The industry is 12 years old, it is too early to determine that it is ruined. There are about 4 games that 'were good' and then the MMORPG industry was 'ruined'.
I agree that some MMOs are dull and boring now, but I've found my home and I don't even need to look at the other shit anymore.
/shakes head at the kids trying to dog old gamers.
Where the hell would you be if it weren't for old gamers? Who the hell do you think makes these games?
IMHO I think things have gotten better and worse. Better looking and somewhat bigger from the start. But it gets old too fast now. I think it has to do with the amount of MMOs being produced. Too easy to have seen the same thing over and over now. But some are still good. I just wish they'd stop rushing it. Give us a finished and polished product once in a while.
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
Why do you think people knock these new games? these arent MMos there fucking single player games with a annoying global chat box.
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
I'm 20. I've started playing MMOs three years ago, and my first one was EQII. I find the current slew of MMORPGs uninspiring, repeptetive, antisocial and boring.
Oh, and I'm geting married next year. To a geek girl, but my point stands, I do have a life outside of videogames.
The problem is, I grew up in the 90s and always dreamed of this concept of "online world". Escapism, roleplay, being someone you can never be in real life - adventurer, magician, bard, space pirate, what have you. Modern MMOs look pretty and give me a lot of different things to do, but those are, in a word, GAMES.
I don't want a game. I have plenty of those. I want a world to escape once in a while, to create my own legacy in someone's story.
And no, I do not lack ambition or see my life as pointless, on the contrary, I enjoy it to the fullest. I even have hopes of being a published author in the forseeable future.
Your point is, sadly, disproved. Next!
You didn't disprove anything. You only said YOU don't like games. LOTS of other people do. Next!
After reading some recent topics along with all the knowledge acquired from hundreds of other topics in the last years...
Its becoming quite aparent that "LINEAR GAMES" (and its design decisions) are the cancer of the genre.
Its like they digged their own holes. Linear games are broken down and abstracted so fast by the conjunction of player doing the same activities and following the same linear paths that nowadays people are experts at not being amused/entertained by them and also losing interest very fast as well.
Non Linear games (i.e. Sandbox) on the contrary can keep interest, curiosity, suspension of disbelief and rewarding sense of exploration and discovery for extended periods of time. Besides all the freedom it gives the players.
Why do you think people knock these new games? these arent MMos there fucking single player games with a annoying global chat box.
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
I'm 20. I've started playing MMOs three years ago, and my first one was EQII. I find the current slew of MMORPGs uninspiring, repeptetive, antisocial and boring.
Oh, and I'm geting married next year. To a geek girl, but my point stands, I do have a life outside of videogames.
The problem is, I grew up in the 90s and always dreamed of this concept of "online world". Escapism, roleplay, being someone you can never be in real life - adventurer, magician, bard, space pirate, what have you. Modern MMOs look pretty and give me a lot of different things to do, but those are, in a word, GAMES.
I don't want a game. I have plenty of those. I want a world to escape once in a while, to create my own legacy in someone's story.
And no, I do not lack ambition or see my life as pointless, on the contrary, I enjoy it to the fullest. I even have hopes of being a published author in the forseeable future.
Your point is, sadly, disproved. Next!
You didn't disprove anything. You only said YOU don't like games. LOTS of other people do. Next!
Is that what you really got from his post? Really?
Cause I agree. They are uninspiring, repetitive, and sometimes boring. The antisocial part you get what you put into them. So that's based on the user.
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
The bottom line is everything in this world changes. This genre may have started with a hundred thousand people and now has grown into millions of people who like playing these games and enjoy them. This generation of players don't want to wander the landscape to find something over the nex mountain or hunt for a group so they can do a quest. They have grown up in a society of instant gratification with the inernet and microwavable food and text messaging. So if I was a game developer would I cater to the hundred thousands or the millions? Now I know I don't know the numbers of the people who have joined but we can agree that the genre has grown and frankly your interests and desires are in the minority. Success of them park games shows that and these are the MMORPG for the new players. I do sympathise with you woth and hope you find a game you like but I get my fullfillment from pen and paper games.
