Are KingsIsle Players Ready for the Play2Crush Concept?

The announcement of ArtCraft Entertainment's upcoming MMO has sparked interest across the gaming world, and there's no question that this one will be a hit simply because of the names behind it. The concept put forward is Play2Crush (learn more HERE), which promises all-new ways to play. This will be perfect for many gamers... but is the KingsIsle crowd ready?

Not-So-Family-Friendly

We have very few details about ArtCraft Entertainment's upcoming game. In fact, we don't even have a name yet. But the concept behind the company makes a few things clear.

What Will ArtCraft's Game be Rated?

Most games in today's industry are not family-friendly. That's what was so ground-breaking about Wizard101 and Pirate101 and KingsIsle games in general. It takes a huge spectrum of people, some of which are not particularly well-mannered or "clean" and puts them in an environment that holds everyone to high standards. It's refreshing, really.

If Wizard101 and Pirate101 are the only games you've played, allow me to enlighten you - most games don't look this these. Don't get me wrong, Wizard and Pirate look fantastic. What I am referring to is not a quality difference, but a style one. Many games online contain more blood and gore, and often more complex, "high-poly" characters and NPCs. The things you see inside Wizard101 are considered, in the modelling world, to be "low-poly" creations, meaning they're made of relatively few polygons overall and rely more on textures, often hand-painted. ArtCraft's game won't likely be the same.

Split of Interests

It's been interesting to see already that, just based on the concept, some KingsIsle players have opted not to try the game. Others are questioning their interest, but willing to give it a try. There will be, I imagine, about five groups of people.

Group A will play the game no matter what because it's a Coleman / Walton creation.
Group B will play the game because it's a Coleman / Walton creation and decide they aren't interested.
Group C will play the game to see if they enjoy it and will choose to continue to play.
Group D will play the game to see if they enjoy it and will choose not to play.
Group E will not try the game at all.

Right now, we're just split between Group E and Groups A/B (combined) and C/D (combine) because they haven't tried it yet. I am personally in the combined Group A/B, trying it because I'm a huge fan of Coleman's work and will try the game out and evaluate it as I go. Already in our own Spiral community, we're seeing people from every group.

New and Old Audiences

It's going to be very interesting to see the communities from Gordon Walton's past games, from J. Todd Coleman's past games, and from other areas all converge at one point with this new game. New standards will be set.

Play2Win vs. Play2Crush

If you don't understand the Play2Crush concept... you're not alone. If I had to take a guess, it would be that it's a contrast to Play2Win. Naturally, everyone is interested in winning. However, instead of everyone following a pre-made quest line and everyone winning, you will play against other people. You will attempt to rise to the top, with emphasis on teams, clans, or whatever else you want to call groups. Instead of playing to complete a game, you'll play for the experience itself. "Even if I lose, the experience won't feel hollow."

Real Skill? Real Risk? Real Consequences?

What exactly does this mean? When signing up for beta, there are three key phrases - Real Skill, Real Risk, and Real Consequences. Real Skill probably means that your ability is not measured by a computer or dialed down to a level which everyone can match. This would automatically be a turn-off for some players, and a huge attraction for others, particularly those who love PvP in the worlds of Wizard101 and Pirate101.

But then the risk part comes into play. When you PvP in Wizard, and eventually in Pirate, what's at stake is just rank. It's a number on your profile. And if you do tournaments, you don't stand to lose anything at all, you'll just gain less than someone who beats you. That's a great move on the part of KingsIsle for their kind of games, but not every game does it that way, and not every game has an audience that would like it that way.

Real Risk means Real Consequences. That, to me, implies that it will have a kind of concept like some of those other games I've played. If you die, you lose almost everything. That'd be your gear, pet, items you have with you - all of it. Imagine how that would destroy Wizard and Pirate players. That begs the question - are KingsIsle players ready for this "real risk"?

Will YOU Play2Crush?

The most important thing to remember is that not everyone has to have the same game tastes and there's no pressure to like or love anything that's not for you. I, for one, am ready to try out this new game. No matter the real skill, real risk, and real consequences, I'll sure give it a shot. You never know - something new might just lead to a discovery that you like one game's way of doing things better than what you were used to. And one thing's for sure, like it or not. With the names behind this game, it'll be one for the books.

Will you be trying ArtCraft Entertainment's upcoming game?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!