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Why fantasy instead of another Sci-Fi?
mjkittredge
Member Posts: 126
Like the topic says, I'm wondering why Funcom, after making the successful game Anarchy Online, one of the few science fiction mmorpgs, why would they want their second project to be a fantasy mmorpg? That genre is SWAMPED! Are swords and dragons more captivating than space ships and laser blast rifles? I understand AOC will be (hopefully) a very different take on the fantasy mmo genre, but still how many games can do the whole "Choose a fighter, magic user, or rogue, then storm the castle and slay the dragon and loot the treasure chest, rinse and repeat" thing concurrently before the player base is too stretched out for this genre to be profitable? I was hoping they'd make Anarchy Online 2 or a "spiritual successor" in the same vein but with improved gameplay and systems and graphics. I'm really curious what the thinking was in going away from their strengths, ie experience with a sci fi mmorgp. WOW envy? With Blizzard raking in the cash I could understand that.
Comments
So the answer is both and neither.
As for their decision, it probably came from a desire to branch out. They had concepts that would only fit in with a certain kind of world, and Hyboria provided the perfect setting. Just like the concepts that would only work with a modern day Earth setting, such as in the "World Online" (working title) MMORPG they are coming out with in a few years
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
If I'm not mistaken, Funcom didn't come out with the idea for this MMORPG. I believe some smaller company came up with it and Funcom is backing them.
No?
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
hmm. more solid scifi games would be cool. Not much of a selection atm.
so...
Yeah, scifi games can be appealling. But after SWG and now a Star Trek MMO not to mention Eve coming out another fantasy game hasn't lost it's appeal. Especially when it's Conan based. As a child I lived for the next book and as a teen the next movie.(Which stopped at two unfortunately...)
But, if the devs of AoC played their cards right it should be a new experience for all. That's assuming they follow the Cimmerian theme as closely as possible. From what I've seen so far it has done fairly well... I will always be cautious until I actually test the product.
Played Wow, D and L, AOC, GW, Eve, Rift and many more insignificant games.
To be honest, I actually think the Fantasy/Medievil settings are more interesting. Swords etc look out of place in a Sci-Fi genre (barring Star Wars's I guess), you can't go too far in Anarchy Online without someone bringing up the obvious question: "Why does Melee OD guns?". I know there's no right and wrong about it but I'd much rather swinging a sword around with the planned Conan combat system to just plain shooting. Like I said, no right and wrong, just my opinion on it.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
Played Wow, D and L, AOC, GW, Eve, Rift and many more insignificant games.
The whole point of this thread is retarded.
That is all.
Why fantasy instead of another Sci-FI?
Because Conan could not fit into a space suit. (NASA likes their people to be short and small).
Played Wow, D and L, AOC, GW, Eve, Rift and many more insignificant games.
Lol,if blizzard makes World of Starcraft i will personally laugh my socks off...they seriously need to stop painting themselves into a corner and stop making sequels to their 15-yearold hit games. As great as starcraft may have been at the time,its time to move on. World of Warcraft just goes to show how much their imagination is lacking...
Blizzard brainstorming session: Ok guys,we need a new game. Any ideas?
Someguy: Oh hey,i know,lets make Warcraft 3 3-D and make it a MMORPG because i read somewhere that its awesome getting money off both sales and monthly fees,and we have 80% of the artwork already done from warcraft,just slap it into a 3-D envoirment!
/Yawn
Blizzard stop painting yourselves into a corner,come up with something new...doesnt have to be earthshattering,but at least a new title that is NOT based off your earlier games. (This rules out Diablo 3,World of starcraft,World of Diablo and Diablocraft,and also Warcraft 4,although Starcraft 2 MAY be plausible as it doesnt yet have a sequel or game based off it, but preferably not)
Maybe they'll come out with a Starcraft MMO???
Lol,if blizzard makes World of Starcraft i will personally laugh my socks off...they seriously need to stop painting themselves into a corner and stop making sequels to their 15-yearold hit games. As great as starcraft may have been at the time,its time to move on. World of Warcraft just goes to show how much their imagination is lacking...
Blizzard brainstorming session: Ok guys,we need a new game. Any ideas?
Someguy: Oh hey,i know,lets make Warcraft 3 3-D and make it a MMORPG because i read somewhere that its awesome getting money off both sales and monthly fees,and we have 80% of the artwork already done from warcraft,just slap it into a 3-D envoirment!
