From Pantheon's Facebook Page:
Hi all,
Something I’ve observed after making MMOs for well over a decade is the Pendulum. It’s the tendency for an issue or aspect of the game to switch from one extreme to the other. People (including me, although I try to be aware of it and avoid it) seem to react to a problem or issue to the extreme. If there is an issue that’s problematic, the tendency seems to be to push the pendulum to the opposite extreme. This usually just creates a new problem. So what I’ve learned over the years is the middle ground is usually where you want to be. It’s all about balance.
All that said, sometimes you nudge the Pendulum gently depending on what’s going on and where you are at in a project. In the last 6 months, I feel we’ve had to prove that we are making a real game, that Pantheon is *not* vaporware. Because of that, we’ve been focused a little more on quantity over quality. A huge emphasis has been on actual MMO client/server gameplay. That’s not to say that lore hasn’t been written, or zones haven’t been made – they certainly have. But let’s be honest: graphically, visually, Pantheon is not where it needs to be. You know that, and so do we.
The plan for 2015 is about gently nudging the Pendulum the other way, more so towards quality and the visuals. We need to attract game news sites and get more coverage and get more people excited about the game. We also need to attract investors. Quite simply, we need to raise the bar.
So what does this really mean specifically to you all who read our site and FB, etc.? Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be a ‘huge’ impact, but it will be felt. The bottom line is updates will be less frequent, but when they do come, we hope they’ll be a lot more impressive. We know a lot of you are quite happy with the visuals as they are, but that many are not. So those of you already enchanted with the game, please be patient as we raise the bar. And to the rest of you, we hope you’ll become Pantheon fans as we focus on that quality.
Again, all that said, I do want to assure everyone that we’ve not pushed that Pendulum too far. We’re not sitting around doing zones over and over again, attempting absolute perfection. Lots of work in all areas is being done. Just this week we are starting to code our quest system. If you haven’t watched last month’s video (I know it’s long, but please watch the entire thing), check it out – you’ll see real client/server MMO gameplay, and we’ve progressed quite a bit since then. Our programming goal right now, which we’re calling Alpha 1, is to complete basic MMO functionality and features. Then we’ll move to Alpha 2, and add all of the cool new ideas we want to build on top of that classic MMO foundation. So we’re continuing to code like crazy. In fact, the trick with nudging that pendulum is, of course, to make sure we are STILL making measurable forward progress. We want to see Alpha 2 by the end of 2015 and we want 2016 to be all about Beta.
Feel free to reply with any questions or concerns. And as an example of how we are raising the bar, below are three shots of Halnir, redone with our new outdoor tech, and one new shot of the dungeon Amberfaet. Also, check out the recent post and concept art of the Archai and listen to the fantastic interview by Joppa on the Sam Skatch Show.
Thanks!
-Brad McQuaid
New Halnir 1
New Halnir 2
New Halnir 3
Amberfaet
Thanks Brad, Joppa and team, it is encouraging to see measurable forward progress and those shots look fantastic, I am really looking forward to seeing how Pantheon develops throughout this next year and I can't wait to see how the team expands and grows along with the community, I think together, we can produce a great game with a loyal supportive community to complement it nicely.
Thanks for the update!
Brad, Joppa, and Team
I appreciate the update and the hard work during the 4th quarter of 2014, but I'm one in the first category of a person not so concerned with the visuals and more concerned with the actual plan/gameplay; although, those visuals do look great.
As far as a question goes, I'm guessing a bulleted list for milestones/goals for 2015 is out of the question. So, instead of asking for a specific timeline/roadmap in which goals then would required to be met on a deadline - it would be nice to at least see weekly/bi-weekly (monthly) developer discussion on we're working on such as "combat mechanics" and either discussing what those mean or showing a 15-30 second clips, and then asking for community feedback, etc.
I don't mind a few less updates as I believed this current team has garnered some trust and has earned some slack, but I strongly suggest to not swing that pendulum too far - most of the reason for the increased momentum and rebuilding of trust within the community is from the increased transparency (which basically equates to the updates and increased forum activity by developers).
