Quick MMO Survey
by Andrew Hull · in General Discussion · 10/26/2005 (9:38 pm) · 5 replies
MMO's seem to be a hot topic these days, especially "Is it possible?" or "Can Torque handle it?" type questions. That however, is not what my question is. I actually kind of have two questions, both related:
1. For those who like and play MMO's, what would you most like to see in an MMO that isn't already in an existing game (WoW, Guildwars, EQ, etc.) Features, gameplay, whatever.
2. For those who don't or haven't played any MMO's, what would you like to see in one that would make you want to play it?
To answer my own questions, number one I would say that I would like to see an MMO that's more simplistic than others. Less buttons, controls, and less busy UI's. Number two (even though i have played some MMO's) i would play more if there were more with no subscription fees, or cheaper ones even. Nine dollars a month can add up pretty quick.
What do you all out there think?
1. For those who like and play MMO's, what would you most like to see in an MMO that isn't already in an existing game (WoW, Guildwars, EQ, etc.) Features, gameplay, whatever.
2. For those who don't or haven't played any MMO's, what would you like to see in one that would make you want to play it?
To answer my own questions, number one I would say that I would like to see an MMO that's more simplistic than others. Less buttons, controls, and less busy UI's. Number two (even though i have played some MMO's) i would play more if there were more with no subscription fees, or cheaper ones even. Nine dollars a month can add up pretty quick.
What do you all out there think?
About the author
#2
2) A game that does not require dedicating the time equivilent of a second job to...
I have played a number of MMOs and I like most of them for a month or so... Then things become tedious and time consuming. I and almost everyone I know are worknig adults with familes. A lot of us love to play video games but we only have an hour or two at most a day.
I will gladly play an hour a day in a MMO that is fun each time I log on. I love the consistent world and visible progress of MMOs. I have killing 937 rats before I can kill 284 slightly bigger rats, before I can kill 171 Really Mean Rats...
I have no problem with monthly fees, but I want to have fun each time I can play for my money. I do not want to have to spend two hours looking for a group, three hours in a dungeon crawl just so two lucky people in the group can get soimethign special, rinse and repeat for the other 12 people in the group.
10/26/2005 (10:31 pm)
1) A game that is fun! Consistently...2) A game that does not require dedicating the time equivilent of a second job to...
I have played a number of MMOs and I like most of them for a month or so... Then things become tedious and time consuming. I and almost everyone I know are worknig adults with familes. A lot of us love to play video games but we only have an hour or two at most a day.
I will gladly play an hour a day in a MMO that is fun each time I log on. I love the consistent world and visible progress of MMOs. I have killing 937 rats before I can kill 284 slightly bigger rats, before I can kill 171 Really Mean Rats...
I have no problem with monthly fees, but I want to have fun each time I can play for my money. I do not want to have to spend two hours looking for a group, three hours in a dungeon crawl just so two lucky people in the group can get soimethign special, rinse and repeat for the other 12 people in the group.
#3
It's OK to reward the group players by giving them cool stuff, but it's not OK to penalise the solo players by making half of the game inaccessible to them.
10/26/2005 (10:42 pm)
I think Gabrial hit on one of the key points. I know one of the main points of MMOs is that they are supposed to be social, but not everyone has the time or inclination to get a group together. Make sure there's plenty of content for the solo players.It's OK to reward the group players by giving them cool stuff, but it's not OK to penalise the solo players by making half of the game inaccessible to them.
#4
http://www.dark-wind.com
Most of the rant is in the 'originality' section but also 'features'. Basically, it's a turn-based game for the 'battle' events, with real-world timescales for the 'strategy' elements..
A sports-theme is also a great replacement for quests, I think. If you're in a competitive league environment with other players, that keeps the interest going far better than quests can. I get this aspect of my ideas from games like http://www.hattrick.org which I have now played consistently for 4 years!
@Andrew:
your comment on cost is an issue for you, but for other (older?) people such as me, time is more important. Both are limited resources and alas, as you get older you're only trading a lack of one for a lack of the other ;-)
10/27/2005 (2:48 pm)
This is something I have thought about quite a bit, and in particular I like Gabriel's comment about it being equivalent to a second job! I have a game manifesto-cum-rant on the website of the MMO I'm developing at the moment..http://www.dark-wind.com
Most of the rant is in the 'originality' section but also 'features'. Basically, it's a turn-based game for the 'battle' events, with real-world timescales for the 'strategy' elements..
A sports-theme is also a great replacement for quests, I think. If you're in a competitive league environment with other players, that keeps the interest going far better than quests can. I get this aspect of my ideas from games like http://www.hattrick.org which I have now played consistently for 4 years!
@Andrew:
your comment on cost is an issue for you, but for other (older?) people such as me, time is more important. Both are limited resources and alas, as you get older you're only trading a lack of one for a lack of the other ;-)
Community Manager David Montgomery-Blake
No MMO that I've touched has been fun for longer than an hour or two. Definitely not worth a monthly fee.
If I wanted a crappy quest system with chat, I would play Dungeon Hack in a DOS window with Google Talk.
So, fun. Fun is what I would want. At least some semblance of entertainment value for the initial money I plunked down.