General: A Decade in Review

Stradden

MMORPG.com columnist Victor Wachter writes this two part look back at a decade of MMORPGs from 2000 to 2010.

As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century. While MMOs had their beginnings in the 1990s, the 2000's (or oh-ohs, as I like to call them) can be looked at as the rise, and possibly fall, of virtual civilization.

In 2000, you had your choice of a fantasy MMORPG (Ultima Online), a fantasy MMORPG (EverQuest), or a fantasy MMORPG (Asheron's Call). If you felt like stepping out and being a bit more indy, you could play a couple of aging pioneer fantasy MMORPGs (The Realm, Meridian 59), a few of the larger fantasy MUDs (Achaea, Dragon Realms) or a fantasy game about furries (Furcadia). In short, there was really only one genre at work, though the gameplay of each game differed vastly from the others.

Read A Decade in Review.

Sovrath

Everquest 2 had item sales at launch?

I don't remember that?

Hyanmen

Congratulations, you just ignored the MMO with the biggest playerbase until WoW came out. Really, that makes me quite pissed to be honest. What the hell is this Square-Enix hatred(?) going on? Should their MMO not be mentioned under any circumstances? It Might be understandable if the game didn't accomplish anything worth mentioning.

 

But it was the largest MMO in the market for several years. Simply unacceptable.

uttaus

Originally posted by Hyanmen


Congratulations, you just ignored the MMO with the biggest playerbase until WoW came out. Really, that makes me quite pissed to be honest. What the hell is this Square-Enix hatred(?) going on? Should their MMO not be mentioned under any circumstances? It Might be understandable if the game didn't accomplish anything worth mentioning.
 
But it was the largest MMO in the market for several years. Simply unacceptable.

 

Sorry for my ignorace but what game are you refering too?

Hallie_Miles

As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.

 

No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

Hyanmen

Originally posted by uttaus


Sorry for my ignorace but what game are you refering too?

Final Fantasy 11. And I did remember wrong, Lineage's had the most subscribers worldwide. Still not an excuse to simply ignore the game though. 

MNZeba

Great review but you missed FFXI.... Why?

WntSolstice

I'm not a big fan of the 'kill 10' type quests, but they seem to be the easiest for everyone to get their heads around.

 

I really wanted to see more 'world-changing' aspects to MMOs, but the mainstream ones never seem to quite get that down. The few that do have it mostly working seem to be in the minority, popularity wise.

Hrayr2148

First thing that popped into my head after reading this article is something that two people have already mentioned.

 

Not a single reference to Final Fantasy XI.  It's not even mentioned that it's still going strong.  Not a mention that it's existed for 7 of the 10 years  the article is reviewing.  Doesn't even mention it's held a stable 500k subscriber base for 7 years.

Glaring omission to say the least. 

Varny

 Planetside for me was a major point in the genre, shame SOE ruined another title.

sufi633

eh

eburn

Didn't FFXI get mentioned? No where did he write, 'games like EQ or WoW'? Because that's as big of a shake to the system FFXI gave. It's in the same genre. Probably the same reason DAoC, probably much more notable to the discussion at hand than FFXI in many regards, wasn't mentioned.

Onward tho', I remember the summer of 2001 pretty well. Had my first real job at a tech center and all of the nerds I was working with were either playing EQ or UO and I've played just about every single title since then. Up until this year. I like how the article hints at the idea the mmorpg era might be over.

I don't see any WoW killer truly coming about, just a larger selection of hybrid titles. Console games with mmo-aspects, online rpgs with console like aspects, massivemultiplayeronlinesim titles. There's going to be another generation of the model established in the MIGHTY Ohz! That's it tho'. There's really no market or need to try and make a large enough title to cover every possible subscriber out there.

I propose the discussion moves to.. [b]What game did you MOST look forward to this decade? But either flopped or vaporwared?[/b]

I'm torn between Horizons or Hero's Journey.

Hyanmen

Originally posted by eburn


Didn't FFXI get mentioned? No where did he write, 'games like EQ or WoW'? Because that's as big of a shake to the system FFXI gave. It's in the same genre. Probably the same reason DAoC, probably much more notable to the discussion at hand than FFXI in many regards, wasn't mentioned.

Yeah, except DAoC was mentioned. FFXI is just as notable as that game to the subject. First game to have a proper storyline in an MMO, first CONSOLE MMO,  many gameplay aspects that were unique to the genre (and still are, amazingly). 

