Transcendent's Tomb

Submitted weekly. The tomb contains reviews, references, alternative concepts and polling to torture the truth from the minions of MMORPGs.

Author: Hhussk

Ask yourself why a company should listen to your feedback.

Lately, the calls for activism and the making of demands against MMOs having been increasing. As well, threads have been created about certain individuals getting banned from other online forums because of their commentaries. One comment I am seeing people get banned for is "What makes you think this [MMO] isn't going to fail like all the rest?"

Does this really inform anyone about the game? Or is it actually a snapshot of a hot-headed, shoot-from-the-hip, MMO player who may or may not even be subscribed to the service? What makes matters worse is when individuals begin insisting on audience, calling for action, and over-inflating their anger to encompass far-reaching ego trips...as if to say they are holding their subscription hostage until their bids are met. Here is one example. This thread is called "A Total Lack of Transparency".

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/228705/page/1

Eh...?

Who are you to make demands of a MMO company? Answer the following questions before you reply to my question:

1. Are you "currently" playing the game?
2. Are you "currently" investing capital (money) in the company, supporting their endeavor to run a Massive Multi-player Online RolePlaying Game?
3. Is any of the content in the game generated by you? In other words, did you create the lore, program the graphics, develop the core engine et al.?

So... Are you playing the game? And if so, do you believe your paltry $15.00 a month grants the ability to make demands? If you do, then you are mistaken. By law, you are only entitled to your $15.00 back. You are also entitled to cancel your subscription at any time. These are your basic rights.

But make demands? I don't think so. You have no right to make demands. How about going to the game company's forum and nicely stating that this game is likely to fail? Think you are immune to punishment?

Not at all. The people who own the product have the right to kick you out of their game and off their forums any time they choose. They don't even need a reason, actually. All they are required to do is give you your subscription fee back for the number of days you are not receiving service.

It's called the GOD CLAUSE, and you should be aware of it. It has existed for a long, long time, but certainly this community started seeing it in the days of Dungeons & Dragons, paper and pencil, RPG games. The GOD CLAUSE goes something like this:

When its my ball, it's my rules. If I don't like you, you're gone.

Kind of final and tyrannical, is it not? Well, that's the point. A company is not a democracy. It is only required to answer to its owners and/or investors. If you're paying a monthly fee to the game, you are neither. You're a customer. And if "SUPER MMO" wants to change from a fantasy setting overnight to happy bunnies, that's their perogative. Likewise, if "MASTER RPG MMO" decides that your style of roleplaying doesn't fit with their game, then can kick you out. They actually don't need a reason and all they are required to do is give you your monthly fee back.

Your only true voice is your dollar.  If you want a company to listen to you, hate and calls of activism are going to have the reverse effect. Examples of actions that cause true change:

1. Cancelling your Subscription.
2. Providing constructive criticism through feedback or a thread.
3. Providing examples of bugs/problems on a periodic basis. Just be careful not to throw it in their face.
4. Speaking with players in game to join a concensus.

If you want to go a step further, by stock in the company. OWN some of it. But demands? You are in no position to make demands. Such notions are infantile and show a lack of understanding of business.

Well, the threads today are posting lots of complatins and, not surprisingly, they remind me of comments made after other previous MMO releases.

So, here's some suggestions, brain food if you will, for those of you complaining.

1. Your "voice" is your money. If you are unsatisfied, stop paying.

2. If you're thinking that your account "Gives you rights", then you're wrong. You clearly think the MMO is ran like a democracy. Unfortunately, it is not...it's ran like a Corporation. Money speaks.

3. Take responsibility for your actions. If you subscribed to this game on day one, you got what you deserved: A brand new MMO that has bugs and downtime. You should have expected this.

4. If you say "Worst MMO of all time", then you're overreacting and haven't followed MMOs from release. I suggest you check the history of WOW, AOC, and all the rest. My point here is that Darkfall Online is an evolving process. (I'm remembering how people railed on Vanguard in its early weeks, but now it's in a lot better shape)

Me personally, I'm going to play Darfall Online when it becomes stable. This may mean I'll be waiting for 2, 4, or even up to 6 more months. Heck, I might never end up playing the game! But most importantly, I want to thank all you "testers" out there for donating your time (and cash) to keep Aventurine running. Hopefully it will all work out, but in case it doesn't...I didn't lose a dime.

