Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Star Wars and Raph Leave SOE?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the confusing-day dept.

Gamespot reports that Raph Koster, chief creative officer for Sony Online Entertainment, has left the company. While Gamespot seems to confirm this news, there are a number of MMOG-related rumours swirling at GDC. Mythic may be in EA's sights for acquisition, and Sony Online may soon be losing the rights to the Star Wars license. IE: No more SWG. Grimwell online has a rundown on these virulent rumours. Chris Kramer (from SOE) said words to the effect of "We're in it together for the long haul." SWG will be staying with Sony Online for some time to come.

1 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. How to ruin a sure thing by cpu_fusion · · Score: 4, Informative

    While I wish no ill will on Raph, Star Wars Galaxies is a textbook example of a misguided project.

    Star Wars is one of the most regonized and highly regarded franchises among video game consumers. Players have high expectations, and why shouldn't they? There's enough material there for an engaging and interesting MMO. One has to wonder, how could you mess up a Star Wars MMO?

    Well, here's how:

    1. Launch a buggy game your beta testers tell you is nowhere near ready.
    2. Have no player-controlled starships. Space is just like "zoning" in EQ.
    3. Have no class balance, and then screw up class balance. Make sure your producer's favorite class (pet handler) is insanely powerful at launch.
    4. Make sure entire classes, (droid manufacturer), are completely foobar.
    5. Totally mismanage player relations, eventually cutting off public access to the forums to hide discontentment. Be sure to have a privately run, but public web site up for the producer where he talks about how players are sheep, more or less.
    6. Planets aren't even frickin' round, and they have edges which are just high mountains.
    7. Make sure questing is so stupid players don't even bother to read the templated instructions for what you are doing, and instead focus on the one or two variables per template. (Go here, blow up nest, run back.)
    8. Make sure PvP is totally hosed at launch.
    9. Don't bother to react to major economy-ruining bugs for days, even after reports flood forums, so that money is completely devalued.
    10. Make the #1 fantasy of every player, becoming a Jedi, completely out of reach to smart players who maybe, like, have a job, and within the reach of mindless drones who play your game 24/7.

    Anyways, the game was fscked all along, and the final news that the combat/professions system needed another overhaul was just the coup-de-grace.

    RIP; lesson learned for Lucusfilm.