Author: Nicodemus

Anyone that keeps up with what I write, or has had a chance to read MMO Evolution, knows that I have mixed feelings about the online game industry. On one hand, I am very annoyed, irritated, angry, and my panties are in a bunch about a lot of the things going on in the industry. On the other hand, I still hold a glimmer of hope that there are passionate and creative people out there that are not satisfied with the status quo, and are striving to make a change.
Continue reading Doom and Gloom…

A few people at IMGDC asked me about my background, and a few others I have met recently at some other events wanted to know what I have worked on. My answer is usually “nothing you have ever heard of”, but I *have* been around for a long time, just under the radar. But really…what have I worked on? What the hell was I doing in the early 90s? What is so amusing?

Continue reading Turning on the wayback machine…for your amusement!

Ok, Order of the Stick wins mad points for amusing me greatly. If you haven’t read it, go do so now.

Things that don’t amuse me? Right now, it has to be Dave Perry’s Super secret project and 38 Studios.

Super Secret!

Having more than 20,000 people “sign up” to “develop” a “MMO” doesn’t really mean jack. Honestly, can you guys *really* say you have a 20k+ strong development team? Second, how much signal is really going to rise above the noise here…hell, I can see it now…how many of these people are going to stick a design credit on their resume and try to get a job with it? Finally, I have a problem with this being called a massively multiplayer game. I was all excited about the concept here, until details were released. I mean honestly, a multiplayer racing game? Heavily microtransaction based? This sounds like nothing more than Mario Kart online with a matchmaking lobby. Maybe some gunbound style “gameplay” where you can customize your avatar and vehicle. Is it really going to take 20,000 people to “develop” this? From my point of view (limited obviously, I didn’t sign up), I get the feeling that most of this game is already planned out and a core team is going to be making it. The whole secret project just reeks of a marketing ploy for attention.

Yeah, I said it. Thumbsdown.

Continue reading Amuse me…or not

As I am sure I have mentioned before, I’ll be attending and speaking at the indie MMO Game Developers Conference next month in Minneapolis.

My details here if you want to hook up. I’m more than happy to chat with anyone, and the first person that recognizes me as Nicodemus and says something witty gets a free signed copy of my book (hey, I gotta pimp these things).

~ Robert / Nicodemus

I love Fox News. But that’s beside the point. Go check out kongregate.com It looks awesome, and I wish I had done it first. Let me know if you like the war bears. This should be very good for the casual and amateur game industry.

Ok, I started this a long time ago and I got a lot of great commentary and feedback from everyone. I thought I would bring it up again, but with a little twist…what is the ONE thing you just HAVE to have in your Perfect MMORPG?

Sound off here in the forums…

~ Robert / Nicodemus

PS I decided about bringing this topic back up because of Zubon’s post about game features. Kill sheets are pretty cool by the way.

The topic of conversation in one of my other posts has meandered around to the art of crafting a game instead of the industry of manufacturing (“making”) a game. Julian over at bettergame reposted some pretty in-depth comments originally written a few years ago about the topic as well.

I have suggested (and ranted for years) that the game industry has focused too much on flash (particularly graphics) and neglected substance. Publishers have eschewed adventure games for years now, story is relatively non-existent in nearly every game on the market (a “setting” does not count as story or plot), and the few attempts at creating a rich and evocative game with depth and complexity have usually ended up being overly complicated and confusing.

Story (not setting) is incredibly important to crafting a great game. What do you have without it? Imagine a movie with the most impressive and high-tech graphics and visuals you have ever seen…add in sound and effects so real, you literally feel like you are right in the middle of the action. But what if the movie is simply about two people sitting at a table eating Doritos? Sure, the killer trailer got you to open up your wallet and go to see the movie, but so what? Without story, dialogue, plot, character development, conflict, content, and interaction, you leave the theater with an empty feeling that is easily forgotten.

Continue reading Git a job az a Gayme Diviloper!

(Warning, late night rant)

I have so many pet peeves about the game industry I should probably start selling a few. Buy a “Peeve™” now for only $19.95. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m going to stick a “Peeve™” in the next RPG I work on and make it one of the most irritating mobs ever. Just watch me.

Anyway, the point of this evening’s rant is a bit of an extension of something I wrote about the importance of names (well, sorta). Ok maybe not so much names as definitions. Arguably the most critical aspect of communication is having a set of words or terms which are well defined and act as a frame of reference. Otherwise when I ask you to “watch out for the truck” you think I am saying “Throw a slimy fish at me”.

In our happy little game industry, evil and radical elements have been striving for years for our downfall. Of course this sort of thing is a constant element in politics, education, and the youthful culture of today. The weapons of choice of these dastardly agents of destruction include obfuscation, misdirection, redefinition, outright lying (the word “leading” in front of “developer” or “game” is used so much my eyes bleed when I see it), and of course “baffling with bullshit” and “dazzling with drama”. The one I want to address today is redefinition.

Continue reading What the hell is an MMORPG?

What does it mean to be an independent studio or “Indie”? Can a volunteer or indie studio make a MMORPG? How do you get a studio funded? Do you really need a publisher?

I get the feeling that many people think that “Indie game development” means a group of people volunteering their time to work for free to work on a game…I think that they are wrong and we need to redefine or at least clarify what it means to be an indie studio…

Continue reading Indie or not Indie?

Ethic posted recently about the troubled fall of Ars Caelestis in Eve online. I am not going to rehash the details or even summarize it here. You can just click the link and read about it yourself.

Why did this happen? Was it fair play or foul play? I think many people reading and commenting on Ethic’s post are missing something critical and important.

If something happens solely inside of a game, within the context and limitations of the game’s rules, mechanics, and community expectations for what is fair, then fine. But if something in-game is affected by actions out of game, then it is an entirely different situation.

Continue reading Space Drama: Fair or Foul?