Really I'd like ot see any of those 5 redone, but would these companies stick to the way they were originally made or would we see a WoW version of all of them??...Someone mentioned that AO was being redone (graphically) already...Well I logged in today and that game is a ghost town.....By the time they get that done (if ever) people will most likely have moved on..... Games like EQ, on the other hand, I'd rather see redone with todays graphics rather than them making EQ next.....
I for one would pay the usual AAA prices for re-skinned versions of 1-3 and I fully believe there are probably millions of people that would do likewise.
Although there have been some successes in updating graphics engines, it can also spectacularly flop. UO attempted two reskins (3 if you want to call Kingdom Reborn and Stygian Abyss seperate attempts) which failed to convert the majority of the player base. Graphics are important when looking at a game with fresh eyes, but once you've played a game for a while, reskins are jarring and you notice the performance degredation more than you notice the new-and-pretty.
EQ did upgrade their graphics, they even added a whole new 1-70 expansion.
How many went back to play it.....no one.
EQ is still one of the most popular MMOs out there.
You have a rather loose definition of most popular. If one were to include all MMO including F2P, I doubt EQ would even make make top 100. If anything I'm shocked the game hasn't closed it's doors at this point, the population was abysmal before I left, I imagine it's a massive wasteland at this point in time.
EQ will always have a small group of dedicated raiders, they will only leave the game when it closes or when they are dragged from their chair by a SWAT team, I wouldn't associate that with a healthy game though. EQ died long ago.
EQ did upgrade their graphics, they even added a whole new 1-70 expansion.
How many went back to play it.....no one.
EQ is still one of the most popular MMOs out there.
You have a rather loose definition of most popular. If one were to include all MMO including F2P, I doubt EQ would even make make top 100. If anything I'm shocked the game hasn't closed it's doors at this point, the population was abysmal before I left, I imagine it's a massive wasteland at this point in time.
EQ will always have a small group of dedicated raiders, they will only leave the game when it closes or when they are dragged from their chair by a SWAT team, I wouldn't associate that with a healthy game though. EQ died long ago.
It gets an expansion every year and has recently opened two more servers because they had too much population to fill one.
You know what AAA MMORPG has opened a new server in the last 7 years?
EQ did upgrade their graphics, they even added a whole new 1-70 expansion.
How many went back to play it.....no one.
EQ is still one of the most popular MMOs out there.
You have a rather loose definition of most popular. If one were to include all MMO including F2P, I doubt EQ would even make make top 100. If anything I'm shocked the game hasn't closed it's doors at this point, the population was abysmal before I left, I imagine it's a massive wasteland at this point in time.
EQ will always have a small group of dedicated raiders, they will only leave the game when it closes or when they are dragged from their chair by a SWAT team, I wouldn't associate that with a healthy game though. EQ died long ago.
It gets an expansion every year and has recently opened two more servers because they had too much population to fill one.
You know what AAA MMORPG has opened a new server in the last 7 years?
None.
They were classic servers, they always get a certain amount of players luring them back, they're gone as fast as they came back. Expansions, yes, if you want to call them that.
My objection to you was the idea that EQ is popular, EQ is not popular by any standards right now, regardless of the "expansions" or classic servers they open and close every now and then.
We're drifting off-topic, my initial argument was that EQ has been reskinned and updated many times, but it fails to attract new or returning players in substantial amounts. Reskinning an old game is not a guarantee for success.
EQ did upgrade their graphics, they even added a whole new 1-70 expansion.
How many went back to play it.....no one.
EQ is still one of the most popular MMOs out there.
You have a rather loose definition of most popular. If one were to include all MMO including F2P, I doubt EQ would even make make top 100. If anything I'm shocked the game hasn't closed it's doors at this point, the population was abysmal before I left, I imagine it's a massive wasteland at this point in time.
EQ will always have a small group of dedicated raiders, they will only leave the game when it closes or when they are dragged from their chair by a SWAT team, I wouldn't associate that with a healthy game though. EQ died long ago.
