Top 20 most influential people in MMOs

[Krandor]

How can the list be full of blizzard entires when they only had one entry into the MMO field. So you put the producer, and maybe the designer or whatever of WoW, but then what else is there?

Are you really that stupid? Blizzard dominates the MMO world and likely will for years to come.

[Charismatic]

Are YOU really that stupid?
Programming the mobs doesn't make you influential even if your game is popular.

There's really only maybe a couple of people from Blizzard that would have a place on that list.

[Krandor]

Are YOU really that stupid?
Programming the mobs doesn't make you influential even if your game is popular.

There's really only maybe a couple of people from Blizzard that would have a place on that list.

For a list of "influence" in 2007, a programmer for WoW would have alot more going for him then 95% of the other people involved in the MMO industry.

[Correction]

Is the reasoning and examples of any listed person's influence expanded upon in the actual print magazine? Or did they just shit out a list and say 'GOOD JOB GAMING JOURNALISTS!'?

Are YOU really that stupid?
Programming the mobs doesn't make you influential even if your game is popular.

Making a game which significantly raises the bar on endgame encounter design (WoW) is pretty influential. It's more than just 'programming mobs.'

[Charismatic]

You obviously didn't understand my post.
I'm not even going to give you a serious reply due to that Correction.

Also, Krandor, it doesn't work like that.
The little people in the industry don't really have much influence, it's the designers and producers that do.
Pretty much everyone else doesn't matter as long as they know how to do what they are told to do.

[Xavier]

Most people attribute greatness to the Director, not the cameraman.

Do you praise Hideo Kojima or the man who wrote the code to make sure the guns fired properly?

[Correction]

You obviously didn't understand my post.
I'm not even going to give you a serious reply due to that Correction.

You make a flippant, sarcastic remark about 'programming mobs' and refuse to clarify what you said. I guess U WIN AT INTARNETZ DEBATE. Thank God you're around to arbitrate what makes someone influential with crisp, unambiguous prose! Take THAT, network operations and customer service!

[Charismatic]

Uh, from Krandor's response, it looks like he understood just fine. (While he doesn't agree with it)
I don't think problem is the way I worded that.

[Plow]

Char, seriously, look up the names on the list I gave, google or maybe wowiki or whatever. The people I listed are the major people, there are dozens and dozens more that are the "little guys" you're thinking of, everyone I listed makes major decisions that impact the entire market dramatically.

[Correction]

There aren't any programmers on that list. Or Plow's.

Krandor never named programmers as being influential until after you used the term 'programming mobs doesn't make you influential.'

I'm saying 'There are no programmers on either list, clearly what the men and women listed do is influential due to rising standards in MMO design. Let's not belittle what they bring to the MMO scene by saying they merely program the mobs.'

And I'd put any programmer over Sage Sundi's 'influence.' The man is a walking symbol of stonewalling and fumbling incomprehension. The Beckett list is badly made but I see little reason to tear down Rob Pardo or anybody Plow listed as a code monkey of some kind.

But I guess asking for an inch of respect from Charismatic is liking pulling fucking teeth.

[Charismatic]

@Plow
1-5 maybe, the rest, no.

There aren't any programmers on that list. Or Plow's.

Krandor never named programmers as being influential until after you used the term 'programming mobs doesn't make you influential.'

I'm saying 'There are no programmers on either list, clearly what the men and women listed do is influential due to rising standards in MMO design. Let's not belittle what they bring to the MMO scene by saying they merely program the mobs.'

And I'd put any programmer over Sage Sundi's 'influence.' The man is a walking symbol of stonewalling and fumbling incomprehension. The Beckett list is badly made but I see little reason to tear down Rob Pardo or anybody Plow listed as a code monkey of some kind.

But I guess asking for an inch of respect from Charismatic is liking pulling fucking teeth.

Honestly, do you even know what you're talking about?
It sure doesn't look like it.

[Plow]

@Plow
1-5 maybe, the rest, no.

There aren't any programmers on that list. Or Plow's.

Krandor never named programmers as being influential until after you used the term 'programming mobs doesn't make you influential.'

I'm saying 'There are no programmers on either list, clearly what the men and women listed do is influential due to rising standards in MMO design. Let's not belittle what they bring to the MMO scene by saying they merely program the mobs.'

And I'd put any programmer over Sage Sundi's 'influence.' The man is a walking symbol of stonewalling and fumbling incomprehension. The Beckett list is badly made but I see little reason to tear down Rob Pardo or anybody Plow listed as a code monkey of some kind.

But I guess asking for an inch of respect from Charismatic is liking pulling fucking teeth.

Honestly, do you even know what you're talking about?
It sure doesn't look like it.

You cut off your "agreement" before Alex Afrasabi, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about yourself.

[Charismatic]

He's popular, and has been for awhile, but what trends in MMOs has he influenced?
None that I know of.

[Correction]

Innovation in raid design isn't influential? The trend from 80 man (EQ) to 40 man to 10/25 man (WoW) raid encounter design, Heroic difficulty, and overall TBC Boss design may not seem 'influential' now but that's only because not enough time has passed since their release to get spread out amongst the new generation of MMOs. They're all incredibly good ideas and gamers will always compare new MMOs to the best parts of old MMOs. Pooh-poohing it now is a little premature.

[Charismatic]

Pumping it up to be the greatest thing since sliced bread is a little premature as well.
That's probably why they aren't on the list.

Which goes right back to BRP's comment earlier in the thread.


Not to mention, we all know WoW's endgame isn't even the reason the game is so successful.

[Plow]

He's popular, and has been for awhile, but what trends in MMOs has he influenced?
None that I know of.

bold is the key

He's responsible for pretty much the entire Daily Quest system, all of the attunement quests, basically all of the solo and leveling content that really defines WoW as what it is, a game for everyone that can take massive amounts of time or be played for 20 minutes.

[Charismatic]

OK.
So what has that done for MMOs in general?

I mean, to be highly influential in the field of MMOs your changes have to have some kind of impact on more than JUST the game you work on.

The only shit you're getting into is WoW related.
How has that quest system you love so much changed other MMOs?

[MisterBob]

In my opinion, all WoW has done is damaged a lot of the MMO industry as a whole. It is a good game, but now many large organizations are shoveling out MMOs in an attempt to cash in, instead of actually developing good ones. Meanwhile, the small companies that actually produced good MMOs are being pushed out, and lack funding to continue developing things that don't actually suck.

[Charismatic]

Well, that would still be considered influence... unfortunately!

[Plow]

OK.
So what has that done for MMOs in general?

I mean, to be highly influential in the field of MMOs your changes have to have some kind of impact on more than JUST the game you work on.

The only shit you're getting into is WoW related.
How has that quest system you love so much changed other MMOs?

Dude have you played anything other than FFXI since WoW came out?