If I owned a game creating company.

[Draxe]

I'd buy up Istaria, but not update it in the traditional way. I would let it be as it is, with the few hundred people playing, with the 500-1000 subs. But what I would do with the intellectual property.

I would start a new game kindof an Istaria II. Use a new game engine (this is what Unreal III engine at it's worst?) something between WoW's engine and CryEngine. Recreate all the classes/spells/land almost in replicate, just make it look better.

It'd be like going from bunny ears to HDTV.

I don't see why this isn't feasible, plenty of companies make NEW games all the time, wouldn't it be easier to make new graphics (which have to be done for new games anyways) and just use the same basic principles of a game you just bought?

This would then allow me (as the game company owner) to advertise the game as New and highlight all the awesome things about istaria that would get everyone's attention without them saying "yea but it looks like Warcraft III if you let people control the camera"

anyways just my thought. This is the only way I can see Istaria becoming a hit again, nobody is joining World of Warcraft because they just saw Patch 3.2.1.1.2312.3.123123.123. come out and it's got a new cool quest.

[Kodey]

I constantly wish that this would happen. I have so much love for this game. I would trade being able to change things on the fly in-game for an updated graphics engine.

[RuneDragoon]

It costs money... lots of it.

And I'm not talking of something like $100. More like thousands of dollars... and when you change that you also have to update a lot of other things, like the software and tools used to build the game, which can rack up the bill further by additional thousands of dollars.

[Radamanthas]

It costs money... lots of it.

And I'm not talking of something like $100. More like thousands of dollars... and when you change that you also have to update a lot of other things, like the software and tools used to build the game, which can rack up the bill further by additional thousands of dollars.

Yes. Having been a game developer myself, in the past, I am in a position to say that scope of the change suggested here is MASSIVE...and would likely involve tens of thousands of dollars, rather than thousands. Not to mention that even if you were going to translate resources from the original game to the new one, it would still take hundreds (or more likely thousands) of man-hours of work to accomplish. And if you were going to create new game resources, from scratch, you can multiply those man-hours by a factor of at least 10.

From what I understand, VI simply does not have the resources (money and manpower) to do this effectively. Creating a playable MMO is a LOT of hard work...creating one that will support itself financially (becomes popular with paying players) is extremely hard - and subject to the whims of the market.

If VI were to attempt this, I think it would be very likely that they would have to focus all their collective attentions on it, to the point of utterly ignoring this game we have now - not a good thing for us players. However, I think it extremely unlikely that you will see this happen, unless VI (the company) suddenly comes into a good deal more money AND manpower.

[Shian]

Also keep in mind the number of MMOs that were wonderful ideas and fun games but fell under because they weren't able to support themselves. It's VERY easy to go bankrupt no matter how much money, love and manpower is put in.

[Kodey]

Someone win the lotto!

[Brophy]

I'd be happy with a game that just had the crafting system and its features....until then I just keep waiting and coming back here

[alastar devil]

kind of an evil animation there brophy

[Deth]

Nothing like the Bounce Bounce once I have seen around. i could stare at it for hours........

[alastar devil]

i dont like it, looks like a baby, bothers me

[awdz]

i dont like it, looks like a baby, bothers me

bothers me too, i mostly skip reading his post because i don't want to see the animation. just noticed that i can see what he says without the animation if i reply and read the posts while in the mode of composing the reply, though.

[Vaz]

If you have Firefox and Adblock you can hide any image.

[RuneDragoon]

disturbing image is disturbing.

Moving on... We need a random millionaire to give virtrium some money and see what they do with it...

[Draxe]

I wasn't suggesting that VI do it.

I keep hearing of all these "new" MMOs coming out, and I'm just wondering why someone doesnt just buy the rights to Istaria, and recreate it in a new engine instead of making one from scratch.

In business it's always more expensive to hire a new employee than to retain an old employee. Why not retain this old employee and just give it a promotion :P

Anyways just a thought, if I win the lottery... lol. We should make an istaria wide pact, if any one of us wins the lottery, we'll redo Istaria just as it is, just make it look HAWT.

[peladon]

I wasn't suggesting that VI do it.

I keep hearing of all these "new" MMOs coming out, and I'm just wondering why someone doesnt just buy the rights to Istaria, and recreate it in a new engine instead of making one from scratch.

In business it's always more expensive to hire a new employee than to retain an old employee. Why not retain this old employee and just give it a promotion :P

Anyways just a thought, if I win the lottery... lol. We should make an istaria wide pact, if any one of us wins the lottery, we'll redo Istaria just as it is, just make it look HAWT.

My words are but the whisper of a forgotten wind. Let them be lost or found as suits the seeker.

Old I am, wise one. Old and Fool.. but I have seen other gods in this land. I have seen other gods with the coin to buy our land. and I have lived through those gods.

I do not wish to live through such again.

Gods with much coin seek that that coin be gathered to them again, aye and past gathered. Gathered with much to accompany it. And how to do that? Why.. to appeal to the teeming masses. And I have seen those gods that have tried to do so... and none of their lands are Istaria.

If the gods we have do not have the huge coin others do, well and all. They are the gods that returned Blight to the living lands. If the gods we have do not have the huge coin others do, still they be the gods that gave the Lost of Unity new life.

If there are gods that have the huge vaults of coin, and there are gods that have the heart and spirit and love of the land ( fro clearly they do not labour for great gain of coin)... then let the vaults lie unopened. Let heart and spirit guide our gods and not coin.

And if ever they have coin also.. then will we see what we will see.

My words are but the whisper of a forgotten wind. Let them be lost or found as suits the seeker.


Sephiranoth, called by some ShadowSeeker
Nobody and Nothing ever, save The Five do Feast
A Fool that walks among the Wise

[C`gan]

Personally, after having seen and/or been in Vanguard, LotRO, and WoW, I say I'll stick with Istaria AS IS. I hate the UI the other has. I've also seen how on those games, a dual core machine like mine gets reduced to only a single core being used, the other half of the machine completely ignored. No thanks. At least Istaria uses both cores as I set it up.

[velveeta]

amen, beloved fool........
i too lived thru the time of death for my shard, and would much rather have a small, poverty stricken team of devs that CARES about the game than a large group of well funded profit seekers......
wow and such others may look pretty (and i play them) but only istaria is home........

[Radamanthas]

amen, beloved fool........
i too lived thru the time of death for my shard, and would much rather have a small, poverty stricken team of devs that CARES about the game than a large group of well funded profit seekers......
wow and such others may look pretty (and i play them) but only istaria is home........

Indeed......but sure would be nice to have a team of devs that care AND have butt-loads of cash

[RuneDragoon]

For once I understand what sephiranoth has said. And to our beloved fool, I thank you for saying it.

[LOVWYRM]

*bows to Sephiranoth*
your words maybe a whisper, but they are so essential- and most appreciated