Interview Tim Cain's unnamed MMORPG @ Carbine

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Tim Cain

It's MMO but we lub Timmy so without further ado, "<a href="http://www.mmogamer.com/10/10/2009/tim-cain-on-carbines-mystery-project">Tim Cain on Carbine’s Mystery Project, and a Lifetime of Working and Teaching in the Gaming Industry</a>":
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<blockquote>Tim Cain: I’m Timothy Cain, I’m the Design Director. Which means I’m in charge of the design department, which we split into Systems, and World.
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Systems is combat, creatures, items… basically everything that requires a specification. World is all the lore, and content.
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[...]
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Tim Cain: Yes, it’s very possible for a game to be art.
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[...]
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Tim Cain: That actually is the challenge. That’s one of the things we explore every day. I know how to tell a story in a single player RPG, I’ve done it multiple times. What’s fascinating to me about MMOs, is the first ones that were made were very sandbox.
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There were no stories, there really weren’t even quests, the way a lot of people today would view quests.
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I think people have been trained that an MMO has to be a certain way, and that they have to think of their progress as their experience bar. There’s other ways that are equally rewarding that are not necessarily, “You got two thousand experience points for doing this quest.”
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That’s what we’re exploring, because I think our game actually begins when you hit the level cap.
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[...]
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I have all the D&D books from First Edition up to Four, keep dice in my office… in fact, one of the first booth I went to here was the Chessex booth. I don’t need to buy any more dice, I have enough, but for some reason I like looking at it.</blockquote>
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A man can never have enough dice.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">GameBanshee</a>

 

[poocolator]

It's incredible: the contrast between a man like Tim Cain and a guy like Todd Howard.

 

[bhlaab]

Sigh, what a waste

 

[Volourn]

MMO... L0L @ Time Cain

 

[Kron]

Sigh, what a waste

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Sigh, what a waste

 

[Emotional Vampire]

Sigh, what a waste

But only because it will get cancelled or mutiliated ~75% through.

 

[bhlaab]

Sigh, what a waste

But only because it will get cancelled or mutiliated ~75% through.

Even if it does come out only 5,000 people will play it and it will eventually be shut down. Making an MMO is such a pointless venture.

 

[orao]

What if it was an MMO... but p2p?
That avoids many problems.

 

[Fat Dragon]

When this MMO most likely sadly bombs, Vault Dweller should jump in and attempt a persuasion check to get Tim to join Iron Tower. Would be legendary.

Seriously though, one of the few people working in the RPG genre that actually has real talent.

 

[JarlFrank]

When I hear MMO I usually go like "Oh no not another shitty grinding game", but Tim says he has a different vision for his MMO. Which makes me happy because I had some ideas for MMOs that go beyond grinding, looting and experience-gathering. But then again, it makes me sad that the game is doomed to fail because it won't get as many players as WoW and some random Asian shit.

 

[Jim Cojones]

My EverQuest group was The Spicy Girls, where everyone was named after a Spice Girl. I was Posh, I was a bard, played my own music.

In City of Heroes we role-played little girls from a ballet school that got inundated with radiation from the nuclear plant next door.

I can't believe DU haven't included this one in the newspost.

 

[Silellak]

When I hear MMO I usually go like "Oh no not another shitty grinding game", but Tim says he has a different vision for his MMO. Which makes me happy because I had some ideas for MMOs that go beyond grinding, looting and experience-gathering. But then again, it makes me sad that the game is doomed to fail because it won't get as many players as WoW and some random Asian shit.

Well, an MMO really only needs a fraction of WoW's players to be "successful", considering the retarded amount of profit that game makes, even with all of its overheard. EVE is a good example of this - a much smaller playerbase, but still successful enough to keep releasing expansion after expansion. Why? Because it's a niche title, so it keeps its players around, and because it only has one server, thus lowering (perhaps exponentially lowering) the overhead costs when compared to something like WoW.

The problem the failed WoW-clones have had so far is that they don't deviate enough from the WoW formula, and/or appeal to any particular niche, so the players just end up wandering back to WoW because it's familiar. It's possible Cain will find that niche where he can win over enough permanent players to keep the thing profitable and running, but it will have to be truly unique, rather than following into the "WoW, but with..." genre.

Still, unless it somehow truly re-invents MMOs, I won't give a shit. I'd rather play pseudo-MMOy-things like Demon's Souls - hell, in some ways, it's the most innovative "MMO" I've seen in years, despite basically being a single player game. And at least they don't expect a monthly fee from me.

 

[St. Toxic]

When I hear MMO I usually go like "Oh no not another shitty grinding game", but Tim says he has a different vision for his MMO. Which makes me happy because I had some ideas for MMOs that go beyond grinding, looting and experience-gathering. But then again, it makes me sad that the game is doomed to fail because it won't get as many players as WoW and some random Asian shit.

Pretty much mirrors my own thoughts.

 

[Morbus]

If it's not monthly fee-based, I will definitely buy it. Otherwise I won't, and it will tank.

 

[Ch1ef]

Tim Cain







This is where i started to cry

 

[mondblut]

That’s what we’re exploring, because I think our game actually begins when you hit the level cap.

This can be done - refer to AOLNWN. Basically, all MMOs before UO and EQ had a short levelling span and were all about tactical PVP and/or socializing. However, this only interests a small fraction of the potential user base, unlike comparing e-penises with unlimited enlargement potential. MMO without grinding = few thousands users at best.

 

[bhlaab]

Well, an MMO really only needs a fraction of WoW's players to be "successful", considering the retarded amount of profit that game makes, even with all of its overheard. EVE is a good example of this - a much smaller playerbase, but still successful enough to keep releasing expansion after expansion. Why? Because it's a niche title, so it keeps its players around, and because it only has one server, thus lowering (perhaps exponentially lowering) the overhead costs when compared to something like WoW.

There's also the massive costs involved with paying for the servers and also paying doofs to constantly monitor the game as GMs and community managers.

Development costs are already inflated across the board, why would you try to add to that? I think one of the reasons EVE has managed to stay competetive is that the whole thing takes place in a black void.

 

[Tails]

My EverQuest group was The Spicy Girls, where everyone was named after a Spice Girl. I was Posh, I was a bard, played my own music.

In City of Heroes we role-played little girls from a ballet school that got inundated with radiation from the nuclear plant next door.

I can't believe DU haven't included this one in the newspost.

hilarious

 

[JarlFrank]

Well, an MMO really only needs a fraction of WoW's players to be "successful", considering the retarded amount of profit that game makes, even with all of its overheard. EVE is a good example of this - a much smaller playerbase, but still successful enough to keep releasing expansion after expansion. Why? Because it's a niche title, so it keeps its players around, and because it only has one server, thus lowering (perhaps exponentially lowering) the overhead costs when compared to something like WoW.

There's also the massive costs involved with paying for the servers and also paying doofs to constantly monitor the game as GMs and community managers.

Development costs are already inflated across the board, why would you try to add to that? I think one of the reasons EVE has managed to stay competetive is that the whole thing takes place in a black void.

And, as he said, only one server. Also, subscription fees give you a steady good income. It's all about the cost to income ratio. For an MMO to be successful, it needs a high enough playerbase. If the playerbase is high enough you get stinkin' rich from the subscription fees.

 

[bhlaab]

And, as he said, only one server. Also, subscription fees give you a steady good income. It's all about the cost to income ratio. For an MMO to be successful, it needs a high enough playerbase. If the playerbase is high enough you get stinkin' rich from the subscription fees.

Yeah and if they don't (which history has proven over and over again that they don't unless it's WoW) then you're up shit creek.

It's like playing a version of blackjack where you can't win unless you hit exactly 21 and the minimum bet is 30 million

 

[Unradscorpion]

Pfft, as if MMORPG players want gameplay.
They want another day job, since free of tedium, they might think of their miserable existence.

 

[Dumb Bitch]

I can't believe that this god-like designer/coder is working on such a piece of crap. This is really disheartening!

 

[bhlaab]

I can't believe that this god-like designer/coder is working on such a piece of crap. This is really disheartening!

Okay, that's going a bit too far. As far as I'm willing to believe it's impossible for Tim Cain to make a piece of crap, and I'm not ready for a crisis of faith.

What I do think is that he's wasting his time trying to conjure up the world's tallest midget.

 

[thesheeep]

"I wanna be like skyway, but without any reasoning"

Looking at this statement.. and the signature... I think it may be a good idea to ignore this guy

Or I just double-failed my irony check.