Timeshare MMOG

[tazelbain]

I was think about how Metaplace just isn't going work for amateurs to build their own MMOG. So here is my idea:

So at the base would be a kit to build a tiny little online game.  When the user is happy with their little game, they hit the publish button.  There little game goes into rotation with all the other little games in that "Small Fry" league. As people play, the user's gamewill be rated for desirable criteria (popularity, efficiency, critical acclaim, etc). Periodical the very good games will be promoted to next league and the very bad will be disabled.  In the next league the user's game kit is expanded more.  More customizability, more resources, more rotation time.  Again they compete with others in the new league.  The cycle would continue several more times.  Eventually this would lead to great, popular, and novel MMOGs which are up all the time.

Money wise, I'd go with a small flat fee, to start a world. Premium accounts with perks.  Profit sharing for successful worlds.  It would seek to build a positive feedback cycle to build new games.

[Bzalthek]

In theory I like the concept.  However, what is to keep goons from rating the shitting dick nipple (exaggeration for effect) MMO from winning by landslide?

[tazelbain]

Voting is nearly worthless. Besides the exploit issue, voting seems to have a "politeness" issue where people give everyone high scores to be nice.  If there was a direct voting  mechanism, it wouldn't be a major variable in deciding if a world is "good".  What would be important is measuring and rating how the users interact with the game.

[pxib]

There are ideas which work in small, simple games that don't scale in large and complex ones. The opposite is also true. At the low end, clever ideas and executions carry a lot of weight. At the high end, patience and dedication reign. Games as elaborate as MMOGs are unlikely to benefit from a stair-step development process. Each new idea has to be integrated with each previous system. Every time. Maintaining fun and user satisfaction as the project progresses would be brutal.