Just an observation today.
While I'm sure game designers have some idea of the types of player they'd like their game to appeal to, nobody really knows what they'll get. As you've doubtless noticed, my musings on why CoH worked keep arriving at the same conclusion- the community, the one unknowable in the design of most games.
Well, unless you're one of the three dev teams vying to be the 'spiritual successor' to CoH, who are in an interesting spot.
They know *exactly* the type of community they'll be attracting....provided they can deliver a game world simulacrum of suitable fidelity. It's game development in Bizarro World- instead of making their game and seeing what sort of players coalesce around it, the job is constructing a game to fit the expectations of an existing community...which, further complicating matters, is haunted by the ghost of their former love.
It's a scenario that could easily veer off into Vertigo territory- in the comic book sense or the cinematic one.
Which is why I'm managing my expectations and trying not to pick any favorites.
Although being human I'm inclined toward Missing Worlds Media, where the highest percentage of forum pals turned game dev reside.
That's the one team I absolutely know have their hearts in the right place, and consequently the one I'm rooting the hardest for.
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