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The Most Important Aspect in an MMO and Why Recent Games Have "Failed"

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  • Flyte27Flyte27 Member RarePosts: 4,574
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Flyte27
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Flyte27
     

    Some people want to talk about games.  People at a bar probably don't.  That doesn't mean I think everyone should be forced to group, but if you play in an MMO why not talk about the game if you enjoy it?

    Because playing is more fun? If i want to talk about MMO, i come here.

    If the game is challenging you might actually want to talk with other people about the different challenges in the game.  This just points out to me that the MMOs today aren't very challenging.  Also talking in a multplayer game is part of the fun sometimes.  You don't have to do it all the time, but during your travels you may have reason to talk to passer byes.  Also you might just like games enough that you want to talk about them and not just kill things repeatedly.

    You are totally confused. Challenging and want to talk ... are two completely different independent things.

    D3 is challenging .. and i have no desire to talk to any stranger about anything.

    And fun is subjective ... i don't have a lot of fun talking .. i have fun playing. You may want to talk .. that is you. That is nothing to do with my preference.

    You don't think everything like the same thing as you do, do you?

    I'm pretty sure I could play through all of D3s content by myself without asking for help.  It would just require me to grind for better loot every time I logged in until I got the loot I needed.  There isn't much to talk about in D3.  All you do is grind and kill non stop.

    Fun may be subjective, but it's healthier to split things up into different activities in game. Talking once in a while is not bad and gives you something to do besides quest and kill.  There are many other activities that could be added in to make the game more challenging and worth discussing as well IMO.

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910
    Originally posted by VengeSunsoar
    Somehow those ducks still managed to get epics and flagged and new flash equipment do someone wad grouping with them. Blacklisting was a myth. It only worked with your particular circle of friends

     

    Sssshhh.  It makes them feel better about the good old days.

     

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • ShadanwolfShadanwolf Member UncommonPosts: 2,392
    For me...it's well done faction vs faction warfare.
  • RedCurryRedCurry Member UncommonPosts: 70

    For me it's (in no particular order)

     

    Quality

    Immersion

    Character progression 

    Combat style

    Crafting system

     

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Flyte27
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Flyte27
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Flyte27
     

    Some people want to talk about games.  People at a bar probably don't.  That doesn't mean I think everyone should be forced to group, but if you play in an MMO why not talk about the game if you enjoy it?

    Because playing is more fun? If i want to talk about MMO, i come here.

    If the game is challenging you might actually want to talk with other people about the different challenges in the game.  This just points out to me that the MMOs today aren't very challenging.  Also talking in a multplayer game is part of the fun sometimes.  You don't have to do it all the time, but during your travels you may have reason to talk to passer byes.  Also you might just like games enough that you want to talk about them and not just kill things repeatedly.

    You are totally confused. Challenging and want to talk ... are two completely different independent things.

    D3 is challenging .. and i have no desire to talk to any stranger about anything.

    And fun is subjective ... i don't have a lot of fun talking .. i have fun playing. You may want to talk .. that is you. That is nothing to do with my preference.

    You don't think everything like the same thing as you do, do you?

    I'm pretty sure I could play through all of D3s content by myself without asking for help.  It would just require me to grind for better loot every time I logged in until I got the loot I needed.  There isn't much to talk about in D3.  All you do is grind and kill non stop.

    Fun may be subjective, but it's healthier to split things up into different activities in game. Talking once in a while is not bad and gives you something to do besides quest and kill.  There are many other activities that could be added in to make the game more challenging and worth discussing as well IMO.

    Yes, you can go through all of D3 content solo .. but that does mean it is not challenging. In fact, it is a perfect example that it is challenging and needs no one else.

    And yes, it is healthier to split things up in different activities, just not necessary to do it in one game. When i am sick of killing stuff, i talk to my wife & kids, and may be read or watch tv. Why would I want to talk to strangers on a chat box? I don't.

     

  • Inf666Inf666 Member UncommonPosts: 513
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    ...

    Yes, you can go through all of D3 content solo .. but that does mean it is not challenging. In fact, it is a perfect example that it is challenging and needs no one else.

    And yes, it is healthier to split things up in different activities, just not necessary to do it in one game. When i am sick of killing stuff, i talk to my wife & kids, and may be read or watch tv. Why would I want to talk to strangers on a chat box? I don't.

