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So will this game pull in the MMO Haters?
ktanner3
Member UncommonPosts: 4,063
http://pc.ign.com/articles/117/1173952p1.html
E3 2011: The Old Republic Is an MMO for MMO Haters
I typically don't like MMOs, but until recently, it's been difficult for me to define exactly why. I certainly don't mind investing a significant amount of time in a game, and while it's not my favorite thing to do, I'm not opposed to playing with other people. After my demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic today, BioWare helped me realize what should have been obvious: MMOs don't have engaging enough stories for my tastes........
This guy brings up an interesting point and explains perfectly why I don't play MMOs that much. They are usually just a meandering grind fest with nothing interesting or exciting happening : Go to quest giver,get mission to kill x number of this, go to waypoint, kill x number of this, go back to quest giver and get XP. Rinse and repeat. That's why I didn't last very long in World of Warcraft.
Arkahm Asylumn hooked me because not only was the combat fun, but there was a cool storyline to tie it all together complete with cut scenes and voice overs. It gave a sense of purpose to what I was doing.It wasn't repetetive. Bringing this to MMORPGs just makes good business sense and the reviewer nailed this one on the head.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
Comments
I don't think it's just the kind of content an MMO produces. Many MMO haters scoff at the idea of having to pay a monthly fee and it's up to Bioware to convince the non-MMO player that the monthly fee is worth paying.
Will the promise of a kotor sized story for each class be enough to lure in the non-MMO / MMO haters?
I think hate is a strong word because I don't think anyone really hates mmos. Dislike them yes but hate I highly doubt that. You also have fanboys who put the whatever colored glasses on and only see what they want to see and hear for that matter. So it works both ways here. I am sure TOR will get a ton of criticsim wether it turns bad or good because the ip is immensely popular and Bioware is a well known successfull developer.
I think it will be like WoW in one specific aspect. It will bring a lot of people that have not played MMOs before into the genre. None of my old roomates played MMOs and everytime they saw me playing FFXI they never understood it. Yet they both love games like Fallout3 and Mass effect. They also both love star wars so I can see them playing this game if it's available on xbox live with voice chat. I don't see them using a keyboard or going out and building a gaming PC.
I know tons more people that fit that description so we will see what happens with SWTOR.
rofl. Yea, lack of story is exactly why every themepark mmorg in the past several years has bled subscribers 3-6 months out.
Fixed your statement to a better description of reality
I think that SWTOR might very well pull in non-MMO gamers, just like WoW did. I can think of KOTOR fans or fans of Bioware fans in general who might be interested, as well as Star Wars fans who're paying attention and might consider purchasing it.
Of course not all KOTOR fans, BW games fans, or Star Wars fans, but I can imagine that among those groups you'll find more people who might seriously consider playing SWTOR than they might have had interest in playing other MMORPG's up till then.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
It's not that they'll bring in mmo haters as much as they'll bring in those who have yet to give MMO's a try... I think they'll bring in a lot of console gamers who generally avoid PC games as well.
Not only do I think it, which makes it very nearly fact, but Blizzard thinks this as well. And, like them or not, they do know a thing or two about MMO demographics..
One thing WoW targetted, same as SWTOR here, is they use story construction that are not traditionally seen in the MMO genre, WoW pulled in a lot of people who doesn't usually play MMO from the Warcraft and possibly Starcraft franchise. Now Bioware is doing the same thing by pulling in fans from KOTOR and possibly Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
How much WoW could a WoWhater hate, if a WoWhater could hate WoW?
As much WoW as a WoWhater would, if a WoWhater could hate WoW.
I think the main issue with most of the new mmos is lack of community and lack of player driven content.
The further along we go in developing mmo's the closer we all get to a damn near single rail line that reminds me of some of the oldschool rail shooters from back in the 90's.
Sure they are pretty, and there are definitely challenges to face and play through, but when I think back at least for me personally most of the games I've stuck with over the years were driven mainly around conflicts and content built around other players.
UO, AC1, DAOC, EvE, all of those games were games specifically designed around "persistent" worlds and goals that required other players to assist or at times attempt to stop you while completing.
Now a days, its a dungeon thats completed in an hour, as opposed to a dungoen that you fought through over a series of levels and may or may not have ever seen the bottom of. Mostly pvp systems that have the depth of a kiddy pool and revolve around gearscore and item grinds that take place on battlefields neither team really cares about as opposed to games where you build content or fight over things that actually affect you instead of fighting for points.
Granted this is from my perspective, and I am not saying I'm the majority. Just saying why over the past few years MMO's have rarely kept my attention for longer than a month.
Getting back to what the OP said, I think in some ways this game will pull in some of the "haters", though I agree with a previous poster that that really is a rather strong word to use. This game will pull in the people who:
1- in general like the action games, but do not like MMOs for some vague reason.
2- want a player oriented MMO set in space instead of a fantasy setting.
3- like Star Wars.
4- like BioWare.
5- want the "story" aspect. This will also pull in people who are tired of "making their own story from scratch", as a friend of mine put it after playing SWG for a year and quitting.
