H1Z1 (Not actually an MMO) - Server: Antidote (info in first post)

Still not happy about no skills/levels....really was hoping for a SWG type skill system. Ah well , also anyone ever play Zombie Panic Source? That base defense was pretty fun in that where you block shit with furniture...that was good times. Loved the map with the 2 cabins in the woods where it was dark as fuck.

Like someone else said, a post apocalyptic world kind of like Fallen Earth where it's more than just zombies would have been cool.

Perhaps various factions you could join (think gangs Mad Max style) that are all open-pvp to one another. Really liked how SWG did it whereby the cool gear you could only pull it if you flagged up.

The game fails if it doesn't force everyone into the deep end of the sandbox. Outside of living under the protection of the remnants of the [insert nation] Military (neutral NPC faction) under harsh restrictions (skill caps, clothing/weapon restrictions, resource tithes, crafting restrictions (no structures/ fire arms) everyone should be flagged outside of a Military zone of control (tutorial/neutral areas). Seeing as there are no levels, this is completely viable, but it limits your scope of the game severely. Not only that, but you're essentially a trade slave and living in a refugee camp (until the camp hits a pop. limit and upgrades to a new tier making it an increasingly fatter raid target) and prone to being shuffled around safe zones.

Factions are fine, but the flagging system from SWG was a failure. If you want to stay neutral or prevent the game from turning into DayZ DM, create the framework and force the social network and community into existence. Mercenary body guards (SWG Bounty Hunters) / friends or die. In an apocalypse you either live self-sufficiently and secluded or you have friends or you make a transaction for protection. There's no other way around it.

Lets give the game a chance before we declare it has failed for one reason or another.

Sulrn_sl said:

The game fails if it doesn't force everyone into the deep end of the sandbox. Outside of living under the protection of the remnants of the [insert nation] Military (neutral NPC faction) under harsh restrictions (skill caps, clothing/weapon restrictions, resource tithes, crafting restrictions (no structures/ fire arms) everyone should be flagged outside of a Military zone of control (tutorial/neutral areas). Seeing as there are no levels, this is completely viable, but it limits your scope of the game severely. Not only that, but you're essentially a trade slave and living in a refugee camp (until the camp hits a pop. limit and upgrades to a new tier making it an increasingly fatter raid target) and prone to being shuffled around safe zones.

Factions are fine, but the flagging system from SWG was a failure. If you want to stay neutral or prevent the game from turning into DayZ DM, create the framework and force the social network and community into existence. Mercenary body guards (SWG Bounty Hunters) / friends or die. In an apocalypse you either live self-sufficiently and secluded or you have friends or you make a transaction for protection. There's no other way around it.

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No game that has been full on FFA has ever succeeded. If it goes the darkfall/sb route, it will fail for the same reasons. The games progression is already going to be entirely gear/wealth based, which it kinda is in EVE too, but in a game like that if there is FFA everywhere then there is never a place for the losers to rebuild or new players to get comfortable.

If I was them there would be a medium sized military controlled area surrounded where players are invulnerable surrounded by a large military zone of control, where players can attack each other but killing blue players there lowers your faction with that military, there should be a fair military npc presence in those areas patroling and shit. Either no or restricted building in either area. The rest of the game should be ffa with full building options. Ideally they would steal the factory structure from EVE where the best coolest stuff can't be built in safe(r) areas and if you want personal choppers and mech armor or whatever cool stuff they add.

Pve reward structure should be randomly generated mission instances in safe area < zombie attacks in less safe areas < zombies in ffa areas. And I would hope they take a note from DFUW and have 'death' in pve only result in a knockdown with a revive in x minutes, because full death in pve in a game where you can be expected to die in pve fairly often is just too brutal. The game also would need a territory control system beyond constant defense cause shit can be destroyed at any moment.

Doesnt sound like much of that will happen so I kinda think this game will be fun then die fast. Making a mmo like this is just so outside SOEs wheelhouse.

Didn't Smedley have a personality change after SWG/EQ2 failed? What SoE failures have there been since? What SoE projects have there been period besides PS2?

