[MUD-Dev] CoH (was: MMORPG Cancellations: The sky is falling?)

[Koster, Raph]

From: Scott Macmillan

> But I think there is a good takeaway here - focus your game down
> to a number of elements that you can do well with the time and
> money you have, and then polish them until it hurts.  Then build
> more features on top.

The interesting challenge that I see with online worlds in
particular is that this may not be entirely possible. Build a system
that relies on the game being solely shades of blue, and polish it
to a fare-thee-well, and you may do great. But it's going to be damn
hard to add red later, since it breaks the blue.

Now, nobody is begging for a great city-building game to be added to
Crash Bandicoot. The dilemma with online worlds is that there ARE
people begging for that to be added to perfectly good games of
Diablo. And what's more, it may often make sense. On top of that,
making just the blue parts may be all that you can do.

I think a very important question for designers of these things to
ask themselves, be they hobbyists or commercial, is "where are we
trying to go?" Because without awareness of that, you may well build
the wrong foundation.

-Raph
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