Schilling's Green Monster Games

[Furiously]

Anybody who ever killed Ragnaros knows that storytelling in MMOs isn't done in quest text.  And really, in WoW, that kind of storytelling started in Wailing Caverns and The Deadmines, and continues to date.  You can have the greatest story ever told, but if you don't engage me with it through more than one means I simply won't care.

As far as realism goes it's pretty much a retarded argument.  People who clamor for 'realism' are only fooling themselves.  People don't play MMOs for the reality.  They play them for the escape from reality they provide.  If anything, I worry from those screens that this game won't be stylized and/or artistic enough.  Don't make your game look 'real.'  Make it look 'good.'

Also, to Schilling, well... 2 things.

1.  Fuck you for doubling up the Giants in the playoffs on 3 days rest or whatever that was when you were with Arizona.  I hope you fall off a cliff.

2.  Finish your game no matter what.  You can McQuaid up all the message boards on the internet, but if the game isn't done when it comes out, then dudes won't play.


P.S.  I'm NOT rooting for you!  CLIFF SIR --------->

I'm guessing you follow him around everywhere he posts? Show me where he touched you...

[Musashi]

I thought I made that obvious.

And, no.  I don't.

[AcidCat]

I dig the concept art.


Lets see how they translate it to a low-poly-real-time-rendering environment.

Yeah, same here, I really like the concept art - I hope they can keep that feel in a game engine that works and scales well.

Also the 38 Studios booth at Comic Con was just a tease. They very nicely told me NOTHING :)

[RUiN 427]

I'm always more interested in projects that are fueled by a personal passion. Often in gaming we see a lot of "me too" projects that come and go. Curt's game is definitely a product of passion. Not just the big names involved but the level of their involvement are very promising. Listening to several of Curt's interviews and even one interview with Todd makes it evident that Curt isn't just investing in "this new MMO thing everyone is talking about" and how Todd isn't just designing characters but staying on in a more creative director roll. I'm excited to see how this game developes and what the final product is, and like morfiend said, please please please do not release it until you are absolutely confident it's done.

P.S. I'll probably get shit for this but... What are the chances it can run on a Mac as well?

[Ingmar]

I'm guessing you follow him around everywhere he posts? Show me where he touched you...

He touched him on the no championships since 1954, that's where!

[Musashi]

I'm guessing you follow him around everywhere he posts? Show me where he touched you...

He touched him on the no championships since 1954, that's where!

You looked that up on the internets.

:(

[Ingmar]

I'm guessing you follow him around everywhere he posts? Show me where he touched you...

He touched him on the no championships since 1954, that's where!

You looked that up on the internets.

:(

Nuh uh :(

[gehrig38]

P.S. I'll probably get shit for this but... What are the chances it can run on a Mac as well?

It will

[Mrbloodworth]

P.S. I'll probably get shit for this but... What are the chances it can run on a Mac as well?

It will

That statement, plus the smile in your avatar, make me thing bad things.

[Soln]

Mac.  That is a plus.


Ok, so personal fortune and passion aside we have a good approach to graphic design, good engine (cause it's multiplatform) which isn't trying to out-Valve Valve, lots of gamey ideas (Schwayder).  I'm now interested.  More please.

[gehrig38]

hehe, no matter how the conversation goes here, or on FOH, or any board for that matter, the same things are going to happen.
1) Danuser and Roberts are going to wince up until, and sometimes after, reading my posts.
2) A sect of people are going to hammer whatever I say
3) A sect of people are going to be excited about what I say
4) A sect of people are going to utter a quote almost exactly like this "Shut the hell up. You talk talk talk and haven't shown us anything, don't tell us anymore until we can see a full blown live playest on youtube"
5) A sect of people are going to say "Ya but I hate R.A., he's a hack and he sucks"
6) A sect of people are going to say "Ya but Todd McFarlane is involved, it's going to suck suck suck.."
7) Two sects of people are going to oppose those in points 5 and 6
8) Someone is going to give me 733T PWN U business advice in one of the following quotes:
    A) Don't publish your game until it's finished (as if I didn't already know that)
    B) Don't have quests, they suck, Exp sucks, everything sucks but especially WOW, don't make it like WoW, or EQ, or EQ2, or AOC, or etc. etc.
    c) Take my advice, hire the folks on this board, we are so much smarter than the people in this industry it's funny
    D) Don't try and beat WoW, you will screw up if you do
    E) Don't make another fantasy MMO
    etc. etc.

All of that will in some form or another, continue to happen as I interact in these forums.