What I do not see this game doing is pulling in people who are to cheap to pay a subscription and that is fine by me since my experience tends to be F2P games draw in a LOT of immature players anyways. It will also not pull in players who refuse to play anything but a sandbox game. Though this game has a lot of the features of a sandbox, those players have certain demands that will not be met. Unless those same sandbox players get tired of having a second job as a game (my opinion there) and decide to just have some fun for a change.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Well they must be going somewhere because I havnt seen any recent game shut downs and no Sandbox Games have revenues flying through the roof. This theme park game is going to be around for a very long time to come. In fact, most of the haters here will be in the game enjoying it. What's a shame is that they won't keep their mmorpg forum name so we can point at them and say Told you so which I can't wait to do with this game to some of you 3-6 months in.
There Is Always Hope!
first off i dont give a crap if this game pulls the MMOs haters, if they play fine, if not fine, all i know is I AM PLAYING.
(raises his wine glass in support) lolThere Is Always Hope!
I'll buy the first round!
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Now we know where those drunk troopers are :P
How much WoW could a WoWhater hate, if a WoWhater could hate WoW?
As much WoW as a WoWhater would, if a WoWhater could hate WoW.
For the average MMO gamer this probably is a big problem, however, for the average non-mmo-fan; not so much. Regular gamers seem more attune to playing games offering them good stories and variety in content.
Which is something most MMO's from both spectrums lack. The op's linked article raises a good point in reference to this. As does an impression from another thread, "so it's like a real game?". This may be something that helps to draw new players in, and probably why a lot in the industry feel TOR has a good chance at shaking things up a bit in the MMO genre.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
TO is going to have such a broad appeal that theres something there for everyone.
MMO players - Its something new and massive.
Star Wars Fans - Self explanitory
Bioware fans - self explanitory
SP game fans - With 8 x games 3 x as large as KOTOR for £35 and a £10 a month fee (speculation) then even SP game players will be drawn to it as it offers mass replayability and a good 6month to a year of content that can be played with a mate or 2 in a semi co-op mode.
Those that havent gamed before - It has great scaleability and the EA marketing machine behind it with a budget like that not ever seen in gaming before for marketing I can safeley assume near launch you wont be able to look anywhere without TO being in your face.
It will definitely pull in a certain crowd that would otherwise be uninterested. I also think it will push away a certain crowd that would otherwise be interested...
To be honest though, I'd much rather be playing w/ the type of player that's interested in story than someone who wants to skip through everything and mash buttons... so I'm definitely ok with that.
There are several reasons why people who prefer SP games stay clear of MMORPGs:
1. The "wonderful" community.
2. Lower overall quality in comparison to SP games.
3. Monthly fees.
I do not know wether 1 will the case in SW:ToR. 2 is the case in practically every MMORPG ever made. 3 doesn't need an explanation.
I don't know about haters but i do know that a whole lot of people who loved the KotOR's and waited for a Bioware sequel are going to try SW TOR. People who DO NOT play MMO's. Personaly i am aware of at least a dozen such cases. Will TOR hold these players after they've finished the class story lines? I don't think that someone can answer this today. We'll have to wait.
I fail to see the correllation between your post and the point he was trying to make.
This is not a game.
I don't really think so, aside from the Bioware/Star Wars fans.
TOR is far too conventional. I know three people who dislike MMOs because of the standards they have; gear grinds, subscriptions, trinity, the MMO combat. TOR has all those. Story isn't enough, because it doesn't have anything to do with the gameplay itself. A lot of people view story as something extra. Especially in an MMO where the focus is with the online aspect.
I think GW2 will be the game to pull in the MMO haters, though. It's non-conventional in a lot of ways. And two of those people are actually looking forward to it for that reason. I imagine some other people are the same. TOR will draw in the WoW/Star Wars/Bioware crowd. Which is absolutely massive. But it certainly won't draw in people who normally dislike MMOs.
I think that's why both games will be a massive success.
This is the type of game that might pull in a lot of people who don't play any MMOs. It has a huge fanbase. It's possible it could do the same thing WoW did by pulling in all the WC fans.
It's like the other poster said, many people don't like the idea of paying monthly.
Gotta agree with this. I think Bioware is targetting fans of their games, SW, and KOTOR fans as a way of establishing a consumer base, similar to what Blizzard had with WoW... they had a strong following from their other games, and from there it was word of mouth. If Bioware can get it right, they may see similar success, possibley more with the people seemingly being tired of WoW and looking for a change of scenery. Just all depends on whether or not Bioware can deliver the goods (obviously).
http://www.youtube.com/user/Metallica8589/videos?view=0
Well two friends of mine that don't play MMOs at all are planning on getting this game. Both are Star wars fans. The IP alone is what ther are intrested in and I am sure there will be many others. That's a small smaple size but I do think this game will pull in a lot non MMO players. How many stay is another story.
I can feel your anger. This game is defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike this game down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards towards the Dark Side will be complete.
it's actually a pretty sound strategy, to get huge numbers in this industry you really do need to create growth in it. That's how WOW become the 800lb Gorilla in the first place. It's also one of the reasons why other games completely failed to hit anywhere close to WOW numbers.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson