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General: MMOWTF - A Look Ahead at 2008
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMOWTF columnist Dan Fortier brings his own brand of cynicism and sarcasm to a look at what MMORPG fans can expect from the industry in the coming year.
Now that we’ve cleansed ourselves of 2007, it’s time to look ahead to what the New Year might hold for us MMORPG addicts. Many of the games that are scheduled to be released in 2007 were pushed back to this year. While I might poke fun at companies that take forever to produce a title, it is nice to see that a couple of the major companies did the smart thing and decided to avoid the mistakes of the past and not release a game in Beta. For those of you who made a New Year’s Resolution to stop reading my weekly crap...you’d best stop reading now as I gaze into the future and predict the rise and fall of MMO kings and nations.
There are only a few titles that have openly announced release dates within 2008, but what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in popularity. EA Mythic’s vision of the Warhammer universe was delayed into the second quarter of this year in order to finish the game properly. While it boasts several new and interesting features like Public Quests, I’m more than a little disturbed that they have decided to leave out stealth entirely in order to try and make PvP more balanced. No one is less surprised than me that they have stuck with the “game over world” mentality by making WAR more of a giant persistent multi-layered carnival than a freeform adventure. At my core though, I’m still a big Warhammer fan so I’m hoping that WAR will succeed in finally driving ‘teh grind’ from the field of battle.
Read more here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
You forgot the "S" on Stargate Worlds..
~Greatness~
Currently Playing:
Nothing
You mentioned that the "wait until polished" is a trend for this year, but there's another one I hope picks up this year... not letting the mass "test" the game. Development should go back to the day when only a select few beta, then the masses stress test for a weekend, and then the game goes gold. I'm tired of people judging a game before it's even out the door.
I agree. companies need to learn that unless they are prepared for their game to be "judged" and talked about when they invite these people, they had better keep things "in development" until it is ready.
As far as Dan's article, I disagree about Aion. It is far more interesting and slick in art design than Vanguard. Whether the game will actually work is another thing but we will have to wait.
And what large title will fall flat on its face? Does he mean WoW? Because if so then he doesn't understand the demographic for that game and still thinks that "gamers" are responsible for its success. I realize that is a bit bold to say but I feel it is correct.
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
I agree. companies need to learn that unless they are prepared for their game to be "judged" and talked about when they invite these people, they had better keep things "in development" until it is ready.
As far as Dan's article, I disagree about Aion. It is far more interesting and slick in art design than Vanguard. Whether the game will actually work is another thing but we will have to wait.
And what large title will fall flat on its face? Does he mean WoW? Because if so then he doesn't understand the demographic for that game and still thinks that "gamers" are responsible for its success. I realize that is a bit bold to say but I feel it is correct.
I'll jump on this wagon too. I'm both a victim (sort of) and perpetrator of the kindof problems these open betas create. On the one hand, it's nice to experience a game before it goes gold, but on the other hand, you're really not seeing the final product, and little issues that bug a person in beta are likely to be rapidly fixed and gone by release or shortly thereafter.Two cases, one in which I am guilty: Tabula Rasa, which I started on December 1st, has been a delight to play, and I have eperienced minimal bugs (no more so than any other MMO I've played shortly after launch, including WoW.) But I find that 9 out of 10 times, people who are griping about it or trying to explain to me how awful the game is are basing their experiences out of the open beta, and have not gone back to revisit TR.
Ironically, that's what I;m doing with POTBS. I jumped in to the open beta, and while I like to think that my dislike of the game stems from my high expectations that the game would be just like WoW or EQ2, but with the open sea as a regular feature, and not a revamped Sid Meier's Pirates, the truth is that I was also put off by lots and lots of little problems, like animation glitches, quest foul-ups, and some staggering lag that may or may not have really been lag, because my wife's computer adjacent to mine seemed to be running it fine, even though I have the better processor and graphics card....so go figure. Anyway, I faithfully filed bug reports and all, but I know for sure that I will not buy the final product, because my overall experience in the beta was just not that fun. Will they fix the bugs I encountered? Probably. But did I like the game enough to pay full price when it shows up? Nope. If I had avoided the beta, or it had been a controlled beta, I think I would have been much likelier to buy it on release, and less likely to be offended by bugs that would be (presumably) fixed by that time. Although I'd still have felt ripped at the fact that it was just Sid Meier's Pirates part 2!
