Most influential to MMORPGs

[BerekAB]

Inspired by a thread on fohguild, who do you think most influenced the current state of MMORPGs? Doesn't matter if it's a negative or positive influence, just who has had the biggest impact of the state of MMORPGs today.

I think it's the Ranger.

[Shikarii]

i'm thinking LB.

[Detheb Ultimaweapon]

Anyone that votes John Smedley should be kicked off TSW!

[Sirphoenix_18]

Say what?

[Vulpes]

i'm thinking LB.

Seconding.

Also a suprising amount of credit to the old-school P&P writers from which the systems are derived - Gygax et al.

[Shirion]

I picked Brad.

[Baadan]

I said Brad too, as I suspect most EQ players will. If we were voting for coolest house though, I'd go with Lord British hands down. That Britannia Manor of his is badass

[Vikken]

I put Koster, I'm still a fan of his origonal SWG design. I hope that he able to expand upon it in the future in another non-SOE title. The man knows his stuff.

I'm still waiting to see how McQuaid and team did with VG. Its looks just like the type of MMO/RPGs that I like. A world, not a game. Not just marketing, but actual in-game economy, complex interaction, ecosystems, and strong charcter customization. Virtual persistant space at its best.

Honorable mention would be the guys behind EVE Online, they have realized the dream of a truely epic space game. If you haven't tried it and you like Freelancer/Elite, download the free trial, I swear you'll be addicted like you were when you started EQ.

[Detheb Ultimaweapon]

Btw, I put Brad, For Obvious reasons.

He started one of the biggest MMoRP ever made, one that is almost in its 8th year of continuance. It is literally a virtual world. Relationships start here, there is an economy, it led to 4 other games that use the same title, aswell as an entire generation of people that try to hack the code.

People have literally died over EverQuest, and while that may not be something to brag about, it shows how much his game really affects people.

Also, he is putting out one of the most talked about MMoRP of all time. Ever since Vanguard was announced a WHILE back people have wanted to play it. I think it may live up to the hype, and be the only game that can put EQ to rest. He's got a lot of credability, as well as a huge backing(Considering, most people think EQ went downhill after the Verant team left EQ).

[Sirphoenix_18]

I put Brad too. I have no idea who any of them are but I seem to go with the crowd on most things.

[Vulpes]

Btw, I put Brad, For Obvious reasons.

He started one of the biggest MMoRP ever made, one that is almost in its 8th year of continuance. It is literally a virtual world. Relationships start here, there is an economy, it led to 4 other games that use the same title, aswell as an entire generation of people that try to hack the code.

People have literally died over EverQuest, and while that may not be something to brag about, it shows how much his game really affects people.

Also, he is putting out one of the most talked about MMoRP of all time. Ever since Vanguard was announced a WHILE back people have wanted to play it. I think it may live up to the hype, and be the only game that can put EQ to rest. He's got a lot of credability, as well as a huge backing(Considering, most people think EQ went downhill after the Verant team left EQ).

Short of the Vanguard thing, Richard Garriott did all of that, and he did it before Brad came on the scene.

They are both extremely influential, I agree. But before Ultima Online there really wasn't a place in gaming for an MMORPG of the scale we have today. There was a scattered collection of MUDs and games like Meridian 59, but the genre was pretty dead in the water, at least as far as profitability went. Garriott woke it up, and it hasn't lain back down since.