"Ten Reasons You Don't Want to Run a Massively Multiplayer Onlin

#1 This is a good article. I recommend everyone here read it if you are even considering a MMPOG and be able to say no problem to 1 through 10.

#2 Nice article. I like this quote:

Quote:You need to launch with so much gameplay that the customer can't figure out when the content ends

That is why nobody has de-throned Everquest yet. So many games have tried, but just didn't have the content at release to keep people playing long enough to get addicted.

When Everquest launched, there were 3 continents of stuff to do and explore, 14(?) different classes and nearly as many races. Hundreds of spells and thousands of items, etc. People were always wanting to see what was around the next corner, and when they got there, it was something great... making them want to continue to the next corner.

By the time the content started wearing out, people had been playing so long they were hooked. And then an expansion pack would come out.

#3 GAH!

I hate work, stupid proxy is preventing me from viewing this article. I want a hard copy bad!

#4 Orbital has a MMOG set out to be made, and I believe we can say no problem to all 10. We're taking our time on it and putting it in a LONG development cycle in order to get the content needed. In fact, the plan calls for 3 fully completed earth-sized planets before release. Have fun exploring just one... :P

#5 If you're like me and Ron and you're behind a proxy that filters gamespy, you can see Gamasutra's summary of the talk at:

www.gamasutra.com/gdc2003/features/20030306/olsen_01.htm

#6 Mark,

Nope, Xerox is 199% anal. They have basicly EVERYTHING blocked. I am not sure how I get to this site, seeing that ever other site with "game" in its url is blocked.

-Ron

#7 I sent you an email Ron, did you get it?

#8 most keyword based proxy filters can be bypasses quite easily with ip addresses.

just "ping" the site and then enter the ip address into the browser, most filter admins
are to lazy to block the the protocol that ping uses and just bother blocking tcp because it
is much easier.

this works at every client site I have gone to that blocks garagegames because of the word game in the title, I just
look up the ip address and use it.

try 207.38.1.105 . . . instead of www.gamespy.com

#9 Jarred,

These guys are much smarter than the average IT goons, I have been down that path before

Access to the URL: http://207.38.1.105/ is being blocked by the Content Filter on the web proxy, due to inclusion in the filter category: Games.

-Ron

#10 Mike,

Yes and I thank you very very much! time to send this to those goons that keep emailing me asking for me to work on the next world dominating TGE MMO*

-Ron

#11 While several valid points were raised a lot of them are rather contrived. Of COURSE they're different from single player games, of COURSE that much content requires a lot of people.

The technical hurdles to MMORPGs are so minor they border on trivial compared to simply staggering amount of content required. Which is one of the primary motivating factors behind my project. I've don't delude myself into thinking that I can deploy an MMO from start to finish, what I CAN do though is smooth the tech ramp out for those who have the content creation resources.

#12 Sweet article!

Problem is, I still see a way to do it right, so I'll continue to work on my projects. As for the Top 10 Reasons why not, well, we'll just see what we can do about these!

- Christopher Dapo ~ Ronixus

#13 And the general Slashdot consensus is?

slashdot.org/articles/03/03/07/165210.shtml?tid=127

#14 MMO is to indie developers as a cliff is to lemmings. :)

#15 "MMO is to indie developers as a cliff is to lemmings. :)"

Almost made me spit my wine out.

#16 "MMO is to indie developers as a cliff is to lemmings. :)"

LMAO, that's great and completely true. It's all about the cha-ching. And to anyone who refutes what was said in the article, take a second and remember that he knows what the hell he's talking about.

#17 There's MMORPG in the context of Sony, Microsoft, etc... and then there are smaller Persistent Worlds/Graphical Muds... they don't really compare, and the later is far more interesting... at least to me.

Lumping any game with persistence and scale into the MMORPG category as defined by Sony/Microsoft is being extremely short sighted... these are services as much as anything...

Thinking you are going to directly compete with MMORPG in existing MMORPG terms is probably delusional... do it smaller, do it better... isn't that what being an indie is really about?

And no, we don't ALL have to make little puzzle games just to get a game done... some of us don't need the experience, resume piece, immediate gratification, etc... or plainly aren't interested in them...

Muds are quite successful, there is no reason graphical muds can't be too... we just need the graphical version of DikuMud, LPMud, AmberMud, Smaug, CircleMud, etc... this WILL happen, and it's very exciting... I'd like to see Torque be there...

The Long Haul(tm).

-J

#18 Or a collectivly distrbuted "world" comprised the efforts of several groups of people who have talent, time and get the chance to tell their own tales.

#19 10 reasons gamespy is sweating your making a mmog. 10 reasons why Gamespy is worried that youll succeed.

I think there's no difference between a web server a mmog server. Content is the best thing about making a mmog. I wouldnt be surprised atall if many companies were downright frightened about things like, Josh Ritter Making a MMOG SDK.

#20 Particularly since they could be run much the same way any other small business is run -- customized, personalized service. There are enough people out there looking for a more personalized MMOG; it may well start small, but that's likely an attractive prospect to many -- particularly if they know you will remember them as it grows. There are plenty of ways a talented, small dev team could make a living initially. Heck, look what people pay for that 'premium' EQ . . .