I'm assuming that theme park mmo is define by a roller coster ride. So they're meaning a forced one direction environment. I'm hearing on the forums that millions of people are enjoying the theme park mmo but I don't see this magical hidden mmo.

Are they talking about Warhammer or Age of conan?

They are the only MMOs with decent subscribers with few ways to level. They have about one zone for each spread of levels. Also there dungeons had to be completed in order in warhammer. This might of change though.

Or are they saying World of Warcraft a themepark mmo? Where there are  many starting locations, many ways to levels, many zones, many ways to customize your character, many ways to aquire items(crafting, auction, raiding, and pvp). I havn't even played wow in awhile maybe they had added more diversity over time. If Wow a themepark mmo then every mmo is the streightest roller coster. I have ever seen.

So tell me where is this million player base theme park mmo?

Also do you think SW: Tor, GW2, or FFXIV online going to be even more one directional environment mmo?

Or do you think that every mmo including EVE are very a forced or theme park style mmo.  Eve is so not a sandbox enivronment because it has restrictions of real time leveling process. I view any leveling as a force direction therefor not an open enviroment. Also I have seen many of same features excluding the real time leveling in all other game. I'm not saying every game a clone of course but Eve has a lot of restrictions like every other mmo.

Anyway I want to hear other people 2 cents.

OP good point.

Theme Park, is simply a term to replace WoW clone. Thats all. Even if users of the term dont want to admit
it.

Originally posted by MMOExposed

OP good point.

 

Theme Park, is simply a term to replace WoW clone. Thats all. Even if users of the term dont want to admit
it.

Is WoW clone such a bad thing though. Warhammer or other mmos after WoW werent even close to the diversity WoW, DAoC, Eve, and EQ have.  They all have multiple starting zones. Many classes with many specialization and are consider the biggest western mmos.

Are the newer and upcoming consider more of Theme park mmos? Why do they blame WoW for theme park when it has as much diversity as the older  and successful MMOS?

theme park means that you can log in and quickly sample many different "minigames" within the game. if you want some pvp you que up for a quick match, if you want raiding you que up for a quick raid, if you want some questing you do some of that, if you want to travel the world you can zip back and forth on the tranports system,  etc. you log on, you try this ride a bit, try that ride a bit, have some fun and log off. you usually risk nothing, you loose nothing and you gain a lot with little effort but  your also have very little if any impact in the world arround you. you get in you enjoy the pre-made activities and you get out.  just like a theme park. 

a sandbox is an mmo with very little "minigames" within the game. it's a much more a simple but harsh enviroment (usually full loot pvp), a large world where the players have to invent most of the activities and basicaly have lots of freedom to create. it's a place were you live more then just log on have sume fun and log out. it's a place were even the small things take time and effort like travelling. it's a place where there is very little hand holding and a lot of danger and where a lot of hard work and team work is required to get anywere. more than anything it lest the players have a direct impact on shaping the world be it with keeps, towns, towers, walls, cities, villages, land controll, law making, bridge building, tax collecting, and son on.

Originally posted by Jakdstripper

theme park means that you can log in and quickly sample many different "minigames" within the game. if you want some pvp you que up for a quick match, if you want raiding you que up for a quick raid, if you want some questing you do some of that, if you want to travel the world you can zip back and forth on the tranports system,  etc. you log on, you try this ride a bit, try that ride a bit, have some fun and log off. you usually risk nothing, you loose nothing and you gain a lot with little effort but  your also have very little if any impact in the world arround you. you get in you enjoy the pre-made activities and you get out.  just like a theme park. 

a sandbox is an mmo with very little "minigames" within the game. it's a much more a simple but harsh enviroment (usually full loot pvp), a large world where the players have to invent most of the activities and basicaly have lots of freedom to create. it's a place were you live more then just log on have sume fun and log out. it's a place were even the small things take time and effort like travelling. it's a place where there is very little hand holding and a lot of danger and where a lot of hard work and team work is required to get anywere. more than anything it lest the players have a direct impact on shaping the world be it with keeps, towns, towers, walls, cities, villages, land controll, law making, bridge building, tax collecting, and son on.

I do not think that how people define these terms. Your example of Sandbox is usually express with hardcore style of gameplay. While sandbox more of an open world with less restrictions. While themepark the opposite. Also, you can consider anything in a game a "minigame".

I like the connection between the themepark and of impacting the world around you. Yet in some of the games you do have some impact or connection with top charts or statues. Also in some games Wow for example they had events like AQ opening where you did have impact on the world.  Although This argument is unreasonable though. It would take forever to make content for everyone to have impact on the world. So we should not consider mmo theme parks when they lack this.