You hear game developers talk about design a lot. You hear them talk about philosophy almost as much. The best part of the Elder Scrolls Online presentation last Wednesday was that we heard about the design and the philosophy behind the game, and then we immediately played it. For anyone who had doubts about Zenimax Online Studios’ monster undertaking, it is time to end those doubts. The game is playable, and it is amazing. So what did the team do to really introduce the hardcore press to the game last week? They gave us their design ideals, and then sat us in front of the game for three straight hours. You know you have a good game, when no one gets up for lunch. But let’s go over how ZOS introduced their core philosophy behind the game to us all.
Universe comes to us from none other than Xulu Entertainment. We had the opportunity for a guided tour of XU with CEO Nancy Solomon and CTO Joe Santos. Check out our preview of Xulu Universe and then let us know what you think in the comments.
Players are given access to a robust and fairly detailed set of builder tools that include the ability to create just about any type of environment desired. Builders can make games or social gathering spots or even medieval castles complete with quests and monsters to fight. The sky is the limit and the tools are as simple or as complex as a builder has skills to support. In fact, what the team is hoping is that professionals will take advantage of the tools to not only create content but also behavioral pieces or music or anything they can think of. In addition, builders can collaboratively share venues with others to work together in its creation.
