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Ironically ARK is the next gen sandbox MMO , we have waited for such long time.
Lobotomist
Member EpicPosts: 5,965
Its ironical that as we see sun is setting on MMOs , the one game that is not actual MMO is everything people wanted from that pie in the sky sandbox MMO.
The real move forward came from totally different ( and new ) genre - survival games.
And let review the features :
1. Completely Skill based freeform - You gain EXP by doing things , you invest skills into completely freeform system. You can specialize or be jack of all trades. But nobody can be 100% self sufficient and at the point will need to rely on others.
2. Levels are not very important - A fresh player can equip highest level equipment and be deadly , and vice versa
3. Build , craft - You can build anything from a sleeping bag to city . From axe to self sufficient electronic powered eko zone. And you need , in order to survive.
4. You influence environment - You can clear forests , kill wildlife , tame , corner , set one on other - Its a living world and your presence changes it.
5. Your influence politics - Just like in EVE for that mater. Everyone is on the same island, there is no limit to interactions good or bad. You can raid , burn , pillage , kill , imprison , take hostages , sabotage , steal ... or trade , enter aliances , help ....
6. Grind - There is always some goal , something to strive for. Pehaps to tame some new species , or to strive towards building something... and all this needs lot and lot of effort and time.
7. Constant danger - You are never ever safe. From other players , wildlife , thirst , hunger , cold - You must always be on your feet. No dull moment.
8. Exploration - Fully open world with forests , swamps , caves , snow peeks - no invisible walls
9. Endgame with no endgame - Aside for mystery of island , its pillars , you have very high encounters - but only your imagination is the limit. What will you be ?
10. Its not DayZ. This is actual game with actual content, that is added almost every week. Not empty shell with nothing to do than kill newbies.
Here people MUST work together to actually accomplish something in game.
11. Hardcore but not hardcore - You lose everything you own on death. But you never lose your character progress.
So...
We have a game that has all ingredients of dream sandbox MMO. But its actually game limited to 70 people per server.
And that is only thing that makes it non MMO.
What an irony
The real move forward came from totally different ( and new ) genre - survival games.
And let review the features :
1. Completely Skill based freeform - You gain EXP by doing things , you invest skills into completely freeform system. You can specialize or be jack of all trades. But nobody can be 100% self sufficient and at the point will need to rely on others.
2. Levels are not very important - A fresh player can equip highest level equipment and be deadly , and vice versa
3. Build , craft - You can build anything from a sleeping bag to city . From axe to self sufficient electronic powered eko zone. And you need , in order to survive.
4. You influence environment - You can clear forests , kill wildlife , tame , corner , set one on other - Its a living world and your presence changes it.
5. Your influence politics - Just like in EVE for that mater. Everyone is on the same island, there is no limit to interactions good or bad. You can raid , burn , pillage , kill , imprison , take hostages , sabotage , steal ... or trade , enter aliances , help ....
6. Grind - There is always some goal , something to strive for. Pehaps to tame some new species , or to strive towards building something... and all this needs lot and lot of effort and time.
7. Constant danger - You are never ever safe. From other players , wildlife , thirst , hunger , cold - You must always be on your feet. No dull moment.
8. Exploration - Fully open world with forests , swamps , caves , snow peeks - no invisible walls
9. Endgame with no endgame - Aside for mystery of island , its pillars , you have very high encounters - but only your imagination is the limit. What will you be ?
10. Its not DayZ. This is actual game with actual content, that is added almost every week. Not empty shell with nothing to do than kill newbies.
Here people MUST work together to actually accomplish something in game.
11. Hardcore but not hardcore - You lose everything you own on death. But you never lose your character progress.
So...
We have a game that has all ingredients of dream sandbox MMO. But its actually game limited to 70 people per server.
And that is only thing that makes it non MMO.
What an irony
Comments
And yeap, on point it that they are all rather limited with players per server/world. However, nowadays i tend to say that to many players make a good and living community rather impossible. Dunbar's number (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number) might be one reason why it is that way. However, 50 or 70 seems still a little bit less, i would like much more anything around 250-500- maybe even 1000 ppl per server/world, because actually in any world you will have different factions, and those should be anywhere around dunbar's number. (however, i feel everything above 1000 ppl online is almost to much)
But nevertheless those 50-100 ppl/server games are a lot more interesting, a lot more fun, and a lot more sandbox then any MMO.
And @d_20 or anyone not so interested in pvp, and let say it politically, and territory conflict, just look at Minecraft. It is basicly the same from a more pve orientated perspective.
With other words.. more player is in most cases necessarily a better world and community.
Edit/PS: Damn it.. since when did i have an avatar pic? Do we now get automatically a random avatar? I somehow don't like that new forum software that much...
Even if you go to "sleep" in a safe area/house other players can destroy your place...kill your pets & yourself when offline.
Its absolutely nothing similar to zombie game.
You know the idea for zombie games came from simplicity of Zombie AI. They basically just run towards you from the moment they spot you. Its laziest design possible.
In Ark. You have around 100 species of dinosaurs, fishes, insects and mammal. Each based on real animals.
They hunt each other , graze , wander ( even mate and have eggs - since the last patch ) its real simulated ecosystem.
Some dinos will hunt you , other will only protect their territory , some will run away and some attack only if provoked. Some will even stalk you and try to steal your hunted prey ...
Its ridiculous even to compare it with zombie games.
But you have many different servers with many different rules. Some forbid offline griefing or killing
Beta testing will begin early 2016. All owners of Life is Feudal:Your Own get a free key to our b2p mmo version.
Life IS Feudal
...interesting.
Still seems a bit lacking in terms of controlling players from wantonly committing atrocities against their fellow man, but perhaps this will change some in the future.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Savage Lands is much better imo
However in terms of production values Ark is light years above all of other games. Its done by very large team, over 50 people. Has huge investments from Microsoft and other major companies. Its going places.
Other games are developed by very small teams and pretty much on mercy of early access funds
I want a sandbox with more RPG/MOBA style combat and less of a "realistic" combat style.
Looking forward to: Crowfall / Lost Ark / Black Desert Mobile
Now that they are working on the story aspect I think it would be something I will play later. I have already purchased it and had enough fun for it to be worth the money.
I also agree with OP that it has a great chance of becoming even better. They are making changes (new biomes etc.) at a decent pace. I love Savage Lands but the pace of development is too slow. With many games like that the number of people purchasing is going to dwindle (If you liked the idea you likely already bought it) and the incentive to continue developing the game seems to dry up with the funds. Savage Lands doesn't seem to be one of those that will quit development but there are many that have.
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Life IS Feudal
Without great effort you can not have great accomplishment.