I do understand the business side though and the need to polish Pantheon to obtain investors, so I wish you all luck in 2015 with that delicate balance.
I'm someone who didn't abandon hope for Pantheon after the Kick Starter - but who did step away for a bit. And now I have come back. Something interesting from my perspective:
- When I stepped away, it seemed like there was hopeful determination from Brad and his team - but not really a lot more than that
- When I returned, I found footage with some fairly spectacular (given the limited amount of time that passed and the limited staff on the game) footage of locations within the game along with footage showing some rudimentary game mechanics... a couple of mob encounters, inventory functioning, in game chat functioning, etc...
It was sort of like visiting your sister's house (who lives on the other side of the country) when she has a baby... and then seeing that baby for the first time again after 2 or 3 years and thinking "holy crap, look how much they've grown!"
I do have a specific concern graphics wise... well, TWO concerns really:
1) For as awesome as the scenery in the footage looked, there was nothing "distinct" about it. No real stylized look that would ultimately distinguish it as PANTHEON. I think that is important. I think you want a screen shot of your game INSTANTLY recognized as YOUR GAME.
2) Looking at the graphics - I worry about playability on average systems. I'm not worried about that for me. I'm one of those "fortunate and crazy" types. I have the means and will go buy a system that will play a new MMO I expect to play for several years with all the bells and whistles turned way up. But not everyone can do that - likely most people can't - or won't. Mortgages, student loans, kids, etc... too much to pay for. Pantheon needs to be pretty - but it needs to be pretty on a system someone already has sitting on their desk when the game launches.
Apart from that, I await specific information on how all the mechanics in the game will play out - but like that I see so much of the basic stuff already there (again, inventory, chat, etc...)
Thanks for sharing this - and here's hoping 2015 is a stellar year for Pantheon!
Raidan said:
Brad, Joppa, and Team
I appreciate the update and the hard work during the 4th quarter of 2014, but I'm one in the first category of a person not so concerned with the visuals and more concerned with the actual plan/gameplay; although, those visuals do look great.
As far as a question goes, I'm guessing a bulleted list for milestones/goals for 2015 is out of the question. So, instead of asking for a specific timeline/roadmap in which goals then would required to be met on a deadline - it would be nice to at least see weekly/bi-weekly (monthly) developer discussion on we're working on such as "combat mechanics" and either discussing what those mean or showing a 15-30 second clips, and then asking for community feedback, etc.
I don't mind a few less updates as I believed this current team has garnered some trust and has earned some slack, but I strongly suggest to not swing that pendulum too far - most of the reason for the increased momentum and rebuilding of trust within the community is from the increased transparency (which basically equates to the updates and increased forum activity by developers).
I do understand the business side though and the need to polish Pantheon to obtain investors, so I wish you all luck in 2015 with that delicate balance.
I have some plans for more active ways that I want to engage all of you guys. I plan on dong a few developer journal updates that will give you guys an idea on what those things are.
Wandidar said:
I'm someone who didn't abandon hope for Pantheon after the Kick Starter - but who did step away for a bit. And now I have come back. Something interesting from my perspective:
- When I stepped away, it seemed like there was hopeful determination from Brad and his team - but not really a lot more than that
- When I returned, I found footage with some fairly spectacular (given the limited amount of time that passed and the limited staff on the game) footage of locations within the game along with footage showing some rudimentary game mechanics... a couple of mob encounters, inventory functioning, in game chat functioning, etc...
It was sort of like visiting your sister's house (who lives on the other side of the country) when she has a baby... and then seeing that baby for the first time again after 2 or 3 years and thinking "holy crap, look how much they've grown!"
I do have a specific concern graphics wise... well, TWO concerns really:
1) For as awesome as the scenery in the footage looked, there was nothing "distinct" about it. No real stylized look that would ultimately distinguish it as PANTHEON. I think that is important. I think you want a screen shot of your game INSTANTLY recognized as YOUR GAME.