Felmega_sl said:

Lets give the game a chance before we declare it has failed for one reason or another.

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Just want to clarify that I'm not voting either way on whether or not the game fails. Just that it's a failing decision for what they're aiming for if they don't provide the box and the tools necessary for the sandbox to work.

I think this game is all about timing and it is going to hit about right. Sure, this game wouldn't have made it years ago but I think given the interest in the content (zombies) the exposure to DayZ, and just an over saturation of slow paced MMO's, this might just work. Regardless, I think we'll know soon enough. It will get old fast or become very successful. From SoE's point of view, they really have nothing to lose simply because there will be a niche crowd that will support this financially. It is just a hot topic right now.

Couldn't you say the say for StarWars games as usually they always have a niche pull? Last I checked they all failed pretty spectacularly.

Sulrn_sl said:

Couldn't you say the say for StarWars games as usually they always have a niche pull? Last I checked they all failed pretty spectacularly.

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I'll agree with that but I think StarWars is somewhat of a special case. Their expectations can be pretty crazy and while I would consider them fails as well, they seem to be successful enough to keep making more. Also, because it is StarWars they poor insane amounts of money into those games so they have a much steeper hill to climb. If they keep this at a development and financial minimum, they stand a great chance of becoming and remaining profitable.

Adebisi_sl said:

Let the community build their own safe zone if they want it. Dump an empty military base in the middle of the map and either have no zombies spawn there or have them not respawn. It's not impossible... there are actually medic "guilds" in DayZ that exist only to help people who have been injured. Let the community fill these NPC roles.

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Never works, its the suggestion of every UO player but it never works, the PKs always hunt the newbs to extinction and the games die. It kinda worked in UO because no one could leave for another game cause there weren't any other mmos but that's obviously not the case now.

But I know the formula now, the hardcore rpk crowd will cry for the harshest game possible, game will crater and then that crowd will blame everything about the game but the rpking for the failure. And I dont mean swtor failure where it misses expectations, I mean hellgate failure where there are <1000 on at prime time and they shut the game down.

Creslin_sl said:

Never works, .

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This. Took the words out of my mouth.

The other shit that doesn't work and dumbass developers keep implementing and open-pvp proponents keep suggesting, is flagging/criminal/Blue-Red/Murderer/Neutral/timeout/ bullshit systems.

They don't work, period.

Why? Because as a PKer, I don't give two shits about what criminal penalty you give me. I play my main do all the funny bunny shit until I get bored. I then jump on my "IKillj00-NEWB" pker and run around ruining people's days. The only people criminal penalties hurt are the players that don't want open pvp but end up being goaded or tricked into PKing.

Developers never make PK penalties harsh enough to dissuade ganking. And before you suggest ArchAge, in the same thread how many people suggested running two characters and or accounts? One for PvE Farming, etc, the other for pvp.

My recommendation? Kill another player lose -10% experience (or skill what ever). Kill another player, raise it to 15% and so on, it takes a week to slowly reset back to 10%. Only time you don't incur a hit is during a gang war or whatever.

Sulrn_sl said:

Didn't Smedley have a personality change after SWG/EQ2 failed? What SoE failures have there been since? What SoE projects have there been period besides PS2?

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- PlanetSide 2
- Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures
- Free Realms

Adebisi_sl said:

Reads like a bunch of words from people who have never played DayZ

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People are stuck in their RPG bubble I guess.

The lack of skills and character development should illustrate that this is not a MMORPG, its a MMO survival game. This is a combined genre and its emerging. Its sorta how MOBAs came out on the scene, it was a arena/RTS game, with RPG elements. You might like the character building aspect, but didnt like the arena/RTS elements. In this thread everyone that never played a survival/Dayz type game is complaining about half the genre its being combined with. Just accept that there are other MMO genres out there and accept that you might not like them and just move on.

There will be a long time before your next SWG. It sucks your niche isnt something most are considering these days *ever*, but if you're lucky and these types of games keep gaining traction you'll get closer to someone rediscovering the wheel *your niche*.