Publishers are the worst things to happen to MMOs. It doesn't even make sense to fund WoW clones because it hasn't worked for anyone but WoW. AoC almost shutting down within a year is a good proof of that.
I agree that Sandbox MMOs are the best....some of my favorite times was dropping 1 gold coin on the road outside Brittain in UO and watching players stop and try to click on the ONE coin to pick it up... My friend and I would then pounce on their unsuspecting selves and slay/loot them for everything they had....
I know...I was a little mean and morbid back then...but it was one of my favorite things to do
Another thing I find really dumb... why are all old MMOs lumped into the "sandbox" category just because they aren't designed for toddlers? DAoC and EQ weren't themepark or sandbox.
And I don't know why we bother with the term "theme park" because let's call it what it is. WoW clone. The same leveling system, class system, raid system, item system, instance system, quest based leveling and interface isn't a CATEGORY of games, its a CLONE. Complete WoW clone.
The reason we dont see many AAA sandbox type games anymore is because they requier some input from the players. Most players are now young people with small spans of attention, and seem to be low on IQ from when I was growing up.
The lack of IQ and attention means they find the sandbox type of game empty of content, slow progression, and no shiny equipment or quests. They don't seem to realise 99% of the content is player driven and the only thing that limits them is their own imagination.
I have played Ultima Online, SWG and now play Eve Online, in these games the mobs, missions or quests are only used to make money so the game can fuel the market, but the most fun I have had is when RP'ing in UO or SWG or being part of 500 man fleets down to small roaming fleets for pvp in Eve Online.
The freedom the sandbox mmo has given has spoiled me when it comes to the level progression and grind fest of themepark mmos. I find the themepark type mmo dull and lacking in content, crafting and a player driven market. The RP is there but again this is limited by the rules impossed on the themepark.
I am hoping TSW will be a sandbox type mmo or WoD from CCP when its released. CCP seems to know the right mixture of making a sandbox with pvp that has some meaning to the game world.
So until players vote with thier wallets and stop buying into the level progression of themeparks and start to play more sandbox mmo's game companies will keep releasing crapy themeparks like WoW, Rift, SWTOR, Guild Wars 2 etc.
The entire premise of this thread is wrong. Tecmo-Koei is neither Korean nor a low-budget independent company. They've got several hundred miillion dollars in annual revenue.
Never become a fan of a game, where the lead Dev is not a gamer.
When a game is 2 years out and tons of fanbois are following a game only because the Developer released some glitzy screenshots, is when u get a "false following"...
That just creates more excitment over a game that is being built to fleece you out of ur money. Investors know zero about MMo's.. they do not understand that they are (quinessential ones) are living books, or breathing worlds and u don't birth them until they are fully grown in their infant state.
"No they are not charity. That is where the whales come in. (I play for free. Whales pays.) Devs get a business. That is how it works."
Comments
Publishers are the worst things to happen to MMOs. It doesn't even make sense to fund WoW clones because it hasn't worked for anyone but WoW. AoC almost shutting down within a year is a good proof of that.
I agree that Sandbox MMOs are the best....some of my favorite times was dropping 1 gold coin on the road outside Brittain in UO and watching players stop and try to click on the ONE coin to pick it up... My friend and I would then pounce on their unsuspecting selves and slay/loot them for everything they had....
I know...I was a little mean and morbid back then...but it was one of my favorite things to do
Another thing I find really dumb... why are all old MMOs lumped into the "sandbox" category just because they aren't designed for toddlers? DAoC and EQ weren't themepark or sandbox.
And I don't know why we bother with the term "theme park" because let's call it what it is. WoW clone. The same leveling system, class system, raid system, item system, instance system, quest based leveling and interface isn't a CATEGORY of games, its a CLONE. Complete WoW clone.
The reason we dont see many AAA sandbox type games anymore is because they requier some input from the players. Most players are now young people with small spans of attention, and seem to be low on IQ from when I was growing up.
The lack of IQ and attention means they find the sandbox type of game empty of content, slow progression, and no shiny equipment or quests. They don't seem to realise 99% of the content is player driven and the only thing that limits them is their own imagination.
I have played Ultima Online, SWG and now play Eve Online, in these games the mobs, missions or quests are only used to make money so the game can fuel the market, but the most fun I have had is when RP'ing in UO or SWG or being part of 500 man fleets down to small roaming fleets for pvp in Eve Online.
The freedom the sandbox mmo has given has spoiled me when it comes to the level progression and grind fest of themepark mmos. I find the themepark type mmo dull and lacking in content, crafting and a player driven market. The RP is there but again this is limited by the rules impossed on the themepark.
I am hoping TSW will be a sandbox type mmo or WoD from CCP when its released. CCP seems to know the right mixture of making a sandbox with pvp that has some meaning to the game world.
So until players vote with thier wallets and stop buying into the level progression of themeparks and start to play more sandbox mmo's game companies will keep releasing crapy themeparks like WoW, Rift, SWTOR, Guild Wars 2 etc.
The entire premise of this thread is wrong. Tecmo-Koei is neither Korean nor a low-budget independent company. They've got several hundred miillion dollars in annual revenue.
I feel it's not sandbox that limits the population but the FFA PvP model that comes with almost all indie titles.
(I've no idea why almost all indie studios seem to follow the FFA PvP model instead of the much more successful Eve or DAoC PvP model.)
I maintain this List of Sandbox MMORPGs. Please post or send PM for corrections and suggestions.
When a game is 2 years out and tons of fanbois are following a game only because the Developer released some glitzy screenshots, is when u get a "false following"...
That just creates more excitment over a game that is being built to fleece you out of ur money. Investors know zero about MMo's.. they do not understand that they are (quinessential ones) are living books, or breathing worlds and u don't birth them until they are fully grown in their infant state.
"No they are not charity. That is where the whales come in. (I play for free. Whales pays.) Devs get a business. That is how it works."
-Nariusseldon
No idiots with unrealistic expetations and the vocal minority screaming for undesirable features.