They're called "live services" now. The money is in microtransactions and loot boxes. That's why we don't have MMOs, the publishers found easier ways to make more money.
Thats why something like New World gets so much attention.
The game has hardly any content compared to other games when they launched. I would say games like ESO or Vanguard had 4 times the amount of content at launch, if not even more.
It completely lacks its direction of scope. A mixture of PvE with PvP endgame which pleases no one. RNG even in the possibility to participate in content (for me this is the throne of RNG)
But it is the only one which is in development.
And yes it is a rough diamond.
But if you look at the advancement Games did from 2014 to now, every AAA MMORPG should be like it.
I just had a look into Age of Reckogning and it showed me how far we came in the last 10 years.
Of course a game developed 6 years later than the last big AAA should be way better graphic and tech wise.
Thats the only reason New World looks so promising.
Ebery new AAA developed now will/should look like it.
Luckily I ain't affected (don't really care about new games) but I feel sorry for those still waiting for the next big MMORPG... and until that they label anything they see as MMO.
Maybe that was my favourite part of the article: "Instead of focusing on true MMORPGs, most major studios have shifted
towards chasing the flavor of the month genre (MOBA, Hero Shooters, or
Battle Royales), mobile games, or lobby-based pseudo MMOs. The latter
two have likely done the most damage to the MMORPG market"
(though I used to call those quasi-MMOs, pseudo can work too. The difference is the latter contains the intent too, the need to look like MMOs which ain't always the case, a lot of times it's just the players labeling them as one)
I'm fine with the genre until my main games are there and playable, without too much harm from the market shift in form of tweaks, nerfs and watering downs.
After Funcom killed off TSW my current "youngest" game is CO - which is currently (as in right now, started this Thursday) celebrating its 11th birthday, hopefully there will be a news piece on that, right mmorpg.com?
Thats why something like New World gets so much attention.
The game has hardly any content compared to other games when they launched. I would say games like ESO or Vanguard had 4 times the amount of content at launch, if not even more.
It completely lacks its direction of scope. A mixture of PvE with PvP endgame which pleases no one. RNG even in the possibility to participate in content (for me this is the throne of RNG)
But it is the only one which is in development.
And yes it is a rough diamond.
But if you look at the advancement Games did from 2014 to now, every AAA MMORPG should be like it.
I just had a look into Age of Reckogning and it showed me how far we came in the last 10 years.
Of course a game developed 6 years later than the last big AAA should be way better graphic and tech wise.
Thats the only reason New World looks so promising.
Ebery new AAA developed now will/should look like it.
NW is far from launched. That was a preview and it's over now.
J'étais très heureux quand j'ai découvert la date de sortie de Shadowlands. Je me suis déjà acheté une pré-commande et j'ai immédiatement commandé les niveaux de pompage Raidline pour mon personnage principal du niveau 50 à 60. Je veux vite commencer à l'habiller!) Le patch devrait être très cool!)
I'm a bit surprised Ashes of Creation wasn't talked about more in this piece. Of all the mmos discussed over the past 10+ years (not counting Star Citizen) this game seems to be the one that will bring the most people back to the genre. It isn't going to be another copy paste game that brings everything with it everything that's been driving true mmo players away from mmos, such as everything being instanced, cash shop focus, and meaningless rng-based-forced-play time extension loot.
Personally the main reason I'll be checking it out is the fact there will be a subscription. There hasn't been a single mmo worth playing that is F2P since that model started gaining in popularity. Just look at the "big four." 3 of them have a subscription model, the one exception is obviously GW2, which is B2P with no sub, so you still have to pay to get the full experience.
All these crowdfunded mmorpgs are half-assed projects because there is no time constraint and the Ceos are trying to milk the fanbase and gain more "free money" before giving a reason why they can't accomplish the game or why its in such a terrible state.
