Post by Morreion on Jan 12, 2010 8:16:07 GMT -5
Big Heroes, Little Gods (Escapist)
I've never played CoX but this sounds like a great system- user-generated content in a direct manner. This is the kind of stuff we need to break out of the current static situation of passive worlds that players quickly tire of because they've seen it a dozen times before. It is also a step back towards the old D&D pencil paper and dice storytelling system, with customized adventures.
Instantly popular and widely praised, CoX's Mission Architect spotlights a growing trend in online gaming: easy-to-use developer-created tools to facilitate user-generated content. Once players were handed those tools on live servers, they immediately went crazy with their creations...
This system isn't just for diehard CoX fans; players of all kinds are creating their own stories to share with one another. When I get together with my favorite supergroup for a couple of hours on the weekend, we often try out a mission that one of us has written during the week. Our weekend arcs are filled with shout-outs and in-jokes for a group that has gamed together for years - a specially costumed NPC here, a catchphrase there and fun just about everywhere. It's a common use of the system and a definite part of its appeal: The ability to create more personalized content illustrates a value-added way to enjoy a game with old friends, one that has kept us playing (and paying) when regular content has become stale. The temptations are great; you can even play God and refashion the world with you and your friends as the main heroes.
"It's a lot like having a (very limited) ability to create your own MMO with all the hard parts already taken care of," says Dustin "Witch Engine" Stroud, best known for his arc "Blight" (No. 140423). "I write for my friends and supergroup mates, not for the public at large. I try to make everything I add to a story have a point or purpose for being there, and love to sneak in tons of references to all sorts of things - game canon, other videogames, whatever I can."
This system isn't just for diehard CoX fans; players of all kinds are creating their own stories to share with one another. When I get together with my favorite supergroup for a couple of hours on the weekend, we often try out a mission that one of us has written during the week. Our weekend arcs are filled with shout-outs and in-jokes for a group that has gamed together for years - a specially costumed NPC here, a catchphrase there and fun just about everywhere. It's a common use of the system and a definite part of its appeal: The ability to create more personalized content illustrates a value-added way to enjoy a game with old friends, one that has kept us playing (and paying) when regular content has become stale. The temptations are great; you can even play God and refashion the world with you and your friends as the main heroes.
"It's a lot like having a (very limited) ability to create your own MMO with all the hard parts already taken care of," says Dustin "Witch Engine" Stroud, best known for his arc "Blight" (No. 140423). "I write for my friends and supergroup mates, not for the public at large. I try to make everything I add to a story have a point or purpose for being there, and love to sneak in tons of references to all sorts of things - game canon, other videogames, whatever I can."
I've never played CoX but this sounds like a great system- user-generated content in a direct manner. This is the kind of stuff we need to break out of the current static situation of passive worlds that players quickly tire of because they've seen it a dozen times before. It is also a step back towards the old D&D pencil paper and dice storytelling system, with customized adventures.
