Beefcake said:Let's consider the current reality. It's 2017. People spend about as much on their smart phones as they do on computers. The average user upgrades their cell phone more often than their computers.
People spend far more time on their phones than they do their desktops.
People want to get their information and play their games when not at their desk.
Obviously, the hard core gamer is different and spends more on their desktop than their phone. However, the trend is clearly moving towards phones.
Now, clearly, we do not want a full Pantheon experience on our phones. But, I believe a lot of gamers do want as much as they can get.
Gamers have evolved. We don't just sit in our chair tied to a desktop anymore.
Let us experience as much of Pantheon as we can, while away from our desk, working, playing, whatever.
Exactly this...people are attached to their phones these days. A little app to keep them in touch with their guildies (while on a coffee break at work or whatever) a mini game with the Pantheon Name (Bejewelled style) If you don't like apps ..don't use them. There are some folks here who would use them. And it would modernize Pantheon in that respect too..a draw for millenials who LIKE their phones. :) I wouldn't go so far as crafting, inventory management, but contact with guild in order to be aware of what's current ..talk in guild chat possibly would be a good thing I think. Oh and make it available through Google. :)
I am against for a few reasons .
Almost everything here mentioned can be found via webpage from quest look ups , specs , FAQ , game updates etc.
I simply see no need to redo the wheel, if someone is that interested. What prevents them from logging into the games webpage? Also the ones that are not allowed via webpage really have no reason to be even considered.
Things like bank management , housing management , market management etc or any manipulation of the game world needs to be reserved for when you are logged in the game.
I think the only viable one that I can see is perhaps guild and friend chat and even that is pushing it.
1. 'Current Year' is not a winning arguement in, and of, itself.
2. I worry that low resolution 'casual' access to a large, inviting and immersive world dilutes the experience.
3. It can lead to other 'Bennite' solutions.
VR, at best, should have a 'chat portal' (Such as EQ1 had for when the servers were down) or a 'player info' type webby (such as EQ2 had) so some social communications can be maintained while people are not in-game. It could even have Guild-sponsored channels, Guild-advert channels, Raid-schedule adverts/signup channels so some things can be organised IRL .... but not impacting significanltly into in-game social aspects. Merely bridging the gap between RL and Game-Life time.
Should a third party (Guild, Fan-Site) run a forum, chat channel, etc accessible by phone I have no problem with this either. It can (and will likely) have content posted by players outside the game, such as 'tactics', maps, and other information. These tend to be positive.
HOWEVER .... remote game access, via hooks, APIs etc tend to be anti-social...
... Stuff that should be done in-game, needs to be kept in-game.
Evoras, gets his pets to type for him ... which explains a lot!
Xxar said:Things like bank management , housing management , market management etc or any manipulation of the game world needs to be reserved for when you are logged in the game.
What is the difference between being logged in on a desktop and logged in on an app, assuming you could only do one at a time? It's 2017, why be chained to a desktop? Are we all dinosaurs? Why would you care if someone is on an app or on a PC? How does it affect you?
If someone is concerned with a player being out in a zone, logging out of the desktop, and logging in to the app to do a trade, they can simply make it where you cannot do the in-app activities unless that character was logged out in city.
But its complete nonsense, in 2017, to say there there should be a difference in HOW people access the game. If the technology is there (which it is) and the resources are there, let people access the game any way they can.
Of course, resources are always an issue and I understand that, which is why it probably shouldn't be a launch item. But, I think many people would pay $10 or so for an app that does many in-game activities, such as banking, brokers, guild chats, etc.
Because it affects the world based ecomony , the ability to micro manage auctions and not even be online turns into a requirement to have the app for those that like to play the market economy aspect of the game being one reason.
Also it removes the option for people to cut deals or interact with the sellers since there not online, that and it removes from the social aspect being another reason.
Also using the date is not a argument, it is not about 'how' the game is accessed , it is about the types of interaction. I am under the impression that it was supposed to be a social based mmo? There is nothing social about remote access to allow short term management of systems being a third reason.
Well guild announcements or CMS stuff that is in the game from the guild you belong to is not always followed on websites.
