leaked: early brainstorming sessions at bioware

i have transcribed some recent audio leaks of some early brainstorming sessions held by bioware when they were given the task of building the mmo star wars: the old republic. for the record, i am still subscribed and despite some beefs with the game have no animosity toward it. and, contrary to popular opinion, i actually like bioware. i think they're swell. but leaks is leaks, as julian assange would say, and the world is owed the truth which is out there. real REAL out there. just ask mulder. the names have been changed to protect the guilty. *** bob: right. let's get started. as you're all aware, we've just been given the chance to make the mmo of the next millenium. very exciting. tom: wow 2? bob: don't be stupid, tom. no, we've got star wars. tom: wookiees! bob: what? tom: wookiees. bob: right. great. anyone else have any more gibberish to add? no? good. let's do this. first up, has anyone seen star wars? *silence* lockie: i think i did. is that the one where that guy does that thing? jumps out of, like, the ship? and falls? there's a swordfight, i think. had that guy in it from that other show on tv? that superhero guy. plays the pointy eared guy. what's his name? matthew: nah, that's star trek. bob: have you seen it, matthew? matthew: star trek? bob: no, star wars. matthew: no, but i've got some of the lego. tom: oooh, lego. bob: right then, you can head up the lore department. you know more about it than us. get tom to help you. give him some lego to get started. chan: i want some lego, too. bob: right, get chan a box, too. neville: can i have some lego? bob: can we quit with the lego? *silence* bob: alright, alright. matthew, on monday go out and buy some lego for everyone. put it on the budget. what the hell. we've got a few mill. right. ideas? anyone? mmo? star wars? *silence* bob: does anyone have anything they can think of when they think of star wars? tom: wookiees. jeremy: lasers and stuff. bob: shut up, tom. lasers and stuff. john, write that down. john: *toys with phone* tim: what's an mmo? bob: what? you're working in the game industry and you don't know what an mmo is? i mean, tim! what the hell? cheezus, obama and lemmy. come on, tim. i mean, really? tim: really. what's an mmo? bob: i can't believe you're even asking me that! what's an mmo... tim? you don't even have the faintest clue? neville: noob. tim: i'm not a noob, alright? i just don't know. it would help me to design the levels if i knew what one was, alright? bob: doesn't know what an mmo is. i can't believe it. tim: well? bob: well what? tim: what is it? bob: it's a massive multiplayer game. there. got it? right. tim: no. what's that actually mean? bob: it's massive. it's multiplayer. it's a game. tim: that's what it's called. i know what it's called. but what is it? bob: what do you mean what is it? tim: i mean, what is it? bob: i can't believe you don't know. you have to know. i shouldn't need to explain it. tim: i don't know, alright. don't treat me like a tool, bob. what's an mmo? bob: well. an mmo is, umm. it's, well. it's a, uh, chan, you tell him. chan: why me? bob: you're chinese. you make heaps of mmos. your brother probably owns a gold farming company. chan: no, i don't. i make cut scenes. introductions. i'm an animator, bob. not a game designer. i don't care what kind of game i'm making. and i don't have a brother. but if i did, he'd kick your ass for saying that. bob: okay, well, tom, you tell tim what an mmo is. tom: uh, um. ok. an mmo is, an, umm, game. and you play it with, umm, other people? bob: cheezus, tom. don't you know what an mmo is? tom: not really, bob. sorry. bob: well, does anyone know what an mmo is? *silence* bob: has anyone worked for a company that's made an mmo? *silence* bob: no one? not even played one? tim: that's hardly the point, bob. we can make any game we want. just tell us what it is, and we'll make it. *general rumblings of agreement* bob: look. this is getting us nowhere. look it up on wiki later. for now, let's just agree chan can be lead designer, right? he's the most qualified. chan: uh, bob? i don't think that's what i'm qualifi- bob: chan, cut me some slack here, uh? you'll think of something. you're chinese. you're smarter than us. just go with it, okay? chan: if you say so, bob. can we make a game out of cut-scenes? that could be cool. bob: how the hell do i know? look, it's nearly lunch time. i'm going to need something a little more than this for the afternoon board meeting. has anyone got any ideas? tom: laser swords. bob: what the hell are you talking about? tom: they're cool. bob: tom, this is a star wars game. it means it's science fiction. it's not fantasy. it has guns, i'd imagine. not swords. this is not wow. so, please. sensible ideas. rachel: tom's right, bob. i dated this guy who liked star wars. i think he said there were laser swords in it. bob: rachel, why didn't you tell me you had experience with star wars? rachel: bob, i don't, honestly. i only know about the sword thing because every time this guy was in bed, he'd grab hold of himself and start yammering about something called the force. stupid thing to call it, really. bob: the force? tom? you know anything about that? tom: nope. i could look it up. john: are we sure they're talking about star wars? see, this sounds a lot like that mel brooks film. spaceballs. they had laser swords. and rachel's hearing ain't all that good. maybe she heard "the schwartz"? bob: maybe we should all watch the movie, right? john: spaceballs? bob: no, you football. star wars. *muttering of disapproval and a few half-hearted excuses* bob: now now! we're making an mmo of it, so let's just watch it. anything else for today? *silence* bob: great. i'm off to lunch, and then to the board meeting. in the meantime, tom, you get that lego thing started. i want to see everyone playing with lego by tomorrow afternoon. and chan? chan? are you listening? i want you to plan out this mmo thing by tomorrow. give me something i can put up on youtube. make me a movie for god's sake. chan: movies? awesome. i can do that. tim: i still don't understand what an mmo is. bob: wiki, tim, wiki. rachel? call your ex. find out what he knows about star wars. you're in charge of research. rachel: wait a minu- bob: i'll give you a pay rise. take it out of the budget. rachel: for going near that *unmentionable* again, i'll need a few million. bob: lucky we've got it, then. eric: this could be fun! *silence* eric: sorry. tom: i can't wait to play a wookiee. bob: there you go with that word again. what the hell? tom: wookiee? bob: if i hear that word again, tom, you're fired. john, write up these notes and have them on my desk by morning. john: i recorded it on my iphone. can't i just email the mp3 to you? bob: mp3s are illegal, aren't they? john: i don't think so. tim: i think they are. john: that's stupid. bob: just write it out, john. got a pen? john: a what? bob: *sigh* wiki it, john. wiki it.

