Do you need to be a special little snowflake?

TheQuietGamer

Is it necessary to be one amongst many hero's/ saviours in mmo's, or is it faintly ridiculous?  

Would you play a game where you were nothing special, just a soldier in an army or a citizen in a town witnessing many interesting events which develop around you?  

And if not why not?  What is this need in mmo's to be special, and why do people not find themselves removed entirely from any sense of immersion when they are in a queue of 'specials' waiting for an npc to tell them they are 'special'? 

Poll below: -

 

Gyrus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8I9pYCl9AQ

 

Horusra

I do not know about the snowflake thing...but there are a lot of people that whine on this site about people getting gear or items that make them "special" in other ways than their way.  Seems some want to gate that "snowflake" look to certain play types.  As to the hero...frankly depends...I would not play a farmer....a soldier is fine, but heroes are made on the battlefield.

 

Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down.

Loktofeit

I like being a citizen of a town or basically a contributor to something bigger than my character and their story.

• In UO, one of my characters was a bartender at a tavern (Serpent's Cross - ATL).
• In EVE, I did mining and transporting.
• In SB, I was maintain the shops in our town and scouted during battles. 
• In MO, I was a guard at our keep. 

In MMOs, I prefer being a member of a real, collaborative undertaking more than being a hero of a fake story. 

hallucigenocide

i suppose it depends on how the game is built.

udon

Dismissive bordering on arrogant title aside it depends on what the motivation for activities the game has.  Games like World of Tanks doesn't even try to have personal story so you never feel like more than a member of the team which works well for them.  Other games like SWTOR, LOTR's, or ESO has a huge overarching personal story campaign that really demands you to play the part of hero.  Do MMO's need to have personal 1 to cap stories?  Not all of them but I would also miss them if there wasn't at least a few that did.

There is certainly room for both kinds of MMO's IMO.

Avanah

I don't care. I just play for fun.

cerulean2012

I don't mind doing other things in a game like mining, fishing, etc., but in the end I do want to be the hero, champion whatever you call it.

The standing around watching other people be the champ makes me think of real life and I play games to get away from real life for awhile.

Sunnyguy46

I suppose you can change the quest text from:

"Greeting Hero! Our village is under attack! Please save us!"

to:

"Greetings average citizen of no superior quality! Our village is under attack! Please help us since there are no True Heroes available!"

 

Magiknight

I don't see why this is an issue at all.

TheQuietGamer

Originally posted by Sunnyguy46

I suppose you can change the quest text from:

"Greeting Hero! Our village is under attack! Please save us!"

to:

"Greetings average citizen of no superior quality! Our village is under attack! Please help us since there are no True Heroes available!"

 

Joking aside, yes please. 

Sovrath

Originally posted by TheQuietGamer

Is it necessary to be one amongst many hero's/ saviours in mmo's, or is it faintly ridiculous?  

Would you play a game where you were nothing special, just a soldier in an army or a citizen in a town witnessing many interesting events which develop around you?  

And if not why not?  What is this need in mmo's to be special, and why do people not find themselves removed entirely from any sense of immersion when they are in a queue of 'specials' waiting for an npc to tell them they are 'special'? 

Poll below: -

 

Should I assume you are referring to "the game" making you a hero as opposed to actually making yourself a hero?

Not sure what the draw would be to be Rohan guard #175 while everyone else marches toward Gondor.

I would prefer the game allow me to march toward gondor as well.

In any case, games with stories typically place the players as the protagonist. That's why you see that.

Is there more of a draw to be among the many faceless masses over the heroes? I imagine one's mileage may vary on that.

 

They aren't removed from immersion by being one of many "specials" because they are able to understand the thrust of the game and understand that "in the story" they are the only special person there.

You see, some people don't understand that and think that they are one of 600 of the "same guy" when all they need to do is to know "when they are in the story and when they aren't".

Other than that, I prefer games that allow players to make their own way and have "less of a story" and more of a setting.

 

Sovrath

Originally posted by TheQuietGamer

Originally posted by Sunnyguy46

I suppose you can change the quest text from:

"Greeting Hero! Our village is under attack! Please save us!"

to:

"Greetings average citizen of no superior quality! Our village is under attack! Please help us since there are no True Heroes available!"

 

Joking aside, yes please. 

except if you help them then you become the hero. Regardless of "title".

or else it would read like this: "greetings average (or below average from the smell of you) citizen of no superior quality! Our village is under attack! Please run and find someone to help us among the Heroes in the city. Then feel free to run to safety.

TheQuietGamer

Originally posted by Sovrath

Originally posted by TheQuietGamer

Is it necessary to be one amongst many hero's/ saviours in mmo's, or is it faintly ridiculous?  

Would you play a game where you were nothing special, just a soldier in an army or a citizen in a town witnessing many interesting events which develop around you?  

And if not why not?  What is this need in mmo's to be special, and why do people not find themselves removed entirely from any sense of immersion when they are in a queue of 'specials' waiting for an npc to tell them they are 'special'? 

Poll below: -

 

Should I assume you are referring to "the game" making you a hero as opposed to actually making yourself a hero?

Not sure what the draw would be to be Rohan guard #175 while everyone else marches toward Gondor.

I would prefer the game allow me to march toward gondor as well.

In any case, games with stories typically place the players as the protagonist. That's why you see that.

Is there more of a draw to be among the many faceless masses over the heroes? I imagine one's mileage may vary on that.

