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General: MMORPG Gamers Handbook - Part One
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Musse Dolk is a 2nd year game student from Sweden. As a part of his studies, Musse created the MMORPG Gamers Handbook, a fantastic basic resource that introduces new players to some of the terms, concepts and etiquette of MMORPG gaming. Today, we present part one of the guide. We hope to also present it as a full .pdf download in the near future.
1 Abstract
Massive multiplayer online games have a growing percentage of the games on today’s computer market. Each game has its unique set of challenges but there are also similarities where general game play strategies and recommendations apply. The MMORPG gamer’s handbook provides practical suggestions to players for how to work well in a team-based environment. Many misconceptions in MMORPG’s are clarified and players learn the most effective ways to improve their cooperative game play.
2 Introduction
There are a lot of good spoilers and guides out there for massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Most of these are game specific and go down to the core in both the games system and fast advancement within the game. So why add another guide to the bunch?
Over the last few years I’ve played a lot of different MMORPGs and in every one of these I discovered that players new to the environment and the multiplayer game concept in general had the same kind of problems. There is quite a big gap between experienced players and new ones, even with all the guides and spoilers out there telling you exactly where to go and what to do.
Read Part One here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
This is not a general guide to MMOGs at all. The advice on character creation alone is specific to a very specific few games. There are quite a few MMOGs for which this guide is totally meaningless.
Concur.
If the plan is to make this a feature of the site I would suggest renaming and/or adding a disclaimer that this guide only really suits a particular model of MMO (one which I devoutly hope dies out at some point in the future).
Should a new player read this and happen to start up a game like EVE - thinking they are going to be all in the know - I suspect it won't go well at all.
If you're interested in reading the entire article you can download it here: http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/37611
In the process of typing this up a couple posts have been made that discount the integrity of the document as a whole. Obviously you couldn't take it into a game like Eve Online, Rumble Fighter, or Albatross 18; however, the majority of MMOs have each of these roles to be filled (and even more than are categorized).
Just look at the list of forums on the left. How many of those games do not have these roles to be filled? I count six (I think Maplestory actually has these roles to be filled). Why? Because these games don't adhere to the generic MMO model, they are FPS, flight sims, or hack-and-slash that would better relate to a console game. To claim that new players to MMOs would take this guide to heart in all incidents would be problematic on the basis that most people who make EVE their first MMO would probably not even see this guide before playing the game. Most people now adays join MMOs because their friends show it off to them, and thus most people probably will never come across it when playing for the first time unless their friends give it to them.
Even though the document has some great points, it misses out on a lot because it fails to acknowledge numerous roles. It frequently stereotypes specific classes into roles that they generally aren't suited for and at times loses its focus on the class being discussed.
Stereotyping
Tanks
No major complaints here. For the most part he has the tank's job right on the money. There are a few points that he could've noted, for example pulling. A lot of times a tank has the responsibility of playing the role of puller since most MMOs allow melee and ranged weapons to be equiped at the same time. However, in some games this job is left to a class that requires long range weapons since swapping weapons may be a tedious task.
Damage Dealers
This is where things become hazy. It will not apply to all major MMOs. Most MMOs have a fast hitter that works as the Damage Dealer the majority of the time. For example, Rogue/Hunter (WoW), Monk (FFXI), and Brawler (AO) . . . these examples are from major MMOs, how could he have missed all of these melee characters as damage dealers focusing strictly on spellcasters?
There are additional exceptions to the rules set forth by almost any MMO (which can be over looked easily since they don't apply to the majority), such as when the Tank (AC) actually performing double roles to keep the spellcasters alive or spellcasters (multi) as a primary DD; however, these incidents are few and far between. Generally speaking, spellcasters play a support role, by buffing and debuffing, rather than a major contributor to dealing damage.
Healer
This section actually appears to be totally devoted to spellcaster. Which is true for the majority of games.
Crowd Controller
Once again, this section is specifically designed for a spellcaster. There are times, however, when melee characters will be expected to play Crowd Controller as well. A couple of good examples would be the Thief (FFXI) or Rogue (WoW), granted a spellcaster is generally the only class that can actually "Sleep" an opponent which is an example of the spellcaster being a support class.
For the Crowd Controller section, a wiser choice would be to break it down to an even greater stance of Support Jobs to include Augmentation and Crowd Controller. This would better represent the majority of MMOs.
Group Combat
This guide also makes the assumption that the players will be focusing on fighting entire groups of enemies at one time. Generally speaking in the early leveling stages, however, this is not the case because often groups especially if you're simply grinding to level. Groups of MOBs can frequently overpower a party if you're fighting creatures that are of much greater strength than yourselves. The guide should document these different situations.
