Our legacy will be one of regression (time-lines are generalities, not limits of the game lifes for sampled MMO's):
1970's: Offline roleplaying (pencil and paper)
1980's: Online linear single player game (i.e., "A Bard's Tale")
1990's: Single player game with some limited multi-user (LAN) plan (i.e., "Diablo")
1999 - 2003: Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (i.e., "Everquest", "Ultima Online", "Dark Age of Camelot", "Asheron's Call", etc.). Arguably, the "Golden Age" of MMORPG design.
2004 - 2007: Spoon-fed MMORPG's (i.e, "WOW" and clones)
2007 - Present: Heavily Instanced and linear MMORPG's (i.e., "Age of Conan", "LOTRO")
Future?: Offline leveling MMORPG's (soon to come)
So, basically, game design is running full circle, at least back to the 1980's. It's kind of like those adventure books, choose Action A, go to page 53, choose Action B, go to page 97, but those are all of your choices; the choices and freedom are becoming much more limited as dev's essentially play your character for you.
The basic cause of this regression is game design is:
1) Business Managers of game companies want to capture the non-gaming base and feel those folks are too challenged by all but the most simple premises and require much hand-holding and direction.
2) Graphics-intensive games challenge machines, creating lag, so instancing resolves some of this. Plus, the efforts placed into graphics take away resources for content. You end up with pretty games that are hollow inside.
3) Dev's have a mistaken belief that "path of least resistance" = "most fun". While players will choose "path of least resistance", this does not always equate with the most enjoyable gaming experiences. The thrill of overcoming a heart-pounding challenge is lost, because dev's wrongly assume that overcoming obstacles is not fun. (I think game companies almost need to hire a psychologist or two for their design teams; dev's are really missing the mark on assessing human nature.)
.
How is any of that your legacy?
.
You just played the game. Are you in the industry?
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
I think the genre is still in its' infancy, and it will expand and change considerably in the future, hopefully with more diversity and options of play styles.
Unfortunately, for the near term, all we did was show Corporations that several hundred thousand people were willing to pay 15 dollars a month to participate in a world, instead of mindlessly watch tv. And they saw dollar signs.
So what was a genre where developers, who were the same style of gamers, made games they wanted to play, turned into a machine that turns out games based on focus group testing, and the broadest mass appeal. They also figured out that some players were willing to pay extra in order to 'skip' content, and they are milking us in spades now.
All of this is fine, since its what the majority seem to want ( ie what focus group testing pointed to ), but in its current form, it would be like tv consisting entirely of Dancing with the Stars, variations of it on other channels, and nothing else, because that show gets the most viewers.
Of course tv is not like this. I hope one day, when the population is much larger, and the games are not so expensive to make, variety will return here as well.
The pioneers have been pushed aside and forgotten.
Our legacy was and always will be the same: we played real MMORPG's we're the ones that made the genre great. We were a good, intelligent community till the dark age and downhill started. Spoiled whiners, crybabies and stupid fan, hateboys weren't part of our genre back in the good old days. The only good real MMORPG post the dark age (<2005 era) has been Vanguard during Beta 2.
We can always look back with some sort of proud because we've seen the golden age of MMORPG's, the "me now" generation knows nothing about our genre, altough they claim to do so.
On the other hand we've also seen the golden company age, no big greedy publishers just games from gamers for gamers. Back in the days Blizzard, Origin, Mythic, Sigil (former known as Verant) and Westwood all great studios.
With even more dumbed down games and some more greedy publishers coming in its time for the genre and companies like Activision to go downhill fast, so we can get rid of all the scum they introduced and maybe just maybe having a chance getting back our golden genre again.
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play." "Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Game developers are the pioneers of this genre. They create the worlds we explore. All we did was go to the store and buy a game. Pioneers? Legacy? Us? Really?
Well, if you are 59, and I will believe you are, then you know full well that life is rather cyclical. Things that were one way one decade tend to return but with a slightly different spin.
