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Legends of Aryiure & a brief summary of Role Playing in MMOs.
ozmono
Member UncommonPosts: 1,211
Legends of Aryiure & a brief summary of Role Playing in MMOs.
Currently there are still lots of roleplayers roleplaying in various MMOs but they only make up a minority within any one game. So in other words there are pockets of roleplayers in various MMOs. Some MMO's have dedicated roleplaying servers but those games still aren't built to cater for roleplayers and most of the dedicated servers don't even have GMs to make sure people who come to the server roleplay.
The problem with roleplaying in todays MMO's is the immersion (key to roleplaying) is often broken by those not roleplaying. There are lots of Muds that have been designed for roleplayers and don't suffer from this problem as they have GMs to enforce roleplaying but not really any 3d MMO's. There has been a 3d MMORPG named Adellion that has been under development for over ten years that was designed for roleplayers and was going to have GMs enforce it but due to several engine changes and a volunteer staff has yet to see the light of day and progress has recently halted.
It's not all bad news for Roleplayers though, a game based on the Adellion lore and being developed by some of the same people involved in Adellion has just recently been announced. It's name is Legends Of Aryiure. I know this because I have been involved in a minor role with Adellion and am now involved in another minor role with Legends Of Aryiure but I am a volunteer so I have no financial interest in either of the projects. Anyway if you are interested in a 3d MMO that actually requires roleplaying check out Legends Of Aryiure and join us on our new forums. Make sure to register on the forums to see the member forums and to be among some of the first in our community.
Comments
Sounds interesting. But could you convince me that they arent just going to drop Legends of Aryiure like they did Adellion after ten years?
I'm not sure I can. What I can tell you though is that they have reduced the scope and ambition of LoA from Adellion in some regards, so that it should be easier to make, they have some game assets that can still be used from Adellion and that some of the people involved are very dedicated hence their unwillingness to just stand idly by while Adellions fate came to a stand still.
Foomerang,
Your question is a good one and I don't think any of us can read the future. Many (probably most) indie games never make it to release for a variety of reasons. Adellion had its own problems, many of them unique, many similar to what other independent companies go through. I would guess that only a small fraction of games, even those announced by large wealthy gaming companies make it to release. For the large companies, it is usually because they discover that the profit margin they were hoping to make isn't there anymore..too much competition, shareholders want more, market is too small, etc. Smaller indies have their problems as well, usually funding, but also staff members who have to get second jobs or lose their primary job, among other personal issues.
Adellion is on hiatus, not officially failed yet. However, there are some very real reasons why after 10 years, you do not see a game. You may recognize my name. I was/am the Lore Lead on Adellion and as frustrated as the rest of you that all our amazing work is sitting somewhere unused. I am the one who decided to see what we could do about using all this finished artwork and lore to make something new. The new game is not going to be as sweeping as Adellion. One of our major problems with Adellion was the huge terrain. Yes, with millions of dollars we may have been able to create an engine that could handle a huge terrain, one with advanced rendering that would allow you to actually play this game with a huge terrain on your computer, but at this time and with our budget, that could not happen. Adellion suffered from 'feature creep', a very dangerous condition for small independent games. It should have been pared down many years ago but when you have a team whose heart and soul are in a game, taking out one precious feature would be like cutting off an ear or a finger..or for some folks, cutting out what made Adellion special.
So after some time of mourning, a few of us decided to pull something from the ashes. We have a new engine, one that is completed but needs to be coded for our game features. We have team members that have learned to be pragmatic and realistic, rather than idealistic, for the most part at least.
I now can be open with the players, let them know what is happening in a way I could not do when I was just a Lore Designer Lead. The people on the team for Legends of Aryiure are not the exact team Adellion had..and its a better team now. We have people who are creating a game because they want a place to play...true role players rather than 'money motivated'. The design is more focused, more player driven, and less 'trying to be all things to all people.' Many team members sacrificed to build Adellion and Legends of Aryiure is a chance to make all their sacrifice worthwhile so they are very motivated to do this.
Will we suceed? I think we will have something and I don't think it will take us that long. Our terrain is in the game, one of the major Adellion hurdles. We have plenty of artwork, another hurdle. The new game engine is coded differently, which is helping us to program more efficiently. We do have our weak spots but we also have some ideas on how to handle this. We have learned from our mistakes...we have learned to be careful about who we hire and to carefully monitor progress. We have learned to set milestones and work as a team to meet them. We have learned how to commicate more effectively, not only with the team but with the fans. A team that has learned, admits it and makes changes is probably more likely to suceed than one who is just starting out and still has mistakes to make...not that we won't make any at all, of course.
But there are no guarantees. I do know that we need you and other fans to make this work. I just learned in the past few days that I need people whose views are different than mine to help me design this game. I need people on the forums who can discuss ideas with me, tell me what they want, how they would like to see something implemented. Now, this does not mean we will add new features but it does mean we can make sure that the various needs of role players are met...or at least try to meet them for the most people.
So..join us to help make a good game. If your goal is to only play, then wait until we get to beta testing. But if you want to add some input in how to make something better, then go to our forums, register and talk to us. As a fan, you do not have to sign an NDA..at least not unless you want to alpha test.
Your input is valuable and more importantly, we build a community, which is probably the most important aspect of any role playing environment.
Of course...we may fail. So if that scares you then wait. I am confident that we will have something and I don't think it will take even 5 years, to be honest.
But you can help me...partially by keeping me motivated!!
Teila
Project Leader
Legends of Aryiure
It is actually really inspiring and totally awesome to see indie developers say what's been said here. Basically, it's "We have seen the pitfalls. We have learned from history. We will make sure we keep the scope and goals achievable." That's rare to see.
More often than not, we have seen people get up on a pedestal and, in a long-winded ramble of self-righteous arrogance and self-sacrificing martyrdom, promise that they will deliver a feature list of everything that the money-grubbing AAA devs/publishers are unable to create because they are either uninspired non-gamers with their hands tied by moustache-twirling bean-counting cold-hearted investors or maybe they're too lazy to do it... or too afraid to do it... or whatever the latest disparaging remark is to discredit and villainize fellow gamers-turned-developers who are working thier asses off to make fun games for people. Yes, I noticed Teila drifted there momentarily but a) it isn't the post's focus and b) I was more just trying to see how many lines I could drag that sentence out for. Anyway...
"We have team members that have learned to be pragmatic and realistic, rather than idealistic, for the most part at least."
"I need people whose views are different than mine to help me design this game."
As a gamer that is intersted in this project, these are great comments to read. They are reassuring and indicate that this is a team that has a chance to deliver what they plan to create.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Thank you, Loktofeit.
I would like to print out your words, frame them, and hang them above my desk to help me to remember when times get tough..and I know they will get tough.
I hope you will consider joining our forums.
Teila
I think I heard of these developers. They seem like nice people. I'll go check out their site.
I will definitely keep an eye on you guys. Ive always been an advocate of indie development in any media. If you need any original music let me know, id be willing to help out if its a good fit.
Thank you.
We have a very capable person handling our music at the moment but he might appreciate some assistance as I know he has been working very hard lately. I'll ask him and Teila about it and get back to you via a private message.