written by Streamweaver

It's been said that role-playing is about as definable as concepts like love, hate, or why people buy Brittany Spears albums, but I think this is only half true when it comes to Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs. I say half true because in this genre there are two sides to the roleplaying coin, the role you see yourself in and the role you play in others (virtual) lives.

The idea of imagining yourself in a specific role and playing that out is the one we are most familiar with from single player computer games. We progress through whatever dialog and actions advance us to the next point in the game's plot. While we may feel connected to the game and setting, often we really have no roll other than performing the prerequisite number of mouse clicks and key punches. The progress of the game is usually linear, and our actions aren't really much more than checkpoints as we race toward the end.

Enter the genre of the MMORPG and suddenly we add a 2nd dimension, in that our actions have some impact or value in the play of another individual. Whatever your definition of role-playing, you have to acknowledge that no matter what you do, very often we do play a role in the experience of our fellow players. From the character who swoops in to save a comrade at the last minute during a fight, to those that ignore such pleas for assistance, almost everything you do has some effect on how someone else is going to be spending their night in that particular game.

For most people I think it's a strange transition from the genre of the single player computer RPG to the MMORPG because it requires a fundamental shift in thinking outside your self. You don't have the convenience of a saved game to restore to if something doesn't go your way and you're no longer the focus of the world or it's events. Instead you're dropped into the middle of a community, dysfunctional or otherwise, and allowed to assume a role where people can come to know you by your actions rather than your claims.

Ironically the concept of being keenly aware of the role you play for others is nothing new for veterans of the first person shooter, or 'twitch' game as roleplaying purists like to call it. For them team based play has been an important element of the FPS and each player is usually aware of how the job they are performing effects the rest of their teammates. When you do your job well in a FPS or MMORPG, most people find themselves left with a deeper feeling of accomplishment than they get in a single player game. Having your guildmates breath a virtual sigh of relief when you log in because they could really use a good and reliable companion at their side is often the draw that keeps people coming back long after a game itself has lost its luster.

Though these concepts probably make sense when you stop to consider them I think there is a general lack of focus and respect given to how you impact the lives of others when people begin to bandy about a lofty term like roleplaying. I've met dozens of high-brow 'roleplayers' who are experts in the craft of using modern theatrical versions of 'Olde English' who I wouldn't trust to give me the right directions to the next town over. Often these same people would deride another player for focusing less on grammar than on becoming talented in the activities that drive the action in that world. To many these seem like completely different focuses within the game but I would argue that they are the part of the same art known as role-playing. Having different strengths is what makes us a unique community but finding the wisdom to respect those varying strengths sometimes eludes us as a community.

As the MMORPG genre expands and grows new dimensions will take root like true interactivity with the world and the focus of the role you are playing will become clearer. As we head in that direction it's my hope that people will make more of a connection and between the talents of acting and action as they relate to role playing and the lives we all lead within the game.

written by Streamweaver

I just got done with the annual Atlanta geek-fest that is Dragon Con, and this year I thought I'd sound out some of the various fans and artists on the topic of MMORPGs and City of Heroes.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, Dragon Con is one of the larger national fan run conventions in the United States. It attracts some of the most colorful fanboys and girls of every imaginable facet of geekdom from gaming, to comics, to sci-fi, who all come to share their obsession. Several panels this year focused on the topic of MMORPGs and multiplayer games in general and I dropped by to hear some opinions and see if anyone had heard of City of Heroes.

The directed panel discussions centered on many old standby topics common to just about every gaming forum. Heated discussions over the right to sell game items, the moral correctness of using exploits, and what constitutes good guilding stand out in my mind most. However there was a particular thread throughout the all of the discussions that stuck me as prevalent to the current state of MMORPG development, and that is the large scale frustrations people expressed over their experiences in EverQuest.

I'm not here to open a discussion on peoples EverQuest experiences, or defend one side or another, but I think it's safe to say from the crowd's reaction that people's views on EverQuest are a significant force in shaping the development of many later MMORPGs. I would go as far as to say that in some cases, whole game design concepts are really based around nothing more than trying not to be EverQuest (cough... cough... DAOC). This could very well be a critical factor in why recent MMORPGs haven't gone far enough in advancing the genre. Indeed the newer batch of games may not be EverQuest, but in being fixated with not being it, ironically they are also not able to move very far away from its core concepts

This brought my mind to City of Heroes and how, while perhaps not as feature rich as other big MMORPGs slated for release soon, it may still succeed in standing out from the pack in small but very significant ways. Simple game-play features like being able to combine any of the over 40 powers in your character, add more potential diversity than just about any game I'm able to think of in development. The mission system stands to let a player break out of the hunting/leveling cycle of many other games and concentrate more on the fun of playing at whatever powerlevel they are currently at. Also the addition of small elements like fame, and removal of incredible dependency on 'phat loot' drops seem to sweep away any pretense that this game will just be EverQuest in Spandex.

Of course, while the complaints about EverQuest were both frequent and passionate, people still seem to play it, so perhaps they don't really want a different game at all. Time will tell as we look forward to the impending beta and release of City of Heroes in 2003, and the release of other games departing from the EverQuest model in the near future. Maybe I'll see you there.

written by COH Sage

COH Sage IRC Chat 03-15-02

Welcome to the second of what I hope will become many live IRC chats with Cryptic Studios! To cut down on spam and keep the buffer clean, the chat will be moderated. If oyu care to chat with others as the questions are being asked and answered, please feel free to join the #cityofheroes channel. (/join #cityofheroes)

Joining us today is Jack Emmert, Game Designer, and known to many of us from the official forums as "Statesman" as well as a special guest. Jack, would you care to introduce him for us?

Her! ;) Leilo, why don't you introduce yourself I can do that. :)

Hi everyone. I see a few familiar names, but most of you don't know me. My name is Susan Kath and I'm the manager of community services for NCsoft here in the US.

Thanks for joining us! We will begin with a few questions from our CoH Sage staff (looks like just me, hehe), and later on start taking questions from those of you here. Please hold all your questions until we call for them. To save time and speed up the process to allow Jack to get to more questions, please have them typed out and ready to go. Once we start taking questions, send me a PM (double click my name) to let me know, and I'll add your name to the waiting list. When I call on you, press ENTER to ask your question. Please keep them brief and to the point. Remember if you type too much on 1 line, the spam protection may drop you from the channel. Be sure to say "DONE" when you finish so he knows when to respond.

