By Drugstore Space Cowboy
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September 2, 2008
Yes, I did the dirty deed.
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/tag/824324552.html
I just started college, I need the money… don’t look at me that way! I’m sorry! OH GOD, I’M SORRY!
But respond if interested, OK?
By Drugstore Space Cowboy
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September 1, 2008
#1 Promote Player Interaction
A post by Adam Tiler says it best:
What sets the MMORPG apart from games of other genres? It isn’t combat; no MMO’s combat system will ever be as good as a major first person shooter’s. It isn’t depth of individual storylines; Oblivion and Morrowind have it beat on that front. It certainly isn’t spectacle or technical excellence (with the exception of server architecture). It’s not crafting, which is still treated like a minigame in most titles. And Lord knows it’s not the fast pace and excitement of the leveling grind.
Really, MMOs only have one thing going for them, and that is their community. It’s in the name; they’re massively multiplayer…
Open Range will exploit every opportunity to bring players together. Whether they’re building a railroad, competing on the free market, or blowing each other’s ten gallon hats off over a poker game, the people of this Old West will be in near-constant contact and interaction. “Playing solo is not playing alone.”
By Drugstore Space Cowboy
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August 18, 2008
In case you were wondering why the site hasn’t been updated in a week and a half, I just finished moving into my dorm at Missouri S&T. Posts will still be few and far between for the next week or so as I get acclimated. I’m having a blast!
These videos of school events are pretty nifty. MST’s website is the best (most informative, most useful) of all the colleges I considered. Worth a look if you’re interested in web design or you’re a high school student. I’m not going to give any recommendations till I’ve been here a bit longer than a day, heh.
By Drugstore Space Cowboy
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August 4, 2008
Up to this point, video games, particularly massively multiplayer games, have neglected the Wild West as a setting. Cowboys and Indians, ten gallon hats, John Wayne, the six shooter and the Winchester rifle, Maverick, high noon, the open range – all these phrases conjure very similar images of a time and place steeped in a sort of modern mythology. The Wild West is a stronger “IP” than ever Warcraft was. Why, then, has no one made a Wild West MMO?
Other Genres
The Lord of the Rings inspired a generation of fantastic games. From Dungeons and Dragons to the ubiquitous descendants of DikuMUD – Ultima Online, Everquest, World of Warcraft, Vanguard – and the legion of fantasy RPGs which all, curiously, tend to feature epic solo quests filled with magic and orcs, Tolkien’s influence cannot be denied. Innovation in the high fantasy genre should seem like an oxymoron by now.
Games of the science fiction genre adhere, for the most part, to even stricter conventions than high fantasy titles. More blasters and laser swords, please. Why don’t you throw in a conquering, unbeatable fleet of starships while you’re at it? Bipedal aliens who have breasts, wear form-fitting leather jumpsuits, and speak English with a Russian accent are a bonus.
By Drugstore Space Cowboy
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August 4, 2008
Some time ago, I decided to put my money where my mouth is, organize my thoughts on a really great (if not ideal) MMO, and write a game design document. Not only would this help establish a direction for the content of Mahogany Finish, it would work to eliminate contradiction between different ideas. A game design document would cover nearly every massively multiplayer game design topic I would ever write.
To be very generous, however, I am a novice at game design. To quote Peter Griffin, “But what I am not, sir, is an idiot.” I will not design my ideal MMO, with ridiculous notions of spherical worlds (unworkable) or permadeath (2,000 subscribers is enough, right?). It will be innovative, but not impractical: fresh, but not completely foreign. At least I hope that’s how it turns out.
The reasons for integrating a game design document with a blog are several:
- Reader feedback. I’m a newbie, I’ll need and ask for you to point out where you think I screwed up and where you think I’m doing a good job.
- Cross referencing. With every paragraph that is added to the GDD, there will be one or two posts attached explaining exactly why it was added and what it means to the greater game.
- Format. A blog is a really easy thing to add content to. The GDD itself will have its own page, but it will reference posts that are added chronologically. Too, there is a reader feedback system built in that is a little easier to understand than, say, threads on a wiki.
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Mildly Interesting