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What is the facination with MOBA's?
MMOExposed
Member RarePosts: 7,400
Blizzard rumored to add a MOBA feature to WoW. I tried LoL, but cant quite grasp the pleasure that MMO-consumers get from these kind of games.
What is the facination with MOBA's?
It seem so small scale. 5 vs 5 or less, just doesnt seem massive. Honestly small scale PvP is what I disliked about my favorite FPS games back in the Halo 1& 2 days.
I figured MMO players like massive scale multiplayer. But MOBA's popularity among MMO gamers counters that theory.
So I ask again. Whats is the facination with MOBA's among MMO gamers?
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Comments
We all like different things I guess..
For me I really hate MOBAs they feel like RTS games with all the good bits removed.. they make me angry LOL..
But each to their own..
A game can be over within 20-60 minutes
They support a casual gameplay experience
Some characters have several ways they can be played
They are easy to play, but can still be tactical.
MOBAS....boring
MOBAS built into your existing MMO of choice....much more interesting.
I enjoy MOBA because it is fun and I know the game will be over in 20-50mins.
MOBA has been a 'big' deal ever since the original MOBA; DOTA in WAR3 became more played on B.Net than actual War3 multiplayer.
LoL took it mainstream and it exploded and now everyone wants that MOBA slice.
I know a lot of the dedicated 'PVP' MMO players moved to MOBA games.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Lord I hate people who won't take the five seconds necessary to spell out an acronym before going on to pontificate about it.
But you win. You're cool, I'm stupid and I admit I have no idea wtf (what the fuck) you are talking about.
Free to play = content updates for the cash shop. Buy to play = content updates for the cash shop.
Subscription = Actual content updates!
They also break the level disparity problem as most MOBAs start you at level 1 and you level up through the match. While the balance of power can start to swing heavily to one side in a match, the next match starts again with a level playing field.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
What is a "MOBA" game?
A game like LoL is easy to learn, but hard to master, it's also pretty fun to watch/spectate in a competitive scenario.
I think that's what makes MOBA's appealing to most.
The community is rough though, the large majority of players think they are 'pro material', everyone are quick to judge others mistakes, but thinks they don't do anything wrong, ever, themselves.
Which is what drives people away from MOBA's.
Like most others have stated here, MOBAs aren't for everyone. Out of all of my MMO buddies, one of them loves DOTA2 while the rest can't stand MOBAs including myself.
I guess it really is just personal preference. But for sure not all MMO gamers are fascinated with MOBAs :P
One completely new aspect MOBAs bring to competitive PvP is competitive advancement. Still they manage to be fairly skill based (when I used this term I mean player skill).
At any case, when you look at MMOs at large, small-scale PvP and small-scale PvE content is very popular. Much more so than large-scale, but that may be because large scale PvE and PvP takes a lot of coordination which is a huge inconvenience (and quite frankly often not worth the effort imo).
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
I feel the same way. But I really dislike RTS games as well.
OP I've not figured out the fascination, but I have younger friends that love them. There must be some attraction to them as they seem to be quite popular.
Level disparity AND equipment disparity AND (outside of instanced battlegrounds) body count disparity. Not to mention the skill disparity that is solved by most MOBA's ranking and matchmaking systems. It is a rare thing to have even a 1v1 fight in an MMO that feels fair, let alone an unorchestrated many-vs-many fight.
I agree I just dont get it, but whatever floats your boat, right? I'll just wait for Rome Total War II.
PVP PLAIN AND SIMPLE!
from minute 1 your in the fight and the farming-getting better gear-smashing your opponents is kinda the essence of what MMO's are...so its just something that all fell into place. it really is that simple.
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Massively Multiplayer does not mean 2-20 players. That's just Multiplayer.
I don't disagree with that...but let's put aside the amount of players for a moment. MMO's aren't just defined by the amount of players. He is saying a single game of a MOBA like DOTA is a scaled down version of what you do in an mmo. Kill mobs and players...increase your skills and stats...with the objective of outgearing your enemy and hopefully out skilling them. Obviously mmos are persistent and Mobas are not...obviously mmos have far more players. But the roadmap of what you do is similar. Hell even the synergy between characters is alot like MMOs..with tanks..support/healer..dps..CC..
TO answer the OP, I like Mobas generally speaking. I get a bit burned on things like LOL and DOTA2 though. It's pretty serious business for most people that play em....I prefer Mobas that try a different take on the genre. Monday night combat and awesomenauts are good examples. SMite is also cool. Awesomenauts is probably my all time favorite though...2d moba mmmm.
Very simple. "Massive" is not required for fun .. even for MMO players (otherwise why would so many does nothing but queued for the next dungeon/arena in a city).
The best MOBA (i.e. LOL) has more players than WOW. E-sport, with a lot of variety of combat mechanics, is obviously something people like.
Personally i don't play MOBA, not because it is not massive, but because there is less persistency of the characters.
Extremely competitive teamplay environment
Low Skill Floor with High Skill Ceiling
No 2 games ever play out the same
Always more to learn and new stuff to try
Wide variety of roles to play (melee and ranged AD/AP, tank, support, etc)
Usually a gigantic amount of variety in playable characters
I could probably list more but that's a few reasons off the top of my head. Currently all my MMO's are collecting dust while I play LoL like it's a crack addiction.
Steam: Neph
It's really fun team based competitive play. To get the true competitive MOBA experience you need to play with a team where everyone accepts their role and does their part to win the game. Playing with random people is often not as enjoyable imo.
And unlike MMO gamers, MOBA players would never ever accept pay to win or "convenience items" as many MMO pay-to-winners call them.