Richard Bartle, who along with Roy Trubshaw, created the first MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) games that later evolved into modern day MMOGs recently a new blog that has stirred up a lot of discussion on MMOG quest design. In his Blog, Bartle discusses his admiration for World of Warcraft's STV (Strangle Thorn Vale) design. Calling the area a 'funnel' where players are guided but not forced to progress to a given area. Though he doesn't use the word emotion, Bartle explains how the design of STV can invoke an emotion in the player, causing them to desire revenge on certain creatures that they are deprived quest for, making when they finally get those quests to take out the creatures that have given them so much trouble all the sweeter.
Not everyone agreed with Bartle's opinions. Syp, a minister and blogger took exception to one particular comment of Bartle's Blog where he stated:
There are maybe 20 people in the world right now to whom this makes the kind of sense it makes to me, few of whom read QBlog, but hopefully its not going to be entirely nonsense to the rest of you As a designer myself, I can read some of those symbols and divine some of the meaning. I cant not do it. I see all this going on the whole time I play. See why I say I cant play like a player?
I viewed the general article Bartle wrote as an attempt to explain his view on how this particular area was designed and how he viewed it and the MMOG design as a form of art. However, Syp's view was a bit different as the response in his blog indicates.
I, unlike Richard Bartle, am not a game designer or developer or programmer. I have played MMOs since 2002, video games since 1981, and have spent a chunk of my life thinking up interesting game concepts (and even programming some of them back when I was a teen), but I would never paint myself as experienced as he is on the subject. But it doesnt mean Im an idiot when it comes to seeing behind the curtain as to how games are created, zones designed and how I as a player am being manipulated to do this or that. I think he discredits MMO gamers, who tend to spend a LOT of time thinking about their games and, in many cases, studying the underlining mechanics and design of it all.
Bartle, not being one to shy away from a debate, responded to the blog stating:
OK, so youve written some analyses of the art of quest design yourself? Forgive me for not knowing, I only found your blog via Google blog search. Could you point to an article youve written on the subject, perhaps?
If you havent done this kind of analysis, OK, Im calling you out: write one. Go on, choose any quest from WoW and explain what its saying. You say you can see behind the curtain: show us. I want the art, not the craft.
Bartle went down the blog and debated Syp point for point in a post that could have almost made an entire Blog itself. I found Bartle's Blog an interesting read from a designer standpoint. He makes some good points that anyone interested in game design may find interesting as he explains the art form behind the design. Contrary to some people's belief, it takes an artist to make a good MMOG. The story, music, environment, characters, quests and world are all forms of art and the better the art, the better the game.
