Slashdot Mirror
Info On Upcoming XBox MMOFPS
Via eToychest, an interview at TeamXbox with Kijong Kang, executive producer of the upcoming Xbox Live enabled MMOFPS game Huxley. The game will exist within a persistent world which draws inspiration from several game genres, and is slated to use the Unreal 3 engine to bring the shiny. From the article: "Compared with Planet Side, there are some common features such as MMO, PW, and FPS. However, the biggest difference is the level of action. Planet Side is an enjoyable game, but it is a strategy-focused FPS game rather than an action-focused FPS game. With outstanding features, Huxley is an absolute action game such as Quake or Unreal."
So basically, you want to turn a MMOFPS back into a traditional FPS...
On one hand the developers are trying to portray or share an idea while giving the customer a good time.
On the other hand, the customer wants to make the game into what they want (they want more control over it) if they don't like the original idea.
I'm sure a lot of developers realize, if you grant the customer too much control, you're potentially sacrificing the essence of what you were trying to share with others.
In our system, the answer is always "YES, give the customer what they want."
But personally, I really dislike putting my blood sweat and tears into something, try and share it with people, & suddenly have it turned into something it wasn't meant to be.
Anyways, it's an interesting read. I still didn't quite get the game though. The article get's a bit vague on any real details.
Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
Most of the worries around player control doesn't come from the artistic side of things. People have a way of wanting to do things that will destroy the experience for them. If you let FPS players create their own weapons, they would create the "kill everyone but me in one flash" gun. If you let the players choose all of the parameters of the game, they frequently choose settings that are boring, not fun, etc... like 5-square mile maps in a 2-person combat game. If you give MMPORPG players the ability to advance their level by walking 20 feet to the left, digging radishes for an hour, and walking 20 feet to the right to the store, they will do it, and complain that your game is boring as hell.
The artistic side of things comes into play, as if the player destroys the artisttic side of the game then they're probably also ruining the aesthetic experience. But in general practical needs of play outweigh any sort of personal thing the developer is attempting to communicate.
I'm not saying don't expose the game parameters, I'm saying you have to be careful when you do. It's not as simple as just letting the player make the perfect game for you... It's your responsibility to make sure they have a good time, not theirs.
The ______ Agenda
I have to ask the submitter - have you ever played Planetside? This comment leads me to believe you have not.