What do you think about when you hear "MMORPG"? Most people will think back to the first MMORPG they ever played, and relate that experience to every one they play afterward. This sets one up for disappointment. Why? Because that first MMORPG experience would be the best you ever had more than likely; I know it was for me. But I was also lucky to have played one of the best developed MMORPG's that ever existed.
As developers learn more about MMORPG's, they seem to be learning less. Before you even walk into the development door of an MMORPG, you need to know one thing: The MMORPG you are about to make hasn't been defined yet. You're starting a new game with a completely blank slate. And it's not just one "game", it's many games rolled into one (the current state of the MMORPG industry would disagree with me here). It is the ultimate game for the gamer, as well as the developer.
One thing that has always been true about RPG's in general, is that they were all completely different in their design. They had their own mini-games and level advancement. Seeing a clone of an RPG was almost unheard of. And now here we are, the MMORPG genre completely fucking saturated with clones. Clones of MMORPG's both old and new. Let me make one thing very, very clear here: JUST BECAUSE YOU GIVE YOUR GAME A DIFFERENT NAME, OR USE A DIFFERENT FRANCHISE DOESN'T MEAN IT'S DIFFERENT.
Stop making the same game.
Stop making the same game; I said it twice so you newbie developers will listen.
So I was a little angry there, who isn't? I can get around to the firestorm later... When I talk about MMORPG's having no definition, I mean what I say. They simply cannot, they need to be made different, their stories, their gameplay, everything needs to be created anew; otherwise you are setting your company up for failure. There's a reason people try new MMORPG's: Some element of the game appealed to them, or; they are coming from another MMORPG they got burnt out on and are looking for a new experience. No game will ever be like World of Warcraft, ever, again. No one wants to play the same game, or maybe they want a more adult-oriented game to play. Either way, the only way to have the success of World of Warcraft, is to make something new; something fun. I use that game for a reference because it seems as if every developer on the earth wants to make THAT game, but with a different name. No, it doesn't work like that. Games were made different to begin with, because different people like different things, have different styles, etc.
So to any developers reading this: Make your own game, man; look back at all the games you played as a kid. Maybe you played a puzzle game, maybe you played a shooter. When you make your MMORPG, you aren't just making one game, you're making many games. And that is why the genre will never be clearly defined: An MMORPG is a game within a game, within a game, within a game, within a game, within a game.
UO was my first MMO, and I have absolutely nothing good to say about it. EQ was my second, and while I think the world building in it was spectacular, I feel WoW has surpassed it. But apart from world-building, I no longer romanticize anything else about EQ.
So maybe I'm an exception that proves the rule? Because I think you are right, most people probably do judge new MMOGs in terms of their early experiences.
And you are also right in that nothing disappoints the gaming community faster than a game that promises to be fresh and new, but turns out to be the same old formulas being beaten to death yet again.
There are probably a lot of developers and would-be developers out there who are dying to take risks. But MMOG development is extremely expensive, and the people with all the money prefer not to take risks.
And who can blame them? With risky (and very expensive) ventures such as Horizons and Vanguard going down in flames, investors are not likely to take any chances on developers who want to break the mold.
Fri Jun 06 2008 12:52PMI couldn't agree more. I have played many mmorpg games and t hey all seem to be identical, just with a slightly different atmosphere. They have been cookie cutter for sometime(i.e. 2moons,9dragons,World of King fu,Rappelz,etc). I get Xtremely angry when I find a new mmorpg out when I see it is just another run of the mill copy cat
Thee is one ray hope on the horizon. Its "Mortal Online". Once you visit the website & forums, you will se there is much to be Xcited about. This game has many features uncommon in other mmorpg games. Not only it's FPS combat mode, skill based character development, butthere are many unusual features planned for release.
If Mortal Online becomes a hit, as I am sure it will, you will begin to see more changes in mmorpg games as we know them. Give the site a visit and scour the forums. I do think you will like what you see....
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Sat Jun 07 2008 10:24AMWell, very FIRST thing any serious company must take in consideration is "will new game MAKE MONEY"? No company will invest years of programming (=a lot of money) just to satisfy maybe 1% to 5% of players always looking for something completely new. And burry game with servers after 1 month from start. Is for sure not Funcom or any other company to blame for this!
So, from the start they must guess what MAJORITY of TARGETED players will like. I.e. is for sure difficult make game which will appeal in same way children and adults. So I guess makers of game first decide which type of players will try to reach. Well, sometimes they succeed to target very vast players base (like WoW), but this is very difficult.
About quality of graphics: it is very important, but it is also quality of gameplay. Maybe for small children good graphics is at top, for rest is not. At the start I did not liked to much »cartoon« graphics of WoW but very soon after started playing it I had no problems with that. Game is overall amazing in every sense. It has incredible depth in everything. Sure, there is still place for improvements.
I personally would not have anything against if AoC would be kind a BETTER COPY of WoW, just with lore of AoC (and possibly with some improvements).
People at some point just want to change environment. I have many lv. 70 (rest - I have for every class one alt - are above 64) in WoW and while waiting for Lich King wanted to try something else. I still love WoW but my addiction :-) has weakened over last months. At some point I guess we all have enough of our favorite food if we eat same food 5 times per day and 12 months per year. :-) It is not fault of game.
I have absolutely no problems with taking the best from existing games and creating from this a new one.
About AoC after weeks of gameplay (having in this weeks a lot of free time I have played I guess 6-8 hours per day in media): Overall I like the game. I have fun. Actually, I had first to buy a new graphics card for playing it well. :-) But it changed the whole thing. Graphics are amazing. A lot of times and in many senses if feels »unfinished«, but I like it. Maybe Funcom should wait another 6 do 12 months before publishing, who knows. Have many cons and pros. My love no.1 is still WoW, 2nd AoC and 3rd LOTRO. EQ, EQ2, GW, .... not even enter on my list. To me they are not fun at all. But for somebody they are on top.
We will se numbers after 1 year. And this is what counts to every company.
Sat Jun 07 2008 6:03PMMMORPG.com writes:
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