I think the most important thing you can do to "prolong the life of an MMO" is to design it so all areas of the game world are always relevant.
Towns: Players of all levels should always have a reason to head to town. Sell, auction, repair, train, rest, socialize, etc...
Low level areas: Even if players out-level an area, the place should still be valid for travel. (i.e., moving through when going from high level to town).
Make minor, not major changes, to keep zones fresh. Adding some NPC's or having a road temporarily washed out, stuff like that, can keep a zone fresh. You would not want to change the zone too much, because that destroys the original character of the zone and its nostalgia factor.
Remember, a great MMO is almost a second home with online friends. It should have a "sense of always".
This is something i really miss and that old school FFXI got right.
I remember exping in zones at lower levels and always seeing groups of players 20-30 levels higher than me constantly run by because deeper into the zone would have higher level mobs and even endgame mobs. It was a nice motivational tool seeing all those high level players and their gear. It also meant that every zone was packed at all times.
For something like this to ever happen again, the leveling experience would have to be revamped in favor of group play over solo questing. I'm not sure many players would be in favor of this. Maybe there's another way though?
I would start by making nearly everything party or multiplayer focused with some solo stuff on the side for the off hours. The players that solo would still be able to solo, only requiring more effort.
Originally posted by Foobarx If you need a content patch or an expansion that frequently, the game is too damn easy. The reason you're running out of things to do is because you blow through it so easily. Sorry to say it, but the only thing that will slow folks down is a korean style grinder... anything less and it will always be more of the same. If you can't be bothered with the grind, well, I guess you get to keep blowing through your games. More money to the developers... less game time for you.
I dont have a problem with grinding if theres a point to it ,such as the guild leveling in EQ2. and yes unfortunately games have got to easy in the modern era of mmos and the older ones have been nerfed ,i would love to see a game with a hundred lvls that will take at least a year to get to ,bring back harsh death penalties etc but i fear im in the minority ,so at the moment the only way i see round it is faster expansions to satisfy the needs of the many over the needs of the one
I would make a no level mmo. Then i wouldn't have to work on making leveling content but could fokus on "endgame" only. Imo one of the reasons ex. TF2 is popular is the fact that even as a new player you can compete. I would try to make an MMO that does something similar.
It would probably have to be fairly sandboxy, but i think you would need a good theeme too.
Some type of Foundry feature would be a must. It's a cheap way to get more content.
Reasonably open API. I definedtly want people engaged in making my MMO a better game. Having said that i think WOW has gone too far, SWTOR on the other hand realy could use help. I want players to help perfecting UI and fansites and such.
World Story. The fact that we are at war with a faction at the release of an MMO doesn't have to mean that we'll forever be at war. Maybe a new enemy will rise and we would join forces with our former enemy against this new threath. After that new enemy is defeated we could ven have peace, apart from fighting some highwaymen and pirates and wild beast or whatever. Then maybe a civil war between peace seekers and war mongers.
Ofc this World story would have to be controlled by the Dev. but i would want players to at least feel they can come with input.
Game Shop. I would probably do something like TF2. That also means that the modding comunity would be able to make armors and weapons and get them into the game via the shop if the Dev. feel they fit the world and theeme and all in all are good enough quality.
Imo a key feature to keeping players is to get them involved in the game.
Originally posted by FoomerangFlesh out more systems than just combat. Give players a sense of permanence; something they made that others can see/appreciate even when they are not there.
I don't think permanence is very important so much as making things meaningful. I walk into an MMO and it doesn't matter to me whether the world continues to exist after I log off. It doesn't mean anything. What happens when I'm gone doesn't noticeably affect anything, certainly not my gameplay. Therefore it doesn't mean a thing to me what happens when I'm not around, it doesn't make me want to come back sooner because I know that, for the most part, nothing really happened, the world never changes and if I miss an event, it really doesn't mean anything, I might miss some stupid piece of crap decoration but nothing that really changes my gameplay.
No matter how much you flesh out the gameplay, it doesn't actually change how I play on a day-to-day basis.
Well, its an mmo. Its not always gonna be about you
It's a game. It doesn't have to be about you but it sure has to include you or interest you, otherwise there's no reason to keep playing.