Q: I wouldn't be doing my "job" if I didn't start things off with the question on everyone's lips: When's the beta? Are you able to narrow it down any more for us, ("in the next 4-6 weeks", "sometime next month", a week from Tuesday", etc.) or is "Spring 2002" still all you can give us?

A: Hmmm. I don't want to set a definitive date yet - but don't worry, you'll be seeing more official info on this soon

Q: How is the game progressing so far? Are you on schedule? Ahead or behind? Ahead in some areas, behind in others.

A: As with all games, it sometimes seems that you go down one alley and find its better to follow it to its conclusion, rather than change course.

Q: What is something when you were preparing to create the game you thought would be no trouble to do, but when time came, you found out that it was a much larger problem than you expected? Likewise, what did you think would be very difficult, but turned out to be easy to do?

A: As a game designer, I wanted everything in the game! Vehicles, for instance, just couldn't get done in the first release But costumes, and all the variables, turned out to be a much easier path..

Q: Here's a questions for NCSoft: What are the current plans for customer service? How do you plan to distribute the game? And where?

A: All of those questions will be answered as NC Soft and Cryptic begin working out a thorough battle plan. In short, we're not ready to announce the specifics quite yet.

Q: Another one to Lielo I am wondering about is how do you intend to interact with the gamming community? Are you planning to work closely with the fan sites, or intend to stick more to updates on the web sites and posts in the official forums? Would you be willing to support contests run by fan sites?

A: I'd love to work with the fansites as much as they want, to be honest. There's a really great thing about game fansites... The people who devote their time to creating those sites are often some of the most dedicated and knowledgable fans out there, and they can both grow the community and inform the community beyond the scope of the actual game company. In that sense, I think they're one of the most important parts of what my team works for. :)

Q: Will items, such as Mystic Artifacts and Gadgets, as well as weapons and armour, be able to be traded back and forth between characters?

A: Yes!

Q: With Mythic Entertainment (the makers of DaoC) recently being taken to court by players over banning them for selling items and accounts on E-bay for a profit, what will Cryptic Studios/NC Soft's position on this be? To "Bay" or not to "Bay", that is my question.

A: We don't yet have an official position.

Q: In the video released last fall, it shows a portion of the character generation. There, it has 6 numbers: Stats, Powers, Skills, History, Costume, and Profile. Can you shed some light on what exactly the "History" and "Profile" sections are, and how they affect the game?

A: Some of these screens are in flux... But basically there will be a screen where, if the player chooses, he can write a more detailed origin. And a spot, of course, for your name, secret identity, etc.

Q: Will players in-game be able to access/see this information some way?

A: Yes - though that right now is being somewhat toyed with

Q: Origins are limited in how high they can advance in the categories of their powers, but can they advance all the way to that limit in every category in every power/skill/attribute (given they invest the time), or is there a cap for the max exps a character can have that is below the sum of the costs of all categories/skills/attributes? For example, if it will take 150,000 exp points to completely max out a character's abilities/stats/power

A: You can max out all the skills, attributes and powers No other cap

Q: Will there be any one-of-a-kind rewards, items, costume options etc available?

A: Not currently, though that's something that might sneak in for the first release.

Q: Can you give us any info on the Guns N Ammo in the game? Will they be based on real guns n ammo, made up or both. What do you do when you run out of ammo in the middle of a mission and also will there be a limit to the amount of ammo you can carry?

A: The guns will be somewhat realistic, though a little more "archetypical" So we'll have the general category shotgun with various quality levels As for ammo yes, you're limited how much you can carry

Q: What is the division of responsibility between Cryptic and NCsoft, What will one be doing and what will the other be doing?

A: Heh! We're making the game, NC Soft is putting it out. Neither of us look at this like a hard divison of labor. I know that Leilo (i.e. Susan) has repeatedly looked for our input Translation

I'm bugging them. ;)

And I know that we're always interested in the technical advice that NC Soft has... But as for people concerned with design, NC Soft has given 100% support to our vision of City of Heroes

Q: Will we have the possibility to choose a non-hard body? For Example: Fire, or Water?

A: Yes, we will have transformation powers in the game - if not the first release, then later. But the body will still be "solid" In other words, you can't change your water form into a bucket of water and get carried around Now, if you know the subtle superhero reference there, I'm impressed.

Q: Well i want to ask what will be the degree we - the heroes - are going to change the Paragon City´s fate with our actions? I mean will there really be a so big difference between continuities?? If so, something new about moving between one and other continuity??

A: Yes, heroes will be able to change the shape of a continuity - we're hammering that out. It might be something that we "ramp" up, as players become more versed with the game. But this is, in essence, a storytelling game. We want the players to make the story that is City of Heroes.

Q: Sticking to storytelling: is there some kinda newspaper that keeps us informed about things going on in Paragon City? - perhaps with some pictures including an ongoing story? Or is this planned elsehow ?

A: Yes, a newspaper is planned, though the details are not yet set.

Q: If a new skill comes out in one of your patches or updates will we be able to sell back our current skill to get/buy the new one What i mean is what if we get a skill that we dont use or care to have anymore and we are currently filled up on skill slots will we be able to sell back that useless skill back (at half cost of course) to free up the slot so we can buy a new one.

A: Well, currently, there aren't skill "caps", and there aren't any "useless" skills! But once you "buy" a skill - it's yours - just like you can't unlearn how to ride a bike!

Q: Will there be other ways to "arrest", "detain", or "defeat" criminals/ villians other than beating them into submission?

A: Not currently. Though sometimes "beating" a villain will be defusing his bombs, rescuing hostages, etc.

Q: I would like to know if they have decided on how the servers will be layed out...such as different regions.

A: I'm not sure what your question means. If you mean will there be servers in different spots around the world? Localization?

Q: I'm sorry what i mean is will you divide the servers up per regions such as usa and other countries?

A: That would be a question for NC Soft, I think And a question beyond my technical scope, to be honest. That's something that will be decided as we move forward.

Q: Could you please give us some info on the abilities of the Mystic Artifact origin (power levels, quantity of powers, skill potential, etc)?

A: How about I put that on the next origin to go up on the website?

Q: Can I add something to what im wearing so I can carry more ammo or guns? I will need my different guns N ammo since Rhyno has no flashy powers. :D

A: Yeah, we'll definitely have "backpacks" and other augments that will allow you to carry more stuff

Q: I quote, from earlier, "NC Soft has given 100% support to our vision of City of Heroes", so in other words, NCSoft is not directing the game development/design?

