I envy those who will be born 50 years from now...

Kopogero

They won't have to wait a decade for one great online character progression game in a persistant world....And they will have so many great movies, tv series and so on to enjoy...(if by then the world is not already overcomed by deadly diseases, extreme poverty, third world war and so on)

It was at least not too bad to be born in 1985. I grew up with innovation around me. Arcade, NES, SNES, PSX, Dreamcast games, then LAN PC and so on. I was young and loved all those primitive, yet very creative and different type of games. As I became more mature I wanted more mature, complex games with some depth, purpose and meaning which is why I end up enjoying MMO's the most. Sadly, 2004 imo was the peak of evolution to this genre and it's been a decade without anything better...

So, me and I'm sure many others have to find other ways to entertain our lives with as we wait and wait...It's really sad that the technology is out there, but people simply don't seem to be capable of delivering a true quality, next generation MMORPG and it's why I've not spent a cent on ANY NEW GAME since January 11th, 2011...

Now, we can only predict which MMORPG or which year we will see something as big and successful as WOW. I predict it won't be until at least 2018-2020, but I do hope to be wrong if not I'll probably be the only living organizm on the planet earth who holded record for most time spent enjoying more games than anyone out there for his first 20 years of his lifetime and then not spent a cent on any new game for 7-8 straight years...Ah....the irony!

So, when do you think we will see that great, next gen game or who you think would deliver it?

 

Gadareth

One persons next gen is another persons same old same old when it comes to the actual game design. Lets be honest there is only so much that can be done within the MMORPG genre and still keep true to its spirit.

What we need is new technology. The last major break for mmorpgs was moving to 3D from 2D as previously it was moving to 2D from pure text based. The next generation will probably be a move to a more virtual reality style setting. The trailblazer for this generation of gaming will be gadgets like Occular Rift and other VR items.

 

Incomparable

It depends on what a person enjoys.

Sure, there is nostalgia involved, and thats when more traditional games entertain old genreations than youger ones.

People have different preferences in combat, and with nostalgia considered, for some, technology isnt necessary. Some people like the linear quests as well since that is a trade mark of the industry.

So its difficult to tell what one person might enjoy in an mmo. Maybe they want something new in the MMO to feel more like an e-sport and a mixed bag of everything. In such a hypothetical mmo of hybrid and comprimises theres always some kind of pro or con to another person.

So ultimately, I think MMOs are not simply about being better or more like virtual realities but following the mmo trade mark (not saying this is a good thing, since its also a business descion to make mmos like other successful ones). Its kind of like watching a zombie movie, and seeing certain touches in that movie that follow a standard which might be over done but it makes it the traditional zombie movie. For some, watching zombie movies is not their thing, for others it entertaining to even watch those c-rated zombie movies.

The thing I expect to improve as a fundamental core while the rest remains the same is combat. I imagine a system like wildstar combat but without telegraphs but actual animations for the spells. And theoritically they could have included that option to turn on/off for those that have pcs to run animations without telegraphs. Im sure they would need a super pc, but for those who want to see a piece of the future sooner, then there is a price to pay.

ybom

I agree.

The great next gen game seems slated to come from an ambitious newcomer as the elephants in the room are kind of showing their cards. For instance, you would probably laugh at me if I said EA - you know better.

What if I said GTA6? Do you have any idea what this game would look like?

I also argue about the 2004 milestone you set. You're leaving out concepts like Minecraft and Onlive; arguably not WoW but tech like that is still amazing. Another post-2004 in a different industry: hardware; it's funny you probably could play those 2004 games on a cheap smartphone.

My expectations for 50 years from now is the tech industry spreading and leveling other industries, such as cars. Imagine going to MallMart and getting a disposable $200 7-seater smart car. Next year on Cyber Thursday (or will something displace the internet and will we have a special Wednesday deal?) you can get one for $149.97. Sadly, housing is still at the $700 price point but expect rollbacks soon.

Another question is what will jobs be in 50 years? Robots are going to displace like 99% of all that in that timeframe no matter what. It would be funny to think the worst person alive then having it better than relatively you today, may not be too far off. What will the cushiest position be like?

Leiros

Originally posted by Gadareth

 The trailblazer for this generation of gaming will be gadgets like Occular Rift and other VR items.

Agreed. The biggest moment of "Wow, this is incredible" that I can remember for a new type of game was when the Nintendo 64 came out and we could finally play games in a full 3D type of setting. The Oculus Rift and similar technologies are creating new concepts of what games will be like in the future. People often talk about "total immersion" in mmorpg's these days, but that will not truly be the case until more of our senses are involved. I'm thinking something like Total Recall.

