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AC: Resurrection? Oh yes... this is interesting.
Padre-Adamo
Member Posts: 61
I have been doing plenty of investigating as of late regarding some Asheron's Call related websites and Turbine nameservers. I came across this one several months ago and probably should of posted it then but....
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www.asheronscallresurrection.com
Nameserver trace for www.asheronscallresurrection.com:
Looking for who is responsible for root zone and followed g.root-servers.net.
Looking for who is responsible for com and followed c.gtld-servers.net.
Looking for who is responsible for asheronscallresurrection.com and followed ns2.turbinegames.com.
Nameservers for www.asheronscallresurrection.com:
ns1.turbinegames.com returned (SERVFAIL)
ns2.turbinegames.com returned (SERVFAIL)
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I'm posting this here because I sent an e-mail to the devs asking what this URL was about and I never received a response. I no longer am subscribed to AC but I thought maybe with some pressure from the community they will answer what this URL is for. There are plenty of other URLs but this one was quite blatant as it has "Asheron's Call within it.
I will be at PAX East 2010 in Boston at the end of the month. In the event that Turbine is there, I intend to bring this topic up in-person.
-Padre
Comments
Good catch, except it was registered in 2002. My guess is it was a possible name for AC2 or an expansion to AC1. The domain is set to expire in 2011, it will be interesting to see if they renew it.
I noticed that as well. I'm not connecting the two by any means, but the interview I found also is very interesting.
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The MMO Gamer: Extra work aside, which ones did you find more fulfilling?
Jeffrey Steefel: It depends on which part of me you’re talking to. I think they’re both fulfilling for different reasons. If you’re talking to the pure creative design side of me, it’s always cooler to do your own thing, right?
On the other hand, by starting from something, especially something like Lord of the Rings that is so fleshed out, it gives you a lot of freedom to explore creatively in other ways, to really go to town on some of the other things that you might focus on.
Even just being able to build Angmar, having just the few things I know about it: I know the Witch King is from there, I know it’s in the north of Eriador, I know they burned The Shire way back when. It gives me a little bit of a hint about what’s going on, it doesn’t stop me from being unbelievably creative.
And also, the fact that it’s one thing if you’re building a 10-30 hour game, and I need to build from scratch IP, story, environment, everything to cover that. That’s creative and that’s manageable. If you tell me, “Ok, I need you to create a story and a world that’s going to at launch encompass 500 hours of gameplay, 70 million square meters, and feel full, and rich…” that feels pretty daunting to me.
I’m going to come back to you and say, “Great, I’d like 50 million dollars, please. And I’d like to take a team off into a corner for ten years to work on it.” There’s a reason that Spore() has been in development for what? Eight years, nine years?
The MMO Gamer: Thereabouts.
Jeffrey Steefel: Because that’s how something really new and innovative comes out at scale. They have been working on it, and working on it, and working on it, and working on it, and they’re in a position where they can. They’re inside of a company that can basically say “Ok, we’re going to take this tiny little percentage of our profit and we’re going to spend it on this R&D thing that’s just going to sit there for going on a decade, and maybe something unbelievable will come out of it.”
Turbine is really growing, and the success of LOTRO is really pushing that well, and we want to get to a place where we can do that, where we can just say, “You know, we don’t know where this thing’s going. And our business doesn’t depend on it going anywhere. And we’re just going to invest in it and really let it grow in a creative way.”
That’s the difference between the good old days of garage shop gaming companies that started up as a bunch of guys—Turbine started that way, Asheron’s Call, EverQuest(), Smedley was at 989 Studios with a small group of people just working on something that they loved, maybe it was going to turn into something big, maybe it wasn’t, that pressure wasn’t really there.
That’s where we need to get to. We need to get big enough on the things that we’re fairly certain can be successful to create those little sandbox areas for that stuff that might just crash and burn, or it might be the next amazing thing.
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I'm not relating this directly to AC. I just thought it was a pretty cool interview regarding the long investment in something innovative. I have lost a ton of faith in Turbine after the AC tenth Anniversary... and maybe even after Throne of Destiny, but it's nice to wonder if a new AC game ever came up at a meeting. The original link to the interview is below:
http://www.mmogamer.com/04/10/2008/interview-turbines-jeffrey-steefel-part-two
One can only hope a new AC will come out.
With all the lore they created in asheron's call, there is no way they will just close the book and move on. Once the servers die (god forbid) and the team sits back in their chairs - they will be amazed in how much content they created over the years. They will actually be able to build a game from scratch and bring in the old lore however they want to.
What really killed AC2 was their change up pitch on overall gameplay(the graphics and combat were amazing). They went typical mainstream with the skill tree. I don't know about you, but Asheron's call always was one of the most non-linear games to date (besides darkfall and MO that have just arrived). If they can keep their heads out of that mainstream "this is how an MMO should be" light - they will success.