It's unacceptable to not mention it.

 

Krisevol

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

/facepalm

 

the start of 2000 to the end of 2009 is 10 years.

nexus1g

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

You wouldn't say "the 60s" and include 1970, would you? The decade goes from the start of the decade (x0) to the end of x9.

 

I wasn't impressed with this article at all. Sub-par for mmorpg.com.

MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Krisevol

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

/facepalm

 

the start of 2000 to the end of 2009 is 10 years.

True, but there was no year 0. The first decade AD was 1-10.

nexus1g

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Krisevol

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

/facepalm

 

the start of 2000 to the end of 2009 is 10 years.

True, but there was no year 0. The first decade AD was 1-10.

 

There is a year 0 even if it doesn't show up on the standard calendar. The first decade went from 1 BCE to 9 CE.

Krisevol

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Krisevol

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

/facepalm

 

the start of 2000 to the end of 2009 is 10 years.

True, but there was no year 0. The first decade AD was 1-10.

 

This is also true, but he said " first decade of the twenty-first century".  The 21st century started day one of 2000.

 

Edit:  ↓ He's right.  I have learned something new.  Also I'm posting as an edit as not to bump this thread.

MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Krisevol
This is also true, but he said " first decade of the twenty-first century".  The 21st century started day one of 2000.

Day one of 2001. First century was 1-100. Second was 101-200. Follow the progression.

Don't let pop culture do your calculations for you.

nexus1g

Originally posted by Krisevol

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Krisevol

Originally posted by Hallie_Miles


As we close out 2009, we're not only ending a year, but also the first decade of the twenty-first century.
 
No, no, no, no, NO! That would be next year. It's pretty sad when even the pros can't do simple math.

 

/facepalm

 

the start of 2000 to the end of 2009 is 10 years.

True, but there was no year 0. The first decade AD was 1-10.

 

This is also true, but he said " first decade of the twenty-first century".  The 21st century started day one of 2000.

 

By his figuring, the 21st century started on 2001. But of course that's wrong. There is literally an astronomical year missing out of the Gregorian calendar -- year 0.

Thomas2006

 I agree that there had to have been a year 0. Something magically doesn't start at 1 year old.

As far as FFXI goes, I am not too sure why they didnt atleast mention it. It's never done great or anything it just managed to sit there. 500k subscribers world wide is anything but great. 

MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by nexus1g
 
There is a year 0 even if it doesn't show up on the standard calendar. The first decade went from 1 BCE to 9 CE.

This isn't even worth arguing about.

Hyanmen

Originally posted by Thomas2006


As far as FFXI goes, I am not too sure why they didnt atleast mention it. It's never done great or anything it just managed to sit there. 500k subscribers world wide is anything but great. 

In 2004 it was.

nexus1g

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by nexus1g
 
There is a year 0 even if it doesn't show up on the standard calendar. The first decade went from 1 BCE to 9 CE.

This isn't even worth arguing about.

 

There isn't an argument. That's the way it is. The Gregorian calendar literally skips the astronomical year of 0. Thus 1 BCE is used concurrently as 1 BCE and 0 CE. Look it up.

eburn

Originally posted by Hyanmen

Originally posted by eburn


Didn't FFXI get mentioned? No where did he write, 'games like EQ or WoW'? Because that's as big of a shake to the system FFXI gave. It's in the same genre. Probably the same reason DAoC, probably much more notable to the discussion at hand than FFXI in many regards, wasn't mentioned.

Yeah, except DAoC was mentioned. FFXI is just as notable as that game to the subject. First game to have a proper storyline in an MMO, first CONSOLE MMO,  many gameplay aspects that were unique to the genre (and still are, amazingly). 

It's unacceptable to not mention it.

 

 

Look I played the game, I liked the game; but unless you were using hyperbole in a poetic sense NONE of what you replied with is true. It wasn't the first anything, other than the first Final Fantasy MMO. And hopefully you know the 3 examples I'm thinking of that FFXI's developers said they were inspired by. 2 of their main developers came from a big project that released a good year and half prior.

Hyanmen

Originally posted by eburn


 NONE of what you replied with is true. It wasn't the first anything, other than the first Final Fantasy MMO. 

Prove it, then.

Hint: Online RPG is not an MMO.