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Why Fantasy
Stormwine
Member Posts: 46
So with all the MMOS out there, why is fantasy the preferred back drop? Don't get me wrong fantasy is great, but sci-fi, adventure, and historical backdrops have as much potential. So why are the most successful MMORPG's fantasy? I ponder this often. PotBS has great potential, but so did Auto Assault, and City of Heroes. Both of those games did not do as well as expected because the games were a disappointment. Were the developers to blame or is it just impossible to have a truly good mmo not fantasy based? As for games like Matrix online, Galaxies, and the upcoming Trek MMO I think most of these are doomed from inception. To take a popular Movie or TV show and turn it into a decent Video game of any type is difficult. If you think about most of these ideas (X-men, Spiderman, an lets not for get the Davinci Code game) have been bombs. EvE is a beautiful game which I truly enjoy, but dosent now nor I doubt it will ever have the customer bas games like EQ, UO, WoW or DAoC have or have had in the past. Why I know that the Sci-Fi fan base is out there. Do the just not play MMO's what do you think?
I currently play EvE online, EQ & EQ2, I enjoy all of them I just want to know what other people think on this topic.
Comments
I may just be that fantasy is just the most popular. Nothing complicated.
I agree, non fantasy MMOs need to become more popular. I think that Warhammer 40k MMO and Marvel Universe Online will be pretty successful. Its important to not equate success with doing WoW subscriber numbers 8-9 million. It is clearly a phenomenon that cannon be matched right now. For a game to be considered successful most companies are fine with a few hundred thousand subs or better.
Popularity and the fact that nobody has really made a great sci-fi mmo, well not one i have played is (EVE for some maybe?).
I think the genre just seems harder to please the fan base aswell. Sci-fi to most these days means guns and shooting - that goes for games companies aswell. Looking forward to Bioshock though.
edit:
Be interesting to see what they do with 40K.
Hey WoW fanboy!!! Thanks for sticking to the thread topic and contributing so much!!!
Uhhhh, he removed his post now... Whatever....
Hellgate London could be decent but not what a lot of mmo'ers would call an mmo. But a lot of mmo's aren't very good anyway.
Fantasy has always been the most popular, probably because the most popular games are fantasy based, people want to escape from reality, and having a mmo set in now-a-day times doesnt help them with that, playing an elf does. Potbs has more then "potential" , as long as it doesnt suck, it is going to have a good sub base..especially since it is coming out before the more anticipated mmos, and from what i've seen, it will be a good game.
Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Wow thats a good point I hadn't thought of. I know as a sci-fi fan I do enjoy EvE but tend to be more critical of games than others in my guild hmm
This may sound a bit wierd (really wierd lol), but it seems like the fantasy genre is more realistic then sci-fi. Let me explain. If you get shot with a laser gun, most of the time you're gonna drop on the spot. Yet in sci-fi MMOs, you can take multiple blaster hits, or in the case of SWG, multiple lightsaber blows (lol?) and still be on your feet fighting. In fantasy, there's at least a somewhat realistic expectation that a sword strike can be partially blocked by a shield, so it is a bit more credible to have a character stand on their feet a bit longer and keep fighting the good fight.
I've enjoyed sci-fi MMOs (although eve did bore me to tears after a bit), but in the end the fantasy ones just worked a bit better for me.
1. Most non-fantasy MMORPGs aren't very good.
2. Fantasy worlds are alot easier to create (how many original scifi MMORPGs do you know of that have decent lore?).
Simple as that.
As far as historical games go I don't believe many people are interested in reliving past wars or events. Personally I find it a bit depressing.
Sci-fi games are missing that solid melee combat and magic I believe. Star Wars is the closest to this I believe, but I don't think it was very well done with regards to combat. The interface wasn't very comfortable. Jedi are you primary melee class and lightsabers are probably the coolest melee weapon around. If all this was implemented well the game would be very popular I believe.
Fantasy is a good escape from reality. I think people like magic, melee, and range combat all combined together mixed with a lot of outdoors activity since a lot of people who play games live in urban areas. It's a good mixture for getting away from real life.
Too bad all they managed to do was a shitty FPS.
I think why I am looking for a good Sci-fi or other non fantasy MMO is Ive seen all the magic lol. I do agree with missing the melee though.
I played EQ for years, WoW for a lil over a year, Shadowbane for a couple of years, and tried Knight online dungeon runners just to name a few I guess I just want something different.
...I'd never thought of that before. That is a damn good explanation if ya ask me.
Rifts the RPG from Palladium Books would make the perfect MMO setting ,imo. You would get magic and fantasy combined with super high tech cyborgs/mecha/aliens, dimensional travel, you name it...
Damn, couldn't agree with OP more. There are a few sci-fi MMOs coming out but they're ages away.
EVE is in effect my perfect MMO, but being 4 years bahind eveyone and the thought of grinding in a mine for three months meant i had to cancel after the first month
But that probably won't ever happen.
Why fantasy? Well i think the answer or answers in this case are more simple than they look. For one fantasy is a bit easier to do that sci-fi due to the fact that with sci-fi you actually have to think up technologies and make them work properly along with the stories.. With a fantasy its a bit more (but not too much) simple. You just worry about melee, magic and bows and arrows.
Secondly, I'm guessing its just the popular kid on the block right now. I'm sure sooner or later sci-fi devs will come and make a few good titles before fantasy comes back again.
Third is just a logical assumption. I mean come on.... fantasy mmos are what started this whole genre right? :P
just my two cents.
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
There is also case and point of lazer fire through walls doors, floors next levels , possible lag issues with people, defining classes/or , to much repeated skills , not enough interesting equipment, loot ammo the sameness and the the fact of still dealing with turn based or twitched base. Thus console gaming has had the door wide open for fps and shall we say xbox live i am not so sure with maybe the exception of battefiled 1942 the sure ligistics of setting something of that nature up is to daunting for the developers at this stage of the game .
Most people don't admire how beautiful space is. That's part of the reason I prefer Sci-Fi 10000x more than Fantasy. Seeing futuristic stuff, spaceships and space is my gig. I believe Fantasy MMO's are also easier to make for the most part.
Its really a side of the same coin isn't it? Don't get me wrong i agree with you with the breathless awesome views of space. But in all fairness ive had some fantasy games that had scenes or well made lands that i actually stopped playing for an extended period of time and just admired the awe inspired scenery.
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
Why Fantasy? easy answer
Marketing execs looking for the fast way to your wallet, lazy - short cut creators and a gullable player base.
They can remake EQ / WoW a dozen more times and some of you guys will keep buying it a dozen more times expecting something different.
...........gullable player base.
Or it may be that nobody esle has made any really good games in other genres.
Nah, that would be too obvious.
Or it may be that nobody esle has made any really good games in other genres.
Nah, that would be too obvious.
Yeah like eve.
Its ok but there are things on that that kinda urk me. Such as not being able to board stations/ships and have combat person vs person. Or the fact that your friends cant come on your ship and become your crew. Or the auto target/orbit fighting. So close but still not quite there. Good game though, good game.
"Do not fret! Your captain is about to enter Valhalla!" - General Beatrix of Alexandria
"The acquisition of knowledge is of use to the intellect, for nothing can be loved or hated without first being known." - Leo da Vinci
But that probably won't ever happen.
No doubt! That game would be super dominant if programmed anywhere close to the setting that Siembieda and his team made for us!
Well I think gods and heroes, potbs, and tabulasa rasa should beat all the next big fantasy games coming out and each of them look like they could be decent....so your probably gonna have a lot more options in the next couple of months than you do right now.