How to beat Atari/cryptic at thier own game

[fatherpirate]

Ok, I will say I really like DDO, needs work but overall, it is fun.

Now that Cryptic is done with their quick and dirty treatment of Star Trek, they are already
starting NWN MMO...not good, not that I think it will be successful in the long run but it could
hurt this game.

I don't want that, so here is some advice.

Cryptic will need at least a year to slop something together, and you need to stay in the Eberron set.
Ok, how to beat them even before they launch, fig out their 'hot button' items and do it better or sooner.

What Cryptic will pitch

Character creator
Graphics
PvP
music
and they will try and tie it to the success of NWN+NWN2

How to beat them to the punch?
1. Shift some developers in from your other projects.
2. Don't bother trying to out-do thier character creator...take too long, not worth it.
3. Graphics..Brighten up the colors a bit, spell FX a priority.
4. Your music is fine

PvP - ok, this will be the battle ground item...you don't have it, and they will...and they will harp on it.
take it away from them!

ok, I know this will cost some money and will require extra developers

Create a second city "within the Eberron canon" that is at odds with Stormreach.
about the same size...thier own factions ect..
introduce Evil Alignments "also, get half orcs, half elves, druids ect.. out and going...yesterday"
make this new city similar in content to stormreach...but much darker.

EDIT - almost forgot, add city recruiters to Korthos so prospective players can choose
which city to start at, once they choose...that is it, they can go there or Korthos only.

then, add adventures featuring this city vs city animosity, and lore.
add OPEN, level restricted open PvP areas for city vs city battles...include objectives that
can be held to the benefit of the holding side (similar to DAOC)
Have pvp battle fronts for lvl 10 and lower, 11-15th lvl, 16-20 lvl ect.

battle locations should reflect the lvl of the players...ie lvl 20s should be fighting in the planes.

also, add some of the little things as you have time, visible cloaks, familiars and such.

You have about a year or so to play with.

Move the DDO MMO in a direction that closes off any easy entrance into this market...because
to be honest..you can't aford to share it.

Cryptic games look good day one, but are thin in content and generally have poorly written
adventures...you don't have to beat them long term, beat them short term and they will fold.

Good luck, and please.......clean thier clocks.

[macros123]

The issue ov PvP has come up from time to time, and always the response to those threads has been a few people in favor of adding it, and a nearly overwhelming number of people uninterested in adding it to DDO.

The flavor of this game (in my opinion) is one of community and teamwork. I would personally not enjoy the antagonism that would arise from a PvP situation.

[fatherpirate]

The issue ov PvP has come up from time to time, and always the response to those threads has been a few people in favor of adding it, and a nearly overwhelming number of people uninterested in adding it to DDO.

The flavor of this game (in my opinion) is one of community and teamwork. I would personally not enjoy the antagonism that would arise from a PvP situation.

Yes, but when cryptic launches NWN MMO, do you really think they will...say..hey look, we have another
D+D mmo, we don't have a good community but try us anyways :-)

No, they will pipe a bunch of TV commercials in saying how much better THIER D+D game is and
how sad DDO is due to its total lack of...fill in the blanks with a list.

They will try and bury this game...and even though it's current player base is not too concerned
with opposed factions, PvP ect.. Cryptic will lable this game on TV as..incomplete...old...
not worth playing.

If they want to compete, they need to step it up or get stepped on.

[GreenDragonStalker]

Just a thought but the hole point of D&D is team work and group conquest.... well there is a simple way to keep that and do PvP

create a few raids that are exactly that team on team each team needs to achieve there own set of mission objectives IE defend the fort IE invade the fort and hold it for X amount of time... either side keeps control of the fort for X amount of time with out owner ship changing they win... ad extra optionals for both sides as well

this could be done with so many of the igzisting mini raid quests with minimal changes and would feed the need of the PVP and group combat lovers after a wile intro a hole dang full scale raid map where you get 20 30 people going for it..


My main hatred of PvP on line games is as soon as you start doing it you get script kiddies and there hack programs that need to cheat to feel better about them selves

[Hendrik]

DDO has nothing to fear.

Really, when was the last time Cryptic put something out that could harm anything?

Would be nice if Atari was kicked to the curb and joined forces with Cryptic. Match made in in the lower nine hells! Ohh, Atari/SOE partner with Cryptic! YES!

No wait, isn't that one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

[Symar-FangofLloth]

DDO has nothing to fear.

Really, when was the last time Cryptic put something out that could harm anything?

Exactly.
Champions Online came out, and as far as I know, City of Heroes is still chugging along strong, with an expansion pack slated for July.

