Tonnerre's page

I was a big fan of "Weapons of Legacy" back in the 3.5e era. If you can include mechanics that allow a character's magical weapon to grow as the character levels, that would be great. I've always thought it rather cheap that players acquire that +1 longsword at an early level, but discard it as soon as the next "bright and shinny" shows up. If a way existed for the item to increase in power as the character levels, that makes the character's bond with the weapon that much greater, and adds a deeper sense of RP and ownership within the game.

I have mixed feelings on this announcement, but sadly I am mostly concerned.

Online gaming is indeed a dangerous place to go. Everyone is competing for the same market share, and all everyone does is further split up the market, thereby each gaining a smaller and smaller share.

MMO's all come down to the characters and how they advance in the world. In general, there are 2 different character advancement routes:

1. Level-based advancement. This is the most popular as it seems most players identify with gaining experience and leveling up to gain the next greatest power. I still feel that WoW has the largest hold on the market that likes level-based advancement games. Many have tried to compete with them, and some have done a good job, for a short time. Getting players to try out a new MMO is usually not too difficult -- getting them to stay is extremely difficult.

2. Skill-based advancement. This is less popular but easier to provide game balance for. As you play, your skills increase, which allow you to do better things and provide access to powers which have skill amount pre-requisites. Ultima Online was one of the most interesting skill-based advancement games I have ever played. (Too bad they completely over-looked questing until many years after).

Every MMO promises to bring in new things that others haven't and Pathfinder Online also proposses this (although everything they say they are planning to do, has already been done in 1 or more MMO's).

It is my professional opinion that you need to go after niche markets to be successul in an MMO today, however the amount of production costs hardly warrant pursuing a niche market.

My suggestion to Paizo, is that you have built a story-rich world and have crafted many great adventures. Stick with what you do best. Forget about PVP, there's many other games out there that cater to those players (and some even do a very good job of this). Spending time trying to cater to all players, takes time away from focusing on your primary player base. (A major problem with PVP games, or empire/conquest type games, is that the people who play 8 hours a day, and create guilds with similar players, quickly dominate the scene.)

I suggest, focus on questing, and limit the timespawn of quests. Always keep them changing up. (Make most quests only available for a few months). This would drive people to keep checking around for what the next latest and greatest quest is.

Thanks to Diablo, the RPG scene has changed forever, and treasure seekers looking for the next best magic loot will be with us for a long time. This shouldn't be the focus for questing, but it has been successful, especially in Everquest and WoW. Consideration of how to balance item rewards will really shape how much people are enjoying the game through time.

I have the highest respect for Paizo and the brands they have taken on. I wish them a vast and successful career with their brands, but taking on an MMO I fear could lead to a lot of money lost. I don't think there is room for a fantasy RPG MMO. Many have come and gone, bringing in the things that Pathfinder Online proposes. I wish them success, but have concerns about Paizo in general in taking on such a project.

What would I like to see? I would love to a see an isometric-based RPG (like Diablo or Ultima Online) as opposed to first-person perspectives like everyone else is doing. I would like to see a skill-based advancement game instead of a level-based advancement game. I want to see many new and refreshing quests. I want to see a resource-based crafting system. (I liked how Ultima Online did this as you literally had to spend hours to days going out to harvest lumber, or ore, or skins -- most people would not find this fun or interesting, so rather than do this, they would just buy my finely crafted stuff from me).

Anyways, this is becoming a novel. I wish Paizo all the best in this endeavor, but unlike any other Paizo project I greatly have my doubts.

I would rather see this money spent on more pre-painted minatures, or a Paizo made Character Creator (don't get me started on Hero Labs), or a graphic combat manager (something like maptools) which could be displayed on a TV or projected on a wall.