    D3 is not challenging.

    It is actually quite easy to play your character optimally. Everyone manages to do this. The game is all about collecting items so that you can perform well on the next difficulty level. Player skill is not a factor thus the game cannot be called challenging.

    Why don't you play Dark Souls for a change? After you have soloed the content come back and we will talk about it again.

    ---
    Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

  • CaseykinsCaseykins Member UncommonPosts: 20

    I agree! 

     

    Now hear me out, I know a lot of people hate on Runescape but I played it from classic up until 2010 or so. Just because of the great social elements. I never realized it until I stopped playing and got into other mmo's like league/tera/ffxiv numerous others.

    No other game does what Runescape did. It in a lot of ways, forced you to interact with people. For example, if you were skilling sometimes a Urn would drop. The urn would require a certain skill level to open it. So if you didn't have it you could go find someone who did to open it for you. There were also so many mini games where you'd have to work as a team. Like castle wars (capture the flag) If you had your own flag your team would stand around you and guard you from the other team. 

    Also there were some quests that required other people to complete. Like you had to join a gang and you needed someone from another gang. I don't really remember.

    But I just loved all the game play elements runescape had. I liked the fact you didn't HAVE to kill anything if you didn't want to there was so many other things to do and skills to level. It just looks terrible now and they tried adding a skill bar and ruined it. 

    Every other game I've played is literally the same, grind mobs get to a certain level, do raids and pvp and stuff, get bored & quit. Runescape has been out for over a decade and had been very successful in that time until now. I'm so surprised no other game took any elements or ideas from it. 

    I have high hopes for arch age. image

  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by RobokappSimilarly, people don't want to learn anymore, so degrees should be designed to...wait, that makes no sense.

    Where do you live that degrees are market commodity and being legally sold...?

    That said, schools still do try to answer the demand for lower standards and create obscure study fields as well as overall quality vary from school to school so that if you do not want to learn, you are still able to find a school that provides you a degree with minimal effort....

  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by Robokapp

    'legally'...all I hear is 'player restrictions'. having a BS in Engineering I can tell you I have a hunch a smart person could get that degree without doing 99% of the work. I imagine getting a silly degree like philosophy would be infinitely easier.

    The point was, that devs should follow the demand and leave social aspects out of MMOs, schools on the other hand aren't allowed to do that, at least not legally and so openly.

  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by RobokappSo far it seems MMOs with only short-term goals have short lives. Is that what devs should follow?

    Do you mind providing names of those supposed short-term goal, short-lived MMOs...?

  • ZhirocZhiroc Member UncommonPosts: 220

    I've been thinking a lot lately about MMOs and what they should be about.

    IMHO, one of the problems with MMOs seems to be that there's a lack of focus, or maybe purpose, to a game being an MMO. Is it a single-player RPG with MP aspects? Is it a PvP battleground?  It seems to me that an MMO has aspects unique to it from a MOBA, RPG, FPS, etc. To design an MMO to be all of the above probably means it does them all less well than their focused counterpart.

    For example, while I enjoy SWTOR and enjoy its RPG focus in the leveling game, I can frankly say it doesn't hold a stick to KotOR or ME for story and immersion. From what I gather, a lot of ES fans feel similarly to TESO. I'm not a PvPer, but it seems like WoT and DOTA seem far more active than any MMO for PvP.

    So what does an MMO bring to the table? The ability to simulate a world and society. Eve Online in a way comes close to this, but not really at the same time. It has indeed designed a game where the player interaction and the building of inter-player relationships drive the game. But having played it (though only for about 3-4 at launch), it does so in a way that has really very little relationship to the game world. Its a MMO strategic game, not so much an MMO RP game.

    So, I'm still looking for a game that goes beyond mechanics and tries to take an Eve-like approach to integrating it into a world simulation. Note that I'm not particularly looking for RP like you see in pockets in most games, where people talk "IC". I'd settle for a world where people are free to stay OOC and treat their characters as "toons", but yet interact with the world in a dynamic fashion, where world and local events impact them, and they impact the world in return. And while I accept that such a game should probably have PvP, no, I'm not looking for that to be the focus either--I'd be looking for a dynamic PvE environment as well.

