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Why are there no Wild West MMOs?
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Member UncommonPosts: 723
It's a question that has always been in the back of my mind, and something often discussed among my gaming group of friends.
Playing some Red Dead Redemption again lately made me revisit the question. In some ways I can see the setting lending itself well to the MMO format. It would make sense to have lots of players around as no one needs to the be the "hero", but just another lone ranger, or posse, bandit or lawman. PVP would work in terms of bandits against lawmen, or even open world PVP with a crime system and players signing up as deputies. There's a wealth of sandbox elements that would be interesting too such as prospecting, cattle wrangling and horse taming to name a few. And it wouldn't be fantasy or sci fi, but something different entirely.
I'm not saying I want someone to make a Wild West MMO. I think the market is pretty flooded with mediocrity these days. But I have often wondered why we never saw one (or perhaps I'm wrong and there's a crappy one I overlooked).
Comments
google wild west mmo and get at least 3
https://www.google.com/#q=wild+west+mmo
2 free to play and one being developed
The West
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/forum/1402/General-Discussion.html
Wild Wild West online
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/forum/960/General-Discussion.html
http://frontier1859.com/
http://frontier1859.com/frontier-1859-news/some-assembly-required-four-sandboxes-we-need-right-now.html
EQ2 fan sites
It would be too offensive in today's ridiculous "politically correct " society. You couldn't made a western mmo without somebody wanting to sue cause you used the likeness of a Native American in a way that offended them.
Some threads for you:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/109869
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/251754/page/1
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/396061
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/404/view/forums/thread/359787/Why-has-there-been-no-Wild-West-MMO.html
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
hmm .. there are plenty of western games with native americans in them. If they can do it in Calls of Juarez and other western games, i don't see what is the problem with doing it in a MMO.
The only reason is probably there isn't a big enough demand for it.
Furthermore, westerns are probably more suitable to be FPS just because shooting is such a large part of a game like that.
There is a huge difference, though. In those games, the dialogue and even toutcome is scripted. They can tale a tale that is as sanitized or gritty as they want. In an MMO, that goes out the window and historically, given the opportunity to be racist or hateful - whether out of trolling or malice - human beings will do it. No developer wants to deal with that.
The approach that multiplayer games usually take is more a 'frontier' approach than wild west. Salem is an example of that tangent. BANG! Howdy would be another direction devs have tread along the outskirts of wild west multiplayer gaming.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Why are there no Wild West MMOs?
exactly! good question.
Imagine if movies where MMOs and you could easily bet a paycheck that any random movie startup would be fantasy based
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
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LOL, Kool Moe Dee's "Wild Wild West" just popped into my head...
Why are there no longer many (if any) movies made about the Wild West, at time they were all the rage in Hollywood?
My guess is the topic matter is of little interest by modern audiences coupled around the fact it really wasn't a very heroic time period in US history. No matter how you look at it, what happened to the the native Americans was a shameful part of the American past and not something that works well in a "game" as I see it.
Unless of course all we're going to do is create a game of Ranchers vs Outlaws vs Lawmen, that might have some possibilities.
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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loose association
this boardgame is being released this fall - cannot wait for it
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1034852783/shadows-of-brimstone
EQ2 fan sites
Which brings me to a side question to the OPs topic.
why are there not more turn based video games.
I know its getting better but still
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so many possibilities. Wild West, Private Detective, Vampires, the list goes on and on.
But in the famous words of James T Kirk the industry 'Keeps missing the target'
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A sandbox wild west game would work well. Have settlers creating new towns with crafting, agriculture, law enforcement for FFA pvp protection, etc. More danger as you expand the frontier. Not really my kind of game but could be fun and longterm rewarding.
Also you could have player run Native American communities to oppose the settlement attempts and give more diversity.
Because the recent ones all flopped? Lone Ranger, Cowboys and Aliens ....
In the old days, gun fights with western costumes are exciting. Now in the era of CGI spaceships, super heroes, giant robots, and godzilla, it is meh.
private detective MMO? really?
An adventure (like the sherlock holmes games from frogware) game .. yes .. MMO .. no.
so you think people prefer shotting zombies instead of cowboys because of some games that you think flopped.
really?
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cops and robbers and 1940s private dics....yup win
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
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Sounds like Eve......next question....why isn't Eve more popular than it is.
Because it requires the player to create their own content and for most gamers they need someone else to do it for them.
Enter the "Theme park" mmo.
Why does it have to be a MMO?
Incredible Adv of Van Helsing is a great steam punk ARPG with character. I doubt a MMO will make something like that better.