Originally posted by Velocinox There is no corollary between game difficulty and people continuing to play it. If game difficulty decided game fun then Mario Bros. would have been better if they forced you to play it all the way through with no checkpoints.
Oversimplification. We don't want permadeath nor do we want the candy land games of today.
Originally posted by Velocinox When you discuss the 'whiners' or today's generation, or casuals you're no longer talking about game difficulty you're discussing your hang ups with a class or type of people and that's entirely about you. It doesn't even have anything to do with the people you're ranting about. it's now a 'listen to me cry' pity party for the poster. There isn't a game today built for the casual dollar that can't be made more difficult by your own efforts. Instead the reaction is to get mad and protest? You have the tools already to make an easy game difficult and instead of doing that you quit and start complaining. Now who is the whiner?
Suggesting self-handicapping as a viable option demonstrates an ignorance of human nature.
Originally posted by Velocinox There is a phrase in the Marine Corps; 'A Marine adapts'. (One finish is 'a soldier complains'.) So what are you doing calling for the developer whose is just a means to an end and that end being profits to stop making what makes money to make what you want? Are you adapting, or are you complaining? The answer to what to do to make MMORPGs last longer is to make them engaging. You can do that by making game worlds bigger, with more activities, and slowing down leveling while still engaging them across that increased amount of playtime. None of this intrinsically involves game difficulty.
Oh yes because the genre needs bigger worlds with more quest hubs... /rollseyes Slowing down leveling most certainly does increase game difficulty. Sounds like we need another thread on the definition of difficulty. Nah, let's just agree to disagree.
Luckily, i don't need you to like me to enjoy video games. -nariusseldon. In F2P I think it's more a case of the game's trying to play the player's. -laserit
Originally posted by Velocinox There is no corollary between game difficulty and people continuing to play it. If game difficulty decided game fun then Mario Bros. would have been better if they forced you to play it all the way through with no checkpoints.
Oversimplification. We don't want permadeath nor do we want the candy land games of today.
Originally posted by Velocinox When you discuss the 'whiners' or today's generation, or casuals you're no longer talking about game difficulty you're discussing your hang ups with a class or type of people and that's entirely about you. It doesn't even have anything to do with the people you're ranting about. it's now a 'listen to me cry' pity party for the poster.
There isn't a game today built for the casual dollar that can't be made more difficult by your own efforts. Instead the reaction is to get mad and protest? You have the tools already to make an easy game difficult and instead of doing that you quit and start complaining. Now who is the whiner?
Suggesting self-handicapping as a viable option demonstrates an ignorance of human nature.
Originally posted by Velocinox There is a phrase in the Marine Corps; 'A Marine adapts'. (One finish is 'a soldier complains'.) So what are you doing calling for the developer whose is just a means to an end and that end being profits to stop making what makes money to make what you want? Are you adapting, or are you complaining?
The answer to what to do to make MMORPGs last longer is to make them engaging. You can do that by making game worlds bigger, with more activities, and slowing down leveling while still engaging them across that increased amount of playtime. None of this intrinsically involves game difficulty.
Oh yes because the genre needs bigger worlds with more quest hubs... /rollseyes Slowing down leveling most certainly does increase game difficulty. Sounds like we need another thread on the definition of difficulty. Nah, let's just agree to disagree.
Wow I really hit the nail with you.
It's not an oversimplification. I illustrated that adding difficulty does not by itself increase retention or fun. Done and done.
Yes, I do have an understanding of human nature. That's exactly why I address your need to change games for everyone just so you're happy, instead of changing them for yourself, by yourself. And that, people that complain about game difficulty instead of making it more difficult for themselves are simply undisciplined and want someone else to come fix their problem for them instead of stepping up and fixing it themselves.
Your last paragraph is just too defensive and emotional to warrant a reply.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire: Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
Originally posted by Cephus404 Originally posted by FoomerangOriginally posted by Cephus404Originally posted by FoomerangFlesh out more systems than just combat. Give players a sense of permanence; something they made that others can see/appreciate even when they are not there.
