Not that I am saying it can't be done successfully or shouldn't be but...
MMOs rely on social ties much more so than any other genre of game. Chat through typing, oddly enough, seem to be the preferred method of communication. At least in traditional MMOs, as voice chat still seems to less preferred from the statistics I've seen (which may be out of date).
It would be interesting to see statistics on the uptake of voice chat for console players.
It's not really "oddly." As much as voice chat is great for small pickup groups, or could reflect a bit of local communication, MMO's revel in zone-wide communication, and the activity of potentially hundreds of people in a guild. Voice chat would have to be amazingly robust to handle that well, and...! It just falls down to complete chaos if you have that many people trying to converse at once. Hence text-chat is the mainstay, and friends/guildmates keep a Vent server or the like off to the side for their own purposes.
Not to mention voice chat "forces" the role you may want to play, which is important to many in MMO's, even if they're not crossing genders, but simply not wanting everyone to know that they're a 16-year-old kid playing an surly, old dwarf. In FPS'es and other games this is ignorable, but in MMORPG's you have much more attachment to your character. So far no game to my knowledge even tries voice manipulation... only the eventually-to-be-released D&D Insider tools (not D&D Online, but the online tools for the 4th Edition pencil and paper game) seems to be taking a serious step in this direction for the roleplay value, and/or general voice masking.
Voice is a limitation to be worked around and figured out in most MMO's, whereas in other games it's an easy added enhancement.
Need 2 Know
Regular
No cross-platform play for The Agency
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=215078
bit disappointing as i was looking forward to playing against my mates who own a PC
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=215078
bit disappointing as i was looking forward to playing against my mates who own a PC
Need 2 Know
Regular
Interview: SOE Talks Building Out The Agency Onto Facebook
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...lks_Building_Out_The_Agency_Onto_Facebook.php
This is what I wanted PS Home to do, extend PSN experiences to Internet properties.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...lks_Building_Out_The_Agency_Onto_Facebook.php
This is what I wanted PS Home to do, extend PSN experiences to Internet properties.
E3 Trailer for the MMO:
http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/8484...deos/e32010_theagency_trl_061110.html?show=hi
http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/8484...deos/e32010_theagency_trl_061110.html?show=hi
Hmm, that look surprisingly good, I expected less for an MMO. The biggest downside that I see is that it looks too much like any other shooter (though with some nice, almost Uncharted like colors)
I reminded me of Uncharted. The likeness to other shooters shouldn't be a problem if they deliver on the previous described designs. I'm not into shooters for shootings sake, and wouldn't buy another shooter. But the idea of 3 player coop with RPG-like characters and skill progression is appealing. Like Borderlands, only much, much moreso, as Borderlands is really just running around shooting things. This looks like it has roles, with someone needing to hack computers with their skills, while other players have other jobs.
Fingers are crossed...
Fingers are crossed...
AFAIK the specifics haven't been nailed down yet, but I believe, maybe wrongly, that it's intended to be free-to-play, pay-for-perks. As it's not player-vs-player but more Guild Wars-y (is it really an MMO?), that's a workable system. Basically lots of DLC to monetise the ongoing experience. I dare say even if that is the plan, it could all change. I guess Free Realms is giving them a good idea of how much money can or can't be made from free-to-play titles.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
A LOT of money can be made. I hadn't realized just how much until I started playing PWI (Perfect World International).
There are players in there that spend 200-500 USD in a month. Especially when they have an in game boutique (the cash store) sale which they do on certain items every couple weeks.
Just as an example there are 2 pets that will cost 200+ USD to get, each. And quite a few players have both of them. Ground mounts with a fixed cost up to 50 USD. Flying aids with a fixed cost up to 50 USD. Addons for those that drive the cost even futher. Fashions sets that are around 10 USD for a set with people changing fashion frequently. Bag extensions that must be bought PER character. Same with bank extensions. A shared storage area for all characters on one account is 15 USD. Other per character items, pet bag extension, wardrobe bag, crafting item bank slots...
Then you have the random cost items. Dyes for clothing must be bought, and they are come in random color packs. Rare colors will cost a fortune. Rare mounts in lottery packs that come out like every 3-4 months. Have seen some people spend up to 1000 USD trying to get one.
