I do not want any more IPs made into MMO, commpanys have done lot of damage already tranfering famous IPs into MMOs.
Well, thankfully the game industry does not revolve around you. To be honest there has never been any kind of damage done to the real world as a result of an MMO. If you don't like the game, then don't play it. The games are made for people that want to play it, not those that aren't interested. Just because you do not like it, does not mean somebody else does not.
The only damage that can be done by a game is to itself. Take AoC for instance. Great game, but with such a shitty start and "broken promises" in the start, they damage themselves and lost a lot of players. That did not damage the real world in any way, nor did it damage the Conan IP. The old movies are just as good, the books are still good, and future expanse in more games, movies, and books are still fully viable.
I know, I waste my breath, as this is the Internet and everybody has to be overly dramatic with statements like these. I should just learn to ignore them, but damn it's hard.
Shadowrun is number one on my list of IPs that need to be brought to the MMO Genre. It is a perfect blend of SciFi and Fantasy. And with the amount of material in print already, there is plenty of content to draw from.
The OP, Stradden seems desperate to have something else then combat be the main core of a MMORPG. Well MMO anyway.
Nice idea... but he gives no examples.
Could there be a reason for that? Could the reason be that it is very very VERY hard to come up with an idea that can stand up to a hard look?
The Sims, has NO competition. What would multiplayer (because that is what an MMO is) add?
Planetside works because multiplayer quake works. But would multiplayer The Sims work? What would it do?
Decorate together? You can do that sitting behind the same screen. Decorating battles? How would you tell who has won?
No, The Sims is the gaming ground of EXTREMELY hardcore gamers. The decompile the original app and data files to be able to add their own content they host on their own websites. The Sims IS the users, it is as hardcore as the people who not PLAY counterstrike, but who BUILD counterstrike.
Other suggestions given in the post run amok as well. You can't grind a mystery. How would you solve the same mystery a dozen times hoping for a rare drop?
Of course you COULD write enough content to keep players coming back year after year BUT there is a reason why TV series only run a few weeks in the year and then only for a few years. Content, story, plot is EXPENSIVE.
Try, play Columbo. It barely adds up to a single player games worth of content, let alone WoW, which so far has kept people hooked for five years, day in day out.
If you got an MMO idea, first ask yourself this. Would it make a FUN single player game? And then, would adding multiplayer make it better or at the very least, the same? And then, would adding MASSIVE multiplayer (read no ban button jerks) make it worth paying for?
I will give you an example.
Aliens VS Predator ( the original game).
Single player: VERY scary. You can't look behind you, what was that noise, how much ammo do I got.
I have a good friend who plays 2nd Life and participates in several social networks. She had a great job offer from a company, but lost it because she needed a security clearance and failed to pass the test. When she inquired she was told that the 2nd Life account and the social networks were red flags. So the establishment views them very negatively. Nothing was mentioned about her MMO play.
This is just plain false. Your friend is lieing to you. There is absolutely nothing stopping someone from getting a clearence because of any MMO. The reason to be disqualified for a clearence are stated in the law quite clearly:
arrest and/or conviction of a felony;
frequent involvement with authorities even as a juvenile;
DWI/DUI;
having been a patient in an institution primarily devoted to the treatment of mental, emotional, or psychological disorders;
A history of not meeting financial obligations. A pattern of financial irresponsibility (bankruptcy, debt or credit problems, defaulting on a student loan);
membership in any organization that advocates the commission of acts of force or violence to deny other persons their rights under the Constitution of the United States;
having petitioned to be declared a conscientious objector to war;
moving violations with fines over $200;
illegal drug use (to include any use of cocaine, heroin, LSD, and PCP); and the illegal purchase, possession, or sale of any such narcotics.
Deceptive or illegal financial practices, such as embezzlement, employee theft, check fraud, income tax evasion, expense account fraud, filing deceptive loan statements, and other intentional breaches of trust
Inability or unwillingness to satisfy debts
Unexplained affluence
Financial problems that are linked to gambling, drug abuse, alcoholism, or other issues of a security concern.
Deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification of a material fact in any written document or oral statement to the government when applying for security processing
Personally i think your are being somewhat disingenuous about STO. I think this because on several occassions the dev's have answered the Diplomatic solution question and have explained it is a big part of the game. That their are specific missions that are solely diplomatic with no combat at all. Just because they aren't talking heavily about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
And on to the exploration. They have spent a ton of time and development cost on the Genesis system, which will create new worlds and races that havent been explored before. the system is designed to create new explorable content without repeating anything. so by their description it will allow almost unlimited exploration.
With the inclusion of the Bridge Officers system you can and do interact with your crew. they have stated that different bridge officers will bring different suggestions of ideas to you while on missions. they can also get upset with your decisions. So their is a level of interactive experience with the crew of your ship.
As far as technology goes, their is supposed to be a rich involved crafting system that has you exploring to gather resources to build/maintain/repair your ships systems.
When you say that they have built the game primarily around the combat system you should be saying that they are marketing mostly around the combat system. The other themes you mention are stated by the dev's to be in the game and also to be a important component to the gameplay. They just don't advertise it much.
Why do we need a new demographic again? I say we teach the old one how to play first...
I agree entirely. We already have a gigantic demographic, expanded exponentially by WoW. The fact is that gamers are going to game and some people just wont, its part of a lifestyle. So, companies should focus on the massive audience they have at their disposal by making games that are indepth and enjoyable for the crowd that wants to play games, rather than trying to drag new demographics in and creating niche games that are pooped into existance for the sole purpose of making money.
Thats why the MMORPG genre has changed so drasticly lately, thats why veteran players are constantly searching the charts for the latest game in DEV. or beta, and thats why we have experienced a FRICKEN explosion of craaaaaapy games. MONEY
What is lacking? Pride and a passion for gaming, what this genre was originally based on.
This isnt anything new, developers and academics have been saying for awhile now that the Sims, whose main player base is females, targeted both male and female gamers, though mostly female. It is a reflection on society. IN fact one could argue all of Will Wrights games have done so. What it comes down to is mechanics and aesthetics. Specific challenges with the right mechanics and a gender neutral aesthetic accomplish this. Good luck seeing females being a large part of star trek, but the sims, which reflects on society, social and creative aspects as well as the maintaining of daily life, is much different.
In fact some behavioral scientist have claimed that certain aspects of this behavior are hard wired into us. Meaning, the normal female would be attracted to the challenges and identifyable household chores (challenges), the aspect of maintaining and socializing life itself, become more enjoyable. It is also said that females are actually the best FPS players when it come to targeting and accuracy but lose it in the face of chaos, meaning when a lot is going on in the game world or screen. Yet males on the other hand operate well under chaotic situations. It has something to do with the eye and brain identification and reaction.
Very few of these game titles will really hit a gender neutral audience. The only one that is really acceptable on this list is the sims. Everything else is debatable and given statistics, not really open to get a new demographic which is really only old people and females. The average gamer is 35 years old, children have always been targeted and successfully drawn into games. This leaves just females and older folk. Did you know the most played game in the world by females is solitaire? Not just by females though it is the most played highest selling game ever. Crazy when you think about it.
We already have a gigantic demographic, expanded exponentially by WoW. The fact is that gamers are going to game and some people just wont, its part of a lifestyle. So, companies should focus on the massive audience they have at their disposal by making games that are indepth and enjoyable for the crowd that wants to play games, rather than trying to drag new demographics in and creating niche games that are pooped into existance for the sole purpose of making money.
Nintendo already prooved this theory wrong. The Wii has expanded the demographic of people playing video games much more than WoW did. And if you want to restrict this just to MMOs, Sony's Free Realms is catching up to WoW's numbers and it is doing it mostly with people who have never played an MMO before.
The WoW demographic is already playing WoW and won't leave anytime soon, the Eve demographic is already playing Eve and won't leave anytime soon. If a company wants to build a new MMO they have to create it for a new demographic or hope they can steal people away from an already succesful game which is much harder to do.
