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Have the ORIGANAL game ideas died/ is there any hope for the new mmos?
GzSx93
Member Posts: 43
hello every one, i have been thinking about this topic alot recently becuase IMO there isnt a "good" mmo out there atm(remeber this is just my opion). The only MMO that can probaly counter my complaint is....yes the ever popular 'WOW" now i know half of you at this point are saying "OMG..WOW thats for Total n00bs...blizz sucksx" w/e w/e. The other half of you are probaly the fan boys that are saying "YAAAHH DOOD WOW ROX IT OWNS EVER THING". HOWEVER, the truth is weather you are like the game or not...its a WELL MADE game. Easy to start, very social, VERY addicting, and of course very advertised. Yes people blizzard did a good job advertising there game (thats one of the reasons so many people play it). These features of the game make it hard for other companies to make origanal ideas. So with this whole WOW craze many of the games seem kind of dull, take lotro for instance i the game can pretty much put you to sleep...its just that un origanal! ( the only thing new is monster play and making music...wait didnt they get monster play from a older game?). Now i can go on and on about all these lame mmos on the market right now but i rather not 
.
Although! there might be some hope for games like WAR or AoC pushing the game tword very ingaging pvp insted of just GRIND FEST-NESS.
Just my 2 cents 
PS: voice YOUR opionion ...No flames .....and yes i did play WOW for 2 years along as many other mmos(check the profile) 
Oh and sorry for spelling errors
LAWZIOWN3dYAINTEHFAACE
Comments
Majority of people like doing the same activity over and over. They also like knowing how things will turn out and are afraid of change.
Some people want originally, but the thing is that nobody is willing to take the risk and make a game that is different when they could be following the same setup as other games, playing it safe, and making a lot of money.
Well, being different just to be different rarely produces anything worthwhile.
It is probably a better question to ask why the ideas that frequent these games aren't designed or implemented properly. When they actually create these most prevalent themes in perfection then perhaps the pursuit of something different will take center stage.
There is pizza and there is pizza. Pizza made with a Funyuns and bubblegum topping sure is different, but it doesn't really compare to the perfect classic pepperoni (although some very small minority will enjoy it).
Middle Earth is a fantasy realm and so is the world of the Teletubbies.
Okay, now I'm really rambling. There was a point back there somewhere but now I'm hungry.
However, whether or not someone takes the initiative to make those waiting MMOs is another story.
Game companies are just that. They are companies, and companies only care about one thing. Money. They will go where the money is regardless of whether or not its the right path. All they want is more green in their pockets. Alot of the time communities think the developers generally give a dang about what they want... Not usually, and those that do are forced to do something else because the corporate CEO could give a shiv less about what you, or anyone else thinks so long as he can continue to fill his pocket.
Right now, World of Warcraft outnumbers ever other MMO on the market in gross subscriptions hands down... its just a fact, really. Who knows how its endless grind sessions and out-of-date graphics style look (though done so to replicate the Warcraft series look) have hook lined so many... but it does.. and every other company out there looking to get their hand into the MMO money pot envys this. They want to be just like Blizzard. The WoW killer.. the david of the goliath. But unfortunately all they can think of to do this is to replicate World of Warcraft. They somehow got it into their tiny little brains that by copying Blizzard almost step-by-step but with a different name and a few different texrtures they'll beat out Blizzard and reign supreme.. My oh my how they are sadly mistaken.. they're blind and foolish to think this way... because as i hear it... WoW subscriptions... though still in the vast lead over other MMOs are dropping slowly... people are getting tired of the same old grind they've hauled for these years.. they're looking for something different.. and the coprorations don't see this... just money.. People don't want a WoW replica... they want innovation and new..
Sadly... the companies may never see this.
All we can do is hope that some individual company unbound by a relentless CEO/corporation bent on green domination steps up to the challenge and makes the next giant to reign our worlds for a few more years... before another steps up to that goliath and throws its stone.
Everquest - 2000 - '02
Anarchy Online - '01-'02
Earth and Beyond - '02-'04
Star Wars Galaxies - '03-'06('07)
World of Warcraft - '04-'07
Age of Conan - '08 - shelved.
-Waiting on-
Star Trek Online
SW: The Old Republic
I'd like to see more games based on sci-fi universes (the coming game about the stargate universe is an example). Freelancer was a good initiative, you don't have to be George Lucas to create space-based games.
I think there is room for those who would like to use new styles. "Me-too" products will always make some money, but will not replace original games.
couldnt agree more-
thx for the post eichen
LAWZIOWN3dYAINTEHFAACE
I'm still waiting for a good "Wild West" or "Gangster" MMO which are a couple of the genres that they really havn't tapped yet.
"Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it isn't any good"
i personally think that a prehistoric MMO would be cool, but i also think that the developers should build an entirely new system for everything in game, i.e. develope every system in game from the ground up
one problem with originality in games these days is that games all to often make on "innovative" feature and then flaunt it, they build the entire game around it, and all the most successful games are the ones where you can do the biggest variety of activities
I just wonder if gamers have dumbed down so much that a mmo that isn't easy mode will ever be made again. Now we're stuck with Devs telling us how our characters should be. Hell, I want a battle mage. Plate armor, sword swinging, fire hurling battle mage. I WANT FREEDOM ! If I make my toon and it blows, so what, I'll try a different path. None of this level up buy a move crap I'm being fed now. i want a dev to but it out there and let me pick and chose my path. And the hell with all the players on the forums yelling " I wet my panties cause the uber mage had armor on and i couldn't kill him like i'm supposed to" So sad to bad, make a better toon and come back.
As it stands now, clones. No matter what game it is, clones. I need a healer, I need a tank , I need, i need. It would be nice to just have a game that lets players group simply because you're going after the same thing. "can you heal? nope, but got a big ass band aid in my pack so let's do it".
Perhaps one of these days it'll happen again, just hope i'm not to damn old to hit the keys when it does
Original game ideas have not died
Rather, it's the developers' talent who has died. There are all about making a quick fix to make the monthy cash. The most they'll ever do is create one thing GREAT but then let all the others slide.
It's the ideas or originality. Rather, it's the lack of talented and resourceful people who make em
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
We must wait for the market to be flooded with more and more mmorpgs to the point that not 1 is successful. Once this occurs, then companies MUST develop a game that interests the players as opposed to copying what has already been created.
This takes a long time, and many will say that the market is already flooded...It does have a large amount, but in about 2 more years will be the peak (in my opinion)
Just gotta keep on waiting...once companies start losing money is when they start developing something new. All of the companies that I have known don't give a crap about the consumer, just enough to make sure they will subscribe to their product.
I think there's plenty of great ideas out there, they haven't died yet. Just none of them got exposed/applied/became a rockstar.
There's more hope now than ever because the market is so saturated with clones, that any radical games will easily become a pioneer in some gameplay concept.
Yup, it's just a waiting game. Or if you plan to make games, it's time to get to work!
There are devs with good ideas the problem is that MMO's take so much capital to develop that none of the people who hold the purse strings want to take a risk. They see the success of WoW and seek to emulate/evolve from that game and get a piece of the prize. The most innovative games currently out there are DDO and Planetside and people complain endlessly about those titles. Of the developing titles AoC seeks to break the mold with a more active combat system and some interesting PVP ideas. Huxley looks to be interesting as well.
What we really need is a Car Wars or Battlemech MMO those would be fun. And not like Auto Assault where you have autotargetting and such, more of a "twitchy" car combat game in the vein of I76 and such 8)
i'm very much looking forward to Tabula Rasa. Looks really sweet, a good change of pace from the "standard" fantasy MMO.
though I'd love to see a Mechwarrior MMO.
Or some good fixes to SWG, I'd play SWG again if they continue on the path of improvement.
Cronicals of Spellborn looks pretty sweet too.
I have zero interest in WAR or AoC.
Infinity looks cool, but is probably vaporware.
I just want a game that will motivate me to play for different reasons. Not just for getting better loot. I hate the gear dependancy of modern mmos. Stupid EQ... started it all..