A: No, they are not directing game design. They ask us what we're up to, where we're going, but never ever has anyone at NC Soft said, "No, don't do that" Strictly hands off.

Q: Are defenses individually 100% effective if they are stacked (i.e. Armour over Invulnerability) or do certain combinations reduce the effectiveness of one more more of the individual components (i.e. Invulnerability is hampered if you are wearing armour) and is the order they are applied customizable?

A: Well armor and invulnerability work a tad bit different. Armor subtracts from what we call a "success" value. A success value is determined essentially by how well an attack hits. Then that result is applied to a damage table for all the various attacks, weapons and power levels. So Body Armor subtracts from the Success Value. Invulnerability is a % off of the damage done. So they can stack. Oh - and Invulnerability is specificto certain attacks.

Q: We understand that Superior Humans have "unlimited" skill advancement to make up for the restricted cap on their super powers. From this I assume that other origins have restricted skils. In general terms can you tell use how other origins will be limited in their skills? Number of skills? Maximum "level" of proficiency?

A: All other origins are limited in how high they can advance their skills. Superior humans just have a higher cap.

Q: How many animations for combat do you plan on integrating, or will it be a generic punch/kick?

A: Well, "Brawling", which is everyone's default attack, has a generic punch. Martial Arts has a special series of punches and kicks. Then every Hand to Hand superpower has its own set of animations. So you'll be able to tell how someone is attacking you by their animation (as well as special effects).

Q: i know very little about the NCsoft (austin team) but i have heard alot of negativity (bad rumors) about them recently... especially in regards to customer service... can you address this? or at least how will customer service be handeled?

A: Before Leilo responds to this, I'd like a chance to say something. Go ahead. I'll type. :) I've been as straight as I can with all of you from the start. I've never tried to give a "marketing" spin - I've always said exactly what I knew, when I knew And only solid info. We did a TON of research into our choice. A TON. We negotiated with publishers for months and months. NC Soft was the best choice hands down. Now for the negativity It's natural that a few people will be turned off by a game. And it's only natural that the same handful can post on a forum a bajillion times And somehow make what should have been an exciting announcement into an object of controversary. Millions of customers play Lineage. And how many people bash NC Soft? On our website, I count about a half dozen. They're entitled to their opinion - and I understand that. So we don't ban them - we let them have their say. But I can say that NC Soft has an amazing record when EVERYONE is taken into consideration.

OK Leilo, take it from there.

That summed up quite a bit of what I was going to say... but I would like to add a couple things to it. First - I have no issue with anyone having an opinion of us. You're all entitled to it, and I can tell in advance that there is going to be something we say or do that will likely make every one of you annoyed at some point... But we do listen, and we do learn. One of the things you'll see is that we won't be taking an overly active public role with the CoH community for a few months. Because I want us to be totally in synch with Jack and the Cryptic team. I want us to know everything there is to know about the game... and I want us to know all of you before that point. As for customer service, that, along with a myriad other aspects of this process, won't begin to be discussed for some time yet.

Q: again to NC : Will NC get an own forum on the COH-Homepage where THEY will read and ask our Questions about technical things like server-localization and other things thats the publisher's job

A: Leilo? We're already reading the CoH forums at this point. The rest will come in the near future. :)

Q: Hello Mr. Emmert, it was stated that in the first release players cannot be villains. But say you decided to basically be a jerk to everyone, not complete missions and just try to do everything wrong. Would that not make you somewhat of a quasi-villain?

A: I guess so. But your Fame would be abysmal You wouldn't be able to go on special missions or enter certain Hazard Zones You'd be ostracized by other players And your powers wouldn't be able to hurt other players So in the end You'd be a jerk of a hero Sitting by yourself in the park talking to birds

Q: Depending on how famous your Hero is, will some minor criminals just give up when you arrive on the scene? For example, if Statesman appeared in front of a purse snatcher would the purse snatcher just stop and give up?

A: It's unlikely that the great and mighty Statesman would stoop to such a lowly foe... but if he did, he'd dispatch the foe so quickly that it would be tantamount to a surrender

Q: The movie has very heroic music. Will there be a wide variety of musical themes to suit different situations? (standing outside city hall, fighting through the hideout of the notorious KungFu Jim, etc)? Also, will the music in your base be selecta runamok?

A: I know we're using a top notch composer, with extensive media experience, so that will definitely be a high point to the game.

Q: What will be some of the features of the arena that we dont know about? Will I be able to fight a deathmatch in the middle of a mirror of Paragon City or in a space setting while in the arena? Will we be stuck in open field most of the time in the arena or can you change that in the settings?

A: The arena is still in flux, so I'm afraid I can't answer anything solid about it.

Q: Will there be a mute button so that if someone is bugging us or speaking to us in a different language we can hit it and ignore them, or do we just have to fly away from them?

A: Yes, there will be something like that.

Q: If you have more than one character on a team, can they both contribute to the cost of the base?

A: Yes, though both are going to need to be making $!

Q: How prevalent is loot in the game? How often, if ever, will we be taking usefull items, as opposed to souveniers and clues, from defeated foes?

A: There's a lot of useful stuff you can find in a villain's lair. Now it won't be appropriate to all types of heroes But there will be somethings for everyone!

Q: Please forgive me if I have missed this question somewhere. Will Mystical Artifact heros loose their powers if they loose or drop their artifact? And thanks for being here tonight.

A: A mystical artifact hero cannot lose or give away the artifact bestowing his powers - it's part of him, just like the costume itself. Other mystical items (with a lower case "m") - the case is somewhat different!

Q: Are the powers that we start with, the only powers we get? or can we purchase new powers with XP? (I'm not talking about saving slots or getting additional powers through items etc...)

A: No - you need to keep open slots for powers developed in the future.

Q: How wil you handle swearing in game? A filter, or a fame ding?

A: Fame ding! Great idea! Naturally, there will be a filter. And, people will work d*mn hard to get around it Sigh that's just the nature of things.

Q: You stated in the answer to my previous question that Statesman would not 'stoop to fighting such a lowly foe' Does this then mean we can ignore random crime and not take a fame hit?

A: Hmm. Not exacty. It's more like Statesman (very powerful) wouldn't patrol in Hazard Zones with such lowly foes Rikti? Yes. Thugs? No. In other words, the exp. and fame reward if you are OVERWHELMING more powerful just isn't that great. Next question please.

Q: Will there be any flying enemies, or any type of air traffic?

A: Yes, there will be flying enemies. No plans on air traffic.

