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R/A Salvatore and Todd McFarlaine form game company
Rattrap
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,599
Noted fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore has teamed with baseball legend Curt Shilling and developer Todd McFarlane to create Green Monster Games, according to Gamasutra. There is no website or other details on the genre of their first project but the presence of Salvatore might hint at something fantasy based, while Curt Schilling is well-known as an MMOG fan.
"Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas
Comments
We can all be goody good beings of chaos and have names like Drizzd, Drizd, Dridzdfz...and all be like cool...and stuff...
Although FR online would be a dream come true , i doubt this is it.
Salvatore is not the creator of Forgotten Realms - he only made some of the most popular FR stories and characters.
I also doubt Wizards OFTC will give any more mmo licences - after the DDO debacle.
And Tod McFarlaine is comic artist - creator of Spawn , creator of one of the best spiderman series and founder of Image comics ...
"Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas
Waiting on Guild Wars 2
Then again: AD&D novels is not the limit of RA Salvatore's works
Who knows what they'll come up with. It's an interesting mix of players though
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Wow this is exciting. R.A. Salvatore is one of my favorite writers, and of course the Red Sox are practically a religion for me. Forgotten Realms online seemed to be a glaringly obvious choice, but WotC went with a new world for D&D online. I'd like to know what went on behind the scenes there, as R.A. Salvatore is one of the most successful writers of D&D based novels ever, and apparently interested in gaming. I wouldn't write of FR Online just yet, especially with the popularity of the Baldur's Gate series and other FR based games (Did anyone play the Menzoberrenzan game back in the day? It was pretty cool).
But don't count out some of Salavatore's other IPs. The Demon Wars novels are just as good if not better than the Drizzt novels, and allow Salavatore complete artistic control as they take place in a world of his original creation. If you haven't read these books you should check them out. Transcendance was my favorite. I had a rogue in eq named Pagonel for a while.
As far as Todd McFarlane goes... meh... I guess someone needs to sweep the floors and take out the trash at the Green Monster Games office.
Actually Forgoten Realms were imagined by Ed Greenwood. Who also wrote probably the best FR novels like "Pools of Radiance"
"Curse of the Azure Bounds" ( best fr novel imho -> Alias you rule! )
and Times of Troubles series
He is also cosigned on every FR product that changes or somehow involves FR Lore.
So i guess if there is a FR MMO he would be the one to write for it , and not Salvatore.
Still Salvatore is the guy who brought back the "cool" into fantasy - ask any Drizzdt you meet on server of your picking - LOL
"Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas
Oh undoubtedly some very talented writers have written Forgotten Realms novels. Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, James Lowder (Prince of Lies was a great read) to name a few. Ed Greenwood did create the world and would have to be at the ground floor of any mmo based on the Realms.
Salvatore however is the 'flagship' author of the realms. His books have outsold all of the other FR novels combined, and he has written more FR books than any other author. He has also had success outside WotC. I know his name was being bounced around as executive producer of the Forgotten Realms TV show. He has the 'star power' that you need to get any IP made into such an ambitious project as a FR mmo.
What I meant by my first post is I am very suprised that D&D online was not based in the Realms. Seems an obvious choice, something that R.A. Salvatore and the rest of the very talented minds behind Toril would want in on. As we have seen, however, what is rational and obvious seems to have very little merit in the creation of mmos.
Thanks for posting this thread Rattrap. It's very exciting and a story I will definately follow.
Jim Lee >>>> Tod McFarlane
I always enjoyed Salvatore’s stuff though
Jim Lee is like the lead creative consultant for the upcoming mmo based on the DC comic universe being produced by Sony. Which of course means I will NOT be playing it.
Booo SOE Booo!
Jim Lee is like the lead creative consultant for the upcoming mmo based on the DC comic universe being produced by Sony. Which of course means I will NOT be playing it.
Booo SOE Booo!
You can choose to follow the work of quality people or you can choose to hold a grudge against a company that once everything is said and done is exactly the same as every other company out there.
Neither is what I would call a developer, both of their claims to fame are as artists. The difference is that Jim Lee is the best there is at what he does while McFarlane is a one hit wonder whose luster wore off a decade ago.
