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has the mmo genre gone stale ? and the future of mmos ?

since quitting warcraft 18 months ago i ve tried most of the major mmos . i think as a genre theres a great future for mmos but at present we are seeing a bit of a lull in terms of  immersive games . i ve quite enjoyed age of conan but theres little to keep you interested in the endgame . lord of the rings has been my main game given i got a cheap lifetime sub to it . it has a nice community and its something i dip into for a few hours each week but its not something i want to rush through or spend long periods of time in . warhammer had potential but because of the scenario system it fell a little flat because it led to the game world feeling empty . aion looks nice but it had a really terrible release and ncsoft was nt quick enough on the ball to avoid the negativity that now generally surrounds the game to make it a great success . 

this leaves me about thinking about going back to wow but then i remember how awful and easy that game has become now and hardly resmebles the game i played for 3+ years . so i guess for me its going to be dipping into lotro now and gain because at present mmos dont offer that much . i think the whole genre is in a lull at the moment . wow managed to come along at a time when more and more people had home computing and access to the internet . it offered the right thing at the right time and was nt too heavy on the specs . it seams to me the whole genre is getting a little stale at the moment .

thats not to say it will remain so . as the technology improves these games will become more and more inovative and impressive . but the big question is when we are going to see the next leap forward . the chances are it wont be on the home computer at all but with some future console .another thing that may factor in its introduction of affordable 3d tech which will be with us sooner than we think .

i m betting the lull and the status quo wont last long but the next leap forward might be still a few years off .

Comments

  • AmarantharAmaranthar Member EpicPosts: 5,852

    There's several ways MMOs could leap forwards.

    One would be in social gaming, in an in-game sense rather than the "chat room" style that's been coming out in recent years. Social games with in-game meaning to what happens, trade, conquest, city building, resource control, politics between players (rather than some gamey points system), that kind of thing. This could be done now, no further tech is needed. It is being done, but on a small, narrow scale. I think the jump forwards will be when it evolves into a great, expanded experience with social laws and justice.

    Another way would be in physics. Being ably to push, pull, tug, move, shape all things in the game world. Being able to, given enough time and effort, to move mountains. Making swords in the shapes you want, and having drawbacks for unwieldy vs. bonuses to well designed weapons. This is a ways away yet, I think, in the tech department. But some day it'll be offered.

    I think a console that's more advanced, and offers full options like a PC does, that is likely in the future. I think it would be a combination console and gaming system that anyone can build their game with, and will include many physics capabilities as well as state of the art graphics availability. That too is a ways off, tech wise and affordability wise.

    Overall, I see the future as a combination to various degrees of my first two items, leading eventually to the last.

    Once upon a time....

  • luckturtzluckturtz Member Posts: 422

    One Word Borderlands

  • LoboMauLoboMau Member UncommonPosts: 395

     

    I feel the same. Presently im not playing any MMO. I ordered In Amazon the "Guild Wars Complete Collection", because it was very cheap, and I needed some game to play with  lots of content and good stories.

    But Im just waiting...waiting for a good MMO. AOC, WAR, AION, all were a total disapointment! Champions Online didnt bring nothing new.

    Lets see "STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC", "APB", "GUILD WARS 2", "DC ONLINE". I hope that at least one of this games might be my new "second home".

  • TeimanTeiman Member Posts: 1,319
    Originally posted by luckturtz


    One Word Borderlands

     

    I would love to see more games build on the MMOFPS.    Tabula Rasa was almost there.. but not, and was nerfed to feel more like a traditional MMO, and less like a MMOFPS.   Others MMOFPS are tryiing to be "Quake with a 3D lobby and a montly fee", that is just wrong.   Is the feel of FUN that somehow today MMO-RPG games lack, and action games seems to naturally have. 