Why do you think people knock these new games? these arent MMos there fucking single player games with a annoying global chat box.
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
lol eben sounds like he was hurt, in many old games haha.
What new games are fun eben? To be honest the only games that have a true community of players, consist of cute anime charecters such as luna online and cloud nine.
and I would consider them simple games, as I would consider WOW. Since you ae a self proclaimed old timer, I take it you do remember most players back then where in college, had GF'S and just liked to unwhine trying something new that they had never exp.
Seems you where one of thouse guys, who got pk'd, had crap items and always stayed at a low lvl.
The bottom line is everything in this world changes. This genre may have started with a hundred thousand people and now has grown into millions of people who like playing these games and enjoy them. This generation of players don't want to wander the landscape to find something over the nex mountain or hunt for a group so they can do a quest. They have grown up in a society of instant gratification with the inernet and microwavable food and text messaging. So if I was a game developer would I cater to the hundred thousands or the millions? Now I know I don't know the numbers of the people who have joined but we can agree that the genre has grown and frankly your interests and desires are in the minority. Success of them park games shows that and these are the MMORPG for the new players. I do sympathise with you woth and hope you find a game you like but I get my fullfillment from pen and paper games.
lol, so the reason the majority of wow players jump to ever newly released game is becuase they are content?
Most new games that follow your mindset, end up failing. The theme park MMORPG will fase out... The future MMO will offer more variety of game styles, why develop multi mmo's when you can combine them into one world and create a exp that will satisfy all?
THE future holds more to the UO type worlds then to the WOW type. The reason the next gen MMO has not benn released, is simply a money factor, it cost allot of money to make these MMO's now.
I think mmorpg's will become true worlds again, the biggest supporting factor is the anime mmo and its player base... atleast in my opinion.........
Deviation of the genre? Bring it on! Deviation = variety and thats a really good thing. I want different games to choose from. I dont want games developers to stick with making MMO's in a particular way simply because there is some invisible elitist rule which says they must. Sorry OP if you feel you are being left behind but no-one gives a shit. They are too busy enjoying all the new and interesting games coming out.
MMO's arent de-evolving at all. The variety in choice of different types of MMO's I now have access to is much better than it used to be back in the days when EQ1 and UO was popular. Thats a good thing.......and its getting better. I like the fact that the genre is widening to encompass different playstyles and approaches to game design. MMOFPS games? Brilliant! Instanced gameplay with a heavier focus on a quality crafted experience? Brilliant. RvR games? Brilliant! Every other type of gameplay and variation of game design under the sun? Brilliant!
Every time I see a new game come out that makes stuck-up tossers complain that "this isnt a real MMO" it puts a big smile on my face. Oh our beloved genre is being ruined. Boo hoo. Speak for yourself. You see it being ruined. I see it simply changing. Sorry but there are lots of people on this planet that want variety in their games. You dont like variety? Well tough shit.
There are no "fake MMOs". There are just online games that people either enjoy or dont enjoy. You're actually complaining because people have variety in what types of online games they can play? You do realise how stupid that is right?
I can agree with people on here that pretty much any game Pre WoW was awesome. I remember seeing my friends play UO then we got EQ then went to FFXI before WoW and since WoW ive been looking for a new game that has these old game qualities that a ton of people hated.
Im not saying every game has to be my way but please someone just make 1 game that where you have to group up or you will die. Get rid of the Quest grind, I don't mind quests but make fewer of them and more interesting. It seems the devs have forgotten about some of the people who played during the younger years of MMO's and only want to make games for the masses. I know companies are out to make money but still someone has be out there that just wants to make a good old school game and don't care about making the dollars.
