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Why do MMO gamers have unrealistic expectations compared to other genres.

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  • pkpkpkpkpkpk Member UncommonPosts: 265

    I assume you're talking about modern 'MMO gamers'. In that case it is a difficult question. These people don't actually like traditional Western MMORPGs. It's unclear what they want, whether or not know they know what they want, and whether what they want has any intellectual basis at all.

     

    EDIT: Also, you're an idiot.

  • strangewizardstrangewizard Member Posts: 42

    Because no matter what you do, people will love it, people will hate it.

    Make a MMORPG with lots of solo content? Some hate it, some love it.

    Make it with a strong death penalty? Some hate it, some love it.

    Allow FFA PvP? Some hate it, some love it.

    Go for science fiction or fantasy?

    Sandbox or themepark?

    First person or third person?

    Active combat or pushing buttons on a computer?

    And basically every other issue.

    You can never please everyone, if a MMORPG consists of even 50 questions that players could vote on, no player would have every 50 questions the same, or at least, no sizable amount. They'd all be divided fairly randomly.

    Thus, you cannot create a perfect game, you can either cater to the masses, or niches.

    You might absolutely love most features of a game, but hate a few.

    You can love the graphics of a game, but hate its combat style, or you might love the combat, but hate the economic system of the game, or love/hate the genre, but love/hate the characters, etc...

    So the perfect game would be different for everyone. Every game will have features you agree upon, and features you dislike.

  • SnarlingWolfSnarlingWolf Member Posts: 2,697
    Originally posted by Kyleran

    Let me ask you, have you played a modern day FPS that you felt was heads and shoulders above one that was first release 10 years ago?  I'm going to guess the answer might be yes and if so, ask yourself why you thought so. Probably because the new title was heads and shoulders an improvement in the genre and really amazed you.

    MMO's didn't go the same way for me.  I cut my teeth on Lineage 1/2, DAOC and Shadowbane.  At their core they were all PVP centric castle siegers, with heavy PVE and virtual world elements thrown in.

    They just don't make them like this anymore.  They haven't for years.  Closest I've found since 2006 is EVE, (another 8+year old title) and as such it holds the title for longest played MMORPG, closing in on 4 years played soon.

    Most modern day MMO's have really evolved away from the core principals and mechancis that I enjoyed, have stripped away most forms of interdependency, socialization mechanics, downtime and even reasonable travel times.

    It's the era of fast travel, non-stop killing, solo play and dungeon finders, and I for one, am not happy. (and believe the genre can deliver better)

    Apparently, the only thing unrealistic about my expectations is thinking there's enough of us who would also enjoy a title that revisted some of the mechanics of the past, or provided a deeper and more challenging gaming experience than the current crop of theme park MMO's.

    We have the technology...... just not the will or imagination to use it.

     

     

    I think all genres are the same. Due to the nature of these forums the focus is just on MMORPGs.

     

    If you look at XFire, all of the top played FPS games are 6 or more years old (except Borderlands 2 which just released but that will fade off fast). It isn't like the genre is coming up with new ways to do things all of the time. The genre as a whole isn't much different from its beginnings. Hell CS 1.6 is still high up on the daily played list, so is CS:S.

     

    The only changes over the years have been to add vehicles and to add special abilities you can call in.

     

    No genre in gaming changes fast. People on a site called MMORPG.com just focus on the MMO industry more. RTS/FPS/RPG/Racing/Sports games have all evolved very slowly. I think people are more content with RTS/FPS/Racing/Sports games evolving slowly because it is a very focused type of game and they want it for what it is. MMOs try to be wider games, trying to capture the interests of several different types of gamers. Because of that I think there are always a couple groups who feel a new MMO let them down.

     

    I don't ever pick up a new FPS and go "Wait, I just aim and shoot at people trying to kill them? Why have they not added any innovation????". But when I pick up an MMO it is "Ok I just paid $60 for what I can do in all of those existing games that no longer have a box price and because this game is new there is far less content. Well that sucks."

  • BurntvetBurntvet Member RarePosts: 3,465

    To the OP:

    I'll turn this around and go the other way and ask this: why do some people think MMOs and MMO companies are "something different" and deserving a special exception to normally accepted corporate business practices and behavior?

