Interview with Brian Green of NDS: Meridian 59, Part 2

If you missed it, I began an interview series with Brian Green, CEO of Near Death Studios and Lead Developer for Meridian 59. Today, we talk about the MMOG industry in general, and how it relates to Meridian 59.

Mystery: About what are you most excited for your game? What sets your game apart from its direct competitors?

Brian: I think the thing that makes me most excited about Meridian 59 is that we are able to offer it as an independent game. We're able to really make the game appeal to a more select audience without reservation. Most larger companies are afraid to cater to a niche audience, because it means less income.

Unfortunately, the word "niche" has become a bit of a dirty word to some people. It really shouldn't be, because it means that we cater to people better than the bigger games do. For example, we've focused a lot on making PvP fun, balanced, and interesting. This means that PvP in Meridian is a bit more sophisticated, it has consequence and meaning; we've worked to discourage the type of casual ganking that plagues other PvP type games. No, not everyone is going to be interested in PvP, but a lot of people are given the interest in competitive games like FPS or RTS games. You won't find this goal in many other games, because PvP is viewed as something that limits your maximum audience size.

Really, it's the focus on PvP combat in addition to the social aspects of the game that really let Meridian 59 shine compared to other games. We are able to give players what they want without worrying about attracting hundreds of thousands of subscribers to break even. It's a lot easier to give several thousand people what they want rather than trying to give several hundred thousand people what they really want out of a game.

Mystery: Meridian 59, the version from Near Death Studios, was almost quietly killed before it even began. Can you tell us what happened?

Brian: Sure. One thing to keep in mind is that 3DO viewed online games as a whole as a failure. Trip has said many times that the market isn't ready for online games. Meridian 59 didn't live up to expectations, so they said that online games overall were a failure.

When 3DO closed down Meridian 59 in August of 2000, they had very few people on staff that knew much about the game. I had left a few months earlier, and I was one of the last people to work on the technical side of things. So, after they shut it down they went about repurposing the machines that used to be the game servers; it was rather humorous, because the machines were so underpowered compared to more modern machines.

However, one of the Guardians (the in-game name for customer service representatives) took the main development server and put it in his cube. He did it for mostly selfish reasons; he wanted to look at the game more and see how it worked. But, when Rob and I were purchasing Meridian 59 from 3DO late 2001, the machine proved to be the last remaining location for the source code of the game. I don't doubt that the machine would have been scrubbed if it had been collected as normal, thus ending the commercial life of Meridian 59.

It's a bit sad, but it makes sense once you understand the context. As I said, 3DO viewed Meridian 59 as a relative failure, even though it was profitable for the entire time I worked on it. They just didn't put much value in it.

Mystery: In a relatively simple but successful title called "Toontown", players are only allowed limited interaction. The common reaction from experienced players was that the game would never succeed as the majority of any online game's entertainment and engagement is based on dynamic content that falls naturally out of human interaction. As it turns out, the game works, simply because the level of interaction is metered, and everyone is one has the same skill at interaction. Can you see any sort of limitation or modification to the way players interact in your game as a benefit or determent?

Brian: While it may not be ideal for every game, I think unrestricted communication adds a lot to most games. Meridian 59 has a global broadcast channel which allows everyone in the game to interact. Admittedly, sometimes this devolves into pointless smack-talking which can detract from the experience. However, it also allows for a high level of interaction between players.

In a PvP context, this means that you can have some very interesting political situations. Players can interact with other players in order to gain their support in an upcoming war with another guild. Or, players may goad others into fighting among themselves. It provides for a lot more interesting situations to arise in a PvP-focused game like Meridian 59.

However, this policy does create more work for us. We have rules against harassment of other people in the game. We take action against other people for being abusive to other people outside the context of the game, and have even had to ban people due to repeated violation of the rules we've established.

Mystery: Speaking of limitations, almost every title on the market has, at its core, a metric of violence by which a player can measure himself against another. One title, A tale in the desert, stands out from the rest as combining the standard interface and interaction with which we're all familiar, but absolutely no violence. How far can a player advance in your world without picking up the proverbial sword or blaster?

Brian: In theory, you could play a pacifist. Meridian 59's use-based system allows you to practice a wide variety of non-violent spells without having to engage in combat. You would be disadvantaged, however, in that you must enter into combat in order to gain hit points. You will also be stuck with the Guardian Angel which restricts your actions against other people who are engaged in PvP.

In practice, I've seen very few players pick this path for their main characters. Most people prefer to build their characters using all available resources and engage in PvP combat with others. However, some of the best PvP fighters are the ones most reluctant to get into fights in the first place. Also, given the political nature of the game, you could work to avert war between two different guilds if you wish, playing a true pacifist's role.

Mystery: One of the standard barriers to effortless advancement is what's come to be known as the "level treadmill". While a certain amount of work is naturally required to make the rewards in the game worthwhile, players commonly argue that not enough inventiveness is built into the leveling or staging system to make it any more relevant than a simple time sink. What does your game do to mitigate what players may otherwise consider a monotonous activity?

Brian: One characteristic of the treadmill is that you never get a feeling of really advancing. You use your Fireball 9 spell to kill the 9th level goblin, doing 25% of its health in damage; this is identical to when you were using your Fireball 1 spell to kill the level 1 goblin, doing 25% of its health in damage. Sure, the numbers are bigger, but is that really fun and exciting? What's the point in advancing if all you're going to do is use essentially the same powers to fight the same enemies?

One point of pride is that Meridian 59's spells are mostly unique. Out of the 150 or so spells, there are very few that can be describe as "same as this other spell, only more powerful". The only spells I can think of like this are the 3 different "healing" spells. Even those are different because the weaker spells are more mana and cost efficient, but heal less damage per cast than the higher level spells. So, you aren't just advancing levels to get more powerful versions of spells you already have; you're advancing levels to get new spells with new effects.

It's the same with monsters. The simple giant centipedes you kill as a less experienced character are quite different than the Dark Angels that make mirror images of themselves and attack you with spells. You won't just find a thousand different types of goblins to fight.

Additionally, character advancement is a lot more interesting. You can advance your character in different schools of spells. You aren't just advancing your one level statistic by gaining experience points, you're advancing your spells and skills by using them. You gain hit points by fighting tough monsters. You gain levels in different spell schools by learning enough in the current level you know. Yes, you still have to work to advance, but it's not a mindless "xp grind" like you find in other games.

Stay tuned for Part 3!