How to make a better MMO?

oronisi

I've been thinking alot lately about what current MMOs have vs what was a standard with the last 2 generations, what went wrong, and what went right.  I think current MMOs and those coming out shortly have a great deal of positives, but are missing fundamental pieces.  I'd like to discuss what others think current MMOs are missing or bring to the table that old MMOs were missing.

All in all, I think there has been way too much focus on instant gratification, grinding in the form of constantly repeating the same exact stuff, and too much focus on the 'core' of MMOs: combat.

Now don't get me wrong, combat is great.  If the combat stinks, I won't play the MMO.  But for me, combat is one aspect of a much larger game.  I play racing games to race, FPS games to fight, rpgs for their story, load up IM to chat, etc... I play MMOs to do it all.  To me, an MMO should be a persistant universe in which you can log in and do many different things.  I think current MMOs have strayed away from that concept.

Grinding has been a bane of players since forever.  It's a catch 22.  You don't want everyone else to have the great items/skills/whatever, but you yourself want them.  The devs want you to keep playing, so they create grinding.  When grinding is spread out far enough over a large area, it's not bad at all.  I think grinding is an issue because MMOs have grown into a massively multiplayer combat only game.  Now combat is the only viable option to have you grind in.  Travel time & death penalties were great time sinks in the past MMOs, but for some reason, devs are so focused on giving players instant gratification while still making them grind, that they have done away with things like travel time and death penalties, and measurable heal times in between combat.

Maybe I'm alone in how I feel about current MMOs and what is really needed to make a great game.  I've seen great strides in graphics, interfaces, and combat gameplay.  I hope that some company can marry what's good in newer MMOs with what was good about older MMOs soon.

Kailight

I complete agree,

ive just started a similar thread about this. I feel all the mmo's are becoming the same borin game, yes the graphics are gettin great, and new combat elements are brilliant but i feel individuallity is missing.

i got into mmo's to create i char how i wanted it, the flaws and strengths i choose. all these new games have predetermind stats upon lvlin and your unable to put your own stats onto an item.  It it would take is simple skill points, when you lvl you get say, 10 skill points, the lower the current stat the less skill points you need to raise it, and as you get high lvl you get more skill points, say lvl 1 to 2 you get 5, lvl 100 to 101 you get 25, or do it via xp, in one lvl you gain 1000 xp, you can raise defense once using 900 xp or atk 5 times using 900 xp, that sort of thing.

And for eq, simple orbs or scrolls allowing you to put a stat on an item, make the stats stackable so you can put 20 immunity on an item etc and there you go, customizable eq which you can make how you want to complement your char build. These i feel are simple things, added to the graphics and combat ability of the new games and we'd have the new best mmo of the year. Im sick of bein a hunter and having to pretty much be like every other hunter in the game.

i played a game with the type of things im talkin about a few years ago and altho i dont play it anymore its still the best mmo i have ever played!!

Kai

Tatum

Newer MMOs:

Pros- more polished, not as grindy as older MMOs.

Cons- little to no depth.  you install the game, pick your race/class, then press the "auto play" button.

For the most part, I think MMOs are failing in both of the important catagories:  Depth and Gameplay.  For the most part, they still have the same slow, boring gameplay, but now they also lack any form of depth.  IMHO, you have to be really good with at least one of those to have an interesting game.  To have a great MMO, you'd have to be really good in BOTH of those catagories.  As far as I know, no MMO has done that yet...