The KGB Oracle Forums KGB National Announcements, News, and Help The KGB Sentinel Are we doomed to mediocrity?

The more and more I hear, the more discouraged I get. We have some friends out in the world in the different Beta programs for games like Age of Conan and Warhammer. The reports I am getting are not encouraging.
Many of us in KGB are all grown up now and much more discerning with our time. This means that we need something really spectacular to motivate us to invest the HUGE amount of time it takes to be successful in a current MMORPG. There are many game worlds on the horizon, but as they get closer and closer to release, it seems that the "GREED" factor of the development companies forces the risky and pioneering features we all crave to vanish in support of the "WOW" make as much money as you can factor. What you end up with is a game where everyone can be the Hero, not matter the difference in skill or time invested. This sterilized environment is optimized for the masses and exactly not what a group like KGB is looking for.
For a game to be fun, there has to be some real risk, some real excitement that is brought about by that risk. I for one enjoy playing against PLAYERS and not some re-spawning artificial intelligence that has become known as the "Grind".
In the renaissance period of UO that people love to talk about, UO was the only game out there. It was there way or the highway. When RPK's were bent on ruining the experience for others, the players formed organizations like KGB, to combat the problem. There was no need for the programmers to enact artificially limits. Ultimately though, this is what ended up happening, the masses were pleased, and the game fell into mediocrity because the challenge was gone.
I was so excited about the development of Darkfall. It seemed like a game that was going to create a real challenge. One that offered a game for all types of players, and one that our organization was looking for. Years have passed and it seems that to get published, you have to start making compromises to the big companies. We have all watched the promises of AOC and Warhammer slowly fade into mediocrity, possibly making the games into just another "WOW" clone. We will have to wait and see.
I for one still hold on to hope that someone will see the potential in a game that offers real risk and challenge. Because since those early days of UO, and the trill it game me personally, I have never invested as much time and loyalty into any game. From a profit standpoint. I owned 4 accounts at 9.99 per month for just over 5 years. I would hope that someone in the market can realize the potential in the kind of world we all long for.