It's been a long time since I've posted anything here...but this subject is one that has an easy, albeit difficult, solution.
Before I put in my two cents, let me explain that I've been through the WoW "Hamster Wheel" myself, finally quitting at the end of 2005. The comments made by most of you on this subject are right on, I believe, and go a long ways to explaining the real problem of MMORPG's...they're nearly all alike at their core.
Whether you wear plate armor, travel in a spaceship, pretend your Mad Max, or even like my current adventure as a SuperHero in CoX...we're almost all doing the same basic crap...over and over and over.
So...what's the reason for this? NO ONE WANTS TO DIE!! NO ONE WANTS THE UNKNOWN!
Here's the solution...hold onto your seats...three MAJOR changes are all that's necessary (sure a few minor ones as well, but no time for that today).
1. Permadeath.
Now...before you send off the preverbial "you're an idiot" reply to my post, please continue to read. You build a MMO. Doesn't matter what genre, although I'm really getting tired of Elves. You create it to be FULLY persistant where time actually passes and your actions have consequences. More importantly, you also create 6 different server types, each operating only for four hours a day on a rotating basis. Each player has the opportunity to play on as many or as few of these servers as he/she wants, but only has one toon per server. The four hour time-period will emulate the passing of a 24 hour day. The system of permadeath will help eliminate your "level 60" problem (or 50, or 80, or CL10, or whatever your game's top level is), because instead of playing to GET to the end, you'll play for "playing sake"...with the full knowledge that your toon will either get killed or die from oldage, and you'll get to begin again with a brand new creation. It will also promote a far more mature community...little kids don't like to see their UBER PALLY in skimpy underpants get eliminated...they don't have the patience or stamina.
2. Target info for NPC AND PC are unavailable.
Certainly, the perception of your toon can possibly discern a few features that will help you in determining the strength of your enemy...plus, your own experiences and shared experiences will also help enlighten you. The server will be fully PvP...but your reputatiion will follow you, and if you're a ganker thats unfortunately surrounded in a dark ally by a few PC's that want revenge, well...it's not like you didn't have it coming. Target info has become one of the biggest reasons RPG's get so friggen repetetive and unchallenging...what's the fun when you already know you can wipe your opponent? over and over and over again...please...doesn't anyone agree with me on this one?
3. No more "broadcast" channel.
Seriously...nothing has turned me off more in WoW and GW then to have to close my chat channel because of all the immature crap in my chat window. Also, I don't WANT to have to determine all the different specifications and settings I want my chat window to look like...in fact, if I wanted to chat...maybe I'd spend my time in a chat room. Players in my suggested format can communicate three ways...local chat (where my voice travels a limited distance), whisper (must be standing near the person your whispering to), and courier (send a letter and hope bandits don't kill the poor sucker who has to deliver it).
That's it! Now...someone go get the money so we can build the damn thing, k?
I don't know and I'm about the quit again. When you don't have the time to join one of the better guilds (and time is the only factor to do, truly) there is no real fun in the endgame content: You can, of course, wait for the 23rd nerf of the bosses, so your mid-range guild will be able to kill him to ... this is, what will happen step by step for any high-level instance when new content becomes released. But this let's me feel like a child being "allowed" to win by their parents for a change...
Remove raids completly or keep em in for the ppls who love to raid but there shouldnt drop better loot. - Add in 5-10 man dungeons which are 3 times as hard as Scholo / Strath. & co. for epic items. - Improve professions so you can make real good items and for all lvl ranges. Wtf is this shit that you can make for - example a robe for lvl 8 then at 30 earliest again or so ... ??? This is totally bs. - add in some new bgs - add in a whole new continent with an addon where the continent really is contested - player housing and guild halls - fun stuff to do I dont know what but its blizzard job to think about it ... so far they didnt add anything new to the game, always just guess what RAIDS and faction grind (I dont mind this if its good made via quests and so but only to kill always the same mobs over and over and over again ?) /yawn
If they did all of this, it would make the game almost playable enough for me to come back ^
Gaming? That's not gaming! That's just people sat 'round in costumes drinking...
Comments
It's been a long time since I've posted anything here...but this subject is one that has an easy, albeit difficult, solution.
Before I put in my two cents, let me explain that I've been through the WoW "Hamster Wheel" myself, finally quitting at the end of 2005. The comments made by most of you on this subject are right on, I believe, and go a long ways to explaining the real problem of MMORPG's...they're nearly all alike at their core.
Whether you wear plate armor, travel in a spaceship, pretend your Mad Max, or even like my current adventure as a SuperHero in CoX...we're almost all doing the same basic crap...over and over and over.
So...what's the reason for this? NO ONE WANTS TO DIE!! NO ONE WANTS THE UNKNOWN!
Here's the solution...hold onto your seats...three MAJOR changes are all that's necessary (sure a few minor ones as well, but no time for that today).
1. Permadeath.
Now...before you send off the preverbial "you're an idiot" reply to my post, please continue to read. You build a MMO. Doesn't matter what genre, although I'm really getting tired of Elves. You create it to be FULLY persistant where time actually passes and your actions have consequences. More importantly, you also create 6 different server types, each operating only for four hours a day on a rotating basis. Each player has the opportunity to play on as many or as few of these servers as he/she wants, but only has one toon per server. The four hour time-period will emulate the passing of a 24 hour day. The system of permadeath will help eliminate your "level 60" problem (or 50, or 80, or CL10, or whatever your game's top level is), because instead of playing to GET to the end, you'll play for "playing sake"...with the full knowledge that your toon will either get killed or die from oldage, and you'll get to begin again with a brand new creation. It will also promote a far more mature community...little kids don't like to see their UBER PALLY in skimpy underpants get eliminated...they don't have the patience or stamina.
2. Target info for NPC AND PC are unavailable.
Certainly, the perception of your toon can possibly discern a few features that will help you in determining the strength of your enemy...plus, your own experiences and shared experiences will also help enlighten you. The server will be fully PvP...but your reputatiion will follow you, and if you're a ganker thats unfortunately surrounded in a dark ally by a few PC's that want revenge, well...it's not like you didn't have it coming. Target info has become one of the biggest reasons RPG's get so friggen repetetive and unchallenging...what's the fun when you already know you can wipe your opponent? over and over and over again...please...doesn't anyone agree with me on this one?
3. No more "broadcast" channel.
Seriously...nothing has turned me off more in WoW and GW then to have to close my chat channel because of all the immature crap in my chat window. Also, I don't WANT to have to determine all the different specifications and settings I want my chat window to look like...in fact, if I wanted to chat...maybe I'd spend my time in a chat room.
Players in my suggested format can communicate three ways...local chat (where my voice travels a limited distance), whisper (must be standing near the person your whispering to), and courier (send a letter and hope bandits don't kill the poor sucker who has to deliver it).
That's it! Now...someone go get the money so we can build the damn thing, k?
If they did all of this, it would make the game almost playable enough for me to come back ^
Gaming? That's not gaming!
That's just people sat 'round in costumes drinking...
untill i reach those goals i dont quit :P
game. to others they still like the content and not bored by it i
guess