18 replies to this topic

[WeReWalRuS]

So guys...what would it take for SOADA to be the best in the MOBA genre? What combination of things need to happen for this game to stand out and to stand strong?

Is it strong support?

A strong community?

Weekly/biweekly releases

More than one map?

Strong story?

[IanD967]

1. Community
2. Strong support post release
3. Good if not great gameplay mechanics.

[Kuggen]

I think the formula for being the king of a multiplayer oriented thinkers' game genre is a positive feedback loop between a large casual community and a respectable competitive scene. The competitive scene provides the game with a reputation of being well designed, well balanced and deep enough to withstand years of exploration by hundreds of smart people and still remain an interesting test of wits to them. The large casual community provides the critical mass of potential high level competitors and makes up most of the actual playerbase.

This is why chess was the king of board games until computers beat the champion. The main selling point was not "The queen can move both straight and diagonally, awesome!", "The board has stunning graphics!" or "The story is amazing!". The main selling point was the champions, chess was the game smart people play. At the same time anyone could quickly learn how each piece moves and start playing. If you wanted a nice battle of wits with a friend "the game smart people play" was an accessible option for you too.

This is why Starcraft is the king of RTS. It doesn't matter if another RTS game is better or not. Even if Starcraft is not the best RTS game it is still the game professional strategy gamers play and it would take another game many years to build up a competitive scene capable of challenging that title. At the same time anyone can play "the pro strategy game" through the story, play against the AI and against friends. That is why they put so much effort into the story of a competitive online game, the story is how casual players explore the game at a comfortable pace.

This is why League of Legends is the biggest MOBA. Riot puts a lot of effort into making the competitive scene look good with presence at events, prize pools and marketing to make it the MOBA for pros. At the same time compared to the rest of the genre the game is oversimplified, shallow, has a slightly less hostile reception for new players and more options for practicing. It's designed to be "the MOBA for noobs" but still stays respectable and appealing as long as they can keep up the image of being "the MOBA for pros".

Edited by Kuggen, 12 May 2012 - 10:03 AM.

[Sayan]

Great Marketing Team with lots of money to throw around :

No, but seriously it does help though...

[TTervel]

Sayan, on 12 May 2012 - 10:44 AM, said:

Great Marketing Team with lots of money to throw around :

No, but seriously it does help though...

As funny as it seams no matter what kind of game you crate if no one knows of it you will not succeed.

[Druff]

TTervel, on 12 May 2012 - 11:43 AM, said:

As funny as it seams no matter what kind of game you crate if no one knows of it you will not succeed.

'

Quite abvious eh ? ^^

But a small community like this is always way better than a huge community. And from this rather small community we will spread ! WE SHALL SUCCEED !

Edited by Druff, 12 May 2012 - 12:05 PM.

[CWheezy]

Marketing

[OwnageDaPwnage]

Just keeping it from being a replica of another game while providing great support and fun

[Martiniondarocs]

1. Community (Need players to play with and against)
2. Mechanics (The game needs to work and be poilshed)
3. Addictiveness (An addictive game keeps people playing!)

I feel if you have all those 3 elements a game will do fine

[WeReWalRuS]

I really hope that the community takes off...and we start to see things like LoL's Summoner's Showcase.

[IanD967]

The community has already taken off ;D it's just trying to control it's climb so that it doesn't go all over the place and blow up hehe.

[Martiniondarocs]

It has......but in order to keep it in place we need moral!.....a beta will bring moral up big time!

[Ekko_Tek]

1. Critical mass in players playing the game online
2. Fun, addictive gameplay that brings new creative features/mechanics

That's all it needs to succeed. You could say marketing, tournaments, etc. but that's really just means to an end for #1. You could say good balance, support, etc. but that's really just a sub-heading to #2.
I spent the last 2 weeks playing Dota2. It has #1 but for me not #2. It got old fast. It's so simple really. There is very little depth to the gameplay or the strategies available. It really takes very little in terms of raw skill. Voice communication with a set team and knowing the role of your hero and the best items for the hero is all there is to it. I'm hoping Soada will add a lot more variety and options to the gameplay and from what I've read, especially the recent interviews, it seems it should.