If I ever win the lotto Im going to fund a game for all us players that want features that aren't in current games because most people think they are a time sink. I could care less how well it does, I just want a game I can play and enjoy again, its been a long time since that has happened and im pretty much about ready to stop playing MMO's till FFXIV comes out. Hopefully SE didn't make it to casual and everyone is solofesting till endgame.
That is one thing I don't get why do people want to solo so much in a MMORPG. Yeah I do it sometimes if I have like an hour to play but most of the time I try to get in groups because that is what your supposed to do IMO. Like others have said games now days feel like a single player game with a chatroom attached to it. In all honesty I can do that right now for free. I can fire up Drakensang then use Rogue in game browser to join some chat room. There you go its basically the same damn thing but it don't cost a monthly sub.
Its not that were a bunch of nerds that are starving for social attention. I do other things besides play videogames, I play in a band, chill with friends and whatnot. Its that its nice to have other players impact the virtual world. If I can do everything myself like craft, fight, and stuff then WTF do I need other people to play the game then. Id love it if I can't craft but I have these materials and ask around for someone to craft for me and pay them. Just like if someone crafter needed a bodyguard to get some rare materials, Id be more than happy to help them out for the right price.
I had that discussion the other day actually... I remember so many fond memories from the original games like uo, swg, eq and even some from the original level 60 wow but anymore I just feel like I get to end game and start a very boring gear grind. I'm not sure if its more of a been there done that attitude to the point that it requires more in game to keep me entertained but I lean towards that because I have a lot of fond memories of exploring where as now exploring really doesn't do it for me.
I can agree with people on here that pretty much any game Pre WoW was awesome. I remember seeing my friends play UO then we got EQ then went to FFXI before WoW and since WoW ive been looking for a new game that has these old game qualities that a ton of people hated. Im not saying every game has to be my way but please someone just make 1 game that where you have to group up or you will die. Get rid of the Quest grind, I don't mind quests but make fewer of them and more interesting. It seems the devs have forgotten about some of the people who played during the younger years of MMO's and only want to make games for the masses. I know companies are out to make money but still someone has be out there that just wants to make a good old school game and don't care about making the dollars. If I ever win the lotto Im going to fund a game for all us players that want features that aren't in current games because most people think they are a time sink. I could care less how well it does, I just want a game I can play and enjoy again, its been a long time since that has happened and im pretty much about ready to stop playing MMO's till FFXIV comes out. Hopefully SE didn't make it to casual and everyone is solofesting till endgame. That is one thing I don't get why do people want to solo so much in a MMORPG. Yeah I do it sometimes if I have like an hour to play but most of the time I try to get in groups because that is what your supposed to do IMO. Like others have said games now days feel like a single player game with a chatroom attached to it. In all honesty I can do that right now for free. I can fire up Drakensang then use Rogue in game browser to join some chat room. There you go its basically the same damn thing but it don't cost a monthly sub. Its not that were a bunch of nerds that are starving for social attention. I do other things besides play videogames, I play in a band, chill with friends and whatnot. Its that its nice to have other players impact the virtual world. If I can do everything myself like craft, fight, and stuff then WTF do I need other people to play the game then. Id love it if I can't craft but I have these materials and ask around for someone to craft for me and pay them. Just like if someone crafter needed a bodyguard to get some rare materials, Id be more than happy to help them out for the right price.
I hear ya. Hopefully FFXIV will not go overboard with soloability like everyone else has.
I've been playing FE for a couple weeks and haven't had the need, or been invited, or seen anyone else group the whole time =( Maybe I'm in the wrong spot or something, I dunno. Everyone is just doing their own little thing, no one is asking for buffs and such, actually I have trouble spotting local chat since there is so much global chat scrolling by. There are many players but they all seem detached, like there is no shared experience like there was in the older MMOs, if that even makes any sense.
"After classic MMOs began taking off, they drew attention, mainstream attention, from those who make things for money, for captial, not for fun or entertainment."
