Repetition in mmorpgs

CheesePlant

It seems in this day and age a game with massive repetition is called a mmorpg (or simular) does anyone know of a mmorpg game, or future title which might be geared towards less repetition? Would a mmorpg be a mmorpg without repetition?

Apocalyptica

What do you mean by repition? What you have to do to skill your char? Or that there is not enough to do once your char is fully max out so that you have to repeat the same quest/dundeons or what not?

I do not mind any of the above so long it does not totally get out of hand and becomes just a grind for years to raise a skill or no new content. It not a offline game which you play and then put down again. In RL you have not gotten your skills overnight either. So I believe it really is part of it and its totally ok.

Otherwise you can go play some of the more modern MMOGs where you are maxed out within 2-3 month and are like Diabolos Online.

Ranma13

I relate MMO's to working at a pen factory. Your job is to put a cap on as many pens as possible. Sometimes the pens are fat, sometimes they're thin, and something they require a special cap, but regardless, you're putting caps on pens the whole time. Eventually, after you cap so many pens, you get promoted and get a tool that allows you to cap more pens at once.

That's basically what MMO's are, an endless grindfest with some pretty colors as 'content'.

nomadian

Hmm I think there needs to be some level of repetition in a persistant-type model, otherwise you would have to have never-ending content. So it all depends what that repetition is, if that repetition is fun eg. pvp over and over, then the repetition you don't notice, but if is reptition doing something not so interesting like killing mobs over and over you will notice.

Sassymolassy

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Originally posted by Ranma13

I relate MMO's to working at a pen factory. Your job is to put a cap on as many pens as possible. Sometimes the pens are fat, sometimes they're thin, and something they require a special cap, but regardless, you're putting caps on pens the whole time. Eventually, after you cap so many pens, you get promoted and get a tool that allows you to cap more pens at once.
That's basically what MMO's are, an endless grindfest with some pretty colors as 'content'.

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THis probably the best analogy I've heard Ranma.  So what would be the solution to the endless grindfest?  The pretty colors take your mind off it for awhile but it always comes back to the grindfest.   My thoughts are that there have to be more ways that players can change enviroments, shape lore, and have creative input to stave off the grind.

Souldrainer

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Originally posted by Sassymolassy 
  So what would be the solution to the endless grindfest? 

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You don't know?  I thought innovative gameplay was the #1 thing on every gamer's mind.  Innovative gameplay.  If they made MMO's with the same quality as games like God of War, Okami,, Mario Anything, or Halo, we would be laughing at the mere idea that MMOs are repetitive.  All of those games have finite endings,but they do receive ratings that blow most MMOs away.  Innovation in an MMO is far from unreachable.  There are folks in Aussieland right now making a patch to turn Oblivion in an MMO.

 Most MMO makers feel that when it comes to content, quantity > quality.  They figure that the players will cover them when it comes to creating a dynamic experience.  They could be right, if only they'd stop making boring/limited games.