I remember looking forward to what Vanguard would do back in 2006/2007. I was an EQ1 player back then. My computer wasn't up to the job of running Vanguard, but I watched the forums and the news like a hawk. It was sad to watch how Brad and Sigil failed and how the whole thing was bought by SOE. Over the months I could see that the game was bleeding players. Forums were filled with post about bugs and hitching and similar things.
The thing about Vanguard that I liked was the idea that it appealed to a core gamer. It was a tough world. You could build a house and sail a boat. Something like UO 2 might have been. That's what I wanted. But over the years I could see how that vision was simply out of reach. First of all, they couldn't afford it. Secondly, SOE has a habit of making all of its games the same. Lastly, while SOE is good at keeping a game from dying, they're not good at making it great. They don't handle mudflation well. They will jump ship from one thing to another. They're shifty. They're like shape shifters. At heart, they're businessmen and it shows in their games.
I hate the modern idea about getting to max level. I think it's like a plague that has infected the industry and its players. We need to go back to the idea of the journey being important, not the destination.
I play Wurm Online. It's as close to what I want as I can find. HOwever, it's missing some things, but it's damn good. HOwever, it's not a game that's easily picked up and played. For a game like this to work in the mainstream, it'll be streamlined and the whole works. Unfortunately, that's what kills it for me. I don't want streamlining, I want depth. I want so much goddamn depth that I can't grasp it. No more golden paths. I want the mystery of not having the answers and not having the direction laid out for me beforehand. I don't want no rails or protection. Let me make mistakes and suffer terrible deaths. Get out of my way. So many games are sissified. I don't know how else to describe it. They're too afraid to let you suffer your mistakes.
|