This is all I can really tell you. As a gamer, I am in no way different than many of you. I am deeply passionate and deeply devoted to playing and enjoying MMO's. I've been playing them since the early UO days so I think I know a little bit about the genre and about what's been good and what hasn't, it's not really rocket science to see how many people are playing what games. I have been adamant since day 1 and told this to anyone that will listen. I am NOT making MY GAME. With that being said I am not throwing my cash on the table and telling a group of people I didn't know "Go make a cool game" either.

You have no idea how much I want to share right now about what we are doing. I have however, been taught by the Danusers, Roberts, and others of the world what can happen if i don't listen to them in crucial spots, and believe it or not I KNOW I am nowhere near the smartest guy in the room (except when it's a 1-1 with Danuser).

My family here has achieved, they've produced, most more than once. I trust them and I think they trust me to lead them. Leading them is about creating an environment that facilitates them doing way more than they ever dreamed they could, and from a first hand source I can tell you it's happening.

Yes that's a tease, and for now that's all I have for you. I won't and can't tell you how our class/race/skills/world/PVP or any of that is working or thought of because there is a TOTAL NO WIN in having those discussions with people that aren't 'eyes on' this stuff 24/7.

There will soon come a time when people outside this studio will lay eyes on our product to begin giving us vital objective feedback and we have industry studs to organize and oversee that process.

At the end of the day someone here really did put it best. I've been blessed enough to be in position to go from thinking about making a game, and talking about making a game, to putting my money where my mouth is and actually create an IP that has its core focus as an online Fantasy MMO, and damn if that isn't cool as hell.

[WayAbvPar]

I didn't see anything about a sect of people demanding that you abandon the DIKU/leveling advancement system. As their self-appointed leader, I hereby demand that you find another form of advancement. If you can get something like the breadth of skills that EVE has combined with advancement by use of the skills themselves (and not time, or # of foozles killed, etc), I will STFU about Salvatore. Deal? 

[schild]

You forgot a very important sect.

The one that thinks it's awesome a gamer gets to follow his dream and is putting his money where his mouth is but seems to be forgetting he's not a designer and is talking a big game in all the wrong places (in uncontrolled environments to boot!) for someone whose resume has an ERA on it and not Shipped Games.

My recommendation? Unless it's an interview or article, have your CRM cuff your hands. Yes, you could very well impress everyone and blow us away - but the more Awesome you make it sound or seem without anything to show - you're only going to let people down. Feel free to stick around and talk games, for real, but if I may humbly suggest from the designers who have gone down this same path - scale it back. Pimping yourself can do a lot more harm than it can help. Pimping is not PR, irregardless of whether you're a member of communities or not.

Also, teasing is amateur hour. But you knew that.

This is the only good objective feedback I can think of right now.

Edit: Sorry for the low blow at the beginning, but you know, lol.

Edit 2: Whoa, missed a sentence on your post. Are you sure your first misstep wasn't going with Fantasy? I can't be sure, since I'm not familiar with the genre, but I've heard we have - you know - Enough Of Those. Also, WoW.

[gehrig38]

I don't pimp myself and I don't and haven't engaged in telling you this is the greatest game ever. I certainly won't post to downplay the product and given the total absence of content in my posts the only thing I can talk about is the excitement in what I am seeing.
Cuffing just isn't in the cards and it really is on me to live and learn, which I think I have done and will continue to do.
I have always enjoyed interacting with the communities of the different MMO forums and see no reason why that would ever stop.
As a gamer first and foremost I will always interact in this sort of discussion and since I have founded a company that's making an MMO some of the topics and discussions here might be relevant to something we are doing, you never know.

[Lantyssa]

I didn't see anything about a sect of people demanding that you abandon the DIKU/leveling advancement system. As their self-appointed leader, I hereby demand that you find another form of advancement. If you can get something like the breadth of skills that EVE has combined with advancement by use of the skills themselves (and not time, or # of foozles killed, etc), I will STFU about Salvatore. Deal? 

I'm part of WAP's sect.  Down with DIKU leveling!  Since I like Salvatore, I'll provide balance and remind my fearless leader of this promise should he slip up.

Should we not get our way, I'll be sure to join as many of those loud-mouthed groups as possible, even if they're contradictory.

[WindupAtheist]

8) Someone is going to give me 733T PWN U business advice in one of the following quotes:
    A) Don't publish your game until it's finished (as if I didn't already know that)

If you've been around MMO gaming since the early UO days, then you can understand why we would feel compelled to scream this at any MMO industry person within sight of our posts.  It seems self-evident, but for some reason almost nobody is able to pull it off.  I don't think it's because developers are all bad people who like slapping the public in the face with unfinished work.  There are reasons.

It's not just a case of saying "finish ur game lol".  It's a case of reminding you that overcoming the pitfalls that have left probably the majority of previous MMO efforts as piles of steaming unfinished shit at release isn't just an important consideration, it's basically THE consideration.  Even if your game has to be less cool in order to be complete at release.

