A "me too" game or revolutionary?

Pen N Popper · 06-15-08, 02:26 PM

I'm curious to know if the Layonara MMO will be a "me too" game in terms of features, or if it will have revolutionary aspects. When it is first released, what will be the feature that makes people give it a try?

Eight-Bit · 06-17-08, 09:36 AM

It's tough to do something that hasn't all ready been done by a MMO. Layonara is going to have a community that encourages roleplay and character depth, so I feel it is going to have a tight niche community that Layonara will thrive on. I don't think Dan or the team are going to become billionaires over this, but I'm pretty sure with the right kind of advertising and press releases highlighting interesting features, it will turn a profit.

Roleplayers are the minority in almost every MMO community, so catching the action buffs and collectors will be important. If the game alone is fun to play and has several hooks, other than the grind for XP and the constant search for better items, that will keep people playing Layonara over another MMO, roleplayers or not.

The business model for success will be to keep people playing Layonara because it is comfortable to use and not mind-boggling, while maintaining a complexity that will keep people around. The important philosophy of Layonara, that all players have an effect on the world, will be very important in establishing and being less of an abstract experience for everyone involved. Players like to feel important, and that will be easy.

If you ask me, PnP, I have a lot of hopes for this place in the future. The fact that the team isn't feeding us constant hype or making any promises makes me happy.

miltonyorkcastle · 06-17-08, 10:42 AM

"revolutionary".... so many revolutions have come about by introducing old concepts at the right time to make them seem new or just better.

But that aside, the one thing I see different from other MMO's from what we have discussed here is that there will literally be two "mirrors" of Layonara running at the same time: the one that includes those players who wish to have a real affect on the world, and the one for those who wish to become uber-1337 and simply explore/hack/level. What's even niftier is that those in the "hack mirror" get to experience the changes made by the players in the "RP mirror." What this says to me is that we may be the first MMO community that gives real incentive to casual gamers to become Role-Players and invest in the world. They will see be able to see the changes made, learn about those changes, explore why they happened, and in so doing perhaps become curious as to how they could do the same thing, how they could affect the world.

This is the concept I am envisioning, anyway. We'll see how it actually pans out. But that, to me, is "revolutionary." Other MMO's have had RP servers, but have those playing on that server truly had a changing effect on the world?

Link092 · 08-31-08, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miltonyorkcastle

"revolutionary".... so many revolutions have come about by introducing old concepts at the right time to make them seem new or just better.

But that aside, the one thing I see different from other MMO's from what we have discussed here is that there will literally be two "mirrors" of Layonara running at the same time: the one that includes those players who wish to have a real affect on the world, and the one for those who wish to become uber-1337 and simply explore/hack/level. What's even niftier is that those in the "hack mirror" get to experience the changes made by the players in the "RP mirror." What this says to me is that we may be the first MMO community that gives real incentive to casual gamers to become Role-Players and invest in the world. They will see be able to see the changes made, learn about those changes, explore why they happened, and in so doing perhaps become curious as to how they could do the same thing, how they could affect the world.

This is the concept I am envisioning, anyway. We'll see how it actually pans out. But that, to me, is "revolutionary." Other MMO's have had RP servers, but have those playing on that server truly had a changing effect on the world?

big question then.... will people be able to interact with both servers, with the same chars? I would think not, nor would I want that. (beef up to 20, then hop in on the RP server? ick)

Leanthar · 08-31-08, 06:33 AM

*smiles at Milt's post and Links reply*

All I can say on this front at this time.

Pen N Popper · 10-03-08, 08:49 AM

Slashdot -South Korea's Free Computer Game Business Model Hits the US

Still curious.

stragen · 11-25-08, 05:41 PM

I really hope that quests, the GM interface are revolutionary.

One idea that would work well in the MMO is an integration between the traditional NPC static quests and DM quests. Imagine if the GM team could dynamically create NPC quests that changed as the main world plot evolved or even to support their greater quest.

GM: (to himself) I need Xora to tell the next group of travelers she encounters of the change in Fisterions Relam. Ahh I'll just create a NPC quest here. Also I'll give the NPC halfling in the inn a little hint that Xora might have a job for a group of PCs.