This seems to be the trend with newer games and seems like it will continue with upcoming releases like TESO.
I may be in the minority here but I prefer to be a citizen of the world where cool stuff is happening that I can take part in but I certainly don't need to have my ego stroked regularly through personal stories and phased quests that declare me to be some great hero.
Overall, I think the "I am the hero" mentality is forcing developers to implement game mechanics that actually detract from what made MMO's so much more collaborative in the past.
I would prefer any setting to feel plausible. I find in many cases, MMORPGs are trying to give the player the same feeling of a single player game. The quests revolve around you, you're the only one who can stop all the deer from becoming more annoying undead deer, etc. The game is trying to give you some semblance of accomplishment, ownership, and belonging.
Realistically, to give players the absolute feeling of citizenship would require a massive leap in technology, nothing short of the ultimate sandbox. Players would have to form their own countries, rules, and god knows what else to make the game resemble our social structures. Since that isn't really possible or affordable to develop, companies opt to imply that those social structures exist. Azeroth has kings, queens, warlords and they all tell us we are great heroes.
Naw, you won't get stories like that from LOL or some other small scale PVP model.
Legends are built from legendary games, DAOC, Lineage 1, 2, EVE of course, even Darkfall.
Guess you know what sort of titles I favor.
Tall tales... There's just as many feuds and alliances, friends and enemies, underdogs and bullies in any PvP game. You just have to be in the scene.
Not really, man. Some of these games provide an environment for political drama on a level that not all PVP games can offer. PVP games in general can produce some awesome stories, but they are not all created equal in this respect.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
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I would prefer any setting to feel plausible. I find in many cases, MMORPGs are trying to give the player the same feeling of a single player game. The quests revolve around you, you're the only one who can stop all the deer from becoming more annoying undead deer, etc. The game is trying to give you some semblance of accomplishment, ownership, and belonging.
Realistically, to give players the absolute feeling of citizenship would require a massive leap in technology, nothing short of the ultimate sandbox. Players would have to form their own countries, rules, and god knows what else to make the game resemble our social structures. Since that isn't really possible or affordable to develop, companies opt to imply that those social structures exist. Azeroth has kings, queens, warlords and they all tell us we are great heroes.
Tall tales... There's just as many feuds and alliances, friends and enemies, underdogs and bullies in any PvP game. You just have to be in the scene.
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
Not really, man. Some of these games provide an environment for political drama on a level that not all PVP games can offer. PVP games in general can produce some awesome stories, but they are not all created equal in this respect.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb