Connections Between Cf And 'reamde'?

[dead sparrow 207]

For anyone involved in the game...or any players familiar with Shadowbane:

 

Have any of you read the novel Reamde, by Neal Stephenson? It was released in 2011.

 

The novel features a fictional online game called T'Rain...and the similarities between it and Crowfall are really striking, in a fun way. 

 

Makes me wonder if the novel inspired any of the game developers...or, it could go the other way, perhaps Reamde was inspired by Shadowbane. 

 

I'm just curious if anyone here has read Reamde, has any thoughts about connections between it and Crowfall, whichever way the inspiration goes.

 

The game in the novel featured an elaborate feudal system...and an incredibly advanced crafting system, which connected directly into the in-game guilds and currency. It seemed to take the bones of previously existing games (like SB) and evolve them a little past what was available in 2011...sort of like Crowfall is doing now, so I couldn't help but wonder about potential connections.

Edited January 23, 2015 by dead sparrow

[zarithas 329]

Games like Shadowbane are heavily based on Europe in the Middle Ages. It's more likely that the author simply applied the Middle Ages to a game just like so many game developers have.

[dead sparrow 207]

Games like Shadowbane are heavily based on Europe in the Middle Ages. It's more likely that the author simply applied the Middle Ages to a game just like so many game developers have.

 

i'm referring to game mechanics, not history. there are a lot of discussions in the book about implementing a specific sort of crafting system, as well as a breakdown of the way open world pvp works in the fictional game. also, after this book came out in 2011, there were discussions online about whether or not this fictional game could actually happen in the real world...those discussions are just word-for-word similar to things that are said here in the forums, in terms of debates about open world pvp, crafting systems, etc...so it's just interesting to see the connections. mostly i was just curious if anyone here had read the book...and if they thought perhaps it had been influenced by shadowbane, or the other way around.