subscription model vs. free-to-play

i think there's an interesting clash of views in this thread which is very topical at the moment. but, i'd like to point out that, for me, the idea of a sub vs ftp shouldn't be much of an issue. not these days. i think we must all be open-eyed enough to see the sub mode is a dying breed. ftp will be the norm - as, technically, it should be. for me, i think of a game as a game. subs came about more as a way of covering ongoing costs, but in many cases these overheads aren't as relevant these days. what game is released which doesn't have some form of mass multiplayer option? you look at 3dshooters. hard to find one forcing you to sub to play. the argument that mmos somehow deliver ongoing content which provides the sub value is mostly inaccurate as many mmos charging subs will still charge for any major content update by calling it an expansion anyway. certainly there's continual development, but in many cases you could argue it's counter-productive to the game itself. look at wow - the constant changing of skills and tinkering and tweaking. yet, can you say it has improved? that you've gotten your money's worth? really? any change is met by a wall of criticism and rage. and it STILL doesn't "fix" anything. it's just a step to another fix. sometimes it might be best to leave it, and tinker with the expansion. in some ways, i feel they do hot updates to keep the rage flowing so it looks like they're doing something with your money. personally, i've paid subs, and i'd pay them again. i don't hate them. but i don't see they provide inherent value to a game. it doesn't automatically make the game "good". it doesn't make it balanced. it certainly doesn't mean it will have more content updates. it doesn't mean you won't be paying for expansions. it doesn't even mean the game will be free of bugs. a sub is, for me, a way for companies to maintain a continual flow of cash after the game's initial release. whether this helps the game to thrive or die is something to argue about. personally, i think it's time for a new model. i would prefer to pay for content. at least then i'm choosing what i'm paying for, choosing where i'm going, and in many ways this would help make the game thrive. i feel a game company would work its fingers off designing things specifically for me to buy. rather than design me a single dungeon and yawning me off for a year until the next expansion, they might consider giving me one a month. i'd pay a few dollars. and if i don't like this "type" of dungeon, maybe they'd ask me what i'd like and work to improve their game rather than be lazy. or add in some pandas. i'd like to see a more fluid relationship between my money given to the developer (who i don't mind paying to keep in business) and the content that developer gives to me.

