SWTOR

[eldaec]

The parts of the swtor team with mmog experience are dominated by external hires burnt on other shitty mmog projects, rather than coming from mythic.

Presumably this is why they've gone ultra ultra vanilla on combat and balance.

I honestly think that will be enough of a weakness to limit my interest in swtor to months rather than years; but I don't think this particular risk averse uberbland approach is coming from Mythic people, seems like it was well established long before they arrived.

[Kirth]

Anyone want to put together a whose who on the dev/production team and a rough outline on what they worked on before? All I got from the con footage was some guy worked on ultima online.

[Draegan]

This is from Darth Hater:

Electronic Arts Corporate:
John Riccitiello: CEO of EA
Eric Brown: CFO of EA
Frank Gibeau: EA Games Label President

BioWare Founders:
Ray Muzyka: BioWare Co-founder, Senior Vice President and Group General Manager of the BioWare RPG/MMO Group of Electronic Arts
Greg Zeschuk: BioWare Co-Founder, Vice President and Group Creative Officer at BioWare Group of Electronic Arts

People to Remember:
Dallas Dickinson: Director of Production
Damion Schubert: Lead Systems Designer (Anything that isn't combat or story)
Daniel Erickson: Lead Writer (In charge of all storylines/writing)
James Ohlen: Game Director (Anything game related)
Rich Vogel: BioWare Austin General Manager
Stephen Reid: Senior Community Manager (Forums, Website)

Active in SWTOR Community:
Alexander Freed: Senior Writer and Managing Editor (Chief writer on Agent storyline)
Drew Karpyshyn: Senior Writer, Revan author, KOTOR author (Contributing writer on Jedi Knigt storyline)
Gabe Amatangelo: Lead PvP Designer
Georg Zoeller: Principal Lead Combat Designer (Anything dealing with combat)

Minions:
Allison Berryman: Senior Community Coordinator
Alyson Bridge: Assistant Community Manager (Does annoucements)
Blaine Christine: Senior Producer, Live Services (Quality control)
Brian Arndt: Senior Video Editor
Chris Collins: European Community Manager
Christopher Reeves: Senior Environmental Artist
Cory Butler: Associate Producer. Liaison to BioWare/EA and LucasArts/Lucasfilm
David Bass: Senior Community Coordinator
David Silverman: Director of Marketing
Deeka MacDonald: Marketing Manager (Europe)
Emmanuel Lisinchi: Associate Lead Designer
Hall Hood: Senior Writer (Chief writer on Jedi Knight storyline)
Ian Mitchell: Localization Representative
Jeff Hickman: Executive Producer, Live Services
Jess Sliwinksi: Writer
Jesse Sky: World Designer
Joanna Berry: Writer (Chief writer on Jedi Consular storyline)
Kevin Barrett: Executive Producer, Lead Space Combat Designer
Kyle Garner: World Designer
Michael Voigt: Lead User Interface Artist
Paul S Kemp: Deceived author
Paul Marino: Lead Cinematic Designer
Randy Begel: Writer
Rob Chestney: Senior Writer
Ryan Dening: Senior Concept Artist
Scott Morton: Audio Designer
William Wallace: Senior Game Designer

LucasArts
Jake Neri: Senior Producer

[Bunk]

I dug a little as well on the experience of some of them, and here's what I got:


Lead Writer Daniel Erickson                 - Dragon Age, NBA Street 1, 2 and 3!
Senior Writer Drew Karpyshyn             - Basically every Bioware game released
Senior Writer Hall Hood                      - Film and TV writing, UO2 (heh) 
Senior Writer Alexander Freed             - SWTOR Comic series
Writer Ian Ryan                                 - Sims: Castaway Stories, Myst:Uru
Writer Joanna Berry
Writer Rebecca Harwick
Writer Neil Pollner                               - Bioware since 2006
Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert    - UO, UO2, Shadowbane, Sims Online, Meridian 59
Lead UI Artist Michael Voigt
Lead Systems Designer Georg Zoeller      - Bioware since 2003
Producer Blaine Christine                       - several X-Men games, Gothic 3
World Designer Jesse Sky                      - won a world design contest for NWN in 2007, got hired at Bioware
Lead Cinematic Designer Paul Marino      - wide variety of Machinima credits
Systems Designer Patrick Malott          - UO
Audio Producer Orion Kellogg             - SWG, several other Staw Wars games
Director of Audio Shauna Perry           - most Bioware games released
Senior Content Producer Dallas Dickinson - Everquest, SWG
Senior Environment Artist Alex Thomas    - Shadowbane

