tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post508896650891127185..comments2023-10-15T04:55:00.347-05:00Comments on Anyway Games: more on IPsAaron Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06397235341719388657noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-52745052361054786192008-06-10T22:48:00.000-05:002008-06-10T22:48:00.000-05:00I can see where it makes sense with respects to in...I can see where it makes sense with respects to introducing content. There's no way they could have created the entirety of Middle Earth prior to launch, so following the story lets them introduce new areas from a lore perspective.<BR/><BR/>Right now, we're in happy go lucky Eriador and it's mostly when we start getting near the Misty Mountains where we see the overall "mood" of the zones decline as Sauron's influence is felt more. Ever notice how the zones have their own moods? That's also a pretty cool design feature, really helps with the immersion.<BR/><BR/>What I'm hoping (and I'm sure I'm not alone) is that once we get into Moria and *especially* out on the other side, the action and danger will be kicked up several notches so we're not just grinding bears and boars again. /crosses fingersTalynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17848472705380445923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-11674576756908549312008-06-10T01:00:00.000-05:002008-06-10T01:00:00.000-05:00Exactly. The problem with including characters fro...Exactly. The problem with including characters from the film/novel IP is that every player wants to meet them, but it feels contrived when that happens... regardless of how depthful those characters are. When everyone in Middle Earth has received a "vital" mission from Aragorn himself, the link to the original IP is ripped to shreds and no longer provides the thrill that was the point of using the IP.<BR/><BR/>If the correct time period had been chosen for SW:G, then there could have been jedi without breaking the bond. But even then, allowing every player access to a jedi slot would have destroyed the lore connection and made the game silly (like it is now).<BR/><BR/>LOTRO's gradual following of the LOTR plot makes no sense to me. On the one hand, dragging it out disappoints, as you've experienced. But when it gets to the end, what do they do? reset? <BR/><BR/>I respect both games in ways, but they each include some terrible(!) decisions.Aaron Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06397235341719388657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-54583052892111452042008-06-09T21:00:00.000-05:002008-06-09T21:00:00.000-05:00Using existing IP's has to be a rough endeavor whe...Using existing IP's has to be a rough endeavor when it's based around specific characters. SWG and LOTRO are both perfect examples of the simultaneous pro's and con's of finally meeting one of the IP's (in)famous characters. First, we're delighted because "hey! it's so-and-so, I love the books/movies, yadda yadda, this is too cool!" Then we click on them, and the disappointment of them being diminished to mere static NPC's truly does them an injustice.<BR/><BR/>As an aside, SWG was my first MMO subscription, and I'm going to agree with the crowd who thinks Koster and the boys chose the wrong timeline for the game. <B>Of course</B> we want to be Jedi! But there weren't supposed to be any during the time the game was set other than Skywalker... but I digress...<BR/><BR/>But in both cases, since we're talking the MMO genre, we can't have thousands or millions of players being Luke, Han, Chewie, Frodo, Gandalf or Aragorn. That only works for single-player games. <BR/><BR/>In LOTRO we know how the story begins, progresses, and ends. Our little character we created was not a member of The Fellowship. So we have our own adventures which will eventually lead to us playing our own unwritten roles in the fight against Sauron and occasionally our paths cross that of The Fellowship. Interesting design choice by Turbine.<BR/><BR/>Another interesting choice (and this is probably going off-topic) is constructing the world chronologically as The Fellowship progresses through the books. Currently we're still in Eriador because The Fellowship has not yet entered Moria and came out on the other side of the Misty Mountains. Which means we're in a part of the timeline when much of Eriador had no idea war was imminent and Sauron is on the move. Hence, a lot of our "adventures" are decidedly tame and we feel more like Pest Control keeping Eriador's populations of bears and boars under check. I can't help but wonder if that design and sticking to the IP has already come back to bite them when players from high fantasy, high action games come into a low fantasy environment and because of the point in timeline it's also very low action and low excitement?Talynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17848472705380445923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34126572.post-85741109040434077002008-06-06T18:15:00.000-05:002008-06-06T18:15:00.000-05:00Blew my original article out of the water. :pSerio...Blew my original article out of the water. :p<BR/><BR/>Seriously though, you bring up a really good point and one that was largely neglected in my original article. The advent of specific heroes in these worlds may have outlined some sort of auto-failure within these IPs. Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean were all largely character based. <BR/><BR/>Although, Final Fantasy was also largely character based, but that might be a whole different prospect altogether seeing as how the series' characters change so often.<BR/><BR/>Good write up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com