A question has been asked over at Massively regarding whether or not Darkfall will be important to the genre or not:
Darkfall boasts a sandbox-type freedom and the return of the once-hated ganking and player killing found in earlier MMOs. It boasts innovation (then again, who doesn’t) and a death penalty that makes you actually fearful of dying. These factors, and many more, are what drive the game’s loyal fanbase for over seven years.
This is a bit of a tough one for me and I’ve decided just to present the arguments I have with myself over this one. Part of the reasons why Vanguard got off to a very bad start was the fracturing of the community by Sigil stating that Vanguard would be the return to the hardcore MMO days of yore. They weren’t able to control what they meant by “hardcore” and that they weren’t able to rally the community around the idea. More comedy ensued and you all know the rest of the story.
One thought that the Vanguard scenario brings up is whether any game that is just for “hardcore players” is worth perusing without including some measure of casual game play elements. Sure…hardcore players form your base, but for the most part the casuals give you the momentum needed to grow your game. So, I’ll have to look at Darkfall more closely in order to figure out how these guys plan to reach that kind of momentum…if that is what they’re interested in. Players are interested in a growing game. Investors are interested in a growing game…but are the developers willing to deliver an experience that will facilitate that growth. Getting that growth may mean sacrificing some of those hardcore elements.
On the other hand, why shouldn’t a game like Darkfall be successful in its own little market? If expectations are realistic, then any innovation it brings to the table should be welcomed by players as well as other companies. Looking at the feature set for this game, I’ve got to admit…it’s appealing to the hunter/killer in me because they are clear in what I should expect. The problem is that most expectations are not realistic because every investor wants a WoW success. Expectations are not realistic because you have a whole generation of players who like….nay….love WoW and continually return to it despite all of the other great offerings out there. Can an MMO market (…that is mostly full of WoW players…) handle a game where the gloves come off? Can they handle a game where your uber loot can be stripped off of your pwned-ass? If the answer is no, then Darkfall may suffer the same fate that WAR is now enjoying, i.e. a promised experience that is not delivered because the main game play element…other players…is absent from the game.
D out.
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December 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Who wants to take bets this lasts only a tad longer than Shadowbane and Fury?
December 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I have no real sense from Darkfall whether it will be a quality game or not.
The FFA+corpse looting design will place a hard cap on the game’s popularity. Whether it reaches that cap or not will depend on the quality of the game. A high quality FFA game can reach its popularity cap and be a small, successful game. A low quality one will die quickly. And in the long run, these games are all destined to have low populations because the playerbase splits between predators and prey, and after a while the prey leave, and the game is left with only predators — which doesn’t bode well. EVE does well because the majority of the population can and does play in relatively secure space — Darkfall will be more similar to pre-Trammel UO, with no secure space, and hence I think the predator/prey issue will come up again in the game.
December 12th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
i real sandbox skill based system, how many of those do we have ? eve online and thats about. I think if it delivers and gets the attention it needs it will attract a good steady customer base