Guild Wars 2's wardrobe. The dye system is just incredibly robust and it's easy to spend hours just mixing and matching to find that perfect look.
Only game I've played with a better wardrobe is Anthem, which does all of that plus adds texture, material, and pattern customization.
For me it's also GW2's system for sure. This is for a couple of key reasons. One is that the wardrobe section of the UI displays all possible outfits in a nice interface, so I can try every possible piece of gear appearance AND try different dies on them at the same time. And the second part is that transmog tokens are easily obtainable through in-game activities. I've never had to buy these and this is what makes the system truly great.
I have not played in a couple of years but I suspect it has only gotten better.
“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”
The fact this is a serious topic makes me sad inside.
Some people value visual customization. I know I do. No need to be sad it’s just an axis of the gaming experience that doesn’t speak to you.
Actually I am one of those who thumbs his nose at this fashion nonsense and still thinks it is a serious subject. For example what happens to the costume skin we all see when you go into PvP? If that does not revert to the armour skin players will all be going round in robes to hide what their class is.
Here is another one, the more types of costume a game has the stress put on the servers when there is a big player count like, you guessed it PvP. Even if the costume is removed, PvP will suffer if players can come in with a hundred armour options.
What we tend to see is PvE sorts ignoring this and just forever pushing for more and more outfits. And they can have their umpteen outfits, just not in PvP and as long as all these outfits don't cause lag even in PvE. There needs to be a balance in PvP/PvE games lets not forget that.
The fact this is a serious topic makes me sad inside.
Some people value visual customization. I know I do. No need to be sad it’s just an axis of the gaming experience that doesn’t speak to you.
Actually I am one of those who thumbs his nose at this fashion nonsense and still thinks it is a serious subject. For example what happens to the costume skin we all see when you go into PvP? If that does not revert to the armour skin players will all be going round in robes to hide what their class is.
Here is another one, the more types of costume a game has the stress put on the servers when there is a big player count like, you guessed it PvP. Even if the costume is removed, PvP will suffer if players can come in with a hundred armour options.
What we tend to see is PvE sorts ignoring this and just forever pushing for more and more outfits. And they can have their umpteen outfits, just not in PvP and as long as all these outfits don't cause lag even in PvE. There needs to be a balance in PvP/PvE games lets not forget that.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
The fact this is a serious topic makes me sad inside.
Some people value visual customization. I know I do. No need to be sad it’s just an axis of the gaming experience that doesn’t speak to you.
Sorry, but I don't see this as a vanilla vs. chocolate thing. If you want to play Barbie dress-up, there are better vehicles for that. If you want it as a diversion in a MMORPG, it should be either crafted or farmed. People willing to spend money on outfits is a huge reason why FTP, cash shops, multiple currencies, etc. are now entrenched in the genre.
The fact this is a serious topic makes me sad inside.
Some people value visual customization. I know I do. No need to be sad it’s just an axis of the gaming experience that doesn’t speak to you.
Actually I am one of those who thumbs his nose at this fashion nonsense and still thinks it is a serious subject. For example what happens to the costume skin we all see when you go into PvP? If that does not revert to the armour skin players will all be going round in robes to hide what their class is.
Here is another one, the more types of costume a game has the stress put on the servers when there is a big player count like, you guessed it PvP. Even if the costume is removed, PvP will suffer if players can come in with a hundred armour options.
What we tend to see is PvE sorts ignoring this and just forever pushing for more and more outfits. And they can have their umpteen outfits, just not in PvP and as long as all these outfits don't cause lag even in PvE. There needs to be a balance in PvP/PvE games lets not forget that.
GW2 has an option for,
Use standard enemy models And Use standard friendly models
And I think it should be standard.
Basically it makes all enemies or friendlies of a certain class have the same look. Kind of like everyone has a class based uniform on.
Use standard enemy models And Use standard friendly models
And I think it should be standard.
Basically it makes all enemies or friendlies of a certain class have the same look. Kind of like everyone has a class based uniform on.
Really helpful in WvW.
This is exactly the sort of thing that should be avoided, it's two fingers to PvP and for what? It is not like PvE gamers don't get tons of time in their outfits when doing everything else in game.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
Use standard enemy models And Use standard friendly models
And I think it should be standard.
Basically it makes all enemies or friendlies of a certain class have the same look. Kind of like everyone has a class based uniform on.