[Draegan]

Sr. Game Director James Ohlen:

Dragon Age: Origins (2009), Electronic Arts, Inc.
Jade Empire (Special Edition) (2007), 2K Games
Jade Empire (2005), Microsoft Game Studios
Jade Empire (Limited Edition) (2005), Microsoft Game Studios
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords (2004), LucasArts
Neverwinter Nights (Gold) (2003), Atari, Inc.
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (2003), Atari, Inc.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), LucasArts
Neverwinter Nights (2002), Infogrames, Inc.
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001), Interplay Entertainment Corp.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000), Interplay Entertainment Corp.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (Collector's Edition) (2000), Interplay Entertainment Corp.
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999), Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Deutschland) GmbH
Baldur's Gate (1998), Interplay Productions, Inc.
Shattered Steel (1996), Interplay Productions, Inc.

Edit: Wrote Game Designer instead of Game Director.  Fixt

[Reg]

I'm not exactly seeing the enormous band of losers that I'd been led to expect.

[Arrrgh]

Which ones are Mythic people who think absurd amounts of CC is a good idea?

[Rasix]

I'm not exactly seeing the enormous band of losers that I'd been led to expect.

At the beginning, way back when, Rich Vogel was very much front and center.

I can assure you, he is a gigantic loser.  Listening to him at AGC made you want to open your wrists.  Of course that entire conference that year could be described as "WoW cock, yum yum, give me some."

[Lakov_Sanite]

For the most part it seems fine, though these people don't look like they have a ton of mmo experience.

Except for:

Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert    - UO, UO2, Shadowbane, Sims Online, Meridian 59

which is troubling on many levels.

[Bunk]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

[Paelos]

My only concern with that list is Dallas Dickson as the content producer. Mainly because he's an EQ fool, and mainly because of quotes like this:

This goes back to "what you see in the top MMOs out there". We know that there are many different types of players to MMOs, and we are actually trying to broaden that even more. We are trying to attract, in addition to people who play high end end-game stuff, who play pure PvP stuff, while we are going to have some of that content, there's always going to be more of that, because we know the high-end player is someone that you really have to keep excited.

In the same way, our game is designed such that you can play it from the beginning again and it's different. It actually makes just as much sense to us to put some effort, some content into making sure the stories, the per-class stories, are exciting and fleshed out so that your Smuggler story that you played end-to-end with the original release, that there is some new, cool, pure-Smuggler story kind of stuff. So it's going to be a mix, in the same way that the game at launch is going to be, because we want to make sure that everybody has something that's awesome to do when they get to the end of their primary story.

I always get concerned when the first words out of your mouth is about high end end-game stuff and keeping them appeased.

[Nyght]

I always get concerned when the first words out of your mouth is about high end end-game stuff and keeping them appeased.

Eh, they always say whatever they think will appease in those interviews and rarely does it have much connection to reality.

[sam, an eggplant]

It is not likely that having a head start of a few days is going to impact your life choices or long term happiness to any measurable degree.

Just say no to pre-order bullshit.

Umm, I suppose you're right in that it won't impact my long term happiness, but I do enjoy the first several weeks of a new MMO more than any thereafter. It's a fresh new world, everybody's leveling up at once, and the content never feels the same again. After that first month or so you've got a character near max level and you're an old hand.

[Merusk]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

Which - again - is troubling on many levels.

I wouldn't call the combat in any of those games (well, ok the 3 games that had it.) good.   I wasn't a fan of what I'd heard of UO or what I played of SB combat.

[Kirth]

So the pedigree of this game seems to be a whole bunch of people who have made alot of bioware games and a few people who were involved in some MMO's ( Including the former SW mmo). So tell me again why, if I like Bioware and Diku (and star wars LOOK AT MY RABID FANBOYISIM) I'm not going to like this game.