It gets an expansion every year and has recently opened two more servers because they had too much population to fill one.
You know what AAA MMORPG has opened a new server in the last 7 years?
None.
They were classic servers, they always get a certain amount of players luring them back, they're gone as fast as they came back. Expansions, yes, if you want to call them that.
My objection to you was the idea that EQ is popular, EQ is not popular by any standards right now, regardless of the "expansions" or classic servers they open and close every now and then.
We're drifting off-topic, my initial argument was that EQ has been reskinned and updated many times, but it fails to attract new or returning players in substantial amounts. Reskinning an old game is not a guarantee for success.
That's because they aren't reskinning old games. They're not relaunching them. They're just updating graphics.
The GAME they're reskinning isn't the EQ many loved.
If they made a true reskin of the ORIGINAL EQ, people would flock to it just like they flock to the classic servers.
Originally posted by Purutzil Because, if that happened, even if they were brand new today they would fail. None of the classics would do any good today, heck, I'd bet a lot of them would be considered failures no matter how much we loved them.
And yet people are still playing them 13 years later.
But not many of the original players, who love them so very much.
Why not?
The answer given is usually "graphics"...but "been there, done that" is a more honest one.
A "reskin of the original EQ" as proposed above, would be "improved" with many, many WoW-like qualities. Further in the same direction it's already changed/evolved from the original...already "it's just not the same". Futher evolution would of course result only in futher complaints, as it departed more and more from nostalgia.
We can't forget that EQ2 is, already, an "evolution of the original game". Yet, one that many of the original players already rejected, years ago. Doesn't speak well for success of reskins, does it?
Will EQNext win them back with a magic bullet?
Who's giving odds, because I'll take those bets.
"Classic servers" give a proper nod to nostalgia, but not to players that are now a decade or more older. A decade devoted to learning ceaseless complaining, if this site is any indication.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Originally posted by Purutzil Because, if that happened, even if they were brand new today they would fail. None of the classics would do any good today, heck, I'd bet a lot of them would be considered failures no matter how much we loved them.
And yet people are still playing them 13 years later.
But not many of the original players, who love them so very much.
Why not?
The answer given is usually "graphics"...but "been there, done that" is a more honest one.
Uhh... no. The answer is almost always, universally "the game isn't the same game I used to love."
I've been in many of the threads that discuss this. As have you. I've seen people point this out to you, yet you ignore it.
The reason I am not playing DAoC right now is because they screwed it up in 2004 and have made it worse and worse with each passing year.
There's a reason people didn't play SWG after the NGE, or UO after Trammel, or EQ after their 5th expansion.
The games we like aren't there anymore.
And how the hell does EQ2 being rejected by its fans not speak well for reskins? EQ2 wasn't a reskin, that's why people rejected it. It was drastically different in every way but name.
And how the hell does EQ2 being rejected by its fans not speak well for reskins? EQ2 wasn't a reskin, that's why people rejected it. It was drastically different in every way but name.
And any other update, of course, will meet with the same response.
What, exactly, are we asking for? EQ1 classic original server, original patch 1 bugs restored? EQ1 updated, with changes you will reject?
If anything, SOE repeatedly provides the answer to the OP's original question.
Why not? Because it doesn't work.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Like some have already said, it wouldn't work. Mainly because these games do not exist in a vacuum. They are affected by their times and made for the players of their time. We are not the same people anymore and the market is far from what it was.
Many of the old MMOs were popular simply because players had very little options
Stopped reading right there. There were a TON of MMOs "back in the day". And you know how right now we have ONE top dog MMO and like, 2-3 almost successful MMOs?
Back then we had about 4-5 top dog MMOs, and about 6 moderately successful titles, all providing VASTLY different experiences from one another. There was something for everyone. Each demographic had their own AAA title they could play in.
Now, the only AAA title there is, is the WoW clone. Anyone else wants anything, they're out of luck.
