I wanted to see if there is anyone out there that carries my beliefs about how I wish MMO's were vs how they are today. Here are my opinions.
1) The AAA Themeparks of today carry no risk. You die and you respawn with all your inventory, over, and over, again.
2) Crafting systems should be deep. I dont want a system of having mats in your bag and hit 'create'. I want to mine metal, crush/wash the rocks. Put it in a furnace with a catalyst. etc. And maybe if I dont get killed during the process I will make my set of armor or whatnot.
3) I feel graphics of todays most popular MMO's are cartoony. I love realism, and hate flash and over-coloring, and overexaggeration of weapons, shoulderpads, etc.
4) I get frusterated by MMO developers who continue pushing out the same kind of product with a new gimmick here and there. Because I know that if they just put the PC focus-group crap aside and focused on making a detailed sandbox with all the proper tools that it would be truly epic.
5) RMT's ruin the competiveness in the world, even if its just looking cool because that can be a competition in itself.
6) Instances are retarded. Just open them up and allow other players to attack you in the dungeon you are in. Also dont make a beginning and end to the dungeon- there doesnt need to be that 100% of the time(think EQ1's Guk or even Blackrock Mtn)
7) Companions ruin the challenge. Not every class or skill build doesnt have to be able to solo as well as the other.
8) Players create a level 1 and they are geared already---rediculous. I want underwear or nothing on and a stick. I guess its time to gather materials so I can craft some pants and gather food or else I will go hungry or starve.
---ETC (Could carry this list on and on, and on)
Anyone out there like me? Are we slowing shrinking in number?
PS- A little background on me is I started with EQ1 in 99 and have played many themeparks and sandboxes and the only games that seem challenging and fun because of fantasy setting to me now is Mortal Online and Darkfall.
Yes, you are alone.
MMORPGs should be based on RPGs tabletop, PC or console. Whenever you're in a dungeon in any of these games, you don't get a bunch of characters harrasing you while you tr y to save the town or rescue the princess. It's not why most people play MMOs. They play to play traditonal RPGs with friends.
PVP, unstructured, is the worst thing ever introduced into a game. It's like role playing elements in an FPS. It has no place in heroic adventuring. It feels like a way to appease people who don't like role playing games but like to kill things.
I don't want to spend 5 days crafting. There are games that have that much detail, they are business simulators. I'ms till not sure why crafting is a staple of MMOs.
The risk in MMOs is the risk that has always existed in RPGs. Starting over. It sucks, it's a display of defeat, and its been a fine staple of the RPG world for 40 years. The risk comes in traveling back through the dangerious area. Good game design doesnt deprive you of your hard earnings. It slows you down when you do bad, but it doesnt make you not want to come back. Some of the most devasting feelings I have felt was was when i was playing guild wars 1, died and had to start a 40 minute mission over again.
But like others said, if y9ou find something you like, stick to it. It sounds like its working for you. But believe your product is a niche. It just doesn't sound fun at all. No one wants to work while playing a game. I never have. I want challenge, I want adventure, but I don't want to work an hour to get to the fun part.
its wierd because i use to be a die hard advocate for themepark mmos. Now after the constant flood of shitty generic wow clones and after i experience Vanguard a sandpark game. I love sand boxes but i dont like full loot pvp. Make serperate servers or its a no for me.
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
I played Vanguard in Beta and visted back over the years and hated it. It seemed like such a buggy waste of potential. Came back again (about a month ago) and my wife and I are ridiculously immersed in this game more than any we have played since the original release EQ and the original release WoW.
For people looking for a game like the OP states I think this is a truly good option. Plus it is going F2P this summer. It has sandbox and themepark elements with consequences for failure, in depth crafting, a diplomacy system that is intriguing and unseen in other games.
It is not the "savior" for sandbox seekers but was surprisingly one of the only games I can say scartched the itch my wife and I had for years in regards to mmorpgs. Of course this game is not for everyone but alot of people who have already shrugged it off as a loss will be surprised at how much it will actually suit what they are looking for.
I don't think you're a minority, not in this forum at least, i might be inclined to say you're with the large majority.
Gaming as an all is a matter of taste and opinion, some people will love sandboxes, others will love FPS and so on and so forth.
You seem to be complaining because your particular taste isn't the mainstream, well...get over it, it happens with everything in entertainment, somehow the consumers go to what is popular and the corporations go with it to make money.
It's not how it should be, but you can't force people into liking what you believe is good, you can only try to show them and hope for the best.
With that said:
- I love risk and challenge, there's quite a few games out there with that. EVE, Mortal, Darkfall, Fallen Earth and quite a few on the making.
There's a huge difference from risk, challenge and frustration though, a line that in a MMO gets extremely blured, especially with vertical progression.
- Crafting as an all seems like an abandoned idea in most games, i do believe that this is again due to the progression models and the way they work, i for one would welcome horizontal progression games based on crafting and not looting.
- MMOs are a different breed when it comes to graphics, you can't ask to have a seamless world, with thousands of players in areas and have photo realistic graphics, we are getting there but still not close, alot of developers take the route that enables more gameplay options.
