[MUD-Dev] [OT] Hi all an first time MMORPG designer tries to getinthe loop

[Michael Sellers]

Brian Lindahl wrote:
> Sam Byard <Sam.byard at ntlworld.com> wrote:

>>  states this mailing list is active with already renound
>>  designers and I was hoping to draw from your influence and not
>>  manage to make any critical mistakes in my first development.

> The most critical mistake you can make as a designer is to not
> commit to a particular genre.

Wow, you think so?  It's difficult for me to pick a most critical
mistake, but I think I'd have to go with something like insufficient
capital or the wrong mix of people on your team long before picking
a genre.  Even technological considerations may weigh more heavily
than this.  With enough money and the right team, you can recover
from all kinds of mistakes (and you'll definitely be making a lot of
them).  Product vision *is* important (quick test: do you have an
'elevator pitch' that encapsulates your vision?), but I don't think
it outweighs other practical considerations.

Sam, do you or your team have significant game development
experience, or experience in other areas (e.g. client-server
software)?  If not, you should realize that MMOG development is
probably the most difficult area of game development there is.  And
I wasn't kidding about capitalization being key; without this not
much else you do will matter, if you're trying to create an actual
game product.

There are many good books out there on this (do we have a "suggested
reading" section on the list or website someplace?); I'd suggest
"Secrets of the Game Business" as one particularly practical and
wide-ranging book (disclaimer: I have a chapter in it).

Mike Sellers
Online Alchemy
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