 

However, I'm glad that I was born in the 1980's because I've gotten to experience the evolution of gaming from things like the Atari 2600 to today when things like the Oculus Rift are on the horizon. Despite the current debates about pay models and game styles, it's a great time to be alive and gaming.

DamonVile

With the way things are going in 50 years they probably wont be complaining about having their immersion broken in a post apocalyptic wasteland because of lag or bad graphics. I doubt they'll get zombies though

Shmaw

We will have fully immersive and interactive virtual "worlds" within twenty years.  The biggest challenge won't be building the technology, it will be what to do with billions of people who chose to live full time in VR rather than in the mundane reality we all know.  

 

I base this prediction on my experience as a fungineer.

StonesDK

And in 50 years time, people will be envious of people born now. Society is going to collapse, checkpoints everywhere doing anal probings for hidden explosives. We will have government surveillance both audio and visual in every home, all our food will be in pill form and there will be no more nachos.

Kyleran

With the way global warming is going, better go see the movie Waterworld for a preview into the future 50 years from now.

AzurePrower

In 50 years. Mobile phone gaming and free to play predatory crap could dominate the scene. Gaming as we know it could be extinct.

Anthur

The first 3D MMOs in the late nineties were next gen games. That was a revolution for computer gaming together with the rise of internet. Since then we "only" have seen evolution regarding MMOs. Ok, every MMO coming out says it is "next gen" but in reality they are not. They just improve or modify the existing technology slightly. For the better or for the worse.

Anyway, I don't know how real next gen computer games will look like in 50 years. That's such a long time especially in an area like computer gaming. Maybe people then will look at todays MMO as we are looking at Pong. Who knows.

I am just glad I had the chance to participate in those MMO pioneer days. Those were great days. But revolutions are rare.

Soki123

Not wanting to be around in this crapfest world in 50 years. No envy here at all.

handlewithcare

I don't think the world will be there in 50 years.

 

Takoo

Check this out.. Myo and OR

 

Flyte27

I don't even envy people who live now.  There is so much to choose from people never want to spend time on anything.  I used to hang out with my friends all day playing games and having fun.  Now that would be considered a waste of time.  You can only jump into a game for an hour or two at most and jump out with no (what is considered wasting of time) in game.  I much preferred the creative sandbox I grew up in.  My parents didn't tell me what to do.  I was able to run around my neighborhood and think of things to do with my friends.  My only regret is that when I was growing up fast food and objects were so coveted.  It was always who has the best this or how much junk food can I eat.  It wasn't a healthy thing for the mind.  If I could have the knowledge of what is healthy from today and the freedom of even 20 years ago it would be great.  People seem to say don't let life pass you buy (games are a waste of time), but no one seems to be stopping to really appreciate things.  They just consume something for a short time and move on to the next.  It's like all MMOs now.  People consume one free to play MMO and move on to the next.  MMOs are becoming like the music and movie industries.  There is no real innovation.  Everything is about marketing and getting people to spend money.  I fear that in 50 years people will have no creativity at all and never will stop to truly enjoy anything in life because they can just move from one thing to the next never stopping to really absorb anything.

VikingGamer

I think our economy will implode within the next decade but assuming we can keep the wheels on the cart long enough...

I think the next big step forward will be several years down the road and it will be in terms of NPC AI.

The transition from 2.5d isometric view to 3d was one of realism. You could finally see the world you were in from the perspective of your character. Since then graphics have gotten progressively better but they have nearly topped out. There is a bit more to do with facial expression but we are now very close to photo realism in 3d animation and world generation. 3d viewers like Oculus rift will push that a bit further even but it is still along the same axis of better graphics.

But realism takes on more than just visual realism. One area that games have lagged in is in interactional realism. In games with strong story, single player games especially the characters can be made to seem very real because their interactions are scripted, their voices are acted and their facial expressions and movements motion captured. The problem is that has to be done mostly in cut scenes to be done well.

I think the next leap forward in overall realism will be in how real the average NPCs in our games seem. Take a look at old games like EQ or the soon to disappear Vanguard. Last time I was in Vanguard I was struck by how stiff and wooden the idle NPCs were. They just stood there. They had few or no idle animations. It was striking to me how much the simple idle animations that are now the norm in most modern MMOs adds to the realism of the NPCs. It is dramatic. But this is still such a little thing. They have pre-scripted flavor dialog with each other. Perhaps they kick the dirt or mess with there hair and it helps to make it seem more real but they will do the same thing over and over and over if you just watch them for a few minutes.

