June 2004
- believable NPCs (was Natural Language Generation) Mike Rozak
- TECH: MUD Skeleton Craig L.
- DGN: Space MUD 67Me You
- DGN: Space MUD ceo
- DGN: Space MUD Sean Howard
- DGN: Space MUD Tracy Lee
- AI in gauntlet (was: Natural Language Generation) ceo
- [DGN/BIZ] Why player dont play multi user race or is there a market for multiuser race? stéphane Garin
- [DGN/BIZ] Why player dont play multi user race or is there a market for multiuser race? Eric Lamy
- [DGN/BIZ] Why player dont play multi user race or is therea market for multiuser race? Matt Mihaly
- [DGN/BIZ] Why player dont play multi user race or is there a market for multiuser race? ceo
- [DGN/BIZ] Why player dont play multi user race or is there a market for multiuser race? Damion Schubert
- [SVEvents] 6/22, J C Lawrence
- BIZ: MMOs in China Chris Yeh
- BIZ: MMOs in China satya@gamedevid.org
- BIZ: MMOs in China Tiago Carita
- BIZ: MMOs in China Damion Schubert
- JOB: Shattered Prism: Lost Wastelands Trace Kern
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Peter Keeler
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Matt Mihaly
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Matt Mihaly
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Matt Mihaly
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Freeman, Jeff
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Peter Keeler
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Scott Jennings
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market ren@aldermangroup.com
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Freeman, Jeff
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Scott Jennings
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Vladimir Cole
- [NEWS] Gaming Open Market Freeman, Jeff
- submissions for MMP Gems book ceo
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? David Kennerly
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? mike stedman
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Jim Purbrick
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Adam
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Mike Rozak
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Jon A. Lambert
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? J C Lawrence
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Luca Girardo
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Matt Mihaly
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Richard A. Bartle
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Luca Girardo
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Tazzik
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Michael Sellers
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Mike Rozak
- [NEWS] Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why? Luca Girardo
- DGN/HUMOR: Virtual worlds and virtual holidays Mike Rozak
- DGN/HUMOR: Virtual worlds and virtual holidays Michael "Flury" Chui
- DGN/HUMOR: Virtual worlds and virtual holidays Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Michael Sellers
- "USPs" ceo
- "USPs" Luca Girardo
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Derek Licciardi
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Threshold RPG
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Mike Rozak
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Matt Mihaly
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Vincent Archer
- "USPs" (was: Warhammer Online Cancelled -- Why?) Damion Schubert
From: Derek Licciardi
> From: Michael Sellers
>> So: what are *your* games' USPs?
> USP's are interesting in that they help make your marketing plan a
> bit more appealing but in today's MMO genre, they also tend to
> make your design much more risky. Whether it's more content than
> SWG, better graphics than AO or some other more advanced game-play
> mechanic, today's investors are still scared of the Dot.com era
> and look up new ideas with a very healthy dose of cynicism. So
> you say you're going to do it better for less money?? Yeah right.
> From an investment point of view, a unique selling point is a good
> thing but on the other hand it is a bad thing because it is not
> proven and flies in the face of risk management.
Raph once did a talk at GDC where he pointed out that the games that
were most likely to create a devoted fan-base were the ones that you
could describe in a sentence -- or less. Obvious examples:
Shadowbane: Play to Crush.
Ultima Online: A Virtual World.
EverQuest: Classic Monty Haul D&D Online Gaming
Star Wars Galaxies: It's Star Wars, only Online.
Worlds of Warcraft: Blizzard Made This.
City of Heroes: Feel Like A Superhero.
Of course, talking about USP' in MMPs is a very interesting
discussion to make. All of the above games got very devoted
fanbases prior to ship, but some stumbled. Of note, Shadowbane and
SWG built huge followings on their USPs, but stumbled out of the
gate due to not fulfilling them to their fanbases expectations of
what that USP really was.
Asheron's Call is an interesting case study because, even though
they had several interesting features (monthly content, fealty
system, their original spell research system), they never had
anything that you could sum up in three words or less. As such, it
never seemed to build much buzz (although it did build a devoted
following).
EverQuest is interesting too, in that its USP was the simplest and
least, well, Unique. They got a lot of mileage (and still do) from
'classic' gameplay (many on this list may call it 'derivative'), and
they also got a lot more from just plain _working_ at a time when UO
was still struggling with technical issues.
City of Heroes nailed its USP - it's not 'play EQ in a Superhero
universe' but rather 'FEEL like a superhero'. The case study there
is whether or not that USP is deep enough to keep people for months
or years at a time.
I've played EQ2. I'm not sure what the USP is there. This is a
little troubling - usually, you would know by now.
One thing about our genre, though - while you can't ship an ugly
game and hope for a homer, graphics just aren't traditionally a USP
for this market. It's not just that this market favors gameplay
over graphics (they do), but rather that any claims about graphics
are likely to be repeated by all of your competitors, and surpassed
by the next game that comes out 6 months later. When you're hoping
for 5 year subscriptions, that's obviously building your house on
sand.
So, to take Mike's question to the next level: can you sum up your
game in 5 words?
--d
- "USPs" Scott Macmillan
- Exponential experience points and levels ceo
- Exponential experience points and levels cruise
- Exponential experience points and levels Sean Middleditch
- Exponential experience points and levels Jesus Lopez
- Exponential experience points and levels Adam
- Exponential experience points and levels Sean Middleditch
- Exponential experience points and levels Steven King
- Exponential experience points and levels Ghilardi Filippo
- Exponential experience points and levels zgj22@drexel.edu
- Exponential experience points and levels ceo
- Exponential experience points and levels mike stedman
- Exponential experience points and levels zgj22@drexel.edu
- Exponential experience points and levels David Kennerly
- Exponential experience points and levels Vincent Archer
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] Gaming Open Market) David Blankley
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] Gaming Open Market) Freeman, Jeff
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] Gaming Open Market) Scott Tengelin
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] Gaming OpenMarket) Dana V. Baldwin
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] GamingOpenMarket) Freeman, Jeff
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS]GamingOpenMarket) Dana V. Baldwin
- Virtual/Real Currencies (was: [NEWS] Gaming Open Market) Timothy Dang