smooth gameplay and UI interface makes or breaks a game. WoW and Aion both are really the only modern mmo's that have this. This is pretty much the first thing i'll look at in deciding if i'll play an mmo.
Of course after that there are a lot of other aspects, graphics and character customization are at the bottom. Seems like a lot of newer mmo's are focusing on those two unfortunately.
I think to discuss a "single most important" feature is to underplay how important it is for all elements of gameplay (controls, interface, combat/activity design, balance, etc) to be working in concert to great a great game experience. A game is more than the simple sum of those parts -- it's closer to the product of those parts multiplied together. So if you have a game with great combat, balance, and interface, but the controls are bad, then that brings down the entire experience. It'll still be fun, but bad controls will have really ruined what could've been an outstanding game.
And that's basically why great games are hard to make. You're not being held to creating a few awesome systems. The entire thing has to be awesome or it'll fall flat.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
PK option with death penalty, this gives players opportunities to be bad or good, create stories and adrenaline
Playing: Rohan Played (from best to worst): Shadowbane, Guild Wars, Shayia, Age of Conan, Warhammer, Runes of Magic, Rappelz, Archlord, Knight online, King of Kings, Kal online, Last chaos
I really don't believe there is a single most important feature for an mmo.
Some might say community but if the game isn't fun to play or doesn't let the player do what he/she wants then a great community isn't going to help.
Fun to play? Well, if the community is atrocious that will change.
One could say networking but if the game isn't fun or the community isn't good then who will want to log in.
I'm afraid my answer is that an mmo is more than the sum of its parts.
I agree here i dont think that there is one thing you can single out as most important, the whole thing is important every piece has to be done well and mesh well. The UI has to work well, character movement needs to be smooth, communty needs to be decent, combat needs to be engaging, PvE or PvP with a purpose there are so many things that you could list here. The simple fact is that you need them all to come together in the right ways or the game is most likely going to suck.
Freedom. Or in other words, diversity of choices, of possibilites. I hate to be narrowed to one or very few narrow pathways. I want a MMO to be rich and vast and full of choices and different things to do. Everything else comes second for me.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Any answers other than 'community' can be done in a single player game. So to me, the most important aspect of a multiplayer online game would have to be the community.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I used to know the answer to this question. But after trying new mmo after new mmo and each failing to deliver the proper experience to keep me captivated, I'm now totally clueless.
From character looks to classes to races to skills to multiple ways and places to level to things to do when you're bored of levelling.
This is also my opinion. For instance...I know a lot of MMO players do not care one way or the other about player housing, however....I WANT THE OPTION. The more choices and options I am given...the happier a camper I will be. It's almost without fail for me, that the game that gives me the most to do and the most choices...gets my money.
I third that.. Choices are everything, well atleast the #1 concern.. It's just like when I was younger and went to amusement parks.. The one that got my money was also the one that offered me the most choices.. Sure I could go to a park that has 1 coaster, the largest, tallest, fastest one in the world, but if that is all they offer.. I'll go elsewhere.. In an mmo, I'm looking for a game that when I log on, I'm excited and undecisive where to start first..
Any answers other than 'community' can be done in a single player game. So to me, the most important aspect of a multiplayer online game would have to be the community.
right on....COMMUNITY is the key to a good MMORPG ....the rest is gadget
second to that comes the setting of the MMO. I like fantasy better then sci-fi based games.
and third. When i enter the world i need to have this 'wow, this thing is huge!' feeling. No quick travel options. No zoning, maybe for pvp battlegrounds or pve dungeons but not AoC wise 'if you go from one zone to the other you get the loading screen'.
For me its not 1 feature but a combination of features. For a great MMO has to have a balance of 3 features
!) Game Play
2) Storyline
3) Lore/History
I place Storyline and Lore/History seperate for a reason. Storyline to me is what keeps the game moving. and Lore/History is what happened in the world that lead up to the launch of the MMO. I dont add graphics cause ive seen some games with kick @$$ graphics but lacked in the 3 features i mentioned and ive seen games with crappy graphics that also lacked in the 3 featurs. its a rareity if a game has a balance in all 4 so i dont hold my breath on that.
"Possibly we humans can exist without actually having to fight. But many of us have chosen to fight. For what reason? To protect something? Protect what? Ourselves? The future? If we kill people to protect ourselves and this future, then what sort of future is it, and what will we have become? There is no future for those who have died. And what of those who did the killing? Is happiness to be found in a future that is grasped with blood stained hands? Is that the truth?"
I love that in DDO. Just the fun of destroying something. It makes the world feel less static.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
LOTS OF PEOPLE PLAYING TOGETHER - its sounds funny but its the MM in MMORPG. Since the single player model (WoW) is so popular its nice to see games like GW2 focus more on it.
Comments
smooth gameplay and UI interface makes or breaks a game. WoW and Aion both are really the only modern mmo's that have this. This is pretty much the first thing i'll look at in deciding if i'll play an mmo.
