WoW's Soft Target

In any military, or political, campaign, you usually strike your opponent's soft target first.  The soft target does not require a lot of resources to defeat.  The question, then, is what is WoW's soft target?  Developers have been like blind men feeling an elephant.  One feels the trunk and says it is PvP.  So the developer(s) go and create an all, or mostly, PvP-game.  One feels the trunk and another the tail, but none agree.

WoW's Competitive Advantage

All businesses that are successful have what is known as a competitive advantage.  Businesses need to understand, first, what their competitive advantage is and then harness it.  The same elephant analogy used above applies.  WoW's strengths, however, have been repeatedly numerous on this web page and elsewhere and need not be repeated again.

Revenue-Perspective v. Creative-Perspective

The need for revenue-perspective with creative-application is the key to success

Too many developers, and too often their administrators, study WoW from a revenue-perspective and think in terms of business terms (e.g., gross income) and not from a creative-perspective using artistic terms (e.g., immersion).  When those of us use the word "immersion," these same revenue-perspective individuals scoff at us.  We do not understand the "business of mmorpging."  These same people believe that if they just copy-and-past the WoW-model, with limited modifications, they will get beyond their break-even point.  It is not that their application is wrong, it is their methods.  Although, as a brief aside, their applications are too often flawed for failure to really understand their own market.  MMORPGs are a global market, and accessibility is key.  If you build it, they will come.  But if you build it, make sure they have a key so they can get through the door (inaccessibility due to obsence technological requirements).

The Shadow

The WoW-model casts a long, and blinding, shadow on developers.  We have heard of the expression, "blinded by the light."  Developers in the MMORPG industry, however, are blinded by WoW's shadow.  It haunts them.  And it should.  

The Solution

As alluded to above, the solution is a reconciliation of the revenue-perspective (need to achieve break-even and better) with creative-application.  The need to allow developers to employ their independence and harness their creative energies cannot be understand, within certain revenue-keeping parameters.  The way to get out of the shadow is to not focus, creatively, on the shadow.  Creatively, the focus needs to be on the light:  new methods of world immersion;  different and unique character customization concepts; and innovation with respect to player-empowerment tools and opportunities to achieve far-reaching and long-lasting impact.  The solution is there, in your mind, now step into the light.

Revenue-Perspective v. Creative-Perspective

The need for revenue-perspective with creative-application is the key to success

Too many developers, and too often their administrators, study WoW from a revenue-perspective and think in terms of business terms (e.g., gross income) and not from a creative-perspective using artistic terms (e.g., immersion).  When those of us use the word "immersion," these same revenue-perspective individuals scoff at us.  We do not understand the "business of mmorpging."  These same people believe that if they just copy-and-past the WoW-model, with limited modifications, they will get beyond their break-even point.  It is not that their application is wrong, it is their methods.  Although, as a brief aside, their applications are too often flawed for failure to really understand their own market.  MMORPGs are a global market, and accessibility is key.  If you build it, they will come.  But if you build it, make sure they have a key so they can get through the door (inaccessibility due to obsence technological requirements).

 

The Solution

As alluded to above, the solution is a reconciliation of the revenue-perspective (need to achieve break-even and better) with creative-application.  The need to allow developers to employ their independence and harness their creative energies cannot be understand, within certain revenue-keeping parameters.  The way to get out of the shadow is to not focus, creatively, on the shadow.  Creatively, the focus needs to be on the light:  new methods of world immersion;  different and unique character customization concepts; and innovation with respect to player-empowerment tools and opportunities to achieve far-reaching and long-lasting impact.  The solution is there, in your mind, now step into the light.

 

To be fair there are MMO out there that are unique in the own ways and did not copy the WoW model.

CoH/CoV: Great charac. customization, wide variety of power sets to choose from.
Potbs: have not played it so i cannot comment on this.
Atlantica Online: Currently playing F2P turn based combat.

Eve online: great game but has steep learning curve.

But the problem is people want the next WoW not something unique since they are familar with the concepts.

