The more developers concentrate on endgame, the quicker the entire MMORPG genre will die off.
Soon we will be paying for MMOs that basically instant-level us to max level the minute we log on, throw us in an arena death match, and have a queue for some random raid in the background. Everyone will complain about class balance to the point that every class will play the same with just different graphics. The end.
Matter of fact, many years ago I predicted one day we will be paying to play FPS games online with a subscription-baed model because of the digression direction MMORPGs have taken, and the day is finally coming. Gone are the days of actual MASSIVE online worlds to explore.
You never heard so many people complain about "the grind" back in the days until the focus of game developers shifted towards simply the endgame, and not the journey to it. It is only a grind because these new games lack any interesting content, leaving you with the feeling that leveling is nothing but a chore. And why do they lack any interesting content? Because developers are now focused on the endgame, and not the inbetween part.
I DON'T want the game to start at max level, I want the game to start the minute I log on, with interesting stories, huge massive worlds, so I no longer am worried about what level I am, but more interested in saving the village, or slaying the dragon.
I'm sorry, instant leveling, end-game focused, horrible communities: that's NOT the game I want to play.
I want to adventure.
I want to explore large "MASSIVE" online worlds.
I want to walk into NPC cities and feel immersion, hear crowd chatter, marvel at the small details the developers actually took the time to create in order to give us that feeling of a living online world.
I want the option to quest when I want to or craft when I want to.
I want a crafting system that HAS MEANING.
I want people to stop abusing the stupid terms "theme park" and "endgame" and bring back the MMOrpg crowd together to demand quality games again. We are fighting amongst each other over the bitter taste of failed MMORPGs we so naively believed to be the next big thing.
I want to go out questing, run into someone in trouble fighting too many mobs, throw them a few random heals, spark a conversation, make a friend, and then slay some dragons together afterwards. Some of the best people I have met in game were through similar circumstances. I do not want instance after instance to the point I feel I'm paying for a single player game with co-op options.
I want fun, not an endgame that feels like a job. No thanks, I am a young successful investment banker, I do not need to come home and log on to a second job.
I want the journey, the experience, not the endgame.
I want to walk into NPC cities and feel immersion, hear crowd chatter, marvel at the small details the developers actually took the time to create in order to give us that feeling of a living online world.
I want the option to quest when I want to or craft when I want to.
I want a crafting system that HAS MEANING.
The solution is simple: play a single player RPG like Skyrim (sandbox) or Dragon Age (theme-park)
Do you want it so it never ends ? It's impossible because all good movies, books, games end.
Do you want to play something else that never ends ? Look for a sandbox MMO where PvP is king. Unfortunately there's nothing like that as of today.
Comments
The more developers concentrate on endgame, the quicker the entire MMORPG genre will die off.
Soon we will be paying for MMOs that basically instant-level us to max level the minute we log on, throw us in an arena death match, and have a queue for some random raid in the background. Everyone will complain about class balance to the point that every class will play the same with just different graphics. The end.
Matter of fact, many years ago I predicted one day we will be paying to play FPS games online with a subscription-baed model because of the digression direction MMORPGs have taken, and the day is finally coming. Gone are the days of actual MASSIVE online worlds to explore.
You never heard so many people complain about "the grind" back in the days until the focus of game developers shifted towards simply the endgame, and not the journey to it. It is only a grind because these new games lack any interesting content, leaving you with the feeling that leveling is nothing but a chore. And why do they lack any interesting content? Because developers are now focused on the endgame, and not the inbetween part.
I DON'T want the game to start at max level, I want the game to start the minute I log on, with interesting stories, huge massive worlds, so I no longer am worried about what level I am, but more interested in saving the village, or slaying the dragon.
I'm sorry, instant leveling, end-game focused, horrible communities: that's NOT the game I want to play.
I want to adventure.
I want to explore large "MASSIVE" online worlds.
I want to walk into NPC cities and feel immersion, hear crowd chatter, marvel at the small details the developers actually took the time to create in order to give us that feeling of a living online world.
I want the option to quest when I want to or craft when I want to.
I want a crafting system that HAS MEANING.
I want people to stop abusing the stupid terms "theme park" and "endgame" and bring back the MMOrpg crowd together to demand quality games again. We are fighting amongst each other over the bitter taste of failed MMORPGs we so naively believed to be the next big thing.
I want to go out questing, run into someone in trouble fighting too many mobs, throw them a few random heals, spark a conversation, make a friend, and then slay some dragons together afterwards. Some of the best people I have met in game were through similar circumstances. I do not want instance after instance to the point I feel I'm paying for a single player game with co-op options.
I want fun, not an endgame that feels like a job. No thanks, I am a young successful investment banker, I do not need to come home and log on to a second job.
I want the journey, the experience, not the endgame.
R.I.P the "journey"
The solution is simple: play a single player RPG like Skyrim (sandbox) or Dragon Age (theme-park)
Do you want it so it never ends ? It's impossible because all good movies, books, games end.
Do you want to play something else that never ends ? Look for a sandbox MMO where PvP is king. Unfortunately there's nothing like that as of today.