I don't think permanence is very important so much as making things meaningful. I walk into an MMO and it doesn't matter to me whether the world continues to exist after I log off. It doesn't mean anything. What happens when I'm gone doesn't noticeably affect anything, certainly not my gameplay. Therefore it doesn't mean a thing to me what happens when I'm not around, it doesn't make me want to come back sooner because I know that, for the most part, nothing really happened, the world never changes and if I miss an event, it really doesn't mean anything, I might miss some stupid piece of crap decoration but nothing that really changes my gameplay.No matter how much you flesh out the gameplay, it doesn't actually change how I play on a day-to-day basis.Well, its an mmo. Its not always gonna be about you It's a game. It doesn't have to be about you but it sure has to include you or interest you, otherwise there's no reason to keep playing. Of course. I never said it didn't.
Ditch the level-based progression and make the game about more than just killing things for loot.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Originally posted by Loktofeit Ditch the level-based progression and make the game about more than just killing things for loot.
I like that idea, but more specifically, what could replace such a system?
A largely reputation-based system? One that starts you on shorter, less important (in relation to the faction/game world you're in) tasks that help you make a name for yourself within a city, which in turns offers you better equipment and more intimate quests the further you raise renown with said group?
I like the general idea, but how do we flesh it out from the abstract to the palpable?
Start by not actually playing the game. The death knell to any game is actually having played it. Games that you never play can last forever in your mind as you imagine what it could be like if you actually played it. It's a lot like waiting on empty promises... so long as the promise remains unfulfilled and looming out there as a possibility, it continues to exist. It's primarily why hype sells games... you've created in your mind a far better game than any developer could ever make... and when you actually play it and realize it's not at all like you envisioned it, you become disheartened.
So the solution obviously is to just keep it shrink-wrapped in the box and place it on the shelf and admire the wonders that it could be if you actually opened it.
Start with the lore/stories and decide the ways you want to tell it
Decide the forms of progression you want to weave into it
Make sure the progressions sometimes run parallel and sometimes perpendicular to the lore
Do not overlook taking advantage of the competitive side of players in both pve and pvp but allow players as much freedom as you can without compromising casuals' entry to the game
Take advantage of today's social environments and build the game around social interactions. If you can tie them to the lore, you are onto something.
Aim for long term success instead of a 3 month wonder: game economy's stability and its social aspects play a vital role here
Sufficient amount and quality of content, combat mechanics and graphics
The formula has always been the same, but so many games have overlooked essential parts of it. It's not that hard of a list, but the devil is in the details.
The best way would to release a quality, professionally tested, and deep game. No gimmicks. Solid gameplay. and how about a complete game for once. So sick of the "We can polish and add stuff soon after release." You can only release once (Except for FFXIV, and they did it well enough to erase the first attempt). Give us a game. Not a "Nearly Finished" product.
I wouldn't. I prefer quality (more fun) than quantity (longer game).
I've had the privilege of finding both in the same game on two separate occasions. I got ya beat.
"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
I don't mind the EQ2 guild rankings but you need to look no further than FFXI.
You create longevity by having a player able to play EVERY class and utilize sub classes and make sure leveling each class is a journey not a race to get 5-10 levels in a few hours.Create other content to do along the way.Make item drops RARE,that combined with slower leveling makes RARE items extremely satisfying to attain and gives players something to spend time getting.If games are just too fast to level up then it is a waste of time attaining items you will outgrow in a few hours.This is why gaming is so stagnant,nobody wants to partake in any kind of MAIN game,they race to end game then BELIEVE that is when gaming is SUPPOSE to start.Umm thanks Blizzard for creating such a dumb idea for game design,now the majority believe that is what mmorpg gaming is all about.
Housing and crafting is of course a couple areas that can aid the longevity.ECO system where by creatures and ALL resources can disappear for long periods and EVERYTHING should be crafted.
FFXI also created different currencies within the game and different SETS of gear that happened along the journey and not just at end game.RSE which was RACE specific gear to help the weaker stats of each race.Artifact gear was a quest line to attain each classes elite gear.Then JSE job specific gear to aid each job/class.
Create a story line and ranking system that players not only must do but want to do.Example in FFXI you needed to do a long series of quests to attain rank 5 to get an Airship license.At various junctures of the story line give epic rewards but make the journey long and tough.
Instead of just putting points into boxes create quests that have you unlock special weapon skills or abilities or spells.