Q: Are there random encounters outside the random zones, such as in the corporate or "more civilized" zones, will there be bank robberies or muggings that we'll see and will villains ever reach a point where they hunt us down or "create" missions by attacking us instead of us having to seek them out?

A: No the civilized areas don't see crime. And yes, villains will be seeking you - even when you're on a mission against someone else.

Q: Do you have some info for us about the ingame chat system?? how many chat "levels" will there be?? Like private msg, zone msg, for all users msg...

A: That's in the "being implemented" stage - and testing. So we don't have a final answer to that. But yes, there will be several different "levels" of messaging

Q: There is very little information released so far regarding skills. Can you give us an example of some of the skills available, and how they are used? Do you just click the skill icon, or are there some skills requiring special tools, which require more complex method of usage?

A: Some skills are required to use certain mechanisms. Let's say chemistry - that might be required to use a chemistry lab in your base That's used to charge a cyberware hero's battery

Q: Just to follow up on that, how would you gain additional skills later on in the game? Will there be an option to add more skills to your character the way you can add more powers once you qualify for them? Do they raise the same way as powers? Do origins affect the number of skills the same as they do powers?

A: Now a gun skill simply is added into the attack value when a gun is used. No need to click. When using an item, a player clicks on the item. The only two skills that are "clicked" are Brawling and Martial Arts.

Q: Just to follow up on that, how would you gain additional skills later on in the game? Will there be an option to add more skills to your character the way you can add more powers once you qualify for them? Do they raise the same way as powers? Do origins affect the number of skills the same as they do powers?

A: Well, there isn't a cap on the number of skills that a player can have. That's a misconception. The limit on skills will be the maximum level of improvement.

Q: Will there be an option to kick griefers out of a mission, or off your team? Will teams (and/or bases) have a single person responsible for them?

A: Yes. Team leaders will be able to eject griefers.

Q: My question was about handling of "Moral Delimas" which seem to be handled by the reduction of Fame. Will you guys be at E3? Also, I would just like to congradulate you on getting this far (getting a publisher is tough...most SuperHero's games don't make it out of the gate just rumor after rumor). Fantasy RPG is good, but where I come from most people would rather play a SpiderMan/Batman/..GoldenArcher ;-) saving lifes, etc. then tromp around the woods killing trolls. Well done!!!

A: Yes, we will be E3. Heck, I'll be at the Game Developer's Conference next week. Why don't we wrap this up after one more question?

Q: When do you think we will have the beta, on Summer 2002, Autum 2002, later? Will it rain or snow? Will we have any akill to see in the night? Environmental effects are sort of a "wish" list - neat, but not necessary

A: Yes, there will be skills that help at night. As for Beta, stay tuned.

Thanks to everyone who attended. See you on the boards. Thanks everyone! Well it looks like that's all the time we have. On behalf of CoH Sage, all the fans, and myself I'd like to thank Jack and Leilo once more for taking time out of his busy day to give us our latest fix of information. I hope we can do this again real soon! =)

written by Streamweaver

Recently we had a chance to sit down with MacAllen, moderator in the official City of Heroes forums and the guy who maintains the original FAQ, we all hear so much about. MacAllen is one of those rare individuals who makes the leap form average fanboy to community figure. As moderator in the official City of Heroes forums he's one of the best known community figures and can always be counted on to inject a bit of wisdom into the community. His Knowlege Base, maintained in the forums, has been the definitive source for information on the game for some time. Rescently we had a Q & A session with him and covered a little ground on the topic of our favorite game.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your history with role-playing games (RPGs), where did this begin for you and what role to pen and paper games play with you in the era of computer role-playing games?

A: I began PnP RPG's with a pre-release version of Chainmail, a binder filled with xerox copies (the old, slick kind) of typed pages that would eventually become Chainmail, then the original boxed set, back in November of 1972. Between then and now I've played 100's of different game engines and rule sets, so many that they tend to blur together.

As for what role PnP's play in CRPG's, until recently I would say very little. CRPG's tend to be very linear, PnP is anything but. However, with games like Neverwinter Nights coming out, I'd say the line between PnP and CRPG may be beginning to blur.

Q: How did you first get involved with computer RPGs and could you tell us a little about your first encounters with MMORPGs?

A: My first CRPG's were games like Wizardry and Bard's Tale, then onto all of the AD&D Gold Box sets and the Eye of the Beholder series. I tend to enjoy CRPG's more than simulators and such, so I played most of the ones that came out onto the market.

My first MMORPG's were Meridian 59, Dark Sun Online, and AOL's Neverwinter Nights. I also did a number of MUD/MUX/MUSH's though I never really got into the text-only media. The early MMORPG's were very simple, very chaotic, and completely devoid of any vendor-driven content.

Q: Have you been active in other gaming communities before coming to City of Heroes, and if so how? (By active I mean helping the community grow, generating content, or any other activity beyond just playing the game.)

A: For UO, I was very active on the forums as a poster and was in all of the phases of the Beta. Right after release, I was tapped as one of the first Counselors and formed a guild of Counselors to support each other because back then we had very little formal support from Origin.

In EQ, I was active in the forums, was tapped to be the first tester, then built and staffed the Guide program, but had to retire shortly after release. The program today looks very little like the one I built, though the foundation is still there.

Since the AC Beta was going on during my Guide stint, I did participate but was not nearly as active in it. I was also very active in the Heroes Journey and Middle Earth Online forums but both of those games never saw the light of day.

Q: Having played in so many MMORPG titles in the past, what mistakes would you hope they avoid in City of Heroes that you feel are prevalent in previous game titles?

A:Keep in mind, most of the prior MMORPG's I've played in the past were hugely successful, regardless of my opinion of them, so any improvements I would suggest are solely to make the game more enjoyable to me :)

The two "mistakes" I would like to see CoH not do involve content and customer service. In the area of content, this game needs to see a wide array of different types of content, both dynamic and static, or it will suffer from the same complaints that have plagued many of the more recent games. The players need to be surprised at least once a week with something new or different, just to hook them into coming back next week to see what's new.

As for customer service, I can not stress enough the importance of designing the customer service into the game instead of adding it afterwards, either in the beta or after release. The CS does not need to be linked to the content, but it needs to be there and ready for the population before the population arrives. If you listen to the forums of the other MMORPG's, the biggest complaints that any of them have are around these two areas and, IMHO, these are not insurmountable obstacles to overcome.

Q: How did you find out about City of Heroes and how did you become involved with supporting the gaming community as a moderator in the official forums?