Just my 2 cents, I think i've played over 40-50% of the mmo's on the gamelist but AC has always been my pick of mmo's. There is no doubt in my mind they will start another asheron's call project.
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I think Turbine was somewhat right with AC2. AC1 is too complicated to be a big hit. WoW has shown that the majority of gamers don't want a convoluted game like AC1. AC2 kept the lore of AC1 but simplified and modernized almost everything else.
There are many basic things in AC1 that need to be fixed besides the graphics:
- The game map in AC1 is worthless, AC2's game map was very handy. The AC2 map could caculate routes, had a zoom, and had all dungeons and other important places listed on it.
- Their is very little quest guidance in AC1. Quest tracking is also poorly implemented in AC1. AC2 had much better quest guidance and tracking.
- AC1 lacks an auction house. AC2 had NPCs were players could sell their items to other players.
- AC2 had mounts, AC1 does not.
- The death penalty in AC1 is a bit harsh. A vitae penalty is OK, but I don't like losing items. AC2 did away with item loss.
AC2 did lack some things though:
- AC2 didn't have housing. My guess is they planned to add it in an expansion.
- The skill tree system in AC2 was a bit lame. The AC1 skill system isn't perfect and could be improved, but the basic idea is good: anyone can train anything.
I hate quest tracking, I've actually quit all MMOs that have it at this point. It makes the game so instantly boring, you click a guy with a marker over his head, click ok without reading, click map to see where to go, go to area and look for highlighted thing. It creates the most simplified and boring game ever.
I hate auction houses, I much prefer trade bots. I would want them to give every player a trade bot spot who can be logged in even when you are playing another character. And setup a better marketplace where people rent booths and setup their bots. Auction houses kill games.
No need for mounts in a game where you run faster then games where you're on a mount. I'd rather them keep the ability to level up your guy to where he can run super fast and jump super high then limit the speeds and give mounts.
I hate games with no real penalty for dying. WAR for instance did a skill loss for a period of time but you just used death to knock out quests faster. Do all the quest in an area and then die to get back to the quest turn ins instantly. Turn in all the quests and run out again. By the time you get to the next quest area the penalty is gone. I prefer a game where you drop items when you die.
Basically all the things you've listed that you'd want changed would turn AC into another run of the mill MMO clone just like everything else out there. Not a good idea for a game like this.
While AC1 did not have an AH, what it DID have that the other games since have missed out on is that items I sold to a vendor could be purchased by other players. This made going to town interesting as "one man's junk is another man's treasure". When I was a noob, it was awesome to find a few piece here and there that helped me out that someone many levels higher thought of as trash.
The death penalty (dropping items) really wasn't a big deal once you were in the game. You'd just carry 4-5 "death items" of high value so if you didn't want to go back for your body, you just didn't.
The ability to customize your character to WHATEVER you wanted, was AC1's major strengths. No classes, everyone was truly different. You would have no idea how much health, run speed, etc. your opponent had like you do in current gen games. That made pvp much more exciting.
I see so many people that remark on Asherons Call.. be cause it was truely different and still is today... that why it had longevity... not many can say they have 10 years under their belt... EQ is another great game... even Anarchy Online it truely diffferent... and as far as complexity... why cant we have complex games again? with todays computers it would be easier to configure the engines etc... anyway... I wish they would bring back games like these.. and the more I talk to others the more I see its not only me... Kwosh
...LotRO seems to be working out well for Turbine.
The current AC1 players may not like such changes I suggest, but the number of AC1 players is minuscule. With a new game, Turbine would want to attract a larger audience, not just former AC1 players.
Merely updating the graphics in AC1 is a recipe for failure. Most people do not want to rely on third party sites and applications to play the game, which you have to in AC1. There are many things in AC1 that need to be changed for the game to be a big hit, not just a cult classic.
...LotRO seems to be working out well for Turbine.
The current AC1 players may not like such changes I suggest, but the number of AC1 players is minuscule. With a new game, Turbine would want to attract a larger audience, not just former AC1 players.
Merely updating the graphics in AC1 is a recipe for failure. Most people do not want to rely on third party sites and applications to play the game, which you have to in AC1. There are many things in AC1 that need to be changed for the game to be a big hit, not just a cult classic.
We have enough MMOs that are targetting the larger audience, which is why we have a lot of boring, bland, terrible MMOs right now. Several companies have created MMOs for more niche markets, it would make sense that if AC was upgraded/rereleased/whatever it would stay targetting the niche it targets now. But to bring in more players it would have updated graphics, it would have some tweaked systems. The core of the game would remain.
