Category:Overview

Introduction
The purpose of this category is to define the framework for the Everquest Next Landmark game design discussion which takes place on the rest of this wiki. This wiki is not meant to be an encyclopedia as are most wikis but a colaborative project design document. How this works is for someone to add a page for some idea and write something to get it started. Others will come along and in the page's talk section (button in the upper left just above the page) and ask questions and offer observations. The goal is to reach a consensus with the page starter having primary responsibility for reaching that consensus and doing any major editing (minor editing by others for clarity is fine). Sometimes consensus is not possible in which case a differing opinion is added below the first entry. Both authors then seek to determine exactly where their differences lie and then state what they percieve those differences to be leaving the final decision between them to be made by some hypothetical project manager.

Contributors must realize that no game design element exists in isolation. Each game design element has to be integrated and coherent with all the others and this is especially true with EverQuest Next Landmark. This game offers new possibilities for game mechanics based upon its novel procedural graphics engine called Forgelight. Achieving this integration requires a common yet powerful framework for discussion. The typical  framework of PvE against PvP is too narrow and simplistic as evidenced by the long unresolved discussions that seem to follow it. The best framework to use when discussing game design is the player cycle framework. This framework derives from the different ways in which players cycle through a game:
 * 1) Character Progression
 * 2) Role-Play
 * 3) Competition

How the cycle framework clarifies PvP is seen from these examples: PvP in arena combat is a part of role-play, PvP in a battleground to gain loot or buffs is character progression. PvP in a guild vs. guild territorial expansion game is competative. These cycles are fundamentally different meaning they can only be integrated on a superficial level. The defining characteristic of a game is defined by its primary player cycle because that cycle affects game design decisions, how players group themselves, and game funding decisions. Each cycle is described more fully below.

Progression Model
The progression model is finite linear so it eventually comes to an end. This is the most well developed model in the game industry. This includes character development and building. Eventually a character will max out on its statistics or it will have done every quest and visited every  land. Building is similar. Eventually, land will run out and no more room will exist to build content.

This model makes money for the developer based upon player churn. Once players play through the content and leave the game new players are expected to replace them. The funding possibilities are subscription or the so called Free-to-Play model with an item store.

Long term player grouping involves forming guilds for the purpose of doing high-level raids or for sharing information about the game. Usually, these guilds are more like a gathering of friends but some can become very raid focused instead with sociability taking second place to raid success.

Competition Model
The competition model is cyclic and so it potentially never comes to an end. What one faction gains, another loses. This model remains mostly experimental with Eve-Online being the only long term success story. Competition models are almost synonymous with direct PvP (player versus player) on a group scale but this is only one aspect. Also included would be economic and diplomatic competition. Competition could also even be added peripherally to a purely PvE (player versus environment) game if some orc habitat could be built by one guild near the lands of another guild.

Because competition exists at the group level, successful long term player organizations in this sort of game are much more structured than those in other progression games. They have a concern about internal security due to spy placement with layered access levels and knowledge passed around only on a need to know bases. So on one hand such player guilds are more cohesive because of the high stakes which competition brings to their prosperity, yet they are also more paranoid.

Because long term player groups tend to form, player retention is longer on average. This reduces player churn meaning developer income is also reduced from transient sources such as an item store. Additionally, items cannot be sold which may affect the competitive situation of the players. Consequently, this model's main sources of income are from land rental and subscriptions.

Role-Play Model
The role-play model creates a never-ending story which results from the interactions of player characters and player associations. Very few examples of its successful implementation  exist because no game has yet provided a good set of intersecting goals which allows the many stories to progress. The most successful example to date, despite its very crude graphics and simple goals, is the game Minecraft.

A purely sandbox model does not work well and this is exemplified by the game Second Life which allows players to build and do almost anything. This has spawned a few roleplay communities but their success is rather minimal. With a few exceptions most roleplay lands end up with beautiful buildings but they are devoid of any activities. What role-play is done is accomplished by a few individuals with exceptional imaginations and literary abilities. Because they tend to roleplay with others having similar talents, this sort of roleplay tends to become small scale and cliquish.

Second Life fails because it does not define a complex set of progressive goals. Such goals can be laid out for economic power (wealth accumulation), magical power, military power, and technical (crafting) power. Player organizations devoted to one of these power goals tend to demand exclusive membership relative to other power seeking groups. Outside of these power groups other less competitive, non-exclusive player organizations can be formed to promote a player’s social matrix. These can be formed around any sort of real world hobby. A character could be a part of a tavern, a general club, a poetry group, an art museum, a jousting club (on horses), a spook house creation club, an obstacle course club, and so on.

This is potentially the most lucrative model for the developer because long term committees will form allowing for land rent yet the complexity of player roles and organizations will allow for a huge amount of vanity items to be sold in an item store.