I don't think much has chnaged. We can still play the old mmo's--be it live, special servers or emulated communities. Therer'e still many niche options for a modern gamers too. It's true the mainstream choices have changed mildly, are more solo-oriented and instanced, with larger audiences, but on the whole, these're the same experiences they've always been... hack/slash in dungeons or outdoor, gear progression, character progression, crafting or minigames, and generally in a social environment with occasional grouping and clans, or guilds, to act as extended family.
As I see it, you can play whatever you wnat now, but you need to have realistic expectations. Like Micheal j fox said, happiness is inversely proportional to expectations. You can even play most of the older muds still. We've never had more c hoice than we do now. A gamer isn't a gamer if they spend all their time complainig and never play anything.
I believe that an MMO renaissance will happen when we cross another hurdle. I'm thinking of things like AI. Having a complete game population in a single instance with a truly massive world. Imagine a game where you could in all actuality get lost in.
Would that technology actually change things, or would games largely remain as they are but simply play out on a grander stage.
For those advancements to create new things those developing the games must first have novel ideas. In gaming those are in rather short supply.
Like every other advancement in computer gaming technology this could just end out presenting the same old thing in the latest fanciest 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
I was just thinking this myself the other day. I have played a decent amount of MMORPG's that I "want" to play. I tried to go back to a couple, but it already feels like I got what I wanted from them. I've never been in the situation where there's "no new MMORPG's" available for me to play.
It could also be that, like you said, game designers have just lost sight of what makes a good MMORPG - and keep trying to beat a dead horse. I'm just hoping there's one last, amazing MMORPG to seal the deal before they die out completely :P
I was just thinking this myself the other day. I have played a decent amount of MMORPG's that I "want" to play. I tried to go back to a couple, but it already feels like I got what I wanted from them. I've never been in the situation where there's "no new MMORPG's" available for me to play.
It could also be that, like you said, game designers have just lost sight of what makes a good MMORPG - and keep trying to beat a dead horse. I'm just hoping there's one last, amazing MMORPG to seal the deal before they die out completely :P
I personally don't think the Devs are to blame fully here.
When GW2 launched it did a lot unique things that really changed how a player could enjoy the game.
What happened?
Players Complained that it needed a Role/Trinity class system - Like WoW.
Players Complained that it needed a Gear Grind - Like WoW
Players Complained that it needed Raids - Like WoW.
So.. it's not all the Dev's.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
They're dead until developers start making optimal use of their servers and create amazing living worlds with human like AI. Add in VR and they could create a massively addicting genre.
At this point, the formula is tedious and predictable. It mostly caters to people that love the IP behind the game.
They're dead until developers start making optimal use of their servers and create amazing living worlds with human like AI. Add in VR and they could create a massively addicting genre.
At this point, the formula is tedious and predictable. It mostly caters to people that love the IP behind the game.
I am in the camp that believes that VR will be the absolute perfect platform for MMO's, and that will be the breakthrough that will launch MMO style platforms (MMO's, MOBA, BR's, even Social games like Second Life) to new heights unimaged before.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
I was just thinking this myself the other day. I have played a decent amount of MMORPG's that I "want" to play. I tried to go back to a couple, but it already feels like I got what I wanted from them. I've never been in the situation where there's "no new MMORPG's" available for me to play.
It could also be that, like you said, game designers have just lost sight of what makes a good MMORPG - and keep trying to beat a dead horse. I'm just hoping there's one last, amazing MMORPG to seal the deal before they die out completely :P
Perhaps players don't agree on what makes good a MMORPG, in turn making that difficult for designers to cater to. One sees just as many calls for a contemporary offering of what was as requests for that which has never been.
They're dead until developers start making optimal use of their servers and create amazing living worlds with human like AI. Add in VR and they could create a massively addicting genre.
At this point, the formula is tedious and predictable. It mostly caters to people that love the IP behind the game.
Sounds fancy, but it's still simply the method of delivery. If what is delivered through that medium remains largely the same I don't see that there will be much in the way of substantive change.