Of course after that there are a lot of other aspects, graphics and character customization are at the bottom. Seems like a lot of newer mmo's are focusing on those two unfortunately.
I think to discuss a "single most important" feature is to underplay how important it is for all elements of gameplay (controls, interface, combat/activity design, balance, etc) to be working in concert to great a great game experience. A game is more than the simple sum of those parts -- it's closer to the product of those parts multiplied together. So if you have a game with great combat, balance, and interface, but the controls are bad, then that brings down the entire experience. It'll still be fun, but bad controls will have really ruined what could've been an outstanding game.
And that's basically why great games are hard to make. You're not being held to creating a few awesome systems. The entire thing has to be awesome or it'll fall flat.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
If you can call it a feature/s, CONTENT & lots of it.
All too often players are sold short imo.
PK option with death penalty, this gives players opportunities to be bad or good, create stories and adrenaline
Playing: Rohan
Played (from best to worst): Shadowbane, Guild Wars, Shayia, Age of Conan, Warhammer, Runes of Magic, Rappelz, Archlord, Knight online, King of Kings, Kal online, Last chaos
'tight-control' of my characters; if movement feels laggy & sloppy I will definately not play it.
Make us care MORE about our faction & world pvp!
I agree here i dont think that there is one thing you can single out as most important, the whole thing is important every piece has to be done well and mesh well. The UI has to work well, character movement needs to be smooth, communty needs to be decent, combat needs to be engaging, PvE or PvP with a purpose there are so many things that you could list here. The simple fact is that you need them all to come together in the right ways or the game is most likely going to suck.
Freedom to do what you want, aka sandbox.
And guild features, the more the better, its time people realize that guilds are vital to gaming communities.
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
Diversity
Freedom. Or in other words, diversity of choices, of possibilites. I hate to be narrowed to one or very few narrow pathways. I want a MMO to be rich and vast and full of choices and different things to do. Everything else comes second for me.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Any answers other than 'community' can be done in a single player game. So to me, the most important aspect of a multiplayer online game would have to be the community.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I used to know the answer to this question. But after trying new mmo after new mmo and each failing to deliver the proper experience to keep me captivated, I'm now totally clueless.
<QQ moar plz. kkthxbai.>
I third that.. Choices are everything, well atleast the #1 concern.. It's just like when I was younger and went to amusement parks.. The one that got my money was also the one that offered me the most choices.. Sure I could go to a park that has 1 coaster, the largest, tallest, fastest one in the world, but if that is all they offer.. I'll go elsewhere.. In an mmo, I'm looking for a game that when I log on, I'm excited and undecisive where to start first..
right on....COMMUNITY is the key to a good MMORPG
....the rest is gadget 
The community is my first priority in an MMO.
second to that comes the setting of the MMO. I like fantasy better then sci-fi based games.
and third. When i enter the world i need to have this 'wow, this thing is huge!' feeling. No quick travel options. No zoning, maybe for pvp battlegrounds or pve dungeons but not AoC wise 'if you go from one zone to the other you get the loading screen'.
to be fun. it can have the best community in the world but if the GAME isn't fun, i wont play.
if i wanted a good community to chat to i'd go scan some chat rooms. not a computer game.
If I had to pick a single point i'd say the community not being comprised mainly of dullards.
"Come and have a look at what you could have won."
For me its not 1 feature but a combination of features. For a great MMO has to have a balance of 3 features
!) Game Play
2) Storyline
3) Lore/History
I place Storyline and Lore/History seperate for a reason. Storyline to me is what keeps the game moving. and Lore/History is what happened in the world that lead up to the launch of the MMO. I dont add graphics cause ive seen some games with kick @$$ graphics but lacked in the 3 features i mentioned and ive seen games with crappy graphics that also lacked in the 3 featurs. its a rareity if a game has a balance in all 4 so i dont hold my breath on that.
"Possibly we humans can exist without actually having to fight. But many of us have chosen to fight. For what reason? To protect something? Protect what? Ourselves? The future? If we kill people to protect ourselves and this future, then what sort of future is it, and what will we have become? There is no future for those who have died. And what of those who did the killing? Is happiness to be found in a future that is grasped with blood stained hands? Is that the truth?"
seems you dont know the difference betweena community and a chatroom......pretty sad tbh.
I love that in DDO. Just the fun of destroying something. It makes the world feel less static.
Number one thing by far is Content and lots of it at ALL level ranges. After that I look to see if the game has
2 Fun game play
3 Good UI
4 Good animation( art style doesnt matter but you better have good animation)
5 sand box style over theme park
6 EQ1s Bard, Enchanter classes and Vanguards Bloodmage class(My three favorite classes ever)
7 Strong classes each with a unique style of game play
FUncom putting the FU in fun since 1993.
Not really. If you believe people are being themselves in an online game your the sad one.
LOTS OF PEOPLE PLAYING TOGETHER - its sounds funny but its the MM in MMORPG. Since the single player model (WoW) is so popular its nice to see games like GW2 focus more on it.
Noncombat activities and lots of them without them the MMO falls flat without them.
well made collision hands down