  • CaldrinCaldrin Member UncommonPosts: 4,505

    for a me its a mix of things...

     

    Social aspect is of coruse very important.. but combat and graphics are also very important.. After playing darkfall and Mortal online I realise even tho those two ahve very different styles of combat that fps type combat is the way to go for MMORPGs.

    Also after playing those I realise that an open world based around pvp is also very important to me.

     

     

    At the end of the day we all like different things.

  • sr7olsnipersr7olsniper Member UncommonPosts: 206

    It is not just one of those things. In an MMO the social aspect is a must, but so is the combat and a well thought story line / something to do. You can have the best social integration in the world but if the game plays like shit and has shit story then no one is going to play it. The same can be said about any single other feature you can throw at it by itself. The MMOs that have succeeded have done so because they were able to apply most of these features at once. Take FFXI, since you mentioned it, the gameplay might be garbage by today's standards but back in the day it felt like a Final Fantasy game and that is what the core audience wanted. At the same time it has one of the best if not the best stories of any MMO I have ever played paired with a strong social interaction. Granted the Social Interaction was forced as you HAD to get a group to grind for XP but over all the story content was more fun when done with other people.  Let me put this into perspective, playing with other people was fun when you could actually get a group going. I remember xp parties that would last 5+ hrs just grinding mobs and we would chat while we played. Some might say that is the way an MMO is supposed to be, but the truth is, that getting one of those parties was rare. Most of the time you either could NOT find a party or if you did it was a very short one. The forced social interaction in the leveling progression in that game was absolute crap and I for one am happy games are moving away from that. Sometimes you just want to get home after a day of work and do something for 1 hr or 2 on your game of choice even if its leveling a bit a time. 

    Now lets jump a few years and here comes FFXIV. The game has good / fluid combat paired with a nice Storyline and a somewhat robust social integration; which i think is the way games should go. 

    At least with a sub game they know that people won't tolerate bullshit and leave. With anet we have no recourse but to buy our own lube so our assholes don't get too stretched out from getting bent over a table at Anets will. - Hrimnir

  • HaldursonHaldurson Member UncommonPosts: 31

    There's no right answer.  Every game is strong in some ways, and weak in others, and every player plays for different reasons.  I actually have different reasons for a lot of the different games that I've played.  While social interaction has been a factor, it's almost NEVER a function of something the game itself did, but rather a function of lucking into the right guild.  And any decision to stay in a game that resides only on being in a good guild is going to end up being a bad decision.  There has to be something else there to have fun with, or you are going to wind up staying ONLY to keep other people happy, and not yourself, which will lead you to resent your in-game friends.

    What it all comes down to is fun.  For me, I have to be having fun in the game, and finding the right guild definitely has something to do with it.  But some games turn me off from the getgo because of boring quests and other weak content and a boring crafting system and boring economy.  If the emphasis of the game is on the end-game, and as a consequence, the road TO the end-game is a grind, I'm never going to make it to the end-game because I won't be having fun (heck, I usually create an alt when I hit the end-game anyway, in games that I really like because end-game play is usually designed to suck the life out of players like me, with it's emphasis on repetition, doing the same dungeons and raids and daily quests, over and over again. 

     

  • coventryhagdogcoventryhagdog Member Posts: 85

    I don't know why I torture myself reading these replies, but you're not getting it.

    Sure, combat and graphics are all ingredients, but to not optimize around socialization is a downfall.

    "HERP..I WANT IMMERSION"

    "GREAT COMBATS"  (and great in the context of an MMO is so incredibly loose, that it has become meaningless)

    "GRAFIX!"

    Go play Skyrim. By MMO Standards it is the diamond standard in that department.

    Why some people log on to play by themselves is a mystery. It's like autism within autism. Mind explosion.

  • Loki64Loki64 Member UncommonPosts: 11
    Originally posted by Cephus404
    Originally posted by Vermillion_Raventhal

    I should be clear there be very little overly negative or positive interaction from players.  They aren't purposely stomping interaction out.  They've done it by convenience and anti-grief tools.  You can't twink a friend or train a mob or steal kill or be competitive over mobs or even PvP without special situations.  

     Of course, there is nothing stopping players from seeking groups and other players.  Its limited it.  It just nothing that needs to be done nor efficient to the psychologically driven treadmill.  Its like saying the rats could run the maze to get the food instead of running the straight line to the food.   Choice is there but...

