First off, a bit of a follow-up to last weeks’ column – a subsequent interview given by Rick Dakan indicates he is no longer at Cryptic Studios and that Blue King Studios is a separate entity. This is interesting to see and also makes some of that column’s discussion moot. Because it’s a separate entity, the business of Blue King Studios will be focused on comics, rather than the split of comics / computer game development that would occur if Cryptic was keeping everything in-house. This is good in my opinion – I believe that maintaining focus on specific items gives both companies the best chance of success.
Rick’s shift out of Cryptic is interesting. Given that at one time he was head developer, it’s a bit jolting to see him move on almost completely. I could speculate in depth on the reasons behind this shift, but think it comes down to (based entirely on my perceptions of what has happened and never having spoken to the man) Rick being happiest as a writer, not a software designer.
It’s good to see Rick move on to something he wants to do. MMOG design has become a violently dynamic field in recent months, with several games being shelved and several high profile devs being axed due to competitive and economic pressures. You should only be in that kind of field if you are really dedicated and love what you do. Sure, I’ve still got concerns that a new, small, mostly independent studio (ie Blue King) will have problems in producing a large print-run comic, but that’s because I’m a pessimistic columnist that has negativity as my muse. Ever seen a columnist that is consistently happy about the way of the world? No, didn’t think so.
CoH has been in closed beta since late 2003 and, although there have been a couple of updates, not a lot of information has leaked past the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that is meant to stop beta testers from blabbing. For some, this lack of information has left a vacuum that has been filled with doubt or worry – after all, if the game was any good, they’d tell us about it, right?
Maybe. Beta tests are perculiar things – part quality assurance, part marketing exercise, part skirmish with the enemy – and really are a different country from when a game goes live. The game mechanics can be very different, with tests occuring on different servers from those used in release and with debugging software active. Giving testers the ability to speak openly about their beta experiences while beta is still going on usually leads to a lot of misinformation being spread about how a game doesn’t work when those bugs will be fixed long before release. As such, NDAs can serve as very useful protection devices for a MMOG’s reputation.
Still, this doesn’t provide the sort of information the fans want. NDAs really aren’t looked on fondly and are quite often ignored if the tester thinks they can get away with it. Bad games, or games that aren’t enjoyed, often leak like a sieve when it comes to NDA-violating reviews – the testers don’t like the game and don’t care if they get kicked for warning others against purchase.
Some MMOGs don’t have NDAs for their beta – World of Warcraft announced they would let beta testers openly discuss testing on public forums, while some other games have NDAs that let general information be released by those involved. This could be a reflection of the reality of beta testing – that players are going to talk whether you let them or not – and an acknowledgement that trying to mute internet discussions is a losing battle. It could also be a marketing ploy: all the good things players say about the game are “true” while all the negative materials can be countered with “it’s still in beta”.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily work. Asheron’s Call 2 was torpedoed at launch by those who had been involved in it’s open (and therefore almost NDA-less) beta. Sure, the problems AC2 had were probably greater than letting players talk, but still… Despite reported improvement to AC2, it’s going to take a long time before the stain of a poor beta and launch has had on the title. Perhaps if they’d have kept things quiet by enforcing a tighter NDA, things would have been different. Bad reviews can keep a MMOG down for a long time.
So… what’s that about the CoH beta? Given that no-one is talking openly about how things are going, we don’t know. At least the community is getting a couple of updates a week about general CoH stuff which long-time community members definitely appreciate. Forum rumour seems to point at late April / early May as a potential release date – it falls nicely into Q2 2004 meaning CoH can start earning some revenue in the last part of the financial year, the date would beat some other MMOGs to release – but nothing has been announced officially. The Gamespy overview of the beta, although lacking depth and containing a narrative about as enthralling as a traffic jam, has let us peak a bit at CoH’s insides and they look pretty good to me.
It’s almost certain that when CoH’s release is pending, the NDA will be lifted and various forums / fan sites / irc will be flooded with reviews and opinions about CoH. This will give you the best idea (outside of getting into beta that is) of whether CoH will be worth your cash and, more importantly, your time. I can’t wait for that moment.
