Good article. Obviously people here are disagreeing but it's all just an opinion.
Nice to see Nexus and Meridian 59 getting some mention though! Both my first two MMOs and both still going today.
Lord, I can't believe I was 9 when I played Nexus. I think that's why I am far more forgiving when it comes to kids in MMOs now and less ready to presume the people who act immature are kids. I know I never acted like an asshat.
Richard, I realize your perspective means you HAD to add at least one Asian game to your list but I completely disagree with the omission of EverQuest. A case can be made that without EQ, there would've been no WoW (considering where most of WoW's dev team, including the EP and lead, came from).
My list would be:
UO
Lineage
EVE
EQ
WoW
Each of these games completely changed the genre, to some degree. As Richard pointed out, Lineage ignited the Asian MMO development "craze" and that has benefited gamers in the West (art style, game mechanics, business models, etc).
EVE proved several things, one of which was that patience can pay off (anyone who remembers EVE's launch would know what I'm talking about) as well as being the shining example of 'emergent gameplay' that all the big publishers seem fixated on now (10 years after the fact). I don't think folks give EVE enough credit for what it does (and has always done) differently. From player driven economy to PLEX, from 'other players as content' to time dilation (which makes immense PvP battles possible), the game has succeeded in influencing future games with its innovations. And let's face it, if EVE's release had happened anytime in the last five years, the game would've died within a year (and never been allowed to rise to its current level).
EQ is the grande dame, at least in the West. And WoW speaks for itself.
As far as Star Wars Galaxies, it was notable and infamous but what did it influence?
An entire generation or so of game designers. "...notable and infamous but what did it influence?" Didn't you answer your own question?
Games aren't designed by fans, but for them (more or less). They are a literature which is studied by people who read Gamasutra and every word Raph Koster writes on his blog and in his books, not necessarily the fashion columns on mmorpg.com.
As far as Star Wars Galaxies, it was notable and infamous but what did it influence?
An entire generation or so of game designers. "...notable and infamous but what did it influence?" Didn't you answer your own question?
Games aren't designed by fans, but for them (more or less). They are a literature which is studied by people who read Gamasutra and every word Raph Koster writes on his blog and in his books, not necessarily the fashion columns on mmorpg.com.
Well sure, if by influence you mean show developers what sort of designs not to include in future MMO designs, then SWG clearly belongs on the list.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
The MMOs I played back then were Anarchy Online, SWG and City of Heroes.
All 3 were unique and were never repeated or cloned.
AO has a character system that is to this day the best I have ever played. Equiping gear based on pre requisite stats instead of levels? It's amazing what players came up with to "twink" into gear they should not otherwise be able to equip.
SWG had the best virtual society I've ever seen online.
And City of Heroes was an MMO that didn't have a gear grind but was based on character builds.
FFXI while it did something extremely unique did not effect any change. while it crossed all platforms that supported online gameplay (with out separate servers) it changed nothing in the genre (unfortunately). where EQ was an industry standard for almost a decade.
I do believe PSO for the Dreamcast/Gamecube should deserve an honorable mention. It was the first MMORPG that was integrated to the console, which was the base for FFXI.
where phantasy star online the first console mmog that not only gave way to online console gaming but also showed it was possible for consoles to join the mmo race way before FFXI and still has a strong following that still plays today
Comments
What a joke.... Either the writer is completely ignorant or he is being intentionally obtuse...
"I got an idea, I'll write an article about the most important games of an era and then leave out the game that defined that era"
Nice to see Nexus and Meridian 59 getting some mention though! Both my first two MMOs and both still going today.
Lord, I can't believe I was 9 when I played Nexus. I think that's why I am far more forgiving when it comes to kids in MMOs now and less ready to presume the people who act immature are kids. I know I never acted like an asshat.
https://www.therepopulation.com - Sci Fi Sandbox.
There are a lot of games people would like to see on this, but EverQuest seems like a no-brainer ... I was really shocked not to see that on the list.
UO makes a LOT of sense, but EverQuest brought us 1st Person MMO's ... maybe it wasn't the first, but it was hands down the most influential.
I mean come on ... they named it EverCrack for goodness sake ...
MMOrty
MMOrty.com
Richard, I realize your perspective means you HAD to add at least one Asian game to your list but I completely disagree with the omission of EverQuest. A case can be made that without EQ, there would've been no WoW (considering where most of WoW's dev team, including the EP and lead, came from).
My list would be:
UO
Lineage
EVE
EQ
WoW
Each of these games completely changed the genre, to some degree. As Richard pointed out, Lineage ignited the Asian MMO development "craze" and that has benefited gamers in the West (art style, game mechanics, business models, etc).
EVE proved several things, one of which was that patience can pay off (anyone who remembers EVE's launch would know what I'm talking about) as well as being the shining example of 'emergent gameplay' that all the big publishers seem fixated on now (10 years after the fact). I don't think folks give EVE enough credit for what it does (and has always done) differently. From player driven economy to PLEX, from 'other players as content' to time dilation (which makes immense PvP battles possible), the game has succeeded in influencing future games with its innovations. And let's face it, if EVE's release had happened anytime in the last five years, the game would've died within a year (and never been allowed to rise to its current level).
EQ is the grande dame, at least in the West. And WoW speaks for itself.
no daoc ? No everquest ?
1. UO - Sandbox/PvP I think definitely influenced gaming, I know Darkfall referenced it.
2. EQ - 3-D MMO/PvE - This has to be on every list to be a valid list. It influenced every other game after it.
3. AO - Sci-Fi MMO/factions
4. Lineage korean/siege MMO
5. WoW - Polished game, Quest Hubs
6. DAoC - RvRvR
7. GW1 - Arena, dual class, buy and play pay style, Lack of Level grind
8. Runescape web based MMO/Free to Play model
9. Eve Space based, no limit PvP
10. GW2 ( I couldn't think of a 10th)
Asdar
An entire generation or so of game designers. "...notable and infamous but what did it influence?" Didn't you answer your own question?
Games aren't designed by fans, but for them (more or less). They are a literature which is studied by people who read Gamasutra and every word Raph Koster writes on his blog and in his books, not necessarily the fashion columns on mmorpg.com.
An entire generation or so of game designers. "...notable and infamous but what did it influence?" Didn't you answer your own question?
Games aren't designed by fans, but for them (more or less). They are a literature which is studied by people who read Gamasutra and every word Raph Koster writes on his blog and in his books, not necessarily the fashion columns on mmorpg.com.
Well sure, if by influence you mean show developers what sort of designs not to include in future MMO designs, then SWG clearly belongs on the list."True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
The MMOs I played back then were Anarchy Online, SWG and City of Heroes.
All 3 were unique and were never repeated or cloned.
AO has a character system that is to this day the best I have ever played. Equiping gear based on pre requisite stats instead of levels? It's amazing what players came up with to "twink" into gear they should not otherwise be able to equip.
SWG had the best virtual society I've ever seen online.
And City of Heroes was an MMO that didn't have a gear grind but was based on character builds.
Evercrack? Yeah it was real and I was addicted! Thankfully I was cured by reality!
Totally disagree on DAoC.
Carry on regardless.