We already have a gigantic demographic, expanded exponentially by WoW. The fact is that gamers are going to game and some people just wont, its part of a lifestyle. So, companies should focus on the massive audience they have at their disposal by making games that are indepth and enjoyable for the crowd that wants to play games, rather than trying to drag new demographics in and creating niche games that are pooped into existance for the sole purpose of making money.
Nintendo already prooved this theory wrong. The Wii has expanded the demographic of people playing video games much more than WoW did. And if you want to restrict this just to MMOs, Sony's Free Realms is catching up to WoW's numbers and it is doing it mostly with people who have never played an MMO before.
The WoW demographic is already playing WoW and won't leave anytime soon, the Eve demographic is already playing Eve and won't leave anytime soon. If a company wants to build a new MMO they have to create it for a new demographic or hope they can steal people away from an already succesful game which is much harder to do.
I see your point and agree. But i was reffering to the group of veteran players who have been around since UO and especially SWG, who are looking for a game that can recapture what made those games fantastic, the freedom that comes with a sanbox game. This demographic has not seen a game since EvE and lets face it, although EvE is very much sandbox, it is radically different in its setting and gameplay then that of a traditional human avatar based game. Space -ships are not for everyone. Mortal Online is a game that many said would be a savior to this Demographic. But Mortal Online has crossed the line for the sake of realism. Many in-game features and the lack of in-game features, coupled with the limiting FP view has steered many clear of this game. On top of that, Mortal Online is not looking very promising of late what with the constant launch postpones and the beta that is being argued to be 'horrible.' I mention this because i am part of this demographic and am looking for a game that can recapture the freedom of a sandbox thats not polluted with some 'Revolutionary' feature or is radically hardcore. We have been here the whole time; Now make us a game damnit.
yes becuase the whole spell caster idea has never been done(sarcasm) harry friggin potter? surely you can do better than that, and just fyi the sims have a mmo and it failed so pick something else a vampire/warewolf for example would have been a better choice and with the vampire idea being hot right now it shouldn't take someone long to to make one. something along the lines of armored core building your own robots and swapping out part to change your functions could work if done right please we can do better than spell casting sword swinging elves and orcs and we deserve better.
I'm suprised that the SOE Ramayan MMO didn't make the list. Not super suprised as it's a bit obscure, but to me India has to be a massively untapped market. Blizzard has certainly sees alot of love from China, but India is just an untapped realm of gamer potential.
Yes, it's a very poor country, with limited computer accessability... but so is the bulk of China. You get .1% of India playing your game... you'r a millionaire.
Comments
I think Tharkis hit the nail on the head with:
“The thing is, damn near anything can be made into an MMO. The problem seems to be doing it well, not over-hyping it and making it user-friendly.”
But as to the Harry Potter MMO, I spent enough time in short trousers and do not wish to go back there.
Well, thankfully the game industry does not revolve around you. To be honest there has never been any kind of damage done to the real world as a result of an MMO. If you don't like the game, then don't play it. The games are made for people that want to play it, not those that aren't interested. Just because you do not like it, does not mean somebody else does not.
The only damage that can be done by a game is to itself. Take AoC for instance. Great game, but with such a shitty start and "broken promises" in the start, they damage themselves and lost a lot of players. That did not damage the real world in any way, nor did it damage the Conan IP. The old movies are just as good, the books are still good, and future expanse in more games, movies, and books are still fully viable.
I know, I waste my breath, as this is the Internet and everybody has to be overly dramatic with statements like these. I should just learn to ignore them, but damn it's hard.
Shadowrun is number one on my list of IPs that need to be brought to the MMO Genre. It is a perfect blend of SciFi and Fantasy. And with the amount of material in print already, there is plenty of content to draw from.
OMG, are you insane? More carebears? No thanks.
-------------------------------------
Before: developers loved games and made money.
Now: developers love money and make games.
i dont see myself playing sims mmo or harry potter mmo
BestSigEver :P
The OP, Stradden seems desperate to have something else then combat be the main core of a MMORPG. Well MMO anyway.
Nice idea... but he gives no examples.
