system in gaming period.

Combat/fights:He tends to stay with that same multiple fight formula,like 5/10 mobs all rushing in and even so bad to aggro through walls.There are so many things wrong with that design but he either refuses to understand it or doesn't afford the extra effort to make it better.

Spike damage and timers:Yet again he stays true to those past formulas and they are imo bad.Yes again i point to FFXI and how timers and spike damage should be done or improve on that and make it better.

XP:You should NOT get xp for doing quests,it doesn't even make logical sense.You ever do something for someone in real life and get experience as a reward,of course not it is a dumb idea.There are a LOT of ideas that can tie into questing,it is just easier simpler to make a menu system that ties the same two ideas into every quest,it is LAZY game design.

The very positive??He has yet to show me the stupid goofy ideas i see other games using like somersaults,and do some spinning 360 move to auto heal your entire group or any other goofy idea like that.He also doesn't do any of those goofy jump puzzle maps.So he keeps a level head when comes to dumb ideas.

Collections is a nice touch to games,i like that ,hope we see more of that.

Summary?I do seriously wish this game and Brad the best of luck,i hope he has learned what not to repeat from his past games.Give me anything,any genre at all with the depth that FFXI had or in case of those that fell in love with SWG,sure i am game for that as well.Just don't repeat another EQ/EQ2/Vanguard,they were good for their time but not anymore.

At least you wont be playing the game which is a good thing IMO. Guess that's why it's a niche game for those of us who like everything you hate lol.

As for ffxi beinging the best combat system,  oh wait I forgot the 'period' part which implies that you have said it and that's final lmfao.

Delusional nut who has nerver made an mmo but thinks his way is the right way, don't make me laugh.

Dullahan

Aggro system in EQ was the best in any game I've ever played. The idea that each mob is a member of a certain faction, and using that as the basis of 'who helps who' is something thats been overlooked entirely in modern games. Nothing makes me laugh more than watching an "encounter" of mobs path around in front of other mobs bearing the same names and, supposedly, allegiance, and them doing absolutely nothing to help their fellows avoid their demise.

SavageHorizon

Lol I agree with the above, a mob stands around while his mate or one of his faction is getting beaten to a pulp less than a metre away.

Brenics

delete5230 said:

Brenics said:

user547 said:

Brad McQuaid killed SWG?  As far as the Microsoft funding and change in management, that's a verifiable fact.  It's not really arguable. 

He was involved yes, "Visionary Realms, Inc. was founded by Brad McQuaid and an elite group of experienced MMO developers. We've worked on EverQuest (original game and just about every expansion), EverQuest 2 (original game and just about every expansion), Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, EverQuest Next, Free Realms, Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Myst 3: Exile, and more."

Also I found this a good read.


http://www.thegrouchygamer.com/?p=39

Does this sound familiar?

"As a fansite operator, I can testify that Brad wasn’t around for us either. As a matter of fact, Brad never showed support for the affiliate program. Whether you believe that the Affiliate Program was a good idea or not, the CEO of the company should probably support it. When we challenged Brad on his record of (lack of) support for the program, he let us know that he thought it was better spending his time posting on sites like FOH and MMORPG.COM, to evangelize the program. Evidently that took a lot of time, or it just wasn’t possible to cut into his Hero-Clix schedule."

Just can't trust him with anyone's money IMHO!

So Brenics,

What your saying, you took it upon YOURSELF to my a fan web site, and your mad because Brad didn't give you personal attention ?

Well, maybe it wasn't that good

LOL that made no sense. :-D

Thebeasttt

Brenics said:

delete5230 said:

So Brenics,

What your saying, you took it upon YOURSELF to my a fan web site, and your mad because Brad didn't give you personal attention ?

Well, maybe it wasn't that good

LOL that made no sense. :-D

The sad part is that's the edited version....

ceratop001

I’m as bored as a midget in a theme park.

Brenics

Thebeasttt said:

Brenics said:

delete5230 said:

So Brenics,

What your saying, you took it upon YOURSELF to my a fan web site, and your mad because Brad didn't give you personal attention ?

Well, maybe it wasn't that good

LOL that made no sense. :-D

The sad part is that's the edited version....

LOL again that makes no sense. Seems like you edit a lot. :awesome: