Even if it wasn’t for that quote, I must say that I doubt that Blizzard would pick Blizzcon as their arena for such an announcement.
I can totally understand the speculation from a fan point of view. You wish they would do this, that they would put such a huge value into their fan community that they would give them first hand VIP access, telling their friends before tehy told anyone else.
Imagine yourself being in the audience at the opening cerimony. Imagine how they turn down the lights and BAM the screen lits up and you’re thrown into a cinematic that blows you away, and you are the first one to experience it and people will stand up and gasp and applause and…..
OK, stop. That’s enough. Realize: it’s just the wet dream of a fan boy. It's not the way those things normally work.
I know I’m sticking out my neck, and that I might be proven wrong in just a few days, and if I am, please, please go ahead and mock me as much as I deserve.
But, if you ask me, Blizzard will rather make there announcement in a different setting, probably at some important international game expo/convention, which will attract a wide range of media coverage from all over the world – not only the gaming press, but also investors. Just because fans like put a huge importance to Blizzcon, it doesn’t mean that the entire gaming industry is circling around it.
Wolfshead’s article made me curious about what it looked like the last time Blizzard made an announcement like this, more precisely on September 2, 2001, as they first revealed their plans for World of Warcraft. Apparently they did it at a press conference at the European Computer Trade Show, taking place in London, which is something different from a convention directed at Blizzard fans.
Development in full swing
But let’s leave the place for announcement for a moment and ponder a little bit more about what their next MMO could be like. There are a couple of tickling lines in the Forbes interview. According to Sam, the size of the team working on the game is close to the size of the team working on WoW, more than 140 employees, and the project development is in “full swing”:
“The product is something we think is going to redesign the way these type of games are looked at”.
I’m trying hard to imagine what new aspect they’re going to bring to the table, but I must admit that I fail badly, probably due to lack of overall gaming knowledge.
I reckon we’re still talking about something you’re playing with a computer, in front of a screen, using a mouse and a keyboard, being connected to other players by some world wide servers? Sure, I dream about playing the holo deck for real one day, but we aren’t quite there yet, are we?
A look at the announcement 2001
In my search for the circumstances around the first announcement I stumbled upon an article, written in September 2001 by the signature “Rushter”, published at the website Incgamers, which gives a perspective on what kind of "revolution" we possibly could expect.
It contains an in-depth coverage from the crowded press conference, which was given for specially invited reporters. Rushter gives a detailed eyewitness report, including details like the “poor sods had to be content with pressing their faces against the windows to catch a glimpse” The quotes by the Blizzard manager, Bill Roper is an interesting read, as a documentation of what was on their mind at that time.
What I find most fascinating though, is to see how the author enthusiastically highlights certain features of WoW, which were great improvements at that time, but we take for granted now. Reading this, I ask myself: will the new secret MMO do the same thing again, but at a higher level? In what way? Is there something in the current game that I hate, possibly without even knowing it, that the new game will “fix?
And: will I be as pumped up about the secret MMO as it’s announced as Rushter was when he got his first glimpse of WoW?
Below, I’ll give you a bunch of samples from the article from 2001 just to give you an idea, but if you’re as intrigued by it as I am, I suggest you read it in its full length.
About the environment
“Our characters started in an area called Westfall, a devastated farmland that was once part of the Human Kingdom and has become run-down and over-run by thieves. We stood in the middle of a wheat field looking out onto an absolutely stunning ocean. (You may have seen the impressive lighthouse in the gameplay video that was released). We noticed the sun was rising and were pointed to the little clock in top right of the interface that shows the current time in the world. You could see the movement on the water with the waves as the sun beams streamed across it. The sky looked stunning.
As we stood in the World of Warcraft for a few moments and soaked up the breathtaking scenery, it was evident that Blizzard wants gamers to feel they have been transported to a completely new fantasy world. A place that is full of rich vibrant colours where buildings and trees are exaggerated and not photo-realistic.”
About combat
"We marched through the field until we came across our first enemy in the world, a Harvest Golum which was patrolling the field. These burly mechanical creatures plod round the farmlands, guarding the crop. When we held the mouse over the Golum our cursor icon changed red which meant our option was to attack. The Golum approached and we engaged in combat. The status of combat is all shown on screen so if you hit a small tag will rise indicating how much damage you have inflicted or indeed if you missed. What this means is that combat status won’t be spamming the chat window and the actual combat is easier to follow.
When you attack you click once and your character will continue attacking until the target is dead, or your character of course. This allows you time to cast spells and even change equipment. "
"It was time to move on to a new area with the use of teleport scrolls from our inventory where each one would take you to a different location. Teleport scrolls were created for the purpose of the demo and may not appear in the final game. We asked if there would be other modes of transport other than foot. At the start of the game when the character is low level, on foot will be the main way of getting around. Bill Roper then said that there will be other ways to get around the game world but these have yet to be decided. Now wouldn’t a horse be cool we suggested?:) "
"We approached a trader who issued a quest to find the Treebeast and assemble a weapon called the Firestar, a mythical sword. You can then accept the quest and begin your journey. We were close to a new area called Darkshire and it was here we saw the transition between two very different areas of the game. As we moved towards and over a bridge Darkshire loomed ahead. Our hero crossed the threshold into Darkshire and our world changed dynamically. The trees became thicker and the sky ominous and overcast. This was one of the most impressive moments in the game. The transition was seamless, as were the environmental changes, the light, textures and clouds. All this changed with the help of Blizzard’s procedural skies and procedural lighting to great effect. We stopped just inside the Darkshire boundary and looked back. Beyond the edge of the murky forest we looked back from where we came and could see the sun hitting the ground, it was like looking into another world."
"A feature that we really liked was the ability to move an item, whether it be armour or a weapon, into your inventory and the game will automatically move it onto the correct spot on the body as long as it’s not already occupied. In other words you don’t have to place armour directly on the body, the game is intelligent enough to know that it’s armour so it will place it directly in the correct body slot, so it’s easy to ‘throw’ items on, making it quicker to change on the fly to suit your situation.
The backpack inventory can also be accessed without blocking the gaming environment which allows you the freedom to utilise items in your backpack without having to stop playing. "
"We talked to one the NPC character who had issued us the quest to find the Firestar Sword. To complete the sword quest we handed over the pieces to have it assembled. Duly assembled, we took the sword and replaced the standard one we had been using. As the name suggests, subtle flames licked the edges of this gigantic blade as we stood defiant with our new toy. It was about 3 times the size of our previous sword, positively massive Blizzard is promising something rather special as far as weapon effects go. They want players to feel they have really achieved something when they complete a quest by having impressive looking items that will allow you to show off to other players in the game. "
The author’s demo session ends in a place called “Stranglethon Jungle”:
“Again this area was very different to previous. More of a jungle with murky swamps and giant trees with overgrown foliage. We were placed new a small lake with a waterfall to the rear and paused for a moment to marvel at the realistic cascading waters. We stepped closer to the lake to watch the wee fish dart about just below the surface. There is a possibility that the final game will see characters with a swim ability, walking through shallow waters is also a possibility.”
“As short as it felt, we saw three very different areas, all rich and packed with incredible detail. It is a world you will have no problem losing yourself in. It’s fantastical and exactly where Warcraft should be heading. If the character development, quest content, guild support, PvP aspect are nailed down then this will be the new standard for MMORPGs.”
Hopefully we’ll get some answers in a not too far distant future. But probably not at Blizzcon, if you ask me.
29 comments:
I don't know. Blizzard is genuinely one of the biggest things in gaming so I suspect the gaming industry would be very focussed on Blizzcon. They rather pointedly don't show up at a lot of other large conventions.
I guess what befuddles me is that no one has bothered to think about Diablo III. Last year we got Cataclysm information and a release date for Starcraft II (I think?). And the slightest teaser that they were going to be making a Diablo III. Nothing else. And nothing has been mentioned since. And yet, it's still a part of the BlizzCon presentations (WoW, WCIII, SCII and DiabloIII are the four highlighted games). So, isn't it Diablo's turn? I just get the impression that we've forgotten about that poor red-headed stepchild of Blizzard's games. And I, for one, am really looking forward to hearing what they are going to do with the new Diablo.
@spinksville: Hehe, no, I don't know either. I'm just speculating like Wolfshead. :)
That's kind of fun about being a blogger and not a serious journalist. It's fun to just think aloud from time to time and if we're lucky I'll turn out to be wrong and will be rightfully mocked. A small price to pay; I'll be as happy and interested as anyone else if the secret project actually will be announced.
@lady2beetle: I'm the worst person ever to speculate about Diablo III since I'm an WoW-only player. But it certainly makes sense if they'll talk about other games. Looking back at previous Blizzcon's they have taken turns, as you say.
A minor quibble.
"as they first revealed their plans for World of Warcraft. Apparently they did it at a press conference at the European Computer Trade Show, taking place in London, which is something different from a convention directed at Blizzard fans."
Since I don't believe Blizzcon existed back then, I feel this argument is weaker that presented. Had there been a regular Blizzcon back then, maybe they WOULD have. The fact that they didn't may be simply because there was no Blizzcon.
As far as I can tell, every single major announcement out of Blizzard has been at Blizzcon, once they had it to announce at. That's pretty compelling. I certainly may have missed an instance, but I honestly can't think of any that occurred elsewhere after Blizzcon became a regular concern.
@Grimmtooth: That's a good point, really. I should have checked it out! Careless blogger is careless. :)
Just a thought: have those announcements been at the magnitude of the Secret MMO project?
And many times huge and important PR events like this is something that you want to time in a certain way. The "best moment" won't necessarily correlate to when the next Blizzcon is up.
But again: no one would be happier than me if I would be wrong. In the end I'm a hopeless fan like everyone else.
One idea that comes to mind that would revolutionize MMOs is three dimensional combat. This would necessitate much of the game taking place in the air, allowing aerial combat as a medium. Blizzard has experimented with aerial combat in WoW recently but they have yet to create a true three dimensional system. Nor has any other MMO that I can think of. While combats happen in Three dimensional space, they generally only utilize two dimensional movement. I would be excited about a game that took the plunge into true aerial combat.
I'm just as eager to know what the next MMO will be as anyone - but blizzard has huge huge expectations to meet and their own large wow-shadow looming over them. that said, the only one with the resources to 'top wow' is blizzard themselves. it won't be an easy task though; there's been many game developers with big hits at some point in the past, who utterly failed later on attempting to produce sequels or a next generation of games. seen that plenty of times and sometimes it's rather baffling.
so, while promising innovation is certainly good, it is also a dangerous road. maybe your audience won't understand it or like it nearly as much as your first hit. I think wow's fanbase is especially tricky in this, so it's probably for the better that blizzard isn't aiming to produce a sequel, but something totally different/new as they stated.
I have mixed feelings about it.
@Larisa - "Just a thought: have those announcements been at the magnitude of the Secret MMO project?"
In short, no. I don't believe the announcment of SCII or Diablo3 are of that magnitude because they are not new IP, but that's pretty much the only "plus" over them that this mystery MMO might have.
On the other hand, the two updates (SC2 and D3) are srs bsns. They have well-established fanbases.
And while you don't have as much history with Blizz with regards to Diablo as others do, I can tell you that Diablo MADE that company. Without Diablo, there would have been no BLizzard, I'm fairly certain. Not like they are now.
So, while I definitely answer "no" to your question, I do want to qualify that one has to weigh the magnitude of an unknown and unproven MMO's announcement against those made about well-established and highly beloved product lines.
(Heck, my kid's probably gonna drop his WoW account for D3 exclusively when it comes out. He still plays D2 regularly. That's the kind of fan that game has.)
(How's that for a non-answer answer? :)
Old things that I feel should or maybe could be revised, or done differently in a new MMO?
Classes. Division into Tank, Healer, DPS, or Tank, Healer, Melee, Ranged / Caster. The whole "everyone must watch their aggro, also healers must watch their mana and removing debuffs, tanks worry about their survivability, and dps use crowd control". I'm not a game designer with ingenious idea how to change / improve this system in a pve game. Not talking about pvp, as I don't have much experience and there are many pvp-oriented MMOs with their ideas.
And actually do we really need a game of classes? Some sort of specialization and diversification among players would add depth to the game, but does it really need to be carried through fixed matrix of classes, maybe they can invent some new concept?
