Beckett's Most Influential People in the MMO Industry

[Falconeer]

What the heck's a Beckett

[Tale]

What the heck's a Beckett

[schild]

Sometimes I wish we could be less funny.

[Ingmar]

Will no one rid us of these turbulent posters?

[Sjofn]

Will no one rid us of these turbulent posters?

God, are you sexy sometimes. 

[Lantyssa]

Hey, hey, HEY!  Get a private thread!

[Sjofn]

I thought it would nice to share!

[gehrig38]

Having (somewhat) new blood break into the MMO scene and repeat those fabled words is pretty sad/frustrating if you've been around the block before.

You haven't been around the block any more or less than I have, so I am not sure what that means.

[schild]

Having (somewhat) new blood break into the MMO scene and repeat those fabled words is pretty sad/frustrating if you've been around the block before.

You haven't been around the block any more or less than I have, so I am not sure what that means.

Curt, did you just submit an entry into an MMOG resume e-peen contest?

[gehrig38]

Na, I just find it humorous that posters, for whatever reason, assume they have this lengthy resume of MMO experience and so many "back in the day" stories that folks working in the industry don't.

It's likely I started playing MMO's when most of the folks here did, I know I started gaming around 28 years ago (Wizardry!!!), and much like my baseball career I was a fan before I played, I was a gamer, and still am, before I got into the industry.

I have an overwhelming desire to not let it suck, no different than any MMO fans here. I don't want to repeat mistakes, I do hope people see the cool new stuff as innovative design on top of tried, tested and accepted practices.

Lastly though, I 'troll' these boards to chat about stuff Danuser or Roberts won't kill me for talking about because I am interested in talking about game play and ideas around the game we're making, and the games I am playing.

I don't do e-peen, that only happens and is a game I can compete in only when I have a baseball in my hand.

[Tale]

Raph's games autogenerate e-peen, you can't possibly win.

[Vash]

Wasn't trying to start any e-peen contests at all, just sumarizing why your comment might cause schild to want to consider threats of physical harm.

Unless you were developing games while also playing pro baseball instead of just playing them I don't see why you and your company wouldn't be considered new blood in the MMO market.  The somewhat qualifier was because you obviously have developers on board with past industry experience.

The around the block just means if you've been listening to the developers of LOTRO, AoC, WAR etc. prior to their launches, which is just the last few years.

[Triforcer]

In all fairness, how much do the "lessons" of small-scale MUDs really matter, given how much the genre has evolved?  His MMO is going to be a triple AAA affair, hopefully profitable.  It makes sense you take lessons from the successes and failures of other AAA affairs.  MUDs were more intimate communities, not geared to mass-market commercialism, and the design reflected that.

If you are building a supersonic jet you may respect the Wright brothers for getting the ball rolling, but that doesn't mean its worthwhile anymore to take flight engineering tips from them. 

[UnSub]

To some extent Copernicus is what happens when MMO fans with serious money think, "We should make a MMO".

The final quality depends on 1) what these fans want to create, 2) what lessons they learned from previous titles and 3) the people they hire to get the job done. And then its only details like how the game actually plays. 

[Kirth]

To some extent Copernicus is what happens when MMO fans with serious money think, "We should make a MMO".

The final quality depends on 1) what these fans want to create, 2) what lessons they learned from previous titles and 3) the people they hire to get the job done. And then its only details like how the game actually plays. 

4) not releasing until the job is done.

[UnSub]

It's never done. It might be 95% working as intended at launch and the intended might be fun. Might.

[Raph]

In all fairness, how much do the "lessons" of small-scale MUDs really matter, given how much the genre has evolved?

Quite a lot still, I think. The AAA commercial MMOs have changed a LOT, don't get me wrong. But just as one example, the core lessons for things like how to evaluate advancement rates & set up experience point curves, create interdependence between classes, the core class archetypes themselves, the fundamental combat system, good zone flow, the fundamentals of the social interaction systems -- all that stuff carries over. Let's not forget how many fundamentals that are at the core of the gameplay got established back then.

[SnakeCharmer]

True.

And the sooner the old guard that hasn't realized we're not playing DnD at the cafeteria lunchroom moves on or dies off and the new guard wakes up and says 'This shit SUCKS' and creates something new, the better off we'll be.

(There probably should be a period in there somewhere....)

[ShenMolo]

In all fairness, how much do the "lessons" of small-scale MUDs really matter, given how much the genre has evolved?

Quite a lot still, I think. The AAA commercial MMOs have changed a LOT, don't get me wrong. But just as one example, the core lessons for things like how to evaluate advancement rates & set up experience point curves, create interdependence between classes, the core class archetypes themselves, the fundamental combat system, good zone flow, the fundamentals of the social interaction systems -- all that stuff carries over. Let's not forget how many fundamentals that are at the core of the gameplay got established back then.

Heck, that stuff was established with:

Good old AD&D

[Senses]

Lol, seeing that book and the picture of the frightening devil on the front reminds me why when i was 12, my Jehova Witness Maid thew away every D&D book I had one day and told my Father that she had done us all a favor by chasing off Satan.

[schild]

She owes you some money then.

[Ingmar]

frightening devil on the front

Efreeti. 

[Senses]

Yeah, strange how it worked out.  She got fired, my Dad got paid, and I got nothing.

[Sjofn]

frightening devil on the front

Efreeti. 

God, are you sexy sometimes. 

[Pezzle]

Or you can look back further. 



Sadly set is from 83 onward =(

[Lantyssa]

I must be getting old.  I want to pinch Sjofn and Ingmar's cheeks, they're so dorkily cute.

[Sjofn]

I must be getting old.  I want to pinch Sjofn and Ingmar's cheeks, they're so dorkily cute.

Funny you should say that, Ingmar called me a dork the second he saw my post.