    Other products, not MMOs, are delivered in functional, working shape, as expected. You pay for the product, and you the get product you paid for. When there is a problem, you call the company and it gets sorted out.

    Now with MMO companies, games launch without the features that were advertised as having, or the features don't work. There are massive exploits and serious bugs in many games at launch, that made it through QA testing. Getting customer service in regards to MMOs, especially at/near launch is very difficult, if possible at all. Unsatisfied customers are shouted down on forums and often publicly criticized by the companies themselves.

    How is any of that acceptable in the MMO space, it certainly isn't outside it.

    So, while I grant that some customers have unreasonable expectations, that is true for any product.

    What is not reasonable is treating MMOs and MMO companies as some special thing: they are companies like any other to make money and when they don't they deseve to be treated the same as any other company that does not deliever.

     

    If these companies"can't" make a good MMO that meets customer demand, or don't like how their customers respond to the products they put out, they should get into a different business.

     

  • darkhalf357xdarkhalf357x Member UncommonPosts: 1,237
    Originally posted by Macecard

    No we don't! I hear you cry after reading the title of my thread. But yes we do (I include myself in this).

    I am going to explain how I came to this conclusion. But before I do I'd like to say; I am mostly likely not the first person to notice this trend and I am sure my opinion of whats happening doesnt extend to 100% of the mmo gaming community. That said I believe that the way in which mmo gamers approach mmos is the core reason for the excessive hype and disappointment cycle and the ongoing war on trolls/fanbois (they are the same thing viewed from different sides of a fence).

    So why do mmo gamers have unrealistic expectations? well thats because, from what I gather from reading articles and threads here and on other websites, its clear to me that we as mmo gamers expect FAR more from mmos than games of other genres.

    For example;

    I personally like MMO's, RPGs, FPSs. These are my top 3 genres in the gaming industry. Now lets look at how I (and I believe most gamers) approach these genres. Ill start with the FPSs are this easily shows my point; I enjoy CoD (comment on this if you must trolls but its beyond my point here) and I also quite like Halo, however I do not like medal of honour or battlefield. My point here is that I never thought id like medal of honour or battlefield. I have always known I do not like the way the 'twitch' feels in medal of honour. I did not get swept up in the hype for either game and though I did read the odd article I never had any expectation of buying or liking either game. The same can be said for rpgs, I like dragon quest and I enjoyed the early FF's, although the new ones seems to be just terrible (in my opinion). When ff13 came out I was not going to buy it (I did in the end due to lack of games to play when bored) and I did not get super excited about its release. In both these cases (fps and rpgs) I never get the feeling of being super disappointed with the new games in the genre.  I didnt feel wronged by the companies who made them for creating  games in the genres I love and failing to please me.

    So I ask you, why do mmo gamers seem to think that every triple A mmo to be released should be the next pinnacle of the genre and should become their new favourite game of all time? Why can't we accept (like we do in other genres) that not every game made in this genre is going to please us and that the subtle differences in each game aren't there to pisses us off or create a game that isn't as good as the last one but are there as the evolution of the genre. 

    I do not expect another rpg to surpass the fun and enjoyment I had playing FF7 and 8. but mmo gamers seem to think that with each new mmo release they are going to recieve a bigger and better game in every way from the last. This is unrealistic when compared to how the other genres in gaming have changed and evolved over time. There is no genre out there where a fan can say they have played and enjoyed every title created for it.

    Do you agree? or am i talking nonsense?

    Probably because you expect to play MMO for years.  While a console or other game type is finite and will end.  The more EPIC you believe or feel a game is, the more you will want to explore and experience the content.

    image
  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247

    MMO gamers, in general, don't have unrealistic expectations.  Some subsets, such as the crowd here, are more invested and entrenched in MMOs than the majority are. As such, they notice and often focus on the details that the average gamer wouldn't notice at all, let alone care about even if they did. Their view of the game is different, so the expectations are different, often forgetting that their perspective is skewed and greatly different from the majority. this is true of any hobbyist or enthusiast group, and not just limited to MMO fans.