That's what it all boils down to folks. Once people started thinking that a specific "formula" was needed in order for an MMO to be economically viable, well, that was when the entire genre fell into a dark damp hole. Today we are seeing the corrupted fruits of that formula taken to the extreme. A perverted evolution focused almost entirely on making money, rather than producing something spectacular, artful and genuinly entertaining.
Here's hoping developers start using their imagination again, and that their producers will allow them to do so.
"How can we make an MMORPG with the minimum time and effort spent, with the minimum investment."
"We just have to take this thing of the ground as fast as possible and start cashing in!"
"Why dont we make 3-4 different quest layouts, change the numbers based on player level and area and we even label it as OUR GAMES HAS OVER A THOUSAND QUESTS!"
"What about the server costs, to make an mmorpg is too expensive..." "I know, we will instance everything so we can handle everything with cheap costs and then we tell people its to avoid griefing and to offer a better performance hahah! yeah! I like it!"
"Hey, why dont we do that with monsters and animations?" "Good idea Bob, we are gonna get rich!"
"Hey, what if we offer pre-orders for people?" "Genial idea!"
"Lets just say we are in beta, and then we stay in beta for 2 years and when it stop giving proffit we pack everything and said it didnt worked out"
"Good thing consumer rights still dont apply to online entertainment services so we dont even have to have telephone to offer customer support, lets send everyone the same auto-response emails and keep going untill we cant anymore."
This is what happens when you get console players, fps gamers and Diablo players into the MMO scene.
A simple thing like socializing becomes a bad thing. None of these new to mmo gamers give a shit about the people they play with.
Its all solo play,let me get my items as fast as possible and go f**k yourself.
Todays MMOs are a mash up of Single player Rpgs and Diablo Item farming. They dont resemble the games we started with.
Funny thing is, thats exactly where i started, was a big console player, then ran an awesome clan for 3 1/2 years across several shooters, and Diablo was one of the first orpgs i really got into.... and there was way more socializing in the shooters and diablo than i see in a lot of current MMOs. I get your point though, but its not even really so much the players as the game designs themself. See with a FPS, for the most part you login, join up with your friends, and rape faces. Generally there isnt much to do as far as any sort of leveling, gear farming, etc, and its mainly a game of skill where regardless of how much time you spend on it youre either good at it or not, some just have naturally better playstyle (more accurate, faster reflexs, better tactical thinking, etc) so you do tend to spend a lot of time socializing while killing. But with the current design of most MMOs it is ALL about equipment and levels, so you have to grind and farm constantly. Because of this, most people tend to logon and go straight to the grind/farm with little to no reason for socializing until you reach the end game and have no more grinding to do and get bored and try to entertain yourself with socializing.
Until the same stupid repetitive cycle being used in nearly every game gets replaced by something more requiring natural skill and talent rather than time spent grinding = the strongest, community will for the most part = garbage. There are some pretty easy ways to help increase the social aspects of even your typical grindfests though. RFO (Rising Force Online) is actually a pretty good example. Total grindfest and very gear & level dependent game, BUT they have these Chip Wars several times a day where everyone from the 3 factions gathers in one zone for an all out war which requires teamwork amongst your entire race to dominate the other 2 races, hundreds of peope working together as one force. On top of the Chip War, they also have an Archon (race leaders) system, where players get voted into multiple positions starting with the Race Leader, and then his 8 Consul members (4 elected, 4 appointed by RL) in which the elections are held weekly. These archons gain special armors, special buffs based on their exact position in consul (defender,, assaulter, support team, subarchon), as well as the ability to communicate in large text onscreen with the entire race when needed so their orders are not missed while leading raids, CW, etc. Because of the combination of CW and player election system, you will never be on top without socializing, communicating, helping others, building strong guilds with good teamwork etc in order to get yourself well known and elected. you just plain cant be a soloer and be anywhere near important/influential in the game. if some other good games out there had also incorporated similar things, their communities (and overall game experience) would be much stronger.