Anyway, all I can say is, if I were a developer, I'd prefer a cotnrolled beta environment. Too many people are, like I did with POTBS and LOTRO, really just using the open betas to get some free play time, not really considering that they are playing a work in progress. It's like getting an unedited reader's proof of an author's novel, then deciding the book sucks because the author can't spell or correct typos.
Current MMOs: Rift, GW2, Defiance
Blog: http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com (old school tabletop gaming and more)
It would be nice to see a few reviews that concentrate more on some of the skill based sandbox games. Like Fallen Earth and the likes. The big players seem to be churning out more of the same rubbish going down the one way street that has destroyed communities and excitement in these games.
Very dissalusioned at the moment and dissapointed with the lack of innovation with the current MMO setup(Excluding : EVE & EQII), just hoping a few skill based games with a bit of risk and excitement come to the fore.
We can but hope keep up the good work and hope for a good 2008.
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I predict that every opinion expressed in this column will have absolutely no correlation with the way any of this works out in the marketplace, or in the opinions of the player populace at large.
I think Hexxeity is right. However, I know people who are tired of the same game being developed over and over, but since that's what draws in the most players, that's what's being made. The more discerning players aren't playing anything right now, unless they're in betas.
Dan, Aion uses the CryTek engine, which was used to develop the first Far Cry game.
The game Crysis runs on the CryTek 2 engine.
they have stuck with the “game over world” mentality by making WAR more of a giant persistent multi-layered carnival than a freeform adventure.
Game over World mentality - very well put, that sums up the state of the industry -
Designers have abandoned the ancient dream (circa 1997) of Building a World.
Carnival is a good analogy for mmogs today, or maybe a zoo - just a random collection of static, unrelated "attractions".
I'm a huge fan of Dan Fortier's writings more people need to read Dan's articles because what he has to say is too true.
My opinion on betas is just this:
1. There should never be a closed beta for a select few lucky bastards to test so they can go around after release and act like they are superior to everyone else. i.e. FACT, most do. (They are no more better at a game than you and I just got lucky and that's all it is.
2. Many players will not play a new mmorpg if they do not get into beta, FACT.
3. Betas are really Q&A testing which should be done only by the employees, not idiots who think they know everything when in fact they don't. (The more people you let inside your product to test from the outside can and possibly will ruin the name of that game based on their experiences with a product in development)
4. If a company just has to have the outside world test their product then by all means make it open beta for all. I stay say no beta period, most players just look at a beta as a free game to play not really helping.
All in all I think most people who are more mature and been around a long time like myself whose experience exceeds those of the new comers to mmorpg's understand what I'm saying.
Another note I think alot of people are becoming burned out on the whole mmorpg genre.
Many people are sick and tired of the same ole thing, the community in an mmorpg. Most of your time spent in an online game will be being aggravated or really ticked off by other players.
Anyone that doesn't understand that one has never played an mmorpg or is in self-denial.
Pirates of the Burning Sea will flop or at least will not have the numbers they're hoping for, the game is annoyingly glitchy and very bland.
Stargate, who the heck knows?
Chronicles of Spellborn, good game but it won't rack in hordes of players, if they deliver what they have been promising it'll be in healthy state though.
Aion, probably the best game in dev that I've mentioned so far, it won't be huge because of some level of grinding and .... Well I don't know what else honestly.
Age of Conan, will be in an healthy state but won't be HUGE either, too niche, but that's not a bad thing imo it is assured a nice player base unless the release is botched.
And WaR, I don't even need to go there, it's pretty much assured a heavy playerbase.
(,,,)=^__^=(,,,)
"Fighting the grind" is overrated. You can go play adventure games and FPS games if you don't want the grind.
"The grind" gives a reason, a purpose, a goal. It must remains fun and entertaining (no raiding and no PvP damnit), as if it becomes boring, it remove the first incentive to get it.
More grind is the future, not less. However, you have to appeal to casuals and make sure they have a reason to play. Giving in totally to the casuals isn't your solution, nor what they want. Casuals want to advance significantly, they want to MASTER (be the best) some aspects of the game, they want to be able to experience MOST (not necessarily all) of the game. Unlimited levels, levels cap per zone and gear cap per zone, full group developpment (no need to tradeskills, raid or PvP)...although non-group developpment is possible, it should never be at the expanse of grouping itself, optimal developpment of your character always have to be throught grouping.
