Still vapor for 2 years
Alluvian -- 2007-08-24 10:42:39
My logic circuits won't allow me to even get mildly interested in this thing. From the timeline they laid out, I won't be mildly interested for another 2-5 years.
The project sounds like it is in the development phase I would like to call the 'gumdrops and lollipops' phase.
The real trouble with changeable worlds is that without the fear of getting in trouble for it, people are dicks. There are 10 fold more people who want to see a virtual tree burn than there are people who want to plant a tree.
The fight between developer who wants to punish a player for 'bad' acts and the publisher who wants people to keep paying to play is always won by the one who can pay the bills.
I sometimes wonder why dev teams for MMOs don't put as much stock in hiring psychologists as devs. There is certainly a degree of crossover at least. A good game designer has to understand they psychology of 'fun'. There is just so much more in an MMO to worry about. Other genres don't need to worry about jealousy for instance, or the social class structure that forms between the popular players and the outcasts, as well as the casual gamers and the hardcore.
People don't like to feel left out. If they were stuck late at the office and missed the 'princess rescuing', there is a real problem if that princess does NOT come back in 5 minutes. You now have a player upset at the game. Sure there may be other princesses, but in the mind of a player, the quests they missed out on are always better than the ones they attended.
Making a player want to log on to not miss things is all fine and dandy, but I don't know if you can have it without making the player regret all the things they missed when not there. Having to see all episodes of a series like "Lost" is a boon in some ways, but if a player misses too many, they are most likely to stop watching.
I would like to wish them luck, they will need it. A lot of talented people have set out to do these same things, and so far all of them have failed. Some failed better than others, but all failed at this kind of a vision. Did they fail because the task could not be completed or because they had second thoughts?
I hope Red 5 settles on a good game in the end. I have my doubts it will resemble what they are currently envisioning. A game where players can really change the world would be an interesting experiment, but I am not really sure it would ultimately be a fun game.
Visions of Second Life spring to mind *shudder*
The project sounds like it is in the development phase I would like to call the 'gumdrops and lollipops' phase.
The real trouble with changeable worlds is that without the fear of getting in trouble for it, people are dicks. There are 10 fold more people who want to see a virtual tree burn than there are people who want to plant a tree.
The fight between developer who wants to punish a player for 'bad' acts and the publisher who wants people to keep paying to play is always won by the one who can pay the bills.
I sometimes wonder why dev teams for MMOs don't put as much stock in hiring psychologists as devs. There is certainly a degree of crossover at least. A good game designer has to understand they psychology of 'fun'. There is just so much more in an MMO to worry about. Other genres don't need to worry about jealousy for instance, or the social class structure that forms between the popular players and the outcasts, as well as the casual gamers and the hardcore.
People don't like to feel left out. If they were stuck late at the office and missed the 'princess rescuing', there is a real problem if that princess does NOT come back in 5 minutes. You now have a player upset at the game. Sure there may be other princesses, but in the mind of a player, the quests they missed out on are always better than the ones they attended.
Making a player want to log on to not miss things is all fine and dandy, but I don't know if you can have it without making the player regret all the things they missed when not there. Having to see all episodes of a series like "Lost" is a boon in some ways, but if a player misses too many, they are most likely to stop watching.
I would like to wish them luck, they will need it. A lot of talented people have set out to do these same things, and so far all of them have failed. Some failed better than others, but all failed at this kind of a vision. Did they fail because the task could not be completed or because they had second thoughts?
I hope Red 5 settles on a good game in the end. I have my doubts it will resemble what they are currently envisioning. A game where players can really change the world would be an interesting experiment, but I am not really sure it would ultimately be a fun game.
Visions of Second Life spring to mind *shudder*
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Red 5 - Red Herring or Ready to Roll?
Brasse -- 2007-08-23 21:54:18
Say it with me. VACATION.
That means that two hours ago, Wren and I opened a bottle of fine Tempranillo wine.
We have since moved on to some more pedestrian grappa, and are watching Gene Simmons' Family Jewels on Tivo. It was all I could do to finish this comic, but I want you all to note the lack of tiny pink t-shirts. You're welcome.
I just wanted to say that the guys from Red 5 made me wish I worked for the company... whatever the hell they are doing.
I mean, maybe they are actually making ends meet by writing Grade 2 textbooks. Or working as landscapers in Orange County - which would explain the cost of living there.
In any case... I can hardly wait to see what they are REALLY up to.
Till then,
CHEERS!
;-)#