Same question about game of levels, the curve of progressing the character doesn't have to be depicted by a ladder of steps, maybe a smooth line or a splash expanding on a surface in all directions could be a model? A game of different design could handle better the problem "what if my friends are different level than me", of course if you wanted to play together you'd have to implement mechanisms to put you on similar power level, but at the moment all I saw was de-leveling a character temporarily for that purpose, or temporarily leveling-up the "lowbies", case or Warhammer Battlegrounds.
Two other issues as I see it are:
- grind which is BORING, it's not just about "doing the same stuff again", people could play tetris, peggle, bejeweled, minesweeper or solitaire and enjoy it, despite simplicity and repetitiveness, those games are still fun and engaging
Game designers should ask themselves what those minigames have and "levelling in MMO" doesn't, because people install peggle or bejeweled into WOW but they moan a lot "can we skip levelling please?"
Second thing is distributing most goods by randomness, from "this quest has horrible droprate" through "my weapon never drops in raids" to "I farm this mount for 3 years and still none while that guy got it on first try".
Personally I believe RNG should not be a determining part of the game. Yes, I do hate minesweeper fields where I have last 2x2 squares left and with 2 symmetrical possibilities. The outcome if I win or lose doesn't depend on my tactics or wits, just pure luck.
In a game which is about character development I believe rewards should be fixed, and if it's supposed to be "only for the best", you can have 2 criteria: one is very hard challenge, as was obtaining Mimiron's head in 3.1 (and remember what I said about game of levels, if they want to design a game where you scale to the content or content scales to you, you won't be able to outlevel / outgear it); second is something that requires dedication, but not exactly "super mario" type of skills. For example long quest chains and not "artificially" long by just making you run like a fed-ex for 2 hours or kill 1000 boars, the truly epic questlines that make you experience a story.
Players should have more choice, when was the last meaningful choice you made in WOW storyline-wise? I remember one, choosing between Aldor and Scryer. And even there it was just 2 questlines and few items at quartermaster.
I imagine a game where you choose factions, choose different paths within a questline leading to different endings, etc. Nowadays everyone does all the same quests, we don't have means to define our character for example are we playing a benevolent character or an evil one.
That quote from the article really takes me back. Crossing from Westfall to Duskwood floored me.
Then I saw a big spider with a skull on its tooltip and I ran away.
You do know that they announced D3 at the european version of Blizzcon right?
If not: they announced Diablo 3, their biggest non-asian franchise, at the wow-invitational.
Not even Blizzcon.
The whole industry and the whole gaming press will be looking one place this weekend. Anaheim.
Best place to announce anything. I do not think most of us realise just how huge a company has to be, in order to have its very on con.
They will show a teaser, at the very least.
@Dariush: Ouch. 3-d... then I'm out I think. Or maybe not if I miraculously became better at it than in WoW. currenlty it's a bit of a nightmare to me.
@Syl: yeah, I almost fear the moment they will announce it. The risk for backlash/disappointment is huge. The expectations are at a quite impossible level I'd dare say.
@Mari: that's a lot of good ideas, although I'm not sure that they're revolutionairy enough. The epic questline for instance is already there in LOTRO and it's definitely something I'd like to see in WoW. But I think we expect something very radical here.
@Jeffo: I think it's lovely and it makes me understand the origins better. I never knew to appreciate the smooth transitions, I took them for granted. But yeah, I loved, loved, loved Dushwood. Entering there was a special,exciting moment that never will come back I think.
@Dwism: well, again it depends on what other messages they have that they want to get out there. The risk is that everything else will drown in the excitement about the secret MMO. Do they really want that to happen?
But we'll see soon enough! I will be the first one to happily and shamelessly admit that my speculation was completely wrong!
One thing to consider is that Blizz won't kill the golden calf (WoW) by announcing MMO 2.0 right before WoW's next big release.
Not everyone does things the way Steve Jobs does them, and a lot of those companies are doing quite well for themselves.
I am sure the next MMO will look graphically stunning.
Otherwise ..
What kinds of innovations are there that would also make the game 'very accessable' ?
I hope for the best .. and fear the worst.
@Larisa - that's kind of my point; their current attempts at 3-dimensional combat are clumsy at best and mostly just have you flying in a circle around a (mostly) stationary target. True aerial combat could be so much more.
Other features that could be nice might be things such as a malleable world here player actions sculpted part of the landscape. Imagine on WoW if the alliance taking the Southern Barrens or Horde capturing Ashenvale were not predetermined events but dependent on player actions. Not just PvP but also players doing quests to supply the armies or capture specific objectives. Blizzard has experimented with this a bit (Sunwell) but never pitted both factions against each other. It might be fun to see the world develop differently according to player actions.
What if they throw it back to the old RPGs where your gear and the trainer you visit determines your class. This is something that you can change on your own. Since I started my comment with a "what if" I'll end with something equally as silly. Why can't I pick my faction based on my thoughts. Maybe I feel that the Night Elves should be members of the Horde so I elected to run alongside the older races to beat back the plague of the humans.
@ Dariush: It's unlikely that true 3-D combat will be the major focus of Blizz's next MMORPG. You only have to look at the general reaction to the Oculus.
@ Mari: Class-based design is likely here to stay. Allowing some sort of freeform system levelling generally leads to everyone being flying tankmages, which is boring. Having specific classes allows designers to build fundamental weaknesses into a class, which players then have to account for, which is more interesting.
ie - If you're a mage, you can blow things up really fast! You're really squishy though. You now have to come up with ways to deal with how squishy you are.
What would be more interesting is if Blizz could somehow bypass the Holy Trinity (Tank, Heal, Damage / CC). Now *that* would be a major shake-up.
City of Heroes/Villains was able to bypass the Holy Trinity (and six years ago!). By not having that many elite mobs in instances, and by giving many classes the ability to take on elite-level mobs anyway. You would group up with people because a) it's safer, and b) you got more XP that way. And also because the ragtab team of superheroes is such an iconic thing. :)
@Redbeard - actually, as long as they get your moniez, I doubt which IP they get it from. And given that a "next generation" MMO will likely have a "next generation" subscription fee, they'll likely get MOAR of it.
Yes, I can be a cynical bastige. I get paid for it. :)
That should read "I doubt they care which IP they get it from". Typo Dorf is typoing.
I tend to agree that they will announce their next MMO at Blizzcon, but I'd say that it won't be this year. Why steal the Cataclysm thunder?
@Grimmtooth: True, but right now, with all the money invested in Cataclysm, Blizz wouldn't want people to hesitate buying it because "I'd rather wait until MMO 2.0 comes out."
About the new MMO... they sure need something different to existing MMOs nowadays. Another MMO with different theme (either SC or Diablo based) would do no good for their revenue, because then people would have to chose: do I pay to play WoW or do I pay to play the new one? Paying for both? Maybe some will do, but you can't split in two to dedicate enough time to both. And I don't think Blizz thinks WoW has reached its final stage so they can leave it aside and just focus on the new MMO.
So it's hard to guess wht will be this new MMO about. An idea that crossed my mind was some MMO where you have to play using stuff like the Kinect or Wiimote/Move gear instead of the keyboard and mouse, but that also implies people has to choose between WoW and the new one. But if people has to choose, there must exist a very good reason to dedicate less time to WoW (or stop playing it) and embrace the new game. And I doubt another typical MMO (even if it includes things like 3D combat, like a SC MMO with spaceship combat) would had enough magnetism to make people switch.
So it's better to wait until they disclose some solid information and not vague sentences.
I think it could very well be mis-direction from Blizzard. "No there will not be anything on the new MMO" and then BAM - your cinematic and people feint and nerdrage as THAT GUI LYED TO MEEEE. Imagine the hype that would cause. If the developers pulled off WoW have been working on the new MMO then they've been working on it, in part, since TBC's release. Since then, Blizz have been slowly leaching devs from 1 place to another "mystery place" Whether these have been D3, SC2 or the new MMO hasn't been confirmed. If we are running the assumption that it's the new MMO then it would be past the concept stage and in the implementation stage - much like in 2001
Jus' speculatin'
@Redbeard: Yeah, the timing to announce it now would seem a little bit odd to me. Even if Cataclysm isn’t “news”, they surely wouldn’t want the secret project to steal all of the show?
@Nils: Graphically stunning is probably a hygiene factor at this point. As well as a certain accessibility. But something that changes our way to view those games? That is to promise a lot!