So, not saying it is a good idea, or a bad idea. Some websites have other apps to fill that gap, but it still would be interesting if you could have your guild in game make announcement to members that we will raid tonight if available, boss mob is up type thing. Log in if able.
But really i have no use for any apps with MMO's other then guild stuff.
As an officer, leader, player etc.. i find it rather difficult sometimes getting in touch with some members. So maybe this would be a time to have an app? would i put 1000 bucks into an app NO.
Xxar said:Because it affects the world based ecomony , the ability to micro manage auctions and not even be online turns into a requirement to have the app for those that like to play the market economy aspect of the game being one reason.
Also it removes the option for people to cut deals or interact with the sellers since there not online, that and it removes from the social aspect being another reason.
Also using the date is not a argument, it is not about 'how' the game is accessed , it is about the types of interaction. I am under the impression that it was supposed to be a social based mmo? There is nothing social about remote access to allow short term management of systems being a third reason.
There is ZERO difference whether I manage a broker/bank from my PC or an App. I am still the one doing it. I cannot affect anything in an app that I cannot from my PC.
With chat/message functions included in the app, the ability to negotiate is still there.
Not everything has to be social. In fact, in other threads, they have confirmed that they will be testing some sort of automated selling system. So, once again, ZEROS difference.
Lastly, phones are extremely social. I am quite social on these forums. And, I have never logged into my PC once to accomplish that social interaction. It's all done through a phone app.
There are plenty of differences .. in game you have to go to the broker , adjust the prices and spend time in the virtual world .
The app none of those are required, those are just a few major differences.
IF there is a automated selling system , then why even have it on the app ? This once again just leads to bypassing the need to log into the game , move to broker and place items for sale.
Also the last statment you made even goes to prove my point , why there is no need for a app. All the interaction's you are doing right now , as you stated are all done on phone .. via straight through the webpage correct? Why , have redundant systems for no reason ? The only argument I see is you want easy access to captalize on free time , without the need to log into the game world.
I have already stated , I have no problem if there is a app that allows perhaps guild chat etc. I am against anything that allows the manipulation of market economys or anything that can affect the game world.
Xxar said:There are plenty of differences .. in game you have to go to the broker , adjust the prices and spend time in the virtual world .
The app none of those are required, those are just a few major differences.
IF there is a automated selling system , then why even have it on the app ? This once again just leads to bypassing the need to log into the game , move to broker and place items for sale.
Also the last statment you made even goes to prove my point , why there is no need for a app. All the interaction's you are doing right now , as you stated are all done on phone .. via straight through the webpage correct? Why , have redundant systems for no reason ? The only argument I see is you want easy access to captalize on free time , without the need to log into the game world.
I have already stated , I have no problem if there is a app that allows perhaps guild chat etc. I am against anything that allows the manipulation of market economys or anything that can affect the game world.
Options are always good. Allowing people to do something multiple ways is good business.
Of course I want to capitalize on free time. That's what gaming is about.
For you, logging into the game world means being strapped to a desk. For me, I want to be able to spend as much time as I can IN THE GAME (no matter where I am in the world), not just in the game strapped to a desk. It's a mobile, modern world.
I will enjoy Pantheon any way I can get it.
100% for this idea of having a Pantheon App for your phone.
1) Security authenicator. This right here alone is enough of a reason by itself to avoid compromised accounts and plaguing Visionary Realms customer service with this issue.
2) Guild chat availability would be incredibly nice while you're at work and want to see whats going on with your buds in game.
3) Calendar planner for static groups/guild events/ Pantheon holidays/ etc
Im sure there's a handful of other handy ideas mentioned in this topic. This is definitely worth the investment of resources of time. Maybe not for launch excluding the authenicator decision.
Give me the option to talk to my guildies and those on my friend's list so I can tell them I'm going to be late or there was a family emergancy and to go on with out me. Then I could keep tabs on their progress even if I'm sitting at work or on a boring ass flight. The crafting and broker / auction / banker ideas, I'm not a fan of. But I am not saying don't include them if you can. I would simply not use them because I have the right to use or not use what is available. I'd love to see an option to check my mail so I could almost auto block / report spammers. Beyond that, simply limit the "contact" via the app to text based. VR was vocal about how they would impliment a voice chat option in the game due to the year we are currently living in. It may not be there on release, but it's on their "to do list". I belive Brad said something to the effect of "this is 2017 and to keep up with games we are currently going to be competing with, not adding a voice chat option would put them behind..." Half the posts I see here prove that people never took the time to watch the streams VR has up. There is a TON of info there. Kilson, can you post the links to the streams via youtube and twitch incase some of the new pledgers missed them?