Really helpful in WvW.
This is exactly the sort of thing that should be avoided, it's two fingers to PvP and for what? It is not like PvE gamers don't get tons of time in their outfits when doing everything else in game.
I think it does the exact opposite,
It basically nullifies all cosmetics on other players and replaces it with easy to read armor based on class
So it makes it look like all enemy and/or friendly mages have a classic robes and wizard hat, instead of whatever ostentatious outfit they are wearing. That way you instantly know they are a mage in PVP
Players can't hide their class, and the game doesn't have to load hundreds of armor pieces, just one per class.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
In terms of combat, yes. Dedicated single player games do PvE better. In terms of story, yes. Single player RPGs do it better. In terms of gear grind, yes. The loop of a Monster Hunter or Diablo is better.
But MMOs offer two things that other genres struggle to. Spontaneity of player contact, and dynamic content. The only other genres really experimenting with dynamic events are ARPGs and looter shooters, and if they were actually doing it better, the market wouldn't be (unfortunately, IMO) rejecting most of them.
And yes, they offer a unique advantage to PvP over other genres as well. Mass scale Realm vs Realm conflicts. The caveats here are that modern MMOs have lost their touch here, and your emphasis on easily identifiable armor classes doesn't matter when there are 50+ enemies on screen.
I wonder how WoW has the best system when there are other games doing it the same way + dyeing?
Doesnt this fit to the same question whats the best MMO? then people say WoW, then the follow-up is Q. What games have you played. A. WoW + 1 other game.
Another vote for City of Heroes. I truly cannot fathom why more modern games do not use this amazing system that allows a maximum of player agency and creativity without all the inventory hassles.
My guess is that CoH and other MMOs at the time used polygons which made coming up with costume parts easy. With more detailed graphics, it's more work coming up with each option. And let's not forget microtransactions as a factor.
Use standard enemy models And Use standard friendly models
And I think it should be standard.
Basically it makes all enemies or friendlies of a certain class have the same look. Kind of like everyone has a class based uniform on.
Really helpful in WvW.
This is exactly the sort of thing that should be avoided, it's two fingers to PvP and for what? It is not like PvE gamers don't get tons of time in their outfits when doing everything else in game.
I think it does the exact opposite,
It basically nullifies all cosmetics on other players and replaces it with easy to read armor based on class
So it makes it look like all enemy and/or friendly mages have a classic robes and wizard hat, instead of whatever ostentatious outfit they are wearing. That way you instantly know they are a mage in PVP
Players can't hide their class, and the game doesn't have to load hundreds of armor pieces, just one per class.
This solves all the issues you listed.
I got the wrong end of the stick there, making classes obvious in PvP is exactly what should happen.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
In terms of combat, yes. Dedicated single player games do PvE better. In terms of story, yes. Single player RPGs do it better. In terms of gear grind, yes. The loop of a Monster Hunter or Diablo is better.
But MMOs offer two things that other genres struggle to. Spontaneity of player contact, and dynamic content. The only other genres really experimenting with dynamic events are ARPGs and looter shooters, and if they were actually doing it better, the market wouldn't be (unfortunately, IMO) rejecting most of them.
And yes, they offer a unique advantage to PvP over other genres as well. Mass scale Realm vs Realm conflicts. The caveats here are that modern MMOs have lost their touch here, and your emphasis on easily identifiable armor classes doesn't matter when there are 50+ enemies on screen.
I think more could be made of spontaneous group events certainly, but my caveat would be that players have an easy option to read into the lore about the event in game. Something like WHO's tome (was it called that?) would be great. Also you have to watch what the rewards are, but that's true of everything you do in a MMO.
Fewer MMOs these days bother with mass combat, they lean to MO really. Certainly the Massively and strategy needed make up for very average combat. Spotting enemies does matter, as you can be in small groups on a big battlefield and indeed it depends on the combat system. Zerg like PvP is to be avoided as it creates blobs of players, but it is tricky to make it more strategic. Turn based did better at this but I am not saying that means we have to return to turn based, action combat in MMOs just needs to be built more with Massively in mind.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
Love you to death Scott, Solo PvP games.. I laughed good at this
To be honest, this sounds like you are trying to be honest, but it comes across as satire.