A: I found out from Blue's News that the site opened. I lurked for a week or so before registering, unsure of the feasibility of a persistant world full of super heroes, then finally saw enough to realize that it would very likely work. I posted a lot, put up the FAQ, and in general established a presence in the forums early on.

Rhyno started his "We need moderators" thread and, within a week, I received an email that invited me to be a moderator and asked me for suggestions for other candidates. I provided the list and a few weeks later we were officially instated into the role.

Q: As a moderator in the City of Heroes official forums what changes have you seen in the games community over the last year and how would you say this games community differs from other gaming communities you've been a part of?

A: Well, the forum has only been open for 6 months, though it has changed quite a bit in that time. Initially, it was a bunch of clueless geeks, all wandering around, begging for scraps of information. As time has passed, the population has settled in a bit and made it a home, though I am hoping that NCSoft takes a more active role in the forums, or frees up time for Jack & Co to do so.

That's the one fundamental difference between these forums and forums from other MMORPG's I've been involved with. In UO, Raph Koster came out weekly and chatted with folks, answering a lot of posts and in general being accessible, for good or bad. In EQ, the developers were always on the Beta forums and Brad visited the other fan sites regularly. Even in NWN, the development team answers a lot of questions and issues on a regular, frequent basis. I know Cryptic is small and they are very busy, but I feel it would help the community if someone "official" established a presence more often in the forums. Not a complaint, just an opinion.

Q: What specific aspects of City of Heroes has you most excited, and what do you think this game will provide for you as a gamer that other games have not?

A: Hard to pick a single aspect, truthfully...I watch the movie at least weekly and always need to smoke a cigarette afterwards, and I don't smoke :). Breaking from the fantasy genre gives CoH literally a limitless potential to encourage role play and immersion. I've been a comic collector since the mid 70's and have always enjoyed the genre. If CoH can come close to creating a persistant world within that genre, then I will likely move in and stay there for quite a long time :)

Q: What comic titles are among current favorites?

A: Well, I used to be a huge Marvel Fan years ago but got disillusioned with there being umpteen X-this and X-that titles so I drifted to the dark side...Image, Top Cow and Wildstorm. These days, I read Spawn, Savage Dragon, X-men Extreme, Dark Knight 2 and anything by Alex Ross that I can get my hands on.

Q: What powers/skills are you most looking forward to trying out in City of Heroes? Would you base your character on one of your favorite characters or would you opt for something competly original?

A: I honestly can not pick a favorite power I want to try. I want to fly, I want to be a brick, I want to do it all. I will likely go through 2-3 characters a day if I get into the Beta, just to get a feel for all of them. I guess, if I had to pick a power, it would be super speed...I'm dying to see how that is implemented.

With well over 1,000 characters of my own that I've made over the years, I've a host of templates and archtypes to choose from. What I will likely end up doing is getting a feel for the powers as they are in CoH, then building a hero from the powers instead of coming up with an origin and then trying to make the powers fit. Either way, I will be able to fill reams of pages of origin and background and play it out.

Q: You've compiled a very definitive FAQ of known information about City of Heroes in the official forums, can you tell us how this project began and what your personal vision of this tool is for the community?

A: Well, when I first got here, what little data that was available was everywhere and no one knew all of it. Some had read one interview, others another, and no one had a clear picture of all the available facts. So I gathered them up so I could know what questions to ask to fill in the gaps, then I posted it, hoping it would help folks and they took to it quite quickly, with everyone keeping it bumped. Then Cryptic thanked me and made it sticky and its been there ever since.

When I was in the EQ alpha and Beta, one of the things I did was write the Beta manual, the eqmanual.txt that shipped on every CD. Since I was the first Guide, having as much info available to the users as possible meant (theoretically) less questions to me. So, when I got to CoH and saw nothing similar, I saw the need and filled it. As we get more information, my goal is to turn it more towards a "manual" or knowledge base document and less of a Q&A, which is a lot easier now that you've taken the Q&A format.

Q: What kind of support, if any, have you gotten from the developers at Cryptic for your efforts in the community? Are you in contact with them or pretty much act independently?

A: In the beginning, I spoke almost daily with our contacts at Cryptic, mostly because I was paranoid at how I was representing the company. As time passed and they had a chance to see how we (the moderators) work, they gave us more and more room to do what we needed to do without direct supervision. The idea is to take the load off of them such that they have to worry less about the forums and can devote more time to the game. They are always there when we need them, and never fail to answer our requests for information or direction, though our goal is to do as much as possible without interrupting them, which is why you see me proactively trying to curb bad behaviour before I have to contact Cryptic to actually boot someone.

Q: With many new MMORPGs set to hit the market over the next 2 years, what do you see as City of Heroes potential advantage over other titles in the genre and do you think it can effectively compete with some of the more visible titles like Star Wars Galaxies?

A: The biggest advantage that CoH has is that it won't be like any game out there. SW Galaxies is joining an existing genre of MMORPGs, along with Jumpgate and Shattered Galaxy, though the brand name will make it stand out more. CoH is the only MMORPG's in the comic genre, which will draw its own audience all by itself. That, combined with the fact that the MMORPG audience grows every year as the internet becomes a more pervasive community, will provide enough of a market for CoH that it will be at least as successful as Cryptic desires it to be, if not more so.

Article Date: 3/20/2002

written by Streamweaver

A distinct element that sets City of Heroes apart from other MMORPGs is a clear lineage that can be traced back to the creators of your favorite comic book titles and characters. Many of the pioneers of the industry are still with us today and I was able to take some time at the recent Atlanta fan gathering known as Dragon Con, to sit down with comic book artist, editor, and agent J. David Spurlock. His long list of credits include collaborating on such titles as Batman, and Flash and with such comic book icons as Carmine Infantino and Neil Adams. He continues to be a moving force in the world of comics and also serves as publisher for Vanguard Productions, the world's largest producer of books about the work and lives of comic book artists.

Though unfamiliar with City of Heroes in particular, Mr. Spurlock said he was excited to see the genre growing so much stating, "Crossing over of comic books into different types of media is good for the industry as a whole and for the fans." He indicated that in the end that it's with the fans that the property ultimately lies adding, "Just look at Dragon Con, it's bigger than ever because of the fans, they are the real driving force behind expanding the genre."