I believe there could be some good uses for an app like this. Many of us are unable to play the games we love from work but still want to stay connected to the world. I couple system I would recommend would be.
Guild text/voice chat (not area/world chat)
Guild alert system (for all those bat-phoners out there)
vendor managment (in the event you end up implementing vendor stalls for player houses or something)
mini-games that occasionally give in-game tradeskill mats (obviously make this a poor source of mats)
lore trivial pursuit with some sort of in-game rewards (title, random level appropriate 30 min buff on login, etc)
character stat/inventory view (to show off your characters to your friends)
Sincerely I dont expect auction houses... no need for AH management
Just some interesting ideas I thought would make awesome MMORPG phone apps. They allow players to stay interacting with the Terminus world without progressing their character from their phones.
Kargen said:I believe there could be some good uses for an app like this. Many of us are unable to play the games we love from work but still want to stay connected to the world. I couple system I would recommend would be.
Guild text/voice chat (not area/world chat)
Guild alert system (for all those bat-phoners out there)
vendor managment (in the event you end up implementing vendor stalls for player houses or something)
mini-games that occasionally give in-game tradeskill mats (obviously make this a poor source of mats)
lore trivial pursuit with some sort of in-game rewards (title, random level appropriate 30 min buff on login, etc)
character stat/inventory view (to show off your characters to your friends)
Sincerely I dont expect auction houses... no need for AH management
Just some interesting ideas I thought would make awesome MMORPG phone apps. They allow players to stay interacting with the Terminus world without progressing their character from their phones.
To be fair, any sort of mini game that rewards you with in-game mats or buffs (no matter how minor) would still be considered progressing your character from your phone without really playing the game.
An App wouldn't be a bad idea. WoW uses one and I love it. It allows me to chat with my Guild using my phone, I can review my character/s builds and armor. I can access info on any character on any server. It's neat resource.
Also, since I'm into PvP. Don't know if any can relate to this though playing vs a Human mind/s is quite a rush. The unpredictability always brings an unknown quality, a constant fog of war, if you will. Anyway the app lets those who can hear the seductive siren's call....beconing us onwards...forwards... to battle...to honor...to glory... Simply stated those away from the game can answer the thrumming drums of war when reinforments are needed. Sorry...got carried away lol
This Game ooo.....is going to be a "Beast" From the way the FAQ presents it's AI mobs will act in ways simular to a human. To potentially ignor traditional NPC actions and bypass a tank to engage a healer while other mobs occupy the tank is...inovatively refreshing. It sounds like the mobs will attempt PvP tactics. Even if it's to a limited degree this promisses to be exeptionally challenging for a PvE game. Especially so, should Pantheon have tough mobs and a train potential simular to EQ. Ooo... this is soo....exciting. Sorry I digress. My point is this....an app may be a valued tool to keep in contact with Guild Members and friends who are out of game. The App can let them know someone in game said " Hey, drop that weird RL place and get your Cleric, Tank or whatever in here... you're needed now lol.
Please don't get me wrong. I like PvE games in general. It seems I compare all games I play to EQ. Never as with EQ have I encountered PvE play that made me feel anxious, that gave a thrill of worry that my character might not survive the new encounter before me. Though EQ had it's limits with what Mobs could do. Now..... yeah, bring it on!
Pantheon has caused an avid PvPer to be interested. Thank You VR!
Nydan said: You guys are all hard old school for a social game that takes teamwork and grouping but you are completely against expanding the ability to socialize and contact people using todays technology to put together raids and groups? Do you not want this game to succeed?/boggle
I could not agree more. It's time we moved with the technology. We want a social game. So, we should use all the current technologies to make that happen. Socializing does not just mean sitting in front of a desktop. We can socialize through the game from anywhere. No point in limiting our involvement in Terminus to just the desktop.