/Yawn
Blizzard stop painting yourselves into a corner,come up with something new...doesnt have to be earthshattering,but at least a new title that is NOT based off your earlier games. (This rules out Diablo 3,World of starcraft,World of Diablo and Diablocraft,and also Warcraft 4,although Starcraft 2 MAY be plausible as it doesnt yet have a sequel or game based off it, but preferably not)
LOL! I assume you realize that I was just joking! I know that Blizzards fame is based off of three games. Warcraft,starcraft and Diablo. All of which have run their course as far as I'm concerned.
I agree with you that they have to begin something fresh at this point. If they want to begin a sequel to one of their old games they should wait a decade at least so that peoples nastolgia can kick in.
Played Wow, D and L, AOC, GW, Eve, Rift and many more insignificant games.
In truth when i think back to my (all be it short) days with pen and paper RPG the game that got me started was Cyper Punk 2020. I never got into D&D or games like that. Something about that game just took me in.
But the game that love to this day was Shadowrunner. Great game and it's perfix for an MMO setting. I never played a magic user but i still liked have to hunt them down with my M16. So many great things could be done with this idea it pisses me off no one has done it in am MMO yet.
Yes this has nothing to do with Conan but it's the only thing i'd like to see more in an MMO then Conan.
Maybe they'll come out with a Starcraft MMO???
Lol,if blizzard makes World of Starcraft i will personally laugh my socks off...they seriously need to stop painting themselves into a corner and stop making sequels to their 15-yearold hit games. As great as starcraft may have been at the time,its time to move on. World of Warcraft just goes to show how much their imagination is lacking...
Blizzard brainstorming session: Ok guys,we need a new game. Any ideas?
Someguy: Oh hey,i know,lets make Warcraft 3 3-D and make it a MMORPG because i read somewhere that its awesome getting money off both sales and monthly fees,and we have 80% of the artwork already done from warcraft,just slap it into a 3-D envoirment!
/Yawn
Blizzard stop painting yourselves into a corner,come up with something new...doesnt have to be earthshattering,but at least a new title that is NOT based off your earlier games. (This rules out Diablo 3,World of starcraft,World of Diablo and Diablocraft,and also Warcraft 4,although Starcraft 2 MAY be plausible as it doesnt yet have a sequel or game based off it, but preferably not)
LOL! i hate to break it to ya, but they are already in the making of Diablo 3, it's like halfway done already. Supposedly this time it isn't Mortals Vs Evil, but it's actually full fledged war between heaven and hell, and humans are stuck in between, i don't know whether or not you play as the angels/demons, or whether you play as the humans, but what i do know is that it is in the making, and has some pretty good graphics.
Well, when ya have this huge honkin axe, and you pass it through the opponents head multiple times and he doesnt die...
Fantasy games are just as bad, in fact worse. Science fiction games can always go with the explanation of deflection or absorbtion shields/armor.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway
Well, when ya have this huge honkin axe, and you pass it through the opponents head multiple times and he doesnt die...
Fantasy games are just as bad, in fact worse. Science fiction games can always go with the explanation of deflection or absorbtion shields/armor.
lolz..ur right...i hadn't slept in several days when i wrote that...i just thought blasters were retarded in swg b/c they should be one hitting things when i was completely used to melee weapons not from old mmorpgs
on another hilarious note.....
his pole asked if they shouldve just stuck with "what was working" (ie sci-fi)
when the hell did sci fi start working...there have been like 2 REAL big scifi mmorpgs...swg which is now ass and eve....
fantasy hrmm.....uo/ac/eq/daoc/wow/shadowbane/eq2 and a ton more...yeah ur right...sci-fi is BLOWING fantasy out of the water.
I think the idea that they went fantasy "instead" of sci-fi is totally wrong... this is not a follow up to AO in any way, even though that was their freshman MMO effort...
One must also remember that the main differance between "low fantasy" and "high fantasy" is that low fantasy can have all kinds of magic and stuff, though it TYPICALLY has less than a high fantasy tale, but in low fantasy there is no moral dichotomy... what that means is there is no clear Good v. absolute Evil...
Characters are generally deeper and more "human" in that they face moral dillemas that don't have a quick answer, they have inner demons to battle, and personal lusts and desires to fill, and are often haunted or driven by their past.
Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood. -Nietzsche
Played Wow, D and L, AOC, GW, Eve, Rift and many more insignificant games.
Well, lets just put it this way. A number of "in jokes" were written up for the official Age of Conan forums. Here are two entries:
Sturmophobia -- The irrational fear of Sturmrabe. Symptoms include starting posts with "I hate to agree with Sturmrabe, but..", and not wanting to be accused of being a flamer by associating with one...
Sturmrabed -- To have one become the subject of punitive actions by developers, moderators, GMs or other official AoC staff due to one's beligerent and/or aggressive form of opinionated behavior.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Hemingway