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Could a Realistic Historical MMORPG Work?

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Comments

  • DabOnThemDabOnThem Member UncommonPosts: 141
    Realistic? probably not. Today, mmos cater to the casual fans. With that said, it would scare players away, too grindy.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    some here seem too look at this in a very bitwise way. Its either fully realistic or not peroid.

    The OP is basically saying a game that is set in historical realism, not that every single aspect of the game needs to be realistic.


    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

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  • HarikenHariken Member EpicPosts: 2,680
    I voted yes but i don't think it would be popular. I remember a long time ago someone was trying to do an African Continent based game about tribal life in the 1500's and it went no where. They had some interesting ideas.
  • laseritlaserit Member LegendaryPosts: 7,591
    Think about all the content you can draw from.

    A game can only be so realistic, too realistic = no fun.

    You can start in the stone age and go from there.

    "Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee

  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,000
    If done correctly any type of game can be successful.  If done poorly even a popular IP can fail.

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • 45074507 Member UncommonPosts: 351

    Hariken said:

    I voted yes but i don't think it would be popular. I remember a long time ago someone was trying to do an African Continent based game about tribal life in the 1500's and it went no where. They had some interesting ideas.


    If it could get past the mountain of liberal outrage, I think an MMO set in 1880s Africa could be very cool - play as British, Portuguese, German, Belgian, French, Boer, Zulu, etc with player-built settlements and player-driven conflict as players expand outwards from their faction's NPC-controlled heartland/starter area.


    kitarad said:

    In a realistic one there were winners and the losers lost badly. I don't think anyone wants to play on the losing side well I don't any way. Problem with history is that you know how it played out and what happened so if pick realistic it won't work. That's my opinion.


    Nanfoodle said:

    Problem is history is not globally a standard. Like in the USA the history about war of 1812 talks nothing of Canadian forces kicking butt right down into Washington DC. Depending on where you live in the world that fact can be very upsetting or exciting. So who's history do you base it off of? Who's view point matters? IMO fiction is the best option. 


    I wasn't really talking about following history to the letter, just that the game is set in a historical period and has a large degree of realism. A good example would be the 1880s African game I talked about above.



    wanderica said:

    Historical, yes.  I envision a Viking MMO with sort of a hybrid survival / traditional game system (don't judge. I just watched a Viking documentary on Netflix).  Anyway, I imagine an MMO with a massive world.  Europe Including the Brittish Isles, Iceland, and Scandinavia would all be there.  Expansions would include the New World and Greenland since the Vikings settled as far west as eastern Canada and as far south as Newfoundland. 

    The survival elements would include ship building as a community effort along with hunting, cooking, and construction of longhouses and forges.  Known Viking settlements would exist, however, which brings me to the traditional MMO part.  Going to a town full of NPCs and getting permission, through a quest, to put together a raid, or set out for new lands via exploration would all be a part of it.

    In the end, I had to vote no though because realism just isn't feasible.  All female characters are limited to cooking as a profession.  Their sword skill and strength is capped at 250 / 500 while their perception, charisma, and Dexterity gets a +100 bonus.  Women will randomly be affected by the debuff "With Child" which can randomly effect stats by up to plus or minus 200 and cause hunger to occur 100% more often.  Additionally, random NPC mobs in Europe will cause the debuff "Plague" which will decay one's maximum health at an exponential rate.  This process takes roughly 2 weeks of in-game time (2 Days real time).  This debuff cannot be removed by any known means.  All deatcch is permanent, and all head shots result in immediate death.  PvP is free for all with community defined penalties in settlements and will result in penalties in accordance with predefined laws within NPC controlled town and cities.

    For some, the realism elements might sound amazing, bad parts and all, but for most, it would end up extreme niche.  Again, I think history has provided us some amazing settings for sandbox style MMOs, but you'll have to leave the realism out of it for it to be successful. 


    That actually sounds cool to me...
  • KonfessKonfess Member RarePosts: 1,667
    And that game is Ever, Jane.  Also see Ever, Jane - First Impressions - TheHiveLeader, and Ever, Jane: Bringing Women's Fantasies to Video Games.  Based on the fantasy novels of Jane Austen, but set in historic Victorian England.

    Pardon any spelling errors
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    As if it could exist, without being payed for.
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  • TyranusPrimeTyranusPrime Member UncommonPosts: 306
    edited April 2017
    Ok.. Despite my own fantasy/sci-fi leanings, I have also tinkered with concepts outside of those genres while trying to create my game.. So, I have tried to compose a rational and objective take on what you propose.. Thus, I voted yes (but with some pretty serious stipulations)..

    It is true that many time periods featured interesting enough "goings on" to create a historical MMO based upon them.. Many of our world's civilizations have a lot of potential.. However, you will immediately run into a few problems..

    First, history by its nature is -- already history.. Its in the past.. We know, in general, what happened.. This can allow for many interesting events to be planned and executed, but also relies on either a timeline to be put in place (so as to not repeat the Battle of Hastings 4 times in a week) or the complete suspension of disbelief (thus allowing said battle to be repeated at the cost of realism).. This also immediately brings up the fact that with so many "special" people (i.e. adventurers) running around, history will immediately re-write itself.. This REQUIRES the implementation of a parallel time-line and the ability of future development to take player-world interaction into account..

    Second, without the bells and whistles of most traditional games' gear systems, players might become bored with no "progression" of this kind.. The gameplay and combat would literally have to be so enthralling that players would forget about the idea of needing a weapon or armor upgrade.. Even then, its a gamble..

    Third, as you mentioned, the lack of "cool" monstrous mobs would quickly become a factor for many players.. Playing "historically" set games will pit you against human after human after human (ooo!! that one's really different!! He's got a 17th century Katar!!).. Throw in the occasional dog or bear and you still have a snooze-fest for many.. To be honest, I can only make two suggestions here.. 1) Focus on multiple civilizations and hope to hell that you get enough PvP/FPS  players who are already used to stomping on "fellow humans" all day long.. or 2) Embrace an alternate reality concept and introduce monsters or lovecraft-ian horrors..

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  • Sid_ViciousSid_Vicious Member RarePosts: 2,177
    Funny responses...

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  • LynxJSALynxJSA Member RarePosts: 3,332

    4507 said:


    So, I'm asking if you think that an MMO set in history based on real events with true realism (no magic, prayers, mythical beasts, bullet sponge enemies, etc) could actually become significantly popular (>100,000 regular players), or would the lack of 'cool' mobs to fight and mundanity of most progression (oh, this longsword is the best in the game? Where's the glowing fire coming out of it?) bore too many people?



    I said No. You would have to relegate yourself to one of two fanbases - historical or MMO gamer. The former will find any breeach of chronology or canon to be destructive to their immersion/realism. The latter will find such restrictions confining. 
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  • cantankerousmagecantankerousmage Member UncommonPosts: 992
    Absolutely.  The more realistic the better.  In every sense of the word.
  • 13thBen13thBen Member UncommonPosts: 120
    In that case A historical MMO would be a lot of PVP and no PVE, there's no winning and losing!!
  • Firion79Firion79 Newbie CommonPosts: 1
    13thBen said:
    In that case A historical MMO would be a lot of PVP and no PVE, there's no winning and losing!!
    It's hard to determine what will and will not work in an historical realistic mmorpg. There is an initiative for a new game that starts with the state of the world as in 1750. Players can then  rewrite history in a realistic, historical setting. There is no real "win or lose" concept, instead you set personal goals and try to achieve them... Although just in funding stage, I really like the concept of the game. It's called Rulers of the Sea (www.rulersofthesea.com)
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