Just because you have a good idea doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to implement it. Sometimes a good idea isn’t completely cohesive with the core focus of the game. Sometimes a good idea is very difficult and time-consuming to implement, and that time would be better spent on other things. Sometimes a good idea is cohesive and may not necessarily take forever to implement on its own, but preexisting systems would not mesh very well with it. Whatever the case may be, just because someone has a good idea does not mean it should be or even can be implemented. Remember, when someone who can make calls does not include your good idea in a game, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea or that they simply don’t like it; there are usually other reasons that it doesn’t get implemented.

A good idea stands on its own. It doesn’t matter where a good idea comes from, it’s still a good idea. Let go of your ego and learn to identify a good idea no matter where it comes from, even it’s from a non-designer, player, or even your mortal enemy. I’ve had a few good ideas in my life (I like to think, anyway), but the total number of good ideas I’ve heard from other people dwarfs the number of good ideas I’ve ever had myself. Learn to get over yourself and recognize good ideas when you see them.

If I were smart, I wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole. Luckily for you, I’m not smart, or I’m at least foolish enough to talk about microtransactions. RMT, or Real Money Transfer (or Trading), is the catalyst for some of the most heated debates in MMO development. Is it wrong? Is it right? Is it even a question of wrong or right? Is it the model for the future? Regardless of the answer, almost all of us have a strong opinion about RMT. Continue Reading »

A couple more talks and subsequent write-ups worth noting. My old SOE (and VR1) friends John Blakely and Chris Cao talked at the conference. Cao and Jens Andersen discussed cross-platform MMO possibilities and the important considerations you must make when attempting such a feat. Blakely, Mark Jacobs, Raph Koster, and Eric Bethke talked about the biggest online gaming opportunities, covering microtransactions, user-generated content, and Xbox Live Arcade (a little more comprehensive write-up here). Both are good reads. If anyone talks to Blakely or Cao anytime soon, tell ‘em Shwayder says “hi.”

A great summary from what looks to have been a great talk: BioWare’s Gordon Walton Gives 12 Lessons from WoW. I agree with most of it, except this: “…He didn’t think it was relevant that WoW doesn’t delete inactive characters — the ‘namespace’ freed by deleting characters makes them worth deleting.” Never delete a character that someone cares about, no matter how long ago they played it. If you have to delete characters, only remove low level characters that haven’t been played in a long time. If you must go further, remove the names of long-unplayed characters, but leave the characters intact and let the returning player rename them. Continue Reading »