I always find it really interesting when MMO devs stop being polite and start getting real. Like, say, in this thread over at the SWG forums. Especially in light of Sanya’s most recent – really excellent – post.

The loss of beast loyalty is NOT new, it just became apparent in GU5 due to a bug. A bug that we have now fixed. To get an understanding on how this wasn’t originally communicated to Beast Masters we have to do a little internal history lesson. Four score and seven something something…

Blixtev and company started working on an ambitious chapter that we called Beast Mastery. During this time we had X amount of designers, programmers, and artists to start our brainstorms/documentation phases.

During the weeks that followed designers, programmers, and artists started to leave the project. Where they went is irrelevant. What IS relevant is the fact that other designers, programmers, and artists had pick up the torch where the others left off. As well as finish their own tasks. For some of those tasks we inherited, we were under the impression that the system/item was done, and just needed bug fixes/polishes. I will freely admit that I was the 3rd designer to touch loyalty/happiness pre chapter 6 launch. When I got this assigned to me, it was assigned as a “fix the bugs that come in, the system is done”. So that’s what I did.

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From Tobold’s latest screed:

“Gold farming is a result of bad game design. Gold farming means that some regular player finds some particular activity in a MMORPG so boring, but necessary, that he is ready to pay somebody else to play the game for him … At some point in the future somebody will discover how to make a MMORPG in which all parts of the game are fun to play, and there are no parts to “grind” to achieve some result of virtual currency or level. And that game will have no gold farming. Not because it would be impossible, or because of being threatened with bans, but just because it wouldn’t make sense to pay somebody else to have all that fun for you. The impotent rages of game developers against RMT are really just a reflection of their own failure to make their games fun in all areas.”

Someday someone is going to make a perfect game, where things are always fun all the time? Can’t wait. I’ve played a few, sure … they were called First Person Shooters. Not a one had to entertain a player longer than, say, 15 hours. None had to entertain a player for hundreds the way even the most basic MMO is expected to.

Gold farming is the result of human nature expressing itself inside the designer’s world. Humans are amazing optimizers, especially when it comes to repetitive activities. Do something often enough, and we mentally do our own game design aimed at thwarting or subverting what’s already in place. This is why people buy gold and use powerleveling services – they’ve chosen the optimal path they see between themselves and their goal.

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Like I need another podcast to listen to. Just the same, I was cheered to see that the folks behind TavernCast have thrown down a gauntlet for themselves, and appear to be cleaving to a regular schedule again. I dropped my subscription soon after the change away from WoW-material, but it was primarily becuase of the loss in quality and regularity. It’s heartening to hear they’re getting back into the groove. I’m planning on reupping, and suggest you do the same.

Remember: