Launching into early access today is a new hardcore fantasy MMORPG called Astaria, as we’ve lightly covered before. (Edit: Apparently it’s been delayed – thank Dan!) But anyway, the point was, ir’s pretty heavy on the survival aspects, on party combat, on crafting, on combat difficulty, and on item loss at death. In short, some folks are going to love this, and some folks are going to hate it. But there was one bit in the pitch that caught my eye: PvD, or player-vs.-developer content.
“Player vs Developer is where every player teams up against the developers like they’re the Dungeon Master of a board game. Developers will define the behavior and actions of monsters based on how players interact or react to different factions of the world. This system allows for a more living world in which player actions can affect the outcome of many factors within the game. The world will change based on the efforts of the players. For instance, a capital city may fall to the enemy if not properly defended during events and will only come back if players retake the city. These events are done both through automated systems and GM involvement!”
Now that’s a cut above GMs possessing sand giants and going on a rampage murdering newbies! What do you think about player-vs.-developer content in MMOs? Is it feasible, and would you play it?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