Lack of Direction
In section 4, you'll clearly notice he intertwines information that applies specific classes in the wrong section. For example, section 4.1.1.3. is identifying Line of Site as a spellcaster's problem in the middle of a Tank's duties. The author could've easily fixed this problem by acknowledging ranged weapons (ie: bow) as a tool for pulling creatures.
Again section 4.1.2.1. clearly identifies a spellcaster's problem in the middle of a Damage Dealer. I've honestly never seen a spellcaster efficiently deal more damage over time than a melee based character in any MMO, generally I see them playing better support roles. When I played WoW, more often than not my hunter would deal a great deal more damage (while not drawing hate) to the enemies while mages would often not to keep up. I'm not saying that spellcasters can't deal damage effectively because they can hold their own; however, as the article points out they have their limitations due to the use of mana.
Also, the guide uses the term "mana" very loosely. Mana is a term that applies only to some games. Many games have created terms for their form of mana; however, since Ultima Online, EQ, and Asheron's Call have all referred to it as Mana I suppose that the term is appropriate for the situation.
Let it be known that I hate WoW with a passion and will defend almost any MMORPG against it.
Current: FFXI (PC/360)
Want: FFXIV, Stargate Worlds, Star Trek Online
Past: AC, AoC, AO, Atlantica Online, CoH/V, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, D&DO, EVE, Everquest I+II, FlyFF, GW (all), Lineage 2, LOTRO, Mabinogi, Maplestory, PSO (DC/Xbox/PC), PSU (PC/360), PlanetSide, RO, Shadowbane, SWG (Pre-NGE), SotNW, TR, UO, Warhammer Online, WoW, WWIIO
Oh Stradden... I am not sure if you actually believe this to be a good guide, or you are desperate for material to post or what. You've been highlighting several pieces and various material that at BEST are dearly lacking. Hell, I could scribble something together that is more comprehensive than this in about ten minutes. Look me up next time you want a half assed grouping of MMO info to spotlight.
i hope no mmo producer reads the guide and piles up on its stereotypes
if your bored, visit my blog at:
http://craylon.wordpress.com/ dealing with the look of mmos with the nvidia 3d vision glasses
This is far from lacking. It's clearly a well researched and thorough document; however, he was just lacking in some small points. And based off his experience, I am shocked that he missed points such as melees as damage dealers and strictly support jobs.
Part 7 outlines all his "experience":
7 Background
The analysis made to write this book is primary from my own game play experience
and from interviews with other players in different games. My own experience is built
from the following games and time estimation:
Everquest – 321 days (7704 hours)
Everquest 2 – 77 days (1848 hours)
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - 38 days (912 hours)
World of Warcraft – 22 days (528 hours)
Guild Wars – 15 days (360 hours)
Dungeons & Dragons Online – 12 days (288 hours)
Anarchy Online – 2 days (48 hours)
Final Fantasy XI – 2 days (48 hours)
Total playtime: 489 days (11736 hours)
I have also interviewed players from the following games:
City of Heroes/Villains
Dark Age of Camelot
EVE Online
Lineage
Lord of the Rings Online
Maple Story
Star Wars Galaxies
Ultima Online
EDIT: The more I thought about this article the more I got to thinking. I love to read and critique articles here, but why would you post a student's thesis on here?
Let it be known that I hate WoW with a passion and will defend almost any MMORPG against it.
Current: FFXI (PC/360)
Want: FFXIV, Stargate Worlds, Star Trek Online
Past: AC, AoC, AO, Atlantica Online, CoH/V, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, D&DO, EVE, Everquest I+II, FlyFF, GW (all), Lineage 2, LOTRO, Mabinogi, Maplestory, PSO (DC/Xbox/PC), PSU (PC/360), PlanetSide, RO, Shadowbane, SWG (Pre-NGE), SotNW, TR, UO, Warhammer Online, WoW, WWIIO
Time to put up or shut up.
www.mmorpg.com/opportunities.cfm
Time to put up or shut up.
www.mmorpg.com/opportunities.cfm
I honestly find it humorous you sent that message to Sunders, but I'll acknowledge it . . . I have a tendency to strongly criticize peoples work that goes up here. Not because it's not good, and not because I disagree . . . because there are strong points in some of the articles that could've been done better. And generally I do elaborate in excruciating detail why it's wrong or why I disagree.