Bottom line is everything has to be hard work,it feels more satisfying than just hand holding and given everything on a platter.If you easily attain items and beat bosses then where is the excitement/challenge?If you can easily get max level in a few weeks then again where is the satisfaction/accomplishment if anyone can do it easily?
Simple easy gaming to me is like putting every team on the Stanley Cup or every team on the Super bowl it diminishes the important of the challenge.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Originally posted by Tindale111 It does seem that the major drop of point these days is 3 or 4 months ,so i would have an expansion ready before game release throw in the expansion after 4 months whilst preparing the next one .Id also add something to work on as well as the normal gear and crafting grind such as EQ2 had with being able to lvl up your guild ,i know thats not everybodys cup of tea so please throw up some ideas thanks for reading
Think about this from the fundamental level.
Why do people usually drop a regular MMO after 3 to 4 months? The answer is they've burned through everything the game has to offer by then, and/or the core logistics of the tasks/events that someone can do in the MMO is identical to nearly every other MMO out there. So either you need to keep blasting out new content for them to munch through (at a rate that will drive you into the dirt very quickly), or give them the tools they need to make a LOT of content for themselves at will that isn't just isolated fluff...it has to have a real impact on the rest of the game world. You'll have to give them those kinds of tools for it to really last.
Take a key example, Eve Online, still going strong after 11 years. Why is that?
-Something like half or more of the EXTREMELY MASSIVE game world is 100% ownable by players. They don't just get one little guild base like most MMOs that they build up for a few unique shops and shiggles/bragging rights; the Eve Online players literally build entire sections of the GALAXY. They create massive numbers of bases, none of which are primarily for bragging rights, each fulfills key practical roles and no base can do every role at once properly so they must be specialized, and have both jump bridge links plus logistical links between each other into one massive connected network for each alliance.
-The economy is completely player run and there is loot permadeath, so having good access to the key resource sources needed to build good equipment and ships becomes quite important.
-These areas of space have different and unique sources of resources, tied deeply into the crafting system.
-The bases in the player-controlled space are completely destructable. Massive wars can be fought over those key resource sectors of space so that the players can gain a monopoly on the markets for the stuff built by those key resources.
-Because of the amount of time and effort it takes to build up these sectors of space, real logical work for a practical end result, the players are much more inclined to defend those bases. Very violently. For a long period of time.
With tools like that, the players can create INFINITE content for themselves at will. So instead of you, the developer, needing to put in massive amounts of work at a ridiculous pace to keep pumping out content for the players to chew on, you can take a more relaxed but thorough approach to give the players new, in-depth tools to add to the complexity of the things that they themselves can create. They sustain the MMO for you with those tools.
Why do people usually drop a regular MMO after 3 to 4 months? The answer is they've burned through everything the game has to offer by then, and/or the core logistics of the tasks/events that someone can do in the MMO is identical to nearly every other MMO out there. So either you need to keep blasting out new content for them to munch through (at a rate that will drive you into the dirt very quickly), or give them the tools they need to make a LOT of content for themselves at will that isn't just isolated fluff...it has to have a real impact on the rest of the game world. You'll have to give them those kinds of tools for it to really last.
May be because most players like to play new games? They don't have to burn through all the content to leave and try something new.
Comments
This is something i really miss and that old school FFXI got right.
I remember exping in zones at lower levels and always seeing groups of players 20-30 levels higher than me constantly run by because deeper into the zone would have higher level mobs and even endgame mobs. It was a nice motivational tool seeing all those high level players and their gear. It also meant that every zone was packed at all times.
For something like this to ever happen again, the leveling experience would have to be revamped in favor of group play over solo questing. I'm not sure many players would be in favor of this. Maybe there's another way though?
I dont have a problem with grinding if theres a point to it ,such as the guild leveling in EQ2. and yes unfortunately games have got to easy in the modern era of mmos and the older ones have been nerfed ,i would love to see a game with a hundred lvls that will take at least a year to get to ,bring back harsh death penalties etc but i fear im in the minority ,so at the moment the only way i see round it is faster expansions to satisfy the needs of the many over the needs of the one
I would make a no level mmo. Then i wouldn't have to work on making leveling content but could fokus on "endgame" only. Imo one of the reasons ex. TF2 is popular is the fact that even as a new player you can compete. I would try to make an MMO that does something similar.