Just imagine something like WoW, with a large scale hundreds/thousands battling at once with leaders standing out in these battles as well as in the day to day gaming all vying for the coveted leadership positions over their entire faction by actually leading and bringing people together to unite as a stronger force. It would certainly change the whole "im all that matters, im just gonna solo grind and gank and ks and be annoying as hell" mentality that has taken over so many games.
PS: im also taking a hint from your sig. ive tried a few of those games already, some good, some bad, but i am giving Ryzom a shot now. it sounds very interesting with the freedom it seems to offer. sounds like my type of game, im a massive toon whore, i get toon A.D.D and constantly hop around out of boredom and being stuck in one role. Ryzom seems to offer me the chance to do all the roles with one toon exactly how i want to.
Comments
The industry is 12 years old, it is too early to determine that it is ruined. There are about 4 games that 'were good' and then the MMORPG industry was 'ruined'.
I agree that some MMOs are dull and boring now, but I've found my home and I don't even need to look at the other shit anymore.
/shakes head at the kids trying to dog old gamers.
Where the hell would you be if it weren't for old gamers? Who the hell do you think makes these games?
IMHO I think things have gotten better and worse. Better looking and somewhat bigger from the start. But it gets old too fast now. I think it has to do with the amount of MMOs being produced. Too easy to have seen the same thing over and over now. But some are still good. I just wish they'd stop rushing it. Give us a finished and polished product once in a while.
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
I'm 20. I've started playing MMOs three years ago, and my first one was EQII. I find the current slew of MMORPGs uninspiring, repeptetive, antisocial and boring.
Oh, and I'm geting married next year. To a geek girl, but my point stands, I do have a life outside of videogames.
The problem is, I grew up in the 90s and always dreamed of this concept of "online world". Escapism, roleplay, being someone you can never be in real life - adventurer, magician, bard, space pirate, what have you. Modern MMOs look pretty and give me a lot of different things to do, but those are, in a word, GAMES.
I don't want a game. I have plenty of those. I want a world to escape once in a while, to create my own legacy in someone's story.
And no, I do not lack ambition or see my life as pointless, on the contrary, I enjoy it to the fullest. I even have hopes of being a published author in the forseeable future.
Your point is, sadly, disproved. Next!
You didn't disprove anything. You only said YOU don't like games. LOTS of other people do. Next!
After reading some recent topics along with all the knowledge acquired from hundreds of other topics in the last years...
Its becoming quite aparent that "LINEAR GAMES" (and its design decisions) are the cancer of the genre.
Its like they digged their own holes. Linear games are broken down and abstracted so fast by the conjunction of player doing the same activities and following the same linear paths that nowadays people are experts at not being amused/entertained by them and also losing interest very fast as well.
Non Linear games (i.e. Sandbox) on the contrary can keep interest, curiosity, suspension of disbelief and rewarding sense of exploration and discovery for extended periods of time. Besides all the freedom it gives the players.
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
I'm 20. I've started playing MMOs three years ago, and my first one was EQII. I find the current slew of MMORPGs uninspiring, repeptetive, antisocial and boring.
Oh, and I'm geting married next year. To a geek girl, but my point stands, I do have a life outside of videogames.
The problem is, I grew up in the 90s and always dreamed of this concept of "online world". Escapism, roleplay, being someone you can never be in real life - adventurer, magician, bard, space pirate, what have you. Modern MMOs look pretty and give me a lot of different things to do, but those are, in a word, GAMES.
I don't want a game. I have plenty of those. I want a world to escape once in a while, to create my own legacy in someone's story.
And no, I do not lack ambition or see my life as pointless, on the contrary, I enjoy it to the fullest. I even have hopes of being a published author in the forseeable future.
Your point is, sadly, disproved. Next!
You didn't disprove anything. You only said YOU don't like games. LOTS of other people do. Next!
Is that what you really got from his post? Really?