Sadly the answer to the OP's question is NO.
The Dev teams that currently infest the MMO industry aim so low its embarrassing.They tunnel vision their "designs" so badly , as to pointedly relagate their games to only appealing to a very small percentage of the MMO market.
They favor large group over small group over solo- ensuring that the only people of the groups mentioned they have a reasonable chance at making happy is the large group section-IE raiders.
They favor one specific environment type over another,like PvP over PvE(or vice versa).Ensuring that they only have a reasonable chance to really making the favored type happy with the game.
In short they pidgeon hole themselves in almost everyway concievable,relagting their product to a small, pitiuful potential following.
And than jump up and down shouting their products "success" when it gets an embarrassing small consistant population like 200k.
Part of the reason they do this, is they are almost completely unskilled at game design and almost completely lacking in creativity.
To them, making an MMO is ALL about getting people with large amounts of money to support your latest "vision", soon to be the latest train wreck.
Than to compound all that ineptness, they turn out unfinished games that dont even have the content that they hyped in the final revision of the hype (many games go thru so many revisions of what the game is hyped as offering it should be criminal)
So NO.
Currently there is NO hope for a decent MMO.We just have to wait for the event that removes the current dinosaur dev teams from the industry.
Sadly, there is no swarm of small meteors known to be heading for MMO corporate offices.
And even saddier, thats likely the only kind of event that could make the current dinosuars of the MMO industry pass on anytime soon.
There are a few things i would love to have in a new mmog.
1) New combat systems. Ie. first person shoot (bf2), tacticle esponiage (splinter cell) or strategy (chess).
2) A new setting. By the sounds of it alot of ppl are unhappy with the same old fantasy orc, goblins, elves, etc.
3) Immersive storys. Basically something like doom 3 with cutscenes, talking npc and a changing landscape. Instance could be used to create involved stories.
4) no xp / character skills. I'm bored of that kind of gameplay. I know alot of ppl still enjoy it cos they feel there progressing but for me I need a game where my skill wins the game, not one where I keep hitting the same abilities till i'm max lvl.
You start of with original OPand then take WOW as an example.WoW was anything but original.WoW took the best out of the mmorpgs that where there and combined it.Granted it was a brilliant move and that combined with their cartoonish gfx and fanbase , it was one of the smartest moves any mmorpg developer ever did.
A lot of people in here also talk about originaland then start about :an mmorpg in this or that genre.A genre does not make a new kind of mmorpg.Original is new classes , a new look , a new levelling system, new ways of pvp-ing/npcing etc.Not just take the same mmorpg and instead of middle ages we'll take indians and cowboys this time.ALlthough...i would LOVE an mmorpg in the western genre.
Original was in the old days.Ultima...EQ..DAOC..shadowbane and more.The guys who cleared the path.Then the rest came with SWG COH Lineage etc.I am waiting for potbs , but it's not a new kind of mmorpgor original in the wider sence allthough some claim it to be.
The only games for me that are original and not TOO old are :
-eve online:now if you like it or not...and i for one do....it is something totally else.
-second life:I tried it once and did not like it one bit..BUT it is original.
-planetside:ok..it's an mmofps...but for me it should be in the list
All the rest of the mmorpgs that came after the daoc time are copies in one sence or another.Only difference mostly is that they have an extra feauture or combine 2 mmorpgs in one.I have to say i only took the "big hits" from latest years.It could be i missed one or two "smaller" mmorpgs.
Just my 2 cents.
Sadly it seems the amjoraty of Developer groups are stuck for ideas so there games are all the same now.
Fantasy.
Very few Sci -Fi.
Level grind.
Classes.
Fortunatly tho there are some developer groups who seem to have broken this mould One of them being CCP
This may be the case for the AAA title developers, the big shots, but indie developers and entrepreneur ones are where the hope and creativity lie. They are most likely aware of the problems that the bigger titles suffer, due to the bigger risks. Smaller projects, on the other hand, have smaller risks and braver choices.
Have hope and optimism, for small mammals will soon replace the dinosaurs.