Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Lack of imagination or restricted by technology?
webBear1000
Member Posts: 301
A question just occured to me.
The upcoming games due for release this year look like they're going to be the same old thing with better graphics (with the exception of Saga of Ryzom, but that's a different thread).
As graphics are pretty much client driven then surely the ammount of information that gets shifted about must be the limiting factor when developing MMORPGs. If that's the case then are MMORPG designers / developers as lazy as some people say or are their ideas for better gameplay and more in depth environments thwarted by current internet technology?
Or (as an afterthought) is it the publishers and the money men's refusal to let inovation get in the way of returns on investment?
What do you guys think?
----------------------------------
Don't jump off the roof Dad
You'll make a hole in the yard
----------------------------------
Comments
There are only 10 types of programmers. Those that understand binary and those that don't.
I voted Publishers refusing to take risks... But...
There is something to say about current Internet Technology. Not the amount of bandwidth, as most people now have enough with DSL or cable modems. But, the problem of Latency will be an issue for a long time to come.
If the turn around time of a packet is 50ms (at best), then it is very hard for a MMORPG to allow for twitch style combat. People have a lot of time invested in the game and when they die due to lag, they get upset. With sandwich combat, your character is going to continue to fight even though you are lagging...
Twitch combat requires one player to see another player begin his attack, and then give the other player a chance to defend/block/dodge/what have you. But with Latency, this really isn't possible yet...
Player one: I want to swing my sword at player 2.
He begins to see the sword swing animation.
His client sends the attack command to the server.
The server sends the packet to player 2's client.
Player 2 sees Player one attacking.
Player 2 attempots to dodge.
Player 2's client sends the packet to the server.
The server sends the packet to Player One.
Player One sees the dodge.
The problem is, Player One has already seen his character swing at, and hit Player two. The 200 to 300ms it took for the information to pass around is too slow... This is why we have turn based combat.
The reason this works in games like Quake, Unreal, Half Life, Tribes, etc is because they are shooting guns. It is not as easy for the player to "KNOW" that they hit the other player. Also, the only defensive action you can take is to move out of the way. The only calculation that happens is was the player there when the attack was made (hit or not), no skill checks, no wondering what the random die roll result was, etc...
Latency of the Internet will make real time combat very difficult for hand to hand based combat.
"The greatest trick the devil played on humanity in the 20th century was convincing them that he didn't exist." (Paraphrasing) C.S. Lewis
"If a mother can kill her own child, what is left before I kill you and you kill me?" -Mother Teresa when talking about abortion after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
No risk most probably. If someone's been there, done that, and you can do it better, why try something else?
After all, it's going to become a hard market, with all those new games under development. Is there really enough players (i.e. enough customers) for every single MMORPG that will be released soon?
Currently playing:
* City of Heroes: Deggial, Assault Rifle/Devices Blaster. Server: Defiant.
* City of Villains: Snakeroot, Plant/Thorns Dominator. Server: Defiant.
"The greatest trick the devil played on humanity in the 20th century was convincing them that he didn't exist." (Paraphrasing) C.S. Lewis
"If a mother can kill her own child, what is left before I kill you and you kill me?" -Mother Teresa when talking about abortion after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
it's the dev's sheer laziness!!!
Well, I vote on publisher not taking risks.
Imagination have never been that developped. Do you realise how long it take mankind to create just 1 first game with the purpose it will be a game? Then how long till they create another?
Imagination limits is a pessimist point of view. I think there is plenty imagination everywhere and we see more stuff then ever and we could see a lot lot more should imagination bring a new way around the publishers! I will certainly not blame the guy that save life and say he lack because he is not saving fast enought and some innocents folks are dying! I will blame the mayor that dont borrow him all he need althought! Oh yes, that I will! But again, if he would just have give everyone what they want all the time he would not be mayor, yet, a mayor can take a beating over such issues and will prolly smile and maybe, maybe, help a little...
The collective imagination usually limit us far more then any individual imagination.
- "Coercing? No no, I assure you, they are willing to bring my bags and pay public transportation just to help me, it is true!''
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Doubt it has anything to do with risk to be honest.Many companies have taken risk in the past.EQ when it was launched was a huge risk so was UO as they were stepping new grounds.
Wolfpack was told repeatedly that their form of pvp(could hardly read an article about SB without the reporter asking if they knew it was a risk) was very risky yet not only did they get the funding to make this type of game but they could even afford to keep this game in beta for over 2 years!
Simply put there are always people,developers and publishers that will take a risk .
Technology well depends what they want to make but what can be made now with current technology is quite a lot and I think they have not yet tested it to its full limit.Take the original idea for horizons and its world.Back in 1999 it looked like a pipe dream but most if not all of the original ideas can be done today.
What I see as the limiting factor is simply lack of imagination.Problem is most projects are run by companies that care only for effciency.
It's definitely a mix of all of the above, but I'd put more of an emphasis on risk aversion.
When you step outside the boundaries you take major risks. If you pick a winning strategy that nobody foresaw, you will become fabulously rich and be wildly popular. But if you fail you will fail big and hard.
How many non-MMOG releases over the last 20 years were promised "the next big thing", but failed to be anything worthwhile at all? Many, many games. Only a few try something completely unique and succeed at this.
MMOGs follow the same suit, but there are far fewer in quantity that are released, and thus far, far fewer that will ever be the unique gems in the rough. When you consider the large frontloaded investment involved, very few investors are willing to take the risk that the game will fail outright.
Yep UO was a big risk because you had to pay monthly for it unlike the ultima series.
Just look at the number of posts out there complaining about monthly payment now even.Imagine when it was a new concept to pay to play a game every month.
Yep UO was a big risk because you had to pay monthly for it unlike the ultima series.
Just look at the number of posts out there complaining about monthly payment now even.Imagine when it was a new concept to pay to play a game every month.
And obviously the risk was worth it.
"The greatest trick the devil played on humanity in the 20th century was convincing them that he didn't exist." (Paraphrasing) C.S. Lewis
"If a mother can kill her own child, what is left before I kill you and you kill me?" -Mother Teresa when talking about abortion after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
Beta Tested:
Final Fantasy xi
Ragnarok Online
Beta Tested:
Final Fantasy xi
Ragnarok Online