Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Is Blizzard raising the MMO bar?
Clatil
Member Posts: 41
to preface this message: I don't play or particularly like WoW and am not trying to glorify the game or its gameplay, simply the marketing standards of the company Blizzard
Perhaps World of Warcraft is not the best MMO on the market. I played WoW for about 6 months, and personally dont like it for various reasons, but that is not the point. What WoW does present, (as well as all Blizzard games for that matter), is a finely tuned world filled with very balanced and complete quests and skills. Although Blizzard brings nothing new to the table with WoW, everything that they present is done so perfectly. I played WoW about a month after its release, and it was more or less a very similar game ( in the early levels) to the game I played about a year after that. In comparison to their contemporary, EQ2, they released a product on the market that they knew would work and be highly successful. EQ2 had to undergo massive changes (which includes a plethora of expansions and adv. packs) to become the game that it is today, while WoW underwent minor, and free changes and only has one expansion. The amount of free content that Blizzard has released for WoW is astounding, and along with the low settings requirements and easy playability is probably one of the top reasons that it is the most played MMO to date, and most likely will be for a long time to come.
Recently I have been noticing many new MMO titles pushing back their launch dates. While I do recognize this is very common in the video game industry, especially with online titles, I wonder if MMO titles are now recognizing a need to raise the bar to succeed in the industry. Vanguard serves as a chilling example of what can happen if a game is not de-bugged and polished to at least a dull sheen prior to its release, and I think that Blizzard has made expectations so high with compatability and bugs that new games will have to be nothing short of perfect at launch.
On top of that, WoW over the years has released so much free content that they haven't had to release an expansion until the past year, while EQ2, which was released on the same day, has had about 7 updates that were paid. I haven't really seen any MMO that has had so much free content, but that could be because I played EQ and EQ2 for the most part, which were expansion fiends of SOE. Yet SOE has recently announced they will be reducing their amount of expansions released to one per year so they can focus on perfecting and polishing the content, and they also just released a free patch which includes a lot of new content.
WoW certainly isnt loved by all, but it works for most in this market and I think that reason is obvious. Blizzard is just about the best company for games I can think of, and although it might be a pain in the ass that 8.5 million 10 year olds or whatever play WoW, it is also that astounding control over the market that is now forcing other gaming companies to step it up a level, which in the end bodes quite well for us gamers.
Perhaps World of Warcraft is not the best MMO on the market. I played WoW for about 6 months, and personally dont like it for various reasons, but that is not the point. What WoW does present, (as well as all Blizzard games for that matter), is a finely tuned world filled with very balanced and complete quests and skills. Although Blizzard brings nothing new to the table with WoW, everything that they present is done so perfectly. I played WoW about a month after its release, and it was more or less a very similar game ( in the early levels) to the game I played about a year after that. In comparison to their contemporary, EQ2, they released a product on the market that they knew would work and be highly successful. EQ2 had to undergo massive changes (which includes a plethora of expansions and adv. packs) to become the game that it is today, while WoW underwent minor, and free changes and only has one expansion. The amount of free content that Blizzard has released for WoW is astounding, and along with the low settings requirements and easy playability is probably one of the top reasons that it is the most played MMO to date, and most likely will be for a long time to come.
Recently I have been noticing many new MMO titles pushing back their launch dates. While I do recognize this is very common in the video game industry, especially with online titles, I wonder if MMO titles are now recognizing a need to raise the bar to succeed in the industry. Vanguard serves as a chilling example of what can happen if a game is not de-bugged and polished to at least a dull sheen prior to its release, and I think that Blizzard has made expectations so high with compatability and bugs that new games will have to be nothing short of perfect at launch.
On top of that, WoW over the years has released so much free content that they haven't had to release an expansion until the past year, while EQ2, which was released on the same day, has had about 7 updates that were paid. I haven't really seen any MMO that has had so much free content, but that could be because I played EQ and EQ2 for the most part, which were expansion fiends of SOE. Yet SOE has recently announced they will be reducing their amount of expansions released to one per year so they can focus on perfecting and polishing the content, and they also just released a free patch which includes a lot of new content.
WoW certainly isnt loved by all, but it works for most in this market and I think that reason is obvious. Blizzard is just about the best company for games I can think of, and although it might be a pain in the ass that 8.5 million 10 year olds or whatever play WoW, it is also that astounding control over the market that is now forcing other gaming companies to step it up a level, which in the end bodes quite well for us gamers.