@Dariush: Maybe a different sort of control then, with a requirement of using a joystick?
If they found a way to let players make an imprint on the world without ruining the game experience for everyone, that would be awesome. I always loved the small things they did in this direction, for instance the opening of the Sunwell island which wouldn’t happen until the server had made a certain common effort.
@Inno: Maybe I feel that the Night Elves should be members of the Horde…” Hehe… it’s hard to rid yourself from the WoW setting, isn’t it?
@Sscougall: There has been a LOT of speculations and requests and thinking about how you could get away from the trinity model in the blogosphere. It would be interesting if they succeeded in this, indeed.
@Tesh: Yeah, I think the timing would be a bit off to be honest. Be prepared to mock me in a few hours though, I’m not an oracle!
@Kurnak: Remember that the announcement will probably come far, far ahead of the actual release. For WoW it took three years, as Wolfshead pointed out. People won’t stop paying because something will appear in several years time. And at the point the new MMO comes out, I’d dare say they’ll change something about WoW. Perhaps that will be the time to change to F2P? Or at least lowering the subscription fee substantially, since no more development will be offered, only maintenance? Maybe some discounts for WoW players who want to switch to the new MMO?
I think they will find out a way to make the transition as smooth and financially safe for them as possible.
So I don’t think they’ll wait with the announcement to the last minute. Even though I don’t see it coming at Blizzcon.
@Grumpy Dwarf: Oh, now you got me into some fan frenzy drooling state of mind again! Wouldn’t that be just so awesome! I still don’t think we’ll see it happen this year, but yes, indeed it would be wonderful if it was all a stunt.
What would speak for it is the fact that the program for Blizzcon this year really lacks substance and interesting content. What if this program was just a fake façade? We can always dream.... :)
I'm going to bet that the "big announcement" is either one of the following:
- Diablo 3 Cinematic Trailer + Release Date
OR
- Starcraft 2 Expansion Pack.
A lot of people will probably jump on the "expansion pack" idea, but then again, Starcraft 2 has now been out for a solid 5-6 months. We're going into the Christmas season, and people are going to want to buy things for loved ones that aren't a subscription-based MMO. Announcing a Starcraft 2 expansion, or giving a lot more details about it, might revitalize a lot of hype and thus Christmas purchasing.
The old review of WoW really brings me back to when I started playing. Zoning into Duskwood was really creepy, especially with the eerie music. Then I ran into Stitches.
Hello, what is th*splat*
Ever since then, I have always secretly feared Duskwood.
On to the "new MMO". What I really want to know is... how is this MMO going to fit in a world where WoW is the dominant MMO. Is WoW going into game-hell or something?
Yup Larisa - compared to last year, the schedule is really light for Blizzcon. I mean we had the first load of info about Catalcylsm, all the buzz for SC2 and the drooling for Diablo3. What's there to be this year? SC2 is out, Diablo3 is coming along nicely but there hasnt't been anything new or expectedly new for a while - just gameplay mechanic changes. And we've been living and breathing cataclysm to the point of boredom for the last 6 months. If this is all that punters get at Blizzcon, I'd be bitterly disappointed and would want my entrance fee back.
If there's info on SC2 it would be about the zerg expansion - ok, info on that would be good.
Diablo 3 - erm, really can't think of anything new, aside a cinematic, that they could draw out for the best part of a day.
WoW - erm, Cataclyms raids? at a push? Oh, and a MASSIVE portion of Q&A dealing with inevitable questions of WHY THE FUCK CAN'T YOU RELEASE A PATCH PROPERLY.
It still feels very light - there MUST be something else
*chuckle*
I'm not about to mock you, Larisa. Prognostication is a murky science at best... and to be honest, my prediction is far more mockable. (Over at Dwism's or Muckbeast's place; it's more of a soft prediction, but man, if they *did* make Vanilla WoW F2P, I'll be shocked. I think it's sensible and smart, but terribly unlikely.)
well then. looks like you where right Lar. No big news at all. none. a class for D3 and D3 has pvp, and that is it.
Seems that "Blizzcon isn't just about making big announcements, but for the community. We don't have Blizzcon for the marketing, but for us to get revitalized with the community"....
frikking boring
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