[murdeoc]

Ekko_Tek, on 28 May 2012 - 09:21 PM, said:

1. Critical mass in players playing the game online
2. Fun, addictive gameplay that brings new creative features/mechanics

That's all it needs to succeed. You could say marketing, tournaments, etc. but that's really just means to an end for #1. You could say good balance, support, etc. but that's really just a sub-heading to #2.
I spent the last 2 weeks playing Dota2. It has #1 but for me not #2. It got old fast. It's so simple really. There is very little depth to the gameplay or the strategies available. It really takes very little in terms of raw skill. Voice communication with a set team and knowing the role of your hero and the best items for the hero is all there is to it. I'm hoping Soada will add a lot more variety and options to the gameplay and from what I've read, especially the recent interviews, it seems it should.

agreed although i like to think that #1 can be reached through good and original gameplay. i like how i see a lot of my friends on steam have dear esther installed, that isn't a game at all, more like a digital movie. the sheer fact that it is something new (a bit downgraded by the fact it's a remake of a half life 2 mod) got a lot of ppl to buy it.

[Ekko_Tek]

I'd say #1 can be reached just through a free to play game and some marketing. To sustain that critical mass though, you need #2 as well. #2 for me is really about having multiple routes/options to success. It's boring when game design has one optimal strat or design and that's all you can do if you want to win. The best RTS games for example allow for multiple paths to victory - with multiple viable strategies. That's what keeps the meta game interesting and adds massive replayability.

[murdeoc]

yea i kinda know im not on the money, but like i said i like to think...
#2 is the reasons i am on this forum and want to play this game, the openness of being able to rts/moba your way into a 6vs6 game and invent strategies, try some new ways of kicking in doors or creatively turtle your way into a game makes this something i really want to play. i havent even played soase but from what i hear and read this new formule in their hands should do the trick and give me a game ive been wanting for a while...

[Sayan]

You can make any game successful, it all depends on what your definition of successful is? Call of Duty - Modern Face Palm is a very successful game franchise, its meta critic scores have always been above average and has broken many industry records but it has one of the worst user submitted meta critic scores in the gaming industry, is it a successful game franchise?

Beauty my friends is in the eye of the beholder and if the beholder is stupid, ignorant and absolutely retarded, then beauty is actually the Beast - Come at me Codlings :

Edited by Sayan, 04 June 2012 - 10:20 AM.
Inappropriate Slur

[CWheezy]

Sayan, on 31 May 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

Beauty my friends is in the eye of the beholder and if the beholder is stupid, ignorant and absolutely retarded, then beauty is actually the Beast - Come at me #$%$#$%!

Think about what you have done here. You imply a group of players are stupid, ignorant, and retarded, and then you use a common slur for being *** as being somehow bad! Do you think it is wrong to be ***?

Edited by IGP_Chris, 01 June 2012 - 10:16 AM.
inapropriate slur

[WeReWalRuS]

Sayan, on 31 May 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

You can make any game successful, it all depends on what your definition of successful is? Call of Duty - Moder Face Palm is a very successful game franchise, its meta critic scores have always been above average and has broken many industry records but it has one of the worst user submitted meta critic scores in the gaming industry, is it a successful game franchise?

Tons of people hate on this game, but you know what, they're still the minority. Too many people are busy playing the crap out of the series to complain. So...the user scores don't necessarily reflect the community's position. That said, it is getting old. I used to play hours upon hours of Cod all the time, but I can't play for more than an hour before I get bored. Once all the challenges are completed...there's nothing left for me. Leave it to Activision to send COD down the same path of Guitar Hero.

OTish: As for LoL, I'm surprised that its as popular as it is. Its relatively smple, but deep at the same time. Kinda like Street fighter in that regard. That said, there's only a few maps available, and considering how old the game is, it hasn't really changed all that much IMO. It has that pokemon/baseball card mentality though, in that it constantly provides players a means by which to collect things (heros).