David Allen, Quest Online and the History of Alganon

Want to Create Your Own MMOG? Some Advice

David Allen, formerly of Quest Online, we recently asked what advice he would give to someone considering making thier "own" version of an MMOG like Alganon, or who might be considering creating a company like Quest Online.

Do you have any advice for people who are looking to make their own Alganon or Quest Online?

David Allen: Let’s see – off the top of my head…

• Always trust your instincts.
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses.
• Work with people, not for them.
• Provide leadership through guidance and action, not control.
• It’s better to make the wrong decision than no decision at all; that way you at least know what needs to be fixed.
• Always support an individual’s talent. If their talent is something other than what you hired them for, it’s a mistake you must correct.
• Stand your ground; a person who stands for nothing is capable of doing anything.
• Remember: if you take money, you owe a debt, and it’s one that can be used against you.
• Those with talent and passion always have hobby projects to support that talent and passion. Those who just want a job have none.
• Common people act out of self-interest. Exceptional people do not. Most people are common.
• Most people look for leadership as there are few leaders; provide it as the person you are while being that leader.
• Everyone has the greatest game idea; almost nobody has the ability to bring it to life.
• The gaming industry is a talent driven industry.
• A truly capable team isn’t defined by the problems they encounter; they’re defined by their ability to fix whatever problems come up.
• No matter how much you try, some people just won’t get it – move on.
• Occasionally you will meet exceptional people of integrity you can always count on. Embrace these individuals for they are rarely found.
• Always be pessimistic on your projections, and always remember: when you accept money it’s a huge responsibility as personalities and emotions are tied to that money.
• And always remember it’s possible to do everything correct, make the right decisions at the time, and put every ounce of effort into the success of something and still have it fail. This is part of the process that molds those who are optimistic into those who are wise.
• And finally - Illegitimi non carborundum!

More David Allen / Quest Online / QOL / Alganon Resources:

• David Allen and Quest Online History at Tumblr
• David Allen Quest Online Alganon
• David Allen Game Designer

What Does The Alganon Name Really Mean?

David Allen, formerly of Quest Online, we recently asked what the name "Alganon" really means.

Why Alganon?  Why the name?  What does it mean?

David Allen: When I first presented the idea for a fantasy MMOG to Greg Wexler, it was in Nov/Dec of 2005. The name I came up with initially was Crusade. The reason was because of the theme of Deities and representing the deities – embarking on Crusades on their behalf. I liked the name. Sadly in 2005 Blizzard announced the name of the next WoW expansion.  The Burning Crusade. Well, that had to be addressed. The idea was to come up with a unique name we could Trademark and own outright for years to come – a name we could create multiple products from if the initial game was successful.

That’s when I came up with Alganon, which reflects the name of the world. It doesn’t really “mean” anything; it’s just a unique name that’s easy to say, remember, and defining. I think it’s a great name with a lot of potential. The goal was to create a world around Alganon which could evolve beyond the initial MMOG release.

More Resources:

• David Allen, Quest Online, and Alganon LiveJournal
• David Allen Game Designer

David Allen Quest Online History of MMOG

David Allen is the co-founder of Quest Online ( QOL ) and the individual who created Alganon. David Allen ran the QOL, hired all team members, and managed the project from January 2006 to February 2010.

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David Allen says “QOL grew very slowly and steadily. We only hired people as we needed them. This ensured the maximum value for the invested dollars and made sure we didn’t have unnecessary overhead. And since QOL was avirtual company, our overhead was next to nothing. Greg offered for us to use the “server cage” at the SmartReply data center to host all of QOL’s servers in order to help save money as well.”

The vision of QOL was made clear to everyone who worked at QOL as was the vision and overall design for Alganon. David ensured they never had useless meetings that wasted hours of time.

pcgamestore.tumblr.com

David decided they would create their own technology. This direction gave the company very valuable assets. The World Building Tools, Client, and Server technology paired with everything else (Billing, Micro-transaction, Social Network, Library, CSGM systems, etc.) are the bread and butter of what has the potential of making a game development studio great.  Another important aspect to building your own tech is how it brings the team together. If your team sublicenses existing tech they learn how to work on and use another company’s resources, but if your team builds their own tech, they learn how to work with each other to innovate and create solutions which they are attached to and passionate about. This creates a very different dynamic for a development studio in the way the team approaches problem solving and overall software design.

David also built a very strong Team, especially for a startup company. With a near 100% retention rate for those who stayed with the company more than three months, QOL was a great place for everyone who did their job well.

Pair the technology with a custom built team of talent over a four year period and you’ve got some very solid assets, resources and overall value.

David adds “Many are unaware a good two years of design enhancements were clearly laid out for Alganon after its initial release, including PvP, new domains, new classes and races, domain control systems, features, and much more.”

NEXT ARTICLE: David Allen and QOL / Quest Online Part 2.2 >>>