So I have no doubt that some years from now someone will create a "living world" and tout it as something new. we will all know it isnt' but it will be there for people who want it.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Our legacy will be one of regression (time-lines are generalities, not limits of the game lifes for sampled MMO's):
1970's: Offline roleplaying (pencil and paper)
1980's: Online linear single player game (i.e., "A Bard's Tale")
1990's: Single player game with some limited multi-user (LAN) plan (i.e., "Diablo")
1999 - 2003: Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (i.e., "Everquest", "Ultima Online", "Dark Age of Camelot", "Asheron's Call", etc.). Arguably, the "Golden Age" of MMORPG design.
2004 - 2007: Spoon-fed MMORPG's (i.e, "WOW" and clones)
2007 - Present: Heavily Instanced and linear MMORPG's (i.e., "Age of Conan", "LOTRO")
Future?: Offline leveling MMORPG's (soon to come)
So, basically, game design is running full circle, at least back to the 1980's. It's kind of like those adventure books, choose Action A, go to page 53, choose Action B, go to page 97, but those are all of your choices; the choices and freedom are becoming much more limited as dev's essentially play your character for you.
The basic cause of this regression is game design is:
1) Business Managers of game companies want to capture the non-gaming base and feel those folks are too challenged by all but the most simple premises and require much hand-holding and direction.
2) Graphics-intensive games challenge machines, creating lag, so instancing resolves some of this. Plus, the efforts placed into graphics take away resources for content. You end up with pretty games that are hollow inside.
3) Dev's have a mistaken belief that "path of least resistance" = "most fun". While players will choose "path of least resistance", this does not always equate with the most enjoyable gaming experiences. The thrill of overcoming a heart-pounding challenge is lost, because dev's wrongly assume that overcoming obstacles is not fun. (I think game companies almost need to hire a psychologist or two for their design teams; dev's are really missing the mark on assessing human nature.)
.
How is any of that your legacy?
.
You just played the game. Are you in the industry?
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
Well, if you are 59, and I will believe you are, then you know full well that life is rather cyclical. Things that were one way one decade tend to return but with a slightly different spin.
So I have no doubt that some years from now someone will create a "living world" and tout it as something new. we will all know it isnt' but it will be there for people who want it.
I'm not 59 and I'm not the dork in the picture I use (heck, I don't even know what gender the person in that picture is). But I have been around and I have played many styles of games for years and years, and yes, I tend to see patterns and fads.
Heck, I saw some of this stuff in the offline paper and pencil RPG's. The big move back then was going from level to skill-based, or going from being quite mortal (i.e, like in DnD) to somewhat impervious (i.e., Champions, Hero System, etc...).
My post was merely to respond to the OP. Seems a lot of folks sort of took it the wrong way. But, can anyone really deny that MMO's are becoming more instanced and linear? And the rumor about "offline leveling"; that's in some new MMO coming out. More and more the genre is reversing to what it was before the internet became popular; just undisturbed isolated leveling.
Maybe it's a semantics thing? . Legacy = what you leave behind to posterity after you die. . As a person who played a game, what will you leave behind after you die? Pretty much nothing, at least to the gaming world--you might find a cure for cancer, but we're talking about games. . Shakespeare has a legacy. He wrote some decent plays. . Back in 1760, Leonard went to watch shakespeare's plays once a month. Who do we remember? Far as we're concerned, Leonard didn't have much impact on our lives.
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
Heh...pretty sure you misintrepreted his intentions with his post.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
Heh...pretty sure you misintrepreted his intentions with his post.
Actually I think Tardcore's comments were directed at uquipu, and not at pencilrick.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Actually I think Tardcore's comments were directed at uquipu, and not at pencilrick.
Yep
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Legacy = what you leave behind to posterity after you die.
.
As a person who played a game, what will you leave behind after you die? Pretty much nothing, at least to the gaming world--you might find a cure for cancer, but we're talking about games.
.
Shakespeare has a legacy. He wrote some decent plays.
.
Back in 1760, Leonard went to watch shakespeare's plays once a month. Who do we remember? Far as we're concerned, Leonard didn't have much impact on our lives.
Enough with the dots.
.
They are just not necessary.
.
Kinda weird too
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
Heh...pretty sure you misintrepreted his intentions with his post.
Actually I think Tardcore's comments were directed at uquipu, and not at pencilrick.
