Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Too high of expectations or not enough, you decide.
Hashbrick
Member RarePosts: 1,851
The problem with MMOs and video games in general is that everyone wants it their way and if it isn't their way it is deemed a "SuX0R." More over anything completely different then what is on the market makes players supsious and uneasy at this new gizmo. Lots of players don't like change and many anticipate it. As I see there are two types of gamers. You have the veterans who started way back when pong was the big hit and you have you the newbies that might of poped in when PS2/XBOX, SWG, and EQ2 became hits. Each of these gamers have different attitudes toward the gaming industry.
Throughout my research on this topic I've notcied that the veterans have more of an understanding toward the game they are playing and not only playing, but love to play. They support the game even through the toughest time, even if they hate what the developer has done they stick to it hoping and pleading for new change or to flip back to the old days.
Now the newbies that pop up have no patiences for games they don't like and could care less about the view point they make on games. The industry was already open to them and tons of console systems and choice arised, while the veterans were stuck in an age of new technology. The newbies never had the chance to druel when Pac-Man first hit the arcades. The times have a big thing to do with it, when you start off with the technology you study it and get to know it better and learn the way of the industry. When you pop in at the middle of it all you don't know where to look. Should you do this, should you do that? In the end its the newbies that have such a high expectation on the games we play today.
Change hurts, change helps, it all depends on what factor. I agree change is needed but what change? But there are just two changes, change that hurts the player base, and change that hurts the game. Even if it seems like a good change, in the end it could hurt the game. Hurting the game will not at most time cause players to leave, they just hope something will cover it up, put a nice band-aid on it and let it heal. Hurting the player base, now that is a completely different story and will cause almost all of your veterans and most of your best fans(Say SWG for example), In the mean time ya some wanders will come play your game as they havn't experienced the pure rapage of your company.
So maybe in fact we don't need change in MMOs, with all these games that went wrong maybe we just need to freeze the MMO market for a couple years to fix what went wrong and how to do it right. Why go into the future with the wrong mindset and lack of skill to do it right in the first place. This is why we are having so many problems with the next gen MMOs we expect huge change because they are labeled "Next Gen." The only thing these new MMOs will give us is a short breather from the older MMOs but they won't latch on to us like your first MMO did.
So since our industry is diving head first into uncharted waters, I say we give them a chance to see what they can come up with. Who knows maybe within next year of 2008 we will see the next big MMO that will latch on to us like our favorite has done in the past. It all depends on the implementation not the inovation. Inovation won't matter if the game isn't balanced and not fun.
Beh I rambled a bit long, but there are important ideas and thoughts in this "article", hopefully some food for thought.
Please, please express your opinions on the matter of the subject. Would love to hear others in their thought with all this.
Comments
Although i've been saying that for a while now it's exactally what I would say if I was smarter
Bring on the WARRRRGGHH!
Lol, don't sell yourself short
.
I'd have to say "Too Low". Take a game like UO, it has everything I ever wanted from day one almost 10 years ago. Today I still see these "next gen" MMOs come out with only close to half the concept and completion UO had.
....but this also goes along with what I dont feel is good "Suxxors". UO was just my first, and aside from the feeling, I have yet to see anywhere near the features in most MMO's today.
Edit: Spelling corrections and the definition of what I meant. The expectations that we put on a MMO as a standard are too low, and we should expect more from 10 years worth of MMO developments.
You bring an interesting point to the table. In that mind set you are totally correct. UO was also my first and by far the most complete engaging MMORPG ever built. I am really looking forward to the graphic revamp. If you compare engine to engine, depth to depth, in no way would anything come close to UO. The thing is though that graphics has became a huge deal and thus these games are waved as old school or not worth someone's time. This we have the pc development industry to blame but lets not get into that. Thanks for your thought, well appreciated.
Considering early mmorpgs were doing things better than the ones are now shows something is up...
Most mmorpgs in 2005/2006 so far have been very poor.
My expectations are high too. After playing games with the quality levels of BGII, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and others older classsic games these days simply don't live up to expectations. You'd think they'd progress to higher levels in all aspects but the only aspect games these days exceed upon is the graphics. They have watered down gameplay and features at the expense of prettier, more realistic visuals. I'm so bored with games these days and I'm 19. Hardly any games keep my interest long enough. So those people who think it's just because the people that complain about this sort of thing are just getting older think again. Even alot of my friends think the same thing, that they're kinda bored and there's nothing really interesting and new out there. I think the worst part is that alot of people keep buying this kind of crap and not demanding more out of their money.
So far it is tied up: Too low, Too high. So what do the rest of you think, stop hiding behind that desk and post :P.
Trellot
We need to let the MMO companies know that we are valued members of the gaming society as well. Putting together hack and slash two bit coding with some graphics is not my idea of an involving MMO
Sadly, in 2004-2006 we have seen far too many. I wont name any MMOs as every person has their own perspectives. But we have all seen the depressing trend.
Gawd, what I wouldn't go for a good Sci-fi MMO (like ShadowRun ), or a great Modern age Gothic Horror (like Vampire: The Masquerade), or even something like This One or Even this one
The possibilities or literally endless, yet we are stuck with the same carbon copy fantasy based MMO. Bleh
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
Great point, looks like your prayers my have been answered with the new Firefly MMO being developed
.
I have to agree with you. The past few years have been weak, at best. We need some companies with the guts to step out on a limb and to do it properly, not get halfway there and then wuss out. There are many games and IPs out there that could be used to make an MMO, and there are countless ideas, even from regular players like you and me, that would also be great for MMO use.
Having said that, I think that making GTA (especially San Andreas) into an MMO would be a HUGE mistake. If you thought WoW's community was bad...
Shadowrun, Vampire, and Ghost in the Shell are all great titles, though.