Pathfinder Online: The Way Ahead - Robert Lashley at MMORPG.com

SBFord · March 2017

Pathfinder Online: The Way Ahead - Robert Lashley at MMORPG.com

This weekend Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens sent out a letter to the Pathfinder Online community to explain the road forward. Rob chimes in with his thoughts on the topic.

Read the full story here

Xav_MMO · March 2017

It does make me wonder though if they have considered beyond release. If it is in such a state that they are barely getting it out the door, what does it say for once it "officially" goes live? There will be ongoing costs for infrastructure, salaries, etc. If they already know in advance that it will be a niche market, that usually doesn't bode well for future earnings.

So my concern is that maybe it does finally make it out the door ... and then die within a year when the plug gets pulled.

Seelinnikoi · March 2017

Niche market, with niche profits.

Not worth it, sell the assets and move on.

Anyone keeping this going on, is financially blind.

blackthornn · March 2017

Pathfinder, the spiritual successor of DND 3.5. a pve focused game promoting teamwork and adventure. I shake my head every time I see PvP as a highlight of PFO.

Slapshot1188 · March 2017

That which is Dead can never Die...

Slapshot1188 · March 2017

Also, I love the part where she says she has a marketing plan to bring in tens of thousands of players. I mean... WTF? If they had tens of thousands of players then they never would have failed in the first place. I am not exaggerating when I say that the game needs to be gutted and rebuilt from scratch. Even ignoring the game mechanics themselves, the engine is utterly unsuitable for this game. Just look at this clip of combat...

Also don't forget that this is a time based leveling system. That is what keeps these loyalists paying. It's the hope that someday new players will arrive and be 3 years behind the leveling curve with no way to ever catch up. Unless this relaunch is coupled with a full wipe it's pointless.

Theocritus · March 2017

That looks 15 years old already...Also I thought this folded a year or two ago?

SomethingUnusual · March 2017

I like Pathfinder... It's been a good IP and excellent use of the d20 system in the table top realm. I'd like to see this title polished up in the digital genre. Just have to wait and see.

I will remain skeptic though. While on paper and in practice on a kitchen table it's rockin', doesn't mean the concept translates well. I'm afraid this is basically another Darkfall-esque game from what I've read. I'm not sure it works or sells in today's market other than a few fans and loyalists.

Lobotomist · March 2017

blackthornn said:

Pathfinder, the spiritual successor of DND 3.5. a pve focused game promoting teamwork and adventure. I shake my head every time I see PvP as a highlight of PFO.

It has as much to do with Pathfinder as EvE has with Star Trek

anonentity · March 2017

Why they bothered with an MMO in the first place? Pathfinder and DnD are NOT a good fit for mmo mechanics. THey could have looked at DnD Online to see that. Yes its still going but they had to play fast and loose with the game mechanics.

Why they didn't think outside the box and make a top notch tabletop emulator for Pathfinder I will never know? Let people play with others across the globe, make their own adventures, run their own campaigns.

As for monitizations, sell adventures, outfits, monster models, dungeon models, all the things people would buy to use in making their own or just getting together and playing with friends.

This just seems a waste and they are shoveling good money after bad.

Ridrith · March 2017

Pathfinder came out swinging with an MMO and in the process tripped, rolled down a hill, found a flight of stairs at the end of that hill, proceeded to fall down those stairs and eventually broke their necks at the bottom of said stairs. Now they're dragging themselves forward and hoping to god that a cleric comes by to heal them.

This is a failed project and nothing is going to change that. It's Pathfinder - The first time some idiot came to them and brought up the idea of creating an MMO based around PVP and territory control somebody should have casually kneeled down in front of them and gave them a nut-tap. "NO. THAT IS DUMB. YOU ARE DUMB. YOU ARE ALSO FIRED."

Pathfinder and all tabletop games are about the STORY being told. The party of characters and the events going on in the world around them. There's never been a single time in my life where I've thought while playing a tabletop game: "Man, it would be so much more fun if we're all just running around and doing PvP. What a great game to roll some dice." How utterly boring. Crowfall is coming out guys. Camelot Unchained. Call it. Kill it. Gut it. Restart and make a CRPG or something, that's where it all started for D&D. They have a lot of great single player/multiplayer experiences. Some of the best.

danwest58 · March 2017

I have to agree with a lot said here. Pathfinder and D&D are great table top games, even single/multiplayer co-op games. They do not make good MMORPGs at all. Honestly I also agree that more MMORPGs need to shut down. Some of the new crowdfunded games will get off the ground sooner than PFO, like Pantheon, Ashes, and SOTA.

blackthornn · March 2017

Lol sold my Pathfinder books when I picked up 5E.

lahnmir · March 2017

Subbed immediately, not even kidding. After having read so much about it I needed to experience it first hand. Went to the homepage, found out the game was free and you only needed a sub so that's what I got asap.