    Isn't that what these games are all about?  Choices?   Yet you don't want there to be any choices, you want to force people to play the way you want to play, a play style that is in the minuscule minority I might note, because that's what you want.  Sorry, you're not going to get that.  If you want to group, go ahead.  Nobody is stopping you.  Just because most people don't want to doesn't stop you and any like-minded people from doing it.  You're just making excuses for why you can't find anyone to play the game the way you wish it was played instead of accepting that what you want isn't the way the overwhelming majority want to play.

    Couldn't have said it better... Thank you!  I don't want the devs to stop making Raids for people that raid, take out PvP for those that do... just stop forcing us down the "You MUST group funnel IF you want to finish the content"... Stop putting character stories behind walls such as open PvP gank areas, locked behind 4 person only dungeons.  If someone wants to group, and doesn't mind some of humanities trash... then they should be free to do so...  just don't force it upon someone.  Perfect example; WoW's scenarios can only be accessed via LFG which means if you want to get the single player completion you must use LFG then ask the two others to leave... not cool.  All of WoW's dungeons have entry portals as do the raids... whether I can solo, duo, triple, quad or go full party.... I can choose!  GW2 went the other direction... put your story inside a dungeon.... allow you to enter as a group less than 4, but kicks you out unless you have 4 players.  My point to build on, and support this poster.... CHOICE is the key, and anyone who is against another having a choice of how they play their games is the reason most of us CHOOSE to not play with these individuals AND subsequently close our wallets!

  • HulluckHulluck Member UncommonPosts: 839
    Originally posted by Loki64
    Originally posted by Cephus404
    Originally posted by Vermillion_Raventhal

    I should be clear there be very little overly negative or positive interaction from players.  They aren't purposely stomping interaction out.  They've done it by convenience and anti-grief tools.  You can't twink a friend or train a mob or steal kill or be competitive over mobs or even PvP without special situations.  

     Of course, there is nothing stopping players from seeking groups and other players.  Its limited it.  It just nothing that needs to be done nor efficient to the psychologically driven treadmill.  Its like saying the rats could run the maze to get the food instead of running the straight line to the food.   Choice is there but...

    Isn't that what these games are all about?  Choices?   Yet you don't want there to be any choices, you want to force people to play the way you want to play, a play style that is in the minuscule minority I might note, because that's what you want.  Sorry, you're not going to get that.  If you want to group, go ahead.  Nobody is stopping you.  Just because most people don't want to doesn't stop you and any like-minded people from doing it.  You're just making excuses for why you can't find anyone to play the game the way you wish it was played instead of accepting that what you want isn't the way the overwhelming majority want to play.

    Couldn't have said it better... Thank you!  I don't want the devs to stop making Raids for people that raid, take out PvP for those that do... just stop forcing us down the "You MUST group funnel IF you want to finish the content"... Stop putting character stories behind walls such as open PvP gank areas, locked behind 4 person only dungeons.  If someone wants to group, and doesn't mind some of humanities trash... then they should be free to do so...  just don't force it upon someone.  Perfect example; WoW's scenarios can only be accessed via LFG which means if you want to get the single player completion you must use LFG then ask the two others to leave... not cool.  All of WoW's dungeons have entry portals as do the raids... whether I can solo, duo, triple, quad or go full party.... I can choose!  GW2 went the other direction... put your story inside a dungeon.... allow you to enter as a group less than 4, but kicks you out unless you have 4 players.  My point to build on, and support this poster.... CHOICE is the key, and anyone who is against another having a choice of how they play their games is the reason most of us CHOOSE to not play with these individuals AND subsequently close our wallets!

    Did you really just say that.. Over a game.   You know.. I have played a lot of games like most people and the amount of people I would refer to in such a derogatory manner that I've encountered over the years is pretty slim.  Like not even one percent most likely.  Very specific situations where a person did something pretty vile to another person. 

     I read something like that and I don't even know how to respond. You just used it in a pretty broad generalization given the context and the numbers implied. Even if it's only some.  There's some seriously deep undertones there.  That's crazy.....

    We get it. You don't like grouping but holy cow..