2) Looking at the graphics - I worry about playability on average systems. I'm not worried about that for me. I'm one of those "fortunate and crazy" types. I have the means and will go buy a system that will play a new MMO I expect to play for several years with all the bells and whistles turned way up. But not everyone can do that - likely most people can't - or won't. Mortgages, student loans, kids, etc... too much to pay for. Pantheon needs to be pretty - but it needs to be pretty on a system someone already has sitting on their desk when the game launches.
Apart from that, I await specific information on how all the mechanics in the game will play out - but like that I see so much of the basic stuff already there (again, inventory, chat, etc...)
Thanks for sharing this - and here's hoping 2015 is a stellar year for Pantheon!
My goals are to increase the visual aspect of the game, but along with that- we are taking very careful steps to ensure that the game runs efficiently. We have been pouring tons of research into what we are doing in terms of optimizing. The result has been we are increasing visuals, lighting, and atmosphere, and actually having it run more efficiently than it previously was. Like most PC games there will be various settings and sliders that will allow people to adjust accordingly to their hardware. It will not be stuck in one detail mode.
Montreseur said:
Raidan said:
Brad, Joppa, and Team
I appreciate the update and the hard work during the 4th quarter of 2014, but I'm one in the first category of a person not so concerned with the visuals and more concerned with the actual plan/gameplay; although, those visuals do look great.
As far as a question goes, I'm guessing a bulleted list for milestones/goals for 2015 is out of the question. So, instead of asking for a specific timeline/roadmap in which goals then would required to be met on a deadline - it would be nice to at least see weekly/bi-weekly (monthly) developer discussion on we're working on such as "combat mechanics" and either discussing what those mean or showing a 15-30 second clips, and then asking for community feedback, etc.
I don't mind a few less updates as I believed this current team has garnered some trust and has earned some slack, but I strongly suggest to not swing that pendulum too far - most of the reason for the increased momentum and rebuilding of trust within the community is from the increased transparency (which basically equates to the updates and increased forum activity by developers).
I do understand the business side though and the need to polish Pantheon to obtain investors, so I wish you all luck in 2015 with that delicate balance.
I have some plans for more active ways that I want to engage all of you guys. I plan on dong a few developer journal updates that will give you guys an idea on what those things are.
I'm really looking forward to that Monty!
Montreseur said:
I have some plans for more active ways that I want to engage all of you guys. I plan on dong a few developer journal updates that will give you guys an idea on what those things are.
Glad to hear it and looking forward to those updates Monty - thanks for the response.
Montreseur said:
Wandidar said:
I'm someone who didn't abandon hope for Pantheon after the Kick Starter - but who did step away for a bit. And now I have come back. Something interesting from my perspective:
- When I stepped away, it seemed like there was hopeful determination from Brad and his team - but not really a lot more than that
- When I returned, I found footage with some fairly spectacular (given the limited amount of time that passed and the limited staff on the game) footage of locations within the game along with footage showing some rudimentary game mechanics... a couple of mob encounters, inventory functioning, in game chat functioning, etc...
It was sort of like visiting your sister's house (who lives on the other side of the country) when she has a baby... and then seeing that baby for the first time again after 2 or 3 years and thinking "holy crap, look how much they've grown!"
I do have a specific concern graphics wise... well, TWO concerns really:
1) For as awesome as the scenery in the footage looked, there was nothing "distinct" about it. No real stylized look that would ultimately distinguish it as PANTHEON. I think that is important. I think you want a screen shot of your game INSTANTLY recognized as YOUR GAME.
2) Looking at the graphics - I worry about playability on average systems. I'm not worried about that for me. I'm one of those "fortunate and crazy" types. I have the means and will go buy a system that will play a new MMO I expect to play for several years with all the bells and whistles turned way up. But not everyone can do that - likely most people can't - or won't. Mortgages, student loans, kids, etc... too much to pay for. Pantheon needs to be pretty - but it needs to be pretty on a system someone already has sitting on their desk when the game launches.
Apart from that, I await specific information on how all the mechanics in the game will play out - but like that I see so much of the basic stuff already there (again, inventory, chat, etc...)