MMO's are games built around the idea of Social Activity in a way that no other platform can, this was first realized, in it's most pure sense with the World/Raid Bosses of EQ, were dozens if not a hundred or more players would gather together and face something, be it a dragon, a god, or some giant, it was something, and it was something big, and we all had a lot of people going to take it down.
No other platform had that, and to date, anything close to it.
There are better small group games, like co-ops, and PvP games like MOBA's, FPS, Arena battles, whatever the hell Fortnight is.
But MMO's, that was where the power of community existed, where massive groups of people could and would come together and do something. Hence the Massive part of the Title.
But see a part of that community was showing off your efforts.
This is why, if you look at the early MMO's, like EQ, rare and powerful weapons had unique graphics. This built a whole dynamic to show investment and perhaps wealth in game, to get such items.
But here is what happened. You would spend all this time and effort to acquire the best item in the game, with it's own special graphic, and it ends with "we all look the same" hence the rise of the term "Cookie Cutter" builds, where everyone showed up to raid/world boss all looking damn near identical.
Some MMO's like GW2, thought to spin, and as opposed to grinding your life for that +1, you are doing it for that black smoke aura that makes you look like a shadow assassin, even if you are playing a warrior.
Both are displays of effort and time in the game
To each their own in that regard.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
Love you to death Scott, Solo PvP games.. I laughed good at this
To be honest, this sounds like you are trying to be honest, but it comes across as satire.
MMO's are games built around the idea of Social Activity in a way that no other platform can, this was first realized, in it's most pure sense with the World/Raid Bosses of EQ, were dozens if not a hundred or more players would gather together and face something, be it a dragon, a god, or some giant, it was something, and it was something big, and we all had a lot of people going to take it down.
No other platform had that, and to date, anything close to it.
There are better small group games, like co-ops, and PvP games like MOBA's, FPS, Arena battles, whatever the hell Fortnight is.
But MMO's, that was where the power of community existed, where massive groups of people could and would come together and do something. Hence the Massive part of the Title.
But see a part of that community was showing off your efforts.
This is why, if you look at the early MMO's, like EQ, rare and powerful weapons had unique graphics. This built a whole dynamic to show investment and perhaps wealth in game, to get such items.
But here is what happened. You would spend all this time and effort to acquire the best item in the game, with it's own special graphic, and it ends with "we all look the same" hence the rise of the term "Cookie Cutter" builds, where everyone showed up to raid/world boss all looking damn near identical.
Some MMO's like GW2, thought to spin, and as opposed to grinding your life for that +1, you are doing it for that black smoke aura that makes you look like a shadow assassin, even if you are playing a warrior.
Both are displays of effort and time in the game
To each their own in that regard.
Well there is nothing here I disagree with, but any satire was purely to highlight the point that MMORPG's have never had the best of any element of gameplay apart from social and massive battles as you mention.
Looking at other more recent problems in MMO design we see a lack of the holistic approach when it comes to gameplay. Players are doing many different things now, so don't feel as focused as we used to; indeed you see some players saying they are not sure what the best thing to do is! That gestalt I talk about, MMORPG's being so great because of the diverse gameplay, well you can go too far, especially if designers don't pay enough attention to linking the gameplay together.
Speaking about New World, well, transmog as literally everything in the game is buggy as hell. You have to drop items you received from quests, market or trading on the floor and pick them up again to unlock the skins. Otherwise, it won't work.
I will gladly give up PvP to have all of the outfits. There's thousands of PvP games that do it better than an MMO.
I am going to tell you a secret, hold on to your expensive cash shop hat.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
Love you to death Scott, Solo PvP games.. I laughed good at this
To be honest, this sounds like you are trying to be honest, but it comes across as satire.
MMO's are games built around the idea of Social Activity in a way that no other platform can, this was first realized, in it's most pure sense with the World/Raid Bosses of EQ, were dozens if not a hundred or more players would gather together and face something, be it a dragon, a god, or some giant, it was something, and it was something big, and we all had a lot of people going to take it down.
No other platform had that, and to date, anything close to it.
There are better small group games, like co-ops, and PvP games like MOBA's, FPS, Arena battles, whatever the hell Fortnight is.
But MMO's, that was where the power of community existed, where massive groups of people could and would come together and do something. Hence the Massive part of the Title.
But see a part of that community was showing off your efforts.
This is why, if you look at the early MMO's, like EQ, rare and powerful weapons had unique graphics. This built a whole dynamic to show investment and perhaps wealth in game, to get such items.
