To be fair, we've said variants on that theme almost every time we've discussed our planned schedule. I suspect we're just going to have to produce what we're planning, and let the chips fall where they may. The success of the game at each stage will be all the convincing that the world will need, in the end.
Yeah that is true but more variants more chances of tangles and list in translations.
Really looking forward to the first release.
Me personally I hope it turn out more than simply a COX clone with new skin to "poke at a certain company" and end up more being that CoT is CoT standing on it's own. ANd even more so, may be pipe dream or too much hope talking that it will finally put super hero games on the map and not just a miniature map that a very small percentage of gamers play and or know about but big enough and successful enough to be mentioned in the same page and same manner on the same level as the big dogs of the mmo world. When it comes out, I hope there is lot of "Hey, you could do that in an MMO?" instead of "Good game, it's like COX in this way, it plays like COX in that way, that map look like COX, that power plays like COX, this is not like COX, that is not like COX, this aint COX, This is COX." and instead be like "this is CoT bringing stuff in an MMO that never been brought before." Kind of like Halo did. FPS shooter and storyline? Prior to Halo that was unheard of and considered not belonging in a FPS. Halo came out, threw out that rule and now FPS can hardly be said without mentioning Halo. I wish CoT to be on that level. Of course that means taking risks, questioning the rules of MMO that been laid down by fantasy game builders that most mmo makers don't question or are a afraid to question. Even COX took the first step and those that played, most loved it. Now I hope CoT take the the next steps that COX couldn't. To me, that is what being a successor means. Not merely being a copy with new skin and new graphics or doing stuff that COX would have done if the engine was up dated. But take their path and where they fell, get keep going up that mountain of "Hey, EQ rules says an MMO is suppose to have this this and that and play like this and people are supposed to team and supposed to have recharge and slow combat and supposed to be nudged into social." and blow that mountain up make your own rules and dare someone to say something. If that happens win or fail, CoT will then be remembered not merely a COX copy but a set of devs that started something. And then people will be trying to copy CoT, and od it how CoT did it and tweak the way CoT did it. Instead of well lets do it this way because the guys from the EQ era said it's supposed to be done this way while ignoring the fact that the reason those games were hits because they made their own rules. And you are not going to beat a 900lb gorilla at it's own rules. That is why they made them and want people to follow them so that they can remain the 900lb gorilla and everyone get what every money is left over. And sadly too many game makers been too content on doing just that instead of aiming for greatness. Even if one fall short of greatness they are still good. But if they merely aim to be good enough, if they fall short then they end up not good.
Never know how high one can reach until they aim for it and break the bonds of the rulers. Look over at the internet, gamers are itching for something new and not merely an update of the same old stuff for the past 20 years. It's a whole market gold mine that mmo makers been ignoring mostly thus far. One man trash is another man's treasure. Eventually someone will scoop them up. Will it be CoT? Or will they pass? Will they say years down the road could of should would of and try to play the impossible catch up later on when another set of game makers take that risk and run with it and hit it big when that could have been CoT? Or will CoT take their opportunity to get it first strike and make everyone else catch up to them and really start a revolution. Like I said, it may be too much hope, but one day it will happen. I hope that it is a super hero game and not another fantasy crew that take the opportunity again like they did in the 90s and again in the 2004 to keep their stronghold on the market.
The reality of it is that MWM isn't the first small company to try and create a game. Most of the big wigs started off like that. And they probably wont be the last. The difference is with things like kickstarter and the vast internet, it's easier than ever for small companies to come up. They just have to stop playing by rules of what is a MMO game or RPG or even super hero game must be and make CoT and then say CoT is a super hero game and reach great success and rewrite the rules. All the games that are in power went through this without kickstarter and crowd funding. They grew so powerful that they have people scared to buck their trend. That is what they want. They don't want anyone bucking the trend until they decide to buck the trend and make even more money and everyone still have to follow their lead. As I said COX bucked the trend a little. Super hero MMO? prio to 2003, the idea got laughed at. Now super hero mmos are cropping up and are considered legit MMO. That is COX legacy. What will be CoT legacy? There are hundreds if not thousands of games that simply followed the rules, and end up failing and don't even have a legacy or even remembered. Buck the trend, even if the fish hit shan, CoT at least can go down being remembered for bucking the trend and maybe have others follow suite or even better, leave enough opening in the door to try it again more refined. AKA going through all this trouble all this warm fuzzy all this bucking against the corporate in speech, at go hard. What is the point of an Indie game maker if they are just going to follow the corporate rules of how a mmo is supposed to be? Many indie companies found out the hard way that there isn't a point and they are not remembered and their game ended up being a complete failure by any measure besides another showing out of the thousands showings of a group of people can get together and make a game.
At the same time though I think MWM know what they are doing for better or worse and all I said is probably nothing new or something they didn't know. But now the hard part come. They could take easy street or climb the mountain. Either way could result in a great game. And yeah there probably will be set backs, mysterious bugs, features that looked good on paper that didn't work well in practice, WTF moments, joyous moments, "anyone see this? Hello? Why is no one paying attention to this great accomplishment?" moments, "Why are they paying attention to such a little detail? Get off our backs!" moments, "Just throw it in there and see what happens" moments , fist through computer monitor moments, damned if you do damned if you don't moments and etc that every game maker from WoW, from when Blizzard was some small company when people was saying "Who the hell is Blizzard. They have no experience in making games. They will fail.", to Sony to EA, and Valve all went and go through. But one thing the MMO world is lacking and probably one of the reasons console games are eating MMO games alive all the while encrouaching onto MMO territory without challenge is that many MMO makers get power and forget all about the players, the money, the supporters that got them there. And what I mean by that is not focus merely on the supporters that are "yes people" but all supporter and all the players so when they enter the product they feel like they were kept in mind instead of getting itno the game to find out only one section of the supporters were paid attention to and the rest get "thanks for the money, but no soup for you." That is what lead to so many games downfall, many that had great opening and great fanfare but within a year or two faded into obscurity. They forget all their supporters in favor of focusing on their personal belief of what the game should be and reward only those that agreed with their every move.
