Cayn's page

Does GW intend to have a group of volunteers or in-house employees specifically dedicated to running in-game RP events and progressing the storyline of the NPC nations? Or will those kingdoms/settlements be fairly static?

An actual in-game "Goblin Squad" is a fantastic idea. This could be a great mechanism to introduce and progress epic story arcs without having to do the massive content patch.

Looks like they corrected the article:

Avid table-top RPG fans may have been the only ones to pick up on this project, which seemingly has been flying under the radar. Currently being developed by Goblinworks and Paizo, Pathfinder Online is set to be a hybrid of both Theme Park MMORPG and Sandbox MMORPG. Also, players will have the choice of either paying a subscription or playing for free with the option of cash shop purchases.

Late addition:

4- Player created factions that reward reputation, and possibly negative reactions from other player factions, when completing that faction's created quest and/or dungeons.

Hey dudes, link. In case you hadn't seen this. :-)

LINKY

Interesting.

The idea of RTS game play being introduced into a MMO would be a pretty killer feature. But, let's be honest, that would be a HUGE undertaking and would take away from what needs to be focused upon...core game features and mechanics.

I think BioWare is experiencing that right now with SW:TOR. The character story aspect of that game is an AWESOME game feature, but there is too much of it with all the little zone quest. I think they easily could have dropped a quarter of the solo story line, and spent that time on balance issues, additional Flash Points, end game issues, etc.

Would I like to see something later on like that? Absolutely! Maybe Goblinworks, some third party dev, or a community member equipped with a tool kit could develop it after launch as a type of module add-on game pack.

Wish List:

1- The ability to create and sell player generated content. Take a page from Neverwinter Nights 2 Electron Toolset and Apple's App store. Approved player created adventure modules that both Goblinworks and the creator can profit from.

2- Transparency of information and game data. Offer an API so third-parties can develop tools and game enhancements. I'm convinced that part of WoW's success was the ability of the community to develop useful in-game add-ons, and in many cases some of these add-ons being later incorporated into the core game. Again, offer these things through an approved application marketplace.

3- Open Source. I would love to hear that this game would have a native Linux client, but I also know that is not realistic. What would be cool is a project being open so other interested parties could work on things like Wine compatibility.

PvP as sport is not a primary objective of the game design, but there are places (one place in particular) where gladiatorial battles could be introduced. It isn't something we're worrying about at the moment though.

This is good to hear. I would much rather see this game's development pay attention and explore the possibilities of PvP and it's relationship to the macro-economic aspect of this game.

Hopefully, Goblinworks also looks into offering an API so third-parties can design and offer innovative ways to interact with the game. For example, an iPhone app that warns me when resource points have stopped harvesting or are under attack, and offers me limited actions (i.e: new build orders, replenish consumables, summon guards, call allies for assistance, etc.).