After reading what McCorick, admin and others replied to some threads I felt sad. Since they are probably right about the coarse MA has took under the rule of Jan Welter; I reconsider investing my creativity somewhere else. First I thought about ATD; but I cannot find myself in the story, Continental drifts don't occur at this pace without ending most if not all of multicellular life and the forces that would be needed to do that in the described timespan would tear a planet apart. Also, I don't like a concept where earth is still the centre of civilisation. Then I thought about PION; but what is it exactly? I played it, didn't like the everything is limited very much; did like the bandage system and I didn't like the refining methods. An alchemist, really? I didn't like the drugs either. It seems it's more like a sandbox full of gimmicks and enough PE references to both be sued for copyright infringement an to make old PE players nostalgic. Do not read me wrong, PION I kinda liked. I'm very impressed by the work John did there. But I miss something. I might be sole in this; but I love a backstory. The thing I like about a game like Dark Souls is that every item description had a background that was a piece of the puzzle that lay bare the background. the same way the item description of old PE items and tp/outpost descriptions lay bare the lore and background. I don't know if anyone is familiar with the game STALKER, shadow of Chernobyl. It has a great storyline, great game mechanism and it has a complete backstory. Ofcourse the backstory is drawn upon the movie (which I didn't like) and the novel Roadside Picnic (which I loved). Or to name another game, one that I still find to have the most beautiful geographic setting, is Fallout-3. How open the game world was. How you can make your way through the lands. How in the DLC (I played the GOTY edition which has the DLC's included) the concept of slavery got more worked out (the Pitt) and the surrounding region (the Pitt, Point outlook). The history of how it came that way (Operation Anchorage). Ofcourse being the third installment the designers had already build a world out of which they could chose. On the other hand you have games like Myst, and a fairly unknown one called amerzone (french game); that are all about story and mood. Upto the point that it becomes the gameplay. Now, I don't know if someone is familiar with Whitewolf Publishing. It is a specialises in creating roleplay settings. They create a world through novels and some guide books. Their most know roleplay is Vampire: the Masquerade. While these books are clearly written to support the world they paint, it was a nice read. I read the whole modern times section (13 books). I borrowed them from someone who has a very big collection. I must say that the book really set a mood. Okay, they are more dramatic and not so fine as literature like "the little friend" from Donna Tartt. But you kept reading because you wanted to know more, more about the world, its conflicts and the story. Funnily, the different books where written by different authors and still it was like you read a seamless storyline. Now, as you read to here you might find this post not very coherent; but that is fine, it was meant to give some impressions of good stories and storytelling. I could go on hours on end, giving one example after the other. But I guess you should get the point of this by now. If you look at what blizzard makes; the junkfood of gaming. Some random crap with a story shallow and boring. And if you know that is the thing MA or rather Jan Welter (I don't like people blaspheming a group of people that cannot do but what their boss says) take as a role model. Then I started realizing that Entropia will go to shit. If the twelve year olds don't rip it apart it will die a cold death. Now to come to the point I'm trying to make (Acro, you take bloody long to do so; c'mon) If I create a world, a lore, that is both unique and a blend of topics found in many other stories. Something that has a backstory and a narrative; but in a main red line, as side lines of smaller stories. Would I be possible to see this transformed into pixels? I tried and left Maya (3D software); I can program a bit, I know economics and marketing a bit; but all I want to do is make and tell a story; to weave a world like Dungeon master or game master does. But I want to see that world come to life in a MMO; I love it to be an RCE (but at least 10 times cheaper than EU, and with other sources of income if possible). Now, besides my storyline I make for Acronoid; I'm going to create a world. Or actually write out the world I already created. Ofcourse I do not wish to share this world with the world in the form I write it down; I want to see it released as a game. So if anyone still reading this is a great developer, a techie that can write code, a 3D modeler or anything like that. I am a weaver of stories; an architect of idea's; but I don't know how to dig or lay the actual bricks. I can design a blueprint of something great, but unless someone is intrigued and want to help build that world; all it will remind are sketches. I will let this idea float a bit, while I write out a world as a subdomain of my website. I will come back to this later though; a couple of months from now, when winter has ended.