Thanks for sharing this - and here's hoping 2015 is a stellar year for Pantheon!
My goals are to increase the visual aspect of the game, but along with that- we are taking very careful steps to ensure that the game runs efficiently. We have been pouring tons of research into what we are doing in terms of optimizing. The result has been we are increasing visuals, lighting, and atmosphere, and actually having it run more efficiently than it previously was. Like most PC games there will be various settings and sliders that will allow people to adjust accordingly to their hardware. It will not be stuck in one detail mode.
As far as performance, you can ask Brad or a few others I drive them nuts every few weeks when I start seeing the FPS dip or the draw calls start to increase. I'm obsessed with making sure the game can still run well enough on your average system, I blame Vanguard for that.
Hey guys,
First of all I want to say thanks for everything you've put into this so far. Brad, your thoughts on the pendulum effect are spot on and it takes nothing less than years of experience to realize gentle pushes are usually the best. Great to hear on this front.
Second, the screenshots look fantastic. Two thumbs way up for everyone that contributed to bringing those together. In my opinion they are doing a great job of marrying high quality elements (the differing foliage, torch lights, attention to the small details) together with a classic RPG look and feel and not overdoing it to become photo-realistic etc. I think you've made really good progress here and these came out looking very polished. I know there are a few concerns regarding system requirements - I'm confident the team realizes the necessity to offer a level of detail which will allow good game play on low end systems, I really don't see this as a concern. We've all seen what happens when a game requires too much from your PC, you lose a lot right out of the gate.
Third, I did want to echo the replies of the folks above me. Specifically regarding the frequency of updates. I agree completely that lore alone will not make this game successful and in order to give this project the strength to stand on it's own in front of potential investors and/or backers it does need to have some other more physical characteristics which it sounds like you guys are focusing more on right now. That said, and I think I've aptly captured the thoughts of most folks here, if there's is a way to continue frequent updates such as a bi-weekly dev journal and a monthly or bi-monthly update video, I do feel it would go a very, very long way in not only securing the community we have but ensuring anyone dropping in is met with a strong healthy stream of updates.
I realize that resources are completely limited and we all need to be quite honest with ourselves - this game isn't funded nor is it being actively funded so anything we see is a direct result of volunteer hours. In recognition of this again I feel as though the community generally doesn't necessarily need large updates every single time with well thought out plans for the future. I think smaller updates, bullet style, generated from a quick ping to each of the team members for the 'rough goings on from that last 2 week period', would be more than enough to keep everyone's appetite for information and news at a healthy level. Some folks have mentioned transparency a few times and I think this more than anything is one of our golden tools we need to be using. If given the choice of lesser high quality updates or more frequent lesser quality updates, I think most of us would choose more frequent lesser quality updates. When resources permit it that model would allow the team to scale up the quality naturally.
Again, great update guys - we all recognize the difficulty in doing this without funding and salute everyone for that. I'm truly excited for this game and where it's going.
Radash said:
Montreseur said:
Wandidar said:
I'm someone who didn't abandon hope for Pantheon after the Kick Starter - but who did step away for a bit. And now I have come back. Something interesting from my perspective:
- When I stepped away, it seemed like there was hopeful determination from Brad and his team - but not really a lot more than that
- When I returned, I found footage with some fairly spectacular (given the limited amount of time that passed and the limited staff on the game) footage of locations within the game along with footage showing some rudimentary game mechanics... a couple of mob encounters, inventory functioning, in game chat functioning, etc...
It was sort of like visiting your sister's house (who lives on the other side of the country) when she has a baby... and then seeing that baby for the first time again after 2 or 3 years and thinking "holy crap, look how much they've grown!"
I do have a specific concern graphics wise... well, TWO concerns really:
1) For as awesome as the scenery in the footage looked, there was nothing "distinct" about it. No real stylized look that would ultimately distinguish it as PANTHEON. I think that is important. I think you want a screen shot of your game INSTANTLY recognized as YOUR GAME.
