I think that is an equation that can be distributed though. You could have a game with a lot of parts that work well and give players a sense of exploration of activities within the game, or you can make a lot of games that focus on each of those things.
Not that EACH dev does not need to make a lot of games. We have many devs to make many games. Since every dev has strength and weaknesses, it is not ideal for a single devs to make games with lots of parts. They should focus on what they are good at.
I would much rather pick up a different focus games that get all the pieces in one game.
Yes, I stipulated that you would. My point is that it could be accomplished given the level of quality that typically exists in current games. Might require a different design and production structure, but it could arguably be done. I imagine most games had to say goodbye to features, i'm just saying that it's dumb that this seems to happen every time unless you have a super simple game with one focus. Also you play a alot of games within a genre, so it's not a weird idea to imagine a bunch of features you like under one roof.
MMORPG players are often like Hobbits: They don't like Adventures
I would like to have a few games (3-4) that I could use for my MMORPG needs through a period of 6-12 years.
That's why I'm saying that the Jack of all trades approach is going to work better in sandbox games. Sandbox games almost fundamentally require a major time investment, so being able to successfully play a sandbox game and still jump to other games to satisfy other needs is unlikely. I'm either going to dedicate all my time to one game that takes tons of it or many games that take a little of it; I don't imagine too many people are willing to split the difference on that. If I can't get all of my fixes from the same sandbox game, odds are I'm just going to walk away from it entirely.
I would like to have a few games (3-4) that I could use for my MMORPG needs through a period of 6-12 years.
That's why I'm saying that the Jack of all trades approach is going to work better in sandbox games. Sandbox games almost fundamentally require a major time investment, so being able to successfully play a sandbox game and still jump to other games to satisfy other needs is unlikely. I'm either going to dedicate all my time to one game that takes tons of it or many games that take a little of it; I don't imagine too many people are willing to split the difference on that. If I can't get all of my fixes from the same sandbox game, odds are I'm just going to walk away from it entirely.
You just articulate the reason why most devs are not interested to build sandbox MMO games.
If you change sandbox game to armed long term extortion then you can see why it works. I don't think we are asking for the moon here. Make a game or three with at least 8 axes of activity, preferably more.
MMORPG players are often like Hobbits: They don't like Adventures
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That's why I'm saying that the Jack of all trades approach is going to work better in sandbox games. Sandbox games almost fundamentally require a major time investment, so being able to successfully play a sandbox game and still jump to other games to satisfy other needs is unlikely. I'm either going to dedicate all my time to one game that takes tons of it or many games that take a little of it; I don't imagine too many people are willing to split the difference on that. If I can't get all of my fixes from the same sandbox game, odds are I'm just going to walk away from it entirely.