Myself along with quite a few people I guess, have always wanted a western MMO. Problem is, there's so many things to consider. Levels, classes, professions, races, travel, etc. etc.  It's hard to create a MMO where you want to give players freedom, but if you give them too much, you can't control what's going on. Anyway, I'd like to here your comments.

Originally posted by Billythefoo

Myself along with quite a few people I guess, have always wanted a western MMO. Problem is, there's so many things to consider. Levels, classes, professions, races, travel, etc. etc.  It's hard to create a MMO where you want to give players freedom, but if you give them too much, you can't control what's going on. Anyway, I'd like to here your comments.

There should no difference in creating a Westerm based MMO as compared to any other. The only problem that I see is the amount of interest people would have in this type of game.

Originally posted by Billythefoo

Myself along with quite a few people I guess, have always wanted a western MMO. Problem is, there's so many things to consider. Levels, classes, professions, races, travel, etc. etc.  It's hard to create a MMO where you want to give players freedom, but if you give them too much, you can't control what's going on. Anyway, I'd like to here your comments.

Often talked about, but rarely seen as viable because of the inherent boringness of it, how may posses can you rustle up, or stagecoaches can you rob, and the clothing, even high lvl, is fairly limited and uninteresting. Even as an MMOFPS couldn't compete against COD4 or Gearz, not enough firepower or variety in weapons. Couple that with the lack of effects and you got yourself an mmo that can't get off the desin table

Define.. "Western Styled-Game".

The biggest secret that most folks know is that Cryptic will be annouincing  the Deadlands MMORPG once Champions and STO launches. Shane Henesly the creator (and former Cryptic Employee) talked Jack Emmert  into it a couple years back, but it has been back burnered until the other tow are launched.

I'd love to see a western based MMORPG based in the Wild West.

As long as you have conflict.  You can have an MMO, lol.  Just my humble opinion.

Be it Lord of the Rings where humans fight orc and goblins, or WOW where it is Alliance vs Horde.

In a Western of course I'd expect Cowboys vs Indians.  In fact that'd make a great simple title :D

Who wouldn't love to live the life of an outlaw...  Or be part of an Indian raid...  Sounds fun to me and the possibilities are endless.

 Don't forget your claim jumping miners, chinese immigrant forced railroad workers, and fancy pants gamblers! Oh, and lots and lots of whiskey!

Originally posted by Rauge

Define.. "Western Styled-Game".

Western styled-game would be the old west of the United States of the late 1800s. Basiclly post civil war, but pre-1900. The days of Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Wyatt Earp. Cowboys, Outlaws, Sheriffs, U.S. Marshalls, Native Americas, and such could be the classes. Plus weapons could range from bow and arrows to revolver pistols to rifles to cannons to gatlin guns. Maybe it could be based on the movies Young Guns, Young Guns 2, or even Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. I'm not a big western fan, but I've always have liked those three western movies.

http://www.frontier1859.com/mmorpg/

A western MMORPG is definitely a creative idea but I think the problem lies in creating MMOs that are grounded on such limited theme, is that it will consequently make the game limited as well. In addition, the expected players that would actually play such games are those who are interested with this western style, which in my opinion would be so few to consider. Unlike for example Atlantica Online a F2P MMORPG which emcompasses not only what to expect in an ancient world but also some elements of modern times by incorporating weapons and classes that can be seen in this day and age, like gunners and the like.

Originally posted by Darkhosis

I'd love to see a western based MMORPG based in the Wild West.

As long as you have conflict.  You can have an MMO, lol.  Just my humble opinion.

Be it Lord of the Rings where humans fight orc and goblins, or WOW where it is Alliance vs Horde.

In a Western of course I'd expect Cowboys vs Indians.  In fact that'd make a great simple title :D

Who wouldn't love to live the life of an outlaw...  Or be part of an Indian raid...  Sounds fun to me and the possibilities are endless.

 

The problem comes when groups like the Civil Liberties Union sue the developers on behalf of Native Americans for being depicted as savages, being called "redskins", etc., etc. I have a feeling this is one of the main obstacles to a realistic "Old West" themed mmo.
 

The problem is, Pilgrim, there are too many of these fancy pants tin horns into their sci-ence fic-tion to know how to even ride a horse or draw a pull off a good stogie.

