I've played plenty of speed chess, fast turns don't mean you play it in tiny snippets of time - but whatever.  Any example has its flaws, but the concept isn't that hard to grasp.  Anyone who has played long term board, card or other games and enjoyed them gets it.

Excellent attempt to flip this around btw, I have NO problem with games that can be played online in short time increments, there are LOTS of them out there and you are welcome to play them. Conventional MMORPGs however cannot be and that is what people like this are trying to argue in favor of changing.

You want a low impact, quick to play, short increment game - fine; play one. Stop trying to argue that Game XX has to cater to that audience and I won't care :)

Originally posted by ericbelser

Excellent attempt to flip this around btw, I have NO problem with games that can be played online in short time increments, there are LOTS of them out there and you are welcome to play them. Conventional MMORPGs however cannot be and that is what people like this are trying to argue in favor of changing.

You want a low impact, quick to play, short increment game - fine; play one. Stop trying to argue that Game XX has to cater to that audience and I won't care :)

 

This is what I don't get, why is it impossible to make a "conventional MMORPG" that allows you to do something worthwhile in a short session?

I think of several browser based games where the time commitment is anything from minutes a few times a week up to several hours a day.  I'm sure you don't accept the various sport MMOs (Goal line Blitz, MMOBaseball or others) as "Conventional", but there is nothing keeping parts of their systems out of games you would consider "conventional".  Quick =/= simple, stupid and easy.  Just like having "quick play" options does not rule out those multi-hour instances for those that want it.

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Originally posted by Shreddi

Why dont they have an mmo that incorporates gambling the currency you earn in the mmo? Will everyone hang out in the poker rooms instead of playing the mmo? Oh wait, remember Leisure Suit Larrys online casino? That was very popular at the time but way too many cheats available in the game. What would be wrong with wow or eq or any mmo for that matter to have a gambling hall built into it. You do not have to gamble it would just be an option. Earn your gold and gamble with it. Remember Motor City Online and racing for money or even pink slips? That really Did get intense. Way more intense then having to respawn and lose nothing. Just wondering if anyone would like to have gambling put into an mmo?

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Puzzle Pirates (though not a 'current day graphics' game) lets you play poker and other (card) games with the in-game currency. Texas Hold' em; pot limit, no limit or some set limit (dunno what the name for that is).

Originally posted by ghstwolf

This is what I don't get, why is it impossible to make a "conventional MMORPG" that allows you to do something worthwhile in a short session?

  Quick =/= simple, stupid and easy.  Just like having "quick play" options does not rule out those multi-hour instances for those that want it.

Because the argument starts from a baseline of where we are now. Those arguing that MMOs need to let you do more in a short session are thus arguing that you have to be able to accomplish *more* than is presently possible.

So consider what *IS* possible in virtually any game out there right now in say a 15minute session.

Unless I am completely clueless, using the "bind" teleports and/or safe log out locations, I can be in some level appropriate hunting zone in less than 5minutes. I can then spend the remaining 10minutes doing a short quest or three; or just killing mobs solo. I have thus earned exp, gained loot and otherwise advanced my character a bit. Is that not already worthwile?

If you make that sort of activity even easier, even more rewarding or whatnot for the extremely casual player then how trivial have you made all similar content for someone with more time?

Reduce the time block down to 5 minutes (You know, less time than it takes me to check my email in mornings or make my cup of coffee on the way out the door to work) and guess what?  You can *still* accomplish something in many games. Market watching/Auction House sales, short crafting sessions, a bit of skill training, heck even a kill or five solo if you logged in the right place or could rapid travel there.

That's where the state of the games is NOW and you want to be able to do more in those insignificant time blocks? Don't you grasp how utterly trivial that will make any activity you can do in those times to everyone else playing? Now I realize that what many are really complaining about is raiding/epic quests and the like taking muliple hours; but again, if that sort of thing can be knocked off in a 30minute session, how much is the rest of the playerbase (the ones with a more reasonable amount of time to commit) going to be howling about a "lack of content" and how trivial the game is? No game can be everything to everyone and the "traditional MMO" unquestionably includes an element of content gated by time commitment.

Now what I would like to see (and what many companies are striving for) is more inclusion of email/cell/blackberry technology that allows minor (but significant) game interactions while not actually logged in at a PC.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I understand what the author is trying to say, but I think his comparison of F2P MMO's and online poker fell flat on it's face.   Poker is an extremely simplistic game, MMO's are not.  Huge difference.

Then you have the fact that many of the F2P games have poorly written clients and can have higher machine requirements than  many of the subscription games.

If the point Richard was trying to make was that these F2P games need to be creating clients that run on a broad range of computers, I completely agree.  The sad fact is that many of the more popular F2P games have high requirement clients.

You are wrong. Poker is far more complex then most mmo's. It is easily one of the most complex games ever, if not the most complex game ever (poker and 3d chess are preety close, poker is more complex tho imho).

I agree with the rest of your post tho, just had to point this out :).

Originally posted by silvarshark

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I understand what the author is trying to say, but I think his comparison of F2P MMO's and online poker fell flat on it's face.   Poker is an extremely simplistic game, MMO's are not.  Huge difference.

Then you have the fact that many of the F2P games have poorly written clients and can have higher machine requirements than  many of the subscription games.

If the point Richard was trying to make was that these F2P games need to be creating clients that run on a broad range of computers, I completely agree.  The sad fact is that many of the more popular F2P games have high requirement clients.

 

You are wrong. Poker is far more complex then most mmo's. It is easily one of the most complex games ever, if not the most complex game ever (poker and 3d chess are preety close, poker is more complex tho imho).

 

 

I agree with the rest of your post tho, just had to point this out :).

Sorry but a big LOL on poker.