Players have enormous impact on game development. We participate in beta tests and give feedback on what we like, dislike, and recommend. We are the people games are marketed to, and game companies are interested in what we like and dislike in designing their products. Our playing behaviors and choices are monitored and analyzed as we play, and that data is taken into account for new features and products. Games we popularize with our subscriptions are used as models by other companies. Our posts on message boards are read and sometimes taken into account. The game designers play along side us, although we don't always know it. Many players go on to become designers, and lots of companies actively seek game players when they hire. I could go on, but there is no question that players have a tremendous impact on these games, because without us, game companies would be making something else.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Honestly I got into these games because I thought it would be cool to play a rpg where other players were also adventuring or living in towns and stuff.
I had no idea that this thing would explode like it has.
Im just enjoying the ride and never really considered myself a pioneer or anything.
Our legacy was and always will be the same: we played real MMORPG's we're the ones that made the genre great. We were a good, intelligent community till the dark age and downhill started. Spoiled whiners, crybabies and stupid fan, hateboys weren't part of our genre back in the good old days. The only good real MMORPG post the dark age (<2005 era) has been Vanguard during Beta 2.
We can always look back with some sort of proud because we've seen the golden age of MMORPG's, the "me now" generation knows nothing about our genre, altough they claim to do so.
On the other hand we've also seen the golden company age, no big greedy publishers just games from gamers for gamers. Back in the days Blizzard, Origin, Mythic, Sigil (former known as Verant) and Westwood all great studios.
With even more dumbed down games and some more greedy publishers coming in its time for the genre and companies like Activision to go downhill fast, so we can get rid of all the scum they introduced and maybe just maybe having a chance getting back our golden genre again.
Well to my experience, it is all based on what came before it from the early dnd days to the first computer games. I was there for both the start of DND and the early computer games. People who think UO were the start of it all, really lose any credibility in my mind. MMORPG were not created out of a vacuum and were built off many previous steps of technology. People were talking about having a living 3d computer game back when wire frame games were being experimented with. It was a matter of time for the technology to come of age.
Pen and Paper -> MuD's -> Meridian & UO -> first 3d based MMORPG Everquest 1 ->Daoc aso..
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play." "Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Sadly, I believe our legacy is already being written.
MMORPGs went from being a genre about the community- for the gamer by the gamer. Now, with trends of subscription models with RMT (WoW, I see a horsie mommy!) and pay-as-you-go F2P with upgrades costing 10 bucks or more (Allods etc!), the model is one promoting capitalism- for the gamer by the stiff suit.
Where gameplay is concerned, group elements and difficult challenges have all but dissolved, making way for borderline selfish gaming facilitated through increasingly autonomous means (group finders) and hand-holding challenges that doesn't teach the gamer to improve, but rather lowers the bar of access so 'everyone can be a winner'.
Our legacy went from being about one another, to being about ourselves. It went from being about challenge and adventure to being about instant-gratification and all-access.
The titans control the industry now, and having the populace of MMORPG gamers split between what they want only strengthens their agendas further. But continuing to pay while 'hoping for' things to get better, they strong arm the direction of the genre, and the legacy is written with their pen, the ink being our blood (in a manner of speaking).
That is exactly right, and we're not saying NO to save WoW, because it is already a lost cause. We are saying NO to dissuade the next group of greedy suits who decide to emulate Blizzard and Cryptic, etc. We can prevent some of the future games from spewing this crap, but the sooner we start saying no, the better the results will be. So - Stand up, pull up your pants, and walk away. - MMO_Doubter
Honestly I got into these games because I thought it would be cool to play a rpg where other players were also adventuring or living in towns and stuff.
I had no idea that this thing would explode like it has.
Im just enjoying the ride and never really considered myself a pioneer or anything.
Just a gamer playing games.
Agreed, Rocky. Kids who feel they are entitled to have everything handed to them in an mmorpg is one of the most common criticisms I see. Now some of us old schoolers, hardcore gamers, whatever you want to call yourself, etc., feel that if we don't get the game we wanted, we have been betrayed or scammed. They feel they are special because their are "pioneers" or whatever. Did anyone sit around playing Pong or Pacman back in the day and wander what their legacy will be in the coming years? It sounds riciculous. Maybe I'm just nit picking poorly chosen words, but I don't think anyone a few years from now are going to give a rat's ass what we played.
