[MUD-Dev] Interesting EQ rant (very long quote)

[McQuaid]

Lee Sheldon wrote:
> Vincent Archer wrote:

>> I see Verant as King Canute. They're trying to beat back the sea to
>> submission, but that cannot happen without a complete redesign of
>> the game, something which is impossible. All that remains is trying
>> to band-aid the game till EQ2 comes out.

> With one major exception, I'd disagree.  There isn't one point in
> the essay that couldn't be addressed by design philosophy rather
> than extensive new code.  They've shown they can distribute loot in
> other ways than static spawns (Kunark - and somebody mentioned they
> were looking at spawns in the original game).  They've shown that
> they recognize a need for adjusting to the monopolizing of
> uber-spawns (dragons and 53+, more higher-level zones).  There is
> certainly a viable structure in place to tell stories, or design
> quests that are more sophisticated than FedEx.  They simply don't
> seem to know how.

I guess you'd have to be more specific Lee.  The majority of our
quests DO tell stories AND are 'FedEx'.  Interesting that you point
out that we might not know how do make a quest more sophisticated than
'FedEx'... has ANYONE figured this out yet?  Has any game, multiplayer
or single player, employed a quest system that, when broken down,
doesn't involve taking tokens from point a to point b?  Now sure, the
token can be an item, or it can be some other triggered event (you
kill somebody, you depress a button, you say a key phrase to the right
NPC, etc.), but it's all the same thing, isn't it?  A certain sequence
yields a rewarding outcome.  I often read RPG designers' essays or
statements on how THEY will break through to the next paradigm, but to
my knowledge it hasn't happened yet.  If I'm wrong, please do point me
in the right direction :)

Now, if we're just talking about how sophisticated or complex the
array of events, or how intertwined with a cool story they are, well
that just takes more time, more people, and better tools.  Especially
when crafting a massively multiplayer game that requires a LOT more
content than single player games.  To that end, I think with Velious
we've enhanced our quest engine, pushed it a lot harder, and you'll
see some even cooler quests and events.  Is it the be all, end all?
No, but it's one step closer, another token obtained in our collective
ueber-quest for the holodeck :)
 
> The major exception is of course the scoring system.  While you CAN
> roleplay, or help others, or just explore, or improve your baking,
> the scoring system still only recognizes loot and level.  And since
> Vellious doesn't raise levels, it's now just loot.  Look at all the
> messages from the developers.  They talk about all the cool new
> things there are to do in Vellious.  But what do they focus on?
> Loot.  Loot.  Loot.  Making the loot bigger, better and harder to
> get.  Despite the kewl d00ds who make up a disproportionate portion
> of the players, and really don't need any other measure, it is the
> monotony of it all that I think finally drives people away.

I kinda think it's the monotony that drives people away from all games
(and other activities in the real world, for that matter).  It is true
that EQ has more depth than width and that our priorities were on
adventure oriented, cooperative, item acquisition focused gameplay.
And of course, that doesn't appeal to everyone, and even for those for
whom it does, they often get bored with it after a period of time (for
example, the 50+ player who wrote the original piece that spawned this
thread).  So, yes, Velious is about exploring new lands, discovering
new stories and adventure, and finding different and better treasure.
Quite simply, it's about more content.

> Also, to suggest that EQ2 will solve everything is to suggest the
> same designers see the problems AS problems.  They may actually be
> happy with how the game is being played.  Who knows?

As mentioned in my other post, yes, overall we're very happy with the
way EQ is being played.  When I observe a group of high level players
in the depths of a dungeon using all sorts of tactics and strategies
to maneuver through a dangerous area, or to defeat a formidable
opponent, I'm VERY pleased, because that WAS the plan.  When I see an
active player driven economy, with bazaars full of players auctioning
off items, selling them and trading them, prices varying according to
supply and demand, I'm happy.  When I read posts from players who are
having a blast experiencing a new Velious zone for the first time, it
specifically makes the 'explorer' in me very happy.  When I see close
friendships develop between players, some of which even transcending
into real life relationships, it makes me the 'socializer' in me
happy.  Etc. Etc.

And, of course, when I see a 70% retention rate, 310,000+ subscribers,
and a new record just last night of 73,494 simultaneous players, it
makes the 'business man' in me happy.  No, not because I'm merely a
money grubbing whore, but rather that the success not only
commercially justifies what we're doing and what we've done, it also
ensures that we'll have the budgets and support to keep making our
creative dreams come true in the future.

As for problems or design flaws in EQ, there are of course many.  I'm
pretty proud of it in the context of first generation MMORPGs, but
looking at it with long term vision, it certainly falls short in many
ways.  But MMORPGs evolve, and its deficiencies are being addressed
(or have been with recent patches).  Might some of these flaws only be
addressable by a sequel?  Perhaps... but were such a project to exist,
I still wouldn't expect a fundamentally different game, because
there's nothing, IMHO, fundamentally wrong with the game.  A sequel,
after all, should be a better version of the original, not a new
product in and of itself.

--

---------------------------------------------
Brad McQuaid
Vice President, Premium Games
Verant Interactive/Sony Online Entertainment
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