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910
    Originally posted by coventryhagdog

    I don't know why I torture myself reading these replies, but you're not getting it.

    Sure, combat and graphics are all ingredients, but to not optimize around socialization is a downfall.

    "HERP..I WANT IMMERSION"

    "GREAT COMBATS"  (and great in the context of an MMO is so incredibly loose, that it has become meaningless)

    "GRAFIX!"

    Go play Skyrim. By MMO Standards it is the diamond standard in that department.

    Why some people log on to play by themselves is a mystery. It's like autism within autism. Mind explosion.

     

    I always wonder what life is like for people who compare their opinions to reality as if they were facts and constantly have to see how the world doesn't agree with them.

     

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Inf666
     

    D3 is not challenging.

    It is actually quite easy to play your character optimally. Everyone manages to do this. The game is all about collecting items so that you can perform well on the next difficulty level. Player skill is not a factor thus the game cannot be called challenging.

     

    Really? Show me how you go through T6 HC doing rifts.

     

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by coventryhagdog

    I don't know why I torture myself reading these replies, but you're not getting it.

    Sure, combat and graphics are all ingredients, but to not optimize around socialization is a downfall.

    "HERP..I WANT IMMERSION"

    "GREAT COMBATS"  (and great in the context of an MMO is so incredibly loose, that it has become meaningless)

    "GRAFIX!"

    Go play Skyrim. By MMO Standards it is the diamond standard in that department.

    Why some people log on to play by themselves is a mystery. It's like autism within autism. Mind explosion.

    It looks like you are the one who is not getting it.

     

  • coventryhagdogcoventryhagdog Member Posts: 85
    Originally posted by lizardbones

     

    I always wonder what life is like for people who compare their opinions to reality as if they were facts and constantly have to see how the world doesn't agree with them.

     

     

       In a world of insects, that is a compliment.

       Thank you.

     

  • nottunednottuned Member Posts: 92
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Inf666
     

    D3 is not challenging.

    It is actually quite easy to play your character optimally. Everyone manages to do this. The game is all about collecting items so that you can perform well on the next difficulty level. Player skill is not a factor thus the game cannot be called challenging.

     

    Really? Show me how you go through T6 HC doing rifts.

     

    Really? Show me how you go through T6 HC doing rifts with no gear.

  • Brabbit1987Brabbit1987 Member UncommonPosts: 782

    If VR takes off and MMO devs decide to opt in to making a VR MMO ... the genre will change again. What do you do when standing face to face with an actual player like you would in real life? Will we be more prone to saying "Hi?" Maybe we will nod our heads when we pass each other. Maybe we will smile (If the game has such a feature).

    Chances are, if this happens, MMOs will begin shifting back to the way they where originally designed. Some people will remain being anti-social but I imagine it will play out exactly how it does in real life. They end up being alone while everyone else is socializing in their groups.

    But ... that is only if VR becomes popular .. and that is really a stretch, though not impossible.

    That's the great thing about the game industry though, you never know when a whole genre will change, for the better or worse.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by nottuned
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Inf666
     

    D3 is not challenging.

    It is actually quite easy to play your character optimally. Everyone manages to do this. The game is all about collecting items so that you can perform well on the next difficulty level. Player skill is not a factor thus the game cannot be called challenging.

     

    Really? Show me how you go through T6 HC doing rifts.

     

    Really? Show me how you go through T6 HC doing rifts with no gear.

    that is the challenge .. you can't ... you just make my point.

     

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Brabbit1987

    If VR takes off and MMO devs decide to opt in to making a VR MMO ... the genre will change again. What do you do when standing face to face with an actual player like you would in real life? Will we be more prone to saying "Hi?" Maybe we will nod our heads when we pass each other. Maybe we will smile (If the game has such a feature).

    Chances are, if this happens, MMOs will begin shifting back to the way they where originally designed. Some people will remain being anti-social but I imagine it will play out exactly how it does in real life. They end up being alone while everyone else is socializing in their groups.

    But ... that is only if VR becomes popular .. and that is really a stretch, though not impossible.

    That's the great thing about the game industry though, you never know when a whole genre will change, for the better or worse.

    If there are enough of them, the dev will make the game so that social is an option, or even eliminated. Whether it is VR or not is irrelevant.

    You can put in a LFD in a VR game too.

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