  • luckturtzluckturtz Member Posts: 422

    The next step is probably MMOFPS with good RPG progression like borderlands

    -They have up tempo combat system

    -The smart shooter AI and less dependency on the weird aggro system of rpg

    -The more balance pvp

    You mix in real persistent worlds to fps and rpg class building.You have something special.All i know is that Warhammer 40k needs to be stealing very generously from Borderlands

  • IhmoteppIhmotepp Member Posts: 14,495
    Originally posted by luckturtz


    The next step is probably MMOFPS with good RPG progression like borderlands
    -They have up tempo combat system
    -The smart shooter AI and less dependency on the weird aggro system of rpg
    -The more balance pvp
    You mix in real persistent worlds to fps and rpg class building.You have something special.All i know is that Warhammer 40k needs to be stealing very generously from Borderlands

     

    I'm enjoying borderlands. Would it be even better as an MMORPG? No, IMO it would be much worse.

    I play MMORPGs because I want to slow down, and play an RPG.

    Borderlands is just fine exactly like it is.

    Now, if you want to take the setting, and turn it into a massive RPG, that might be fun.

    In an MMORPG I want my PvP to be very unbalanced. It's not a shooter. I'm playijng an MMORPG becaues I'm tired of shooters, not because I want to play another shooter.

    image

  • AmarantharAmaranthar Member EpicPosts: 5,852
    Originally posted by Ihmotepp

    Originally posted by luckturtz


    The next step is probably MMOFPS with good RPG progression like borderlands
    -They have up tempo combat system
    -The smart shooter AI and less dependency on the weird aggro system of rpg
    -The more balance pvp
    You mix in real persistent worlds to fps and rpg class building.You have something special.All i know is that Warhammer 40k needs to be stealing very generously from Borderlands

     

    I'm enjoying borderlands. Would it be even better as an MMORPG? No, IMO it would be much worse.

    I play MMORPGs because I want to slow down, and play an RPG.

    Borderlands is just fine exactly like it is.

    Now, if you want to take the setting, and turn it into a massive RPG, that might be fun.

    In an MMORPG I want my PvP to be very unbalanced. It's not a shooter. I'm playijng an MMORPG becaues I'm tired of shooters, not because I want to play another shooter.

     

    You want PvP in an MMORPG to be unbalanced ?

    Levels give you that, for sure. They even have to separate PvPers by level groups.

    Once upon a time....

  • IlvaldyrIlvaldyr Member CommonPosts: 2,142

    I don't think that the genre has gone stale. I think it's getting better.

    WoW is a good measure of this improvement. Compare the early quests with some of the later ones; there has been a vast improvement in the immersion and "fun" factor.

    To give an example of early quests:

    1. Kill 8 Kobolds.

    2. Kill 8 slightly tougher kobolds.

    3. Kill 8 slightly tougher different kobolds.

    Then the introductory quests to the Icecrown zone in WotLK:

    1a. Kill 15 Nerubians.

    1b. Collect 10 venom sacs from the Nerubians you killed.

    1c. Free 8 friendly soldiers that the Nerubians have captured and cocooned.

    (You do these three quests together)



    2. Fly a dragon past the Nerubian lines, swoop down and rescue 3 friendlies.

    3. Man a turret to help fight off the Nerubian assault on your home base.

    After which the area phases; your actions helped save the base, the Nerubians have been driven back and the friendlies have retaken some of the lost ground and established a new forward command post to which you're now sent to continue the advance of the friendly faction deeper into Icecrown.

    It's still themepark PVE content, but there is a clear evolution. Cataclysm is likely to revamp the early quests and will hopefully lead to a much better game experience for lower level players.

    image
    Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
  • RavingRabbidRavingRabbid Member UncommonPosts: 1,168

    MMo's have gotten quite stale as of late, but i have hope and optimisim that it will change. You need to have alot of content when making them. The developers keep forgetting this.

    (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH wins again on the show so you think you can dance)

    All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
    Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes

  • Untouchable8Untouchable8 Member Posts: 67

    Give Runes of magic, its alot like wow.