Next time, be more patient.

Over the course of MMO experiences, you can come to forums to see how games are evolving and developing. From time to time, you will be able to pick up some insight, make friends (or enemies), learn what other people think about a game, and otherwise clue yourself in to the environment.

But forums have problems, some technical and some based on the community. One community-based problem, is the fanboi: He's the guy who will defend a game to the end. I personally do not feel a fanboi is a great threat since he is a) Someone who is willing to put his dollars where his mouth is, and b) Will spend more time playing the game than talking it up (assuming he truly is a fanboi).

And the other hand, the similar problem arises in the community, but from the polar opposite of the spectrum. This other problem, which I feel is a greater poison to the forum community, is the troll.

I'll be brief. The troll serves less of a purpose, and here is why:

1. The troll tries to encourage people not to play a game. Now, seriously, what's the point of trying to get people to abandon an MMO? Wouldn't it be more simple to let people decide for themselves? After all, part of human nature is that we all like different things. It's clear that a game may have elements you like; if you basically express the parts you don't like...that doesn't necessarily make you a troll. But when you outright attack the game using generalities and no data...that makes you a troll.

2. The troll makes most of his comments based from a lack of experience. The troll may have not even played the game. Lately, I have been noticing a common trait about trolls. They don't care facts. A troll will come into a forum and start bashing a game that may not even be released, just based on unsubstantiated rumor. My point is that this serves no one. It's quite common to see confusing messages and slow evolution in game development...the industry has no perfect business model. But to complain or bash a game just because they've pushed back release or development in certain areas is not prudent. An MMO company often makes determinations not because they want to, but because they feel it's necessary.

3. The troll is critical of everything the MMO company does. He tries to make the company an enemy to gamers. I've seen this a lot. When a company has crappy customer service, the trolls come out in droves. There's nothing wrong with pointing out the problems a company has, but to become critical of every mistake they make is counter-productive. We have to understand in this community that a company is an entity (It's starts as a child and evolves). The only method we should use to judge them is based on how they mature. For example, I'm knowledgeable that Blizzard had a large amount of servers problems early on with the World of Warcraft release, but as we see, they've developed a somewhat adequate model of server maintenence which appears to work.

4. The troll spends unecessary time attacking the game. What bothers me most is how the trolls feel they are in the majority. Nothing could be further from the truth. If a fanboi is a true fan, then he is likely playing the game instead of using a forum. Think about it a second and you'll agree. Most of the time, forums and customer services are used when questions based off of complaints or lack of understanding are asked. Have you ever called customer service to say "Nice Job"? Not likely. What's more likely is this: When you like the game, you'll be playing it.

In summary, I would just like to suggest the following ettiquette:

1. If you don't like the game, state why and be specific. Use data to back up your claim.

2. If you don't like the game, state why and use an  actual experience to back up your claim.

3. Stay away from generalities, or general claims, they serve very little purpose.

4. Try to suggest what a company or game can do to get your support and subscribership  (constructive criticism). Suggesting they quit and disband is not constructive, btw.

5. Try to understand that a company has to evolve to survive. For example, one of their goals has to be "make money". If it can't make money, it won't exist much longer.

6. Overall, and most importantly, try to understand that the real goal is to promote MMOs, not ruin them. It's easy to complain about a game, but what would work better is if we have a hand in helping it evolve.

My interest in Darkfall has only started about 9 months ago, but others have been following it much longer. Over these months, I've been watching a war between 2 distinct groups with casual bystanders caught in their midst.

Let me catagorize myself: I'm looking forward to playing Darkfall in the future. I doubt I will join immediately, or during the European releaes in January. More than likely, I will take part in the U.S. release, if one occurs. My opinion is that the game seems to have a great concept. And while I enjoy good graphics, I have never cared about graphics enough to play a game. When Age of Conan came out, I waited and waited, hearing all the graphic accolades, but ultimately decided the game wasn't for me. With Darkfall, I will follow a similar path: If I don't like what I am seeing, I'll quit. Or perhaps, I'll never play.

But what dismays me the most is how there is a love/hate relationship with the game. Regardless of what you say, you'll be thrown in the "h8ter" or the "fanboi" club. It doesn't matter where you really stand. And please note, that this happens to varying degrees to all upcoming games. The difference, though, is that Darkfall has developed a following of love and hate over many years.

