Gah... did not address the specific things I look for in an MMO as a player. But almost certainly very useful for game developers.

It's too bad how "successful" and "good" rarely go together. For instance, several million kids play World of Warcraft. Successful? Certainly. Good? Not so much.

@ Tekhedd - They've done the next best thing...they hired a bunch of guys who think just like he does, and then paid them to make games. They're called GUILDWARS! =D

That's a great article. Must-read for anyone who's interested in how games are -- or should -- be made.

Somebody please clone this guy and force the clones to make games.

I find this point relevant to recent conversations: "Finally, you can make everyone happy, but you can't make everyone happy all the time. It is risky to try to make decisions that appeal to all players equally. Don't fall into the trap of making decisions based on what causes the least amount of pain, because this can lead to a game that is just kind of "okay" and doesn't really excite anybody."

I'm really disappointed by the lack of attention this has gotten...I thought for sure it would draw the interest of Tarinth & his "Design Challenge" groupies! You guys know more about this industry than anything, why not take some tips from the "pros" and take some action with all of your amazing ideas?