[sam, an eggplant]

If you aren't already burned out on dikus, you will love SWTOR. If you're coming off a 20 hour per week WoW raiding schedule, you probably won't last long.

[Merusk]

So the pedigree of this game seems to be a whole bunch of people who have made alot of bioware games and a few people who were involved in some MMO's ( Including the former SW mmo). So tell me again why, if I like Bioware and Diku (and star wars LOOK AT MY RABID FANBOYISIM) I'm not going to like this game.

You will.  It just makes you a fat virgin loser who isn't as cool as Margalis.

[Kirth]

If you aren't already burned out on dikus, you will love SWTOR. If you're coming off a 20 hour per week WoW raiding schedule, you probably won't last long.

I did come off that schedule 9 months ago. I'm much better now.

[Threash]

It is not likely that having a head start of a few days is going to impact your life choices or long term happiness to any measurable degree.

Just say no to pre-order bullshit.

Umm, I suppose you're right in that it won't impact my long term happiness, but I do enjoy the first several weeks of a new MMO more than any thereafter. It's a fresh new world, everybody's leveling up at once, and the content never feels the same again. After that first month or so you've got a character near max level and you're an old hand.

I'm like this too.  The only MMOs i can get into are the ones i played since launch, every game i try to play later just fizzles out in a day or two.

[Malakili]

I'm like this too.  The only MMOs i can get into are the ones i played since launch, every game i try to play later just fizzles out in a day or two.

Its about personal investment I think.  There is something about being with an MMO since day 1 that makes you feel less like you are playing the game, and more like you are a part of the game.  At least thats how I feel when I get in on the ground floor.

[Rasix]

Most MMOs are pretty awful about documenting their ongoing feature set and changes. MMOs I don't play at launch, I just get lost in.

[amiable]

So the pedigree of this game seems to be a whole bunch of people who have made alot of bioware games and a few people who were involved in some MMO's ( Including the former SW mmo). So tell me again why, if I like Bioware and Diku (and star wars LOOK AT MY RABID FANBOYISIM) I'm not going to like this game.

Because SOCIALISM, that's why!

[Kirth]

Most MMOs are pretty awful about documenting their ongoing feature set and changes. MMOs I don't play at launch, I just get lost in.

I agree, there is nothing quite like launch day fun.

[Sky]

I think he means more like the EQ2 effect. Go back after a two-year hiatus and WTF I barely recognize anything anymore. That game leaned heavy on the crazy sauce...some great improvements, from the looks of things. But just way too much to take in as a re-newbie.

I'm trademarking re-newbie btw. Someone who returns to play a game after an extended hiatus.

Because SOCIALISM, that's why!

Socialism AUSTIN!

[Ingmar]

Most MMOs are pretty awful about documenting their ongoing feature set and changes. MMOs I don't play at launch, I just get lost in.

Yeah, this is me. Especially with Turbine systems, it took me weeks to figure out legendary items, and I still haven't really grokked the DDO crafting.

[Rasix]

I think he means more like the EQ2 effect. Go back after a two-year hiatus and WTF I barely recognize anything anymore. That game leaned heavy on the crazy sauce...some great improvements, from the looks of things. But just way too much to take in as a re-newbie.

Yep.  My most recent example of this was LOTRO.  Game had a changed a ton since launch (I'm guessing the game didn't change much from end of beta to launch) and it was just a huge information overload trying to understand how things worked now and what sort of convoluted systems awaited me in the future. 

And UO.. I used to have a habit of resubbing once per year.  It was almost unrecognizable at times.  Plus, due to a strong community, you always had deal with whatever social shift had occured as well.  Same thing would happen with a few MUDs I frequented.

[Sjofn]

I, too, am terrible at being a re-newbie. I log into LotRO and go "HOW U DO >:( " and log off. I'm actually better off if I've never played the game before than if I had long ago and now everything is different. Some sort of mental block where I'll be all "c'mon, I knew this shit!" with a game I've played before, makes me lose patience with my newb self much faster.

That being said, apparently playing CoX is like riding a bike. 

[Nebu]

I think the re-newbie feeling is a great measure of how intuitive an interface/game is.  If I can go back to a game after a few months and pick it up quickly, it's a good sign that the game was implemented in a way that is at least intuitive to the way I approach MMOs. 

