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Hopeful of future MMO's
Wizardry
Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
I kinda have my own idea on what would give an MMO the best chance of being GREAT or defining uniqueness.
If you can build a game that would totally remove any need for botting/cheating or stealing then you would be 90% to reaching perfection.
After several years of playing,i can honestly say that the levelling system needs to go.I think it is A TALE in the DESERT that has an actual end game.I like that idea.Perhaps play a different character or role to give the game replayability.
I am foremost a fan of FPS,wich is more or less nothing short of PVP.I have yet to see anything remotely worthy of using PVP in its MMO genre.As of now its merely a pawn used to garner a larger player base.I am really interested to see how HUXLEY will use PVP,however its a KOREAN based game that will only encourage botting/cheating/stealing.
DODGING was made a great tool in UNREALTOURNAMENT as well as the shock rifles combo attack.This adds a ton of extra animation in the games graphics,however would add a tad more skill to the MMO genre.
The next game that can achieve anything i have mentioned ,will be the next BIG thing.
I think its safe in saying EVERQUEST has defined this MMORPG genre.There are games wich have gathered a following and games that have many subscribers.We see a tinkling of different ideas in games that have come out after EQ,however nothing that can be said to be the next big thing.
MY take on the games that really stood out>>>most are not mmo.
1 quake...2 unrealtournament...3 Everquest..3 Counterstrike..5 half life
these 5 games all had something very unique that gave it the next big thing title.I dont really see anything in the near future.FFXI is coming out with a new version of its game that perhaps will be unique.It makes the player control 3 players at once.not sure if this idea has been done before in a real time strategy.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Comments
So what about the people [older and some females] that aren't 15 years old with cat-like FPS reflexes.... they will suck because "your perfect MMORPG" is all based on YOUR skill level.
Your idea would get shit-canned very fast.
That's why games like Everquest and FFXI are still incredibly popular.
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if something doesnt come along to shake up the mmo market then it will stagnate into nothing more than hundreds of virtual worlds all trying to out do one another. Ive played a fair few mmos and so far they all follow the same wrince and repeat structure.
Heres your starting items. Go get this quest, kill this many creatures, fetch me this many steaks bring me this many pelts now go kill this many orcs etc etc etc
over and over untill your max level.
Even games with "quests" fall for this type of game design except its wrapped up in a rpetty bow and labled a quest.
Also all i see are Fantasy or Sci Fi mmo's as the highest rated or most popular. Apart from lord of the rings fantasy is over done. Lord of the Rings is the exception since it practicly created the genre and all fantasy mmo's will borrow elements of tolkiens works.
Sci Fi hasnt taken off as much as it should but thats because many designers put a fantasy mmo in sci fi clothing.
Alot of mmo's are trying to make there games fun and intereactive and make you feel a part of something. Thats fair enough but we dont need sub par FPS combat in an RPG to make that work.
I remember reading an article several years ago about the MMO Genre and about how it would become one of the largest areas of gaming but would also end up imploding under the preassure of so many sub par titles.
There is such a wealth of genres and system designs that have yet to be tried and could put a fire under the mmo mrket. I dont wanna play yet another fantasy game or a sub par sci fi game that changes its controls and mechanics every 6 months (howdy SOE you buggers).
You wanna know the next big mmo, surprise surprise it hasnt been made yet but i believe it will be based of an already well established pen and paper rpg. It will stay true to its routes and background and will employ traditional RPG mechanics as well as some other form of control and interactivity. That last bit is a little light but really i dont know whats out there in terms of new mechanics.
Heres some traditional games i think would make awesome mmo's
Vampire Masquerade: Modern Nights
Set it within the confines of several states on the East coast of america. Each city has its own Prince #(ruler) with different dispositions and enemys and allies. Smaller towns in the country but ris of werewolves. Day Night cycle. Day light can kill your character permanatley as can decapitation. Utilisie the 7 clans of the camerilla as a basis for your character. From there you can become whatever you wish. A Brujah punk who looks for trouble or a Toreador dancer at the local strip club.
Would have to be a 18+ or Mature game for its content but would be something different.
Deadlands : The Wild West
Basicly imagine a wild west filled with all sorts of horrific creatures from the depths of ones nightmares. Characters have a large choice of different classes from Texas Rangers, Gunslingers and Hexslingers (sort of your magic type class). This game would be so different to anything out there. Its set in the wild west, it has a huge beistry and distinct classes to play. The quests could be built like a single player quest and be very invoving with some taking a few days to complete as you unravel the mystry of the missing towns people and descend into a werevolves lair in some caves to the north say lol.
FALLOUT MMO
one sentance
WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DONE YET
Anyway my rants done, the future of mmo's in my eyes is very bleak. I think we now live in an age when the consumer is not only right but they know what they like before even trying something. If they wanta song they can download it in seconds. If they want there shopping they can get it done online. If they want a new film they can download it right to there HD's. If customers think your advertising and community relations SUCK there damn well gonna berate your company for it (howdy again SOE). The mmo devs still believe that the customer is like a mindless sheep and will go where everyone else goes. The smart mmo devs know different. The mmo player has become more a keen to the inner workings of a games developer and know BS from fact. If they feel something isnt being done for the good of the game they WILL speak up about it.
Above all its about time mmo devs began treating there customers as adults, lay it out on the table, tell us your plans, your visions for this game we are paying to play. If not then theres plenty other games on the market to try.
That's why games like Everquest and FFXI are still incredibly popular.
Mighty revealing charts. I think people are always surprised to see how well EQ is still doing. I know they are when I show them those charts from mmogchart.com. They always think that game is dead. But when they see the number of folks playing it still they are shocked.
I think it's because most mature gamers aren't running around screaming about how cool their game is. They just quietly sit back and play and pay. While the little games sit at the bottom making a bunch of noise hoping someone will hear them.
Can't say that I'm all that hopefull for this genre, TBH. What I see in the future is bright, in a way, but also somewhat depressing. Here's my take on the future of MMOs...
For starters, I see a lot more homebrew MMOs. There are a few floating around as Player Worlds or Realm Crafter stuff. There seems to be more and more low-end and open-source 3D engines and game dev kits cropping up all the time as well. Not only that, but we're starting to see network programming libraries and utilities made specifically for games like Project Darkstar.
Bottom line, as the technology becomes more available, more amateur devs will be cranking out Free 2 Play MMOs in thier basement. Most of these will be on the same level as a MUD, with populations of less than 1000. Some of them will either switch to some form of payment option, or collapse under the demand from more bandwidth.
The upswing to all of this is that MMOs will benifit in the same way that FPS games benefited from a large mod community. Seriously, do you really think that FPS games would have gone from simple deathmatches to Battlefield 2 WITHOUT a large and active mod community? This is part of the reason why I never discourage people that say they want to make an MMO. With the stuff out there right now, you can make the client with Dark BASIC ($50), plug it into a Darkstar server and host it on Wolfpaw for peanuts.
Don't get me wrong, there will always be Pay 2 Play MMOs. But with the competition of THOUSANDS of Free 2 Play games, the business model is going to have to change. I'm honestly thinking that subscriptions are gonna come down, or most big MMOs are gonna shift to selling in game currency and items. After all, why should I pay for an experience that I can get free somewhere else?