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Why Do Modern MMOs Feel So Different Than Old School Ones? | MMORPG.com
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Why Do Modern MMOs Feel So Different Than Old School Ones? | MMORPG.com
We all know it. Modern-day MMORPG's just don't feel the same as old-school MMO's do. Have you ever wondered why exactly that might be? Mitch takes a stab at the differences between the differences between older MMOs and new ones. Read on and see if you agree with his assessment.
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And the choices were vast. Take DAOC for example. There are three factions, and each faction has their own set of classes. And each class has multiple "spec lines" to develop, each one different than the other. The total number of choices is huge. The manuals for these games were large too.
WoW brought in what I call the "Mortal Kombat Kiddies". These players are used to action combat, shallow characters with almost no development, and very limited choices as to powers and strategies. Like an arcade game, not an RPG.
Today's MMO's are way dumbed down versions of what we used to play. ESO, for example, is patterned after DAOC, with three factions, etc. But each faction has the same classes. And each class is very simple, the number of choices is very limited. And unlike DaOC, where you have a lot of skills/powers to choose from, ESO gives you only a handful. 5 powers to start, that's all.
The focus has gone towards "action" combat, like an arcade game, and away from complex character development. And like arcade games, people hop from one to the other. They are all very similar anyway, with shallow characters and limited choices.
The TL;DR version: count the keys on your keyboard. Now count the buttons on your console controller. That is what has happened to MMORPG's.
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2024: 47 years on the Net.
You know almost nothing about the majority of the people in your state. But those in your community? Those you run into at the gym repeatedly, at work, at church, at the store, etc.. Those are the people you form a true "communal" connection with. Those are the people you generally elect your friends from. People whose lives make room for one another.
Focusing a community can actually be helpful in creating those connections. I definitely think devs need to do a better job of curating those communities, though. Virtual anonymity sets up a bad landscape without some serious trimming.
Modern MMOs are easier, easier to solo and that's all that matters. We have easier grouping these days, but that's not across the board. Soloing became so easy grouping died out, that is the proof of how easy it became.
"Those corpse runs weren’t hardcore. You just ran back to where you had died, gathered up your stuff, and high-tailed it out of there before the mobs could kill you again."
And that is easier than the no-penalty deaths of today Mitch? I am not sure I would call corpse runs "hardcore" myself, but they were a lot harder than today. Corpse runs are something I don't want back btw, they aren't needed for an old school/new school hybrid.
"The removal of those archaic mechanics hasn’t made MMOs any easier, it’s just made them more convenient to play."
No, convenience is easier, you have just bought into a term studios use to disguise the fact all the do is make MMOs easier each year. Same for quality of life changes, even in your example they made the game easier. That's not to say all changes the studio calls convenience or QoL are just there to make the game easier, those labels are just what studios use to hide their "ever easier" roadmap.
Modern MMOs Lack Individuality
With a few honourable exceptions I agree.
Modern MMOs Have Faster Leveling
I agree, just add that's part of the changes that: "have turned dedicated players that would stick with an MMO for years into a transient group that hops from one MMO to the next in a matter of weeks."
But I think that was what you intended to say as you develop that into Modern MMOs Backload The Grind which I certainly agree with.
The Mystery Is Gone From Modern MMOs
Yes, just pointing out I think this is also down to "MMOs lacking individuality", if you build from the same template, mystery becomes harder to build in.
Modern MMOs Lack Community
Yes and again yes! To me this is the element that has been impacted by so many changes that it is a wonder we still have communities in MMOs. From the soloing to the "transient group" of butterflies, to the "self sufficiency"; MMO community has taken repeated knock out blows, the fact it survives shows how much players want it.
"What I’m about to say is going to make me sound like one of those old-school MMOers who is stuck in the past".
Welcome to the club, I will be sending you a pair of the fabled rosy spectacles we are all supposed to use. But I think you will find as I have from what players say, that they want a hybrid of some sort between old and new school, not just a return to the past.
In summation, MMOs are like an ecosystem, you change one thing and it can have a big impact on other systems. But then they are places many players think of as second home, so that should not be surprising.
Modern mmos are fast food, built for convenience and around those who spend the most money. This plagues the entire industry, and due to the massive investment of time and money, mmos take no chances. Corporations don't do innovation.
The old indie developers of old school mmorpgs ... just made a game based on concept, and hoped there was an audience for it. That's how capitalism used to work. Make a product, if it was good, it would likely succeed and sell well. It wasn't baked up in a corporate meeting with investors.
Most games suck today because you're playing a Disney theme park model; lowest bar of entry, maximized monetization model, zero innovation and imagination ... and the masses mindlessly eat it up.
Good games are not made for the masses. Being part of the masses, is a mundane life. You are a crab in a bucket, and your products reflect that reality. You also have nearly all consumer power stripped from you. You have no buying power. Investors have the power, and developers are beholden to them, not you. If you stop giving them money, they target the new "mass audience", and you are left wondering why good games are no longer made and capable of even being made.
The clues are there for you to see. This is why Blizzard is targeting the mobile market. You pc gamers do not return the investment percentage investors demand. You will be phased out if required. Games will no longer be made for you, if your market yields a lower return. You will be dropped like an Amber Heard grumpy on white sheets. Welcome to the world of corporations.
I lose interest in theme park game extremely quickly.
So an old school style, while it's not going to offer that "magical" first feeling, is going to be superior to me.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
The reason why I struggle getting back into EverQuest II each time, is that I just get immediately bored logging into my old Paladin character and spend 10 mins killing even the most menial quests mobs.
In old MMO's, every little thing seems a time sink, even killing basic quest mobs. This is especially true for tank / healer classes, which get really punished in DPS in these older MMO's.
As for corpse runs, man, I remember some doozies in Asheron's Call...just had to have the correct death items to make it easier so you didn't have to get your corpse if a group of Virindi were camping it...
There has to be a middle ground though.
The old MMO's were real time sink. People weren't joking saying MMO's back then were like a 2nd life / job.
When I got into a serious relationship, son being born, etc. I had to stop playing MMO's back then, since I just did not have the time anymore.
Now with today's MMO's I can actually play again, without having to sacrifice my social / family life.
IMHO you can't re-create the old times as people play the game differently and expect something different.
If I would create an MMO (and not business software) I would just shorten the leveling phase tremendously and go with a Guild Wars 1 approach.
Let the people grind for those extra skins, extra 1-2% of damage, skills which are not stronger but different and allow more diversity, or even different effects for the same skills.
It's always a shame to see games have a lot of leveling content just to see it being ignored and empty after 2 weeks. All this quests and dungeons and items as endgame stuff and people would grind it without complaining.
1997 Meridian 59 'til 2019 ESO
Waiting for Camelot Unchained & Pantheon
IT always felt like the time sink was nothing more than for the company to keep people subbed longer....If you ran out of things to do in one month, then the company doesn't make much money....but...as a result, by things taking longer we had more time to talk in chat....I knew people in Everquest that never left PoK...They enjoyed chatting with other people all day...That was their fun.
Reminds me of my musical mentor who told me that when we played out, we were in the entertainment industry, not the musical one.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.