[Montague]

So Curt is there a selling point to your game? As has been said before, fantasy diku's are a dime a dozen and WoW is the 800 lb. gorilla. Is there something from the design you can boil down into a phrase that you're excited about?

FFA PVP?
Skill Based Advancement?
Non-grindy loot system?
Exploration-based advancement?
Sandbox?

Anything?

[Hawkbit]

Hrmmmm...

All my WoW toons are on Alliance side Earthen Ring.  I haven't decided if I'll cut Forkball a break if I ever see him red.  

Well, it seems as if your skin is thick enough for the gaming world.  I'm interested to see how the game turns out.  It should prove to be an interesting ride.  

[schild]

Maybe another lead will come around and be all chatty and his game will crash and burn before GMG gets their game out and will make my point for me. God knows we've had enough of them in the past.

[WindupAtheist]

Montague, frankly, he shouldn't answer questions like that.  He should say almost nothing until he knows for sure that he won't have to cut anything.  Or if he does, until he knows exactly what has to be cut.  If we never knew Feature X was supposed to be there, we can't bitch when it doesn't make release.

[Montague]

Montague, frankly, he shouldn't answer questions like that.  He should say almost nothing until he knows for sure that he won't have to cut anything.  Or if he does, until he knows exactly what has to be cut.  If we never knew Feature X was supposed to be there, we can't bitch when it doesn't make release.

Some of the examples I gave are probably too specific but I'm speaking on more of a core design standpoint rather than features. Like WoW could have been described in very general terms as "Like EQ but without spawn camping". I just don't see how yet another fantasy MMO with a nascent IP is going to make any sort of buzz without a selling point.

[Lantyssa]

Hopefully the selling point will be "fun".  Seems enough games forget that one that it would be a hit.

[Nebu]

Hopefully the selling point will be "fun".  Seems enough games forget that one that it would be a hit.

Yes.  If more games were able to capture "TEH FUN" then we'd be off playing them rather than frequenting forums to scrutinize the industry. 

[schild]

Hopefully the selling point will be "fun".  Seems enough games forget that one that it would be a hit.

Yes.  If more games were able to capture "TEH FUN" then we'd be off playing them rather than frequenting forums to scrutinize the industry. 

Weird, I think I just heard the siren call of Soul Calibur IV.

[Merusk]

I didn't see anything about a sect of people demanding that you abandon the DIKU/leveling advancement system. As their self-appointed leader, I hereby demand that you find another form of advancement. If you can get something like the breadth of skills that EVE has combined with advancement by use of the skills themselves (and not time, or # of foozles killed, etc), I will STFU about Salvatore. Deal? 

I think you're covered under section 8b.

Well, it seems as if your skin is thick enough for the gaming world.

Gamers and internet trolls have nothing on disgruntled sports fans.  I'd say the man probably laughs at the slings and arrows of the internet.

[WayAbvPar]

Quests don't inherently suck. Giving me a quest to kill 5 wolf pups, then a quest to kill 5 wolf juveniles, and then 5 wolf sub adults, and then 5 adults, and then the pack leader, while doling out XP and level limited loot all the way? That sucks.

[Triforcer]

I didn't see anything about a sect of people demanding that you abandon the DIKU/leveling advancement system. As their self-appointed leader, I hereby demand that you find another form of advancement. If you can get something like the breadth of skills that EVE has combined with advancement by use of the skills themselves (and not time, or # of foozles killed, etc), I will STFU about Salvatore. Deal? 

I think you're covered under section 8b.

Well, it seems as if your skin is thick enough for the gaming world.

Gamers and internet trolls have nothing on disgruntled sports fans.  I'd say the man probably laughs at the slings and arrows of the internet.

Truth.  His normal trolls are 300lb drunk fans with jagged beer bottle shards.  We are 120lb corpse white college kids who are at our computers not wearing pants. 

[HaemishM]

I weigh more than 120 pounds these days. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Pants are over rated.

[cevik]

I weigh more than 120 pounds these days. 

With or without pants?

[Signe]

Some former baseball player turned games developer seems to be a wee bit of a sect addict.  I'm not naming names.

[Xerapis]

I prefer to think of it as a sectS addiction 

If you don't immediately get teh funneh, say it out loud.

[Aez]

Is that a shadow UO logo behind the green happy face?

[Signe]

I prefer to think of it as a sectS addiction 

If you don't immediately get teh funneh, say it out loud.

That's what I meant!   

[Furiously]

Have you approached Viin Deisle also? I think you should get as many big names on the project as you can. An actor would add... Well...someone who loves D&D....