[MUD-Dev] MMORPG Cancellations: The sky is falling?

[Dana V. Baldwin]

At: Thursday, July 08, 2004 2:30 AM Luca Girardo wrote:

> I ask myself if COH subscribers are just existing migrating MMOG
> customers or if COH was able to reach other market segments then
> the current MMOGs through their game play, game design and theme.

I wonder how much game play and game design actually attract the
majority of players. Do you really know how a game will play out
from the self-centered editorials that are written about a game
pre-launch? I would think of the three options, theme would pull in
the largest percentage though the other two, far and away, will
account for post-launch growth and retention.

> ...I would say that many of the game design features (simple
> teaming up, shorter missions etc., quick leveling) implies shorter
> but content richer online gaming sessions then other MMOGs and
> therefore being more attractive for a larger players audience
> including "casual gamers".

I couldn't agree more. While it is not a whole paradigm shift (still
has levels), the implementation is spot on as to be totally
compelling. The one thing that I have yet to do in playing CoH is
stand around wondering what I should do. The amount of "quests" and
content available, matched with the ease of grouping mean that I can
have 30 minute or 8 hour gaming sessions, basically at my
pick. Again though, I wonder, how many people at the store thought,
"Well I don't really go in for MMOs but this one looks to have
really simple and fun mechanics so I'll give it a try. I would tend
to argue (in the lack of evidence) that migrating current players
are the majority players in all new MMOs, including CoH.

> If that would be true, it could indicate a paradigm shift for
> future MMOGs. Also the new SWG expansion, introducing real-time
> game play could be a feature attracting other market segments
> educing the "cannibalizing effect" between existing MMOGs.

I believe it most certainly does at least as far as the polish,
simplicity, and fun of CoH. I'm probably a bit jaded on the
real-time combat of SWG. While totally and utterly excited about it,
we've been running a full time "real-time" fps/flight/vehicle combat
game for years (and despite Sony's claims otherwise we were the
first MMO FPS game, and incidentally in accordance with their recent
press release, we're actually bigger too but that's another rant
I'll save for the press release fellows...). Of course we could
probably learn a lot about polish and simplicity as well.
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