Global Agenda, The Agency, and Huxley- sure they may be instanced and themepark-y but they are atleast going against the grain by breaking away from the point and click fantasy thing. Fallen Earth-Sandbox and FPS elements wrapped up in a cool setting, pretty cool! Mortal Online-Darkfall the good version? I think so. And peraps the best looking one of all, Earthrise, basically Eve on the ground with awsome graphics and dynamic FPS like combat. (BTW ER had some bad gameplay videos but they have upgraded the combat now and changed some things so it's fine.)

So looks like mmo's might just break out of the mold in the next year or 2.

Edit: The Agency isn't indie btw.

If you want to look at an MMO that breaks the mold in more ways than one, and is indie developed, you need to take a look at Mortal Online.

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

Sadly that won't happen as people are unwilling to play..... I would give it 10 years so that we have 10 million WoW players who deon't just want to win at any cost and decide they want to play an MMO in the right spirit.

So yes about 10 years... and you will have a new playebase who have done the powerleveling bit and done the end game in a week bit and realise that what they did was good but what about the fun ?

Originally posted by Isane

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

 

Sadly that won't happen as people are unwilling to play..... I would give it 10 years so that we have 10 million WoW players who deon't just want to win at any cost and decide they want to play an MMO in the right spirit.

So yes about 10 years... and you will have a new playebase who have done the powerleveling bit and done the end game in a week bit and realise that what they did was good but what about the fun ?

 

Don't forget you will also have a NEW player base that has never done the powerleveling bit and thinks it's something new and cool, as they get old enough that their parents let them play online games and use a credit card (either for monthly sub or RMT).

But good point, in a few years you will have a HUGE player base that may want something besides the WoW formula.

And it probably won't be twitch, because your twitch skills get worse as you age, not better.

WoW came out in 2004, so it's already been 5 years. Maybe only another 5 before the player base wants something else?

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

M.A.G. (FPS game) for the PS3 will have 256 player battles. Just FYI.

Now back to the topic: I'm beginning to lean towards small MMO's. I'm tired of playing with 3k people per server. I want to play with no more than a thousand. Games just seem out of control lately.

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

WoW came out in 2004, so it's already been 5 years. Maybe only another 5 before the player base wants something else?

 

 

Another five years is a depressing thought. Especially for those of us who have already waited about 5 or more years for our next UO or SWG.

As for the indie companies, I have high hopes for these games. Indie companies are the only ones willing to step  out of the WoW shadow and try their own thing. I think the reason for that is because indie companies are satisfied with a smaller playerbase. The big companies expect huge numbers right off the bat...so they look at WoW.

Don't forget Earthrise. MastHead studios is looking promising.

The great thing about these indie studios is they can't even afford to be a Wow clone. There is no way to compete with Wow on the same level so they have to try a different approach.

*Post deleted as I realized it was far too early for me to be posting anything.*

Hah,

Wrote my column on this very topic.

Unfortunately I forgot to include Earthrise.

Those guys do rock!

There are a ton of indy MMOs being made with real promise.

PS: The Agency is being made by SOE, it's not really an indy.

I know its not exactly a indie company or anything "extreamly" new.

But i'm deffinitly looking forward to FFXIV, SE already is a great company with strong titles and IP's that paired with some of the new ideas they are talking about for FFXIV such as (guild leaves, wepond based class systems) and stuff like that really has me intrested and hopfull. They already have the experience of FFXI under there belt (which BTW was a awsome game)

Anyways I think some good things will come out of this game, if anyone is going to do it, it might as well be a mature company.

(And for the record I NNEEVVVEERR want that 10 million player base from wow touching a game that I like, darn infectous disease.)

Originally posted by garrett

Hah,

Wrote my column on this very topic.

Unfortunately I forgot to include Earthrise.

Those guys do rock!

There are a ton of indy MMOs being made with real promise.

PS: The Agency is being made by SOE, it's not really an indy.

I dunno... as unloved as Sony is from a thread I made earlier, Sony may as well be considered an indie/outcast...

Very few people have love for EQ, EQ2, Planetside, MxO, or SWG anymore... 

I've been interested in the Agency MMO, but with Sony's record with destroying the genre I'm slightly biased to just not even bother with it.

