[MUD-Dev] "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?)

[Michael Sellers]

Jon Lambert asked:
> "Mike Rozak" wrote:

>> I couldn't figure out their unique selling point when I browsed
>> their web site. (They may have had one that I missed... other
>> than troll-slayers with orange mowhawks.) Without a good USP,
>> even if they succeded in a release, they wouldn't be able to
>> differentiate themselves them from their competitors. This makes
>> survival much more difficult, since the game can't rely upon the
>> USP to keep players around after their 30-day trial.

> What's an USP?  I couldn't find any references for this term.  I
> was honestly trying to figure it out in context, but came up a few
> bricks short.

A "Unique Selling Point."  As Rozak says, something many MMPs are a
bit short on.

It would be an interesting exercise for this group to consider the
USPs (or lack thereof) for many current and upcoming MMOs.  It's
highly debatable of course whether a USP is really just "unique" or
if it also contributes to "selling."

Several years ago at e3 when FPS games were the rage, I heard a
marketing person say, "our shooter is *completely* different from
the rest -- we have entirely different kinds of weapons."  Meaning
crossbows instead of shotguns as I recall.  Okay, maybe that's
unique (maybe not too).  But does having a razorgun or chaingun or
gluegun really change the gameplay experience for the average
player?

Then consider: in terms of the current and upcoming crop of MMOs,
what aspects of these are *truly* Unique Selling Points?  In what
ways does playing, say, CoH really *feel* different from SWG, EQ,
UO, AO, AC, etc.?  What are the unique experiences that various
games are bringing to the players?

Note too that providing common, known experiences isn't bad; it
gives a good basis for the players' expectations to be fulfilled.
But to use a TV analogy, there are clear ways -- USPs -- in which
"Law & Order" differs from say "NYPD Blue."  If someone asks what
you're watching and you say, "I dunno, some cop show" you as the
viewer probably aren't aware of any real USPs.  When that happens
the show is unlikely to keep you as a viewer engaged.  The same is
true of games.

So: what are *your* games' USPs?

Mike Sellers
Online Alchemy
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