When asked about City of Heroes it self and what he sees as an advantage of using a supers setting in such a game he said, "With comic books the story flows one way and usually from a single point of view, but with gaming there are options a comic book reader could never be presented with. [Fans are] looking to recreate the feel of their favorite comic [so] if you can adapt your favorite characters to a game it's obviously going to create more appeal to the audience....[but] It's a more difficult road for a small game company to draw in an audience because they will likely not be using established characters in the genre."

He seemed hopeful that all the attention given to super heroes in various media projects would revitalizes people's interest in comics. "While the genre grows as a whole, each year the comics industry is getting smaller because it's easier for a fan to turn on the TV or the computer than to go buy a comic. It used to be you could get them in your local drug store, and now you have to go to a specialty shop. While those shops serve an important role, their customers are often the more dedicated fans and they don't do much to bring in new fans. The growth of the genre into different media definitely makes it more readily available to the common market, than keeping it in a single industry. The trick now will be to take some of the vitality from one area of the industry and transfer it to another. Hopefully these new products will revitalize people's interest in comics of all ages."

I can say that at least for me the interest in reading comics again has been peeked, and with options like marvels dot.comics it easier than ever to get acquainted with this old friend. On his comments about the difficulty of drawing in audiences when not using an established license I'd have to say I only partially agree. It's very true that it increases the marketing burden for such a game, but not having to deal with a licenser also provides the advantage of complete creative freedom for the games developer, Cryptic. This being true, it affords the game far more flexibility in shaping the world to the players needs and from their actions, to create something perhaps closer to the story driven experiences we're all used to from comic books. It also provides the advantage of letting the players be the stars of the world without having to live in the shadow of a Superman or Batman.

It seems to me that City of Heroes was built from the ground up to be a unique game and not beholding to earlier MMORPGs. This allows it to be more true to its original vision and to the fans looking for something different from it. Probably a vital element about allowing a new and innovative idea to develop is giving it the freedom to do so, and I see being free from any specific license as an advantage for this game.

The ability of the community to look to it's origins by talking to people like Mr. Spurlock is one of the more exciting elements of City of Heroes for me. It also expresses the community's love and interest for the guilty pleasure that is Super Heroes. Nothing displays this more to me than the fact that Cryptic is also reaching out to connect with big creative talents in the comics industry. As I am writing this, Cryptic has announced an upcoming interview with comic book artist Joe Madureira, where they will forward some fan questions onto him for comment. I find it wonderfully ironic that the very kind of "sharing of vitality across the industry" is exactly what is happening within City of Heroes, and it shows me that Cryptic is definitely headed in the right direction with this game.

written by Streamweaver

I recently had the opportunity to talk with the City of Heroes Community Coordinator at NC Soft, Aura Manning, about the games fan-base, her background in gaming, and a few other things. Having come on board with City of Heroes earlier this year, when NC Soft was announced as it's publisher, Aura has really made a difference for fans of the game who have craved every bit of COH information they could get their ears on. Her hard work has dramatically increased the visibility of the game and pulled in many more fans from across the MMORPG genre to this unique and promising game. I present to you our Community Builders Interview with Aura Manning.

What do you see as the role of an online community in a game like City of Heroes, and how do you think feel it's different from other MMORPG communities?

As a community leader, I think that pre-launch, you don't define a "role" for your community, but you instead give them tools of communication (like message boards and chat), and let them define themselves. In most cases, they end up playing a positive role simply because they haven't seen the game yet. The community is usually just a big ball of excited speculation.

Once the game is released, the community has only one role-to play the game. It's the nature of gamers to voice their likes and dislikes, but I don't think they perceive themselves as playing a 'role' by doing it. Community leaders are the ones who have the 'role' - that role being taking feedback from the players and reporting back to the developer/publisher so that the game can be improved to meet the wants and needs of the game playing public.

We know that one difference between the CoH community and other communities is that everyone anxiously awaiting this game has dreamed (at one time or another), of being a hero straight out of the comic books of their youth. That's the common thread. As far as other differences go...well, as I said, communities define themselves...so once the game is released, we'll have to see what surprises this community has in store.

What are some of the strangest things you've seen in your years working with online communities?

I've seen a lot. I was smack-dab in the middle of an online "riot" one day when the gaming network I was working for lowered the value of its online currency. I've had players "fake" the deaths of their online personas and I've received legitimate suicide notes and dealt with them accordingly. I've seen players meet, fall in love, and spawn...and I was even pseudo-stalked once - ahh...the joys of working with the public!

What is your impression of the CoH community now and do you think that will change when the game goes live?

I really, really enjoy the CoH community. I think the community is very passionate about the game and very creative - I've never seen a group of people amuse themselves to such an extent. Whether it's writing poems, developing their hero characteristics and powers, creating animated shorts, or altering CoH material with Photoshop for a good laugh -- this is a group of people who know how to make their own fun.

Once the game goes live I expect the community to be much MORE vocal than they are now - because they'll finally have the actual game to base opinions off of. I think they will be very honest about things they don't like and will ask for more of the things that they do. I also think their creativity will continue to flourish and we'll see the creation of many more teams, fan sites, and hero/comic related materials.

How important is the City of Heroes online community to the game as a whole? What do you think is the fans biggest contribution right now?

They're everything! Really, a game is only as good as its community. They make the game a success or a failure. Word-of-mouth is a HUGE factor in this industry. I've seen little games with no marketing budget become successful due to word-of-mouth. City of Heroes hasn't released yet, but the concept in itself is so intriguing, that people are talking about it and sending their friends to the web site. Fans are so excited, that they're doing things like creating fan sites and team sites - which spreads awareness of the game throughout the Internet. For a game that hasn't been released yet, there is no greater contribution!

What do you think is City of Heroes most striking aspect?

You know, there are a lot of great things about City of Heroes, but I'd have to stick with the aspect of the game that first blew me away and continues to do so all the time - the art. The latest visual wonder I've been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of is the lost city of Oranbega, the Circle of Thorn's lair. The game just gets more and more visually spectacular all the time! I don't have a build of the game yet that has this lost city in it, but I hope when I do I don't get vaporized by the Circle of Thorns because I'm walking around distracted, looking at things with my tongue hanging out of my mouth!

Do you feel City of Heroes presents the kind of play that will bring players together, force them together, or isolate them?

I think that even though heroes will have to work together to overcome certain obstacles in the game, the sense of accomplishment players will get from working together (and seeing each others powers and abilities in action), will make teamwork something that most look forward to and seek out rather than something they feel is being forced upon them.

It has been said that computer gaming is a mostly male dominated community even though MMORPGs seem to attract a broader audience than some. Do you feel this is true and what elements about City of Heroes do you think will bring in a broad range of players?

