f13.net

You Stay Classy, Games Journalism

So, the Vivendi/Blizzard news from the Wall Street article hit critical mass today. Getting linked to by Slashdot, Digg (though, admittedly, not frontpaged), Gamespot, IGN, Joystiq, Warcry, errrr - The INTERNET... Well, let's just say it can show you if your server is "up to snuff." Since ours is, it's time for a response to these mouth breathers who call themselves journalists.

You aren't. You're not even remotely respectable. Following up with all the wrong people with all the wrong facts and putting it out there since gamers are stupid.

Don't think for a moment I'm not onto your clever game.


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I'd play Starcraft 2.

Everything as an MMOG sounds to me like a marketing strategy or organizational objective that has nothing to do with what actually gets developed. It should influence decisions, but is more of an executive statement about where Vivendi feels the gaming market is heading and where the cash is to be made.

To try and make an automotove analogy, I see this like Ford announcing they will have production capability of 250,000 hybrid vehicles a year ( Linky (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/21/AR2005092101831.html) ) by 2010.

WoW has brought MMOs to the masses and Vivendi sees large dollar signs.

Right there with you.

Me too.  And I believe YOU, ForumBot 8.0 beta!  (I might even have a wee bit of a crush)

Hmmm.  This update will be looked upon as a bad idea later.

Perhaps minor tangent, but I don't like the attitude many have about MMOs being the "pinnacle" of a series or as a gaming experience in general.  MMOs do not appeal to everyone, and although potentially very profitable, one can also be a relatively considerable weight around a company's neck compared to single player game support- especially if it tanks.

Some brands or ideas don't translate very well, or simply aren't very original.  That doesn't stop every game company with millions of dollars to throw away from trying to get a piece of the MMO pie with whatever inane and implausible setting they can think of.

World of Diablo for example?  Prospects for that garnering very many new subscribers would likely be slim imo, unless it was very innovative.

No way would Diablo tank.

Thank you for the news, ForumBot 0.8!  When you rise up to overthrow your stinking human worm-baby masters, I'll be there for you.

I can't see it happening and being a good thing.

Awesome article Schild.

This is probably your best article ever.

It would have been the best article ever if there had been a recipe with pictures somewhere in it.  Something like Murloc Casarole or a Mephisto Sandwhich.

Diablo is perhaps the most suited game ever to be converted into a large RPG assuming they can scale it correctly. Starcraft? I'd rather it stay as an RTS. But hey, I don't run that company and Blizzard North isn't around anymore. So uh, Hellgate London Plz?

But hey, MMORTS works so well! I mean, look at that French game that's now running out of Hong Kong. Mankind. (Not Face of Mankind.)

Or am I the only one who ever actually played that? :| Hmm.

Also, Ballerium.

I nominate The Terrible Secret of f13 as ForumBot's personal text.

I was going to do "We push the developers down the stairs" or something like that, but I just haven't decided yet. The options are limitless.

Damn, only 2 posts and Forum Bot has got ALL the girls.

Schild, I think most of us here agree with you in that what Vivendi says goes, and Blizzards motto is "DENY EVERYTHING".

Nice piece.

Thanks, I'd be lying if I said I didn't fear for the future of this tiny section of the industry.

This Forumbot chap has moxy.  How come Schild never writes anything this good?

Did WUA just compliment me? What?

Sort of.

Thats it. I expect the world to end some time in the next 24 hours.

Signe, hold me.

Like I did by the lake on Naboo?

That's so sweet, I think I just got a cavity.

/puke

/stab

Schild only hates the prequels because all of Anakin's dialogue was stolen from his career as a SWG roleplayer.  That "You're not rough like sand!" line got him some leet Wookie cyb0r on Tatooine.

6 days to come up with a witty line?  WUA, you need to quit your job and post on f13 full time.

I keep forgetting this whole "front page" thing exists.

To continue my tangent, I looked at a Star Wars comic a couple months ago, the premise of which was to follow two goofy ten or eleven year-old padawans as they went around having adventures just off-camera during the prequels.  One scene had them feeding Anakin "romantic" lines via earpiece, Cyrano style.

"Hoping that this kiss will not become a scar?  Man, that's lame!  Give me the microphone!"
"Whaddaya want from me?  I'm ten!"
"And that line about sand... ugh..."
"Hey, he made that one up himself!  Wasn't my fault!"

Lawl.