So no, don't fall back on the "durr burbdeederp rose colored glasses those games weren't actually good we just had no standards" argument, because it is 100% bs.
No you had standards. Just now you have higher standards. Do you honestly think the market today would accept the huge grind, massive timesinks, vast array of bugs and abysmal game balance?
You are looking this from your own rose-tinted point of view. People have brought up the glasses many times for a good reason.
Going back is not going forward.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been-Wayne Gretzky
I never got to play the original AC and UO.. as I spent all my time in EQ.. If you reskinned those games to updated technology and tweaked just a little of the things I would play them in a heartbeat.. Even yesterday playing GW2 in the snow country, I was thinking to myself.. "now this I can see being Everfrost zone in EQ".. or other similar zones.. If SOE truely wanted to release an EQ Next, all they would have to do is look at what GW2 did with their zones, keep dynamic events, absolutely NO linear quest lines, keep most of the original lore of EQ1 and you have a seller.. EQ Next could be a great B2P game..
We have a player base that looks for differant thinks in a MMO now and only expects to play them for a couple of months before moving on. AAA MMO's have not failed in conception or implementation, but the market now treats all MMO's like solo games, you play them for a couple of months then in the bin.
With the failure (relative to their expectations) of several recent AAA titles where companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into brand new and untested products, when will someone finally have the gumption to try re-skinning and re-leasing one of the first generation of MMO classics?
1. Asherons Call
2. EQ
3. DAOC
4. UO
5. AO
6. Others
Quite simple. Because they are shit. Ok.. maybe a little bit hard. But point is, they are not up to date, and not only in the appartment from graphics, animation or tech in general, but also gameplay wise.
Look. I am a huge UO fan, and a UO2 done right would be superior. BUT, if you would just reskin UO it will be a guarantee failure.
You really would need to make a real successor. With other words bring the game technically up to date. (in the case of UO every feature in 3D, current graphic standard, animation), cut off some not so good features(but be carefully with that), expand the features and possibilities, and add a new story.
After all, it would be a new game, just with the basic idea of the classic game.
And now look what i will do.
GW2 is basicly DAoC in new modern clothes. (And ESO will be most probalby also some kind of DAoC successor)
Archeage tries to bring a lot(not all) featues/ideas from UO.
And so on.
So it will be done already to some extent, and it will not help to only reskin old games. New times, new kind of players, no expectations.. you just cant compare it anymore.
To the point that this has been done before (EQ).. it hasnt. Asherons Call and DAoC have also had graphic updates.
But "Updating" graphics in a 14 year old hard-coded engine isn't what I envision as re-skinning.
Its a spa facial-peel compared to the Six Million Dollar Man: We can rebuild him. We have the technology.
- By re-skinning, I'm talking about taking EQ or Asherons Call or DAOC and giving them AoC quality graphics (just as an example).
- By re-booting, well, thats more complicated. Basically, I'm thinking you can put together a Dev team that can in hindsight, decide what made that game great and make the decisions necessary about what to implement or not. If they focus on keeping true to the original intent of the game and unburdened by trying to be the next wow-killer (or be Wow) I think a good Dev team can pull this off.
I think the re-skin / re-boot idea can be financially viable (and as I've pointed out, its not even been tried whereas billions have been lost on new AAA failures).
Yes, there would be a market for an Old School re-skin / re-boot of one of the classic MMOs.
We need to start thinking of MMO's as we do music or literature or the movies. There is not one MMO or one game that will be universally satisfactory to everyone's taste. MMO's don't come in one genre just as books or music doesn't come in one genre. Change and innovation is a good thing in the MMO industry just as it is in literature and music, but every MMO doesn't need to push the envelope or be cutting edge to be "good" or fun. It just needs to be good. The same is true for music. The same is true for books or for movies. Music evolves. MMO's evolve. Storytelling evolves. And in doing so, it doesn't make obsolete or not enjoyable everything that's been done before.
And yet when it comes to entertainment, style and fashion and dare I say it, gaming, yes it can be.