     

    Or wait until Feb and go for Star Trek Online. 

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  • MikehaMikeha Member EpicPosts: 9,196

    Nope, MMOs have not gone stale. They have gone stale to you.

  • Einherjar_LCEinherjar_LC Member UncommonPosts: 1,055

    WoW was your first MMO wasn't it OP?

     

    It didn't come along at any magical time, there were multitudes of MMO players online before WoW was even thought of.  Most of those would also run on generic equipment as well.

     

    UO - you could practically run UO on your TRS-80

    AC1 - if it had a processor, it would probably run AC1

    EQ1 - could run on anything made within 3-5 years before the game went live

     

     

    What you're experiencing is the downer effect after having left your first MMO and trying to recapture that "high" you found in your first MMO experience.  It is fleeting and hard to find, but can be done.  The first thing you have to do is turn off the expectations you bring with you from your first game.  It's harder to find a game when you're looking for this or that rather than just playing a game on it's own merits.

     

    The MMO genre is anything but stale right now.  I, for the first time in a long time have hope for the direction of the MMO industry.  Some developers are starting to realize that copying WoW is not the way for success but carving your own niche is.  They realize WoW is the exception and not the rule.  There are new titles trying to break the mold of the "typical" MMO experience.  One is Fallen Earth by independent studio Icarus.  Post apoc MMORPG world with FPS combat.  Crafting is significant.  Skill based, not class based.  There is a good story line you can quest to or you can make your own way and totally ignore the quest line.

     

    No my friend, I think the MMO genre are just starting to see the beginning of better times.

    Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!

  • JestorRodoJestorRodo Member UncommonPosts: 2,642

    The Next level of MMO will exist off-line as well as online. In Fact you may not know it but you are playing in it right now.


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  • Einherjar_LCEinherjar_LC Member UncommonPosts: 1,055
    Originally posted by Zorndorf

    Originally posted by Einherjar_LC


    The MMO genre is anything but stale right now.  I, for the first time in a long time have hope for the direction of the MMO industry.  Some developers are starting to realize that copying WoW is not the way for success but carving your own niche is.  They realize WoW is the exception and not the rule.  There are new titles trying to break the mold of the "typical" MMO experience.  One is Fallen Earth by independent studio Icarus.  Post apoc MMORPG world with FPS combat.  Crafting is significant.  Skill based, not class based.  There is a good story line you can quest to or you can make your own way and totally ignore the quest line.
     
    No my friend, I think the MMO genre are just starting to see the beginning of better times.



     

    FE ???

    And you find it normal I paid 39 dollars to see stucked NPC's everywhere. Sometimes sunk through the wooden floor with a piece of wood through their chests ?

    And client crashes in "cities" where movement was hardly possible at more than 5 FPS....

    39 dollars and they want to sell THIS as a subscription based game?

    You got to be kidding. It was the first "trial" after I tried War and silly me ... again 39 dollars down the drain in a clearly unfinished product....

    It is the first time I mention this, because I am ashamed I once again fell for the terrible lies that existed (even from serious websites like massively)....  I say the state these "games" are in is WORSE than they were 3 years ago.

    It is chosing between the plague and the dysentry, chosing the Aion Korean money copy or the western underdevelopped amateuristic trial and error "products".

    But one thing is certain. Both are not even games anno 2009 to have fun with.

    People are used to COD 4+ quality these days, not some 6 year old mechanics that will or will not work depending on crash/no crash situations.

     

    You're a well known WoW fanboy Zorn so I can't believe I'm even responding to your post because nothing compares to the almight WoW, but the point of my original post was not to purvey my subjective view of the quality of the game but that independent studios are out there trying to break away from teh mainstream.  That in and of itself is a good thing for the genre whether they get it right or not.

     

    As for the rest of your post:

     

    It's ok to not like a game, but spewing blatant falsehoods about a game are lame.