2) Looking at the graphics - I worry about playability on average systems. I'm not worried about that for me. I'm one of those "fortunate and crazy" types. I have the means and will go buy a system that will play a new MMO I expect to play for several years with all the bells and whistles turned way up. But not everyone can do that - likely most people can't - or won't. Mortgages, student loans, kids, etc... too much to pay for. Pantheon needs to be pretty - but it needs to be pretty on a system someone already has sitting on their desk when the game launches.
Apart from that, I await specific information on how all the mechanics in the game will play out - but like that I see so much of the basic stuff already there (again, inventory, chat, etc...)
Thanks for sharing this - and here's hoping 2015 is a stellar year for Pantheon!
My goals are to increase the visual aspect of the game, but along with that- we are taking very careful steps to ensure that the game runs efficiently. We have been pouring tons of research into what we are doing in terms of optimizing. The result has been we are increasing visuals, lighting, and atmosphere, and actually having it run more efficiently than it previously was. Like most PC games there will be various settings and sliders that will allow people to adjust accordingly to their hardware. It will not be stuck in one detail mode.
As far as performance, you can ask Brad or a few others I drive them nuts every few weeks when I start seeing the FPS dip or the draw calls start to increase. I'm obsessed with making sure the game can still run well enough on your average system, I blame Vanguard for that.
I can attest to that! Not being able to optimize VG and pushing the tech too far was a HUGE life lesson for me. We are NOT going to repeat that mistake.
Aradune said:
I can attest to that! Not being able to optimize VG and pushing the tech too far was a HUGE life lesson for me. We are NOT going to repeat that mistake.
Even though you created a masterpiece when you made VG it's encouraging to know that you have learned lessons from both the bad and the good in that game which gives me even more confidence that Pantheon will indeed be the best game ever made !!!!!!! Holler !
(I know I post that pic way too often, but I can't help it, I love that pic LOL)
Joppa said:
From Pantheon's Facebook Page:
Our programming goal right now, which we’re calling Alpha 1, is to complete basic MMO functionality and features. Then we’ll move to Alpha 2, and add all of the cool new ideas we want to build on top of that classic MMO foundation. So we’re continuing to code like crazy. In fact, the trick with nudging that pendulum is, of course, to make sure we are STILL making measurable forward progress. We want to see Alpha 2 by the end of 2015 and we want 2016 to be all about Beta.
Ok everyone is thinking and as you may have discovered i'm not shy and happy to dive in head first so i'll ask
Question: ALPHA 1/2 is this going to be Alpha backers and pledge access ?
Treyekh said:
Hey guys,
First of all I want to say thanks for everything you've put into this so far. Brad, your thoughts on the pendulum effect are spot on and it takes nothing less than years of experience to realize gentle pushes are usually the best. Great to hear on this front.
Second, the screenshots look fantastic. Two thumbs way up for everyone that contributed to bringing those together. In my opinion they are doing a great job of marrying high quality elements (the differing foliage, torch lights, attention to the small details) together with a classic RPG look and feel and not overdoing it to become photo-realistic etc. I think you've made really good progress here and these came out looking very polished. I know there are a few concerns regarding system requirements - I'm confident the team realizes the necessity to offer a level of detail which will allow good game play on low end systems, I really don't see this as a concern. We've all seen what happens when a game requires too much from your PC, you lose a lot right out of the gate.
Third, I did want to echo the replies of the folks above me. Specifically regarding the frequency of updates. I agree completely that lore alone will not make this game successful and in order to give this project the strength to stand on it's own in front of potential investors and/or backers it does need to have some other more physical characteristics which it sounds like you guys are focusing more on right now. That said, and I think I've aptly captured the thoughts of most folks here, if there's is a way to continue frequent updates such as a bi-weekly dev journal and a monthly or bi-monthly update video, I do feel it would go a very, very long way in not only securing the community we have but ensuring anyone dropping in is met with a strong healthy stream of updates.
