[Fozzik]

I don't know if you guys have seen this already, but it's a fantastic post. It really captures the essence of just about every game forum during development.

You may wonder why I posted this in the Vanguard forum... scroll down in the comments a bit and see if you see a comment from a name you recognize. VERY amusing!



http://eatingbees.brokentoys.org/201...etaphorically/

[mmorpeegee]

I used to love cookies, then I got a taste for ice cream and realised it was pretty good too, then I tried cookies again and my love for them was rekindled. I then tried both ice cream AND cookies again, many times, and now I have to admit that I'm tired of them both. I now want a whole new dessert, made with new ingredients, but which is as amazing as my first cookie, as smooth as my first taste of ice cream.

[AsheMan]

His "design team" pushed him towards ice cream? Pretty much encapsulates his complete inability to be a leader. Wasn't Silius on the design team? He used the wording "was/is on the design team" inferring that this team or person is still in a position to push games towards ice cream.

[Loampounder]

Originally Posted by AsheMan

His "design team" pushed him towards ice cream? Pretty much encapsulates his complete inability to be a leader. Wasn't Silius on the design team? He used the wording "was/is on the design team" inferring that this team or person is still in a position to push games towards ice cream.

Yes, that is the only name that comes to mind. The post is from July, but there were very few Sigil designers still on the VG team then.

[tdewey10]

Originally Posted by AsheMan

His "design team" pushed him towards ice cream? Pretty much encapsulates his complete inability to be a leader. Wasn't Silius on the design team? He used the wording "was/is on the design team" inferring that this team or person is still in a position to push games towards ice cream.

Yeah, don't know him of course, but from all accounts Brad does seem to be someone who has some great ideas but isn't the best at executing them and shouldn't have been in charge at Sigil.

TBH, some of the blame lies with the investors - whomever (MS?SOE?) put money into Sigil and didn't due their due diligence deserves to lose whatever they lost. Of course, they just lost money, we lost the only real modern alternative to WoW ;-)

If I had 100 million to invest in a new MMO, I'd certainly consider hiring him as a consultant designer but I would put him in charge of anything but thinking up new ideas.

[Fozzik]

It wasn't just Silius, the music guy (forgot his name) was also a huge proponent of changing the game into WoW, and I'm sure there were others. it was mostly near the end when things were falling apart, when beta retention numbers were very low and everyone was panicking. At that point, I don't think Brad was really present all that much...but I guess those loud voices within the company had probably been advocating change for a long time.

To be honest, a good manager would have fired those guys early on...they clearly were not at all behind the original vision for Vanguard. It really doesn't matter how good a designer you are if you want to make a totally different game than the one the company set out to make. The fact that they stayed, kept causing trouble (even on open message boards sometimes), and ended up changing so much of the game during late beta...when they should have been fixing and finishing what was there already...is probably the best proof that Brad was a terrible manager.

I think history has proven out that trying to fundamentally change a game late in beta, especially altering the underlying philosophy that a huge fanbase has been hoping for, is a recipe for flop. Although dissenting opinions are important, developers really need to be careful who they are listening to within the community, and who they are taking on within the company. The vision for a truly successful MMORPG has to be guarded very carefully, and the management needs to know when to change, and when to stick to their guns.

It's very interesting, but also very scary, watching this same thing play out on each new game's message boards. Right now, there's a thread on GW2guru every couple of weeks with people advocating for ArenaNet to add raids, or add gear grind, or whatever else. Basically, "This game isn't enough like WoW, and it seems unfamiliar, and I don't know if I like it...so change it into what I know." I seriously hope ArenaNet is better prepared than Sigil was.

[mmorpeegee]

I blame MS! Of course Sigil was super stupid for not having a proper contract though. But still, when MS dumped VG, that was pretty much the end. It's funny because no matter how capable or incapable your company is, if you have a constant supply of blank checks from Microsoft, then you can't go wrong!

So yeah, once the money ended, VG became a game destined to have a very premature birth with lots of problems. :C

p.s. I would take brad as a consultant too if I was making a game. But he should be a consultant on game design decisions, not on making contracts

[perfect]

I am a huge fan of Sanya's (have been since DAoC). She invented the job of Community Manager and still continues to shape their role in MMOs.

[Named One]

To be honest, a good manager would have fired those guys early on...they clearly were not at all behind the original vision for Vanguard.

Yeah..if only! Getting rid of Silius pre-2007 would have done wonders for Vanguard.

[edda0199]

Ice cream? Ohh, no.that's terrible!!Never recall it!
Once i eat ten of it to win the heart of my girlfriend,then i got stomcake!!