I think youll see WOW/FFXIV/ESO just keep adding to the game, they have their foot in a large enough community to keep going so why wouldnt they do what wow does and just keep pumping out content no sequels?
As far as reliving the golden age of mmorpg. No it wont ever be an investor feeding frenzy again, that was a fluke where a lot of money got convinced that wow was the marker for all mmorpgs and how big they could get, when reality was it was an isolated event based on an already huge bnet community that grew.
Amazons future failure mmorpg will scare off investors for a while too.
Its going to take a few indy mmorpgs to get big before you see any major company tossing a few hundred million at a mmorpg. I think realistically AoC might be the only one with a realistic shot. The rest i feel have good intentions but are just developers getting paid to do what they want with no reality of a polished product.
If you dont like WOW/FFXIV/ESO you are sort of stuffed or have to play super low pop niche games or really rough looking old games. Or just scuffed failed attempts trying to be revived.
MMORPGs are stupid hard to get right, extremely expensive, and have a high failure rate. Do the math, the pace of games dropping is likely only going to slow even from where we are at.
Rest assured, some where in this world, is a basement with a few neckbeard buddies busily crackling away at keyboards who will bring a huge mmorpg to market one day....that im sure will happen. Companies, accountants, focus groups and marketeers get involved and the mmo is going to fail. Only passion projects or some major IP wanting to go mmorpg for glory (like FF and ESO did) are all i fear we will really see in the next 10 to 15 years. Its slim odds so i hope you like the few remnants from mmorpgs golden age.
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Would that technology actually change things, or would games largely remain as they are but simply play out on a grander stage.
For those advancements to create new things those developing the games must first have novel ideas. In gaming those are in rather short supply.
Like every other advancement in computer gaming technology this could just end out presenting the same old thing in the latest fanciest way.
But yea... I miss there being multiple (good) MMOs being developed and releasing to compete with each other.
Cheers
"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
It could also be that, like you said, game designers have just lost sight of what makes a good MMORPG - and keep trying to beat a dead horse. I'm just hoping there's one last, amazing MMORPG to seal the deal before they die out completely :P
When GW2 launched it did a lot unique things that really changed how a player could enjoy the game.
What happened?
So.. it's not all the Dev's.
At this point, the formula is tedious and predictable. It mostly caters to people that love the IP behind the game.
Perhaps players don't agree on what makes good a MMORPG, in turn making that difficult for designers to cater to. One sees just as many calls for a contemporary offering of what was as requests for that which has never been.
It's hard to design the traditional original.
Sounds fancy, but it's still simply the method of delivery. If what is delivered through that medium remains largely the same I don't see that there will be much in the way of substantive change.
As far as reliving the golden age of mmorpg. No it wont ever be an investor feeding frenzy again, that was a fluke where a lot of money got convinced that wow was the marker for all mmorpgs and how big they could get, when reality was it was an isolated event based on an already huge bnet community that grew.
Amazons future failure mmorpg will scare off investors for a while too.
Its going to take a few indy mmorpgs to get big before you see any major company tossing a few hundred million at a mmorpg. I think realistically AoC might be the only one with a realistic shot. The rest i feel have good intentions but are just developers getting paid to do what they want with no reality of a polished product.
If you dont like WOW/FFXIV/ESO you are sort of stuffed or have to play super low pop niche games or really rough looking old games. Or just scuffed failed attempts trying to be revived.
MMORPGs are stupid hard to get right, extremely expensive, and have a high failure rate. Do the math, the pace of games dropping is likely only going to slow even from where we are at.
Rest assured, some where in this world, is a basement with a few neckbeard buddies busily crackling away at keyboards who will bring a huge mmorpg to market one day....that im sure will happen. Companies, accountants, focus groups and marketeers get involved and the mmo is going to fail. Only passion projects or some major IP wanting to go mmorpg for glory (like FF and ESO did) are all i fear we will really see in the next 10 to 15 years. Its slim odds so i hope you like the few remnants from mmorpgs golden age.
And thats my rant.