So, are we allowed to be critical anymore or does that get us all labeled as "jaded" or "trolls" now. 

Loved the Teddy Ruxpin comment btw.   

[Viin]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

Which - again - is troubling on many levels.

I wouldn't call the combat in any of those games (well, ok the 3 games that had it.) good.   I wasn't a fan of what I'd heard of UO or what I played of SB combat.

From the list above:
Damion Schubert: Lead Systems Designer (Anything that isn't combat or story)

I can't tell if thats worse or better ....

[Draegan]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

Which - again - is troubling on many levels.

I wouldn't call the combat in any of those games (well, ok the 3 games that had it.) good.   I wasn't a fan of what I'd heard of UO or what I played of SB combat.

Combat feels just fine and responsive as you would expect it to be.

[koro]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

Which - again - is troubling on many levels.

I wouldn't call the combat in any of those games (well, ok the 3 games that had it.) good.   I wasn't a fan of what I'd heard of UO or what I played of SB combat.

Combat feels just fine and responsive as you would expect it to be.

I would assume this means "as responsive as you would expect good diku combat to be" and not "as responsive as the F13 peanut gallery would expect the combat of a horrible mishmash of UO, SB, and M59 to be".

[Velorath]

For the most part it seems fine, though these people don't look like they have a ton of mmo experience.

Except for:

Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert    - UO, UO2, Shadowbane, Sims Online, Meridian 59

which is troubling on many levels.

His credit on Sims Online is a "Special Thanks" credit.

[Surlyboi]

I think the re-newbie feeling is a great measure of how intuitive an interface/game is.  If I can go back to a game after a few months and pick it up quickly, it's a good sign that the game was implemented in a way that is at least intuitive to the way I approach MMOs. 

So, are we allowed to be critical anymore or does that get us all labeled as "jaded" or "trolls" now. 

Loved the Teddy Ruxpin comment btw.   

It's totally cool to be critical. Everyone should be. That's why I don'r begrudge Lant on her stance. I may not agree, but I certainly value her input. The person I've been labeling a troll has been pretty consistent in his trollishness.

[Sobelius]

I've re-newb'd a number of games. LOTRO is still the longest I've stayed (and still playing) after going back. Its systems are grindy but you can't say there isn't stuff to do. Just got to Moria for the first time last week. Visually impressive.

As to the NDA stuff, even though I've pre-ordered, I'd really like to hope that the "personal story" of each character/class is not an AoC Tortuga experience. Tortuga was amazing -- so much so that it highlighted what a boring shit pile everything afterward was.

200 hours of unique content (and VO?) per class. Nice. As long as it isn't composed of hours of meaningless drivel and hundreds of variations on ways for NPCs to say "hello" and "goodbye" to you. 200 hours of VO is also useless if it's tied to a string of Fedex and kill x/y quests. And I hope it's not creepy dialog a la "Oblivion", where the person you just screwed over one moment treats you later like someone they've just met -- nothing gave me pod-people chills like "Oblivion".

On a slightly different tack:
I also realized I pre-ordered SWTOR because it's likely to be one of the last few remaining "mass-cultural" events we can experience these days. In an era of fractured/niche entertainment on TV (and even movies), there are few such mass events. It would be rather amazing if they pull off the story in this game well enough that people might actually have conversations outside the game about characters and stories in the game (rather than about gear/loot/class imbalance/blah blah blah), much in the way we talk about Game of Thrones events/characters, or even the original Star Wars trilogy events/characters.  (I'm secretly hoping it will.)

[Draegan]

I believe that Damion's focus is primarily just combat systems.

Which - again - is troubling on many levels.

I wouldn't call the combat in any of those games (well, ok the 3 games that had it.) good.   I wasn't a fan of what I'd heard of UO or what I played of SB combat.

Combat feels just fine and responsive as you would expect it to be.

I would assume this means "as responsive as you would expect good diku combat to be" and not "as responsive as the F13 peanut gallery would expect the combat of a horrible mishmash of UO, SB, and M59 to be".

Heh yes.  It's just as good as WOW.  Combat is a bit difference since there is no autoattack, so you have a basic attack that doesn't trigger whatever your resource management is, and then a bunch of abilities on different cool downs.

So I guess more like COX in a certain way.