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The MMORPG genre is my favorite. I have played these games since UO, and I have seen the rise and fall of many titles. Below are five of my concerns with the genre on the whole. I do understand that these may be obvious to many, including Intrepid (and that they may have addressed them previously). Also, I understand that perhaps not everyone may agree with my points, and for the sake of brevity I may have been a bit too simplistic in places. Finally, I have a reasonable hope that Ashes of Creation will be a game that avoids the usual pitfalls that frequently appear in today's MMORPGs. All that being stated, I offer them up in the hope that at least by placing them here, it may be a reminder of important things to consider. (I use WoW as a negative example frequently below. I am not trying to pick on WoW, it is just the most relatable as many have experience playing that game).
1. The MMO in MMORGP
MMORPGs used to be multiplayer games with a single player option. Now, by and large, they are single player games with a multiplayer option. I disagree that this is a good direction, in fact I would argue that it sort of devolved the genre, homogenizing it all in a WoW-like design. Only now is the genre starting to recover from this solo fixation, and this is a good thing. My concern is that, perhaps, too much emphasis will be placed on the solo experience, at the expense of the multiplayer experience.
Whilst this is not a zero-sum game, and both experiences are important, a good MMO always errs on the side of social play–both cooperatively and competitively.
2. The RPG in MMORPG
If you ask a dozen people what role-playing is, you may get a dozen different answers. It does not necessarily mean “these and thous”, or acting like an orc (though it can include these things). It does mean, at least, filling a niche in the game, in a party/team, and/or in a guild. The “trinity” of tank, healer and DPS is perhaps the most obvious example.
Once upon a time, classes in MMORPGs would have one or two utility abilities that other classes did not have. For example, druids in old EQ had Spirit of the Wolf (I think it was called) which was a speed buff only they could cast. Because that buff was valuable to other players, it made druids important and useful, even if they were a more casual player. The same can be said for Warlocks in Vanilla Wow and their summons (and there are other examples).
Role-playing has nothing to do with every class being capable of everything in the pursuit of the specter of balance, because that removes the importance of the individual and the purpose of grouping in the first place (not to mention it is boring). WoW, for example, at one point in time whilst laboring for balance, basically made every class capable of everything. That type of balance is antithetical to a multiplayer RPG.
Make each class have a exclusive and useful abilities, and this will put RPG back into the rest of the acronym.
3. Sandbox MMORPGs are Like Bridges
Trolls and griefers love competitive MMOs. These people also tend to conduct themselves in a deplorable manner online in every form of media, but can really spread their wings in a social game where they can directly have influence over other players. Frequently, cheaters (hackers and exploiters) come from this population as well.
I can only hope that Intrepid will not tolerate these types of behavior, and apply meaningful consequences to those who engage in them. If not, TOS abiding players will leave, and the troll could care less because he will simply go to the next game when he runs out of targets. It is one thing to be killed by a player of higher level and/or more skill (etc.), and yet another to be killed by a player in RMT gear who spouts racial epithets.
A slap on the wrist does not normally dissuade the cheater and/or griefer. Developers need to frequently ban accounts, if they want their game to be healthy.
4. The MMORPG Bell Curve
The population of players in an MMORPG will have different desires and requests. Who, then, do the developers listen to primarily to improve and expand the game?
You could see the game population like a bell curve--on the far left you have casual players, on the far right you have the hardcore players, and in the middle you have the bulk of your player base (somewhere between these latter extremes).
The ironic thing is that the far left and the far right are usually the most vocal, even though they are in the minority. Therefore, though it may be tricky, developers need to find a way to listen to the wants and concerns of the quiet middle of that curve, and act on those primarily. This does not mean that you ignore the input from casuals and the hardcore (and you certainly cannot ignore the needs of new players). It simply means that the bulk of the work that gets done is for the middle–for the good of the majority of your player base.
While this seems obvious, we have seen games lean too far to the left (WoW) and too far to the right (Wildstar) before. While Wildstar is gone, and WoW remains a success, WoW’s player base did start to shrink significantly right after Wrath of the Lich King, just at the time they were making the game more and more casual friendly.
Appeal to the populous middle, and your game will be better.
5. It is All About Immersion
Immersion makes the MMORPG. The MMORPG is, at its best, a second world–a place where you as a warrior and your friend the wizard, fight dragons. The more you can hide the mechanics and numbers beneath an engaging and cohesive exterior, the better the game will be. This may be the case for many types of games, although it is especially true when it comes to the MMORPG. Most people do not want to play “systems”, they want to play an elf warrior bent on rallying his people to retake their homeland, or an orc assassin seeking out his next kill.