Cause I agree. They are uninspiring, repetitive, and sometimes boring. The antisocial part you get what you put into them. So that's based on the user.
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
The bottom line is everything in this world changes. This genre may have started with a hundred thousand people and now has grown into millions of people who like playing these games and enjoy them. This generation of players don't want to wander the landscape to find something over the nex mountain or hunt for a group so they can do a quest. They have grown up in a society of instant gratification with the inernet and microwavable food and text messaging. So if I was a game developer would I cater to the hundred thousands or the millions? Now I know I don't know the numbers of the people who have joined but we can agree that the genre has grown and frankly your interests and desires are in the minority. Success of them park games shows that and these are the MMORPG for the new players. I do sympathise with you woth and hope you find a game you like but I get my fullfillment from pen and paper games.
And you know who knocks them? The bitter old assholes that squat on forums all day, who are a -fraction- of the MMO gaming genre. You guys just want to preach to the choir and pat each other on the back, waxing nostalgic about the old times and bitching about the new whipper-snapper games, that you guys can't get into, because no one wants to listen to your shit in real-time in a game. I'm 33 years old. I remember and played UO, EQ and AC, and all these 'golden age of MMOs' games people on this site continually refer to. You guys have a VERY selective memory, because some of us "old timers" consider those games absolute garbage. Those games catered to a very select sub-genre of people, that were starved for human interaction, and were willing to put up with inordinate amounts of time and bullshit, just so they could sit at home and talk to another living person.
People now play these games because they find them *fun*, not because they are starved for attention IRL.
lol eben sounds like he was hurt, in many old games haha.
What new games are fun eben? To be honest the only games that have a true community of players, consist of cute anime charecters such as luna online and cloud nine.
and I would consider them simple games, as I would consider WOW. Since you ae a self proclaimed old timer, I take it you do remember most players back then where in college, had GF'S and just liked to unwhine trying something new that they had never exp.
Seems you where one of thouse guys, who got pk'd, had crap items and always stayed at a low lvl.
what games are people playing that are fun now?
I think BF is fun hehe
lol, so the reason the majority of wow players jump to ever newly released game is becuase they are content?
Most new games that follow your mindset, end up failing. The theme park MMORPG will fase out... The future MMO will offer more variety of game styles, why develop multi mmo's when you can combine them into one world and create a exp that will satisfy all?
THE future holds more to the UO type worlds then to the WOW type. The reason the next gen MMO has not benn released, is simply a money factor, it cost allot of money to make these MMO's now.
I think mmorpg's will become true worlds again, the biggest supporting factor is the anime mmo and its player base... atleast in my opinion.........
Deviation of the genre? Bring it on! Deviation = variety and thats a really good thing. I want different games to choose from. I dont want games developers to stick with making MMO's in a particular way simply because there is some invisible elitist rule which says they must. Sorry OP if you feel you are being left behind but no-one gives a shit. They are too busy enjoying all the new and interesting games coming out.
MMO's arent de-evolving at all. The variety in choice of different types of MMO's I now have access to is much better than it used to be back in the days when EQ1 and UO was popular. Thats a good thing.......and its getting better. I like the fact that the genre is widening to encompass different playstyles and approaches to game design. MMOFPS games? Brilliant! Instanced gameplay with a heavier focus on a quality crafted experience? Brilliant. RvR games? Brilliant! Every other type of gameplay and variation of game design under the sun? Brilliant!
Every time I see a new game come out that makes stuck-up tossers complain that "this isnt a real MMO" it puts a big smile on my face. Oh our beloved genre is being ruined. Boo hoo. Speak for yourself. You see it being ruined. I see it simply changing. Sorry but there are lots of people on this planet that want variety in their games. You dont like variety? Well tough shit.
There are no "fake MMOs". There are just online games that people either enjoy or dont enjoy. You're actually complaining because people have variety in what types of online games they can play? You do realise how stupid that is right?