I loved John Wayne as a kid. I have seen the old True Grit three or four times. I knew the story. I knew the characters and I knew how it was going to end, and yet, I'm damn happy the Coen brothers did a remake of a John Wayne classic.
I'm guessing there were people in Hollywood that said exactly what you are saying when someone first suggested "re-booting" Batman or Superman.
And yet.. it worked.
We need to start thinking of MMO's as we do music or literature or the movies. There is not one MMO or one game that will be universally satisfactory to everyone's taste. MMO's don't come in one genre just as books or music doesn't come in one genre. Change and innovation is a good thing in the MMO industry just as it is in literature and music, but every MMO doesn't need to push the envelope or be cutting edge to be "good" or fun. It just needs to be good. The same is true for music. The same is true for books or for movies. Music evolves. MMO's evolve. Storytelling evolves. And in doing so, it doesn't make obsolete or not enjoyable everything that's been done before.
Well OP, in some senses that seems to be exactly what SOE is trying to do with EQ Next. Though they are adding some innovations like facial expression modeling. It hadn't occured to me to think of it that way until now though.
The way the zones work would make it extremely easy to contain and focus on specific content. Hell not only could a dedicated development team spit out a complete reskin loyal to the original EQ mechanics but I'm betting a mod community could do the same with a myriad of modern engines.
The only things that would need to be added that were not at launch would be the bug fixes, UI fixes, some (!!!!) loot drops/experience levels/etc, and other stuff that restricts gameplay. They could even have different servers like the regular/progression/PvP/RP/classic** ones with EQ1.
I'm betting a game like this would have a fairly small but loyal following to start, and quietly grow over time, similar to Eve. Theres an entire generation of WoW kids who have only heard of EQ, so all of this would be completely new content for them.
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
To the point that this has been done before (EQ).. it hasnt. Asherons Call and DAoC have also had graphic updates.
But "Updating" graphics in a 14 year old hard-coded engine isn't what I envision as re-skinning.
Its a spa facial-peel compared to the Six Million Dollar Man: We can rebuild him. We have the technology.
- By re-skinning, I'm talking about taking EQ or Asherons Call or DAOC and giving them AoC quality graphics (just as an example).
- By re-booting, well, thats more complicated. Basically, I'm thinking you can put together a Dev team that can in hindsight, decide what made that game great and make the decisions necessary about what to implement or not. If they focus on keeping true to the original intent of the game and unburdened by trying to be the next wow-killer (or be Wow) I think a good Dev team can pull this off.
I think the re-skin / re-boot idea can be financially viable (and as I've pointed out, its not even been tried whereas billions have been lost on new AAA failures).
Yes, there would be a market for an Old School re-skin / re-boot of one of the classic MMOs.
City of Heroes redid the graphics, doesn't that count?
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
And how the hell does EQ2 being rejected by its fans not speak well for reskins? EQ2 wasn't a reskin, that's why people rejected it. It was drastically different in every way but name.
And any other update, of course, will meet with the same response.
Unless you just reskin the classic version of the game... which is what this thread is about. Do you even read thread titles?
Originally posted by Quirhid
Originally posted by Tibernicus
Originally posted by Quirhid
Like some have already said, it wouldn't work. Mainly because these games do not exist in a vacuum. They are affected by their times and made for the players of their time. We are not the same people anymore and the market is far from what it was.
Many of the old MMOs were popular simply because players had very little options
Stopped reading right there. There were a TON of MMOs "back in the day". And you know how right now we have ONE top dog MMO and like, 2-3 almost successful MMOs?
Back then we had about 4-5 top dog MMOs, and about 6 moderately successful titles, all providing VASTLY different experiences from one another. There was something for everyone. Each demographic had their own AAA title they could play in.
Now, the only AAA title there is, is the WoW clone. Anyone else wants anything, they're out of luck.
So no, don't fall back on the "durr burbdeederp rose colored glasses those games weren't actually good we just had no standards" argument, because it is 100% bs.
