Thoughts from the Anvil

Time again for one of my monthly reality checks (or manifestos, depending on your point of view).

You can cast a wide net, as the saying goes, but it will never be wide enough.

Personally, the game I wanted is "Ultima-2014", complete with topdown view (but in contemporary 1920x1200), with 60-120 hours of solid, old fashioned solo game play. I've recently come to terms with the fact that, while I always thought it would sell well, its never going to happen.

Others (or so I gather) want TheSims, Avatar Edition. Still others want pretty much a UO remake (free of EA). The list goes on.

None of us are going to get what we want. We are ALL going to have to settle for something which at best will have some, but certainly not all, of the elements we wanted. The net can only be cast so wide. But where does Portalarium cast it exactly?

$4,000,000. Seems like a lot of zeros but it inst. Does anyone think for a moment that RG and his team are willing to draw a line there? That they will finish the game and be happy if they never see another dime? Of course not. Shroud of the Avatar has to make money WELL beyond us founders/backers.

Yes we collectively deserve credit for getting it off the ground, for paying their salaries (in the near term) but I think we've gotten lulled into thinking we are the only customers they will ever have. Its a sobering, almost bitter, reality check folks, but its true. At the same time its something of a paradox because ethically Portalarium has to make the game appeal to us, they have to cast that net over us so to speak. But even then, they risk getting tunnel vision in that, I believe, they have already flushed out the highest paying customers they will ever have. It would be naive or even foolish of them to think that anyone after general release would pay 3-4-figures for a house. Is it wise then from a business perspective to cater to the finite few big spenders they already have if it comes at the expensive of the game's wider adoption?

Yet this does not mean that we aren't a decent sampling of the populous. These forums exists for the very purpose of aggregating opinions and perspectives for them to build this game on. I've said before, if we unanimously hate feature X, then post-release buyers will probably hate it too. If we all love feature Y, then its a safe bet most future potential players will as well. To this end I think for the most part discussions have been productive, and remarkably civil compared to most internet forums, though I do appeal to the devs to weight in a little more. I have to imagine someone at Portalarium is reading everything, but it would be good to get affirmation along those lines with a participatory post now and then, even if its nothing more than "interesting opinion, we'll discuss it with RG this week...".

I've raised some questions here and purposely make no attempt to answer them. This is meant only to be thought provoking for both backers and devs alike. I hope you'll take a few minutes introspectively this week and reflect on some, or none, of it as you see fit.

 

With regard to different fans wanting different games... "kitchen sink design" would be an answer, but it'd be the wrong choice - especially on such a small budget. You'd have game that tries to cater to all, while mastering nothing - forgettable.

My hope is that the devs choose to focus on the features that they feel make a honest game. A game about something. Something memorable - not just one quirky system or a standard feature implemented with a twist, but rather a memorable idea that permeates the entire game, that every system is in service to, and that is fun for the player to explore in unique ways.

Whether I liked the end result or not, I could respect the design, and I wouldn't forget the game.

 

I think that's the best way to look at it and, unsurprisingly, is how I've been looking at it already.

 

Me too!

 

I primarily want a spiritual successor to Ultima VII, but I don't necessarily think player housing and multiplayer portions take away from that.

 

Me three?

 

The more I think about this the more I am starting to asked the question, "Why not?"

Doesn't the offline portion create an awesome Ultima-2014? And with selective multiplayer why not have a selector on character creation that says "Choose between a world with a) risk and b) no risk." And from that point on you will not see players or evidence of players (houses, items, etc.) who chose the other option? I want to think that the innovative mechanics can make anything possible. We can have whatever flavor of tomato sauce we want, can't we?