Say you''re making a Massive Multiplayer Online Game. What, in your opinion, would be the hardest "part" of the project? Would it be: 1. Network Code 2. Graphics Engine 3. Interface Engine 4. The actual graphics 5. The actual interface 6. The overall design 7. Hardware setup 8. Cost of operation 9. *Something I missed? Of course! ___f_i_l_l__m_e__i_n___ Where does those millions of dollars go to in the production of a MMOG?

i not sure about the hardest part but i think it would be the network code and the overall game engine.

the millions of dollars are used for the following:

if needed

3d animation/modeling software
motion capture
good compilers

required

payment to programmers
payment to designers
payment to modelers/animaters
payment to level designers
other payments
licensing
payment to publishers

While not the hardest part, paying for a dedicated server once you''re done can be quite expensive and time consuming.

I think it has to be getting a reasonable player-base. It''s hard to attract people, because people want games that other people play (super important in MMO games) However, people don''t want to buy it, because no one else plays. No one else plays, because no one else does either. It''s a brutal cycle, I''m sure. I kind of feel that way about AC2 sometimes.

Im currently trying to make one, and I personally think the hardest ''part'' is the one that can''t be pulled off easily - which this is depends on your teams experience.

I also don''t think the returns made over the lifetime of a game could easily outweigh the cost of achieving all those parts.

I think the hardest part for the indie developer is all the art/media. If it''s a 3d game, you have to make textures and models for all different kinds of players (and btw, 3d modelling is pretty hard if you''ve never done it before). Plus textures and models for all the various monsters. Plus the same for weapons and armor. Plus maybe 2d pictures of items for when they are in your inventory. Plus you have to design all the special graphical elements, like fireballs, etc. Plus there is the entire outdoor terrain to make, along with any indoor areas. Plus all the scenery objects, like trees. And don''t forget the music and the sound effects.

All these things are done by specialists who have had lots of training (like there''s at least one guy, who JUST does the music, and has been studying music for years to get that job). So you need to accept that the work you do will look nowhere near as good as professionally made stuff.

Software wise, I think the client-server code will be really tricky. If you want the game to be "massive", then your server code has to be really fast and efficient, so that lots of people can be signed on at once. Plus you have to guard against cheats, it''s pretty easy to hack the client-side program, so you have to make sure that the server checks for cheating.