this week in the blizzard offices

(originally posted on www.lucasthorn.com)
“we’re going to need a video trailer. everyone does video trailers these days.”
“i agree, video trailers are cool. i love checking them out on youtube.”
“you what?”
“youtube. it’s a website where you can watch videos on. i love the hitler ones.”
“really? get dave onto that. see if we can have one, too. let’s call it blizztube. it’ll be remarkable and fresh. people can put up their videos up and watch them on it.”
“righto.”
“but don’t get any hitler ones. we’re a family friendly site.”
“i’ll get bob to write a disclaimer everyone can sign and get barry and his lawyers set to pounce. should we let cheryl at customer service know?”
“who?”
“cheryl. customer service?”
“we have a customer service?”
“i think so. let me check. hang on. oh, wow. no, we haven’t hired anyone since she left after diablo 1! maybe we should hire someone else?”
“we know any telemarketing companies in india?”
“we own three.”
“then let’s get one of them onto it.”
“one of the companies? any preference?”
“no no. not a company. just get some guy from their complaints department to check the emails every month or so. right. this video? who’ve we got who can make it?”
“well, doug’s pretty good with a camcorder.”
“no, we’re gonna need better than camcorder for this one. this isn’t the staff christmas party. let’s see if we can’t do something fancy. something which will just knock the socks off all those kids playing our games.”
“so, you want to do it properly?”
“yes. for once. we might as well. get max and eric onto it. they always do things right.”
“uh, they’re not with us anymore.”
“really? well, hire them again.”
“we can’t. they’re, uh, competing with us, actually.”
“competing? with what? mobile phone apps?”
“well, probably. but they’ve made a game. torchlight. some people think it’s better than diablo.”
“pfft. torchlight? sounds like a doctor who spinoff to me.”
“doctor who?”
“it’s a british thing, smithers. you wouldn’t understand. you’re not evil. yet.”
“my name’s not smithers, either.”
“well, go get it changed, then. look. if we can’t get max and eric, then get someone competent. who’s that guy who brings us coffee in the morning?”
“that’s lee. he’s the exchange kid from china.”
“sounds great. put him in charge. he knows a lot about coffee, so i bet he’d make a damn good movie.”
“we, uh, think he might also be stealing secrets for a chinese game company.”
“chinese what?”
“game company. they make games.”
“really? what are they like?”
“not bad. bit grindy.”
“sounds awesome. get someone to follow him round, see if we can’t get something from him to use in our next world of warcraft expansion. we need more grindy.”
“are you sure? bev in marketing says gamers these days are looking forward to guild wars 2 because it’s nothing at all like world of warcraft. apparenlty they’re saying grinding is so 2000s and that this is a whole new decade. they want something new.”
“hmm. pandas weren’t enough, eh?”
“it’ll help target the audience you wanted.”
“my nephew, yes. well. he’s only seven. and he loves pandas. we took him to the zoo the other day. he also loves penguins. can we get some more penguins into the game? maybe pop one in with the lich king?”
“if you want.”
“oh, i do, smithers. i really do. now. this kid, lee. get him onto the video. have you sorted out what’s going to be in it, yet?”
“uh, well, you only just brought it up…”
“i pay you to do my thinking for me, smithers, not to wait for me to tell you.”
“well, i guess we should make it kind of dark. diablo was dark. the fans loved that element to it.”
“and fiery! shove a fireball in it for me.”
“from the sky?”
“neat! see, you’re good at this, smithers. write it down. quickly! now, this game you mentioned. this guild wars thing. sounds awful. but you say people like that?”
“bev said so. she checked out the forums.”
“not this star wars thing?”
“well, that’s popular too, but that’s a different game. i don’t think it’s competing with us. i think it’s more trying to be like us. so, no challenge there. it’s the guild wars thing which isn’t looking very nice to our shareholders.”
“hmm. maybe we can do something to knock it down a peg or two. remind it who’s boss of this mmo factory. what’s it got? elves? dwarves? the usual bullshit?”
“mostly. though, i have to say the graphics look quite sweet. uh, i mean, they’re stylish.”
“stylish, you say? well, we could always use some style. i tell you what, smithers. you drop yourself down here into my chair and look up this blizztube thing and see what guild wars movies are out. then, we copy them a bit. only, we’ll do it more stylish, because we’re blizzard. right?”
“uh, i don’t know that it fits with diablo. i mean, guild wars is kind of painterly…”
“painterly, eh? i like that. painterly. nice word. i’m going to have to use that more often.”
“yes, see, it’s a whole different kind of artwork.”
“you’re saying it won’t go with what we do here at blizzard?”
“no. not really.”
“hmm. that’s not good, is it? how are we going to take them down a peg or two if they’re going to go on and be all original?”
“well. you know, maybe we could do it as a dream sequence?”
“dream what?”
“it’s a film technique. we can start the movie with a guild wars 2 style cinematic and then abruptly change to our own style as though it was all just a dream.”
“just a dream? like guild wars 2 is just dreaming if they think they can make a game half as good as warcraft 2?”
“exactly.”
“you know, smithers, i like you.”

why all the hate for star wars: the old republic?

(posted in response to the question: why is there so much hate toward star wars: the old republic?)

it’s not so much hate as contempt.

swtor is a game out of time. if it were released 5 years ago, it would be a mammoth. we’d all be drooling and probably all be very happy and forgiving of so much. these forums would be full of praise and worship.

unfortunately, the style of mmo that swtor represents has pretty much reached its use-by date. the greater majority of mmo gamers demand innovation to keep them interested. not just a change of scenery. swtor’s release is unfortunate because it is occuring at a time when there’s a few games out and coming out which have tried to innovate and look to promise big things on the very near horizon.

there’s probably nothing wrong with swtor as a traditional mmo. i’ve pre-ordered and will give it a whirl for a month or two. but the same reason many are trying swtor is the same reason many are claiming disappointment; wow is old. its gameplay is tired and no longer innovative. its most alluring features are its graphics, its simplicity, ease of movement, lack of bugs and its reputation as being pretty much a game you can mindlessly faceroll after being forced to think all day at work.

but the ever-growing demand for more customization, more dynamic content, more lateral levelling and character development, less raid-focus, more creative pvp options and a healthy blend of sandbox/themepark characteristics has driven most people away from either extreme.

swtor also had the bad luck of having its marketing campaign focus entirely on its “storyline” driven gameplay at a time when skyrim was released. this would, of course, cause a great deal of comparison with skyrim. and not many mmos can compete with that level of story and world immersion.

in a way, you could say they shot themselves in the knee before they even launched.