    The most classic example is when an MMO violates individual definitions of what an MMO is or forever should be. It becomes a threadnought of epic proportions.  The reality is that most MMO gamers don't really care about these things. The number of instances, the square footage of the game world, that someone can get to cap in only x weeks... immaterial to the majority but they are points of concern for the more invested players and that group sets their expectations accordingly.

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • RaysheRayshe Member UncommonPosts: 1,279

    Honeslty i could care less about having a Bigger and Brighter game. What bothers me is the same game getting released over and over. MMORPG's feel like Ice Cream we have over 100 flavors of WoW. and those who try to make something new get insulted, Attacked, an called failures by the same people who are asking for something new. the community needs to make up its mind. if it actually wanted something new it would play the games with innovations, instead they find the first free game they can play and pile into it. They swap it out each month too.

    Because i can.
    I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
    Logic every gamers worst enemy.

  • QuirhidQuirhid Member UncommonPosts: 6,230

    While an RC plane hobbyist might know how an RC plane operates and perhaps can build one, a MMORPG enthusiast likely knows jackshit about software engineering. This is why it is easy to have expectations beyond feasibility or even reality.

    Some expectations, while feasible, come from a small niche so they may not be worth fulfilling.

    I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky

  • AG-VukAG-Vuk Member UncommonPosts: 823
    Originally posted by Quirhid

    While an RC plane hobbyist might know how an RC plane operates and perhaps can build one, a MMORPG enthusiast likely knows jackshit about software engineering. This is why it is easy to have expectations beyond feasibility or even reality.

    Some expectations, while feasible, come from a small niche so they may not be worth fulfilling.

     This ,  Also people don't like the parameters determined by the Dev and would rather play a game set in their parameters of what the game should be in their minds.  The immature mind, at work.

    image
  • mastersomratmastersomrat Member UncommonPosts: 373

    I think it got alot to do with how RPG started out.  When mmorpg first made their mark, we where vary few to choose from.  Because of this, many folks stayed with one for many years, hence they feel a mmorpg should provide many years of joy.  Tow factors have entered since then that cripple this idea.  First, now we have hundred of mmo's to choose from (vs. simply two or three) and second, all the games have the same basic layout as they have since mmo's started so people are tired of the rince/repeat offerings.

    Sure Dev's have added features, changed things up, better graphics and the like; however, not many have combined what many players would deem as the best features into one game.  ANd, even if they had, most likely - people would still be bored if it right out of the box because it stall at is core, the same layout (quest, kill, get, make, etc).

    People are looking for the new wow factor from years ago and it simply hasn't happened yet.

  • aesperusaesperus Member UncommonPosts: 5,135
    Originally posted by Loktofeit

    MMO gamers, in general, don't have unrealistic expectations.  Some subsets, such as the crowd here, are more invested and entrenched in MMOs than the majority are.

    I'd like to believe that, but when you look at vloggers like Jessie Cox, it becomes very hard to believe. I've seen blogs, podcasts, and vids of people talking about 'what MMOs should be', and whether they admit it or not, it always ends up describing a game that not only doesn't exist, but never actually existed.

    I don't think even classic games like UO would live up to the expectations of today's gamers. There's just too many conflicting expectations that are all based off of idealized moments.

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by aesperus
    Originally posted by Loktofeit

    MMO gamers, in general, don't have unrealistic expectations.  Some subsets, such as the crowd here, are more invested and entrenched in MMOs than the majority are.

    I'd like to believe that, but when you look at vloggers like Jessie Cox, it becomes very hard to believe. I've seen blogs, podcasts, and vids of people talking about 'what MMOs should be', and whether they admit it or not, it always ends up describing a game that not only doesn't exist, but never actually existed.

    I don't think even classic games like UO would live up to the expectations of today's gamers. There's just too many conflicting expectations that are all based off of idealized moments.

    Those people are, again, part of the heavily invested subset. Jessie Cox (OMFGcata) is the not the average gamer. The average MMO gamer just plays the game; they don't livestream their gameplay and make hour-long videos of beta. In most cases, they won't even play a beta.