I can agree with people on here that pretty much any game Pre WoW was awesome. I remember seeing my friends play UO then we got EQ then went to FFXI before WoW and since WoW ive been looking for a new game that has these old game qualities that a ton of people hated.
Im not saying every game has to be my way but please someone just make 1 game that where you have to group up or you will die. Get rid of the Quest grind, I don't mind quests but make fewer of them and more interesting. It seems the devs have forgotten about some of the people who played during the younger years of MMO's and only want to make games for the masses. I know companies are out to make money but still someone has be out there that just wants to make a good old school game and don't care about making the dollars.
If I ever win the lotto Im going to fund a game for all us players that want features that aren't in current games because most people think they are a time sink. I could care less how well it does, I just want a game I can play and enjoy again, its been a long time since that has happened and im pretty much about ready to stop playing MMO's till FFXIV comes out. Hopefully SE didn't make it to casual and everyone is solofesting till endgame.
That is one thing I don't get why do people want to solo so much in a MMORPG. Yeah I do it sometimes if I have like an hour to play but most of the time I try to get in groups because that is what your supposed to do IMO. Like others have said games now days feel like a single player game with a chatroom attached to it. In all honesty I can do that right now for free. I can fire up Drakensang then use Rogue in game browser to join some chat room. There you go its basically the same damn thing but it don't cost a monthly sub.
Its not that were a bunch of nerds that are starving for social attention. I do other things besides play videogames, I play in a band, chill with friends and whatnot. Its that its nice to have other players impact the virtual world. If I can do everything myself like craft, fight, and stuff then WTF do I need other people to play the game then. Id love it if I can't craft but I have these materials and ask around for someone to craft for me and pay them. Just like if someone crafter needed a bodyguard to get some rare materials, Id be more than happy to help them out for the right price.
I had that discussion the other day actually... I remember so many fond memories from the original games like uo, swg, eq and even some from the original level 60 wow but anymore I just feel like I get to end game and start a very boring gear grind. I'm not sure if its more of a been there done that attitude to the point that it requires more in game to keep me entertained but I lean towards that because I have a lot of fond memories of exploring where as now exploring really doesn't do it for me.
I hear ya. Hopefully FFXIV will not go overboard with soloability like everyone else has.
I've been playing FE for a couple weeks and haven't had the need, or been invited, or seen anyone else group the whole time =( Maybe I'm in the wrong spot or something, I dunno. Everyone is just doing their own little thing, no one is asking for buffs and such, actually I have trouble spotting local chat since there is so much global chat scrolling by. There are many players but they all seem detached, like there is no shared experience like there was in the older MMOs, if that even makes any sense.
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun."
So what are the so called new and interesting games people keep talking about?
If you are thinking of Aion, the #1 on the most popular games list, then you must be braindead.
Check the most popular games list and give me the names.
"After classic MMOs began taking off, they drew attention, mainstream attention, from those who make things for money, for captial, not for fun or entertainment."
That's what it all boils down to folks. Once people started thinking that a specific "formula" was needed in order for an MMO to be economically viable, well, that was when the entire genre fell into a dark damp hole. Today we are seeing the corrupted fruits of that formula taken to the extreme. A perverted evolution focused almost entirely on making money, rather than producing something spectacular, artful and genuinly entertaining.
Here's hoping developers start using their imagination again, and that their producers will allow them to do so.
They started thinking things like
"How can we make an MMORPG with the minimum time and effort spent, with the minimum investment."
"We just have to take this thing of the ground as fast as possible and start cashing in!"
"Why dont we make 3-4 different quest layouts, change the numbers based on player level and area and we even label it as OUR GAMES HAS OVER A THOUSAND QUESTS!"
"What about the server costs, to make an mmorpg is too expensive..." "I know, we will instance everything so we can handle everything with cheap costs and then we tell people its to avoid griefing and to offer a better performance hahah! yeah! I like it!"
