Archived from groups: alt.games.diablo2 (
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chainbreaker wrote:
> And it remains a source of amazement to me that there haven't really been
> that many attempts, especially considering the obviously huge market out
> there just quivering in anticipation.
That always puzzled me, too. I believe it may have to do with the
required hardware that needs to be paid for upfront. You need a server
farm for that, and most developers or publishers don't have the
resources. But yes, it is very surprising that nobody actually tried to
do the same, even after it was proven to be a successful concept. Anyone
could just make a NetHack clone. It's all there, just waiting to be
exploited.
> Heck, has there even been an attempt other than Sacred's half-baked one?
In the strategy game sector, sort of. GameSpy-hosted games are a bit
like it. Not really the same, but the direction is similar. The upcoming
Dungeon Lords will have some similarities, but no closed realms, so, it
won't be the same (of course, after playing D2 for over four years, one
wonders if the difference between closed and open realms is really that
big, since cheating still happened!).
I really think it has to do with the required investitions, and perhaps
with the needed technical knowledge. Battle.net got out of the red area
quickly, so, yeah, it's a miracle that no one plagiated the concept. I
believe that D2's type of instancing gaming has the potential to make
more money than subscription-based MMORPGs. But obviously, the pointy
hairs that control the money disagree. Actually, I believe a *free* game
with purchasable premium items could do well, but few have the courage
to try this. Some Asian games implemented this system successfully.
GuildWars is trying something that's close, but I'm not convinced of
their chosen method of "zoning".
M.
Nobody else could pull this off.
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