We've seen excuses and scummy behavior ranging from endless modules and artwork to sell more assets to completely funding, making a 2nd game with backer money, to just up and stealing the money. 10+ years some of these crowdfunded mmorpgs have been in development and most are just a demo. That being said really the only mmorpg I am looking forward to that seems to be pushing boundries and designs is Profane, but that is ultra far away too; all the others I've lost hope on.
This is why i have given up on mmorpg's,they became stagnant after FFXi,just a bunch of yellow markers over npc's with a race to end game raiding/loot.
The RIDE,the ADVENTURE,the discovery is simply NOT THERE,The WORLD and feeling like you are in a world with world interaction is simple NOT there.
We don't even have ONE mmorpg that has an ECO system,how sad is that?We do not have one mmorpg that allows you to build a house,i mean BUILD not just inhabit some prefab structure or instance zone.
It is of course FAIR to allow developers TIME,to advance their trade skills and for the most part we were seeing a steady advancement in mmorpg design,then it just ended abruptly.Introduce $$$,cash shops,crowd funding,loot boxes,card packs etc etc,instead of better games we got new monetization.
I know I talk about it alot and the game had severe flaws, but I think Darkfall online did exploring very well. It was a massive, expansive world with unknown monster spawns and locations where clans held onto information at least until 3rd party websites came out showing information. I'd like to see more random events and unknown aspects in mmorpgs. Most themepark mmos don't have anything remotely like that.
Enjoying Black Desert Online while waiting for Blue Protocol and the true king of the mmo genre which is Pearl Abyss to drop their next mmos.
You can say what ever you want about BDO to downplay it but none of it matters. Only thing that matters with mmos is how successful it is and BDO is a GLOBAL success.
Western mmo devs take notes.
Enjoying Black Desert Online while waiting for Blue Protocol and the true king of the mmo genre which is Pearl Abyss to drop their next mmos.
You can say what ever you want about BDO to downplay it but none of it matters. Only thing that matters with mmos is how successful it is and BDO is a GLOBAL success.
Western mmo devs take notes.
They get it, plenty of people willing to spend good money on deficit products and services, such as Tik Tok, Justin Bieber, and McDonald's, no surprise they are willing to do the same with BDO and mobile games as well.
So now east or west most devs are shoveling out shit as fast as possible and making millions.
It's brilliant really, in an evil genius destroying the world sort of way.
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
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
(Developers walk into mmorpg forums for some ideas... see all the disagreements and bashing of games... walk out deciding to make a shooter for 1/10 the cost and 10 times the audience)
Lulz, developers visiting MMORPG forums, do you also believe in fairies or that many girls play such games?
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
I still play one that is 16 years old, project entropia, but that is for 2 reasons, real cash economy and i can play it while i do other things.
Otherwise, the game is absolute trash, i couldnt imagine playing any MMO at this time because it is stale and to really enjoy an MMO, you need community, and i dont have time for that.
Otherwise, all the prior mmos, ive seen have no new features, we are used to the perisistent world, now we need something else. Some new innovation. Be it VR or another game with real cash economy or both.
Catch me streaming at twitch.tv/cryomatrix You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
I still play one that is 16 years old, project entropia, but that is for 2 reasons, real cash economy and i can play it while i do other things.
Otherwise, the game is absolute trash, i couldnt imagine playing any MMO at this time because it is stale and to really enjoy an MMO, you need community, and i dont have time for that.
Otherwise, all the prior mmos, ive seen have no new features, we are used to the perisistent world, now we need something else. Some new innovation. Be it VR or another game with real cash economy or both.
Almost every game has a "real cash" economy, you just have to be willing to break a few rules.
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
So you know in star wars..when you see all that tech and it's obviously better than what we have but them fucking aliens be using it to roast some kind of alien rat?
That's mmo's. That's the genre. Peak civilization and then rats cooked out of droid husks.
It's very much a atari crash with only a few viable games out there and they are only viable because we cluster to them because there isn't shit out there that hasn't been done.