People will jump at the chance for something unique IF its actually fun.  FUN is the important term here.  Plenty of MMOs have released with unique features or different ways of doing things, but unique does NOT mean better.

Conan had unique features but they weren't better or more fun.  Eve has unique features but they aren't fun either.  WAR had a few, but they didnt' raise the bar.  Dark & Light had some but they were WORSE.  Same for Tabula Rasa and loads of others.

Theres not much unique you can do any more, until we have a major tech advancement that allows things that werent' possible before.  Until then you can only improve whats been done.  An improvement is all people are asking for and since WOW, no one has really improved anything significant.

Perhaps Blizzard should create more shadows. What I mean is that they should take the insane amount of profit they've made and try to make several different flavors of MMOs that will appease the fans of the various sub-genres within MMORPGs. They have the power to experiment and it's kind of sad that they are only focusing on one new MMO. Create more games and see what flies and what doesn't. Over time, Blizzard can become a positive guide to what the majority of players like and don't like as well as being the leader of the industry. Those game types that are successful will give other developers more breathing room in terms of direction and innovation.

The point about being FUN cannot, and should never be, underestimated.  You are exactly right that new and innovative without fun is valueless in this industry.

I take issue, however, with the idea that there is not much else that is "unique" or innovative:

1. World Immersion features;
2. Character Customization;
3. Player Empowerment Tools; and
4. Evolving Worlds

The WAR public quest system, in my view, was innovative but poorly implemented:  (1) too many; (2) too static; and (3) too much of (a) step 1 to (b) step 2 to (c) step 3, etc.  Public Quests must be large, and small, scale events that might not ever be repeatable to be effective.  Unless, of course, the sea dragon happens to raid the town - again.  

Bokotron, you are right that many of us want to see Blizzard develop a deeper, more sophisticated, less linear, but still accessible MMORPG.  You are also exactly right that those kinds of games give developers more breathing room to experiment and innovative in small and large-scale ways.  We got WoW;  we got WoW-like games.  We do not want anti-WoW;  we want something innovative but fun.  

I think the MMO market is just going through the "WoW" trend. I don't think it is anything to fret about. Give it some more time, and I think developers will eventually branch out, use what they had learned from the passing trend, and create a new, evolved experience. I think some more investment into sandbox MMO styles might also help; investment from big name dev teams to be specific as money seems to be the catalyst of the MMO developing game, assuring that the game is developed, and more importantly, launched in a professional manner.

Or, WoW is the Harbinger of the MMO Apocalypse, and every subsequent MMO after it is doomed to being a "WoW clone."

Let's hope it is only an era.  MMMORPG developers need to think post-WoW. 

The irony is that many still have not learned from WoW such as releasing a polished game and ensuring it is accessible to the general public.  When I read articles, and I just read one in the Wall Street Journal, about gamers buying power-PCs, it is so misleading.

Not all "gamers" are willing to buy power PCs, even if we can afford to. 

Yeah I think you have a good point with the immersion features.  One thing about WoW that seems lacking in most other games is the attention to small details that enhance a sense of immersion, like the background noises or the NPC scenarios you encounter throughout the game world.  Small things like that don't seem like much but I think they make the game world more alive and subtly but greatly increase the sense of immersion.   Most of the time in WoW I don't really think about it, but when I play a game that doesn't have the same level of detail I definitely feel the lack.  The character customization in WoW, however, could be a lot better.  SWG has the best character creation I've seen in any MMO and I wish other MMO's would aspire to the same level.  It was the only game I've ever played where I was able to actually make a character that  looked like me.

One thing people on this forum don't talk about is the number of people playing WoW that have invested so much time to it, they may continue to play WoW, but they don't want to start a new character in another game no matter what.

How many people is that?  2-4 million?

No matter how good and new and different a game is there is a group of WoW players that will never leave.    And for many of these people WoW was not there first MMO, but it is their last.  I know many people like this.

