Gamers Nexus: Interview with Richard on MMOs

Gamers Nexus published an interview with Richard, talking about MMOs. There doesn't seem to be any accompanying article, so here's the embedded YouTube video:



Interesting quotes:
- We're looking at cranking up the death penalties, and even for Episode 2...should there be permadeath?
- In our case, there's a plot reason why that might turn out to be important...

EPISODE 2: Permadeath of the Avatar. CONFIRMED

 

"It exists (death penalty) but its fairly light. And we think that for the beginning character it sort of needs to be that light. But we're toying with the more advanced a character you become and especially the more PVP oriented you become, you really want those penalties to be high. At that point you're an experienced player, you know the game mechanics , you're not going to be thrown by it, and the risk part of the risk/reward is something you embrace because it makes you more scared - and so we're looking at cranking it up (the death penalties) and even for episode 2 we're thinking of cranking them (so far just talk - THIS IS NOT A DECISION!) ... should there be permadeath? In some cases, is that a consequence we should allow people to engage? In our case there's a plot reason why that might turn out to be important."

Make it opt-in and there won't be a problem.

 

No mention of the Single Player or Offline, RG talks as if this game is a MMORPG only. This is sad...

 

If the talk is about MMO"s, that's like being upset Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't in the last Avengers movie just because Joss Weadon made both..

Edit: Since my last analogy was critisized... that's like going to a Metallica concert and being upset they didn't dedicate a song just for you.

It's like complaining about your eggs not being over-easy, when you ordered an omelette.

It's like watching a video about MMO's and being upset when they only talk about multiplayer.

 

Not a good analogy at all.

Generally speaking, I doubt there is any desire to highlight single player in SotA because it is not the focus for the game's innovation.

 

Well... just need to have another interview with "Richard Garriot on Single Player RPG game."

 

Great interview!

 

Richard will talk about SotA being an MMO or a single player RPG all day to anyone that asks him about it. It just depends on who he's talking to.

 

Why do they always show OLD footage of the game?? I haven't even seen this version they keep demoing in the video!!!

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Because there isn't a current "official" trailer with in-game footage. The fan trailer is excellent, but...

 

This.. Shroud already has a hard enough time with marketing without having places include such outdated visuals! I would really be upset.

 

Yeah, Port should either provide accurate footage or request none be added ad-hoc. Using old footage like that just isn't good.

 

Wow, that looks like the original footage that Richard and Starr showed/gave us when we saw them at CES back in 2014. Steve really should have requested some current stuff (unless that's what Richard is still travelling with... which would really surprise me).

 

I love RG, hes not whimpy... perma death though oh why not sign me up. But id love to see mobs looting corpses and items actually breaking.

 

As long as permadeath comes with appropriate rewards to match the incredible risk, I'm for it.

I find it difficult to believe that we're anywhere close to that at the moment though. Right now we have the most watered down meaningless pvp system ever invented.

 

Aye brother rewards for the risk

 

Perma death, eh, major xp loss yes! (with checks/balances)

 

Stolen and broken items this is a crafting game afterall.

 

~Our Game's Inviting Approach to Perma Death~!'
I've been a fan of this mindset coming of age within our game, no matter how it's finally implemented.

I'd like to see some build up to this, that could begin our players in an eventual way, to could come to terms with that concept well before it becomes much more serious as our game will take us to.

One such concept that I've envisioned our game could lead to, are temporary zones where valuables could be found (possibly in special meteor strikes), yet when our players enter into those temporary zones, they are told that it is a resurrection restricted area. Once entered, the player can come out again, yet only if they live through it. In other words, when they die, they are no longer able to access that temporary event zone with that character.

Such a zone's possibilities are endless to their being able to morph into many PvP types of situations, whether for great battles in choosing sides or for plunder of the riches found therein in a free for all. Even full loot is not off the table in such possibilities.

Perma Death needs to be inviting as well as alluring, attracting even those players that might be what others would call a PvE.

Greed, Prestige and Power are always good motivators...
~Time Lord~