No you had standards. Just now you have higher standards. Do you honestly think the market today would accept the huge grind, massive timesinks, vast array of bugs and abysmal game balance?
Going back is not going forward.
In this case it would be. We've had 7 years of WoW clone, which are far FAR more poorly designed than MMOs of the past. WoW copied EQ's design, which was broken. Games like DAoC and AC improved on EQ's design and removed these flaws. Then WoW came out, ignored those fixes, and just copied old EQ, so it has all the same old flaws. So yes, in this case, going back to reskin something like UO or DAoC WOULD be going forward, because for the last 7 years we've been going nowhere.
As for my standards, they are not higher. Quests are a bigger, more widespread, and more boring timesink than anything I experienced in classic MMOs. None of the MMOs I played were unbanaced, whether it be balance between spheres of play (DAoC had the BEST balance between PvE, PvP, and crafting out of any MMO I've ever played in 13 years) or between classes. And vast array of bugs? The ONLY bug I can remember from DAoC was a tent that, if you stepped on it and squirmed in JUST the right way, made you go back to your bind stone. And it was fixed 8 years ago.
So no, the "rose colored glasses" argument only ever comes up when people run out of ammunition for debate and just have to go "durrr you're remembering wrong dur".
With the failure (relative to their expectations) of several recent AAA titles where companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into brand new and untested products, when will someone finally have the gumption to try re-skinning and re-leasing one of the first generation of MMO classics?
1. Asherons Call
2. EQ
3. DAOC
4. UO
5. AO
6. Others
Quite simple. Because they are shit. Wrong. We've seen that classic servers are massively popular. There's plenty of vets around waiting for classic servers for their favorite games from SWG to UO. They don't need to be updated, and those old games are far superior to any MMO since.
GW2 is basicly DAoC in new modern clothes. It's not, its RvR isn't nearly as good, there's more instancing and teleportation than DAoC ever had, and the raiding isn't as good.(And ESO will be most probalby also some kind of DAoC successor) It won't be, because ESO focuses on linear instances and phasing, which DAoC didn't have.
Originally posted by Scot We have a player base that looks for differant thinks in a MMO now and only expects to play them for a couple of months before moving on. AAA MMO's have not failed in conception or implementation, but the market now treats all MMO's like solo games, you play them for a couple of months then in the bin.
That's because AAA MMOs these days are designed as solo games with linear instanced content... there's a reason people burn through them, its because there's nothing else to do in the game. So yes, AAA MMOs have failed by attracted that community, not the community itself.
Originally posted by Tibernicus That's because AAA MMOs these days are designed as solo games with linear instanced content... there's a reason people burn through them, its because there's nothing else to do in the game. So yes, AAA MMOs have failed by attracted that community, not the community itself.
I disagree - they aren't designed to be solo, that's just a side effect. I believe the root of your problem is that they are being designed as stories rather than worlds and because of that, anything that inhibits progress in flipping through the pages of the story gets worn down.
I personally think it's a horrible idea when it comes to MMOs. Those old MMOs had designs that most people don't want anymore. The genre is still young and evolbing.
I would love to see plenty of non MMOs remade with new graphics and engines though, such as D2, FF7 and HL.
Comments
Although there have been some successes in updating graphics engines, it can also spectacularly flop. UO attempted two reskins (3 if you want to call Kingdom Reborn and Stygian Abyss seperate attempts) which failed to convert the majority of the player base. Graphics are important when looking at a game with fresh eyes, but once you've played a game for a while, reskins are jarring and you notice the performance degredation more than you notice the new-and-pretty.
EQ is still one of the most popular MMOs out there.
And upgrading the graphics doesn't change the reason most left in the first place.
TESO is not DAoC 2. DAoC didn't have phasing and instancing.
You have a rather loose definition of most popular. If one were to include all MMO including F2P, I doubt EQ would even make make top 100. If anything I'm shocked the game hasn't closed it's doors at this point, the population was abysmal before I left, I imagine it's a massive wasteland at this point in time.
EQ will always have a small group of dedicated raiders, they will only leave the game when it closes or when they are dragged from their chair by a SWAT team, I wouldn't associate that with a healthy game though. EQ died long ago.
It gets an expansion every year and has recently opened two more servers because they had too much population to fill one.
You know what AAA MMORPG has opened a new server in the last 7 years?
None.
They were classic servers, they always get a certain amount of players luring them back, they're gone as fast as they came back. Expansions, yes, if you want to call them that.
My objection to you was the idea that EQ is popular, EQ is not popular by any standards right now, regardless of the "expansions" or classic servers they open and close every now and then.
We're drifting off-topic, my initial argument was that EQ has been reskinned and updated many times, but it fails to attract new or returning players in substantial amounts. Reskinning an old game is not a guarantee for success.
That's because they aren't reskinning old games. They're not relaunching them. They're just updating graphics.
The GAME they're reskinning isn't the EQ many loved.
If they made a true reskin of the ORIGINAL EQ, people would flock to it just like they flock to the classic servers.
But not many of the original players, who love them so very much.
Why not?
The answer given is usually "graphics"...but "been there, done that" is a more honest one.
A "reskin of the original EQ" as proposed above, would be "improved" with many, many WoW-like qualities. Further in the same direction it's already changed/evolved from the original...already "it's just not the same". Futher evolution would of course result only in futher complaints, as it departed more and more from nostalgia.
We can't forget that EQ2 is, already, an "evolution of the original game". Yet, one that many of the original players already rejected, years ago. Doesn't speak well for success of reskins, does it?
Will EQNext win them back with a magic bullet?
Who's giving odds, because I'll take those bets.
"Classic servers" give a proper nod to nostalgia, but not to players that are now a decade or more older. A decade devoted to learning ceaseless complaining, if this site is any indication.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Uhh... no. The answer is almost always, universally "the game isn't the same game I used to love."
I've been in many of the threads that discuss this. As have you. I've seen people point this out to you, yet you ignore it.
The reason I am not playing DAoC right now is because they screwed it up in 2004 and have made it worse and worse with each passing year.
There's a reason people didn't play SWG after the NGE, or UO after Trammel, or EQ after their 5th expansion.
The games we like aren't there anymore.
And how the hell does EQ2 being rejected by its fans not speak well for reskins? EQ2 wasn't a reskin, that's why people rejected it. It was drastically different in every way but name.
And any other update, of course, will meet with the same response.
What, exactly, are we asking for? EQ1 classic original server, original patch 1 bugs restored? EQ1 updated, with changes you will reject?
If anything, SOE repeatedly provides the answer to the OP's original question.
Why not? Because it doesn't work.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
No you had standards. Just now you have higher standards. Do you honestly think the market today would accept the huge grind, massive timesinks, vast array of bugs and abysmal game balance?
You are looking this from your own rose-tinted point of view. People have brought up the glasses many times for a good reason.
Going back is not going forward.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
Quite simple. Because they are shit. Ok.. maybe a little bit hard. But point is, they are not up to date, and not only in the appartment from graphics, animation or tech in general, but also gameplay wise.
Look. I am a huge UO fan, and a UO2 done right would be superior. BUT, if you would just reskin UO it will be a guarantee failure.
You really would need to make a real successor. With other words bring the game technically up to date. (in the case of UO every feature in 3D, current graphic standard, animation), cut off some not so good features(but be carefully with that), expand the features and possibilities, and add a new story.
After all, it would be a new game, just with the basic idea of the classic game.
And now look what i will do.
GW2 is basicly DAoC in new modern clothes. (And ESO will be most probalby also some kind of DAoC successor)
Archeage tries to bring a lot(not all) featues/ideas from UO.
And so on.
So it will be done already to some extent, and it will not help to only reskin old games. New times, new kind of players, no expectations.. you just cant compare it anymore.
I would love to play a modernize Shadowbane or Vanguard or SWG
I would rather encouter countless bugs than running on the treadmill in a world completely controlled by the Developer.
