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Paul Sams on Blizzards new MMO
SonofSeth
Member UncommonPosts: 1,884
From the interview with Wired:
"Wired.com: To address your point about as long as other people are interested in WoW — are you concerned Blizzard’s other MMO will cannabalize WoW’s players? Because if there the interest is still there, it would seem counter-intuitive to launch something…
Sams: That’s assuming that it’s the exact same type of thing.
Wired.com: Then what about financially, to ask people to pay for two subscriptions, if you go that route?
Sams: Yeah, I can’t comment against the game, the level of detail, the business model or any of that stuff. But what I could tell you is that we’re intending to create a game experience that is unlike anything that has ever been done before. Something that I think takes things far beyond what anyone has imagined and certainly anything anyone has executed. I think a lot of people love this product, WoW, and anticipate that they’ll continue to love it and continue to want to play it. When you think about another MMO, if you look at it and say, “Well, you have this game and it’s this amount of money, and you have this game and it’s this amount of money and you have this amount of time, how do those co-exist?” My feeling is, on the business side, there’s always a way to make things co-exist because you know you start looking at, “I want you to be in the Blizzard universe of games.” So you can look at it from the perspective of, “Oh maybe there are different programs where you can have access to all of the things or a certain amount of things.” You just don’t know, and we don’t either.
These are brainstorming types of conversations because we anticipate the question, and we’re concerned about it. Is it going to cannibalize or not? And the good news is, I think the game is going to be significantly differentiated enough. Such that, you’re not going to feel like they’re one in the same resulting in that you have to pick or choose. My feeling is that they’re distinct enough to where you’re going to say, “Okay, I have all my friends over here. I dig this, I have a lot of time and energy in this, I’ve got these characters and my guild, and this that and the other.” So I have connectivity there, and I want to continue that connectivity. But man, I think, “Well, this is awesome, and I want to go check this out too.”
And so maybe they’ll split a little over time, or maybe they’ll decide they don’t want to play WoW anymore, and they’ll go and play this other thing. That’s a high-class problem to have. As long as those folks are hanging out with us, which I believe they will be because we’re going to keep providing the best experience you can have. So, while there could be other games out there, if the bad thing that happens to us is that they leave WoW and go to this other thing of Blizzard’s, then we’ll work through that pain. (smiles)"
You can find the whole interview here: Wired.com
I like the sound of that, a lot! I love WoW and played the crap out of it, but when I think about moving to another MMO all I keep thinking about is how diferent I want it to be from WoW. Now let's just hope it's not just marketing speak and there is more to it than delusions of grandeour.
Comments
and yet people will still call it a WoW clone...
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
Hopefully they can really achieve what they say, because its quite a tall order, to be able to deliver something that we've never see before in mmo....
The interviewer should ask roughly when the news will be out...
RIP Orc Choppa
Translation:
Leaving one Blizzard game to go to another Blizzard game is fine with us! We still get the sub fee either way!
Leaving a Blizzard game to go to another developers game is bad. We lose the moneys.
...and if it sells another few million, people will still call it a fluke OR just amazing timing since no "good" MMOs are around=) PLace your bets.
Heh heh.
Say, wouldn't it be really really funny if Blizzard produced an MMO that was totally unlike WoW in every way - so much so that when people (so called professionals et al.) saw it they said things like "But that's not like WoW at all so people will hate it and it will fail!"
Only it didn't fail because Blizzard actually catered to the people who don't play WoW (something other developers should really have picked up on).
And it went on to sell Millions of copies!
:-D
Then what would everyone do?
Probably try to clone THAT I suppose?!
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
What he is talking about here is the planned changes to battle.net.
The plan going forward is that community won't be game centric. They are trying to move the community to be Blizzard centric. All of the in-game communication channels, friend lists, etc will become a function of battle.net and not a separate function within each game. So in the future you will be able to leave one Blizzard game for another but not have to leave your community/guild/clan behind. These changes will be incorporated into WoW by Cataclysm and maybe even before then.
It is also why StarCraft II has been delayed. StarCraft II is basically done but battle.net is getting a revamp for this new paradigm.
You have got to be kidding? O_O
Okay my prediction:
The community will HATE this.
What he misses is "friend lists, etc" where the "etc" stands for ignore lists and enemies.
This will breed Meta Gaming. Want to create real rifts in your community? Your player 'reputation' will follow you everywhere. Sounds good in theory - but Blizzard do know how many gamers are assholes? Right?
My prediction is that Blizzard will realize this is a terrible mistake about a month after they get it up and running and dump it like the leper it is.
I could be 100% wrong - but we'll see.
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Strangely enough I have more faith in Blizzard creating something unlike WoW than in any other company doing it. For the simple reason that they don't need to make a WoW rip-off because they already have the original. I suspect it still won't be something I would want to play but you never know.
Blizzard prided themselves on not inventing but evolving the MMOs. They took things and made them better rather than developing new mechanics from scratch. I have a hard time seeing them move away from something that worked so well for them
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
It's been a while since Blizzard has created something new. No matter what you think of them they almost always make quality stuff, I'm looking forward to it. However, going by their MO it will be 2015 by the time it comes out.
I lol'd.
What would surprise me is if he said,
"We're going to make exactly what we've already got out there and reap short term profits from the box sale".
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
You have got to be kidding? O_O
Okay my prediction:
The community will HATE this.
What he misses is "friend lists, etc" where the "etc" stands for ignore lists and enemies.
This will breed Meta Gaming. Want to create real rifts in your community? Your player 'reputation' will follow you everywhere. Sounds good in theory - but Blizzard do know how many gamers are assholes? Right?
My prediction is that Blizzard will realize this is a terrible mistake about a month after they get it up and running and dump it like the leper it is.
