One thing I've noticed is MMO developers are a bit wary of leaving retail distro behind, and in my opinion they're wasting big money. Sure, there are people who like to "own a physical copy" of a game, but really what's the hype about owning the box and CD? All it does is hike up subscription costs as a "tax" to those of us who downloaded the game instead, because the company has to pay for box art, pressing CDs, then giving stores their percentage for carrying the product. It's such an archaic form of advertising, especially for the stay-at-home MMORPG crowd.

I was chatting with Matt Mihaly, Creative Director of Sparkplay Media, on the subject. His company had launched Earth Eternal which showed early signs of promise but lost funding in the end. I had given Earth Eternal a try and was impressed because it had modern graphics with a WoW-type feel, but you didn't have to download anything. The whole game ran in your browser like RuneScape. What's funny is that Matt Mihaly said Earth Eternal was originally supposed to be a bloody, violent game for adults, and somewhere along the lines it turned into a kid-friendly adventure with anthropomorphic characters.

So seeing what game engines today are capable of, it boggles my mind that developers would rather spend money on pushing a game into stores, instead of using that money to develop a superbly polishe product and using an online download model instead. I think MMO companies try to stick with the "tried and true" method, and since the old methods are dying out, gamer get stuck with paying for developers mistakes.

I'm not talking about MMO flash games in particular, more like browser-based engines that are capable of current gen 3d effects like 8x anti-aliasing, post-processing, motion blur.

There are almost no MMO that don't offer a digital copy on topy of a retail copy, but I think a retail copy is just free advertising for them. As to why they don't user browsers, it's probably because you can't access DirectX libraries through a browser I think.

For an MMO, either of these options would work well. If the game were to die out, it wouldn't matter if you owned a copy or not. But when it comes to single player games theres a sense of safety when you own the physical copy. Take Onlive for instance. If that site were to ever shut down, what about all the people who paid for their games? I realize you mentioned MMO, but I felt it was still necessary to point it out.

Browser based games are extremely limited, and who in their right minds would want to have a flash based mmo, it would be utter rubbish, just check out the ones on facebook for comparison.. it really is that bad.

It won't be long before all stores completely drop PC box sales. In fact, most Gamestop stores in my area don't even have a section for PC games. The only time they deal with such a genre is if the customer specifically orders or pre-orders the PC game.

This doesn't mean that PC gaming is ending. It just means that most PC gamers are aware of digital downloading etc. It's a growing trend.

If I was a PC game developer, I'd only look at purchasing "poster" or "ad" space at retailers like Gamestop and Best Buy. It makes no sense to waste huge resources on DVD Production, printing production, boxing production, shipping, etc. This is especially true when we're dealing with MMOs (games you can download entirely through the patch process) and programs like Steam and Origin.

Originally posted by Phry

Browser based games are extremely limited, and who in their right minds would want to have a flash based mmo, it would be utter rubbish, just check out the ones on facebook for comparison.. it really is that bad.

Browser-based doesn't mean the game is played through flash.

Take a look at Quake Live. The game has an installation directory. However, the community and server listings are based on the browser. You have to use Windows or Firefox to play.

You argue for online distribution of games pretty well.  But contrary to the thread title, you never did get around to arguing for browser-based games rather than a standalone client.

And for good reason.  Having a standalone client brings enormous advantages.  For starters, it lets you control the client, rather than having to hold your breath every time any one of several different companies that has never heard of your game updates their own program, and having to hope that it doesn't break your game.

In the MMORPG genre, innovation can be hard to find from one game to the next.  After reading your post, I remembered reading an article about Google Chrome.  For those of you interested, you can find the link below.  I think browser gaming shouldn't be frowned upon.  It will only get better as more developers work with it.

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57340015-12/native-client-turns-chrome-into-high-end-gaming-platform/

Browser-based is fine for simple games.  But complex MMORPGs are a different matter entirely.

The question isn't whether browser-based gaming will get a lot better than it is now.  The question is whether it will ever not be markedly worse than a standalone client, as would be necessary in order for it to be a good idea.  On the latter, I'd say it's unlikely.  It's not impossible, but it would take some serious industry-wide standardization, and all of the major browser makers would have to both sign onto it and put a ton of work into implementing it right.  Given the wildly varying performance of JavaScript from one browser to the next, or even one version to the next of the same browser, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Modern graphic? That looks like DaoC back in the day.

Browser-based engines are not 'increasingly limitless'.  If they were, all the AAA devs would be using them instead of standalone clients because they would be saving millions on development.  It's going to be a long time before browsers are the main platform for high-end gaming.

MMOs have gone to digital distribution more and more.  Some people like owning a hard copy, but I'm sure you'll see it phased out more and more as independent developers give more cracks at bigger games. 

You're obviously new to this MMO thing.  You should probably stick to your strengths - plugging Achaea at every turn.

Retail distribution/alternate distribution methods, and browser-based gaming aren't necessarily linked.

You can do, say, digital distribution, never touch a retail box, and not be browser based. Lots of games and publishers and indie developers have been doing that for a long time. Since... oh I remember when we called it shareware.

I've tried a few browser based games and they felt like junk. I think I'll pass until they get better.

You can run Unreal Engine 3 via Flash through the browser.   Whether or not that's efficient is another matter.

I had given Earth Eternal a try and was impressed because it had modern graphics with a WoW-type feel, but you didn't have to download anything. The whole game ran in your browser like RuneScape. What's funny is that Matt Mihaly said Earth Eternal was originally supposed to be a bloody, violent game for adults

You gotta be kidding me?

Browser games are horrible in terms of graphics and mechainics.

They are very limited in what they can do.  You cant just up and make a modern and groundbreaking game with a browser, its limited by the current browser programs on the market. Also it gives the developers no control over what they can and cant do. Its all up to the browser that runs it.

I was actually looking at a few of the browser games infesting this site (cant tell which are browsers ont his site and it pisses me off)  They all looks so...dated, limited, and restrictive. I liken them to cell phone games.  Its great to have when you dont have your gaming rig with you but other than that...kind of like a hamburger in a can...sure its good if you got nothing else but what if you happen to own a grill and a nice cut of meat?

There actually is a good discussion in this thread.... Why have retail copies when most people just download their client games? Its a big money saver and the kinds of mmorpgs that are found in retail shops is very limited.  I would agree with previous assumptions that its more of an advertising feature. With that said...why the hell are we paying retail box prices for the downloaded code? Perhaps if they stopped retail distribution there wouldnt be a reason to charge the $50 for the download (gotta be fair to those 50 people who bought the box in a store right?)

With internet connections always getting better it might be a wayforward in the future. But now its still early days and not there yet.

in 5 years? big MAYBE

right now? no, browser based engines are still junk. better junk than a few years ago, but junk nonetheless. 

OP I think your terribly misinformed. All games regardless of in a browser or not use a engine, most games in browsers are mainly built upon javascript/action script 2, which isnt even remotely good for games in terms of workflow and performance optimization. I've made a few small java games for Newgrounds and helped out of a few bigger ones in the past and actually achieving any sort of multiplayer persistent game mechanics is a dammed nightmare in java.

Broswer MMO's are the MOST limited out of every single way possible.

And yet, browser games are so immensly popular. Dunno about the rest, but, since I've been a gamer for over 15 years now and have witnessed the rise of graphics in detriment of gameplay, I will not shun browser games just because they look a lot worse or because they aren't optimized. You don't need cutting edge graphics to create awesome atmosphere and memorable game-play. I'm not saying that browser games do that, but that their limited engine capabilities aren't a factor in what makes a game "good".