The couple of you guys bashing McFarlane are funny. He's one of the most popular and best-selling artists in comic history, yet he's made more money with his McFarlane Toys toy line than he did drawing or creating Image Comics. And those toys are high-quality stuff compared to most other toys, which is why he started the company in the first place -- because when he shopped his Spawn characters around, other toy companies only wanted to make cheap, crappy ones, so he said screw it and made his own. Anyone who collects action figures of any kind can thank Todd McFarlane for raising the quality bar. He's also had a hand in TV and movies.
He seems to actually care about making quality products and not just about making a buck. He's a true entrepeneur and most everything he touches turns to gold. Put him and Salvatore together and you can expect something at least decent to come of it.
A game is only as good as it's programmers. I don't even care who's in charge.
Make a difference!
So far I can predict two things, this game will have one hell of a graphic
design (anyone who have seen McFarlane Toys will know why :P) and one hell of
story/game world (both Salvatore/McFarlane) .
I never said McFarlane was bad, I actually like it better then most people these days but he’s nowhere near as good as Jim Lee. If he still worked in the field today is work would definitely seem dated and a throwback to the much maligned 90’s while Lee’s art is considered classic and is still one of the best artists out there.
If McFarlane had actually drawn much of anything in the past six(?) years, he'd probably have evolved and gotten even better just as Jim Lee has. I don't know about saying McFarlane's style is dated, though, since even Sam Raimi copied his style for the cgi action scenes in the Spiderman movies. If McFarlane's style is dated, a big reason why would be because everyone and his brother copied it.
Regardless of one's personal feelings on his art, the guy has obviously been a trendsetter in multiple avenues.
I was impressed when I read an issue of Spawn last year or whenever and saw how far Angel Medina has come. (Hadn't read comics in quite awhile.) He's always been good, but he seems to have "McFarlanized" his style somewhat, and now he's even more impressive. How many artists draw "McFarlane-style" capes? Point is, McFarlane did single-handedly change parts of the comics and toy businesess, and for everyone who says current games are all lackluster and copycat, they now have one more man who may bring about change.
A game created with a story written by R.A. SALVATORE!??! Have I died and gone to heaven?
He is one of my favorite fantasy writers of all time
Current: Puzzle Pirates
Waiting: SWTOR,Aion, CO
Played: AC, WoW, SB, EVE
I concur, a game with Salvatore's story and writing, with MacFarlane's art, and Schilling's... ummm... celebrity-ness... will make the greatest MMO ever to exist, and I would sell my soul to play it.
Little forum boys with their polished cyber toys: whine whine, boo-hoo, talk talk.
Witty saying to amuse you goes here.
Salvatore and Mcfarlane is great. But, why the hell have Curt Shilling as a partner? (Besides his huge mass of cash). The first time I quit EQ2, him being on the same server as me was one of the big reasons why I did.
He had a few devs in his guild, and they were giving the guild special advantages that other guilds didn't recieve. Like when the Frogloks were finally brought into the game, his guild failed it, and once you failed...you couldn't re enter for like 3 days I believe?
So what happens? The developers RESET the time for that guild *only*, and let them go again so they could beat it first on the server. Pissed alot of the other guilds off.
If he enjoys these "special favors" from devs in games, just think of what type of special advantages he'll give his own guild in the game.
Oh, and here's the whole thing that happened on Unrest with his guild (Drow) with the Froglok thing :
http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=105&message.id=7432&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
lol. Seriously though, it shouldn't matter who a person is, they shouldn't get an advantage in a game like that. Especially when it's something they added for people to compete against.
An example would be, for you, if a umpire was a friend of a player during a baseball game. Say that player was up to bat, bases loaded, and he strikes out. Then the umpire goes "Well wait! He was distracted, let's redo that." And then he hits a homer.
Pretty fair, huh? :P
lol. Seriously though, it shouldn't matter who a person is, they shouldn't get an advantage in a game like that. Especially when it's something they added for people to compete against.
An example would be, for you, if a ref was a friend of a player during a baseball game. Say that player was up to bat, bases loaded, and he strikes out. Then the ref goes "Well wait! He was distracted, let's redo that." And then he hits a homer.
Pretty fair, huh? :P
Baseball has umpires not 'refs'