by Karen Hertzberg on Apr 21, 2006
Friday Editorial (FriEd) Lays it On the Line...
Ah, the official forums...the sludge pits of MMO gaming. Within, you'll find all the whiners and dregs of humanity, right? Well, sometimes. But sometimes you'll find folks who can write in complete sentences and offer valid, constructive discussion. In this week's Friday Editorial (FriEd), Shayalyn laments that Turbine, the developers of Dungeons & Dragons Online, may have failed to filter the good advice from the official forum muck. Will game designers ever learn to listen and give gamers what they crave?
Whats the solution? Well, let me start by saying that the answer doesnt lie within the vast majority of the posts on the official forums. But Turbine could have waded between the forum muck and the fervent fanboi posts to find that, during the development period, potential players were concerned that the lack of solo and small group content would end up being an issue for many (they were right), and crafting or other time sinks that could occupy folks waiting for a group to assemble was a necessity (also right). Turbine made a decent game, but they could have made it that much better if theyd managed to be less myopic.
Read It's My Penny and I'll Whine if I Want To and see if you agree!