MMORPG.COM needs to define what is a MMO

Longswd · June 2006

I see games like D&D Online and Guild Wars listed here, two completely instanced games with relatively small party sizes and yet, a distinct lack of place for Diablo I and II with BattleNet. I fail to see how these games differ in basic mechanics from Diablo. When you get right down to it, DDO is NOT an MMO in any traditional sense, it's a 6 player game with a large chat lobby called Stormwind.

I'm just trying to figure out what criteria is being used to bestow the MMO label on something like DDO and yet not on Diablo.

Stradden · June 2006

MMORPG.com defines an MMORPG as a game that has the capability to bring up to 500 players into one world, with the ability to interact freely in at least some kind of graphical hub. The game must also possess elements of A Role-Playing game, either in terms of mechanics or in spirit.

I hope that clears thigns up for you.

Cheers,

Jon "Stradden" Wood, Community Manager

Anofalye · June 2006

DDO and GW are MMO, according to the staff here and according to the average comon sense persons.

Peoples with particuliar motivations question the MMO status of a game like DDO. Instance haters (peoples who love to abuse other players, since limited ressources automatically = abuses in many form) are going to go throught various machinations to trash any game where they can't abuse other players.

I dislike DDO, but I never question it MMO status, I can meet with dozen of peoples in the comon zones, and I can group with all of them, 5 at a time, in any instance. That is a MMO for me, as a player it meet all my needs. I find it nice when a game goes 1 step further, like CoH/CoV but I don't need it that much developped personnally. A game that go any step lesser than CoH/CoV on the instance aspect is seriously hindering itself, as I will have to compete directly, in a harsh way, with other players. I want instances to remove any harshness from the game when it come to ressources. I hope it will be challenging and maybe that I will fail to achieve what I want, based on the challenges, not on the fact that Joe-no-life and his guild are farming what I want...

Instances are a blessing, peoples saying otherwise can go see in Antartica if I wouldn't be there, send me a postcard. CoH/CoV master this aspect just perfectly, any less instance is silly, any less open areas is also silly. Everything you want, you can earn in instances (nearly, slight bug on this in CoH, but very minors, nothing that can't be arranged).

Check CoH, your game is less instanced? You lose points. Quite simple, I would love that every dungeon would also have a open version at all time, but I like that they have an instance version as well. LDoN in old EQ is perfectly understand this instance aspect while Sebilis is not.

The day my epic in old EQ was KS by folks in my own guild, folks I was nurturing and helping, was the day I figure instancing was a MUST, not a maybe or whatever. 90% of the folks who jump on that didn't know what they where doing, most officers where confused and fast-talk, all was the fault of 1 person...only 1...I never complete my epic as a reminder...much later in the game...just seeing me epicless, as the main chanter, when they want Shizz and me answering I doesn't care for epic trash non-sense, weak items anyway...that would be a long story full of useless drama however, let's just say that in an instance, such things doesn't happen as easily. I would have expect LoS to KS my epic, but my own guild members, in a family guild that was barely able to field 1 group of maxed level characters? Those I was helping and teaching, those that where able to progress a LOT more because of the many attendancies I made...well, that was just too much. Yeah, I was mostly working on my epic outside of my guild, so they can work on the epic of other inside the guild...my extreme hatred of the main guild on the server and my general kindness and the possibility I might help on raids of bigger guilds in time of needs, especially if it was to harm the main guild in a way or another or catch on them...well...like I said, it would have been a long story full of drama...when you get outsiders to help you obtain your epic and that your own guild, these persons you help, nurture, care for, they KS the main item and didn't respect the agreement accepted by everyone...oh well...too bad...

Longswd · June 2006

Thanks for the long answer Anofalye, but you seem to be under the misapprehension I'm complaining about instanced games....I'm not. I was a closed beta tester for Diablo II and continue to play it to this day (though I freely admit I would never pay a subscription fee for one).

I simply wished to know what MMORPG.COM's definition was and Stradden answered that quite well (even if I would still disagree that DDO qualifies. [try putting 500 people in one tavern instance to "interact", the results would not be pretty to say the least, even if the game code would permit it]).

AgtSmith · June 2006

Originally posted by Longswd

I see games like D&D Online and Guild Wars listed here, two completely instanced games with relatively small party sizes and yet, a distinct lack of place for Diablo I and II with BattleNet. I fail to see how these games differ in basic mechanics from Diablo. When you get right down to it, DDO is NOT an MMO in any traditional sense, it's a 6 player game with a large chat lobby called Stormwind.

I'm just trying to figure out what criteria is being used to bestow the MMO label on something like DDO and yet not on Diablo.

I think a loose definition of the genre is just fine. DDO and Guild Wars each have reasons they could not be included in a site about MMORPGs but the simple fact of the matter is that they appeal to the same audience in most ways so in that sense I think they fit in. I would say the genre includes any RPG/MMO ith the big disqualifier being they must be MP (and not jsut lobby type MP like an RTS game is).

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MMORPG.COM needs to define what is a MMO

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MMORPG.COM needs to define what is a MMO

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