But here is what happened. You would spend all this time and effort to acquire the best item in the game, with it's own special graphic, and it ends with "we all look the same" hence the rise of the term "Cookie Cutter" builds, where everyone showed up to raid/world boss all looking damn near identical.
Some MMO's like GW2, thought to spin, and as opposed to grinding your life for that +1, you are doing it for that black smoke aura that makes you look like a shadow assassin, even if you are playing a warrior.
Both are displays of effort and time in the game
To each their own in that regard.
Well there is nothing here I disagree with, but any satire was purely to highlight the point that MMORPG's have never had the best of any element of gameplay apart from social and massive battles as you mention.
Looking at other more recent problems in MMO design we see a lack of the holistic approach when it comes to gameplay. Players are doing many different things now, so don't feel as focused as we used to; indeed you see some players saying they are not sure what the best thing to do is! That gestalt I talk about, MMORPG's being so great because of the diverse gameplay, well you can go too far, especially if designers don't pay enough attention to linking the gameplay together.
Honestly, MMO's really came to be under EQ, with the World Bosses.
That, IMHO, really set the stage for what an MMO was going forward. WoW took that idea of these huge world bosses, and ran with it, which is what made WoW the juggernaut that it was.
No other platform comes close to that kind of dynamic, I personally think that GW2, with the way it handles World Bosses is one of the best implementations of that feature, which is what keeps GW2 going strong over the years.
The PvP of games like DAOC, where taking the World Boss aspect of large battles and making them PvP, which also was a unique aspect of MMO's, because small fights were far better done in MOBA's and the like.
Also when players ask what is the best thing to do, what they really are asking is "How can get the most reward, for the least effort, the fastest" that's their real question, and then they tunnel vision into that, burn out, and cry that the game has nothing fun to do. Seems like a player issue if you ask me.
I will say, Choice Paralysis is a real thing, and I feel that MMO's that have a lot of options, should do more to help players find direction.
For most MMO's this is where the "Story" comes in, this is just a tool to give players a tour of the game, make them feel powerful, competent, and maybe get a feel for the various mechanics of the game.
After that intro/story, this has taken the form of things like Dailies, Weekly, and even Monthly Achievements in more modern MMO, this gives players something to do when they log in, if they can't directly think of what they want to do next.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
Comments
For me it's also GW2's system for sure. This is for a couple of key reasons. One is that the wardrobe section of the UI displays all possible outfits in a nice interface, so I can try every possible piece of gear appearance AND try different dies on them at the same time. And the second part is that transmog tokens are easily obtainable through in-game activities. I've never had to buy these and this is what makes the system truly great.
Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV are often praised for having some of the best outfit systems in MMOs.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
--John Ruskin
Here is another one, the more types of costume a game has the stress put on the servers when there is a big player count like, you guessed it PvP. Even if the costume is removed, PvP will suffer if players can come in with a hundred armour options.
What we tend to see is PvE sorts ignoring this and just forever pushing for more and more outfits. And they can have their umpteen outfits, just not in PvP and as long as all these outfits don't cause lag even in PvE. There needs to be a balance in PvP/PvE games lets not forget that.
Use standard enemy models
And
Use standard friendly models
And I think it should be standard.
Basically it makes all enemies or friendlies of a certain class have the same look.
Kind of like everyone has a class based uniform on.
Really helpful in WvW.
Nearly everything we do in MMORPG's is not as good as the gameplay in another genre, because that genre is more focused around that element of gameplay. So yes, the PvP in MMOs is not as good as the baulk of MO PvP games or in some cases solo games! But that goes for PvE, crafting, raiding (as opposed to LFD style teamplay) and so on.
MMORPG's are a gestalt which combines elements of gameplay from all sorts of genres to make a greater whole. That means the the individual parts will always struggle in comparison, we love MMOs for the diversity of play and the social element. To take out any element be it housing, whatever, makes for a lesser game.
It basically nullifies all cosmetics on other players and replaces it with easy to read armor based on class
So it makes it look like all enemy and/or friendly mages have a classic robes and wizard hat, instead of whatever ostentatious outfit they are wearing.
That way you instantly know they are a mage in PVP
Players can't hide their class, and the game doesn't have to load hundreds of armor pieces, just one per class.
This solves all the issues you listed.
