MMORPG-Blues :p

eoloe

Disclaimer: English is not my native language. This text is full of exaggerations and sarcasms. Please consider that my thoughts might be more nuanced than your interpretation of them. 

Disappointment comes from a deviation from expectations. And for me, and many other players, Heroic Fantasy MMORPGs always bring some level of disappointment. I think the main reason for this is the lack of heroism through common game design trends. 

How to know if a game design decision is evilly corrupted by the mark of Chaos? Well, this is simple:  You know something is corrupted when it acts exactly as the opposite it is supposed to be. 

Let’s start with a common example: there is this incredible idea that the game really starts with the “endgame”. Yeah, awesome idea, let’s start at the end! The end is the start! Same difference (another oxy-moron-ic expression)! 

Zones are designed by level. This concept is usually an immersion killer. Here stand monsters for debatable reasons (conveniently called “Lore”), but especially to justify the hatred of every living thing (let’s massacre weasels and wild boars!) and satisfy the mandatory thirst of … XP and LOOT. Killing them seems really to be an act of mercy because the “monsters” are often affected by some kind of rigor mortis, being able to take only a few steps from their spawn point (Oooh I really miss GW1 converging patrols). Being dumb and serviceable, the dead creature will respawn at the same location, gently waiting for the next culling.

If you are in the right zone with the right gear, the combat is usually very shallow to not say utterly boring. But well, players are doing it anyway because they can farm and watch animes simultaneously! Moreover, one day they will start the real game, which is the end, uh… no, I mean yes, sort of… I mean they will reach the endgame, which is the start of the game. 

Uh… 

Well, for sure they will become waaaaaaay more powerful. That is a good reason in itself. And as they say, “Leveling is great because, when I will be max level, I will go back to low level zones and feel my power!” Sure! Instead of collecting 10 weasel skins in 5 min, they are going to slaughter the whole level 3 population in 2 minutes! Amazing! What a hero!

Fortunately for the weasels, this happens quite rarely in fact. Most “heroes”, like a swarm of locusts, are indeed leaving the area to raid the next one. And when the wildlife has the opportunity to respawn, thrive, and live in peace again, the players call it surprisingly a “dead zone” and dare to complain! Not surprisingly, some developers who tried to tackle the “dead zone” issue did it by de-leveling the characters…

Some games tried to alleviate combat shallowness by introducing action combat systems with beautiful animations and wonderful special effects. It is entertaining to some extent, but the problem was not tab targeting. Again, the root of the problem is the lack of heroïsm.

This is also blatant in questing. Most of the quests are at best uninteresting. We all know about the horrible missions requiring 150 rabbit's ears: it seems we are so messy crushing the poor thing that finding 2 ears on the rodent’s corpse is a miracle in itself! Don’t get me started on the fedex missions! During this kind of quest, the Little Riding Hood had more fun and thrills bringing her basket to her Grandma than any of our “heroes”.

What is left is the main campaign. In there, YOU are the hero, a hero so clever and so independent that you need to follow a shiny ghost arrow to find your way! What an explorer! The content matches the same level of difficulty with an abysmal lack of challenge! The hero seems to be just the spectator of his own “adventure”. And the time spent in the main story depends on how fast one can press the button to validate the "dialogues". No wonder: the so-called “dialogues” are usually in fact boring monologues, sometimes not even disguised with useless choices…

What about the journey? Well, the journey is reduced to a mere tutorial, in which the writers, as I wrote already,  try to make you believe that YOU are THE hero saving the world. So you save the world but by following a tutorial……… Is that a new definition for “heroïsm”? Anyways, as usual, your whole digital life has been a lie; each player plays the same campaign. Bland truth is when everybody is the hero, nobody is.

Fortunately for the challenge lovers, the devs can increase the difficulty by snapping their magic-XML fingers, changing some values, and here you are facing an impossible enemy. Don’t worry, this is just a polite reminder to send you back for 15 fun hours of weasel-bashing which are, according to the legend, the very source of all power (after all, if it’s justified by the lore, where is the problem?!!!). Sometimes, you can also alleviate this obstacle by visiting the cash shop which will gladly enhance your frustrated progression!

When you are done with the main story arc, you probably feel like King Arthur: you got as a reward a piece of high-level gear. Awesome. But in front of the French castle, you just learn that somebody else “already got one!” (Monthy Python and the Holy Grail). That’s right, you are the hero who just saved the world, but you can observe a group of badasses that probably saved it 15 times already. What a bunch of party poopers! Well, let’s keep the chin straight and the chest inflated. Let’s ignore these braggers. You know deep in your heart how to become a true hero.

After all these efforts, all this grinding, this is time! You indeed reached the end. I mean the start (or something like this). It is time to tackle the final dungeons and the most famous raids. Goodbye weasels! Goodbye wild boars! You are going to be a big boy now and enter the most challenging parts of this virtual world. You are going to fight your way to the radiant summits of the hall of fame. All the players from this server are going to know your valor and how skillful you are. Just whispering your name will send all these beautiful ladies (which are in fact played by sexually frustrated men) in awe!

The mind full of glorious thoughts, you start to group. This is when you are asked quite impolitely about your build and your gear level over the voice chat. Following your proud answer, you hear an uncomfortable silence and then some weird juvenile laughs. You feel quite embarrassed, and a thin layer of sweat starts to wet your forehead. And then, the axe is falling: “Are you f…. kidding us?!!! Uninstall! You f…. caZual nooo0000b!!!”

You just got kicked from the party, and your ego lost its 4n4L virginity in the process! Now you face the cruel truth: never you will feel like a hero in this game! Humiliated, you head to the cash shop, buy a rename coupon, and brand your character as Gandalfagorn the eternal weasel spanker!