It's not that I haven't tried writing features for MMORPG.com either. It's the 650 word count that always hurts me. Very often I cannot write enough words for a feature article here because I'm of the mindset that I must always have quotes to coincide with my article or I find myself comparing it to other articles and saying that my paragraphs are too simple and need to be more complex.
Let it be known that I hate WoW with a passion and will defend almost any MMORPG against it.
Current: FFXI (PC/360)
Want: FFXIV, Stargate Worlds, Star Trek Online
Past: AC, AoC, AO, Atlantica Online, CoH/V, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, D&DO, EVE, Everquest I+II, FlyFF, GW (all), Lineage 2, LOTRO, Mabinogi, Maplestory, PSO (DC/Xbox/PC), PSU (PC/360), PlanetSide, RO, Shadowbane, SWG (Pre-NGE), SotNW, TR, UO, Warhammer Online, WoW, WWIIO
Can anyone please explain how this garbage (and I use that term incredulously) made it from a blog posting to the main MMORPG.com page where we usually find practical information like developer chats, interviews, new game announcements and the like? How the hell does this "handbook" rate such a prominent position? Is he sleeping with one of the administrators here? An in-law or something?
I guess it coincides with MMORPG.com posting info on non-MMO games though. Anyone know of a good source of info for actual MMO's as I think this one's been bought out by Sony. :P
-Naaz.
So instead of expanding on your writing skills, you're going to give a ton of excuses about why you can't?
Sure, I'll explain.
First: It's a well-written general guide for players who might be new to the genre. That was agreed upon by the entire staff here, and I stand by it.
Second: You're not going to like everything that we put up here. Honestly, we cater to a lot fo different people and some things are going to appeal to you and some things aren't.
Third: Yes, I can see where us posting this article would lead you to believe that we've been "bought out by Sony". You do realize that this is an independently written piece and has nothing at all to do with ANY game company, let alone Sony.
Hope that clears things up for you.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Lol @ the jealousy among MMO-players.
Nice job Musse! Very well written
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. - Carl Sagan
This is a well written generic MMO class guide article. What's with all the moaners?.
The article applies to 90% of all MMOs that have ever existed, it even applies to EvE online ( if you actually played EvE to any level you would know that the exact same classes exist in EvE at their fundamental level, but are masked by different visuals and names, they still play the same role.)
I say good job, it provides insight for new players to the genre in an accessible manner.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
The guide so far has a lot of information and is easy for MMORPG gamers to understand, since we all understand what the guide is about and what it is telling us.
However for readers that are not MMO gamers it may be more difficult to follow and understand.
I explain:
Character Creation is rather short in the write up, the RPG part of MMORPG is centered around your character, what makes your character unquie, appearance, race, male, female, amour types, weapon types, skills, talents and feats etc. He touched on stats, what are stats, to the layman?
A longer introduction on group make up should be added as well, what classes make up a typical group, what are must have classes, how grouping is different to solo game play, why the group is greater than the sum of it parts etc. Explaining the roles of Primary and seconday Tanks and Healers and when and why they are used.
Further more the writer takes some things for granted like the statement :
""The biggest challenge is to know when to heal and when not to. This is important because if you heal too fast, the enemy will run for you and if you heal too slow your tank dies.""
We all know why the mob will run to the healer, but this is not immedaitely apparent to a novice.The reason should be explicitly stated.
It states that the guide is aimed at new gamers to the MMORPG world, and as such it is rather vague and needs to be fleshed out a bit more, it does go in to some detail in some areas but this is inconsistent, with out adequate back information it will be hard to follow for a novice.
It is a good piece in my opinion, but the writer needs to understand his target audiance and provide necessary information that will enable the reader to fully understand the underlying concepts of the MMORPG genre and build up from there.
Sure, I'll explain.
First: It's a well-written general guide for players who might be new to the genre. That was agreed upon by the entire staff here, and I stand by it.
Second: You're not going to like everything that we put up here. Honestly, we cater to a lot fo different people and some things are going to appeal to you and some things aren't.
Third: Yes, I can see where us posting this article would lead you to believe that we've been "bought out by Sony". You do realize that this is an independently written piece and has nothing at all to do with ANY game company, let alone Sony.
Hope that clears things up for you.
My opinion has nothing to do with the content at all, just the fact that it was posted up in the revolving window of useful information pertaining to games and gaming companies. Now, you could translate that statement loosely enough so that it would include something some guy wrote about games or gaming. But so far, we've come to expect information that is more "official" pertaining to games and gaming. Devices reviewed by staff or reputable hardware sites. Developer information, chats and interviews regarding current and future games.