But MMOs offer two things that other genres struggle to. Spontaneity of player contact, and dynamic content. The only other genres really experimenting with dynamic events are ARPGs and looter shooters, and if they were actually doing it better, the market wouldn't be (unfortunately, IMO) rejecting most of them.
And yes, they offer a unique advantage to PvP over other genres as well. Mass scale Realm vs Realm conflicts. The caveats here are that modern MMOs have lost their touch here, and your emphasis on easily identifiable armor classes doesn't matter when there are 50+ enemies on screen.
Oh, no! Did you suddenly realize that other people have values that differ from yours? That must be shocking and terrible.
My guess is that CoH and other MMOs at the time used polygons which made coming up with costume parts easy. With more detailed graphics, it's more work coming up with each option. And let's not forget microtransactions as a factor.
Fewer MMOs these days bother with mass combat, they lean to MO really. Certainly the Massively and strategy needed make up for very average combat. Spotting enemies does matter, as you can be in small groups on a big battlefield and indeed it depends on the combat system. Zerg like PvP is to be avoided as it creates blobs of players, but it is tricky to make it more strategic. Turn based did better at this but I am not saying that means we have to return to turn based, action combat in MMOs just needs to be built more with Massively in mind.
To be honest, this sounds like you are trying to be honest, but it comes across as satire.
MMO's are games built around the idea of Social Activity in a way that no other platform can, this was first realized, in it's most pure sense with the World/Raid Bosses of EQ, were dozens if not a hundred or more players would gather together and face something, be it a dragon, a god, or some giant, it was something, and it was something big, and we all had a lot of people going to take it down.
No other platform had that, and to date, anything close to it.
There are better small group games, like co-ops, and PvP games like MOBA's, FPS, Arena battles, whatever the hell Fortnight is.
But MMO's, that was where the power of community existed, where massive groups of people could and would come together and do something. Hence the Massive part of the Title.
But see a part of that community was showing off your efforts.
This is why, if you look at the early MMO's, like EQ, rare and powerful weapons had unique graphics. This built a whole dynamic to show investment and perhaps wealth in game, to get such items.
But here is what happened. You would spend all this time and effort to acquire the best item in the game, with it's own special graphic, and it ends with "we all look the same" hence the rise of the term "Cookie Cutter" builds, where everyone showed up to raid/world boss all looking damn near identical.
Some MMO's like GW2, thought to spin, and as opposed to grinding your life for that +1, you are doing it for that black smoke aura that makes you look like a shadow assassin, even if you are playing a warrior.
Both are displays of effort and time in the game
To each their own in that regard.
Looking at other more recent problems in MMO design we see a lack of the holistic approach when it comes to gameplay. Players are doing many different things now, so don't feel as focused as we used to; indeed you see some players saying they are not sure what the best thing to do is! That gestalt I talk about, MMORPG's being so great because of the diverse gameplay, well you can go too far, especially if designers don't pay enough attention to linking the gameplay together.
Speaking about New World, well, transmog as literally everything in the game is buggy as hell. You have to drop items you received from quests, market or trading on the floor and pick them up again to unlock the skins. Otherwise, it won't work.
That, IMHO, really set the stage for what an MMO was going forward. WoW took that idea of these huge world bosses, and ran with it, which is what made WoW the juggernaut that it was.
No other platform comes close to that kind of dynamic, I personally think that GW2, with the way it handles World Bosses is one of the best implementations of that feature, which is what keeps GW2 going strong over the years.
The PvP of games like DAOC, where taking the World Boss aspect of large battles and making them PvP, which also was a unique aspect of MMO's, because small fights were far better done in MOBA's and the like.
Also when players ask what is the best thing to do, what they really are asking is "How can get the most reward, for the least effort, the fastest" that's their real question, and then they tunnel vision into that, burn out, and cry that the game has nothing fun to do. Seems like a player issue if you ask me.
I will say, Choice Paralysis is a real thing, and I feel that MMO's that have a lot of options, should do more to help players find direction.
For most MMO's this is where the "Story" comes in, this is just a tool to give players a tour of the game, make them feel powerful, competent, and maybe get a feel for the various mechanics of the game.
After that intro/story, this has taken the form of things like Dailies, Weekly, and even Monthly Achievements in more modern MMO, this gives players something to do when they log in, if they can't directly think of what they want to do next.