Hide the systems, focus on immersion, and you will create a quality piece of escapist entertainment that keeps players engaged.
Thanks!
1. The MMO in MMORGP
MMORPGs used to be multiplayer games with a single player option. Now, by and large, they are single player games with a multiplayer option. I disagree that this is a good direction, in fact I would argue that it sort of devolved the genre, homogenizing it all in a WoW-like design. Only now is the genre starting to recover from this solo fixation, and this is a good thing. My concern is that, perhaps, too much emphasis will be placed on the solo experience, at the expense of the multiplayer experience.
Whilst this is not a zero-sum game, and both experiences are important, a good MMO always errs on the side of social play–both cooperatively and competitively.
2. The RPG in MMORPG
If you ask a dozen people what role-playing is, you may get a dozen different answers. It does not necessarily mean “these and thous”, or acting like an orc (though it can include these things). It does mean, at least, filling a niche in the game, in a party/team, and/or in a guild. The “trinity” of tank, healer and DPS is perhaps the most obvious example.
Once upon a time, classes in MMORPGs would have one or two utility abilities that other classes did not have. For example, druids in old EQ had Spirit of the Wolf (I think it was called) which was a speed buff only they could cast. Because that buff was valuable to other players, it made druids important and useful, even if they were a more casual player. The same can be said for Warlocks in Vanilla Wow and their summons (and there are other examples).
Role-playing has nothing to do with every class being capable of everything in the pursuit of the specter of balance, because that removes the importance of the individual and the purpose of grouping in the first place (not to mention it is boring). WoW, for example, at one point in time whilst laboring for balance, basically made every class capable of everything. That type of balance is antithetical to a multiplayer RPG.
Make each class have a exclusive and useful abilities, and this will put RPG back into the rest of the acronym.
3. Sandbox MMORPGs are Like Bridges
Trolls and griefers love competitive MMOs. These people also tend to conduct themselves in a deplorable manner online in every form of media, but can really spread their wings in a social game where they can directly have influence over other players. Frequently, cheaters (hackers and exploiters) come from this population as well.
I can only hope that Intrepid will not tolerate these types of behavior, and apply meaningful consequences to those who engage in them. If not, TOS abiding players will leave, and the troll could care less because he will simply go to the next game when he runs out of targets. It is one thing to be killed by a player of higher level and/or more skill (etc.), and yet another to be killed by a player in RMT gear who spouts racial epithets.
A slap on the wrist does not normally dissuade the cheater and/or griefer. Developers need to frequently ban accounts, if they want their game to be healthy.
4. The MMORPG Bell Curve
The population of players in an MMORPG will have different desires and requests. Who, then, do the developers listen to primarily to improve and expand the game?
You could see the game population like a bell curve--on the far left you have casual players, on the far right you have the hardcore players, and in the middle you have the bulk of your player base (somewhere between these latter extremes).
The ironic thing is that the far left and the far right are usually the most vocal, even though they are in the minority. Therefore, though it may be tricky, developers need to find a way to listen to the wants and concerns of the quiet middle of that curve, and act on those primarily. This does not mean that you ignore the input from casuals and the hardcore (and you certainly cannot ignore the needs of new players). It simply means that the bulk of the work that gets done is for the middle–for the good of the majority of your player base.
While this seems obvious, we have seen games lean too far to the left (WoW) and too far to the right (Wildstar) before. While Wildstar is gone, and WoW remains a success, WoW’s player base did start to shrink significantly right after Wrath of the Lich King, just at the time they were making the game more and more casual friendly.
Appeal to the populous middle, and your game will be better.
5. It is All About Immersion
Immersion makes the MMORPG. The MMORPG is, at its best, a second world–a place where you as a warrior and your friend the wizard, fight dragons. The more you can hide the mechanics and numbers beneath an engaging and cohesive exterior, the better the game will be. This may be the case for many types of games, although it is especially true when it comes to the MMORPG. Most people do not want to play “systems”, they want to play an elf warrior bent on rallying his people to retake their homeland, or an orc assassin seeking out his next kill.
Hide the systems, focus on immersion, and you will create a quality piece of escapist entertainment that keeps players engaged.
Thanks!