GC Speech

http://www.guildwars.com/events/trad...7/gcspeech.php

Fantastic article on the GW website! Probably the best thing I have seen on the GW website in quite some time. Definitely worth the read!
Thanks A-Net

I still can't see how he can do a speech on MMOs when they labeled Guild Wars a CORPG.

A lot of the people who work on GW have previous experience with MMOs. What's said in the speech can really be applied to anything else too. Underfunded and poorly planned imitations don't do well, as well as several other issues that were raised in the speech.

I guess that depends upon whether CORPG is considered one way to make an MMO or considered a category exclusive from MMOs.

I think the latter isn't the case.

Certainly an interesting read.

MMO covers all games with large numbers of people playing online with one another. Battlefield, Starcraft, and Trackmania are all technically MMOs.

CORPG is a subcategory of MMORPG.

It was a bit long so I only read certain paragraphs, when I get more time I'll read the rest of it. But he makes some really informed points, having a guy like that running arenanet is exactly what other MMO's should be aiming for.

And curse is right, a CORPG is a subcategory of an MMO.

Lol, the thing about the forums hit home.

He had a well-put-together view of how an MMO should be done, and it bodes well for GW2 if they stick to it. Like he said, appeal to the masses, not just to a few vocal minorities(though they do keep us in mind =D).

I met Jeff at the GC the day after he gave his speech and he made many of the same points to a very different audience - fifty or so gamers, interested bystanders and a very flustered moderator. It was interesting, and what he said made me incredibly hopeful about GW2.

Perhaps it also helped that he is very funny and cute in person, quite a force of personality that doesn't translate into the written word. I have my signed copy of GW:Platinum standing in a place of honor, that's for sure

"...Finally, you can make everyone happy, but you can't make everyone happy all the time. It is risky to try to make decisions that appeal to all players equally. Don't fall into the trap of making decisions based on what causes the least amount of pain, because this can lead to a game that is just kind of "okay" and doesn't really excite anybody. When you have a large, active, and passionate player base, every decision you make, every change to the game, no matter how convinced you are that it makes the game strictly better, will piss someone off, and they'll post about it, blog about it, rant to the press about it, loudly and publicly predict that this is the "beginning of the end" of your game, and send hate mail to your community and support teams. MMO developers have to have thick skins, but always remember that if one of your players is angry with you, it is because he really cares about the game, and that's much healthier for you than apathy. Go with your instincts and make the right decision for your game..."

"..Pay close attention to complexity creep. Don't assume that most of your players are reading your website and consuming information about your game. Most of your players will never read your website, never visit fansites, and never participate in forum discussions. We are often immersed in the community forums and rants and raves posted to game fansites, and it is easy to lose perspective about the knowledge level of most of our players. Players who participate in fansites and send six-page emails to your community team are experts at your game – they probably know more about it than you do – so it's important to realize that they do not represent the average player. The vast majority of your players are not digging into every detail of every spell or creating lists of animations so that they can react when they see the basilisk twitch its nose. They want to play, not study, so take care to create a game that allows them to do so..."

"...Developing a new MMO requires a lot of money and a lot of time. If you are starting today and don't have at least three years and $30 million dollars, consider developing in another genre. Also be prepared to attract and manage a large development team. We have 140 full-time developers working on Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 at ArenaNet, and that number will probably have to grow throughout the Guild Wars 2 development cycle. It is much easier and less risky to make exciting, innovative games in other genres. Unfortunately, some of us just can't make that decision – we're intoxicated by the thought of building the ultimate MMO, and we feel compelled to dedicate our lives to that pursuit. If that describes you, then by all means jump in and let's keep pushing the boundaries of possibility together. But bring cash – lot's of it – and make sure that you are working with people on the business side who are willing to let you make the best game you can make, because there are no successful B-titles in the MMO industry.

I'll end by paraphrasing the famous Japanese game designer, Masaya Matsuura: Go forth, and do weird and difficult things! ..."

Congrats & thx again.