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Dynamic MMORPGs - Give us a purpose
tristaan
Member Posts: 10
I posted some of this on another board, but I wanted to get your thoughts.
The MMORPG market is being FLOODED with games that shouldnt have been made in the first place(actually its not only the MMORPG market - the PC market as a whole). One thing is that there seems to be no purpose to playing the game. Why should I care about killing off worms/rabbits?? I understand that we need to "train"/grind, but getting thrown into a game and getting a 'quest' of killing worms/rabbits is not my cup of tea. Ill admit that all MMORPGs arent dynamic enough for me... Im waiting for that moment. My favorite genres are RPG and RTS games. What makes those games enjoyable to me?? RPGs let me go through a story where I actually make a difference... not kill the boss in the cave that 1000s of other players just did right before you. When I kill the 'boss', he is DEAD. GONE. I made a difference in that game world... at least I get that illusion. I wipe out the 'evil' in that game world with the help from my NPC buddies. I can go on explaining, but why? RTS games are similar in the sense that I rid of the enemy. I get to build up an army, a base, and wipe them from the Earth. THAT is dynamic. I have the feeling that I am actually doing something. In killing off small animals that just magically reappear, I am doing NOTHING. WHY do it? Make us care about killing these small animals. Let us actually positively/negatively influence the game world and the outcome of the game. Just one example would be - have the (put an angry animal/monster group here) attack the city... let them destroy parts of it that they get to. The players would need to always fend them off and help the leader rebuild. There can be quests to help in the rebuilding. OR the players can kill off the entire colony(at least near the camp). Just an example, BUT the players(even at lvl 1) are a part of something. They matter. They are fighting off the enemy or helping their side in someway... someway that is dynamic.
Im sure that the developers can come up with some argument that says their game does this. That it is dynamic. I dont feel it. Players should feel it as soon as they log on for the first time... and feel it all the way through. Give them a purpose. I dont want to play a game to 'train' the best character, to get the best armor. Why? Why should I do that, is the question.
I think I have said enough. Good luck to ALL MMORPGs, that to me still dont get it... even those that will come out in the next year or two.
Comments
Great first post, nice rant btw.
I agree, "kill 20 rabbits", come on! Are we trying to wipe out the rabbit population in this game or something? Most new fantasy games coming out are the "medieval warrior" style game, I wonder if back then warriors went around killing rabbits who drop gold coins...
DAOC is "kinda" like that with the relics and Darkness Falls. You can influence the server at the end of the game in PvP.
As a whole, people like to "do" something. That is why there are so many quests and kill this, FedEx that and so on. Freedom appeals to a small number of people but the masses like to be told what to do. That is why WOW is so popular, it's easy and you feel acomplished whenever you finish something.
Nice thoughts tristaan, I couldnt agree more.
I remember the last days of asherons call open beta. Flickers (fire monsters) invaded towns and it was a general mess.. It was awesome. Ppl helped each other against the threat and it felt meaningful...
Just this small thing was one of many that made ac awesome.. it had a story which the playerbase were a part of and the devs(turbine) did an awesome job playing their characters. (sometimes monsters sometimes asheron himself!)
Sometimes this event-monster dropped a unique item which only one person received, making this individual unique...
And they added new content and events frequently... haha... There was a demon.. bael'zharon who threw poor cows over cities...
Ive allways been against saying old games were better, but thats so true untill someone has proven differently...
I have my hopes up for WAR, AOC and LOTRO (the return of Turbine?)
------------------------------------------------------
Do I ever sleep?
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
After rebuilding bridges on your server a new race was unlocked. (which took a while)
paulscott, thanks for the Wurm suggestion. I looked at the game and it is close to what I am getting at here. I think I will give it a try. I will put my money where my mouth is, if I like it.... and pretty much wait til the big developers get the picture.
I think that if many gamers pushed the developers to put more dynamics(or whatever you want) into the MMORPGs that they were playing, then we would start to see some change. Yes, it is all about the money. So, if they arent giving you what you want... take it somewhere else.