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • aesperusaesperus Member UncommonPosts: 5,135
    Originally posted by Loktofeit
    Originally posted by aesperus
    Originally posted by Loktofeit

    MMO gamers, in general, don't have unrealistic expectations.  Some subsets, such as the crowd here, are more invested and entrenched in MMOs than the majority are.

    I'd like to believe that, but when you look at vloggers like Jessie Cox, it becomes very hard to believe. I've seen blogs, podcasts, and vids of people talking about 'what MMOs should be', and whether they admit it or not, it always ends up describing a game that not only doesn't exist, but never actually existed.

    I don't think even classic games like UO would live up to the expectations of today's gamers. There's just too many conflicting expectations that are all based off of idealized moments.

    Those people are, again, part of the heavily invested subset. Jessie Cox (OMFGcata) is the not the average gamer. The average MMO gamer just plays the game; they don't livestream their gameplay and make hour-long videos of beta. In most cases, they won't even play a beta.

    Actually, pretty much the only reason I even listen to him is because he is very much an 'everyman'. He rarely ever has anything profound to say, and he's usually pretty bad at articulating why exactly he likes or dislikes a game, but his views mimic that of quite a large number of MMO gamers to varying degrees. He is very much of the WoW-fan majority, and I see many of the same arguments he uses mimicked by that subset of fans.

    And while it's true the average gamer isn't livestreaming, it doesn't mean their voices don't get projected through livestreamers. Many of these people are popular because their fans are those very same gamers, and they support their views. Furthermore many of the followers do submit questions or comments, and some of those end up getting brought up by the leavestreamer.

    To give a reason example, look at MoP. Many did actually play the beta (or tried to). Many do criticise the expansion for the same very reasons they left WoW to begin with. However, they are mostly still playing MoP, grinding to 90, and preparing for raiding inspite all of that. You also see a lot of the same demands of games having 'real, significant, & permanent change' but anytime any of them tries to get down to the details, they can't.

  • Goatgod76Goatgod76 Member Posts: 1,214
    Originally posted by Randayn

    The last issue would have to be that developers spend too much time trying to make the next-gen in graphics and forget they had a game to make.  MMORPG's need open worlds, large, vast continents to explore and more freedom than MMORPG's grant today.  Although I do like decent graphics, they do not have to be state of the art....in history, MMORPG's (and even RPG's) have always been a few steps behind in graphics compared to other games because they focus more on content than how pretty the girl toon looks.

     

    Just a few complaints...I do have more, but that's enough for now

    - Vanguard: Saga of Heroes -

     

  • ThaneUlfgarThaneUlfgar Member Posts: 283
    I think it's because the idea of an mmorpg sounds really good on paper, but the execution of said idea is a work in progress.
  • RandaynRandayn Member UncommonPosts: 904
    Originally posted by Goatgod76
    Originally posted by Randayn

    The last issue would have to be that developers spend too much time trying to make the next-gen in graphics and forget they had a game to make.  MMORPG's need open worlds, large, vast continents to explore and more freedom than MMORPG's grant today.  Although I do like decent graphics, they do not have to be state of the art....in history, MMORPG's (and even RPG's) have always been a few steps behind in graphics compared to other games because they focus more on content than how pretty the girl toon looks.

     

    Just a few complaints...I do have more, but that's enough for now

    - Vanguard: Saga of Heroes -

     

    I would say yes if the game didnt eat my machine alive.  I get lag bad in Vanguard.  Game is awesome, lag is terrible.

    image
  • MimzelMimzel Member UncommonPosts: 375

    I'll preface this by saying that for me, the term unrealistic implies that the expectations do not have a basis in reality. 150 years ago we didnt have airplanes, but there were alot of people with "unrealistic expectations" jumping from high places... Another way of seeing "unrealistic expecations" is "a gap that needs to be filled".  If (!) mmorpg players have unrealistic expectations - then that could be a driving force of innovation. The question therefor shouldnt be why mmorpg players have unrealistic expecations, but why there is a general lack of innovation in the genre.

    Part of the answer, I think, would be the long development cycle. It takes upwards of 4 years from inception to release, and alot of stuff happens in the market by the time the game is ready to publish. If the "appetites" of the market changes halfway through the developement cycle, the company has too much invested to be able to change course and adapt.

    Another aspect to this is how the collective has learned from its past (so it stops jumping from high places without the proper gear). We kinda need lone wolves to carry the genre forward, because in reality copy cats is what is dumbing down the collective learning process. Copy cats do by definition not take a single presedential step forward - ever! Unfortunately, the lone wolves are indie companies without proper funding, and it shows in the end result. We end up with polished turds and diamonds in the rough. Both lack mass appeal, and the economists conclude the genre is too risky to progress.

    Pure economic thinking doesnt innovate anything. It doesnt put creativity in the front seat unless instructed to (unwillingly because it cant put a number on creativity). Putting profit in the driving seat didnt produce the Mona Lisa, the first flying machine, the Statue of Libery, the Eiffel Tower etc etc etc. That came after. Now all of these feats of creativity are money making machines. I wonder how they would be if they were made the other way around: "Lets make a monument so we have something to sell these tickets for!". Would they stand as tall, proud and unique then? As an afterthought - isnt that some of the cancer that lies within a big portion of the FTP market? To hell with innovation, we just want something suitable for our business model! A large portion of us - the mmorpg players - have ended up like Cypher in the Matrix; unable to distinguish friend from foe.

    My hope lies in that at some point the stars are bound to align, and a lone wolf and a billionaire are going to meet, sign a contract, and we will end up with a polished diamond. Unrealistic expectations? No, simply the foundation of innovation!

  • komarrkomarr Member UncommonPosts: 214

    While I agree with some of the arguments put forth about MMO's not having advanced and pushed boundaries like other genres, I believe there is another, more basic issue that hasn't been brought up.  Other genres of game have and ending. These games are designed, like a good book or movie, to have a satisfying ending where the player says "I WON!"  Most folks will complete a game and move on.  MMO's don't have this.  They work to entice the player to go after the next piece of gear, next dungeon, next level of difficulty.  They deliberately avoid giving players that satisfaction so they keep playing. 

    Therefore where many gamers in other genres quit satisfied, or even wanting more, many MMO players quit simply because of boredom, without the payoff of other genres of game.

    The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
    Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
    Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
    Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

    ~Omar Khayyam

  • PurutzilPurutzil Member UncommonPosts: 3,048
    Its the exactly same type of expectations, problem is the MMO genre is much more restrictive then the other ones in being able to accomplish stuff.
  • thexratedthexrated Member UncommonPosts: 1,368

    The unrealistic expectations most often stem from the unparalled success of WoW.

    The fact is that all other themepark MMOs released after WoW have followed pretty similar life cycle:

    1. Initial rush, based on the hype often followed by busy servers.

    2. Honeymoon ends, people have plowed through the content and started looking for other games.

    3. People leave en masse, servers start to feel empty causing more people leave, domino effect.

    4. Server mergers, loyal fans stick with the game.

    5. Special promotions and changes to the business model, F2P and hybrids.

    6. Long-term playablity, the game continues with occasional updates and promotions with rather limited development team, the player base stabilizes around few hundred thousand players or less.

    "The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."

  • MimzelMimzel Member UncommonPosts: 375
    Originally posted by thexrated

    The unrealistic expectations most often stem from the unparalled success of WoW.

    The fact is that all other themepark MMOs released after WoW have followed pretty similar life cycle:

    1. Initial rush, based on the hype often followed by busy servers.

    2. Honeymoon ends, people have plowed through the content and started looking for other games.

    3. People leave en masse, servers start to feel empty causing more people leave, domino effect.

    4. Server mergers, loyal fans stick with the game.

    5. Special promotions and changes to the business model, F2P and hybrids.

    6. Long-term playablity, the game continues with occasional updates and promotions with rather limited development team, the player base stabilizes around few hundred thousand players or less.

    In my opinion, those things are symptoms and not the diagnosis of the true, underlying problem.

  • thexratedthexrated Member UncommonPosts: 1,368

    I do not see how themeparks can really do differently. There simply comes a point when you run out of content or it begins to feel stale.  We need compelling dynamic content that requires cooperation to keep people playing for longer periods. 

    "The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."

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