But at what point will we start to see NPC characters that move with purpose. A baker that actually bakes. The boy that is told to clean out the barn and bring the horse in. People in the square gossiping. Not just repeating a script but actually talking about that strange new person in the village that is helping people out.  What if some of the NPCs in the game were also playing the part of adventurers to help fill out the world and make it seem active even after the low level areas had been vacated by real player driven characters? What if they make one of these AI driven players so well that you couldn't tell the difference between a good RP player and the well constructed AI player?

I think the great graphics boom has run its course. Graphics will still get incrementally better but I don't think there are many or any great leaps left to be had in this regard. Realistic AI however is only still in its infancy. That is where the next decade of realism will come from.

Flyte27

Originally posted by VikingGamer

I think our economy will implode within the next decade but assuming we can keep the wheels on the cart long enough...

I think the next big step forward will be several years down the road and it will be in terms of NPC AI.

The transition from 2.5d isometric view to 3d was one of realism. You could finally see the world you were in from the perspective of your character. Since then graphics have gotten progressively better but they have nearly topped out. There is a bit more to do with facial expression but we are now very close to photo realism in 3d animation and world generation. 3d viewers like Oculus rift will push that a bit further even but it is still along the same axis of better graphics.

But realism takes on more than just visual realism. One area that games have lagged in is in interactional realism. In games with strong story, single player games especially the characters can be made to seem very real because their interactions are scripted, their voices are acted and their facial expressions and movements motion captured. The problem is that has to be done mostly in cut scenes to be done well.

I think the next leap forward in overall realism will be in how real the average NPCs in our games seem. Take a look at old games like EQ or the soon to disappear Vanguard. Last time I was in Vanguard I was struck by how stiff and wooden the idle NPCs were. They just stood there. They had few or no idle animations. It was striking to me how much the simple idle animations that are now the norm in most modern MMOs adds to the realism of the NPCs. It is dramatic. But this is still such a little thing. They have pre-scripted flavor dialog with each other. Perhaps they kick the dirt or mess with there hair and it helps to make it seem more real but they will do the same thing over and over and over if you just watch them for a few minutes.

But at what point will we start to see NPC characters that move with purpose. A baker that actually bakes. The boy that is told to clean out the barn and bring the horse in. People in the square gossiping. Not just repeating a script but actually talking about that strange new person in the village that is helping people out.  What if some of the NPCs in the game were also playing the part of adventurers to help fill out the world and make it seem active even after the low level areas had been vacated by real player driven characters? What if they make one of these AI driven players so well that you couldn't tell the difference between a good RP player and the well constructed AI player? What if every real player in a game world had an AI nemesis generated for them that specifically sought them out to conflict with them and be their on going enemy

I think the great graphics boom has run its course. Graphics will still get incrementally better but I don't think there are many or any great leaps left to be had in this regard. Realistic AI however is only still in its infancy. That is where the next decade of realism will come from.

It's weird, but I felt the opposite of what you felt in MMORPGs these days.  The characters do indeed look nicer and so do the environments, but they feel lifeless and hallow to me.  I felt like those old stiff models and worlds felt more solid and tangible.

immodium

Originally posted by Leiros

Originally posted by Gadareth

 The trailblazer for this generation of gaming will be gadgets like Occular Rift and other VR items.

Agreed. The biggest moment of "Wow, this is incredible" that I can remember for a new type of game was when the Nintendo 64 came out and we could finally play games in a full 3D type of setting. The Oculus Rift and similar technologies are creating new concepts of what games will be like in the future. People often talk about "total immersion" in mmorpg's these days, but that will not truly be the case until more of our senses are involved. I'm thinking something like Total Recall.

 

However, I'm glad that I was born in the 1980's because I've gotten to experience the evolution of gaming from things like the Atari 2600 to today when things like the Oculus Rift are on the horizon. Despite the current debates about pay models and game styles, it's a great time to be alive and gaming.

Have to agree with this fellow 80's alcoholic.

VR is the next "Wow, this is incredible" step for me. Sitting behind a computer screen is getting slightly mundane when it comes to "immersion"

I want to touch, taste and smell the environments I'm in. I'd love to explore the world and be hesitant about going into a "dungeon" because it stinks and smells of death down there.

I must admit, I do envy tomorrows children and the technology they will get to play with.