So, that is why I wanted to tell you about the Heider's Balance Theory.

Basically, it goes a little something like this, with modifications based on different mediums.

my friend’s friend is my friend
my friend’s enemy is my enemy
my enemy’s friend is my enemy
my enemy’s enemy is my friend

So...what does it all mean?

Simple, the reasons you actually hate Darkfall are not likely to be genuine. Since you haven't played it, you have no idea if you really hate it. Chances are:

1. You view Darkfall as an "enemy" to a game you like.
2. Someone you do not like, likes Darkfall.
3. Someone you like, hates Darkfall

And since you haven't played it, the reasons you like Darkfall are:

1. A friend of yours likes it.
2. A enemy of yours hates it.
3. You view Darkfal as "friendly" to the type of games you like.

This sociological theory was established in 1958 and basically says that under most conditions, we will migrate to a "balanced" state, where half will like someone or something, and half will not.

In summary, you may think you really hate Darkfall. If you have to TELL people that you hate it, more than likely, you're just consumed by Heider's Balance Theory. People who dislike things tend to migrate away from them. On the other hand, you may think you really like Darkfall. You could, just as well, be caught in Heider's Balance Theory simply because you don't really know what you like about it, but just want to argue.

Overall, no one really knows anything. How this movement has sparked such strong comments for and against the game, beats the hell out of me.

Left for dead, my guts splattered across the stone-cobbled streets. My belongings...scattered about me and turned inside out. I was penniless and broken, barely alive.

I had been robbed, beaten, nearly killed...

...my one gleaming hope was the face of my attacker. the visage of a reddish tattoo along his cheekbone as I pulled his hood away.

Today was a good day. I found someone who's life I could now make a living hell...

Introduction

Having an enemy is almost impossible in some games...and this is why they will never truly shine in the eye of a PvPer. In addition, if you are interested in Role-Playing, there is nothing better in the universe than having an "Arch-Nemisis" to stalk and ruin. Even in your offtime, you'll be plotting to uncover a weakness or a moment to strike. You may even have the capability of laying an elaborate trap to ensare your foe.

Gaming Developers play a close tightwalk: they want lots of interaction, but don't want to lose customers. In the end, if it garners less subscriptions, than its bad, which is purely understandable to anyone running a business. 

What I'm detailing in this article is how "open PvP" can easily be emeshed with Role-Playing, to create a game that people thrive in and love. It won't always be about winning or losing...the "meat" of the game will be about plotting and control. It will be about having enemies that you don't, or can't, always kill immediately.

About Dueling and Immersion

Take a look at any game. Do you have to establish a "duel" to fight someone else? Are you even able to fight other people? Are you limited to only fighting AI-controlled creatures? That's not immersion! That's button-mashing repetition. In a game of immersion, you don't know when the attack is coming. You don't know if the "duel" you've been challenged to is a trick.

Imagine being challenged to a duel at sundown, at the outskirts of a city. You are a great swordsman; no thief would ever challenge you in an outright fight. But, you go anyway, deciding to teach the people that you mean business. As you arrive at the site, you're shot down by archers. Trickery!

Was it evil, deceitful? Was it cheating? Absolutely! Now life isn't as simple as a "dual"...it's more complicated. You never know what's coming...

...and not knowing what to expect creates immersion.

Overall, there is no problem with dueling and arenas to resolve battles. But in the realm of role-playihg and immersion, some people aren't designed to duel. Magicians might duel with other magicians in a magical challenge...maybe. Thieves might have a one-on-one with other members of their thieves guild. But no swordsmans would "duel" a magician or thief. That's practically ridiculous.

And therefore, the concept of "dueling" as it is now implemented in many games is purely a control mechanism for PvP. It destroy immersion, but creates an outlet for battling other players.

Immersion

To create immersion, you have to let ALL types of characters have their arsenal or methods to dispose of an enemy. A thief needs to be able to stealth, skullduggery, shadows, nighttime, and a place of his choosing where the guards are bribed. A magician needs a time when everything is perfectly aligned in magic, where his spells are at their perfect efficiencies, and where his protective magics are at their ready. These types of settings are not in an arena!

What about a diplomat? Perhaps this character has never even held a sword; how does he challenge a swordsman as an enemy? Clearly, the answer is with laws and political influence. A political type character would be foolish to challenge a sword veteran one on one. The first thing he could do is have the swordsman framed for a crime...and then have him hauled in on charges. Once the swordsman is thrown in the dungeon, the diplomat could shove some gold into a corrupt guard's hand, and have his enemy killed while in shackles.

The key to immersion is to let creative methods of trickey and deceit work. The key to being an excellent enemy is to use creative methods to overcome your opponent.

This just can't be done in the current "arena" type settings.

Summary

Overall, immersion of this nature starts with open PvP, but it has to be balanced with guards and proactive protective measures. That's why we have cities, for example. So that people feel safe. 

But obviously, the key is, you're never entirely safe anywhere.

To be an enemy, the game has to be willing to let you steal from other people. It has to give you the opportunity to rob their corpse of loot, or even their belongings when they lay dead. It has to make you accountable for what you say. For example, if you keep spamming comments like, "I'll sell you 100gold for 10.00 dollars!", then there is no reason why a barbarian shouldn't be able to come up to you and shove a sword in your belly.

What you say, not just what you do, should be accountable for creating enemies. And people should have many different avenues to exact their vengence.

PvP (Player vs. Player) is a draw to many players and could be a draw to nearly everyone if implemented correctly.

But there are varied problems which make it fail. These problems span from MMO to MMO and can incorporated into the following terms:

Ganking:  Many players hate ganking. Ganking occurs when you come into a zone, instance, or area and are immediately killed. It is almost as if you were barely able to open your eyes before you die. This occurs most often on FFA ("Free For All") servers. Because of ganking, many players will stay away from FFA. Others adapt by stripping down or by surrounding themselves with friends. Sometimes the fun in this is trying to figure out how to kill the gankers.

Graverobbing:  This occurs less and less. In some games, when you die, your items because "treasure" and lootable by others. The industry has been trending against graverobbing because it causes their subscriber numbers to decrease. Basically, people won't play if they lose their l33t gear.

GraveCamping: Also known by other terms, this occurs when your opponent waits at your gravesite or respawning point. When you get resurrected or raised, they kill you again.

FoTM: Flavor of the Month builds represent a problem in the aspect of patches and upgrades. Today's "Warrior" may be the ultimate killing build. He can hack and slash and mow down his opponents before he falls. But what happens after patch 2.0? Well, now the "Sorcerer" has his spells upgraded. They completely overwhelm the warrior now. So basically, what you have is people moving from build to build to build. This usually removes people who enjoy Roleplaying from the RP equation. They prefer a more even playing field.

Exploits: An exploit is a technique or tool of some sort that operates in a manner that completely unbalances the game towards the favor of the exploiter. In PvP terms, exploiting basically makes skill pointless. This is a bane.

Obviously, there can be more problems attributed in a poorly made PvP MMO...

So what are the solutions?

Basically, PvP is being streamlined at this time. In other words, we think of it only in terms of fighting. Why is this so bad? Simple. Fighting is what fighters do. Thieves steal, Assassin's murder, Wizards cast spells, Clerics pray, Druids plant trees and so on... So, the problem you run into is that every class has to learn to fight to PvP.

Fighting

Perhaps you've been trained to think this is necessary, but it is not. I assure you that a Diplomat class could be just as effective a PvPer than a Barbarian. Let's take this scenario, and I will show you an example.

Example 1: Barbarian vs. Diplomat

Rogg the barbarian has learned Ionysus the Diplomat has insulted his clan. Therefore, Ionysus must die. Hiding in the alleys, Rogg waits for Ionysus to pass by...this should be a simple murder by chopping off his head. No diplomat can stand against the mighty barbarian!

But Ionysus never appears.

Hidden in his chambers, the diplomat Ionysus speaks with his runners, learning of the barbarian's advances. When Rogg charged into the city, he was notified. When Rogg hid in the alleyways, he was forewarned. Clearly the barbarian is a fool if he believes a diplomat will try to match him in swords.

Having enough, Ionysus hails the captain of the guards and tells him to have Rogg picked up for "public disturbances". Hopefully the captain will have no problems and throw the barbarian in stocks. Once the trial begins...well, a judge can easily be bribed to execute an uncivilized beast...

Stealth

Perhaps you've been trained to think invisibility and stealth are the key elements to PvP. Once again, I assure you that a mage can be as effective as an assassin or thief.

Example 2: Thief vs. Mage

Sliver the Thief, cutthroat master, has decided to put some of his poisons and blades in the back of WolfMane the Wizard. WolfMane has been known to carry lots of cash as well as magical trinkets. This could be Sliver's big score in the guild. Remaining silent, Sliver carefully adheres to the shadows. His presence is undected. WolfMane is merely steps away and the night will cloak his attack.

Unsliding his envenomed dagger, Sliver prepares to strike right between the shoulder blades. He leaps...but then falls short. Something continues to pull his muscles to the ground...

"A nice defensive spell...Gravity Field," mutters WolfMane, "I can't attack you, of course, but you clearly did not know that. There is a way to circumvent the magic, but I doubt that matters now, eh?"

Weaving his hands in a complex manner, a strange figure emerges from the ground...a figure composed of rock and mud. WolfMane had summoned an elemental.

"As I said, I cannot attack you, poor street urchin...but my friend here should be able to..."

Sliver gasped for breath. His muscles groaned as he tried to lift himself off the ground. If he could just reach the mage, his poison would kill him in seconds. His desperate struggles met futility as his skull collapsed under the weight of stone...

Having provided some examples, I would like to point out what truly makes PvP exciting.

Strengths but weaknesses. Its fine to have ultimate attacks and defenses, but each should have a way to be beaten. A strong defense should have equally taxing features. A superior attack, should have a way to be beaten. This level of balance means that the situation and opponent dictates what works best...not the same attack or defense...over and over.

Anonymity. By hiding things such as levels, statistics, classes, and active effects, you are nullifying knowledge. Remember that knowledge is power. So, when you attack the person in the mage's robes, is he truly a mage? Or is he a thief in disguise? Because if he isn't a mage, your magic-nullifying attack will be pointless.  As well, people are more careful when attacking an unknown. You're more inclined to have backup plans, associates, etc., in case you are wrong.

Relative Advantages: What makes a city so important? The relative safety it provides...known as "laws". Obviously, thieves, diplomats and other classes can bend laws from time to time, but the concept remains. Your character should have a place he or she can go that gives him/her the edge. For example, Druids and Rangers (barbarians, I suppose) would certainly reign supreme in the forest settings. Thieves, Diplomats, and law-abiders in the city. Paladins, Mercs, and Fighters would thrive on a battlefield or in a duel. The key element is your character being able to walk or set him/herself up in environmental conditions that give him the edge.

Community: This might be a suprise to other PvPers, but the community is important. If you know who "Rogg the barbarian" is, perhaps you'll stay clear of him. Likewise, if a "new face" appears in the area, you may study him or her until you know more. Likewise, players of a community tend to stand together when a newcomer arrives and tries to hack n slash his way through the natives. Communities thrive because they are communities.

Allow Retainment Measures. While item stealing should be allowed, it should also be circumventable. In other words, things like soul-bonding or something should be possible. These types of measures help the economy as well. By soul-bonding, I am not referring to the WOW version. This form of bonding is a magical countermeasure that allows you to call upon your item, or have it return to a place of your keeping if you should lose it. Player Houses, vaults and storage places off the body also help.

I'm also interested in any suggestions and willing to debate :)

Ever get tired of other people ruining your quests?

I'm not really suprised. Unless the MMO you are playing involves "instancing" (which I discussed last week), you are likely to run into multiple solo and group adventurers trying to "kill the boss" or loot the area.

We've already identified that instancing has some value: It takes some load off the server, especially when the MMO has high graphics(e.g. Age of Conan) and gives the player exclusive access to quest-based content(e.g. World of Warcraft and some others). But what if instancing wasn't necessary? What if the server-load wasn't an issue? For example, let's assume your MMO had adequate graphics and could handle your subscribers? Does that mean you still need to create instances so that they can have exclusive quest access?

Not necessarily.

There is a method I have been conceptualizing that would likely provide an exciting alternative to instancing for exclusive content. Basically, the premise is to create an adventure that has a life cycle: Birth, Youth, Maturity, and Death. By adhering to this cycle, the adventures (or quests) rise up in a spontaneous manner...They create adventures.