[Zuldar]

PvP just doesn't really have a place in dnd, which is ironic considering its origins. It would be nearly impossible to balance combat short of using 4ed rules. The casters would have an incredible advantage, especially in an open world where they can run up invisibly and gank people.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

large scale PvP is about the worst thing they could do to this game. It would probably kill the game.

As for the spell effects... they look fine to me.

[Dutch01]

Ok, I will say I really like DDO, needs work but overall, it is fun.

<snip>


Good luck, and please.......clean thier clocks.

You are assuming ATARI is even going to be allowed to create anything based off of the D&D license. With the current lawsuit in play and IIRC the impending lawsuit going into play with Hasbro and ATARI all of that may be in jeopardy for ATARI.

[Aesop]

I'd say...


Get their acts together on Character Morphing and impliment Shifters and Druids and Polymorph like spells (sooner rather than later on this point)

Kick out a bunch of quests over the next year that are well written.

get the community involved through contests and the like. One could be an adventure design contest where players write adventure backgrounds and write ups.


Right before Cryptic releases their game... if that's anytime in the next 3 years... Release Psionics and three classes (not my favorite DnD thing but it would be new and interesting and people will flock to try it out)


Aesop

[vettkinn]

I like NWN and will definitely try NWN MMO once available.

But...

If it's not F2P, then DDO simply wins.




Comrade Vettkinn's 2 Rubles

[fatherpirate]

You are assuming ATARI is even going to be allowed to create anything based off of the D&D license. With the current lawsuit in play and IIRC the impending lawsuit going into play with Hasbro and ATARI all of that may be in jeopardy for ATARI.

So very very true...I HOPE they lose that law suit and are barred from making it.
cryptic butchers just about every ip they touch.

[steeldocparker]

Ok, I will say I really like DDO, needs work but overall, it is fun.

Now that Cryptic is done with their quick and dirty treatment of Star Trek, they are already
starting NWN MMO...not good, not that I think it will be successful in the long run but it could
hurt this game.

I don't want that, so here is some advice.

Cryptic will need at least a year to slop something together, and you need to stay in the Eberron set.
Ok, how to beat them even before they launch, fig out their 'hot button' items and do it better or sooner.

What Cryptic will pitch

Character creator
Graphics
PvP
music
and they will try and tie it to the success of NWN+NWN2

How to beat them to the punch?
1. Shift some developers in from your other projects.
2. Don't bother trying to out-do thier character creator...take too long, not worth it.
3. Graphics..Brighten up the colors a bit, spell FX a priority.
4. Your music is fine

PvP - ok, this will be the battle ground item...you don't have it, and they will...and they will harp on it.
take it away from them!

ok, I know this will cost some money and will require extra developers

Create a second city "within the Eberron canon" that is at odds with Stormreach.
about the same size...thier own factions ect..
introduce Evil Alignments "also, get half orcs, half elves, druids ect.. out and going...yesterday"
make this new city similar in content to stormreach...but much darker.

EDIT - almost forgot, add city recruiters to Korthos so prospective players can choose
which city to start at, once they choose...that is it, they can go there or Korthos only.

then, add adventures featuring this city vs city animosity, and lore.
add OPEN, level restricted open PvP areas for city vs city battles...include objectives that
can be held to the benefit of the holding side (similar to DAOC)
Have pvp battle fronts for lvl 10 and lower, 11-15th lvl, 16-20 lvl ect.

battle locations should reflect the lvl of the players...ie lvl 20s should be fighting in the planes.

also, add some of the little things as you have time, visible cloaks, familiars and such.

You have about a year or so to play with.

Move the DDO MMO in a direction that closes off any easy entrance into this market...because
to be honest..you can't aford to share it.

Cryptic games look good day one, but are thin in content and generally have poorly written
adventures...you don't have to beat them long term, beat them short term and they will fold.

Good luck, and please.......clean thier clocks.

lmao yeah rite!! thy do something customers would enjoy . huh ill take a seat and watch. all they want is money and will put ppl through the chinese mind torture till thy get it any game tht doesnt have a direct link to the ppl who play it is lost in the long run ppl get burnt out at the **** to go through for the simpliest things .eww we wanna make money just not customer loyalty. thts the asian way

[SeqenenreTao]

lmao yeah rite!! thy do something customers would enjoy . huh ill take a seat and watch. all they want is money and will put ppl through the chinese mind torture till thy get it any game tht doesnt have a direct link to the ppl who play it is lost in the long run ppl get burnt out at the **** to go through for the simpliest things .eww we wanna make money just not customer loyalty. thts the asian way

Huh? What? English?

-SEQ.

P.S. Say what?