 

EDIT: Regarding A.I. I'm not to bothered about that unless it helps the human race in someway. I don't want A.I to actually become a replacement for humans. Which could happen.

VikingGamer

Originally posted by Flyte27

It's weird, but I felt the opposite of what you felt in MMORPGs these days.  The characters do indeed look nicer and so do the environments, but they feel lifeless and hallow to me.  I felt like those old stiff models and worlds felt more solid and tangible.

I think the worlds were more realistic in terms of being open like real worlds but I still think the NPCs themselves were more lifeless. They are not much better now. They are only made superficially more realistic. Like the robot that is more realistic skin but it just as dumb as the previous model. But I do think open, freeform worlds are so much more realistic that they bring up the over all experience. Like the NPC in Rivervale that wanted Orc centurion belts. Would he really want 10 belts? no more no less as with newer games? Why? If he really hates Orcs wouldn't he simply want belts until he ran out of money or you ran out of Orcs?

The quest hub made the game interesting and helped to push the story along but ultimately it was shallow and worked against realism. It is too contrived. So while NPC models got better and idle animations got more realistic, I think the worlds were still over all loosing their realism. It was disappearing for the sake of smooth game play and ease of content development.

Flyte27

Originally posted by VikingGamer

Originally posted by Flyte27

It's weird, but I felt the opposite of what you felt in MMORPGs these days.  The characters do indeed look nicer and so do the environments, but they feel lifeless and hallow to me.  I felt like those old stiff models and worlds felt more solid and tangible.

I think the worlds were more realistic in terms of being open like real worlds but I still think the NPCs themselves were more lifeless. They are not much better now. They are only made superficially more realistic. Like the robot that is more realistic skin but it just as dumb as the previous model. But I do think open, freeform worlds are so much more realistic that they bring up the over all experience. Like the NPC in Rivervale that wanted Orc centurion belts. Would he really want 10 belts? no more no less as with newer games? Why? If he really hates Orcs wouldn't he simply want belts until he ran out of money or you ran out of Orcs?

The quest hub made the game interesting and helped to push the story along but ultimately it was shallow and worked against realism. It is too contrived. So while NPC models got better and idle animations got more realistic, I think the worlds were still over all loosing their realism. It was disappearing for the sake of smooth game play and ease of content development.

You are right that the models were stiff, but I guess they had a more solid feeling to them.  It's kind of like a modern car vs one that was all mechanical and made out of metal.  One is solid, heavy, and lasts a long time.  The other is fancy, gimmicky, but not quite as solid or strong. 

The world definitely was important, but I also think it was interacting with the many people in the game at the same time.  The only thing to do with other people in games now is usually combat grind in instances.  You don't even see people half the time.  I did like the old models in EQ of the different races though.  They were blocky, but the ideas were there.  I prefer the idea of how trolls, goblins, halfings, elves, half elves, humans, orges, orcs, and other races looked.  Then again I'm a big fan of the art style in the hobbit cartoons.  I'm not a huge fan of the style taken in the Lord of the Rings movies.  I also read a lot of fantasy books when I was young.  They had a lot of sterotypes for races and classes that made things feel more real.  You will find those sterotypes thrown out the window in most cases these days.  The race and class you choose doesn't mean a whole lot.

In addition is it just me or do people seem to be more interested in talking about game mechanics and how much money games are making/not making then weather then the actual games themselves?

dave6660

I have a very slight chance of still being alive in 50 years.  If so, I'll be playing Street Fighter LXV in my rocking chair with my dentures and adult diapers complaining how they don't make 'em like they used to.

DocBrody

In 50 years? We all will play Fallout 3 - in real life

Unknown

MMO's haven't been the same since Ultima Online and Everquest. Both eventually caved to the masses (and stay in business) but I think they summed up what is wrong with gaming today. It's a combination of us, the fickle gamers, and that ever increasing need for profits that drive game development so do your part, play a mmo because you like it and not because it's where the crowds are. No hope for developers though.

Unknown

Originally posted by DocBrody
In 50 years? We all will play Fallout 3 - in real life

Funny, I thought that 50 years ago....

Flyte27

Originally posted by jeddak

Originally posted by DocBrody
In 50 years? We all will play Fallout 3 - in real life

Funny, I thought that 50 years ago....

There is a fallout in real life.  It's in third world countries.

nariusseldon

Originally posted by DocBrody
In 50 years? We all will play Fallout 3 - in real life

Don't scare me ...