And that's just a small sample of what people spend money on in a "Free" MMO. And this is from an MMO that is the least "crippled" of all the F2P MMO's I've played. Least crippled meaning you can experience the whole game without spending money. Freerealms you can't even get certain quests or enter certain dungeons without paying.
Monthly pay MMO's are far FAR cheaper if you want to get everything in a game.
Regards,
SB
I'm not averse to buying DLC for an ongoing game. The Agency has the 'MMO' tag, but that doesn't mean it really works like an MMO in the traditional sense. The actual game experience could be just like any other online title, only with a hub. Think Modnation Racers. There you can customise and meet people and go to racers. In The Agency, you can meet people and go on quests. The quests are 3 vs. bots, so it's not particularly MMO, although I think these quests occur in a large open world with other players. But I'm not sure; how would you keep them out from messing up your mission? And surely rival factions should be pitted against each other? That'd be quite fun actually, as long as squads were balanced.
So much like Uncharted or Gears or every other online title, you'd buy the game, play the game online, and when you want to extend it, buy some DLC. If they make it pay-to-play I imagine it'll be shunned by most console gamers who aren't used to subscription gaming. And as for DLC pricing and frequency, I think the idea isn't so much to get gamers spending more as spending their gaming budget in the one place. If typically gamers buy a $60 game per month, if you can provide an awesome game that they keep playing, they won't need to buy a new game every month so you can coax some of that $60 to pay for their single game experience.
So much like Uncharted or Gears or every other online title, you'd buy the game, play the game online, and when you want to extend it, buy some DLC. If they make it pay-to-play I imagine it'll be shunned by most console gamers who aren't used to subscription gaming. And as for DLC pricing and frequency, I think the idea isn't so much to get gamers spending more as spending their gaming budget in the one place. If typically gamers buy a $60 game per month, if you can provide an awesome game that they keep playing, they won't need to buy a new game every month so you can coax some of that $60 to pay for their single game experience.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
If it's setup like Guild Wars as you noted before, that'd be a perfect format for pay DLC to open up new areas, along with new items and whatnot. Definitely not an MMO though. Basically just 3D lobby rooms for matchmaking/shopping/trading and then instanced group (6-8 player) zones.
Miss out on much of the magic of an MMO, but on the other hand, it's much cheaper with regards to server infrastructure, GMs, and persistent worlds. Especially since they'd probably make the instanced zones P2P.
Regards,
SB
Miss out on much of the magic of an MMO, but on the other hand, it's much cheaper with regards to server infrastructure, GMs, and persistent worlds. Especially since they'd probably make the instanced zones P2P.
Regards,
SB
Joystiq preview:
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/27/preview-the-agencys-player-vs-player-mode/
Doesn't sound too positive.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/27/preview-the-agencys-player-vs-player-mode/
Doesn't sound too positive.
Yap.
I am not sure whether the one huge world concept needs to be in a spy level/mission though. Connecting via a hub may be sufficient, depending on what the developer wants to achieve. I think the bigger problem is that it feels like a twitchy, noisy FPS combat to the reviewer.
Spy action is supposed to be subtle and secretive. May be SOE needs to change the location and ambience. Fighting in exclusive hotels/castles and exotic scenic spots (a la GT5's photo mode) may convey slightly more "James Bond" feel. Using special skills, small arms or other micro-weapons should be more appropriate. [size=-2]A rocket launcher or shotgun lacks finesse.[/size]
I am not sure whether the one huge world concept needs to be in a spy level/mission though. Connecting via a hub may be sufficient, depending on what the developer wants to achieve. I think the bigger problem is that it feels like a twitchy, noisy FPS combat to the reviewer.
Spy action is supposed to be subtle and secretive. May be SOE needs to change the location and ambience. Fighting in exclusive hotels/castles and exotic scenic spots (a la GT5's photo mode) may convey slightly more "James Bond" feel. Using special skills, small arms or other micro-weapons should be more appropriate. [size=-2]A rocket launcher or shotgun lacks finesse.[/size]
It's depressing that they feel a need for PvP IMO. Aren't there enough games out there for players to fight each other?! The Agency for me has always been about forming a group an doing a mission against bots. PvP is irrevelant to that experience and if they do need to add it to tick boxes and get sales based on a feature-list comparison, that's a sorry state of affairs.
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