Distinguish mmorpg types.

Whane · March 2007

The web is in dire need of this and it would appear that mmorpg.com is best positioned to pull it off. A list of games that can be listed according to distinguishing characterstics. These "distinguishing characterstics" include 2 things and since this site already seems to have hit on the other distinguishing characterstics I'll only mentioned the last two key componenents.

1. Distinguishing between browser based MMORPG's and Appliaction based MMORPG's.

2. Distinguishing between traditional RPG's and what are commonly referred to as strats.

#1 This is somewhat misleading since a Flash or Java game (think Runescape) is in fact an application game*, but it is web based and played through a browser whereas WoW is not played through a browser. Perhaps even better, a tag for each game that indicates a required DL would work even better since several browser games still require image pack downloads. IMO they are missing the point. Many players that enjoy these web based games do so because they can be played from *anywhere*, I.E. places that do not require downloads such as work, school, and public access locations. It is very annoying to read through an entire list of mmorpg's and have this basic fact ommitted from the listing. Browser games are becoming more popular and satisify a niche mmorpg market and if mmorpg.com wants to be the exclusive resource, then I would add this as a searchable element within this site.

#2 Some do not consider that raising an army of 100+ soliders to march into war to qualify as an RPG in the traditional sense. It sounds too much like a strat. If it sounds like a duck, smells like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then I think it's a duck no matter how many people point and say "Turkey". There has also been much debate on the origins of web-based strats and some say that strat designers are attempting to hijack the term "MMORPG" in order to draw traffic since the term MMORPG is searched for more often than Strat. Whether than join the debate. Why not simply add a flag for any MMORPG that includes the simultaneous play of x number of characters? Of course my view is that a strat is a strat and an RPG is an RPG ... at this rate soon age of Empires will be called an MMORPG too.

*ref: MMBRPG Identity Crisis

So that's my suggestion and why I'm suggesting. Keep the two cents.