The information we expect to see (or is it just "I" expect to see...) has always been stories and articles written in stone, official, and out of the mouths of the people in charge. Is this just the first of many "papers someone wrote that sounded good" we're going to find there? Will the balance of quality gaming information start tiping in favor of player opinions instead of direct information from gaming companies (for example)?
Again, I'm not saying ANYTHING about the content of his paper. That'll have to be another rant for another day (teehee). And no, of course I didn't actually think MMORPG.com was purchased by Sony... it was sarcasm based on all the hatred people have for that company and the tragedies that become of those purchases. Anyway...
You're are correct in assuming not everyone will like everything you post here, but please take a look past all that. I don't care if this guy wrote a paper on how he thinks a gaming company makes games or what some gaming companies could do to improve... My opinion here is merely that some random reader's personal opinion should not have been deemed worthy of a "page1 print". It should have been left in the blog section where it originated (at least that's where I saw it the day before it was moved up to the big flashy banner) along with everyone else's opinions on how to best play an MMO.
Was that clear enough? Do I make more sense now? Am I still a hater?
-Naaz.
So instead of expanding on your writing skills, you're going to give a ton of excuses about why you can't?
First off, I find it ironic you tell me to expand my writing skills, when almost all my posts are lengthy posts that generally provide valid arguments, counter-arguments, and details relating to the topic at hand. This is because I like to pose questions as well as question "why did you choose to do it this way and not that way?" Every writer has a reason they do the things they do, even I have a reason for doing the things that I do.. though I can't really explain why I bother to write such elaborate posts knowing the author will most likely never respond.
Regardless, it's not an excuse. Any traditional journalistic endeavor should use quotes to support facts. What you see here (usually) isn't traditional journalism though (if you want to see what I mean, just go to theherald.com or newyorktimes.com - you'll notice a strong difference in writing styles). The majority of the pieces here at MMORPG.com are Editorials or press releases. Very rarely will you see a real piece of journalism. One could easily determine that the reasoning behind this is because almost all the articles are done by non-paid volunteers. Checking the front page gives a good idea of what I'm talking about. The majority of articles made available here can be classified as press-releases and patch notes. The few submissions made by outside individuals are Editorials, such as the Gamers Handbook or the AoC launch article a few weeks back.
To criticize an editorial is to be expected by the editors (and they know this... hell if I published an editorial even I know this), and regardless of how much I may disagree or criticize some articles the editors may choose publish, I have as much a right to voice my opinion on the article as everyone else on the board. I have always defended my stances, often detailing in great length, what could've been improved. Very frequently (in any writing atmosphere, not just journalism), people will make suggestions and some of the suggestions will be taken to heart and used while other times the suggestions will simply be thrown out.
To criticize me for "making up" excuses is completely unfair and off-topic though. You don't understand the background of people on MMORPG nor can you read my mind . . . so I'll give you a peak into it. These are not "excuses," these are "reasons." An excuse is an attempt to remove blame from one's self, in which I clearly never did... I fully accepted responsibility for my inability to write an editorial piece of 650 words and gave my reason. I never denied the fact that I could write a newsworthy piece of 650 words if given the time and resources. Writing a news worthy piece is a different idea though. To write a newsworthy piece one would need to be able to get quotes (from people in the industry). In which "to not be able to" is a fair reason to give because I don't have any of the connections that GameSpot, IGN or MMORPG.com staffers have, nor do the greater majority of contributing writers here (you'll notice that most of the editors and managers have those "hard hitting" interviews with people in the industry - you'll also notice the same trend at other MMO and gaming sites).
The key word in my mind, however, has always been "editorial," and I regret using the term "feature article" originally since those are quite a bit easier to write than an editorial. Contributing writers that aren't tied to a major organization have a harder time getting those major interviews with game developers and publishers (have you ever tried getting an interview with the mastermind behind Ultima Online or Everquest?). To create an editorial takes a lot more time and effort than a traditional journalistic piece. It's a lot like writing a scholarly work in the fact that you need to sit down to plan and design the format you want to present the information in. You also need to establish WHAT information you want to convey and establish whether that information has been presented to the gamers already. If the information has already been presented then you need to establish "can I present it in a new manner?" If not, then the editorial should be abandoned to allow for further brain storming.
So you must realize, that it's not just a bunch of "excuses" as you put it. These are honest to goodness reasons that go through the mind of any writer when they are writing any piece. I'm sure some people can just sit down and write everything that comes to mind with little editing in the end, but for someone so methodical as myself I have to start from a sheet of paper with some sort of a flow chart to guide me.