I realize that resources are completely limited and we all need to be quite honest with ourselves - this game isn't funded nor is it being actively funded so anything we see is a direct result of volunteer hours. In recognition of this again I feel as though the community generally doesn't necessarily need large updates every single time with well thought out plans for the future. I think smaller updates, bullet style, generated from a quick ping to each of the team members for the 'rough goings on from that last 2 week period', would be more than enough to keep everyone's appetite for information and news at a healthy level. Some folks have mentioned transparency a few times and I think this more than anything is one of our golden tools we need to be using. If given the choice of lesser high quality updates or more frequent lesser quality updates, I think most of us would choose more frequent lesser quality updates. When resources permit it that model would allow the team to scale up the quality naturally.
Again, great update guys - we all recognize the difficulty in doing this without funding and salute everyone for that. I'm truly excited for this game and where it's going.
Great post!
I'll use this as an opportunity to make a really important clarification in light of yesterday's update. Here's Brad's statement I want to clarify: "The bottom line is updates will be less frequent, but when they do come, we hope they’ll be a lot more impressive."
2015 is going to be a year in which we make an important distinction between Updates and Communication.
UPDATES
Let's start with updates. From now on, think of our updates as Major Content Updates - this is where we are going to be focusing on polish and AAA presentation. Throughout the latter half of 2014, these were our big video releases. For what they were, they were great, showing off new game systems, some in-progress areas of the game world, new music and some other goodies here and there. But they were also somewhat disjointed because we were simply showing off what we had at the time, especially when it came to the game world and Lore. Now in 2015, we are going to be taking more time between the MCU's to make them much more potent releases of content, with an emphasis on polish and direction. What that means specifically is:
(1) We want to show off the cohesion of our Lore & World Building direction. Therefore, the areas we are working on internally are being preceded and informed by Lore. In light of this, our goal is to publish a wealth of Lore and insight alongside the new areas and zones we showcase in our future MCU's.
(2) We want to take the time we need between MCU's to make sure the areas of the game world we are showing are AAA quality, or as close as possible. Monty will be releasing some insight into our new internal world building process soon which will detail the new pipeline and tech we are using to raise the visual quality and uniqueness of our game world significantly (with negligible impact to the game's performance. Seriously, I've experienced it and it's almost hard to believe!)
(3) We want there to be intentionality and design behind all of our upcoming MCU's, possibly releasing some of them thematically. This is another area of polish and cohesion we all value as a team internally, and we want to start showing that in the updates we publish. An example would be to release a Dwarven themed MCU, where we showcase: (1) Dwarven zones, climates and topologies (2) Major Dwarven Lore and history (3) Concept art of the Dwarven Race (4) Dwarven-themed music (5) All while showcasing new and evolving game systems and mechanics, like the upcoming non-linear/hub Quest system. Approaching our MCU's like this would take people on a wide journey around the world of Terminus while helping them connect much more deeply to the game world slowly taking shape before them.
COMMUNICATION
So, while these Major Content Updates will be less frequent in order to achieve all of the above, what we don't want anyone to infer from yesterday's update is that you will be hearing from us less or that we will be forfeiting transparency - it will be entirely the opposite.
My mentality will always be to under-promise and over-deliver, but I feel confident that with all of the Dev Journals, Interviews, Podcasts, Developer Video Roundtables, Q&A's, Screenshots and Lore Releases we are pursuing and have planned (at least one of those just about every week), I think you will all feel more apprised and connected to Pantheon's development in 2015 than ever before.
Joppa said:
My mentality will always be to under-promise and over-deliver, but I feel confident that with all of the Dev Journals, Interviews, Podcasts, Developer Video Roundtables, Q&A's, Screenshots and Lore Releases we are pursuing and have planned (at least one of those just about every week), I think you will all feel more apprised and connected to Pantheon's development in 2015 than ever before.
Fantastic! Thank you for the clarification on Brad's statements. I am also thrilled to see the intent behind the words so to speak. I am wondering something about those Interviews, Podcasts, DVRs, and Q&As.. will these be done by media type people or will they be community based? Will any of these weekly or bi-weekly communications be limited to the community on the website and pledgers?
Sogotp said:
Joppa said:
My mentality will always be to under-promise and over-deliver, but I feel confident that with all of the Dev Journals, Interviews, Podcasts, Developer Video Roundtables, Q&A's, Screenshots and Lore Releases we are pursuing and have planned (at least one of those just about every week), I think you will all feel more apprised and connected to Pantheon's development in 2015 than ever before.
Fantastic! Thank you for the clarification on Brad's statements. I am also thrilled to see the intent behind the words so to speak. I am wondering something about those Interviews, Podcasts, DVRs, and Q&As.. will these be done by media type people or will they be community based? Will any of these weekly or bi-weekly communications be limited to the community on the website and pledgers?
Great questions!
(1) Most likely it will be a variety. We will continue to nurture our relationship with game/media presences like WASDRadio.com and Hydra Interchange. But we will also be doing a good amount of internal and community based communication as well, not to mention our desire to reach out to the major game sites down the road. It will hopefully be a nice mix.
(2) I'm not sure if we plan to limit the accessibility of these communications to the site or those who pledge only. However, we are considering ways to say "thank you" to those who support us financially by potentially giving them more opportunities to personally contribute and be a part of these Round Tables and Q&A sessions. What do you all think?
Joppa said:
(2) I'm not sure if we plan to limit the accessibility of these communications to the site or those who pledge only. However, we are considering ways to say "thank you" to those who support us financially by potentially giving them more opportunities to personally contribute and be a part of these Round Tables and Q&A sessions. What do you all think?
Great idea, depending if my pledge level gets me access to it ;)
Joppa - the one thing I would say is this: I welcome the idea of allowing (perhaps paid) members to contribute at a higher level. However, I would like to see those contributions guided. I think it is inevitable that as the game garners some popularity, there will come into these forums a newer crowd (perhaps paid, perhaps not) that want "WoW Next" - it is something that pretty much always happens.
Then, what happens all to often, is that forums become a vile place full of argument - with folks wanting a more old school game eventually being shouted down and eventually out. It ALWAYS happens.
So I think that you guys, as developers, need to clearly define what type of game you will be building - and advertise it in clearly, definitively stated posts... I would refer you to the Camelot Unchained site for reference. Specifically their "Foundational Principals" series of posts. Those are unequivocal. They say "Here is what our game will be, and here is what it will not be" - they even say (if you read them all) something to the effect of "If you don't like what we want our game to be, that is fine... there are other games you can go enjoy."
Because I think input will be great - but I think pissing matches over things like death penalties will NOT.
Wandidar said:
Joppa - the one thing I would say is this: I welcome the idea of allowing (perhaps paid) members to contribute at a higher level. However, I would like to see those contributions guided. I think it is inevitable that as the game garners some popularity, there will come into these forums a newer crowd (perhaps paid, perhaps not) that want "WoW Next" - it is something that pretty much always happens.
Then, what happens all to often, is that forums become a vile place full of argument - with folks wanting a more old school game eventually being shouted down and eventually out. It ALWAYS happens.
So I think that you guys, as developers, need to clearly define what type of game you will be building - and advertise it in clearly, definitively stated posts... I would refer you to the Camelot Unchained site for reference. Specifically their "Foundational Principals" series of posts. Those are unequivocal. They say "Here is what our game will be, and here is what it will not be" - they even say (if you read them all) something to the effect of "If you don't like what we want our game to be, that is fine... there are other games you can go enjoy."
Because I think input will be great - but I think pissing matches over things like death penalties will NOT.
Wandidar, thanks for the post on this. I also have this concern and I even messaged a few of the Devs about my fears and concerns. I got a fantastic reply by Monty on the subject further backup by Joppa. It basically said that every person that supports/pledges to Pantheon is wanting a more difficult game rather they realize it or not. They may complain and be dramatic on the forums or in the community but something brought them to this game. Monty and even Joppa both reiterated that the basis of the game will be a challenging one designed for social interaction and a certain amount of dependency on other players in game.
PS- edited spellings..
Alpha Access
I'd put the pointer sisters vid here of " I'M SO EXCITED " ( stupid forum wont let me )