Installed, updated, logged in. Changed my resolution and the game crashed, I actually needed to reboot. Logged in again, changed the graphics quality, game crashed again while restarting messed things up even further. So far I have not been disappointed! Will update if/when I get in the actual game, character creation so far is beyond limited though....

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Rommie10-284 · March 2017

I think a fair translation is: We're going to string this along for a few more months, collect as much $$$ as we can, spend as little as we can, and then call it a day.

Subject to change, of course, if we get a sniff of an offer for a better deal (licensing, buyout, whatever).

Crowfall alone should mean the end, those are the players PO won't get.

Elthium · March 2017

Rob, I also made the mistake of backing this game. Played it over a weekend before I uninstalled.

I really can't think of any redeeming features for this game and no amount of polish is going to make it better.

Read the above list and personally think that their top priority would be to fix combat. It makes the combat in Wild Terra and Project Gorgon look fast and furious by comparison (unless it has been fixed).

MightyUnclean · March 2017

The turd that just wouldn't flush. Man, break it up with someone's toothbrush already.

This game makes Shroud of the Avatar look like quality work.

Wizardry · March 2017

I have no idea how Rob backed the original idea because it was known the budget was too small but Lisa wanted it done anyhow.It was doomed to fail no matter what.

That was a long list "roadmap" i can't read it all because game development is such a huge massive undertaking.I have to actually walk through a game and see with my eyes what is going on,i cannot remember 200 lines of dialogue telling me what the game is going or going to be doing.

In reality,marketing has been awful right across the gaming genre,i seriously cannot believe that NOBODY or anyone has not done videos explaining and showing what the games are all about.It is like the Marketing effort and people behind it have no clue about good gaming,so they don't know what to talk about

So if this game has any hopes and prayers of achieving anything,it had better make a couple videos fully explaining and taking us through the ropes of combat because that is an important area.
If there is nice discovery ideas,let it be known,if there is a great crafting system,explain WHY it is good.
Bottom line is this game has such a little chance that not even 50 million would accomplish anything.You need a distinct direction and a distinct selling point,your IP NAME alone will not cut it.

Loke666 · March 2017

"Make enemies attack all nearby characters, not just those in a party". WTF?

This must be the strangest thing I ever heard implemented in a MMO, not the fix but the current situation. And it can't be a bug since it actually is harder to code then having the mobs only attacking everyone.

I don't really see why Lisa put Paizos money into this instead of doing something she actually is good at, like P&P RPGs. For instance could the same money be used to creating another P&P gaming system (maybe something sci-fi?) which is far cheaper to make then a MMO.

As for PFO I think she is in over her head, if she can't find anyone taking over she might as well cancel the game but allow the fans to run private servers.

Goblinworks were always severely underfunded for a MMO and the game they made seems more like it tries to be a new Darkfall instead of a MMO version of Pathfinder.

Paizo is one of the few larger P&P RPG companies but they just don't have the money for this type of project and they should never have given their license to someone that couldn't afford to make a well funded game.

Crowdfunded games are fine but Pathfinder is one of the 2 top P&P systems now with millions of players (I think it actually is larger then the current D&D version but not as large as all D&D versions put together, many still play 3.5 and AD&D) , if Paizo just would play cool and maybe chat a little with different publishers we would sooner or later get some kind of AAA computer game, probably not a MMO but the IP certainly is large enough for a good single player or regular multiplayer game.

kitarad · March 2017

I think this is like a dream for her and she really wants this to work but unfortunately the execution is wanting but I cannot fault her enthusiasm but as they say if wishes were horses. Hopefully they manage something in this year and something playable as it does seem like an interesting concept at least. She obviously has a lot invested and I don't just mean monetary.

Akulas · March 2017

The game makes my 2 children in the basement school project look like quality work.

Wizardry · March 2017

I would struggle to try and turn this game around,i don't like the design from day 1.
Although i do have an idea as to what they should have done.
They should have taken the well known IP and made the first REAL GOOD quality TCG using their combat structure and assets.
I mean seriously,all we have is tcg board games,surely someone could do 500x better and steal this market.
A quality TCG can be designed far cheaper than a mmo and be easy to implement updates.So turned based figurines with large maps with encounters along the roads.Entire maps could be squares/octos etc etc.

Then they could create armor and weapons for the Hero's,yep that is what i would have done.

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