URGH... don't get me started on the reboot of World of Darkness... I was doing a lot of role playing and storytelling back in the 90s when first world of darkness still existed. Followed that through the end until they blasted it out of existence when Caine woke up as the red asteroid approached. Now you got me on a nostalgia trip of an entire different sort than we usually see here in these forums... I used to own most of the first WOD books, but recently had to donate them to a library to free up some room in the apartment. Ah, the memories.
Have you checked Cyrene, Acro? Yes, the guys doing it are WOW enthusiasts, but they have a huge storyline mapped out. A lot of it has yet to be unveiled, and parts of it will be determined by players (if the platform will be able to support it), but they literally are pixellating their own story.
Dear Acro ... a true writer often finds it a challenge to render a Readers Digest Condensed Version of anything they spill over into print, and I used to knock my purple matter against a pillow at times (walls are too solid), and allow my psyche to play mind games with me, until one day I truly embraced the value of details and how all the variables in some form or another fit together to make a whole. I'm not an incredibly fast writer, but rather a methodical writer, and much a perfectionist like you, so I can identify with many things you share about yourself, and while I now dance to the beat of my own drum, I was challenged in the past until I accepted that it didn't matter how long it took me to write a piece, or even how long the piece would be. I learned to go with the flow of my own energy and allow the magic to happen in whatever shape or form the energy was inspired to go. The metamorphic path of getting from there to here is not so much as short, as it is learning that the journey can be just as exquisite as the destination, so ... continue to listen to yourself, and continue to tap into the magic that is you, no matter whether it's one direction, or many. Never stop writing ...
I hate this idea. But more and more I come to the same conclusion. It'll die. The glass is half empty.
I wish you the best of luck Acronoid. Clearly you have a passion for the story and you remind me of me in my early days of Entropia. Its good you still have that spirit. I just suffer from the actual doing... or rather wanting to do too much and not getting much done as a result. Although you will be likely working on your own, really do your best. Wistrel
i thought like that once but i wont give up and will continue the struggle to learn how to bring my ideas to fruition. using unity3d free and blender :) i refuse to rely on happenstance and serendipity and i will not allow my ideas turn to dust before they are clothed in flesh. self motivation complete time to get some work done. goodluck and persevere :)
The future will not bring up something good - my impression at least. Entropia Universe became a deadend road. Me and my sis started selling out items already. MA may have special road maps. But when it comes to put in thousands of Euros this roadmap should be published in another way than now. Sorry for you, Acro! I always enjoyed your diaries (there was a first one wich you left behind, wasn't it?) and all your engagement here!
The day Pion gets sued for copyright infringement by MA and is won by MA i will eat my own shit. Further more it is nothing like the current Entropia Universe and for a clear reason. You not like everything is limited... Playing a game where you have both seems to be a real success... (just lol...) You point out the alchemy NPC... You remember how you refine in EU last 10 years? (just lol again) Almost everything placed in Pion is considered as place-holders, just have some patience to see the final results and products. The story-line will be created by both participants and developers from the project. At live release their will be a solid and exciting story-line going hand in hand with in-game characters and activities.
I thought Myst is for boring riddle-people. I tried Uru - Ages beyond Myst...what a great ingame feeling. I tried Project Entropia...what a great ingame feeling. MindArk has not learned anything over the past decade and we will continue to suffer, as the originality is slowly fading away. Those who dont care, will never understand and everyone who got born into the "new age" is living another Entropia already. FUMA!
Kinda crazy thought, but if you are more about writing, have you considered joining a mud and becoming a god/developer on that to explore the potential of what something like that which is all text oriented instead of visual can do? Maybe try a few and then go from there and expand your knowledge in to other areas of game development? You mentioned maya. Try modding some games that exist already with your own arenas... and build out your know-how from there. There are a LOT of open source/free game engines out there, so you have potential to just grab one and start going crazy with it. High learning curves are there, of course, but if you are driven enough by your goals, that sort of thing is a hurdle more than an blockade.
I have put everything I have (including writing a second book) into Afterworld. The new push to a better game will either make something great or be a great waste of my time. Either way.... I took the chance. And if your considering playing AW, please don't try for another 2 months. it is at this point..... noob unplayable. I have yet to find anything that actually has what I loved about EU. which is very sad....
