Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Stop emulating WOW please.
Gallant
Member Posts: 17
If this game and/or it's interface is a "cousin of WOW's" it has already turned me off. WOW is the worst thing ever to happen to MMO's. So far no game has done MMORPG as good as (let alone better than) DAOC IMO.
I'm curious, as devoted MMO players, what do you guys think it will take to bring a game to the next level? What IS the next level? And, finally, has the over popularity of the ultra dumbed down WOW permenantly gimped the wonderful world of MMO's?
Comments
UI works. It's the best possible UI atm. I would rather have WoW UI then SWG/Random Korean MMO UI.
And no. This will not take the game to the next level. It's just classic MMO with LotR skin over it.
What's so wrong with WoW? Once I tryed it for my 1st time in US Beta I couldn't belive my eyes. I never had so much fun in MMO games (mybe all vido games would be bit too much... but it was close to that). Yeah it's simple, "dumbed-down" but that's what makes WoW wow. It's best MMO atm (till lvl 60). And WoW will stay in MMO for some time in one way or another. Like people talk about UO till this day. Take depth of SWG (pre-cu) and mix it with enjoyment of WoW and you have a MMO at next level.
To me your posts sounds like a knee jerk reaction from someone who's just bitter about wow and it's rather simple gameplay and I can sympathise with that, but a similar Interface doesn't mean it's gameplay or game-mechanics will be anything like wow. Unless someone comes up with a neural interface, voice controll, or a Wii-like controller so you can swing your sword in real-time, we'll probably have to do with action-bars etc.
I think you have hit the nail on the head. It seems as if people are demanding a huge leap forward that isn't going to happen successfully. Progression has be in steps, each basing itself on the solidity of the step before. Too big a jump and there is too high a chance of failure.
For those who think that LOTRO should be far different from WOW (lets face it, the tried and tested base for future developement whether we like it or not) you should send your ideas to Turbine (or any dev company) with your resume for a job.
We would all love to see something completely new out there but don't forget, all these developement companies spend a long time doing theur due diligence before embarking on a new game.
I have played SWG (pre CU) and WOW and the WOW interface is far better ... what is it that people actually expecting from an interface? And why should a WOW styled interface be so bad? The interface has to give the player a chance to play the game to the best of its ability and to be honest, the WOW style does that pretty well.
The next level of MMO is very easy to answer.
Total player immersion in the actual world they live in, lets look at one game i would die for to be done as a MMO.
Lets look at example, ALIENS
Taking the concept of Aliens we can turn the Earth, set at a distant time, of 3120. The Aliens have broken free of the scientists space ships and taken complete control over earth. Now we fast forward to OUR (Player interaction, ie Launch of game) time. Instead of a PVP game we have 100% LIVE event driven game play.
Here the devs have us, the player "train" in certain skills, skills that dont take 10000000000 kills of some stupid monster. In my thoughts of doing ALIENS : Target earth" the players level by completeing tactical missions "Simulated" missions (similar to playing arcade games) from killing bugs, to working as a team.
Now once the players from around the world have gotten to a tipping point, (say 60% of the players have gotten the basic skills, shooting, fire effects, tactics, team work, rescue, nuking and so forth, then the players get LIVE events.
These are run by the Game Masters (any name for em here) and provides squads (GUILDS/PAs) with XP and bonuses. This is the new level for MMORPG's the ability to level your characters working WITH other humans rather than killing some.
PVP could, be added to this game, as boss missions could have a timer event on it, giving 4 teams the option to work as a team or ambushing each other too.
funny though that modern mmos only look at wow, and not at the originators for wow. i don't see,a s one example, player housing high up on the list for lotro developement.
Unfortunately, I think WoW has destroyed online gaming. Now everyone wants everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. WoW is lacking in so many ways, there aren't even words. Terrible, terrible game. I wish I hadn't wasted the money on it.
The next level...
They need to stop making excuses for what they can't do when it's blatant crap that they're just too lazy to make it work properly (like the ability to sit in chairs). Complete character customization, including a chance to choose color of all clothing and armor, and the ability to add design to such things as cloaks. Character customization should have as many options, and come in as many shapes and sizes, as we do in real life. There should be at least a dozen possible builds (not races or classes though those work for a starting point, possible choices within each class and race for every character so that absolutely anything is possible). And there should be the possibility of being duel or even tripple classed (but different levels for each one).
Options should be realistic (meaning, almost so real you feel like you could touch them). Quests should have many different possible endings depending on your own choices (rather than just "Kill 20 of this" type of quest).
THAT is the future. If WoW doesn't continue to destroy the genre with the worst possible gaming ever.
I'm sure you can pick out more and my sleep fogged brain is screaming
"bed time" to me so I'll be back tomorrow when I'll probably have
thought of more for you.
Looks like World of Warcraft doesn't it? Except it came out two years earlier. That interface can be traced back to Everquest. Honestly...I can't stand it, which is why I play the original Asheron's Call...twitch combat...
Nonetheless, World of Warcraft isn't original in any regard.
*sighs*
some ppl seem to think MMOs start and end with WoW
Gallant said:
"If this game and/or it's interface is a "cousin of WOW's" it has already turned me off. WOW is the worst thing ever to happen to MMO's. So far no game has done MMORPG as good as (let alone better than) DAOC IMO."