This has lead to "cartoony" games.
- Again, there are alot of sanboxes out there and quite a few coming out, you seem to be asking for Archage and at the same time complaining it's not for you.
- Agree on RMT.
- Instances can and will work amazingly for story purposes and specially for challenging content, open instances can be good but they can also be zerged into oblivion in matter of minutes, i do love the idea of open dungeons in the world, always have but on average they cannot be considered challenging content.
Instanced content isn't bad as long as it is designed to be a challenge to a group.
- Forced grouping is nice in some games, awfull in others, this again is a matter of the game you're playing and what you aim to do with your time, i'd rather have incentivated grouping then forced grouping.
- Unless you start as a baby i don't see the point of being in underwear, street clothing sure, but as long as the look matches the background story of the characters i don't see what's wrong with it.
Comments
Yes, you are alone.
MMORPGs should be based on RPGs tabletop, PC or console. Whenever you're in a dungeon in any of these games, you don't get a bunch of characters harrasing you while you tr y to save the town or rescue the princess. It's not why most people play MMOs. They play to play traditonal RPGs with friends.
PVP, unstructured, is the worst thing ever introduced into a game. It's like role playing elements in an FPS. It has no place in heroic adventuring. It feels like a way to appease people who don't like role playing games but like to kill things.
I don't want to spend 5 days crafting. There are games that have that much detail, they are business simulators. I'ms till not sure why crafting is a staple of MMOs.
The risk in MMOs is the risk that has always existed in RPGs. Starting over. It sucks, it's a display of defeat, and its been a fine staple of the RPG world for 40 years. The risk comes in traveling back through the dangerious area. Good game design doesnt deprive you of your hard earnings. It slows you down when you do bad, but it doesnt make you not want to come back. Some of the most devasting feelings I have felt was was when i was playing guild wars 1, died and had to start a 40 minute mission over again.
But like others said, if y9ou find something you like, stick to it. It sounds like its working for you. But believe your product is a niche. It just doesn't sound fun at all. No one wants to work while playing a game. I never have. I want challenge, I want adventure, but I don't want to work an hour to get to the fun part.
its wierd because i use to be a die hard advocate for themepark mmos. Now after the constant flood of shitty generic wow clones and after i experience Vanguard a sandpark game. I love sand boxes but i dont like full loot pvp. Make serperate servers or its a no for me.
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
I played Vanguard in Beta and visted back over the years and hated it. It seemed like such a buggy waste of potential. Came back again (about a month ago) and my wife and I are ridiculously immersed in this game more than any we have played since the original release EQ and the original release WoW.
For people looking for a game like the OP states I think this is a truly good option. Plus it is going F2P this summer. It has sandbox and themepark elements with consequences for failure, in depth crafting, a diplomacy system that is intriguing and unseen in other games.
It is not the "savior" for sandbox seekers but was surprisingly one of the only games I can say scartched the itch my wife and I had for years in regards to mmorpgs. Of course this game is not for everyone but alot of people who have already shrugged it off as a loss will be surprised at how much it will actually suit what they are looking for.
I don't think you're a minority, not in this forum at least, i might be inclined to say you're with the large majority.
Gaming as an all is a matter of taste and opinion, some people will love sandboxes, others will love FPS and so on and so forth.
You seem to be complaining because your particular taste isn't the mainstream, well...get over it, it happens with everything in entertainment, somehow the consumers go to what is popular and the corporations go with it to make money.
It's not how it should be, but you can't force people into liking what you believe is good, you can only try to show them and hope for the best.
With that said:
- I love risk and challenge, there's quite a few games out there with that. EVE, Mortal, Darkfall, Fallen Earth and quite a few on the making.
There's a huge difference from risk, challenge and frustration though, a line that in a MMO gets extremely blured, especially with vertical progression.
- Crafting as an all seems like an abandoned idea in most games, i do believe that this is again due to the progression models and the way they work, i for one would welcome horizontal progression games based on crafting and not looting.
- MMOs are a different breed when it comes to graphics, you can't ask to have a seamless world, with thousands of players in areas and have photo realistic graphics, we are getting there but still not close, alot of developers take the route that enables more gameplay options.
This has lead to "cartoony" games.
- Again, there are alot of sanboxes out there and quite a few coming out, you seem to be asking for Archage and at the same time complaining it's not for you.
- Agree on RMT.
- Instances can and will work amazingly for story purposes and specially for challenging content, open instances can be good but they can also be zerged into oblivion in matter of minutes, i do love the idea of open dungeons in the world, always have but on average they cannot be considered challenging content.
Instanced content isn't bad as long as it is designed to be a challenge to a group.
- Forced grouping is nice in some games, awfull in others, this again is a matter of the game you're playing and what you aim to do with your time, i'd rather have incentivated grouping then forced grouping.
- Unless you start as a baby i don't see the point of being in underwear, street clothing sure, but as long as the look matches the background story of the characters i don't see what's wrong with it.
TLDR version:
Play Archage.