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
Heh...pretty sure you misintrepreted his intentions with his post.
Actually I think Tardcore's comments were directed at uquipu, and not at pencilrick.
My mistake then. Apologies, apologies all around.
No worries mate. I should have been less lazy and changed the color of the text I was replying to.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Comments
That is part of the reason why I stick around. There is nothing else like...now I just need to find one that I like to stick with.
MMOs Played: I can no longer list them all in the 500 character limit.
So by your logic only a chef can appriciate a gourmet meal, only a matress maker could get a good nights sleep on bed, only an actor, script wirter or director can enjoy a good film?
So I'm guessing the gaming industry (or any intertainment industry) has no need of customers or a fan base? For example Star Wars would be a massive franchise if no one but its creators saw the films, not to mention purchased all the merchadise? None of the people that contributed to the massive fortunes these industries rake in every year deserve any credit for helping turn these nobdies into very wealthy somebodies?
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
I think the genre is still in its' infancy, and it will expand and change considerably in the future, hopefully with more diversity and options of play styles.
Unfortunately, for the near term, all we did was show Corporations that several hundred thousand people were willing to pay 15 dollars a month to participate in a world, instead of mindlessly watch tv. And they saw dollar signs.
So what was a genre where developers, who were the same style of gamers, made games they wanted to play, turned into a machine that turns out games based on focus group testing, and the broadest mass appeal. They also figured out that some players were willing to pay extra in order to 'skip' content, and they are milking us in spades now.
All of this is fine, since its what the majority seem to want ( ie what focus group testing pointed to ), but in its current form, it would be like tv consisting entirely of Dancing with the Stars, variations of it on other channels, and nothing else, because that show gets the most viewers.
Of course tv is not like this. I hope one day, when the population is much larger, and the games are not so expensive to make, variety will return here as well.
The pioneers have been pushed aside and forgotten.
Our legacy was and always will be the same: we played real MMORPG's we're the ones that made the genre great. We were a good, intelligent community till the dark age and downhill started. Spoiled whiners, crybabies and stupid fan, hateboys weren't part of our genre back in the good old days. The only good real MMORPG post the dark age (<2005 era) has been Vanguard during Beta 2.
We can always look back with some sort of proud because we've seen the golden age of MMORPG's, the "me now" generation knows nothing about our genre, altough they claim to do so.
On the other hand we've also seen the golden company age, no big greedy publishers just games from gamers for gamers. Back in the days Blizzard, Origin, Mythic, Sigil (former known as Verant) and Westwood all great studios.
With even more dumbed down games and some more greedy publishers coming in its time for the genre and companies like Activision to go downhill fast, so we can get rid of all the scum they introduced and maybe just maybe having a chance getting back our golden genre again.
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play."
"Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Game developers are the pioneers of this genre. They create the worlds we explore. All we did was go to the store and buy a game. Pioneers? Legacy? Us? Really?
Well, if you are 59, and I will believe you are, then you know full well that life is rather cyclical. Things that were one way one decade tend to return but with a slightly different spin.
So I have no doubt that some years from now someone will create a "living world" and tout it as something new. we will all know it isnt' but it will be there for people who want it.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
You are putting words into my mouth, ironically, probably like you prefer your own MMO gameplay to be spoonfed to you. I simply answered the OP's post with some ideas and comments of my own. Don't agree with me? Fine. But please to do not misinterpret or misquote me.
I'm not 59 and I'm not the dork in the picture I use (heck, I don't even know what gender the person in that picture is). But I have been around and I have played many styles of games for years and years, and yes, I tend to see patterns and fads.
Heck, I saw some of this stuff in the offline paper and pencil RPG's. The big move back then was going from level to skill-based, or going from being quite mortal (i.e, like in DnD) to somewhat impervious (i.e., Champions, Hero System, etc...).
My post was merely to respond to the OP. Seems a lot of folks sort of took it the wrong way. But, can anyone really deny that MMO's are becoming more instanced and linear? And the rumor about "offline leveling"; that's in some new MMO coming out. More and more the genre is reversing to what it was before the internet became popular; just undisturbed isolated leveling.