I could be 100% wrong - but we'll see.
He's right. the interviewee just about said the exact same thing. It's what I was going to write beffore vestige wrote it.
Blizzard will have a sort of "station pass" for their games. And the communities will be different but separate. So that you will be playing one game but can open up your WoW friends list and pm your friend. Or open up your wow guild tab while you are playing the other game and still talk with them. Maybe even built in vent for one game while you play another.
As far as reputations, that was an interesting take on it. So good, your reputation follows you. Like the real world. Most likely players will be able to choose to speak with another player.
So if player Sovrath in one game is an asshole and he wants to make a clean break he will just name his avatar Doodley Pie Baker in another game and just ignore pm's from people who want their gear back.
shut that tab off entirely. It's not rocket science and people can have their anonymity if they'd like.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Blizzard is a fine game company. they do great work. I think because they do great work, but work that is focused in one way that players tend to get a little demanding. give them an inch and they will take a mile.
WoW is a very polished game. It's so surprising for me to look at other games and see how polished and well put together it is. Yes, it is a theme park game but some people like theme parks. It's like saying this guy likes hard rock but this guy likes the blues. They are different music genres so it's more than feasible that they can coexist. And some people like both.
I know there are players who prefer the vanilla wow but it seems to me that most game comapnies, while pushing their games forward, tend to go places that vets don't like.
DAoC has the same thing, Lineage 2, same thing, CoX same thing, UO same thing, LOTRO same thing, etc.
I always see some game being talked about where people say "it was good up to the x expansion/update".
It looks to me that that is a part of game design. Some people you are going to take with you and some you are going to leave behind. I don't know if it has to be that way but it certainly seems that if the developers want to change it up a bit that invariably someone is pissed.
I think Blizzard will pull of a very good product. Whether or not people flock to it the same way they did to WoW, only time will tell.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Pretty bold statements there as far as the "never been done before and executed" part. I like the battle.net 2.0 features going across each game. My guild and friends seem to think it's an awesome idea too. You can easily keep up with friends and keep the dbags and scrubs out your way from game to game. This will be the most anticipated announcement of all time in MMO land for sure, actually through out all of PC gaming. I hope they can deliver.
Hopefully Activision doesn't have too much say in their decisions, it seems ever since that filthy company became apart of Blizzard, they've hit a slope in keeping people happy.
If you were even thinking about the CU&NGE I will shit on your lawn.
Awesomeness
"Nerf Rock, Paper is fine. Regards, Scissors."
Could be good news. Maybe they will try and make a "grown-up" MMO.
If people can shut off their tabs and NOT be identified game to game then it will work.
But, to use your example, if I can see that Doodley Pie Baker is the same player as Sovrath (whom I hate and have a grudge against in another game) then the system will fail. Meta gaming isn't pretty. Particularly if (when!) Guilds get involved.
As for the bit about "...your reputation follows you. Like the real world."
But this isn't the real world is it?
Why do people play MMOs? For many it's the escapism. That might be why there are so many assholes on line?
They exibit behaviour they would not get away with IRL?
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Oh, I don't for one second believe that hype about it being unlike anything that's been done before. But I do tend to believe the part about it being different from WoW (or maybe that's just wishfull thinking on my part). Being different from WoW doesn't mean they have to invent anything new.
If you were even thinking about the CU&NGE I will shit on your lawn.
lol.. oh my.... er of course not!
Actually in truth no I wasn't I was thinking of the games I mentioned. SwG didn't even enter into my mind. There is a difference in applying a slighly different course for a game and changing the game completely.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
If people can shut off their tabs and NOT be identified game to game then it will work.
But, to use your example, if I can see that Doodley Pie Baker is the same player as Sovrath (whom I hate and have a grudge against in another game) then the system will fail. Meta gaming isn't pretty. Particularly if (when!) Guilds get involved.
As for the bit about "...your reputation follows you. Like the real world."
But this isn't the real world is it?
Why do people play MMOs? For many it's the escapism. That might be why there are so many assholes on line?
They exibit behaviour they would not get away with IRL?
Oh I think it's more than feasible that you will be able to maintain your anonymity. It's probably one of the first things that game makers think about as there are all sorts of issues that arise when dealing with all sorts of people.
No, I think he is stating that people who WANT to be found,, who want to chat with friends and guildies can easily and without so much as a thought start talking with them. It would also make for cross-gaming easier. So your guild wants to play both games? No worries you can still chat and have a good time and have part of your guild in one game on one day and part in another.
easy peazy lemon squeezy.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
lol I think the people against the idea of asshole tracking....
dum dum duuuuum...!
are the arseholes we will track. invariably so, the most offended by any filtering system are those filtered.
Playing polished, lag free, feature complete games is carebear. Whining about a game you hate but still play is hardcore man!
You can speculate all you want, the earliest they will announce this game is the next blizzcon a year from now if then. You are probably looking at a release 3 years after that. So 2013, 2014? Something that far out is not even worth considering. Remember we have all these nutcases running around saying the world is going to end in 2012.
Blizzard won't allow such an alteration to their release schedule..
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
HEY HEY .. HEY
2012 has been fortold by mayans etc,
Retired From: L2, SWG, RFO, WoW, War, Aion
Waiting For: Tera, Blade & Soul, Huxley, SWTOR,
HEY HEY .. HEY
2012 has been fortold by mayans etc,
blizzard > any mayan calander could ever be
funny thing is, if it did all come true, 2012 is about the time the emerald dream will be released, funny to think of all the wow players going into the past perfect world without the destruction caused by humans...as the human world destructs around them (ofc totaly obliviously)
Playing polished, lag free, feature complete games is carebear. Whining about a game you hate but still play is hardcore man!