The "Living" Quest, or Instance

Example 1:

Among your travels, you are onset by orcs. Surviving the encounter, you rummage through their belongings and acquire a treasure map. Across the map (in orcish scripts) you specifically see a route that you can follow...perhaps these creatures accumulated treasure and decided to store it. Quickly and quietly, you gather your tools and contact some of your associates. You leave for the mountains as quickly as you can, preparing to reap the benefits of your secret knowledge.

The travel is winding and difficult, but your team arrives at the cavemouth. Your tracker quickly spots orcish footsteps and verifies that this must be the place. Within a day or two of work, your team survives the quest by raiding the orcish holdup, bypassing their traps, and otherwise destroying the enemies.

Note these following phases of the life cycle, which I will discuss later:

Birth Phase: Character gets a treasure map from loot. A Cavemouth springs into existance.

Youth Phase: Orcish raider beset travelers along a certain route and accumlate wealth in their cave.

Maturity Phase: The Orcish raiders gain levels, better weapons and more recruits.

Death Phase: The cave is fully raided and cleaned out. The orcs are destroyed. The cave collapses.

Example 2:

In the city, rumours have been persisting of a Thieves' Guild, long since banned and outlawed. More and more, people are complaining of pickpockets, late-night thefts...the store-owers are crying out for official intervention, but the social elite are not even acknowledging this rise of skulduggery.

You would ignore these whispers, except for the fact that you are a citizen of this locale...you own a house in this city! Lately, you have noticed shady figures casing your HOUSE. When you approach them, they run off. One night, you go inside and realize someone has tried to jimmy the lock to your door.

Enough is enough, you gather some of your associates, and head to the lower quarters, shaking down the beggers and cutpurses. One of your friends manages to "bribe" some information from a street urchin...

Following the clues, your party begins to slowly uncover the Theives' Guild, revealing certain corrupt city officials in the process. Eventually, their hold is overthrown and they are dispersed...

Note the following phases of this life cycle:

Birth Phase: Rumours spring up randomly. Beggers and shady characters begin to amass in the city. A small theives' guild is established in a remote location deep in the city.

Youth Phase: More rumours. Players are followed, sometimes pickpocketed. Player houses are cased. The thieves' guild gets more recruits.

Maturity Phase: Stores are broken into and inventories are emptied--Store items are harder to acquire. The thieves' guild is stronger now and acquired a powerful Theif Lord. Player's houses might be broken into...perhaps the smaller insignificant items, such as a painting or a piece of art is stolen.

Death Phase: A team of players find the location of the thieves' guild and infiltrate it. The guild is dispersed, looted, and banned once again.

Why a life cycle?

Basically a life cycle adhere's to key elements of roleplaying adventures:

Exclusivity - For one, it creates a layer of exclusivity. If the adventure exists spontaneously and randomly, then it can't be camped. Circumstances dictate where such an adventure might occur. And even though there might be a chance that other people find the same quests and attempt to raid it at the same time, it is extremely likely that these competing forces will contribute to the overall quest experience. For example, while you managed to acquire a treasure map, perhaps a miner stumbled upon the cave mouth. Now you and he are in a race...

Timed Requirements - Now you have to work for you treasure. Sitting around is not the stuff of adventurers. As well, you have choices. The longer you wait, the stronger and more difficult the quest becomes.

Level Ranges - Because a living quest has phases of maturity, it can appeal to a broader range of players. The early phases of growth would server the younger level players, while the mature phases would be of interest to the larger level players. A multitude of quests would ensure that some would has a "young" phase for 10-20, while another might have a "young" phase for 40-50 level characters.

Death and Destruction - To keep an instance unique, it may someday have to die on its own. What if no one ever defeats the thieves' guild example above? In those cases, the policy is to have a living quest mature to the point that it collapses on its own.

Mystery and Player Mitigation - Randomness and uniqueness of setting, levels of maturity, and intervention of the daily lives of players ensure a more mysterious quest. The players can be affected, even when they are busy doing something else. This creates a fluid environment and a quest that may never entirely be the same.

All in all, I'm very interested in seeing something along these lines developed. There are a multitude of ways to create living instances and quests for the benefit of players who DO NOT LIKE to go into the same cave to beat the same boss, over and over.

Impressions?