Also, to write a counter editorial would be totally pointless because there are already so many points put forth in the first one that the second article would end up being the same exact article and take a lot of flack just as a "copycat article." Readers don't want to reread old material, they want new stuff. MMORPG.com does a wonderful job at publishing informative opinion pieces that will engage their community and get a strong reaction. Such as this piece. You'll see a lot of people voicing there opinion from "it's great" to "it's stupid" to "it could use some work."
The way I see it is that it's a good thing that people such as Vulture Skull and myself add serious critiques and recommendations to articles like these because they help improve the overall work of a writer in the long run since the writer gets to see additional details that the readers would've liked to have seen. Since this is a scholarly piece, rather than a traditional editorial, there is further incentive to provide recommendations because odds are if this were to ever be published in a Video Game designer's text book down the road then the author may want to take into account our suggestions.
You know... next time someone questions me (and I end up writing over 650 words) I think I'm just going to write my editorial and submit it rather than posting it to a forum...
Let it be known that I hate WoW with a passion and will defend almost any MMORPG against it.
Current: FFXI (PC/360)
Want: FFXIV, Stargate Worlds, Star Trek Online
Past: AC, AoC, AO, Atlantica Online, CoH/V, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, D&DO, EVE, Everquest I+II, FlyFF, GW (all), Lineage 2, LOTRO, Mabinogi, Maplestory, PSO (DC/Xbox/PC), PSU (PC/360), PlanetSide, RO, Shadowbane, SWG (Pre-NGE), SotNW, TR, UO, Warhammer Online, WoW, WWIIO
I agree with VultureSkull. The guide introduces too many ideas at once, which would confuse a newbie. Its a nice idea, that just needs a little more work.
Another idea for a guide would be one targeting advanced players wanting to join a large raid group. For a specific game and/or instance.
bah, just play the damn games and get experience by actually Playing, not Reading how to play.
Half the fun and wonder of experiencing a new world is being tossed in and having to figure stuff out - ask stupid questions, being called a noob, getting ganked, finding real friends, ...
LEARN THRU EXPERIENCE!
As a mmo gamer i would say this were a very good base guide on how to get to know how it goes in the mmo worlds. I've played alot of mmos out there and yes i aggre that this doesnt go with all those. If i was new to mmo games and i read this post, i would be very pleased.
The first important things to me when it comes to mmo games is that it should be fun to play and not as a second jobb where you have to farm alot "alot".
The second important thing is that you choose a archetype that you like and feel comfortable with, you dont wanna end up at a high-level getting second thoughts wich i have had many times. Look up wich class you like the most (test them first), watch some vids and stick too it.
_
GJ Musse ^^'
/stand
/appplaud
/cheer
/equip "Hand Drum" primaryhand
/playsong "Jackrabbit Speed Song"
Happy hunting/exploring everyone!!!
Hello there, I am Musse the author of this handbook, thanks for all feedback. I’d thought I’d reply and shed some light to some of your thoughts and concerns about it. : )
Don’t’ worry, this is a guide for gamers handbook, not a game developers handbook. If they have the producing role, I’m sure they can tell a difference. : )
Being "official" or not : My point was in regards to where this ducument was posted. The location in which it was posted has been, till now, a place to find information other than gamer opinions/research... whatever you want to call it. Your paper belongs in the blog or forum sections as I see it. Excuse me for voicing this opinion?
On "personal opinions" : Again, since I have yet to even READ this document (a point people keep missing here) I obviously cannot comment on the content of your paper. Again, as I've stated a few times already, I'm commenting on WHERE IT WAS PLACED, not the subject, content, style, language.... of the paper itself. How is this a contradiction?
As to contradictions : You say this paper (again, I have NOT read it yet!) "isn't based on my personal opinion", only to then state "but on experience of what has worked...". To put it bluntly, your experiences make what you write about them opinion. Your feelings on a class as you test them out and try to see what works and what does not work, these are all biases and therefore opinion. What IS the case for you as you play a Cleric may not fit the play style or interests of someone else playing a Cleric. But I digress...
To be honest, since I have NOT read this paper yet (echo... echo... echo...) I have no idea how you feel about any class or whatever. I'm not interested in how you think I (or anyone else for that matter) "should" play an MMO. I'm more of the mind that people should get a game, install it, create a toon, log in and explore/have fun. Learn as you go. My point here is what again??
Oh right, the placement of this paper. Wow.
Point taken, I guess I misunderstood you. I’m not familiar with the requirements of the different places to post, so I can’t relate to if it’s in the wrong place. But how can you really tell that it is, if you haven’t read what it’s about? If you really want it moved, I think it’s easier if you point out the requirements it does not fulfill to the admins.