Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Seasonal MMO
crickett
Member Posts: 2
I was wondering if this kind of thing exists.
I played WoW and liked the hell out of it, but had to quit because it was destroying my life. 
I was wondering if an MMO existed that ran in 'seasons' kind of the server starts up, after a month or a week or a weekend, it ends, and then you can re-create a character or whatever and the whole thing starts over. That way, you can get very into the game -- without worrying about the commitment lasting indefinitely, and also being able to change the game-world.
Anyhow, just asking if this kind of thing exists or will soon exist.
Comments
Don't agree, we have self control. fair enough when you first play any game we are well into it time gets left behind. but when you pay for the right to play it's unfair for other players to shut down the service for a week or month. You could always get a program to shut your connection down after a period of time like I use for my children.
I think the idea definitely has potential.
He's talking about a server reset, not turning off the servers.
What exactly don't you agree with, Martinspurs? The OP is asking whether or not such a thing exists.
One of the things I really like about EVE is that I don't have to constantly play to get better. Infact, I play for about an hour a day (at most 2) only 3 times a week. But I can keep getting better even though I'm not logged on due to their skill training. I just have to log on for 5min or so to set a new skill to train then I'm back off to Real Life.
A Work in Progress.
Add Me
I think A Tale in the Desert did a reset a while back...
Although that worked for ATITD, it won't work for MMOs in general. The entire idea behind an MMO is that it is a persistent world, with persistent rewards AND consequences. That's the whole draw of the genre for me. I wouldn't pay a monthly fee to hit a reset button every once in a while. I can do that on my Gamecube with no monthly fee!
Take a look at Utopia over at Swirve Games, I think they reset that game every 3 months. Although its web-based, I think it could be done in maybe a 3D MMORPG. So is it possible in a MMORPG? I definitely think so, but its about how would you go about doing it. No ideas come to mind at this moment, but definitely there is plenty of ways you might go about it. Giving players a way to advance every "reset" is also important, in Utopia you can form relationships with kingdoms and those can stay active over resets.
Not everything in MMORPG's are persistent. Take Instances for example.
What exactly don't you agree with, Martinspurs? The OP is asking whether or not such a thing exists.
I think he's explaining why he voted no and I have to agree. I don't even really see the point of such a game. It seems to me that if you're having trouble shutting off your computer and attending to your real life then that's the problem you need to deal with. Having the game shut you off doesn't really stop the addictive behaviour. I know it wouldn't work for me. It's too easy to simply find another game.
When I gave up smoking, I used these tiny sugarless candies to help me through. So... I ended up addicted to tiny sugarless candies.
I had to work to end the cycle! I know it's silly, but it's the same sort of behaviour, isn't it?
Try Starport www.starportgame.com - it has "normal games" which last 14 days - after this time is over all winners (first 3 ranks or so) get medals and the game will soon be restarted (they call it "re-bang" because it is a sci-fi game). It has just 2D graphics, but an interesting gameplay.
Just a little comment to your statement:
MMORPGs are known for being addictive. If you are a person who suffers from gaming - you said it destroyed your life - you should not play those games at all. It is an addiction like alcohol or drugs, we all get addicted more or less, and we all need to integrate our gaming behavior into our real life. I have choosen a real life partner which is a gamer too ... guess we would have much troubles if it would be just me playing. So we do not only share our real life but also our virtual lifes; not all the time, but very often.
Ragosch
While certainly not MMO-class games, I've played several Wheel of Time (fantasty novels by Robert Jordan) MUDs that ran in "turns of the wheel." Essentially, it worked exactly as stated in the original post. The game would be played for approximately a year, and then the pfiles would be wiped and another turn would begin. Of course, people typically created the same class of character from the same part of the world with the same name they had during the last turn, but the world usually changed quite a bit even if the players did not; sometimes it was geared towards soloing, sometimes grouping, sometimes areas were added, sometimes areas were altered, etc.
I think the concept of "turns of the wheel" initially evolved out of a desire by the MUD owners to make sweeping changes to the game as necessary, up to and including complete wipes of the player files. It worked well enough, and it brought with it a sense of mortality that was interesting to play around with. Still, I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a popular design decision. The only reason the MUDs in question survived the major changes in format was because they were so well-built and well-coded. Then again, maybe they appeared so well-built and well-coded because they were open to such major changes. Either way, MUDs such as the ones I'm referring to are paid for out-of-pocket by private citizens who are prohibited from making a profit from them as a condition of using the base codes they do (Diku, ROM, MUSH, Envy, etc). I rather doubt that any business entity who, by definition, lives and dies on profit margins would ever risk alienating its population in a similar way, but I've been wrong before. In fact, I'm wrong rather frequently.
It should be noted that when I say "Destroyed my my life," I am using hyperbole to describe a few negative effects it had on me, and thus why I stopped I was not addicted, because I could stop.
It just seemed like too good of an idea in my own mind to not already exist, and from the sound of it, it already does. Thanks for all the links, guys.
In terms of just the idea by itself, as opposed to the question of whether or not it has been realized, I think most of you are stuck on the idea of 'centralized' games. It had never occurred to me to be centralized at all, when I posted. It seemed the best way to do it would be to realize a sort of campaign editor or mapmaker along with the client software. Then, a few dedicated souls would craft weekend-long or weeks-long or years-long campaigns, with the intention that the entire thing will come to an end at some point. In my own limited MMO experience, changes to the gameworld have been mostly superficial, because alienation is bad business. But on the other hand, it creates kind of a stale environment. It seems to me that the idea that it will never end creates a kind of pointless game, because there is no final goal so to speak, a 'point' to the game. I think an overall point would create a more competitive environment.
Anyhow, If you just released a toolkit, and that was the product being marketed, the company wouldn't be alienating anyone.
It seemed like such a good idea to me.
Thanks for the replies and feedback, everyone.
Man............ I quit that game because it took too much time.
A Work in Progress.
Add Me
Yeah I quit Utopia too because it took too much time. Definitely one of the downsides. but definitely shows its possible to make a MMORPG thats "seasonal".