Since watching the Age of Conan threads, I've been keen to the debates over instancing...whether they can make or break a MMORPG. There are clearly many opinions over the matter.

Fundamentally, instancing should be defined. There are two levels of instancing:

1) When a player or group moves into an area that is exclusively theirs to work in, this is a fully exclusive instance. This occurs in quests mostly. World of Warcraft, for example, uses this concept.

2) When a player moves into an area that is inclusive to some, but not all the other players, this is an inclusive instance. This occurs mostly as "zone" instancing. For example, City of Heroes/City of Villians is a game where, after a number of people are in a zone, a duplicate zone is created, hopefully with less lag, for the other players to use.

Instancing can also be permissive or forced. Basically, a permissive instance is one where you are allowed to choose the instance. For example, Guild Wars lets you choose your instance of a city. Forced instances basically remove that choice.

Here's the argument:

     Does instancing contribute to an outstanding MMO and are there ways to make it more immersive?

My opinion is that instancing contradicts immersion. Even when instancing is used on a limited basis, it removes you from others. You could be standing in the Fighter's Guild of "instance 1", waiting to duel, while your opponent is waiting at "instance 2". This gets even worse when you are trying to group or adventure with your friends. Imagine telling your buddies, "Gather at the ancient rock bearing Cthulu's likeness". Will they be able to meet you? Or do you need to tell them, "Gather at the ancient rock [at instance 2] bearing Cthulu's likeness."

Bear in mind that there is a reason to have instancing. It helps the server load. Too many people in one instance mean lag for all in the instance. This is the balancing issue and this is why I believe instancing is necessary.

So, how can instancing be used effectively?

     Use Roleplaying and in game techniques. It's the most immersive way to handle the game.

1) How would you handle an overfilled city?  I would have the guards shut the gates. If a player inquires as to why, the guards would respond that the officials are having problems with theives and "foreigners". In my game, I would allow the city a limited number of residents, called "citizens", which could travel into the city because of their status.

2) Wouldn't that method anger many of the players? Certainly. Until they found out that they could quest, bribe an official, try to get another citizen's status removed, have another person thrown out of the city, or they could simply move to another city, become a citizen, and slowly fill that place up. The goal is to create options that allow them to eventually acheive their goal. Most people never thought that entering a city could be an adventure...but yet, it can.

3) How would you handle overfilled zones? Lower spawning rates. In developmental terms, if you keep spawning rates high, then there is an obvious reason for lots of people to be there. However, if you drop the spawning rates, people will adventure to other areas. In terms of reality, if every hunter is out in the woods killing bears, the bears would become extinct. Eventually there would be no more left. And to be honest, if you're in an overfilled forest and there are no monsters to fight, you probably don't have to worry about the lag.

4) Wouldn't an upopulated zone ruin the overall gaming? It would if there was nothing else to do. However, it would end the grind. Spawn rates are the key and they would have to be lowered or raised based on the traffic. If you head to the plains to hunt some creature, and there is another hunter there clearing the area, you have choices...you either leave that hunter alone, hunting elsewhere....oppose that hunter and resolve the issue [an rp solution'....or work with that hunter and resolve the issue [another rp solution].

5) How would you handle quests? Much differently. In this aspect, I can see why instances are useful. I'm not entirely against instancing in quests. However, I might be tempted to treat a quest as a living entity. In other words, let's suggest that a graveyard starts off unpopulated. Down the timeline, some ghouls and zombies start appearing. Later on, one of the ghouls begins to take power. Later still, this ghoul transforms into a Lich and instructs his minions to build an undead city where he can increase his influence. In this example, the players can enter the scenario at any time...they don't just walk into a preset module. I can easily imagine low level fighters clearing the graves...but later on high level warriors leading a charge on the undead keep. What happens if left untouched for too long? The Lich orders an assault on the nearest city and players are attacked.

Overall, I'm just trying to attack the "immersiveness" problem that comes with instancing. Personally, I despise instancing. Yet, I understand why it is used. What I feel resolves both problems at the same time is using in-game roleplaying responses.

So, next time you're about to walk into a city...preparing for the "wait....load" screen, imagine seeing two guards barring your path, telling you that "they don't want your kind" around. And then imagine that you quickly draw steel at their insult. If you beat them, who will stand in your way....