Comments on: EQ Next to be “the largest sandbox MMO ever designed”

By: Redbeard

Redbeard — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:35:42 +0000

I’d rather he kept away from Pathfinder entirely. He has some rather odd views of just how many people play pencil and paper RPGs.

By: Attic Lion

Attic Lion — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:36:23 +0000

I wouldn’t call say SoE is more relevant than Blizzard just yet.

I mean, SoE (and hell, Sony in general) has a long and impressive history of being it’s own worst enemy. Stuff like the PSS1 nonsense and, of course, the NGE immediately spring to mind. Needless to say, there is a lot of bad blood out there aimed directly at SoE. Getting over that mountain is going to take a significant amount of effort.

Marketing EQNext correctly is going to be a hell of a job, and a position I do not envy.

On the other hand, I do like this seeming push towards emergent gameplay. And I’m wondering if PS2′s surprisingly early launch and stuff like DCUO’s housing DLC aren’t the result of SoE trying to play with emergent systems before they set too much of EQNext in stone.

By: ZombiePirate

ZombiePirate — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:48:29 +0000

The thing is that SWG WAS commercially successful, especially at the start. The long crafting process, the item decay etc…. was never a problem for the player base, at least that I saw. When SOE constantly changed the game due to the success of other games, THAT is what killed the player base. The game they loved (as flawed or buggy as it was) was replaced by something they didn’t want. I know a lot of people still disenfranchised from those days still long for a game that provides the same kind of gameplay that we enjoyed in those early days.

By: Dwism

Dwism — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 10:41:20 +0000

If we are talking fps mmos, Firefall. That is extremely sandboxy and a grerat shooter too.

By: Stabs

Stabs — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 10:29:39 +0000

The thing about sandbox games (at least as old school players define them) is they contain some very harsh game mechanics. Eve features and SWG featured item destruction, long travel times and crafting systems so onerous that only a handful make it to the top. Personally I love those game elements but there’s a sound reason why commercially successful games moved away from sandbox style 7 years ago.

By: spinks

spinks — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 03:41:26 +0000

Maybe he’ll end up leaving Pathfinder and getting a job with SOE

By: Redbeard

Redbeard — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:20:02 +0000

I think that little squeak I just heard was the air being let out of the Pathfinder MMO balloon. I wonder what Ryan Dancey’s face looked like when he read that announcement.

By: spinks

spinks — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:58:30 +0000

Well arguably, the most successful themepark games always had some sandbox elements. And there was SWG. Maybe other people can think of more.

By: Blogless Simon

Blogless Simon — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:50:16 +0000

MMO FPS is probably the next stage of MMO evolution. Or at least something towards a more action-y vein.

Sandboxes, ignoring the gaming presses obsession with emergent gameplay, has there ever been a successful sandbox since UO? I mean, even EVE, king of the Sandboxes, has a relatively small player base in the scheme of things.

By: Siha

Siha — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:40:07 +0000

I suspect Firefall is up there with Planetside 2, too — much of the same ‘feel’, to me, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun so far, in beta.