"Hey, why dont we do that with monsters and animations?" "Good idea Bob, we are gonna get rich!"
"Hey, what if we offer pre-orders for people?" "Genial idea!"
"Lets just say we are in beta, and then we stay in beta for 2 years and when it stop giving proffit we pack everything and said it didnt worked out"
"Good thing consumer rights still dont apply to online entertainment services so we dont even have to have telephone to offer customer support, lets send everyone the same auto-response emails and keep going untill we cant anymore."
This is what happens when you get console players, fps gamers and Diablo players into the MMO scene.
A simple thing like socializing becomes a bad thing. None of these new to mmo gamers give a shit about the people they play with.
Its all solo play,let me get my items as fast as possible and go f**k yourself.
Todays MMOs are a mash up of Single player Rpgs and Diablo Item farming. They dont resemble the games we started with.
PLaying: EvE, Ryzom
Waiting For: Earthrise, Perpetuum
Funny thing is, thats exactly where i started, was a big console player, then ran an awesome clan for 3 1/2 years across several shooters, and Diablo was one of the first orpgs i really got into.... and there was way more socializing in the shooters and diablo than i see in a lot of current MMOs. I get your point though, but its not even really so much the players as the game designs themself. See with a FPS, for the most part you login, join up with your friends, and rape faces. Generally there isnt much to do as far as any sort of leveling, gear farming, etc, and its mainly a game of skill where regardless of how much time you spend on it youre either good at it or not, some just have naturally better playstyle (more accurate, faster reflexs, better tactical thinking, etc) so you do tend to spend a lot of time socializing while killing. But with the current design of most MMOs it is ALL about equipment and levels, so you have to grind and farm constantly. Because of this, most people tend to logon and go straight to the grind/farm with little to no reason for socializing until you reach the end game and have no more grinding to do and get bored and try to entertain yourself with socializing.
Until the same stupid repetitive cycle being used in nearly every game gets replaced by something more requiring natural skill and talent rather than time spent grinding = the strongest, community will for the most part = garbage. There are some pretty easy ways to help increase the social aspects of even your typical grindfests though. RFO (Rising Force Online) is actually a pretty good example. Total grindfest and very gear & level dependent game, BUT they have these Chip Wars several times a day where everyone from the 3 factions gathers in one zone for an all out war which requires teamwork amongst your entire race to dominate the other 2 races, hundreds of peope working together as one force. On top of the Chip War, they also have an Archon (race leaders) system, where players get voted into multiple positions starting with the Race Leader, and then his 8 Consul members (4 elected, 4 appointed by RL) in which the elections are held weekly. These archons gain special armors, special buffs based on their exact position in consul (defender,, assaulter, support team, subarchon), as well as the ability to communicate in large text onscreen with the entire race when needed so their orders are not missed while leading raids, CW, etc. Because of the combination of CW and player election system, you will never be on top without socializing, communicating, helping others, building strong guilds with good teamwork etc in order to get yourself well known and elected. you just plain cant be a soloer and be anywhere near important/influential in the game. if some other good games out there had also incorporated similar things, their communities (and overall game experience) would be much stronger.
Just imagine something like WoW, with a large scale hundreds/thousands battling at once with leaders standing out in these battles as well as in the day to day gaming all vying for the coveted leadership positions over their entire faction by actually leading and bringing people together to unite as a stronger force. It would certainly change the whole "im all that matters, im just gonna solo grind and gank and ks and be annoying as hell" mentality that has taken over so many games.
PS: im also taking a hint from your sig. ive tried a few of those games already, some good, some bad, but i am giving Ryzom a shot now. it sounds very interesting with the freedom it seems to offer. sounds like my type of game, im a massive toon whore, i get toon A.D.D and constantly hop around out of boredom and being stuck in one role. Ryzom seems to offer me the chance to do all the roles with one toon exactly how i want to.
After reading metalhead post, I wonder if rogue like games also have their share of responsability...