Comments
But i hope newer mmo that is coming will be better in some aspects of the game, esp end-game content.
RIP Orc Choppa
WoW hasn't released any free content outside of more shit to raid....which I do not count as content as only a small percentage of people playing will actually experience it. Other than that the only thing they ever added were battle grounds which were supposed to be in at release. So tell me, what "Free content" do you keep referring to? Are you talking about the patches that they added that "balanced" classes? Because that's not content either.
In fact, the expansion didn't add much of anything other than some more levels, and more items to farm. The expansion actually took the game back a step because all of the items these hard core raiders spent their lives raiding for were easily replaced by blues and greens.
To take you up on a point, Blizzard have not added a lot of free content, for example in the first year to 18 months after launch they were still rolling out content that should have been in the game at launch, not to mention some advertised content such as hero classes, A true honor/dishonor system are still not in game. The Developers at Blizzard are only delivering the absolute minimum to keep people interested, whilst the direction of the game moves further and further away from a True MMORPG to A MMOFPS where more and more attention is being placed on instanced and arena based PvP.
When Blizzard first launched WoW it was with the promise of new content and quests every month, they still haven't lived up to that.
WoW was fun to play initially but that wears of all to quickly as there is very little depth in the game, which is said because at launch the game had a lot of promise.
I know some ppl will probably go and have a freak fit but I will be honest and I will be frank about Blizzard and WoW
Yes WoW put EQ the Queen of the MMO world to rest while some still play it, it no longer holds the title of MMO royalty even though they did try to recapture their populace with EQ2 which I've had several dozen ppl I know tell me EQ2 sucks. WoW claimed the crown and reigned up until now but there ARE concerns about its future as the New MMOs coming out threaten its title as king. Could we be looking at an MMO Democracy? Perhaps but chances are WoW will soon lose its huge flair as more fans of the other MMOs coming out migrate to those i.e. AoC, Dungeon Runners, WAR, Tabula Rasa
WoW has run into player concerns about meeting demand with supply, they raised the Bar but can they keep their OWN product there while they work on their next crowning achievement to reclaim the RTS Market with SC2?
Time will tell but for now the bar HAS indeed been raised and most of these New MMOs coming out have pushed their releases back in order to further polish their titles to either try and overthrow or compete with WoW and Blizzard.
/QFT
Couldn't have said it better myself. The "free content" that the OP was so amazed to see was actually stuff that was promised at release. The rest of they stuff they promised, IE Hero classes, player controlled siege weaponry, and so on have all been scrapped in the place of raids raids raids, and instanced pvp.
Basically Blizzard took everything people wanted from MMO's and threw it out the window, and replaced it with fast paced "instant gratification" crap that kids who NEVER played MMO's wanted. Now companies all think that this is what EVERYONE wants, and we all suffer for it. Dumbed down content, and infinite raids are the future of MMO's.....thanks blizzard....
I just think that the bar has been raised as far as expectations for free content and smooth gameplay, as well as accessability to more players with mid-lower end systems. I agree that WoW is a dumbed down MMO, and this along with its lack of variety and the shittoon graphics are the reason I don't play the game anymore. However, there are a lot of games that will come out that aren't the same game as WoW, yet present the polished gameplay of WoW that players now expect and need. After Vanguard I don't think anyone is going to try a premature release.
Lets put it this way, No, wow is not particulary special.
The reason i belive this after playing it since beta (and having quit recently) is due to several reasons.
Lets start with the good, the reason that people were so attracted to wow is due to it being a relativly bug free (in mmo terms) game that was pretty much complete at release. Blizzard also release constant content, Allbeit only for the pve player. This said WoW attracts players due to new content, lack of bugs and its completeness
The essential problems with the game include over and underbalancing in pvp due to the game being pve centric, blizzards support being attrocious, poor pve and constant repitition over and over. Also the game is not designed for the casual player at all requiring dedication and NOT ALLOWING YOU TO PLAY YOUR CLASS AS U MAY WISH TO PROGESS IN THE END GAME.
Blizzard do have some fantastic developers however they have lost most of the diablo 2 team to hellgate and much of the original dev team went to guild wars, concequently what we see now is a new breed of developers at blizzard thta are WoW centric. After all why change the formula when they are raking in soo much money.