  An historical Western MMO that tells the true story. The bad guys were the white settlers and the good guys were the native Indians who had a right to be there. It could show historical figures from those times like Buffalo Bill and how he was no hero,but a terrorist in today's standards. He went out and slaughter the herds of Buffalo just so the American Indians that depended on them could starve to death. It could show the attempted genocide of the Native American tribes and how the first building blocks of the nation of the Untied states is built on attempted genocide of those who were there first. It could set right the misinformation Hollywood has created about those times. It's strange to think a nation built for freedom and Human rights did just the opposite to those there first to create it.

Originally posted by IAmMMO

  An historical Western MMO that tells the true story. The bad guys were the white settlers and the good guys were the native Indians who had a right to be there. It could show historical figures from those times like Buffalo Bill and how he was no hero,but a terrorist in today's standards. He went out and slaughter the herds of Buffalo just so the American Indians that depended on them could starve to death. It could show the attempted genocide of the Native American tribes and how the first building blocks of the nation of the Untied states is built on attempted genocide of those who were there first. It could set right the misinformation Hollywood has created about those times. It's strange to think a nation built for freedom and Human rights did just the opposite to those there first to create it.

Well... no.  Both the 1940's white-washed version of the settlers as well as the 1970's revisionist versions are misleading.  I read once where both sides, whites and Indians, committed atrocities and showed acts of kindness.  People are people.

Before you paint all the Indians as noble savages, remember that the plains Indians used to ride hundreds of miles to make raids upon one another.

Also, please realize that had the technological advantage been reversed, say the Indians were advanced and the whites were primitive, the only difference is that the westward expansion would have been an eastward expansion.

the wild west was definately an interesting era, however denoting one side as evil and one as good is highly against true history of the time period as it being History you have to realize the ENTIRETY of human civilization and history is shades of gray not black and white.

As the previous poster put it People were people and had their own beliefs about things.

Sure some of the indians were savage but others were just simple folk living from the land where they had settled. But as I said shades of gray the entirety of the american calvalry army didn't put indians to the sword and force them off their lands it was only a small contingent ordered to "claim" the land for white settlers. I'm sure had the settlers been made aware of the atrocities a more fruitful less violent and murderous arrangement could've been met.

This is not without saying that the settlers didn't have their OWN share of horrors within their race what with bandits, outlaws, and robber barons plaguing the landscapes.

Most of the time these MMOs that focus on these time periods tend to glorify and look only on the Nice things, much like a medieval MMO would focus on Kings, knights, heroism and the like and not the fact that Serfs were nothing more than throwaway people and the fact that some Kings and Knights were horrible individuals.

A true to life western wouldn't be highly interesting probably, they've made several Western themed games and they don't seem to perform well. Plus making an MMO about the Old west might cause some discension amongst the Native American tribes still around today if they Misportray their ancestors.

I would imagine it would have to be a sandbox in order for it to make any sense

I don't believe it will work. There aren't even many SP western games.

Couple of problems. It is hard to design meaningful  char progression and itemizations. If you get rid of that, you will be talking about a MMOFPS or MMOTPS, but not a MMORPG.

Secondly, there are very limited variations to local and characters. One western town looks very similar to another. If you really want a western setting, you may need to combine it without something (like scifi aka wild wild west) to make it viable.

There are enough good games out there that I don't think i would waste my time nor money to even try this out.

Meh - I disagree with the above post.  I think there are so FEW good games on the market right now I'd try anything!

Originally posted by Billythefoo

Myself along with quite a few people I guess, have always wanted a western MMO. Problem is, there's so many things to consider. Levels, classes, professions, races, travel, etc. etc.  It's hard to create a MMO where you want to give players freedom, but if you give them too much, you can't control what's going on. Anyway, I'd like to here your comments.

It all depends on how "historical" you want it to be.  If it is ok to take some latitude and make the game more fanstastic like the Wild West movies, then it may get past the limited genre issue other posters have cited.

There is an excellent pen and paper game based on an alternative wild west called "Deadlands."  It would make an interesting and varied enough setting to hold interest.  It has everything from cowboys and indians, to rail barrons, steam punk, mad scientists (think Wild west movie), demons -- aka the Reckoners-- and so much more.

On a similar but different theme, Orson Scott Card's, "The Seventh Son" series (kinda of a colonial america where magic exists) may also be good food for thought.