The Hype - (July 21, 2009)
The most frustrating part of a new MMO for me is being let down from all the "over hype." I hate it when developers brag about a million cool features that they never deliver.
I never want to do that to the people reading these blogs...
I want you to know that we are open, honest and direct with everything we say here - even when that means we have to say "Sorry, that feature will not be available at launch."
Alganon is being designed to be a service, not a product. We will not exchange a box for cash and then walk away never to see each other again. That's not how Alganon works. It's a relationship. It is "our" game - yours and mine - and I want to make sure you get your say...
But actions speak louder, and in most cases, are truer than words. I've heard countless people say they hate to raid, only to have them squeal with joy when we 40-man a boss together. I've heard people complain about how much they absolutely hate kill quests, and then turn down a night at the movies because they would rather kill just three more rats. I've known people who complain about how foolish it is that a boar can carry a wizard's staff in its gut, but then get so excited that they call me at 3 am because an epic two-hander just dropped from a plague-ridden swine. These are moments of pure joy, and they would be lost if the designers had listened to the words, and not the actions.
To make sure that your experience in Alganon is full of these moments of joy, I need to listen to what you do, not just what you say... and the only way to do that is to get you in the game as early and as often as I can. If that means holding back some of the more extreme ideas until after launch, so be it. I'm willing to make that sacrifice.
The game we make together will be better that anything we could have designed alone.
Hue's 3 Rules of MMO Design
Hue's First Rule: Hue's First Rule: Designing an MMO is always more work than you expect, even when Hue's First Rule of MMO Design is taken into account.
Hue's Second Rule: The collective intelligence of an MMO's players is greater than the collective intelligence of that MMO's designers.
Hue's Third Rule: There will never be enough time to complete every feature you design for your MMO.
Corollary One: If you focus on fixing bad features, you will run out of time and have to cut the fun ones.
Corollary Two: If you focus on adding fun features, you will run out of time and have to cut the bad ones.
Hue "Hyuu" Henry
Lead Data Designer
Quest Online, LLC.
|