It would probably have to be fairly sandboxy, but i think you would need a good theeme too.
Some type of Foundry feature would be a must. It's a cheap way to get more content.
Reasonably open API. I definedtly want people engaged in making my MMO a better game. Having said that i think WOW has gone too far, SWTOR on the other hand realy could use help. I want players to help perfecting UI and fansites and such.
World Story. The fact that we are at war with a faction at the release of an MMO doesn't have to mean that we'll forever be at war. Maybe a new enemy will rise and we would join forces with our former enemy against this new threath. After that new enemy is defeated we could ven have peace, apart from fighting some highwaymen and pirates and wild beast or whatever. Then maybe a civil war between peace seekers and war mongers.
Ofc this World story would have to be controlled by the Dev. but i would want players to at least feel they can come with input.
Game Shop. I would probably do something like TF2. That also means that the modding comunity would be able to make armors and weapons and get them into the game via the shop if the Dev. feel they fit the world and theeme and all in all are good enough quality.
Imo a key feature to keeping players is to get them involved in the game.
It's a game. It doesn't have to be about you but it sure has to include you or interest you, otherwise there's no reason to keep playing.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Relatively Recently (Re)Played: HL2 (all), Halo (PC, all), Batman:AA; AC, ME, BS, DA, FO3, DS, Doom (all), LFD1&2, KOTOR, Portal 1&2, Blink, Elder Scrolls (all), lots more
Now Playing: None
Hope: None
Oversimplification. We don't want permadeath nor do we want the candy land games of today.
Suggesting self-handicapping as a viable option demonstrates an ignorance of human nature.
Oh yes because the genre needs bigger worlds with more quest hubs... /rollseyes Slowing down leveling most certainly does increase game difficulty. Sounds like we need another thread on the definition of difficulty. Nah, let's just agree to disagree.
Luckily, i don't need you to like me to enjoy video games. -nariusseldon.
In F2P I think it's more a case of the game's trying to play the player's. -laserit
Wow I really hit the nail with you.
It's not an oversimplification. I illustrated that adding difficulty does not by itself increase retention or fun. Done and done.
Yes, I do have an understanding of human nature. That's exactly why I address your need to change games for everyone just so you're happy, instead of changing them for yourself, by yourself. And that, people that complain about game difficulty instead of making it more difficult for themselves are simply undisciplined and want someone else to come fix their problem for them instead of stepping up and fixing it themselves.
Your last paragraph is just too defensive and emotional to warrant a reply.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire:
Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
Well, its an mmo. Its not always gonna be about you
It's a game. It doesn't have to be about you but it sure has to include you or interest you, otherwise there's no reason to keep playing.
Of course. I never said it didn't.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I like that idea, but more specifically, what could replace such a system?
A largely reputation-based system? One that starts you on shorter, less important (in relation to the faction/game world you're in) tasks that help you make a name for yourself within a city, which in turns offers you better equipment and more intimate quests the further you raise renown with said group?
I like the general idea, but how do we flesh it out from the abstract to the palpable?
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Start by not actually playing the game. The death knell to any game is actually having played it. Games that you never play can last forever in your mind as you imagine what it could be like if you actually played it. It's a lot like waiting on empty promises... so long as the promise remains unfulfilled and looming out there as a possibility, it continues to exist. It's primarily why hype sells games... you've created in your mind a far better game than any developer could ever make... and when you actually play it and realize it's not at all like you envisioned it, you become disheartened.
So the solution obviously is to just keep it shrink-wrapped in the box and place it on the shelf and admire the wonders that it could be if you actually opened it.
Played-Everything
Playing-LoL
Make it (massively) multiplayer games and you can have long life MMOGames.
Multiplayer option always keep the games last longer than just singleplayer campaign.
If you ask me about current-gen themepark MMORPGs , they all about singleplayer campaign (quest hubs) with forced multiplayers contents (instances).
The multiplayer not an option (forced) , and the rest of game are long and empty campaign .
I wouldn't. I prefer quality (more fun) than quantity (longer game).
The best way would to release a quality, professionally tested, and deep game. No gimmicks. Solid gameplay. and how about a complete game for once. So sick of the "We can polish and add stuff soon after release." You can only release once (Except for FFXIV, and they did it well enough to erase the first attempt). Give us a game. Not a "Nearly Finished" product.