Originally posted by ironore
Why do I play? I don't. I'd like to, but there is no game that really has any dynamics to it at this time.
The
goals should be set by the players and they should have the power to
affect the world. It is a simple concept but difficult to implement.
Not impossible however.
If I were to play an MMORPG it would be because I'd want to BE something, I'd want to EXPERIENCE something.
I don't feel like a fighter when I am leveling up. I don't even feel like I'm fighting. You feel like that in a FPS.
I
don't feel like a Theif in an MMORPG because you don't actually ever do
any theiving. You don't sneak around, break into places, most don't
even let you pick pockets anymore.
I don't feel like a mage
in any MMORPG I've ever played. I feel more like a fighter that fights
with fire-balls, except that I don't feel like a fighter, I feel like
I'm clicking on things until a number goes up so that I can click on
things that need higher numbers before you click on them.
And so
we are right back to where we started and let's not even MENTION all
the other things a person might like to DO or BE that aren't included
in the confined classes or even the broader skill sets that most games
attempt to use to create 'character.'
What should we do then? Let's just keep it simple with the figther, the theif and the mage for this example.
Let's
start with a town. This town was created by players for players. They
had to manage and organize resources ect. ect. in order to build this
town. In fact the industry, commerce and economy that supports this
town is created by players and they add to it and also benefit from
it. They have swords and armor and houses and potion ingreedients and
all other things because of this town. It's good. They like it.
Someone
else wants it too. They want to TAKE it. They want to take it by
FORCE. I want to defend it. NOW I feel like a fighter. I am
fighting. I have a reason to fight. It's all about reasons. In fact
once the threat of invasion is quelled for a time there are other
enemies to fight. There is corruption within. A nasty theiving
organization has developed totally naturally in the town and they seek
to benefit from all the commerce and merchandise that passes through.
Now I can fight crime and try and track them all down......
Unless
of course I am one of those theives. We have a base within the town,
we move around in the streets, try to get into the locked buildings all
around avoiding the guards. We listen in for times and places where
transactions will take place, or send word to our factions in the woods
when valuable shipments go out on the road without enough
protection. Now I really am a theif. It's fun.
I could also
be a Mage, perhaps I have a tower near the town. In fact I have some
influence there because from time to time they have need of my services
and I also benefit from what the town can provide because even a Magic
user needs some basic goods. Sometimes they need me to banish
creatures of a magical nature that are infesting the town. Other times
they want me to cast spells to increase their crops and bring the
rain. Other times I am called on to face much greater threats, like
dragons or wraiths. Then I better hope I have done my studies and know
what I'm up against, what the weaknesses are, what spells they are
vulnerable to, and get it all prepared and practiced and figured out in
advance AND still be able to improvise on the fly in the actual
situation. Now I really am a Mage of some status in the world and do
what only Mages can do. I don't just hack at the same creatures as
fighters with different weapons.
Now in all these examples there
have become REASONS to do what we are doing. It really doesn't matter
for the person PLAYING the fighter if they suffer loss and defeat at
times. They still feel like a fighter and they are fighting. Even if
the town is over-run they can continue to fight as an underground rebel
faction.
The theif might get foiled, he might get caught. But he might also escape and go to another area and theive again.
The
mage may not have all the answers or be able to defeat every creature
in existence, but he knows that he can continue to learn and build up
magical knowledge and items over time and come up with some powerful
spells for the right situation. The knowledge is out there.
Now
I can be what I want to be and just PLAY the game. I can be hundreds
of other roles that fit in between. The town builder and planner, the
merchant or buisness man, the explorer, the informant, the bounty
hunter, the soldier, etc. I can be ANYTHING. I can DO anything. THAT
is why I would play a game.
And it's all mostly because instead
of levels and uber items and time sinks, there was a town that was made
by players. It's called a dynamic world. It can be done.