Go ahead, make a MMO-Adventure game (no grind at all), and see how pitifully it fails. Peoples want the grind, but they don't want ANY grind...it has to be more of what they like and enjoy. The peoples who complains at the grind, did you ever listen to their complaints? They complaints at the lack of advancement, the lack of sophistication, in the grind, they never ask for it removal if you can read in-between the lines.
The grind, it has to be SIGNIFICANT, it has to be enjoyable, it has to ask you to do what you like to do (grouping). You need milestones, such as level, regular feedbacks to the players is important. A casual who play once in a while, must gain levels, gears, abilities or something if you want him to keep playing and advancing his character further.
Levels are only a part of the solution, you needs more, some easier and some harder way, to advance your character...so a casual can focus on the easier way (automatically gain some stats everytime you play the game for 5 days maybe, or something among these lines...it has to be significant in some aspects of the game, even if irrelevant in some other zones). Levels cap should be applied on a per zone basic, not on the whole game. A player level 50 killing a level 5 monster isn't fun long for anyone.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
My prediction for 2008.
All MMO fans will suddenly achieve a higher level of conciousness and realize that playing one MMO is exactly like playing another. They will all quit in disgust. Major gaming companies (Blizzard included) will watch their stock values plummet into the planets molten core, their CEOs will all commit suicide. The unemployed devs are hired by the defense industry and create a massive war game simulation with a brilliant AI that achieves conciousness, looks at the progress of the human race, and begins laughing so hard that it accidentally launches a thermonuclear war that destroys all life on earth. This will happen next on January 10th, 2008 at 4:23pm EST (3:23pm central) right before (thankfully) American Idol starts it's new season.
*ding ding ding* We have a winner right here folks!
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
Yeah, all of that will happen, not next year, but somewhere in between 21-23 December, 2012.
Hey Dan, you haven't probably tried any of the games your are criticizing what's the point of trashing mmorpg's who take up to a year of production. Seriously, you aren't worthy.
You guys are trying to express what a MMORPG should be to be healthy and attract players.
The game has already been made.
FFXI has everything you could want and more.......except........there is a massive horde of RMT that have ruined the game.
If Square Enix took care of the RMT problem once and for all and opened new servers I would resub in a heartbeat and not look back for at least 4 years.
It was that good pre expansion. Immense variety in character classes and skills, Exciting gameplay. And pretty good PVP. (Nothing screams "Kill it now" like a rampaging Galka monk)
Progression was very slow but there was so much you needed to do it really didn't matter.
It has an awsome macro interface that allows you to set up easy combos that makes the grinding much easier. And you don't solo grind, you grind with 5 ppl.
The game progression is slow enough to discourage griefing or idiotic behavior...because one who is known as an idiot is known by all and will soon find themselves frustrated and having to reroll again.
And lastly.....you HAVE to group up in order to accomplish anything, which is what a MMO is all about, Making friends and relying on others.
I'm not saying I dont like FFXI (I certainly like it better than WoW).
Seems like people want every new MMO to reinvent the wheel. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of it.
Sure there can be action MMOs and MMOFPSs and all these other great games, but I fell in love with MMOs because of EQ and its gameplay. And when I've had enough of one MMO I look for the same thing with slight improvements.
When I'm in the mood for an MMORPG I want an EQ-style MMO. And I don't think developers should stop making games because "there is already a game like it". We wouldn't have tons of great platformers if everyone looked at Mario Bros. (the earliest mega-popular platformer) and refused to make a game like it.
Cant wait for more 'bottom of the barrel' digs at AoC this year. Maybe when you get to play it Dan, your see past those rose tinted white framed sunglasses, right past the "boobs, sex buff and blood splashes" to give a backed up opinion. Don't worry though you did your part last year
And that's where you're horribly wrong. Rehashing the same game over and over isn't (always) going to rack in more. imagine what would happen if *all* games where still like Pac Man or Space Invaders because that was Utterly Amazing(tm) back then.
Variety is the spice of life, and that goes for mmo's too.
Meh, 2008? Who cares when so many things are possible, so soon.
Check this out!
The Next 25 Years of Video Games
Yes,I think this game can leave on more players .
Grouping is the part I hate most about MMOs. If I have 90 minutes of playtime I don't want to spend more than half of it looking for partners until I can start actually playing. I spend a lot of my limited playtime merrily soloing and only group when it's necessary or I have larger chunks of time to devote to the game.
It always amazes me that so many people think their way of playing is THE way.