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

[Derek Licciardi]

From: Michael Sellers
> Jon Lambert asked:
>> "Mike Rozak" wrote:

> So: what are *your* games' USPs?

USP's are interesting in that they help make your marketing plan a
bit more appealing but in today's MMO genre, they also tend to make
your design much more risky.  Whether it's more content than SWG,
better graphics than AO or some other more advanced game-play
mechanic, today's investors are still scared of the Dot.com era and
look up new ideas with a very healthy dose of cynicism.  So you say
you're going to do it better for less money??  Yeah right.  From an
investment point of view, a unique selling point is a good thing but
on the other hand it is a bad thing because it is not proven and
flies in the face of risk management.

One of our unique selling points is our justice system.  Ages of
Athiria is attempting to implement a form of perma-death into the
game as a tool for players to use to control grief play.  We market
the idea that we can create an environment where being held
accountable for your online actions truly exists.  The funny thing
about it is that no one has ever accomplished this in an MMO
setting.  We constantly get the "Why do you think you know better?"
speech which we then defend given our philosophy and our total
design approach.  (It doesn't simply work as a check-list feature.)
Even on this list there are people who think that we're nuts to even
try it which is a trademark reaction to new ideas.  In the end,
while we have a USP that resonates with just over 5K fans (and
growing despite funding issues), it's looked at with suspicion and
doubt from an investment point of view which quickly equates to high
risk.  In the end its no wonder the industry is only capable of baby
steps.  It's the only thing that even has a remote shot at getting
funding.

I love USPs but if the recent lists of MMOs that are to be released
in the next year indicate anything, it's that there is a much
smaller reliance on these to get a game published.  Everyone wants a
better EQ and no one wants to take a risk that their answer might
not be the right thing.  Hence, only marginal USPs ever see the
market.  That said radical today becomes marginal over time so
there's always hope.

Derek
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