"I'm curious, as devoted MMO players, what do you guys think it will take to bring a game to the next level? What IS the next level? And, finally, has the over popularity of the ultra dumbed down WOW permenantly gimped the wonderful world of MMO's?"
WoW just put their own stamp on a genre and format that was being done by almost every other fatasy MMO before it - it wasnt new or groundbreaking - Blizzard did it well and should be congratulated on their success. Personally i disliked both the toony look of WoW and the community (and the craft for that matter) so i dont play it - though i dont feel the need to disrespect them, and they wouldnt care if i did.
As for your question to take a game to next level, personally i would like a more interactive environment and NPCs, giving players more to do in the world than just quest or grind. And stick a decent craft system on top!
Additionally - i would be perfectly happy if classess / schools could be abandoned (as well as levels / level caps) for a more organic and free character development. As you gain experience the character could develop in any one of 100s (or 1000s) of possible ways - healing skills / weapon skills / health / combat moves / stealth / increase in damage dealt / damage avoidance / combat spells / buffs etc etc - This way every character could be made unique and completely player specced
______________________________
WAR looks AWESOME!
Give Blood....Play Rugby!
Lotro is still way in beta right now. Looks like the Devs are taking their time and hopefully listening to the feedback from the beta palyers. My self I like Horizons interface, was not fancy but was flexible as heck. Too bad the rest of that game sucked.
As far as emulating WoW with 7 milllion players they must be doing something right, however I did not care for it myself. Hopefully LoTRO will copy the polish from WoW, and a lot of the best features of other games also. Right now LoTRO look slike the best thing on the horizon, with PoBS right behind so time will tell.
I miss DAoC
WOW has a great interface, a very good class system with a flexible talent system, and has many other things worth emulating.
I would not emulate their cartoon world or their absence of a death penalty, but I would take some of their slickly polished game mechanics and carry them over into the design of a serious MMORPG.
I agree, I'm a UO and old SWG fan myself. It seems WOW has really decimated the mmorpg industry. Their popularity has made other companies jealous, so they all try to make clones now.
Blizzard played the cruelest trick of them all, they gave children exactly what they wanted. They made a simple static game that requires no thought. In essence they gave children a pacifier. Blizzard holds your hand, spoon feeding you everything you ever wanted, its impossible to lose. There is no risk yet you are constantly rewarded for just attending class.
The sad part is most mmorpg players used to be working stiffs who played games in the evening to unwind after a hard days work. One of the things I hate the worst about the new games is the damn wasd movement, it reminds me of playing an old commodore 64, I have a mouse for movement let me use it already.
The problem is, I don't see that happening any time soon. WoW has, at least temporarily destroyed the game industry by turning these games into kiddie games.
I've been doing my homework on WOW, tracing back what they were hoping to do when they set out. I have alot more respect for what they accomplished now.
They wanted to improve upon the online gaming experience of their Battle.net customers.
They loved the whole Warcraft universe and had considerable backstory written for it that they had not used but felt they could use really well in a 3D environment.
The cartoony graphics which I despise they carried over to keep the look of previous Warcraft game characters. So..I forgive them now, rofl.
They made it so you could just start playing without assigning skills and points, thinking this would confuse very new mmorpg players. Much of their thinking was geared to...how can we make this appealing and suck you in, my little noobulous.... The UI, which others, including allegedly LOTRO are copying in part, is designed to be simple and intuitive, as much as possible.
It appears, they looked at everything they liked about what they had done themselves, and stole choice best bits from other games, and wrapped it into their presentation. Add in clever marketing and WOW, off they went.
So...if LOTRO takes it hugely appealing IP, and takes the best from their own gaming history, things they are enthusiastic about and love, and if they go ahead and look around for successful ideas elsewhere, yes they can be a great success.
I don't see that it is necessary for them to out-WOW WOW, or anyone else, they just need to go in solidly, do what they do best in gaming. Just as with WOW, maybe it isn't any one thing they do right, but a series of things they put together well that will draw people to Middle Earth.
Just a thought
LOTRO is probably going to be a big sucsess....but let me just say that if you hate wow you are probably going to hate this one too.
The WoW UI isn't the "best possible UI" I personally think it looks horrible, and isn't as easy as some other systems I've seen. However, due to WoW's popularity, and it being the first MMO of the next generation of subscribers (mostly the dumb ones who have never had a dard MMO to play) many MMOs will now shape their UI around WoW. It rankles deep and I hate it. It's not a good UI, it's just familiar.
Also with WoW's simplicity making it so popular, many games are being dumbed down the SECOND someon says "too hard!" for fear of losing customers. Maybe LotrO, Vanguard, or Conan can bring back some spice. EVE had the right idea.
Darkfall Travelogues!
Dark age of Camelot is by far the most fun game ive played after you hit max lvl. It was really exciting and felt more like an adventure.
World of no (war)craft was not bad untill you hit max lvl then it turns into nothing but an item grind game. All there ever going to add to wow is more and more items for you to farm for.
searching for the next DAoC....
Kay-exile