Could there be a reason for that? Could the reason be that it is very very VERY hard to come up with an idea that can stand up to a hard look?
The Sims, has NO competition. What would multiplayer (because that is what an MMO is) add?
Planetside works because multiplayer quake works. But would multiplayer The Sims work? What would it do?
Decorate together? You can do that sitting behind the same screen. Decorating battles? How would you tell who has won?
No, The Sims is the gaming ground of EXTREMELY hardcore gamers. The decompile the original app and data files to be able to add their own content they host on their own websites. The Sims IS the users, it is as hardcore as the people who not PLAY counterstrike, but who BUILD counterstrike.
Other suggestions given in the post run amok as well. You can't grind a mystery. How would you solve the same mystery a dozen times hoping for a rare drop?
Of course you COULD write enough content to keep players coming back year after year BUT there is a reason why TV series only run a few weeks in the year and then only for a few years. Content, story, plot is EXPENSIVE.
Try, play Columbo. It barely adds up to a single player games worth of content, let alone WoW, which so far has kept people hooked for five years, day in day out.
If you got an MMO idea, first ask yourself this. Would it make a FUN single player game? And then, would adding multiplayer make it better or at the very least, the same? And then, would adding MASSIVE multiplayer (read no ban button jerks) make it worth paying for?
I will give you an example.
Aliens VS Predator ( the original game).
Single player: VERY scary. You can't look behind you, what was that noise, how much ammo do I got.
Multiplayer: Time to kick ass and chew gum!
Massive Multiplayer: Aliens bunny hopping.
Yeah, it's hard to beleive this didn't make the list. Pokemon is such an obvious choice.
This is just plain false. Your friend is lieing to you. There is absolutely nothing stopping someone from getting a clearence because of any MMO. The reason to be disqualified for a clearence are stated in the law quite clearly:
Personally i think your are being somewhat disingenuous about STO. I think this because on several occassions the dev's have answered the Diplomatic solution question and have explained it is a big part of the game. That their are specific missions that are solely diplomatic with no combat at all. Just because they aren't talking heavily about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
And on to the exploration. They have spent a ton of time and development cost on the Genesis system, which will create new worlds and races that havent been explored before. the system is designed to create new explorable content without repeating anything. so by their description it will allow almost unlimited exploration.
With the inclusion of the Bridge Officers system you can and do interact with your crew. they have stated that different bridge officers will bring different suggestions of ideas to you while on missions. they can also get upset with your decisions. So their is a level of interactive experience with the crew of your ship.
As far as technology goes, their is supposed to be a rich involved crafting system that has you exploring to gather resources to build/maintain/repair your ships systems.
When you say that they have built the game primarily around the combat system you should be saying that they are marketing mostly around the combat system. The other themes you mention are stated by the dev's to be in the game and also to be a important component to the gameplay. They just don't advertise it much.
I agree entirely. We already have a gigantic demographic, expanded exponentially by WoW. The fact is that gamers are going to game and some people just wont, its part of a lifestyle. So, companies should focus on the massive audience they have at their disposal by making games that are indepth and enjoyable for the crowd that wants to play games, rather than trying to drag new demographics in and creating niche games that are pooped into existance for the sole purpose of making money.
Thats why the MMORPG genre has changed so drasticly lately, thats why veteran players are constantly searching the charts for the latest game in DEV. or beta, and thats why we have experienced a FRICKEN explosion of craaaaaapy games. MONEY
What is lacking? Pride and a passion for gaming, what this genre was originally based on.
Tried: EvE, DnD Online, LotRO, WAR, AoC,
Played: UO, SWG(pre-cu), GuildWars, FFXI, WoW
Liked: UO, SWG, GuildWars
Disliked: WoW, FFXI
This isnt anything new, developers and academics have been saying for awhile now that the Sims, whose main player base is females, targeted both male and female gamers, though mostly female. It is a reflection on society. IN fact one could argue all of Will Wrights games have done so. What it comes down to is mechanics and aesthetics. Specific challenges with the right mechanics and a gender neutral aesthetic accomplish this. Good luck seeing females being a large part of star trek, but the sims, which reflects on society, social and creative aspects as well as the maintaining of daily life, is much different.