Originally posted by Dosska

Yeah I think you have a good point with the immersion features.  One thing about WoW that seems lacking in most other games is the attention to small details that enhance a sense of immersion, like the background noises or the NPC scenarios you encounter throughout the game world.  Small things like that don't seem like much but I think they make the game world more alive and subtly but greatly increase the sense of immersion.   Most of the time in WoW I don't really think about it, but when I play a game that doesn't have the same level of detail I definitely feel the lack.  The character customization in WoW, however, could be a lot better.  SWG has the best character creation I've seen in any MMO and I wish other MMO's would aspire to the same level.  It was the only game I've ever played where I was able to actually make a character that  looked like me.

Uh, the horror! How can you possibly want more copies of you??

There is nothing inherently wrong with learning from earlier MMO's to come up with a great game.

WoW did this very successfully,  implementing some of the best features of the MMO's that preceded it.

Originally posted by Mitara

Originally posted by Dosska

Yeah I think you have a good point with the immersion features.  One thing about WoW that seems lacking in most other games is the attention to small details that enhance a sense of immersion, like the background noises or the NPC scenarios you encounter throughout the game world.  Small things like that don't seem like much but I think they make the game world more alive and subtly but greatly increase the sense of immersion.   Most of the time in WoW I don't really think about it, but when I play a game that doesn't have the same level of detail I definitely feel the lack.  The character customization in WoW, however, could be a lot better.  SWG has the best character creation I've seen in any MMO and I wish other MMO's would aspire to the same level.  It was the only game I've ever played where I was able to actually make a character that  looked like me.

 

Uh, the horror! How can you possibly want more copies of you??

Not to mention, 99% of the time, you're looking at the back of your character about 10 to 20 ft in the air, covered in armor, helmets, wigs and what not.  That face you spent 5 hrs tweaking...completely and utterly lost on everyone except maybe YOU, when you're spending 5 hrs spinning around your doll playing dressup.

I enjoy a good customization, but it really goes to waste when you think about it.

Originally posted by Mitara

Originally posted by Dosska

Yeah I think you have a good point with the immersion features.  One thing about WoW that seems lacking in most other games is the attention to small details that enhance a sense of immersion, like the background noises or the NPC scenarios you encounter throughout the game world.  Small things like that don't seem like much but I think they make the game world more alive and subtly but greatly increase the sense of immersion.   Most of the time in WoW I don't really think about it, but when I play a game that doesn't have the same level of detail I definitely feel the lack.  The character customization in WoW, however, could be a lot better.  SWG has the best character creation I've seen in any MMO and I wish other MMO's would aspire to the same level.  It was the only game I've ever played where I was able to actually make a character that  looked like me.

 

Uh, the horror! How can you possibly want more copies of you??

Actually I never really played that character. I just lke the fact that I was able to make it.

Originally posted by Josher

Originally posted by Mitara

Originally posted by Dosska

Yeah I think you have a good point with the immersion features.  One thing about WoW that seems lacking in most other games is the attention to small details that enhance a sense of immersion, like the background noises or the NPC scenarios you encounter throughout the game world.  Small things like that don't seem like much but I think they make the game world more alive and subtly but greatly increase the sense of immersion.   Most of the time in WoW I don't really think about it, but when I play a game that doesn't have the same level of detail I definitely feel the lack.  The character customization in WoW, however, could be a lot better.  SWG has the best character creation I've seen in any MMO and I wish other MMO's would aspire to the same level.  It was the only game I've ever played where I was able to actually make a character that  looked like me.

 

Uh, the horror! How can you possibly want more copies of you??

 

Not to mention, 99% of the time, you're looking at the back of your character about 10 to 20 ft in the air, covered in armor, helmets, wigs and what not.  That face you spent 5 hrs tweaking...completely and utterly lost on everyone except maybe YOU, when you're spending 5 hrs spinning around your doll playing dressup.

I enjoy a good customization, but it really goes to waste when you think about it.

