The Trouble with MMORPG's

[larrystorch]

Nick McCrea over at Ferrago has a great editorial on the big letdowns of Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games.

It begins to creep in, almost unnoticed. The levels are further apart. You begin to notice that newly acquired skills are carbon copies of the old ones, with a different coloured icon and a two percent damage increase. You start to get 'class envy' - that feeling that almost every other race/class/profession is better off than you, and that the developers have it in for you and your kind. Suddenly, you find yourself looking for groups because you're bored of soloing, or soloing because you can't find a group, or crafting because you can't be bothered with either. You try out all the little distractions the developers have put in the game to make things 'deep', only to find they're broken, bugged or plain pointless. But you're a trooper. You stiffen that upper lip and press on, certain that if you can only hang in there the good times will arrive and the game will be FUN again.

I've been there too many times to even count. At least Bethesda came out with a killer single player game to cure that RPG bug I've been born with. What are your experiences with MMORPG's?

 

[Rooster]

If people would stop treating it like Diablo.. and actually knew what the hell a ROLE PLAYING GAME is... this world would be much better off.

And that's why I think that Ultima Online is the only one to get it right so far. All the others, Level Quest. Dark Age of Uber Classes... etc.

Ultima Online allowed people to focus on roleplaying instead of the game mechanics. Yeah, there were the griefers and those that bitched that this or that skill was too powerful.

In the other games, there's like a 90% Munchkin, 10% RPG'er... in UO, it was closer to 50-50.

When people actually start roleplaying, and the game masters actually take interest (someone go take a look at the Vesper Museum on Atlantic (Felucca) Shard of UO, look for the plaque near the sandals, it mentions the Apostles of the Avatar.

That is what can happen when there are role-players and GM's that care. I was Assistant Guildmaster of said guild, and we had over 70 members, ROLE PLAYERS. Not munchkins, not Diablo-wanna-be's... real role-players.

And it was the best damn time I've ever had in an MMORPG.

 

[Alhanalem]

i'm hoping and praying that blizzard can get the job done right in WoW.

 

[MachDelta]

Unfortunatly I've got to sympathize with the author. Every MMO i've ever played turns into a boring leveling treadmill after a while. I like new and exciting challanges. I like thinking when I fight, which is why I like FPS'.
And its not that I don't like roleplaying - I enjoy it quite a bit TBH. But most of these games are so mind numbing that I can't physically stay in a roleplaying mindset. I can't force myself to overlook the fact that i'm going through endless repetitions for meager goals. It breaks the illusion of a game (fantasy), and I snap out of RP. You break the spell, you loose my interest, I quit. Simple as that.
The thing that frightens me most is that im not sure anyone will ever develop an MMO that can keep my fickle mind mostly entertained. Some games have come close (Jumpgate came REAL close, if it weren't for the 45 minute treks through nothingness. And the uninspired equipment.), but nothing has held me tight and never let go. Maybe WoW will pull it off... I know Blizz is filled with geniuses. But on the other hand, they sort of have a rep for attracting more than their fair share of llamas and idiots. (Raise your hand if you're an ex- Diablo 1, Diablo 2 and StarCraft player ). That could be tough to combat.

Either way, I just wanted to throw my voice behind that of the article's. In the meantime, me and my wallet will be sitting here, waiting for that perfect MMO.