Oshi~ rant incoming.

I agree with Alpha. I don't consider making local MMOs to be any significant step in the local gaming industry.

Why? Because practically any developer can shit out a half-assed Korean grindgrind MMO. Honestly, it isn't very hard to program for someone that has a reasonable programming background.

Just slap on some new skins, flashy spell effects, use the L2 engine, and voila, instant MMO. It may or may not make a profit, since the market is practically saturated with countless mediocre F2P MMOs.

They don't have to code complex AI like in FPS, or RTS. Since the enemies all have 2 types of AI:
1. I stand still for you to whack me. Then only I attack back.
2. I attack you as you get into my range.

So all that's left for them is to make is some different character/monster models, new animations, FLASHY ARMOR, WEAPONS AND SPELLS, ARGH. Basically, the design group has a lot on their hands.

What? Game battle system? Forget it, its all the same. Spam pots+press attack/skill butan on monster+kill monster+repeat. Maybe some unbalanced PvP where the person with the biggest epeen and time invested grinding will always win (Protip: This doesn't happen in Guild Wars PvP. Take that as an example for truly balanced PvP).

Oh yes. I forgot about one very, very important thing: The netcode. Even if your MMO is the most innovative one in the entire universe, it won't mean anything if the netcode is utter balls (not MMOs but just examples of games with shitty netcode: Rakion, Gunz, Warrock). I don't really know about this aspect, as I haven't played a local grind MMO in years, but you can evaluate it yourself.

"But oh Zephro, you are too demanding, what must a local MMO do to please you?"
Its simple. Stop perpetuating the Korean grind. Make something... INNOVATIVE and DIFFERENT. Maybe remake Ultima Online, for instance. Or make a MMO that's not in yet another goddamn medival fantasy setting. Or something that's not a MMO, for a start?
When they come up with one maybe I'll start paying attention.

The local gaming industry can take a leaf out from the book of indie programmers. Visit Game Tunnel or something, there are many sites out there.

The most profilic one I can possibly think of is Introversion. They made Uplink, Darwinia and now Defcon. They're only a group of 3 people. Yet their games have made it to online Steam purchases, quite possibly giving them a sizable income. I gladly paid 10USD for my preorder of Defcon, their latest game.

Why? Because their games are innovative, and fun. It also distinguishes them from countless other game rehashes from the common genres. Tell me, what distinguishes local MMOs from all the others out there? What will make them STAND out from the pack?
Same medival setting, same battle system, same lame PvP combat, same old crap everyone has seen a zillion times over.

But F2P may bring in more potential customers, you say. Yeah, maybe. I'm making an EDUCATED guess that 90% of the population of these games are unemployed students. Why play generic F2P MMO no.123 when you can play WoW or Guild Wars? Oh right, free.

But as usual, the only income of these games come from the ingame shop. Maybe a few bucks here for a special privilige, another buck there for a nice skin, etc.
Yeah, a profit can be turned out from this I guess. Nothing much to say as I'm not some economic hotshot.

On to my final statement. Will our local game companies get a name for themselves by making more MMOs? Will they be REMEMBERED? Like, someone just casually mentions the company name years later on some Internet forum, and people come out the woodwork to share their good memories with that game?
I don't know, I can't predict the future. But that's a statement worth thinking about.

And here ends my rant.
Feel free to ridicule every point of it.

Nival is pretty good, by the way. They made a Tactical RPG WW2 game called Silent Storm. Pretty awesome game. Ragdoll physics, destructible enviroments (blow up entire buildings with grenades!).
Pity the game was horribly unoptimized and buggy though.
Still, gaming gems come out of Russia occasionally.

But yeah I agree. Legit gaming purchases have still a long way to go in Malaysia. I myself just started buying legit games myself after.... 20 years.

Pity the game was horribly unoptimized and buggy though. <--only setback with all of its games. But still it was something that people could actually play.

at the malaysian side...fung wan online? I almost puked when I saw the UI. terrible. Why cant they get some char designer from limkokweng or something.

Any other malaysian games? I'd be willing to support them, really.

Oh no, I wasn't stereotyping the industry as a whole. Sorry if I vaguely implied that. Wasn't trying to. Just directed to the local MMO producers/localisers/blah.

If the rest are doing something else then it's all good I guess.
Question is... what ARE they doing?
I'm still waiting for our local Introversion.
Maybe they can call it Extroversion.

at the malaysian side...fung wan online? I almost puked when I saw the UI. terrible. Why cant they get some char designer from limkokweng or something.

Any other malaysian games? I'd be willing to support them, really.

Nice analogy.
Eh, thought Darkstar One was German.
But anyway, the Russkies made Star Wolves as well, another decent game.

As reported in the NST, MDV financed the project of RM44.0 Million. Before, people go about saying that it is a waste of taxpayers, the RM44.0 Million is a loan, not a grant like those from the neighbouring country. They would have to pay back every single sen with interest and the money actually comes from Japan.

methinks the focus should not be on MMORPGs, but instead on attracting outsource jobs, like the way Nival did with Heroes of Might and Magic V. Small crappy game company in russia but making $$$ thanks to ubisoft. and that game is buggy yo, but still playable. I think I mentioned this point before in a similar thread sometime ago.

.......

Codemasters have plans to grow the Malaysian studio into a full fledge development studio. The only thing that is slowing them down is us Malaysian and our lack of skills and experience required to develop AAA games. They are currently looking at refining the talents here in Malaysia and are working with local educational institutes. So maybe in 5 years time when any of you have a kick ass original IP, you would have a pool of experience Malaysian work force who are able to develop it for you.
......

^ i also hope/wish Codemasters Studio Malaysia much success & healthy growth. who knows? maybe it'll become the "ubisoft shanghai" of SEA

Whatever debts racked up will only be liable by Terra ICT sdn bhd. Because it is a 'sdn bhd' I guess the directors are off the hook.

Remember, loans or no loans, there're ways to NOT pay back the loans.

I've heard of a few people planning to do this once they get their loans approved by MDV, etc, start a new company, channel funds to that new company and let the old company that got it's loans approved, to take the fall legally because it is a sdn bhd.