Originally posted by Dewm

 

I know its not exactly a indie company or anything "extreamly" new.

But i'm deffinitly looking forward to FFXIV, SE already is a great company with strong titles and IP's that paired with some of the new ideas they are talking about for FFXIV such as (guild leaves, wepond based class systems) and stuff like that really has me intrested and hopfull. They already have the experience of FFXI under there belt (which BTW was a awsome game)

Anyways I think some good things will come out of this game, if anyone is going to do it, it might as well be a mature company.

 

(And for the record I NNEEVVVEERR want that 10 million player base from wow touching a game that I like, darn infectous disease.)

The more I read about FF X+1=14, the more I'm intrigued by it... they say on wikipedia "Nobuaki Komoto announced that while Final Fantasy XIV will include XI's job system, it will return to focus on weapons and skills, and will not have experience points or a leveling system."

So... UO style? Neat.

pff... when reading "new wave of innovative indie mmos", i'm really thinking of something else.

like Love online:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/10/15/love-video/

that's what i consider an indie...

or games like introversion does:
http://www.introversion.co.uk/

Originally posted by Isane

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

 

Sadly that won't happen as people are unwilling to play..... I would give it 10 years so that we have 10 million WoW players who deon't just want to win at any cost and decide they want to play an MMO in the right spirit.

So yes about 10 years... and you will have a new playebase who have done the powerleveling bit and done the end game in a week bit and realise that what they did was good but what about the fun ?

 

Actually there was a mmo that allowed you to change the world. It was called Horizons: Empires of Istaria. There were events in the world that you could participate in to unlock new races to play or even new areas to explore. It had one of the best crafting systems I have seen yet in a game. They set up the world with lots of stuff that players to contribute to like islands you could not get to untill people built the bridge etc. Nothing like watching 100's of crafters working together to unlock a new area for their server. Sadly the game did not have the best group dynamics when I played and with the mulitclass abilities you just had to take a few levels of some sort of healer and you really did not need to group. They had the right idea about players being involved with their world though.
 

Originally posted by banecrow

Originally posted by Isane

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

 

Sadly that won't happen as people are unwilling to play..... I would give it 10 years so that we have 10 million WoW players who deon't just want to win at any cost and decide they want to play an MMO in the right spirit.

So yes about 10 years... and you will have a new playebase who have done the powerleveling bit and done the end game in a week bit and realise that what they did was good but what about the fun ?

 

Actually there was a mmo that allowed you to change the world. It was called Horizons: Empires of Istaria. There were events in the world that you could participate in to unlock new races to play or even new areas to explore. It had one of the best crafting systems I have seen yet in a game. They set up the world with lots of stuff that players to contribute to like islands you could not get to untill people built the bridge etc. Nothing like watching 100's of crafters working together to unlock a new area for their server. Sadly the game did not have the best group dynamics when I played and with the mulitclass abilities you just had to take a few levels of some sort of healer and you really did not need to group. They had the right idea about players being involved with their world though.
 

Sounds pretty sweet!

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

Two game's on that list are in that catagory, Mortal Online and Earthrise so keep your fingers crossed that atleast 1 of those is good.

Originally posted by Gintoh

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

In my opinion "innovative" would be a game where the players can change the world.

I've played million First Person Shooter games. Making a First Person Shooter with 3K people on a server instead of 64 doesn't really seem innovative to me. I can't shoot people fast enough, and I die plenty with a 32 vs 32 player game. I don't really need a 1,500 vs 1,500 game for a first person shooter to be fun. It's already fun, till my fingers hurt from shooting, and then I need to take a break.

I'm not interested in MMOFPS games, I'm insterested in the evolution of the mmoRPG.

 

Two game's on that list are in that catagory, Mortal Online and Earthrise so keep your fingers crossed that atleast 1 of those is good.

Mortal Online looks like crap. Similar to Darkfall with better graphics. Maybe it will be fun, but from looking at the list of features it doesn't sound like much fun at all. I don't see a lot of changing the world at all, just another attempt to make FFA PvP work, which IMO just doesn't.

Earthrise sounds better, more like RvR, but again not many features that allow players to change the world.