To the point that this has been done before (EQ).. it hasnt. Asherons Call and DAoC have also had graphic updates.
But "Updating" graphics in a 14 year old hard-coded engine isn't what I envision as re-skinning.
Its a spa facial-peel compared to the Six Million Dollar Man: We can rebuild him. We have the technology.
- By re-skinning, I'm talking about taking EQ or Asherons Call or DAOC and giving them AoC quality graphics (just as an example).
- By re-booting, well, thats more complicated. Basically, I'm thinking you can put together a Dev team that can in hindsight, decide what made that game great and make the decisions necessary about what to implement or not. If they focus on keeping true to the original intent of the game and unburdened by trying to be the next wow-killer (or be Wow) I think a good Dev team can pull this off.
I think the re-skin / re-boot idea can be financially viable (and as I've pointed out, its not even been tried whereas billions have been lost on new AAA failures).
Yes, there would be a market for an Old School re-skin / re-boot of one of the classic MMOs.
And yet when it comes to entertainment, style and fashion and dare I say it, gaming, yes it can be.
I loved John Wayne as a kid. I have seen the old True Grit three or four times. I knew the story. I knew the characters and I knew how it was going to end, and yet, I'm damn happy the Coen brothers did a remake of a John Wayne classic.
I'm guessing there were people in Hollywood that said exactly what you are saying when someone first suggested "re-booting" Batman or Superman.
And yet.. it worked.
EQ is absolutely begging for a reboot.
The way the zones work would make it extremely easy to contain and focus on specific content. Hell not only could a dedicated development team spit out a complete reskin loyal to the original EQ mechanics but I'm betting a mod community could do the same with a myriad of modern engines.
The only things that would need to be added that were not at launch would be the bug fixes, UI fixes, some (!!!!) loot drops/experience levels/etc, and other stuff that restricts gameplay. They could even have different servers like the regular/progression/PvP/RP/classic** ones with EQ1.
I'm betting a game like this would have a fairly small but loyal following to start, and quietly grow over time, similar to Eve. Theres an entire generation of WoW kids who have only heard of EQ, so all of this would be completely new content for them.
The above is my personal opinion. Anyone displaying a view contrary to my opinion is obviously WRONG and should STHU. (neener neener)
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City of Heroes redid the graphics, doesn't that count?
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Unless you just reskin the classic version of the game... which is what this thread is about. Do you even read thread titles?
In this case it would be. We've had 7 years of WoW clone, which are far FAR more poorly designed than MMOs of the past. WoW copied EQ's design, which was broken. Games like DAoC and AC improved on EQ's design and removed these flaws. Then WoW came out, ignored those fixes, and just copied old EQ, so it has all the same old flaws. So yes, in this case, going back to reskin something like UO or DAoC WOULD be going forward, because for the last 7 years we've been going nowhere.
As for my standards, they are not higher. Quests are a bigger, more widespread, and more boring timesink than anything I experienced in classic MMOs. None of the MMOs I played were unbanaced, whether it be balance between spheres of play (DAoC had the BEST balance between PvE, PvP, and crafting out of any MMO I've ever played in 13 years) or between classes. And vast array of bugs? The ONLY bug I can remember from DAoC was a tent that, if you stepped on it and squirmed in JUST the right way, made you go back to your bind stone. And it was fixed 8 years ago.
So no, the "rose colored glasses" argument only ever comes up when people run out of ammunition for debate and just have to go "durrr you're remembering wrong dur".
I disagree - they aren't designed to be solo, that's just a side effect. I believe the root of your problem is that they are being designed as stories rather than worlds and because of that, anything that inhibits progress in flipping through the pages of the story gets worn down.
I personally think it's a horrible idea when it comes to MMOs. Those old MMOs had designs that most people don't want anymore. The genre is still young and evolbing.
I would love to see plenty of non MMOs remade with new graphics and engines though, such as D2, FF7 and HL.