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Fantasy Laden Market
CaesarsGhost
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 2,136
I know I'll get blasted for this, but here goes:
I'm noticing that there's 1 Sci-Fi MMOG for every 7 or 8 Fantasy based MMOGs released... now one would think that in a market flooded like this, somebody might think if they created a greater Sci-Fi game, people would come running, right?
I've tried the following Sci-Fi MMOGs: SWG, AO, EVE, Project Entropia, PlanetSide, and Beta of E&B. I still play AO and Entropia. Does anybody else have an idea of why this market is so Fantasy laden?
SWG (albeit the new Expansion LOOKS enticing, it isn't enough to get me to go back to THAT) seems to be dying. Nobody I know plays it anymore.
Anarchy Online (Currently Active nightly) seems to be growing. And also has a new exciting expansion on the way.
EVE is well set from my friends who play it. Most new comers must join established ranks or suffer to gain.
Don't get me started on Project Entropia... I've spent too much money to give it up now though.
And I haven't played PlanetSide or E&B since release... perhaps they are growing or dwindling... I dunno.
I finally gave up in awaiting new ones... and yes, I've seen the upcoming releases in the Sci-Fi catagories, they don't impress me. AO seems to be keeping my interest well for now... with some sidebar of Entropia... and programming on the 3rd computer of my own personal game (all BSD based, open group project for my website/irc community). What would it take to get a good Sci-Fi game? No clue, wish it'd happen though... cause AO won't keep the interest forever, and I don't see any on the horizon...
NOTE: I have played some of the Fantasy MMOGs as well: Evercrack, Horizons: Empire of Hysteria, Shallowbane... Lineage II (don't have a funny name for it)... I just can't do games with Fantasy anymore.
- CaesarsGhost
Anarchy Online
Project Entropia
*Name Pending* (I'm making it myself!)
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."
Comments
Melee combat is easy... Combat that involves shooting weapons is difficult with Internet Latency, allowing skills to affect your ability, etc...
With a gun, if I am aiming at it, I expect to hit it, so it is difficult for character skills to play a part. plus, latency can cause havoc on games with that kind of combat...
With melee combat, it is actually turn based, and it is easy to take into account all of the cjharacter abilities, and lag can easily be overcome... Ever lag out in a game, and when you caught back up, the mob you were fighting is dead? Can't do that if it is a shooting game...
I've lagged out in a Melee game... and when I came back the mob I was fighting was still alive... and I was dead... that count?
I can't name the ammount of times I lagged out in Entropia to come back to 7 or 8 mobs attacking me at once....
- CaesarsGhost
http://www.flyingtemple.com/
Anarchy Online
Project Entropia
*Name Pending* (I'm making it myself!)
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."
Godz of War I call Thee
Godz of War I call Thee
I don't think that it's easier to make combat for melee than range so that would be a reason.
A reason could be that it might be easier to make a good story for fantasy instead of Sci-Fi tho, easier to come up with diffrent mobs and content.
Even AO that are a Sci-Fi have alot of fantasy elements like dragons and things in it, it maybe sinmple make the game better.
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Azzazzimon
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Azzazzimon
Well, I don't want to get started on Project Entropia, because it is just a horrible game. A big ripoff...
But, that explains my point, Project Entropia is a shooting game. The way it is made, you have to tell your character to make every attack, so the game can not coninue to fight for you when you are lagged out. A game like EQ where you tell your character to attack, and he does, and continues to without you doing anything allows the game to overcome lag. The game can continue to make your character fight till you tell him to stop.
Sci-fi just doesnt work in a mmorpg setting for me. The whole genre just doesnt fit for some reason.
I've had the chance to play planetside recently and i thought the game was great. even though there is the odd time that you do lag and maybe get blown away it doesnt matter because of the rest of the time your having fun. mind you i havent been on for awhile and the may have fixed the lagging problem altogether (not like even the best of games lag the odd time or maybe its just my commodore
) but as i found out when playing planetside is that it can sometimes get boring but thats why i was signed up on DOAC when i got bored of either game id just switch and the nice thing was they were 2 totaly different games so i never got completly bored of both of them the only reason im not still playing the is i seemed to have missplaced my computer.
"He who looks for his inner self finds MMORPG.Com" Confucius's Mentor
Planetside is a FPS and does a good job of it.Sure the whining over balance has made the game even more imbalanced but as they is nothing to lose but your pride it does not matter.It is a good FPS and I rather like it.
Like all FPS is can get boring but you just need to take a break and come back .Most Planetside players do it(including me) and it works great.
no funny name for lineage 2?
try lineage blew
i am also waiting for a big time sci fi one myself. but hope seems dismal. i don't expect much from the likes of MxO, but i'm sure i'll try it, cause i'm waiting for that scifi title.
I really hope that *insert game name here* will be the first game to ever live up to all of its pre-release promises, maintain a manageable hype level and have a clean release. Just don't expect me to hold my breath.
To each their own Misti. Some people simply like some better than others.
The MMORPG genre is still preety young, and I have no doubt we will see something more creative in the future. Maybe one of the people on these forums will be responsible for it, kudos to him or her.
I am less interested in Sci-fi mmorpgs than any other setting. My favorite is, and always has been fantasy. I guess many people agree with me? It is not the people who you should be asking, it is the developers and publishers. Anarchy Online is successful, and as mentioned, growing.
I play Star Wars Galaxies, not because it is sci-fi, but because it is Star Wars. Even then, I spend less and less time there in favor of DAoC, FFXI, and Lienage II open beta.
Fantasy has been tried and true. Maybe in the near future we will see more games with a futuristic setting?
Either way, give me Orcs and Goblins any day, the Fantasy setting will always be my favorite.