In fact some behavioral scientist have claimed that certain aspects of this behavior are hard wired into us. Meaning, the normal female would be attracted to the challenges and identifyable household chores (challenges), the aspect of maintaining and socializing life itself, become more enjoyable. It is also said that females are actually the best FPS players when it come to targeting and accuracy but lose it in the face of chaos, meaning when a lot is going on in the game world or screen. Yet males on the other hand operate well under chaotic situations. It has something to do with the eye and brain identification and reaction.
Very few of these game titles will really hit a gender neutral audience. The only one that is really acceptable on this list is the sims. Everything else is debatable and given statistics, not really open to get a new demographic which is really only old people and females. The average gamer is 35 years old, children have always been targeted and successfully drawn into games. This leaves just females and older folk. Did you know the most played game in the world by females is solitaire? Not just by females though it is the most played highest selling game ever. Crazy when you think about it.
Nintendo already prooved this theory wrong. The Wii has expanded the demographic of people playing video games much more than WoW did. And if you want to restrict this just to MMOs, Sony's Free Realms is catching up to WoW's numbers and it is doing it mostly with people who have never played an MMO before.
The WoW demographic is already playing WoW and won't leave anytime soon, the Eve demographic is already playing Eve and won't leave anytime soon. If a company wants to build a new MMO they have to create it for a new demographic or hope they can steal people away from an already succesful game which is much harder to do.
Nintendo already prooved this theory wrong. The Wii has expanded the demographic of people playing video games much more than WoW did. And if you want to restrict this just to MMOs, Sony's Free Realms is catching up to WoW's numbers and it is doing it mostly with people who have never played an MMO before.
The WoW demographic is already playing WoW and won't leave anytime soon, the Eve demographic is already playing Eve and won't leave anytime soon. If a company wants to build a new MMO they have to create it for a new demographic or hope they can steal people away from an already succesful game which is much harder to do.
I see your point and agree. But i was reffering to the group of veteran players who have been around since UO and especially SWG, who are looking for a game that can recapture what made those games fantastic, the freedom that comes with a sanbox game. This demographic has not seen a game since EvE and lets face it, although EvE is very much sandbox, it is radically different in its setting and gameplay then that of a traditional human avatar based game. Space -ships are not for everyone. Mortal Online is a game that many said would be a savior to this Demographic. But Mortal Online has crossed the line for the sake of realism. Many in-game features and the lack of in-game features, coupled with the limiting FP view has steered many clear of this game. On top of that, Mortal Online is not looking very promising of late what with the constant launch postpones and the beta that is being argued to be 'horrible.' I mention this because i am part of this demographic and am looking for a game that can recapture the freedom of a sandbox thats not polluted with some 'Revolutionary' feature or is radically hardcore. We have been here the whole time; Now make us a game damnit.
Space-ships are just not for me.
Tried: EvE, DnD Online, LotRO, WAR, AoC,
Played: UO, SWG(pre-cu), GuildWars, FFXI, WoW
Liked: UO, SWG, GuildWars
Disliked: WoW, FFXI
yes becuase the whole spell caster idea has never been done(sarcasm) harry friggin potter? surely you can do better than that, and just fyi the sims have a mmo and it failed so pick something else a vampire/warewolf for example would have been a better choice and with the vampire idea being hot right now it shouldn't take someone long to to make one. something along the lines of armored core building your own robots and swapping out part to change your functions could work if done right please we can do better than spell casting sword swinging elves and orcs and we deserve better.
I'm suprised that the SOE Ramayan MMO didn't make the list. Not super suprised as it's a bit obscure, but to me India has to be a massively untapped market. Blizzard has certainly sees alot of love from China, but India is just an untapped realm of gamer potential.
Yes, it's a very poor country, with limited computer accessability... but so is the bulk of China. You get .1% of India playing your game... you'r a millionaire.
http://www.mouseclicksnotthumbsticks.com