SWTOR Referral Link
Free Goodies for new or returning players.
See what it gets you Here
I've had the privilege of finding both in the same game on two separate occasions. I got ya beat.
"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
I don't mind the EQ2 guild rankings but you need to look no further than FFXI.
You create longevity by having a player able to play EVERY class and utilize sub classes and make sure leveling each class is a journey not a race to get 5-10 levels in a few hours.Create other content to do along the way.Make item drops RARE,that combined with slower leveling makes RARE items extremely satisfying to attain and gives players something to spend time getting.If games are just too fast to level up then it is a waste of time attaining items you will outgrow in a few hours.This is why gaming is so stagnant,nobody wants to partake in any kind of MAIN game,they race to end game then BELIEVE that is when gaming is SUPPOSE to start.Umm thanks Blizzard for creating such a dumb idea for game design,now the majority believe that is what mmorpg gaming is all about.
Housing and crafting is of course a couple areas that can aid the longevity.ECO system where by creatures and ALL resources can disappear for long periods and EVERYTHING should be crafted.
FFXI also created different currencies within the game and different SETS of gear that happened along the journey and not just at end game.RSE which was RACE specific gear to help the weaker stats of each race.Artifact gear was a quest line to attain each classes elite gear.Then JSE job specific gear to aid each job/class.
Create a story line and ranking system that players not only must do but want to do.Example in FFXI you needed to do a long series of quests to attain rank 5 to get an Airship license.At various junctures of the story line give epic rewards but make the journey long and tough.
Instead of just putting points into boxes create quests that have you unlock special weapon skills or abilities or spells.
Bottom line is everything has to be hard work,it feels more satisfying than just hand holding and given everything on a platter.If you easily attain items and beat bosses then where is the excitement/challenge?If you can easily get max level in a few weeks then again where is the satisfaction/accomplishment if anyone can do it easily?
Simple easy gaming to me is like putting every team on the Stanley Cup or every team on the Super bowl it diminishes the important of the challenge.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Oh, i don't dispute random luck will sometimes get you both .. but why bother why there are so many short quality games to enjoy?
I prefer to play 2 shorter quality games than one long one .... because i get variety on top of quality.
Think about this from the fundamental level.
Why do people usually drop a regular MMO after 3 to 4 months? The answer is they've burned through everything the game has to offer by then, and/or the core logistics of the tasks/events that someone can do in the MMO is identical to nearly every other MMO out there. So either you need to keep blasting out new content for them to munch through (at a rate that will drive you into the dirt very quickly), or give them the tools they need to make a LOT of content for themselves at will that isn't just isolated fluff...it has to have a real impact on the rest of the game world. You'll have to give them those kinds of tools for it to really last.
Take a key example, Eve Online, still going strong after 11 years. Why is that?
-Something like half or more of the EXTREMELY MASSIVE game world is 100% ownable by players. They don't just get one little guild base like most MMOs that they build up for a few unique shops and shiggles/bragging rights; the Eve Online players literally build entire sections of the GALAXY. They create massive numbers of bases, none of which are primarily for bragging rights, each fulfills key practical roles and no base can do every role at once properly so they must be specialized, and have both jump bridge links plus logistical links between each other into one massive connected network for each alliance.
-The economy is completely player run and there is loot permadeath, so having good access to the key resource sources needed to build good equipment and ships becomes quite important.
-These areas of space have different and unique sources of resources, tied deeply into the crafting system.
-The bases in the player-controlled space are completely destructable. Massive wars can be fought over those key resource sectors of space so that the players can gain a monopoly on the markets for the stuff built by those key resources.
-Because of the amount of time and effort it takes to build up these sectors of space, real logical work for a practical end result, the players are much more inclined to defend those bases. Very violently. For a long period of time.
With tools like that, the players can create INFINITE content for themselves at will. So instead of you, the developer, needing to put in massive amounts of work at a ridiculous pace to keep pumping out content for the players to chew on, you can take a more relaxed but thorough approach to give the players new, in-depth tools to add to the complexity of the things that they themselves can create. They sustain the MMO for you with those tools.
Where's the any key?
May be because most players like to play new games? They don't have to burn through all the content to leave and try something new.