TwistedSister77

Well. I will give you major props for a thought out post... usually people here don't attack syntaxes or grammatical errors... I have a new phone that literally adds words and fills in the auto correx.

You hit on so many great topics, so I won't lump it into 1 remark.  I will say, in part, immersion breaking.  

I find single player story games (or cooperative games)... much more satisfying for storyline of a character's influence (not always).

We can only be shipwrecked, and level 1, so many times... sarcasm.

Theocritus

tl;dr

My experience with MMORPGs was I really enjoyed them until jsut after WoW came out...From then on, it just has not been the same enjoyment......I really did not like that the genre became so story focused and quest heavy.....So many MMOs post WoW just felt like I was going through the motions.....IT shifted from having games with nice virtual worlds to explore to having to be entertained by the game...All of a sudden they had to have cutscenes and voice acting, and these were things I just did not need.....

THe communities arent the same anymore and too many of them are just a boring solo experience. WHat made the genre fun was the people. It wasnt the games. When I think back on my EQ experiences, it all comes down to the people I met and played the game with.....Once they were gone it was not the same.

Amaranthar

No worries, a new game is on the way. And it's sure to please.


"I'll give you ONE MILLION HITPOINTS for a measly freakin' $Franklin" 

Adamantine

TL; DR

Well, I skipped over parts of the beginning and nothing interesting was said, so - meh.

Personally I still just want a 'Vanguard: Saga of Heroes' style classic MMO "done right". But I dont think I will ever get it.

Scot

 "This text is full of exaggerations and sarcasms."

Don't worry mate, I sometimes wonder if that should not signature box of many of our posters.

kitarad

Don't worry about your English I enjoyed reading that. Many points I agree with but we don't support (we here is the general pool of players) games that try something different. Inevitably a sub or some other reason is used to justify why the game failed us. So developers cannot display any heroism because it is not a formula that works.

Other gamers also expects conformity from us.

Please do not insult a person who has taken the time to express themselves and dismiss their thoughts with a tldr. If you didn't read it have the decency not to pointedly exhibit that in your response. It's beyond rude.

eoloe

Adamantine said:

TL; DR

Please enlighten me...

Does TL stands for "Too Lazy"? You know... my "English Skills"...

Rungar

eoloe said:

Adamantine said:

TL; DR

Please enlighten me...

Does TL stands for "Too Lazy"? You know... my "English Skills"...

Too long didnt read.  aka lazy. 

eoloe

I guess I should have ended with /s

Adamantine

TL; DR means you talk too much and say too little.

Kyleran

Adamantine said:

TL; DR means you talk too much and say too little.

No, it speaks more to the lack of attention span of one who should read more and insult less.

The OPs story was just fine, these follow ups though, just cringey.

Amaranthar

eoloe said:

I guess I should have ended with /s

I'm not sure that would have helped. 

Amaranthar

"I bought Strength in the Cash Shop, but my credit card bounced."

Amaranthar

"I think the Scaling is broken, lads."

Amaranthar

"M'Lord, these lads didn't get their Starters Packs, and they did nary-too-well against the Level 20 Dragon, and now they want yor hay-ed." 

cheyane

Brilliant @Amaranthar

Scot

cheyane said:

Brilliant @Amaranthar

I am wondering about any posters under 25, "is that a film"?

Kyleran

Scot said:

cheyane said:

Brilliant @Amaranthar

I am wondering about any posters under 25, "is that a film"?

Dunno, but Spamalot was a good musical.


(Musicals being mostly the province of older folks, just like buffets.)

Amaranthar

Scot said:

cheyane said:

Brilliant @Amaranthar

I am wondering about any posters under 25, "is that a film"?

Back when WoW had recently come out, and the MMO scene was exploding, and video stores were still a thing, I rented that and my son watched it with me. 
Then he brought a friend home to watch it too. 
A couple of weeks later I was back at the video store looking around and saw that they had 5 spaces for that movie. And I live in a small city. lol

Then, about a year later, I saw an article that talked about the strange explosion of this movie at rentals and in sales. 
I realized that that same scenario had played out across the country. 

So, in short, I think most young gamers are well aware of it. 

Amaranthar

tzervo said:

Do "Life of Brian" next!

"You're all individuals"
"Yes, yes, we're all individuals"
"I'm not" 

I see some real possibilities there. 
And I'm not afraid that the Big Guy will strike me down. I think he cries with us, and laughs with us. He's probably watched that movie multiple times. lol

But I'll let some of you give it a whirl. It's fun. Humor is a great gift of the human spirit. 

Amaranthar

Oh heck, I can't resist. 



"And then I found out that "Roxanne" was an unemployed truck driver from Jersey who just wanted to sell me gold." 

Amaranthar

"Ok, who's our Tank?!"

Amaranthar

"Wait?! The zones aren't instanced?"

Amaranthar

"I hate these newbie quests." 

Kyleran

Amaranthar said:

tzervo said:

Do "Life of Brian" next!

"You're all individuals"
"Yes, yes, we're all individuals"
"I'm not" 

I see some real possibilities there. 
And I'm not afraid that the Big Guy will strike me down. I think he cries with us, and laughs with us. He's probably watched that movie multiple times. lol

But I'll let some of you give it a whirl. It's fun. Humor is a great gift of the human spirit. 

I had Philosophy professor back in the 70s who would sometimes challenge us to question our religious beliefs.

He would run across the room and step into the metal trash can before broaching the subject, explaining that in case God stuck him with lightning the ashes wouldn't cause a mess on the floor.

He was a good guy, but when I took a second course on Business ethics we often clashed and he ultimately gave me a B not on the quality of my work, but more  because he disagreed with my viewpoint on certain matters. 

He never could have handled forum PVP, good thing it was well before his time.