Performance vs. Ease of Programming vs. Ease of Use

Which is the most important? And to who?

Performance is important. Obviously an increase in speed will increase the amount of data that can be processed in a certain amount of time.^* Which is a good thing, right? But is it the most important? I wouldn’t think so. In most applications the amount of time the user spends inputting data is far greater than the time saved by most optimisations, so it goes mostly unnoticed.

Ease of programming might sound unimportant, but it also includes ease of maintenance, which is important if users want to have new features quickly, or at all. Additionally, the easier the program is to create, the faster it can be created. Which is good, right?

Ease of use is again obviously important. Usuability, accessability, etc. is a major selling-point for any software package, simple because a lot of other software is very difficult to use. It can be difficult to create easy to use software. Is it the most important? Probably. An easy to use program with a very slowly increasing feature-set would presumably be considered better than a feature-heavy, constantly-updated program that is difficult or even impossible to use.

Ease of Use, Ease of Programming, Performance. Pick Two.
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* This is all that any program really is, a data processor.

My Perfect MMORPG: Pt 2: Character Creation (Cosmetic)

This is just a short post to outline the cosmetic character customisation available in my perfect MMORPG. In my opinion, the character creation system’s cosmetic aspect would be as detailed as you want, yet restricting the full complexity and therefore difficulties associated with extremely detailed customisation to only those that want it. In other words, if you want really complex and hard to pull off customisation, then you can choose to use it. However, if you just want a quick and easy preset face/body, then you should be able to put the system into “Simple Mode”.

Obviously though, the main part of the character creation system would be the mechanical part of the customisation, or the abilities/classes. This will be covered in Pt 3: Character Creation (Mechanical).

In many games, when you create a character, you choose a class, then you choose a race, then you start playing. In some, class choice is restricted depending on which race you choose. In others, the choices are independent. Personally, I prefer games where the choice of species or race is completely cosmetic. So in my perfect MMORPG, the choice of species would be cosmetic only. I would only include humanoid races.

My Perfect MMORPG: Pt 1: Introduction

My Perfect MMORPG. Every MMORPG is different, and every MMORPG has parts that some people don’t like and other parts that they do like.

It’s hard to split such a series into multiple parts, as every part is linked. For example, the line between talking about loot from dungeons and talking about the economy of the game is very blurred.

In my opinion, the best place to start off is with the system that most players would start off with. The character creation system. But before that, I should note here that the game would be fantasy-based. I’m not sure whether in the end I would prefer a Sci-Fi-based MMORPG, but I have a lot more experience with Fantasy-based MMORPGs.

After I have written about character-creation, I’m going to talk about the PvP system, and then the PvE system. While I’m talking about these, I’ll talk a little about the economy, but I’ll also talk about the economy in an article or two, including resource gathering. Those economic articles might be before or after the PvP and PvE systems.

TTFN!

MMORPG Series

I have been thinking for a while about what sort of MMORPG
Series I am going to blog about. I think I have decided that I’m
going to blog about My Perfect MMORPG. This obviously won’t be
everyone’s perfect MMORPG, so if you have any comments about what
you would change, please comment. However, remember, this is my
perfect MMORPG, not my perfect MMOG or MMOFPS, so
please don’t comment that you would prefer that
the targeting and shooting systems were twitch-based,
unless you have nothing else to comment about, lol.

Blog + Plan

In my time on this planet, I’ve always wanted people to
listen to me. From the first time someone ignored me, I’ve always
wanted people to just listen. I am one hell of a blabbermouth. I
talk therefore I am. I have wanted for a while to have a blog, but
now is the first time I’ve actually sat down and registered a
blog-post. Why? Because I always think of something to write at
night, without access to a computer. I now have a laptop. And of
course also because I could never think of a good name for my blog,
and I hope others think this name is as good as I think it is. And
here it is. Irrevelant Drivel. My blog. I have a plan for this
blog. After this post, I plan on writing a small series on MMORPGs
(Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games), with a few
unrelated posts in between. And that’s it. Bye.