 

They aren't removed from immersion by being one of many "specials" because they are able to understand the thrust of the game and understand that "in the story" they are the only special person there.

You see, some people don't understand that and think that they are one of 600 of the "same guy" when all they need to do is to know "when they are in the story and when they aren't".

Other than that, I prefer games that allow players to make their own way and have "less of a story" and more of a setting.

 

I think that people do understand when they are in the story and when they aren't; the problem is they also understand when every other player is in the story and when they aren't.  

I think that is the fundamental problem, being 'the' hero amongst many other 'the' heroes is absurd.  

mcrippins

I grew up playing UO where noone was really a hero, unless they became one through a player's eyes. Then again.. someone's hero is someone else's villain. 

Distopia

Don't care, to me it's more about whether I'm engaged with that story or not, if I am nothing else going on matters as I'm immersed in the experience, the suspension of disbelief is there. Others are as far removed as they are in Skyrim (10 million other dragonborn) to me in such circumstances.

bliss14

It comes down to the type of game as well.  The dreaded sandbox vs themepark discussion.  Many people have played a sandbox game and were or are happy to play a rather common type of character, be it a dancer, merchant, crafter, etc. 

These days most things in a game are accessible to everyone, but for themeparks I am thinking more of WoW a few years back when few crafters had the high end pots, armors, weapons, etc.  There would be threads in the forums listing who could make what and they were sought after for that reason.  This is no longer the case to a large extent.

For themeparks, it is the story and quests that drive it for most players.  They will always be the hero in these games.

In sandbox games, you have more control over your character's direction.  You can in some cases be the everyman who can simply exist in whatever capacity you choose.  I believe that will be opening up more in the next few years with Kickstarter and other options from established companies.

Time will tell.

Sovrath

Originally posted by TheQuietGamer

 

I think that people do understand when they are in the story and when they aren't; the problem is they also understand when every other player is in the story and when they aren't.  

I think that is the fundamental problem, being 'the' hero amongst many other 'the' heroes is absurd.  

I very firmly believe that the players need to bring something "of themselves" to these games.

Having said that, part of bring "something" as well as investing in immersion is to divorce yourself from "every other player" when it makes sense to do so in these story driven games.

There are many artificalities in mmo's. Opening a map and seeing with perfect gps perfection where you are, seeing other players and mobs, clicking on a mob and knowing how hard they are without every engaging it, Auction houses that allow you to search, sort and purchase anything you want/need in seconds.

Players accept these game conventions because they are "just that", game conventions that help move the game play along.

I don't see why players can't reach a little bit deeper into their "suspension of disbelief pockets" and allow themselves to understand that "ony they are the hero, only they are part of the main story and that story exists only for them".

At least in games that have stories.

Shaigh

I don't care as long as the story is interesting and fits into the game.

Ludwik

I don't play MMOs for their story. I'd much rather play an SP or watch an anime for that.

Wizardry

You can't really bve a hero because quest grinding offers NOTHING to support that and once in a group situation every member is equally important.

The HERO aspect is an idea that single player games were/are using not mmo's.

versulas

Need? No.

But most mmoRPGs are story-driven to some extent. I'd rather have the story recognize me for my accomplishments (even if everyone else is doing the same thing). Kill 10 rats aside, if the creators know their job and really are trying to maximize player experience, they're going to make the scope of the story immense. 

If I capture a spy, that action will in some way save my faction/world. If I prevent a well from being poisoned, I'll save hundreds of (albeit NPC) lives. If I have to slaughter enemy raiders, it's to prevent a town from being razed to the ground. Whatever the generic quests have me doing, I achieve something that has a great deal of impact on the game world.

 

The fact that MMOs don't or can't show that impact along with millions of other potential heroes is besides the point. I don't think working backwards and lessening the impact you can affect is the answer. Not being recognized for those actions, or worse, having NPC heroes come in and do something I don't even have the option of attempting, would be even more unsatisfying.

 

In regards to being 'special', your actions toward others will affect how other players perceive you. Your decisions in the story should affect how the NPCs treat you. If you started out as a orphan peasant or whatever the cliche is, but ended up with a knight/general/assassin/lord title, you're damn right the NPCs should treat you as special: hero, villain, mercenary, whatever, but different and personalized to you individually--it'd be lazy programming otherwise.

prowesss

Heroic Tales, in this day and age, are a very lazy way to deliver story in video games...  A Realistic story is much more fitting for an MMO environment...  it doesn't have to be "you're not awesome or special."  just don't build the story around "you're the chosen one" when there's 5 guys standing there clicking next on the same NPC.

ElRenmazuo

Theres nothing wrong with being a hero in mmos, its only dumb when you start the game and your already being called a hero by the NPCs or at least being treated like one already.  Instead you should start out normal or less than normal and gain that fame as you go through the story.  And I dont think its absurd that other players are heroes as well because just like in real life there are many heroes in the same world.  Kind of like the Justice League, everyone is a hero but each are different and skilled in their own way, they still need each other as a group.

prowesss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRsqAmuxjNk

Aelious

I say have enough game mechanics in to fill whatever niche a player wants to fill. As Lok mentioned being a bartender or full time blacksmith or maybe a farmer. That way you don't have to force canned heroism or mediocrity, you are free to work for what you want to be.

What I would like to see is difficult content. That would trim some of the redundant immortality away. Also, not have a set path via questing or railroaded storylines. Have lore and history out there to find if you look for it.

With these things how special of a snowflake you are will depend on what you choose to do, not a prerequisite getting to the "end".