Small indie MMOs
are doable nowadays with smaller teams of dedicated people given
today's technology. The mindset that you need hundreds of people and millions of dollars is an antiquated idea from years past, when such engines were only available for commercial use by the big boys. That's just the way it was, because there was a time where none of today's technology was available for Indies, and anyone who has been around a while knows that.
The game industry is in the process of a huge paradigm shift when it comes to game development. Who would have thought a decade ago that the everyday Joe you could license the same engines as all the big name companies were using? Now,
CryEngine 3 is available free of charge for non-commercial use,
Unreal Development Kid likewise,
Hero Engine has adopted a more indie friendly development license, as well as
Big World Technology. Not too long ago,
Unity too the same approach whereas more Indie engines such as
C4 and
Leadwerks have lagged behind.
Having followed this shift over the past 7 years, as I got started and interested in game development in 2004, I understand the point you are trying to make, but you are going about making it the wrong way. It is certainly true that the commonplace idea about MMOG development has lagged behind, but that's to be expected since the shift has not yet completed. It will eventually catch on though, but it needs time.
Just because someone can't do something, it doesn't mean they should talk down on anyone else trying, so the people who blatantly flame and troll people who want to make MMOs are wrong. To that point, I agree with you in your post. However, the pendulum swings both ways, just because
you can do something, doesn't mean
everyone else can and you should show zealous support for it. For example, there's a lot of stuff I can do myself that defies traditional expectations, but it doesn't mean it should be taken as a generalization.
If you have put together a team of dedicated people and are making your dreams a reality using whatever engine you are,
congratulations! It's nice to see people dedicate towards a goal and work to fulfill it. However, the thing you have to realize is that not everyone can actually do that. Most people don't understand project management and planning or are able to actually do the things you are doing. A lot of people don't understand leadership or compromise and working together with people to achieve a common goal. Heck, most people don't even understand how to Google properly and are incapable of helping themselves before resorting to just trying to ask other people to help them.
If you do find success in doing whatever you do, you have to make sure you actually understand both sides of the argument before coming to the conclusions you have. People who flame and troll are not helpful to any community, but people on the other side misrepresenting the amount of work and issues at hand are not any better either. Game development should not be taken lightly, it is not a craft for everyone either. There's a lot more to it too than just doing the coding and getting the assets for it as well.
The adversity a lot of people have to overcome while being inexperienced and looking to do things that are over their head is a
good thing overall. There's nothing more motivating to get something done than someone telling you that you can't do it. Furthermore, there's nothing more satisfying than doing something that someone else said you wouldn't be able to do. While you may look down on those trolls and flamers, in the grand scheme of things, we do have to thank them for providing the fuel for the fire for people to further their success with. :)
Originally Posted by Zaruna