You are wrong when u say WoW will remain popular for the foreseeable future, the only reason wow is popular is beacuse there really is no other options on the market. The best MMOFPS is neocron which the community is shafted by the dev team over and over. Rivals to WoW include SWGs EQ2 Lineage2 and Final fantasy XI. SWG is another game when the Devs have failed to listen to the community over and over thus they have lost most of their player base. Linease final fantasy and EQ both have far too boring grinds to attract most european and american players hence they simply stay away.
Conclusion: WoW is popular not beacuse its a good game, its at best mediocre in what it offers at level 60/70 however for the MMO player there really is no alternative at this point in time! The bar that WoW raised was bringing a 90% complete game out after beta which few other MMORPGS have managed to do!
Save a Tree.... Eat a Beaver
A small percantage? Like it's so freakn' difficult to login in the evening for 3 h or even less and slay a few bosses. People who say that raiding in WoW was a hardcore content only, clearly doesn't have an idea of what hes talking about. You just need to find a good and organized guild and some time after work. Before TBC I was able to get full T1 within little over a month (instances reseted once a weak) while playing not more then 3 - 4 h a day.
I read the guidebook that come with the game when I bought it in 2004. Some of the content mentioned is still not in the game.
Hero Classes were promised on the "Comming Soon" page for about 6-8 months. They have shelved them as well as Battlegrounds II that was promised.
They have added a few dungeons and some quests in their free updates, but nothing major. Even TBC added very little. Two new races, 1 new profession, new rep to grind, and more dungeons.
Now what is on the horizon for WoW? Voicechat, and guild banks? Player/guild Housing? Sounds like they are going to be labeled a LOTRO clone now.
WoW has fairly stable after the first month. I don't see that as setting the bar.
I think WoW set the bar in allowing the masses to pick up the game, and start playing it. Anyone with a 8 year old PC can play it.
It is easy to learn, and can be fun.
And I think people who think that playing 3-4 hours A NIGHT have no idea what it's like to have real life responsibilities. Get a job, get a girlfriend, and get into school and THEN try and juggle those things PLUS 3 hours a night to get some in game items.
I am not the type of person that wants epics on casual play time. I don't care about epics, but I don't want to be gimped in a game because my items are not up to par with that of the hardcore kids. I also don't want to have nothing to do at max level because I don't have the time to raid. It is your attitude towards gaming that has turned things the way they are. Kids like you with the elitest raider attitude have ruined gaming as it stands.
I hate you, and everything you stand for.
You forget that wow also did something other mmorpg did not do.
The need to NOT keep buying super computers to play mmorpg.Until wow came out ,the mmorpg market was a benchmark for gaming elites with each new mmorpg demanding the latest and best technology.
WoW actually went retro and was playable by those with the most basic system thus actually opening a wide market .They went the cartoony way(warcraft is cratoon anyhow so it fit in well) which takes much less stres then the realistic look that previous mmorpg were trying to perfect.
And every good buisnessman knows that its better to get a product that is easy to get the masses then a select elite .
www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/implemented/
These include (not counting TBC expansion) new zones, new raid and group dungeons, world bosses (non instanced), revamped PvP, new Battle grounds, several class make overs (omg they nerfed me... grow up), new abilities & spells, new items and gear, new mounts, new factions, new quests, new world events and some new engine stuff like weather effects.
Not enough for some of you move, WoW end game is Raid always has been, you play through to 70 and then realise you cannot raid is not WoW's fault its yours.
So you are saying that it was the first people's fault who reached 60 that when they got there the only end game blizzard had made was raids? And revamping pvp, changing classes, and adding weather effects does not count as "content". Changing something that is already in the game is not adding content, and weather effects should have been in the game since day one.
Hopefully blizzard pays you money to be at their defense like you are....
And I think people who think that playing 3-4 hours A NIGHT have no idea what it's like to have real life responsibilities. Get a job, get a girlfriend, and get into school and THEN try and juggle those things PLUS 3 hours a night to get some in game items.
I am not the type of person that wants epics on casual play time. I don't care about epics, but I don't want to be gimped in a game because my items are not up to par with that of the hardcore kids. I also don't want to have nothing to do at max level because I don't have the time to raid. It is your attitude towards gaming that has turned things the way they are. Kids like you with the elitest raider attitude have ruined gaming as it stands.