Being a woman in the industry, I've actually thought a lot about this. I think there are some very basic gender differences between the sexes that come into play in regards to video games.

Now, there are always exceptions to the rule, but I personally think that men have an easier time sitting down and devoting their attention to one thing for extended amounts of time. That's why men can sit and watch football all day Sunday, or spend hours tinkering with the broken kitchen toaster. Women are usually the ones bugging men saying things like "How can you just sit there watching T.V. all day long?" They're usually doing a bunch of tasks at once, not spending extensive amounts of time on any particular one.

That's why I feel that men, for the most part, are more into video games and why they get engrossed in games so much easier than women, especially MMORPGs, which require a deep level of immersion and many hours of game play. That's my take on why the gaming community is so much more male-oriented. It's in the nature of men to allow their entertainment to overtake them in a sense, while it's harder for women to 'let themselves go' in this respect.

I'm hoping City of Heroes can help break the gender barrier by appealing to the little kid in all of us (who doesn't want to be a hero and save the world?), and by also by providing shorter, more manageable game play sessions. I think women will be much more likely to participate in a gaming experience like one of CoH's 'missions' if it takes her 45 minutes to complete instead of multiple hours.

With many new MMORPGs set to hit the market over the next few years, what do you see as City of Heroes potential advantage over other titles in the genre and do you think it can effectively compete with some of the more visible licenses like Star Wars Galaxies or the very distant Marvel based MMORPG?

I think City of Heroes advantage over other titles is its uniqueness and that it plays on every person's desire to be a hero and possess some sort of super power that makes them special and important in the eyes of others. Many people will be living out their childhood fantasies with this game.

Because of this, I think CoH will compete just fine with the other MMORPG's. Especially with Star Wars, which is going to be SUCH a different game. I think people can be into multiple games because each offers them something different - and 'different' is certainly a strong point with City of Heroes.

As far as the Marvel-based MMORPG goes, I'm not worried about the competitive aspect. City of Heroes has so much going for it - it's got a unique world that's not confined to what's been in the comic books. All the heroes are also unique, so you don't have to worry about how you're accommodating thousands of players who want to play licensed characters like Spider Man or Hulk. To be honest, I think it's much more restrictive working under a huge license like that and just the fact that City of Heroes isn't bound by such restrictions is a huge advantage!

What are you most looking forward to as a player in City of Heroes? What kinds of powers and origins interest you most?

I'm really looking forward to building my character, but because the game isn't done yet, I'm not sure exactly where she'll fit in yet.

I envision my hero to be a young, new age-ish, 'mother-earthy' type, whose powers stem from energy she summons from the earth and its elements. She possesses, among other things, the powers of flight, invisibility and a multitude of energy attacks.

You came into the community earlier this year and I'm sure had a lot of 'homework' to get familiar with the game. What was it like getting to know City of Heroes and working with the developers at Cryptic?

It was absolutely invaluable getting to work with Cryptic Studios before moving out to Austin, TX. In all seriousness, I don't know what I'd be doing now if I hadn't spent 6 weeks with them before relocating. Sure, I learned a lot about the game, but what was even more important was getting to know the team. I think because I spent that time with them, they know me - they know what kind of person I am and they know they can trust me. I, on the other hand, have faces to go with names and have a good understanding of who does what at Cryptic so I know who to go to when I need something. It makes my life so much easier considering that I'm now 1,700 hundred miles away!

Do you know or have you ever been a comic book fan? If so what have been some of your favorite titles?

While I've never sought out comic books to purchase, I've had many people in my life with HUGE comic book collections. I've never binge-read them or anything, but I've picked up quite a few over the years and read a good deal of X-Men comics, which I loved.

So, while I'm not a comic book aficionado like Game Designer Jack Emmert, who can tell you the contents of any comic book if you give just give him the brand of comic and the issue #, I still consider myself a fan. And I guess the mere fact that I'm so excited about City of Heroes proves that the whole comic book/hero culture has sold me, big time.

What has been your coolest experience working in the gaming industry?

Just one? I can't possibly narrow it down...so I'll list a few. My years in the industry have allowed me to talk shop with design greats like Sid Meier and Will Wright, work with horror writer Clive Barker, and meet and shake the hand of SF Giants homerun heartthrob, Barry Bonds. What more could a girl ask for?

What are you doing when you're not working with the fans?

I'm either playing games on my Xbox, playing fetch with my little canine, whipping up a masterpiece in the kitchen, or fooling around with my Tivo (How did I ever live without one?!).

We'd like to thank Aura for all her time and effort on the game and for the wonderfull interview.

Article Date: 10/8/2002

written by Streamweaver

NCsoft is the publisher of City of Heroes, being developed by Cryptic studios. Can you help explain some of the differences between a publisher and developer, and what things NCsoft will specifically be responsible for with this game?

Well, NCsoft is both a developer and a publisher. Right now, NCsoft is working internally on several projects in the Lineage line, as well as providing live support (i.e. new bugfixes, content, code and all that) for Lineage, as well as working on Richard and Starr's next game - current working title of Tabula Rasa. So the development aspect is the really fun bit - actually making the games. Publishing involves everything else - from distribution (getting the game into everyone's hands online and in retail stores) to customer support, marketing, and community support, as well as physically running the servers and handling all the money transactions. So even though it's less glamorous than the actual game-making, it's important stuff.

What was it that NCsoft saw in City of Heroes that sets it apart from other MMORPGs and made it something you wanted to produce?

Well, right off the bat, it's drop-dead gorgeous, and honestly, the first time we saw a hero leap off the ground and fly up into the sky in this busy, beautifully rendered city we were blown away. Personally, I'm also a sucker for fast-paced action in my MMPs, and designers Jack Emmert and Rick Dakan really seem like they get that as they're setting up the combat to involve lots of minion-tossing before a drawn-out fight with the Big Boys. But also, the whole team there was -- and still -- is really impressive: Matt Harvey's one of the best art directors in the industry; Bruce Rogers has coded a tremendous engine, and Cameron Petty has a good handle on everything from game design to sound design. Everyone on the team has shown some stunning work.

Having had a chance to play with early builds of the game, can you tell us if you think players will actually feel like heroes in the game and why?

I think so - the first time I launched into the sky, and the first time I used some of the truly impressive powers they have in the game, words escaped me - Cryptic just gets the heroic feel. As the game is further into development (a lot of what we're working on is game balance, tuning, and the systems that let you get involved in epic battles) our top commitment is getting you feeling like you're a hero, even as you're working your way up to fame and fortune.