/shrug. Just comes down to personal preference I guess.  I like having enough options that I can make a totally unique character. SWG was the only game where I was ever able to do that.  In a game like WoW I eventaully see someone that looks just like me.  It's not game breaking for me. I still play WoW.  But the less customization options a game has the less likely I am to play it.

Originally posted by Mercscythe

I think the MMO market is just going through the "WoW" trend. I don't think it is anything to fret about. Give it some more time, and I think developers will eventually branch out, use what they had learned from the passing trend, and create a new, evolved experience. I think some more investment into sandbox MMO styles might also help; investment from big name dev teams to be specific as money seems to be the catalyst of the MMO developing game, assuring that the game is developed, and more importantly, launched in a professional manner.

Or, WoW is the Harbinger of the MMO Apocalypse, and every subsequent MMO after it is doomed to being a "WoW clone."

Fashion has trends that last for a decade or less. Same with music, movies, television. But guess what? Television has been around for many decades. Movies have been around for a century. Music and fashion have been around for millenia.

MMOs have been around for what? 20 years at the absolute max, if you can consider MUDs and chatroom RPing to be the first MMOs. More realistically, MMOs have been around for 15 years... and only in the last 10 have they really become a market of their own rather than a tiny niche of the overall videogame market.

Now consider that WoW has been utterly dominant in the MMO market for almost 5 years. That's something like 1/2 of the time that there has even been an MMO market.

WoW is more than a trend, when you look at things this way. It's a dynasty.

Originally posted by GreenChaos

One thing people on this forum don't talk about is the number of people playing WoW that have invested so much time to it, they may continue to play WoW, but they don't want to start a new character in another game no matter what.

How many people is that?  2-4 million?

No matter how good and new and different a game is there is a group of WoW players that will never leave.    And for many of these people WoW was not there first MMO, but it is their last.  I know many people like this.

 

 

What does this have to do with anything?   There's 11 Million people world wide playing WoW whoopiey de do does this mean that MMORPG's should simply stop being made? Stop evolving? Stop changing?  There's billions of people in the world and god knows how many gamers out there that are NOT playing WoW.   The industry as far as MMORPG's are concern have slowly atleast in my opinion become stagnant too many of them think if they make a game that mimic's wow in some shape or form they'll suddenly have millions of players.   Many are hoping to steal blizzard's pie instead of trying to make a fresh pie for all the rest of the gamers out there lookign for something else.   

Your post is completely off topic as far as I'm concerned.   He's not crapping on WoW simply stating a MMORPG fan felt truth...game developers especially their honchos incharge of the cash are too worried about the money money and have Forgotten what makes or breaks an MMO.   

Personally other than little things here adn there I find nothing about WoW particularly immersive.  Its gameplay style is too simplyfied and its over reliance on quests and raids is boring...but then I'm a bit more old school... I like having more things to do then go kill 10 bears and deliver 5 pies so that I can tank n spank a dragon. 

WoW works more because its made by Blizzard, its Warcraft, and its in markets that in the past have been utterly ignored by the Western MMO market.  If you took out the Warcarft and removed Blizzard you'd probably only have a few hundred thousand maybe a million playing the game.  

Theres no point copying WoW because Blizzard will always be bigger and better than the competition. Blizzard's fanbase always sticks around aswel unlike other games where the ganbase moves onto the next thing so WoW's mmorpgs are always going to be a safe bet to put your time into.

Sorry but the other game that'll be as popular as WoW will come from Blizzard or Valve because they're the only developers who do what they can do with their giant dedicated fanbases and attension to polish and supporting the community. No other developer does this and this is what mmorpgs need to be that popular.

Originally posted by John.A.Zoid

Theres no point copying WoW because Blizzard will always be bigger and better than the competition. 

You are exactly right.

The idea is to distinguish yourself from WoW in those areas where WoW does not have a competitive advantage such as world immersion, character customization (true, and genuine, class customization), and innovative tools.

WoW cannot be beat, or even competed with, by copying WoW.