I hate you, and everything you stand for.
I must say..I completely agree with you. However, in examining games that are soon to be released there, hopefully, will be a game that has the old standards of a good mmo where epics are actually difficult to get, and everyone doesn't think they are awesome because they have the same raid gear as all the other level 70s on the server, alongside the STABILITY and PLAYABILITY that WoW does present. If Vanguard had only waited for about 6 months - 1 year longer, they could have done a lot more than crash and burn
They have more overall content than most MMOs... that's because of the size that they have...
They did not really innovate much in any way... they pretty much stuck to good old formulas.
They implemented rest XP... to my knowledge this was new...
If you compare with other games like:
-the complexe trading in Eve
-the RvR of DAoC and level & loot as you RvR of WAR
-the extremely vast appearance customisation of from City of Heroes ... plus the base system
-the City of Villains Pet class system.
-the diplomacy system from Vanguard.
-the area-based voice chat from There.
-the Conan melee combat complexity.
-the story telling from Ryzom
Now... innovation is not the only way to raise the bar (actually by definition that would be "setting the bar")... you can do something old and do it exceptionally well... but I don't see WoW particularly shining in that ...
WoW is mainly known for showing everyone how much of a market there is for MMOs. It innovates about as much as asian MMOs innovate. And though the execution is better than your standard Korean mmo... it's just not really showing other MMOs how it's done in any particular field that I can think of.
But now, millions have played WoW. They are bored with it. The market is still in it's infancy stages. I think and hope companies will see how big area is and start some innovative development.
To answer the quetsion: Yes. Blizzard did in fact raise the bar.
"...and with that cryptic comment, I'm off to bed!"
What happens is that developers plan on not releasing until the game runs smoothly. Then they go over budget, and the publisher says you're releasing now, or we're pulling the plug and you'll never release. So they release a bad game, not because they didn't know any better, but because there's no more money to pay the team, the rent, the electricity, etc.
Nobody needs WoW to show them it's important to have a smooth release and a bug free game. They either do it before the money runs out, or they don't. But they all intend to do it before the money runs out.
MMORPG Maker
The analogy is the OP is saying someone got paid to cut the grass (make an MMORPG) but they just gave up when it was half finished. But people put up with it. But now, some company comes along and will cut the whole yard, so the guy that used to cut only half the yard and give up, now has to cut the whole yard to compete.
But that's not what happened to Vanguard. It's more like I ask you, "How much gas money do you need to cut the yard?" And you say "20 bucks". I give you 20 bucks, and tell you I don't have any more money. You start cutting the grass, but half way thru the lawnmower runs out of gas. You'd like to cut more, but there's no more gas. YOu screwed up, and should have either budgeted for more gas, or cut more efficiently. It's not about the competition, it's about your ability to judge your ability and budget correctly.
So you are saying that it was the first people's fault who reached 60 that when they got there the only end game blizzard had made was raids? And revamping pvp, changing classes, and adding weather effects does not count as "content". Changing something that is already in the game is not adding content, and weather effects should have been in the game since day one.
Hopefully blizzard pays you money to be at their defense like you are....
Not on their payroll no... im sry if I upset you for putting my point across, had no idea your opinion was king.I was replying to the many who said blizz does not give free content. To your post..... PVP revamp was content with battle ground zones Alteric vally and Warsong gultch and later on Arathi basin, and weather effects might not be classed as content but it is a game addition.
As to end game yes it is a players fault if they cannot play endgame, endgame is raiding always has been. If they dont have time to raid or lack the social skills to join a guild its 100% their fault.
So I take it that the 6 months you played were in the last 6 months because if they have been in the first YEAR of the game you certainly would not be saying what you are saying now.
I mean don't get me wrong, I played WoW for over 2 years and liked the game but for those of you that are spouting out how wonderful and stable and great the game is must certainly not have played at launch.
WoW had a bug filled - content lacking/bugged 12 months after launch. Blizzard did not raise the bar, they finally after over 2 years are starting to MEET IT.
It took them over 2 years - 2 YEARS - to get some real new content into the game. Prior to that it was simply trying to make what they had work right.
So setting the bar? No, no way, they are finally meeting it.