We know that City of Heroes will launch in Korea and Asia at, or shortly after, it's North American launch. Is the game being developed differently for each region (other than language), or do you feel it has broad enough appeal to catch on anywhere?

That's a really interesting question. Different game styles appeal in different territories, but there are some major crossover hits - Diablo and Starcraft, for instance, were huge sellers. But that's the rarity - right now, with Lineage, we're experimenting with something called "The Lands of Aden" in the US - some changes that might not appeal in the Korean market but we can try out in the US, maintained by our US support team. It'll be very interesting to see how that works out, and we'll try different things in the future - we want as many of our games successful worldwide as possible and to be playable and fun in the very different environments from Korean PC game rooms to your US apartment. Appealing to different social cultures is a very fun challenge..

With several major European web sites for City of Heroes and considerable participation in the forums from people across the 'pond," what are the possibilities of having European servers for City of Heroes?

We're looking at our European strategy right now - it's still not decided. Europe is a market that no one really thought was ready yet (it's very expensive for people to play over phone lines, and broadband really hasn't taken off there yet). However, Dark Age of Camelot came along - and through their success there, I think everyone might be paying more attention to Europe for the next batch of games.

Rick Dakan said in a Gamespy Interview "[W]e really clicked with the NCSoft Austin staff, led by Richard Garriott and Jeremy Gaffney. They have an unusual mix of solid experience and open minds." For your part what has been the most impressive thing about the developers at Cryptic, both as a producer and as a former developer?

Geez, I can't say any more on this or they're going to get all egotistical on me. I'm personally impressed with how much they've done and continue to do with a very tight team - they only have around 5 programmers, and yet there is a very big world and complex engine running. With a team of 17, they've rivaled projects that have 35-40 people on them. Also, they've shown a real commitment to making a great game - they bootstrapped themselves from starting with just a few guys and an idea to making a game that can play with (and beat) the Big Boys on the worldwide stage. That takes a lot of effort, talent, and guts, which I very much respect.

In a recent interview on the Stratics Network, Starr Long said about the next revolutionary thing in online gaming "I think whoever can integrate voice seamlessly and also find a way to get online and consoles to play nice will be the revolutionary." What do you think needs to happen in the industry before this can become a reality? Are you going to try to include any 'revolutionary' elements within City of Heroes, or do you view the game as more evolutionary?

I think it's a mix - we've tried to learn a lot from the games we've loved, but nobody would be happy if it was just a remix a lot of Frankenstein parts. I think there are a lot of revolutionary aspects to City of Heroes - the way you can have an impact on the city, the way Rick has combined the best aspects of skills with the best aspects of roles, and the way items are handled. For me, though - I'm a long-time MMPer, I want something different and new, and that's what a lot of people mean when they say "revolutionary." I think City of Heroes will do a good job appealing to folks who never tried an MMP before but they love heroes and hero games, and appealing to long-time MMPers who want to try a new set of systems, a new set of rules, and don't really care that their character dropped their platemail for spandex.

What other projects are you currently involved with at NCsoft, besides City of Heroes?

Right now, I'm an Executive Producer for the 3rd Party team - this means I handle a lot of the recruiting and negotiations with development studios, and then manage the projects after they are signed. Right now, I'm also managing Wreckage (working title) - a car combat MMP which I love - and TradeWars (we've got a lot of working titles) - which is a fast-paced top-down MMP based in the TradeWars universe.

What games do you look back on as having the most impact on you as a games developer and producer, and why?

There's a trend of a lot of game developers to want to remake the games they played in their youth. One problem with that is that if you go play those old games, few of 'em really stand up - the clunky UI and occasional bad design choice you thought was great when you were 11 doesn't always stand up 20 years later (jeez, am I that old?) So I think the key if you want to be influenced by games is to aim to make the game you remembered playing - not the game you actually played. Oh, and while you're at it, make it the game you wished that it was at the time. If that makes sense. Anyway, with that preamble, the games I loved and would love to see again were games like AutoDuel by OSI - I loved that game, which is part of the reason I'm so psyched to be involved with Wreckage - think AutoDuel meets Diablo, but much better. X-Com, I loved - first time I was ever scared in a turn-based game, go figure, and a great blend of building creation, great tactical combat, world management, team building - fantastic. I'm a big EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot fan - I have level 46 characters in both games (yeah, I wussed out, but there's this dang "work" thing). EQ has a lot of very subtle game design (spell stacking, hate lists, class-roles balance, crowd control) which taught me a LOT about how important it is to get the behind-the-scenes stuff right and about replayability and the elder game. Dark Age showed me how fun consensual PvP could be, and reinforced or provided counterpoint to a lot of opinions I formed in EQ. There are a lot of games that aren't mainstream - Netrek/Xtrek, Xtank, Nethack/Moria/Angband, the mud Medievia, which had big impacts or good lessons all - and some of those deserve to see a wider audience.

Having originally been a developer for games like Asheron's Call and lead programmer for Ultima Worlds Online what have been the major learning experiences for you in transitioning to being a producer? What do you wish you knew then, that you know now?

Well, I was a producer for a fair amount of the time on AC - though I'm not sure I did a great job in a lot of ways. I've learned a lot more about what works and doesn't - it's very easy to have lots of opinions and ideas, but going through a round or two of seeing how they work in the marketplace helps a lot in terms of basing those opinions on reality more than whim. I have a lot of pride over things that went well from those projects, and a lot of regret for the things I should have done better.

2003 should see a number of MMORPGs hitting the market. What factors do you think will make or break a games success in this next year?

You're not supposed to say this, but marketing, shelf placement and the like has a big impact - we'll see the first round of games coming out getting a large audience based in part on familiar names (Star Wars, Sims, etc.) One of the great things about the MMP space is that in general, you get people in the door with marketing, buzz, and such -- but you keep 'em based solely on whether or not you have a good game in place. This is the first time for a long while in the gaming industry where good business sense matches good game design. Because of that, the real test for all the games out there will be which is actually the most fun. The Galaxies team is obviously a bunch of pretty sharp cookies, and I've worked with some really good guys on the Sims teams, so my hopes are high for them. As the market gets more and more crowded with good MMPs, one of two things will happen - the market will grow, or it will stay the same size and become very hard to enter. It'd be nice if the former happened, and a lot of people are betting it will, but it'll be very interesting to find out.

Article Date: 11/1/2002

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