Good arguments both pro and con but in no way should an app have the ability to progress ones character and that includes remote access to sell stuff in game.
In the beginning of EQ we paged people if a log in was needed for a raid or whatever. Later that got replaced with text messages. I am all for allowing information like that and more to be shared on an app but not so much so that anything you can do will have any influence on the character/characters you're playing. Anything OOC in short.
Granted, there may be a possibility that you could trade while being ofline through PRF, but having that in an app is not the same since as soon as you can interact, you are no longer off line.
my 2c
Nydan said: You guys are all hard old school for a social game that takes teamwork and grouping but you are completely against expanding the ability to socialize and contact people using todays technology to put together raids and groups? Do you not want this game to succeed?/boggle
Groups being a difficult one to really use well. Otherwise your off watching tv and someone posts LFG on the app? are you going to rush to your pc and start to find that group? Naw
but on the other hand......
Guild announcements, either it be raiding, or grouping announcements within you own guild might prove useful. To keep the flow of Grouping, and no more of this LFG, for the next 3 hrs until you log off.
Still we should respect those that like thier own privacy and continue to use normal chat, and normal means to find a group.
Announcements, with discussions on raids, and mobs and open ended discussions would be awesome idea.
Then again your own website can handle most of this, or 3rd party apps such as steam groups.
The thought of a Pantheon app had crossed my mind, and I'm glad to see members of the development team take part in this discussion.
In my experience MMO apps have been mostly gimmicks with little actual use. In order to be a valuable complement to the game, an app could either provide the possibility of engaging with other players in-game or outside of it, or allow you to manage some aspects that don't necessarily require you to launch the client.
As to the first aspect, previous comments on chat/guild chat/guild integration make a lot of sense to me. If Pantheon is to be a strongly social game, it should be as easy as possible to talk to your friends and guildies and manage guild activities. I think I remember reading that the game will have powerful guild management tools including raid scheduling. This is something that doesn't really require you to launch the client. While it can be done via instant messaging applications, it would be amazing for me if we could schedule and join raids or chat with our friends and guildies while out and about. Another possible form of engaging with the community via an app would be if the forums were integrated in it. A mobile web view does work, but is hard to do right for smaller devices such as phones. Mobile forum apps usually provide a much better and easier experience, and using a Pantheon app as a one stop shop for in-game chat and forums could promote player engagement.
Regarding the management aspect (other than possible guild management mentioned above), some games have allowed you to post items for sale and manage auctions via an app. This is clearly a risk, since it means the possibility of permanently affecting your account, e.g. by "misplacing" certain items. It might be an appealing attack vector for hacking players. Therefore, I think potential benefits should be carefully measured against potential risks.
In addition to these aspects, a mobile app could also be a privileged way for the developers to communicate with the players, namely those that don't usually participate in the forums. Important messages could be sent out via the app, such as maintenance/downtimes. The app could also contain useful information about the game, such as a FAQ and/or a Wiki, so that players could catch up with certain aspects of Pantheon without leaving this community engagement tool. Finally, the app could provide a mandatory or optional system for two-factor authentication, which would both increase the security of players' accounts and drive up adoption of the app.
In conclusion, I think a Pantheon mobile app has great potential and would love to see the guild chat/management in one. That said, I would say this app shouldn't be a top priority prior to launch if this means spreading development resources too thin.
Nydan said: You guys are all hard old school for a social game that takes teamwork and grouping but you are completely against expanding the ability to socialize and contact people using todays technology to put together raids and groups? Do you not want this game to succeed?/boggle
There's a giant leap between being able to socialize off-line and being able to gain in-game advantage.
I personally dont have any problem with an app that simply allows you to chat with friends and guildmates thru the appropriate channels. I dont really even have heartburn over the suggestions of calendar systems. But I have a big problem with anything that allows manipulation of in-game assets when you're not in the game.
My personal opinion is that as long as resources are not spent that would delay the release of game-go full bore!!! If someone wants to play THEIR game with a phone or a tablet what is that to you? They are paying the full price just like someone that is at a desktop. That being said I refer back to my first sentence :)