     

    The system I play FE on is a single core AMD, with 1gb RAM, EVGA 7800GTX, Raptor HD, I have NEVER had the game crash, nor do I lag to 5 FPS in towns as you claim.  I play on medium settings without issue, the exception being when I first walk into town my system pauses while it loads textures.  After that, no issues.  I would submit if you are having the substantial issues you are having that maybe it's your machine?  I shouldn't even be able to run FE as I am below recommended specs yet I can just fine.

     

    I have NEVER seen a stuck character, EVER.  NEVER seen them stuck in floors, EVER.  If you think FE looks dated graphics wise you must not have a machine to run it Zorn.  I have gone out of the city and cranked my settings to high and this game is well done.  No it's not the best, but very well done considering it is from an independent studio.  Secondly, you play WoW and have the nerve to say another game has bad graphics...'nuff said right there. 

     

    On top of that, there are no more or less bugs than anything that would be released by a AAA studio like SoE, Blizzard, etc.  Again, for an independent developer with a miniscule budget compared to the bigger development houses, that's a phenominal accomplishment. 

     

    I certainly don't think the game is the end all be all of gaming but people need to keep in mind when ripping it apart that it is from an independent developer and not the AAA MMO mills like SoE.  They are trying to do something different and IMO, they are pulling it off.  I can easily see this game building subs up over time ala Eve.

     

     

    Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!

  • mutombo55mutombo55 Member Posts: 151

     

    APB

     

  • googajoob7googajoob7 Member Posts: 866
    Originally posted by Einherjar_LC


    WoW was your first MMO wasn't it OP?
     
    It didn't come along at any magical time, there were multitudes of MMO players online before WoW was even thought of.  Most of those would also run on generic equipment as well.
     
    UO - you could practically run UO on your TRS-80
    AC1 - if it had a processor, it would probably run AC1
    EQ1 - could run on anything made within 3-5 years before the game went live
     
     
    What you're experiencing is the downer effect after having left your first MMO and trying to recapture that "high" you found in your first MMO experience.  It is fleeting and hard to find, but can be done.  The first thing you have to do is turn off the expectations you bring with you from your first game.  It's harder to find a game when you're looking for this or that rather than just playing a game on it's own merits.
     
    The MMO genre is anything but stale right now.  I, for the first time in a long time have hope for the direction of the MMO industry.  Some developers are starting to realize that copying WoW is not the way for success but carving your own niche is.  They realize WoW is the exception and not the rule.  There are new titles trying to break the mold of the "typical" MMO experience.  One is Fallen Earth by independent studio Icarus.  Post apoc MMORPG world with FPS combat.  Crafting is significant.  Skill based, not class based.  There is a good story line you can quest to or you can make your own way and totally ignore the quest line.
     
    No my friend, I think the MMO genre are just starting to see the beginning of better times.



     

    ultima online was my first mmo back in 2000 . although i only did play it for a few months . after that i tried everquest 1 but it did nt really grab me so i only played it a month . broadband only became widly available in the uk in 04-05 so started WoW at that point . loved it for the first couple of years but felt it went more and more downhill as time went on . in the last 18 months i was playing wow i tried most of the mmos that were available at that time .

    the new star wars game might be interesting i guess . but so many of these company get it wrong and games that have potential dont realise it . i ve heard bad things about startrek online . dc universe is soe is nt it ? thier track record has  nt been great .personally i m hoping something like the elder scrolls gets the mmo treatment . i tend to agree a warcraft clone is nt the way to go . sooner or later one of these developers will get it right but they do need to realise when they mess up like ncsoft did with aion in its initial month they have to bite the bullet and offer free time untill they get it right as a good will gesture . ncsoft did nt do this and were way to slow to act which led to a negative view about the game with everyone i know that plays mmos .

    once that happens its an uphill struggle and no matter how good the game its hard to get people back .

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