Episodic Format

Robert The Rebuilder · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:16 pm

From the newly revamped MagiQuest site, on the online tab:

Quote:

Welcome to MQ Online! Continue your journey or begin it now! MQ Online presents Episode I: Search for the Silver Dragon. Download Episode I for $9.99 NOW! Includes exclusive offers, specials, discounts, VIP access, special powers and features only available to MQ Online members!

This announcement brings forth many gameplay questions, considering the similarities to MO:UL's episodic format:

- Will these episodes only be available for a limited time interval, or will you be able to join and participate in all the earlier quests?
- Will there be any live in-game actors?
- How many realms will be released with each episode?
- How far apart will each episode be released?
- When will we (as beta testers) receive the fully implemented Episode 1? I want to search for the silver dragon now!

EDIT (8/12): The web site now no longer mentions episodes or silver dragons. Here's the current text:

Quote:

Welcome to MQ Online. Continue your journey or begin it now. MQ Online presents: “The Portal Adventure Series; Chapter One. The Clan Courtyard and Twisted Woods Realms.” Download Chapter One now at $9.99 for unlimited play and to earn special powers that you can use both online and in the real world at any MQ location.

JWPlatt · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:30 pm

AFAIK (don't take this as official):

Join and participate in earlier Quests.
Possibly.
As many as pay for themselves.
As they pay for themselves.
The rock is hard. The stone cutter is... oops, wrong game.

ThedStranger · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:55 pm

If they are really going with episodic, than they must be very careful with them

1) they must provide replayable content in order to kill the between-episodes boredom.

2) if they really go with live actors, they must make the episode as long as 2 weeks, or we will get the players explosion (at character visit) as we had in Uru.

darkstar · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:10 pm

I don't think its going to be that sort of game. From reading the Wiki and various blogs its evident that there's no story arc or backstory as such to the game. It appears that Magiquest is based on a number of self contained quests which involve searching for and collecting tokens, runes, gold etc before meeting either an adversary to overcome or an ally who enhances the players status in the game. Looks to me that there also maybe a certain amount of of 'soft'; levelling involved as well which requires collecting valuables (gold, gems etc). As such each episode can have its longevity increased by making it increasingly complex as the players level increases by having additional objects to locate or requiring additional amounts of valuables before areas/sub quests/abilities are unlocked.
In addition I would guess the style of game play will much more casual that we where used in MOUL.

AdamJohnso · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:52 pm

It seems to me almost like buying Half-Life 2, then HL2 Episode 1, then Episode 2... Of course, I may be as wrong as Humphrey Belcher who (you insert the rest of this quote here).

darkstar · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:08 pm

Strikes me the episodic plan is to make the game analogous to the live experience. I'm guessing here as I haven't had the chance to visit a Live venue, but it looks that there set-up to encourage repeat visits with more things to do than can be done in a single visit and quests changing in nature as experience and scores are accumulated. My guess is that the online game will replicate that. I'm assuming that experience 'points' , skills and valuables gathered in the online experience will be transferable to the live game and vice versa.

MustardJeep · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:44 pm

That would make sense, collect your uber cool lightning Rune in real life and when you go online your slinging lightning from the get go. We can't forget that MQ is a brick and morter biz first and a online game second, a lot of this could be seen as a way for MQ fans to keep playing/paying during the times when all the begging in the world can't get parents to take them back to the MQ store for a two or three hour run.

Whilyam · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 1:04 am **Posts:** 4134

Episodic? JWPlatt, you're the master of this, why didn't you kill that idea earlier? You've doomed us all! :lol:

Erik · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:01 pm

I wonder how many people from the Uru community will sign-up for MQO when it goes live. I think it's great that Cyan can work on this game and I hope Cyan will get lots of subscribers, but I don't think that I'll be subscribing to be honest. The game seems to be mostly aged at children and, although that doesn't mean it can't be fun, I'll likely have other things to do. I may change my mind (after all, we haven't seen much of the game yet!), but that's how I see it for now.

I actually feel a bit bad about it, as it feels as if I will let Cyan down, but it's still money for something I don't really need... :oops:

I do hope the game will sell well (there will likely be many interested people who already know about MQ) and I'll do my very best in beta testing.

JWPlatt · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:06 pm

Whilyam wrote:

Episodic? JWPlatt, you're the master of this, why didn't you kill that idea earlier? You've doomed us all! :lol:

Thanks for remembering <he says sardonically>. I was avoiding comment because I want to be supportive of whatever we do, but now that I've been called out... Let's just say I have been consistent in my comments between MOUL and MQO behind the scenes concering episodic formats and I've brought forth all that I learned from MOUL (and GameTap). I think whatever term is applied to the releases, the concept will not, in fact, be truly episodic on a tight, regular schedule. It's more like expansion packs. So it's really just semantics.

sinkillerj · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:26 pm

Erik wrote:

The game seems to be mostly aged at children

The physical locations often get this view however inside there are things for everyone in the family. As you progress now the quests and adventures are starting to get darker and harder.

JWPlatt · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:43 pm

At MagiQuest, there is something for everyone to do the instant they come through the door, from toddlers to elders.

Deep and ponderous Myst-style puzzles would never be instantly accessible and would frustrate the majority of players who generally like something fun to do for a little while. This was immediately obvious the moment I tried to set up and run through a demo of Uru to the MagiQuest owners. "Hey can you hang on an hour or two while I solve these ages so I can show you all the good stuff you want to see that Cyan can do?"

So we have to first make things acessible to the widest possible age range. Then as MQO proves itself and becomes successful, we can progress on to things that would present journeys of the largest sort. These things will build up in phases, one manageable step at a time.

Mystdee · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:54 pm

We are taking our Granddaughter (age 8 ) to MagiQuest this weekend, so I will be sure to report on how she reacts vs how we who are. . . *ahem . . . much older

react. I am guessing we will all have fun!

sinkillerj · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:19 pm

Mystdee wrote:

We are taking our Granddaughter (age 8 ) to MagiQuest this weekend, so I will be sure to report on how she reacts vs how we who are. . . *ahem . . . much older

react. I am guessing we will all have fun!

Ive seen parents that drag their kids in there cause the parents want to play ;3

wolfgray · **Posted:** Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:43 pm

From the game designers perspective and as It's not any secret information (stuff I blab at trade shows).

When I do installs on site typically I spend a day or so just working the floor
and watching how people interact with the game.

I've seen parents walk in with their kids a bit unsure as to what this is but the ringer
at the front door convinced them all to play.

I have talked to these families when they've left and asked them what they thought
and pretty much the response is around 'This is the best time I've ever had with my kids'.

Episodic Format

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