To do otherwise would mean losing the current audience (and all the former AC players who want a newer better looking AC but won't play with the current graphics) and now fighting against all the mainstream large MMOs that are already out. We've seen how this hasn't been working out well for MMOs lately, games like WAR target that exact audience and get a bunch of sales. But a couple months later they've lost 90% of the players because it's the same as everything else.
I do admit mainstream MMO can earn more money, however until now when supply meets demand already there are many games just too similar.
I appreciate what Turbine did LOTRO because they did written a well story and polished game for us to enjoy as MMO even the mechanic is very similar to WoW. However, as I said while supply meets our demand we now want something new.
I, to be honest, if some other company or even Turbine decide to do another MMO that is very similar (not exactly same) to AC1, then I'm use this will be a refreshment out of many WoW clones.
Also I do not feel AC1 is too complicated, in fact, there are so many exploration to do that previous replies in this thread had mention ( such as limitless customization, town-to-town check new items on vendors, etc) that will make people wanna involve more in the game than just follow the marker to kill x monsters and bring yourself back to quest giver and claim xp. I pretty much prefer doing dungone and claim the rewards in random drops or some specific weapons/armors. That is the best thing I love about AC1.
Anyway, yes AC1 need polish too, but first I hope there are some madness companies or even Turbine can start something like AC1 !!! We need it !!! (YES PLEASE LISTEN TO US TURBINE) !!
I agree. Besides auto-attack AC1 had everything right.
I liked how when a quest first came out you had to put together clues to find out where it was. I even liked grinding golems for motes.
Add the swing system of Oblivion and graphics along the lines of Lineage II, though not quite as stylized, and you'd have a great game. Maybe not a WoW killer, but it'd definately have 200k to 500k subs. It would appeal to the asian market as well if they threw in a few flashy combat moves, that could easily be added as skills.
Padre did you ever go to PAX?
I completely forgot about this post all. My apologies!!! I did goto PAX. One of the devs there stated that he really wanted to work on AC2 again. I asked him about Asheron's Call sequels or remakes or anything new regarding the Asheron's Call engine and he seemed to avoid the question and a little shady as well. To be honest, I think it was just the idea of being asked that stuff. I do not believe Turbine is working on anything AC-related unfortunately.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Why would they need to attract a larger audience? That is the problem with studios today aiming for millions of players in recent MMO's have not panned out to well , its best to make a niche MMO and stick with a group of people that were fans of the game and improve on and expand on the features of the original game, you don't get larger audiences unless you make a unique game something that sets it self apart from all the garbage out there , making another "standard" MMO doesn't cut it anymore these days and the recent offerings in the industry have shown just that.
There is reason people made odd softdrinks. There was already Coke and Pepsi. . sure you could make another Cola and compete against them. A new "brand" of the same thing will get support at launch, like a new Cola, and then fade away. You need to make a Mountain Dew. . sure, a lot fewer people like it. . but the ones that do would take it over Coke or Pepsi long term. Same thing goes for MMOs. . except now there are about 8 cola games out there and very few other variaties. it doesn't matter if you attract a large crowd with your mini-map and quest helper if they are not going to stay.
Wa min God! Se æx on min heafod is!
Actually I believe Mountain Dew is Pepsi's best selling soda and rivals Coke's numbers. But other then that the point is correct. Poor Mellow Yellow, I liked that back in the day but Coke decided it couldn't compete against Mountain Dew anymore.
Anytime someone comes to AC and decides they don't like it they say the same thing which amounts to "They should make a new AC that is a WoW clone." People who play WoW and WoW clones don't get the concept of having truly different options in games to play.
Did I say I want raids and instances? Did I say I want level and item restrictions? Did I say I want players herded into specific areas? Making the game easier to play doesn't neccisarily mean make a WoW clone. A lot of the things I said are already implemented by Decal and third party sites. I'd like to play an AC where I don't have to rely on third party apps and sites so much.
It would be OK to have a smaller audiance IF a lot of money wasn't invested. The problem is Turbine isn't a small company anymore. I don't see them spending a little money for a little audiance. Instead I see them making more big time games like DDO and LotRO.
Exactly.. I used to love hanging around teth looking for good stuff..
I also purchased stuff from vendors in EQ as well that people didnt know were worth a TON on the bizzare and would make money that way.
I would give my left-nut for an AC revival.
November is slated to be a big patch, good time to resub. Or resub now so you're all leveled up for the big patch.
I'm wondering about AC's fate now that Time Warner bought out Turbine to be honest.
An MMO that still makes money, requires minimal resources to maintain and contains a core group of evangelists dedicated to both the brand and the company - I'd say it's going to be around for a while.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre