[MUD-Dev] [biz][tech][dgn][soc] Ten MMOG's you don't want to do...

[ceo]

I'm writing an article for Develop magazine (free paper magazine in
the UK for games studios) and when they asked for something on
online gaming, I suggested a tribute to Gordon's original 10 reasons
:) (see subject line). It's a fun way to write, and the format seems
to work well for people who don't have the time/expertise/interest
in detailed deep articles on this are, but nevertheless are eager
for some advice.

Now, the only problem here is that so far I've only thought of 9
reasons. I thought I'd list them here and see what people think. The
article doesn't have the mandate or the word-count to be anything
very deep, so we're aiming for concise and insightful: think "food
for thought" rather than "detailed blow-by-blow analysis".

Enjoy...

(NB this is a work-in-progress, and I'm not yet sure I like all of
them enough not to merge a few)

  1. "let's not make a game, let's make a technology! We can license
  it, and it doesn't matter if the game is a flop!"

  2. "Release it early as a paid-for beta because we *desperately*
  need the cash (rather than getting extra investment), and we can
  fix it as we go along. Marketing can drum up thousands of
  subscribers, and that should be enough to keep the dev team going
  to finish the game"

  3. "Our game is a bit derivative, but we (or our publisher) have a
  huge marketing dept that knows how to shift product. We'll have a
  massive launch, and the huge community will have a critical mass
  that keeps people subscribing even if the game is boring or
  broken."

  4. MMG: An MMOG without the online part (no communit; "we don't
  need to bother, it'll happen itself")

  5. MSOG: a pure "single-player" experience, only with "internet
  connection required". Stick the word "MMOG" on the box and hope to
  sell more copies.

  6. Medieval swords-and-sorcery, with, like, Orcs and stuff.

  7. Utopia.com: let's make our game a real country, with it's own
  laws, tax - and currecny exchange (2-way exchange with real
  currencies).

  8. The Universe (tm): If we use a physics engine to simulate every
  molecule in the universe, we could have cool effects, like water
  that you can actually poor, and monsters you kill by diverting a
  river!

  9. Simulationist's dream: simulate everything, as accurately as
  possible; no short-cuts. Let emergent behaviour rule! (and ignore
  the inherently unstable nature of accurate simulations)

  10. What's missing? Add yours here :).

Adam M
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