Maybe it's a semantics thing?
.
Legacy = what you leave behind to posterity after you die.
.
As a person who played a game, what will you leave behind after you die? Pretty much nothing, at least to the gaming world--you might find a cure for cancer, but we're talking about games.
.
Shakespeare has a legacy. He wrote some decent plays.
.
Back in 1760, Leonard went to watch shakespeare's plays once a month. Who do we remember? Far as we're concerned, Leonard didn't have much impact on our lives.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
Heh...pretty sure you misintrepreted his intentions with his post.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Actually I think Tardcore's comments were directed at uquipu, and not at pencilrick.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Yep
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Enough with the dots.
.
They are just not necessary.
.
Kinda weird too
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
My mistake then. Apologies, apologies all around.
Players have enormous impact on game development. We participate in beta tests and give feedback on what we like, dislike, and recommend. We are the people games are marketed to, and game companies are interested in what we like and dislike in designing their products. Our playing behaviors and choices are monitored and analyzed as we play, and that data is taken into account for new features and products. Games we popularize with our subscriptions are used as models by other companies. Our posts on message boards are read and sometimes taken into account. The game designers play along side us, although we don't always know it. Many players go on to become designers, and lots of companies actively seek game players when they hire. I could go on, but there is no question that players have a tremendous impact on these games, because without us, game companies would be making something else.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Honestly I got into these games because I thought it would be cool to play a rpg where other players were also adventuring or living in towns and stuff.
I had no idea that this thing would explode like it has.
Im just enjoying the ride and never really considered myself a pioneer or anything.
Just a gamer playing games.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Well to my experience, it is all based on what came before it from the early dnd days to the first computer games. I was there for both the start of DND and the early computer games. People who think UO were the start of it all, really lose any credibility in my mind. MMORPG were not created out of a vacuum and were built off many previous steps of technology. People were talking about having a living 3d computer game back when wire frame games were being experimented with. It was a matter of time for the technology to come of age.
If you think about "technology" its like this:
Pen and Paper -> MuD's -> Meridian & UO -> first 3d based MMORPG Everquest 1 ->Daoc aso..
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play."
"Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Sadly, I believe our legacy is already being written.
MMORPGs went from being a genre about the community- for the gamer by the gamer. Now, with trends of subscription models with RMT (WoW, I see a horsie mommy!) and pay-as-you-go F2P with upgrades costing 10 bucks or more (Allods etc!), the model is one promoting capitalism- for the gamer by the stiff suit.
Where gameplay is concerned, group elements and difficult challenges have all but dissolved, making way for borderline selfish gaming facilitated through increasingly autonomous means (group finders) and hand-holding challenges that doesn't teach the gamer to improve, but rather lowers the bar of access so 'everyone can be a winner'.
Our legacy went from being about one another, to being about ourselves. It went from being about challenge and adventure to being about instant-gratification and all-access.
The titans control the industry now, and having the populace of MMORPG gamers split between what they want only strengthens their agendas further. But continuing to pay while 'hoping for' things to get better, they strong arm the direction of the genre, and the legacy is written with their pen, the ink being our blood (in a manner of speaking).
That is exactly right, and we're not saying NO to save WoW, because it is already a lost cause. We are saying NO to dissuade the next group of greedy suits who decide to emulate Blizzard and Cryptic, etc.
We can prevent some of the future games from spewing this crap, but the sooner we start saying no, the better the results will be.
So - Stand up, pull up your pants, and walk away.
- MMO_Doubter
Agreed, Rocky. Kids who feel they are entitled to have everything handed to them in an mmorpg is one of the most common criticisms I see. Now some of us old schoolers, hardcore gamers, whatever you want to call yourself, etc., feel that if we don't get the game we wanted, we have been betrayed or scammed. They feel they are special because their are "pioneers" or whatever. Did anyone sit around playing Pong or Pacman back in the day and wander what their legacy will be in the coming years? It sounds riciculous. Maybe I'm just nit picking poorly chosen words, but I don't think anyone a few years from now are going to give a rat's ass what we played.
No worries mate. I should have been less lazy and changed the color of the text I was replying to.
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