I have tried all the fancy new ones and quit them all after a month. The first generation of the genre was the best it will ever be because the genre went mainstream. Playing Anarchy Online back in 2000/2001 was the best time i ever had in mmo's and the only people that played mmo's were computer geeks.
All AAA titles still seem to follow the WoW build, in making a "theme park" mmo. For whatever reason that's the only type of mmo you can make besides a "sandbox" mmo. I think the reason WoW so popular was the lore and not the fact that it was a "theme park". Hence why a lot of players hate "theme parks" and don't play them when released. which is why we aren't seeing a lot of AAA mmo's. I think once Pantheon Rise of the Fallen releases, and players and dev's see that other styles that aren't theme parks can work as a mmo, we will start to see more AAA mmos.
Must be some good coffee or something else you had this morning @Kyleran cause you on fire! Will you be here all week?
About the MMO situation though imma preach one last time about it cause the solution to the entire problem is so simple and that is Lo-Fi MMO. Think Middle Earth online, think Runescape OS, think text based MMO except made today with more features.
If cash shop is needed for games survival then add stuff to the cash shop like lo-fi cosmetics similar to Realm of the Mad God. Lo-Fi would cut production costs to the point where the overall budget would be a tiny fraction of what was spent on any modern game. MJ said his server can do anything and he can add anything to the game instantly so why not just go lo-fi with tons of skills/abilities/races. Create many different games with vast lo-fi fantasy, western, space, steampunk, cyberpunk worlds. Lo-Fi is the answer to all of current MMORPG's problems.
I have tried all the fancy new ones and quit them all after a month. The first generation of the genre was the best it will ever be because the genre went mainstream. Playing Anarchy Online back in 2000/2001 was the best time i ever had in mmo's and the only people that played mmo's were computer geeks.
I used to hear alot about Anarchy Online in my Tibia days around the same time 2001-2004. Maybe one reason for the drought is the players have changed. By players I mean the people playing the games back dating back to mid 90s have all grown up now. I believe this has affected the demand for your typical mmorpg. The most recent mmorpg for me was MortalOnline by Star Vault which wasn't too bad Rated as a 6.8/10.
I'm looking for that next mmo to have a story line similar to something out of Sryth with an open world/graphics like Elder Scrolls or MortalOnline with a touch of some Tibian like quests. Will it ever happen , probably not
Personally all of my close friends and family are playing old games like Everquest progression server, WoW classic, City of Heroes and have abandoned any of the new stuff.
I wouldn't say it's a drought as much as enjoying the old watering holes.
"You CAN'T buy ships for RL money." - MaxBacon
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
I have tried all the fancy new ones and quit them all after a month. The first generation of the genre was the best it will ever be because the genre went mainstream. Playing Anarchy Online back in 2000/2001 was the best time i ever had in mmo's and the only people that played mmo's were computer geeks.
I used to hear alot about Anarchy Online in my Tibia days around the same time 2001-2004. Maybe one reason for the drought is the players have changed. By players I mean the people playing the games back dating back to mid 90s have all grown up now. I believe this has affected the demand for your typical mmorpg. The most recent mmorpg for me was MortalOnline by Star Vault which wasn't too bad Rated as a 6.8/10.
I'm looking for that next mmo to have a story line similar to something out of Sryth with an open world/graphics like Elder Scrolls or MortalOnline with a touch of some Tibian like quests. Will it ever happen , probably not
Yeah, it's true that my old gaming crew got older. It's just that they miss the computer geeks that only knew about MMORPG's. AO was a huge game in Boston at the time because of M.I.T. That school threatens to block the students from playing that game so much and it made the local news here. Those guys helped me build my first custom PC.
"A lack of endgame content for casual players." Because casual players who never going to stick around are the player base a game to live in should rely on?
Agree with Nick totally on BDO, it was the monetarization model that for me meant I left the game.
This article is a great potted history of MMOS from the end of the glory days until now, it is a good introduction for players new to the genre who think "So that's all there is?".
Comments
The game has hardly any content compared to other games when they launched. I would say games like ESO or Vanguard had 4 times the amount of content at launch, if not even more.
It completely lacks its direction of scope. A mixture of PvE with PvP endgame which pleases no one. RNG even in the possibility to participate in content (for me this is the throne of RNG)
But it is the only one which is in development.
And yes it is a rough diamond.
But if you look at the advancement Games did from 2014 to now, every AAA MMORPG should be like it.
I just had a look into Age of Reckogning and it showed me how far we came in the last 10 years.
Of course a game developed 6 years later than the last big AAA should be way better graphic and tech wise.
Thats the only reason New World looks so promising.
Ebery new AAA developed now will/should look like it.
1997 Meridian 59 'til 2019 ESO
Waiting for Camelot Unchained & Pantheon
"Instead of focusing on true MMORPGs, most major studios have shifted towards chasing the flavor of the month genre (MOBA, Hero Shooters, or Battle Royales), mobile games, or lobby-based pseudo MMOs. The latter two have likely done the most damage to the MMORPG market"
NW is far from launched. That was a preview and it's over now.
mmorpg junkie since 1999
Personally the main reason I'll be checking it out is the fact there will be a subscription. There hasn't been a single mmo worth playing that is F2P since that model started gaining in popularity. Just look at the "big four." 3 of them have a subscription model, the one exception is obviously GW2, which is B2P with no sub, so you still have to pay to get the full experience.
We've seen excuses and scummy behavior ranging from endless modules and artwork to sell more assets to completely funding, making a 2nd game with backer money, to just up and stealing the money. 10+ years some of these crowdfunded mmorpgs have been in development and most are just a demo. That being said really the only mmorpg I am looking forward to that seems to be pushing boundries and designs is Profane, but that is ultra far away too; all the others I've lost hope on.
MurderHerd
I know I talk about it alot and the game had severe flaws, but I think Darkfall online did exploring very well. It was a massive, expansive world with unknown monster spawns and locations where clans held onto information at least until 3rd party websites came out showing information. I'd like to see more random events and unknown aspects in mmorpgs. Most themepark mmos don't have anything remotely like that.
MurderHerd
Enjoying Black Desert Online while waiting for Blue Protocol and the true king of the mmo genre which is Pearl Abyss to drop their next mmos.
You can say what ever you want about BDO to downplay it but none of it matters. Only thing that matters with mmos is how successful it is and BDO is a GLOBAL success. Western mmo devs take notes.
So now east or west most devs are shoveling out shit as fast as possible and making millions.
It's brilliant really, in an evil genius destroying the world sort of way.
But you go ahead and keep enjoying BDO...
Consume! Obey! Sleep!
Damn, all out of bubblegum again.
"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
"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
(Yeah, that last one is a thing, sort of)
"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
I still play one that is 16 years old, project entropia, but that is for 2 reasons, real cash economy and i can play it while i do other things.
Otherwise, the game is absolute trash, i couldnt imagine playing any MMO at this time because it is stale and to really enjoy an MMO, you need community, and i dont have time for that.
Otherwise, all the prior mmos, ive seen have no new features, we are used to the perisistent world, now we need something else. Some new innovation. Be it VR or another game with real cash economy or both.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
"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
That's mmo's. That's the genre. Peak civilization and then rats cooked out of droid husks.
It's very much a atari crash with only a few viable games out there and they are only viable because we cluster to them because there isn't shit out there that hasn't been done.
Pass the womp rat my dudes.
I'm looking for that next mmo to have a story line similar to something out of Sryth with an open world/graphics like Elder Scrolls or MortalOnline with a touch of some Tibian like quests. Will it ever happen , probably not
I wouldn't say it's a drought as much as enjoying the old watering holes.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/Agree with Nick totally on BDO, it was the monetarization model that for me meant I left the game.
This article is a great potted history of MMOS from the end of the glory days until now, it is a good introduction for players new to the genre who think "So that's all there is?".
MMORPG's once were and can be yet much more.