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Two years away from the MMO genre and nothings changed
Z3R01
Member UncommonPosts: 2,426
I used to get silly on these forums, posting dozens of times everyday, fighting the good fight acting like my favorite mmo was a sports team...
After a while i got tired of not only these forums but the games i loved so much.
So i took a break, two years of almost zero mmo playing.
Yesterday i returned to find the mmo landscape to be exactly the same...
Obviously the petty fan wars havent changed here on mmorpg.com but i expected that. However to my surprise the games havent changed either.
WoW is still top dog, Eve is still the premiere sandbox. Rift and SWTOR are around but F2p.
Darkfall released an update but its still the same niche game hardly anyone will touch.
New games did release like TERA & The Secret World but were quickly demoted to F2p and B2p status.
GW2 the savior of the genre ended up not being enough like WoW for most people...
I don't understand it... What other genre makes no progress in two years? No radical game that changes things? I left this genre tired of WoW, Eve and Rift... and they are the only games worth playing still?
SO what should i be playing? the same games i got sick of when i left?
What's there to look forward to? Wildstar, Elder scrolls and EQ Next?
I was excited to come back... but within 24 hours i find myself frustrated with this sub-genres stagnation.
Maybe there's a gem you guys know about that I dont? or maybe i should just come back after the next gen is over and hope WoW and Eve arent the only games the sub-genre has to offer.
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
Comments
Some that are.....
Try out Gw2, Neverwinter, Swtor is actually good just not popular, Wow has evolved as well and istill excellent.
Wildstar, EqNext Landmark, and ESO are the big up and comers. No one knows what Landmark is, wildstar looks pretty promising, Eso - I sort of feel is a wait and see but im a skyrim fan so im just holding back on the hype so I don't create unrealistic expectations
Well...
Wow was never a game that brought anything to the genre,so you miss the boat if spending time in that game.Eve was never a sandbox it is a VERY shallow game designed around minimal ship control and pvp,the game truly offers nothing else,there is simply no competition in that type of game to force CCP to step up.
The most innovative was Square Enix but after the failed release of FFXIV they figured it was because of change but in truth it was because of a rushed product that it took criticism.So because Square's upper brass can't see the big picture,they told their staff they no longer welcome change,they want mainstream ideas.
That leaves nobody capable of making a difference,SOE most certainly will not,they spend more time worrying about cash shop ideas than game ideas.Wildstar is just one of the many former Blizzard employees that try to mimic many of the same ideas over and over.Adding a red carpet texture for a new hand holding idea is not bringing anything to the table,justy more cartoon graphics.
The ONLY way this genre moves forward is if some NEW blood comes forth that also has a lot of money to deliver their vision.Then once we have that one new game,it will push other developers to step up or fail badly.I figured that maybe Archeage might be that game,it does do a few things but overall,it is still using the same formula,levels,quests,pvp,no eco system,no realism in NPC's.
So realistically there is nowhere to turn to,there is nobody that has the money and creative thinking to move this genre forward.I would not say give up,i am more than certain that some developer will arise and turn some heads but might be several more years before we see it.Part of the reason this genre has remained stagnant for so long is because MANY developers have looked for ways to cheapen the development process,lower the cost ratio trying to turn a bigger profit with less risk.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Yeah it has been a cruddy period for MMORPG but there are a lot of titles coming out soon that look like they are actually trying to innovate and not just copy WoW.
About the only new thing has been more action based combat which has come with most newer games lately.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
What genre has changed radically in the last two years?
As far as general gaming is concerned there's a lot more 8bit wonnabe-retro games around, but honestly that has more to do with the rise of mobile gaming than anything else. Beyond that, what? GTA5? Saint 4? CoD 9,000? Wind Waker remake #23?
Things have changed -- if you really think WoW hasn't changed in two years, the only thing I have to say is I wish you were right, but you're not -- but overall expecting drastic shifts in the landscape of any genre in two years isn't overly realistic. Hell, what has shifted all that much in two years for TV, movies, or books?
The genre has change in one way, everything does seem to be going in the 'cartoon' direction. Check out the games to come for a good laugh.
But no looking for real changes can check back in 5 or so. We will keep your seat warm.
I want to recommend you something, but nothing comes up in my mind. A few months ago, I used to recommend games you've mentioned, but now I can't recommend anything. I want to play a good mmo, but there's no appealing or challenging game I want to play anymore in this genre. The saddest thing about all this industry is that even next-gen games don't look really better, but exactly the same with better graphics. I'd love to play "Dark Age of Camelot" as it was before Atlantis without leveling. That's the only way this industry could draw me back. If I were Mythic, I would create DAoC servers where you create maximum level characters directly, and where there's no pve beyond raids. I would get rid of everything they've published beyond the basic one, Shrouded Islands, and New Frontiers. That's my wet dream. No minotaurs, nor Atlantis, nor stupid leveling sitting alone watching films on tv to make time pass faster. By the way, I don't like Camelot Unchained. Do not recommend it to me. xD
I miss the time before fucking WoW clones popped out faster than Adam Sandler's movies. When companies used to take care of making a good background, instead of creating stupid races like the tauren, the pandaren, or the ratonga. I hate those "creative" geniuses. They destroyed the only thing I used to love. Now I'm just frustrated about all around this genre. I play single players again. The only games I can recommend you are single players like Shadowrun Returns. Games, which creators, take care of making a good story and a good playability at the same time.
Okay, end of my raving. I hope I haven't bored you so much. I think there are thousands of people like you and me out there. Looking forward to playing the next good mmo, which seems to take so so much time.
If you only look at the fantasy, level-based, class-restricted ones, sure - it's all the same. Always will be. MMOs however have branched out into a wider range of games, including ActionRPGs(ex: PoE, Marvel Heroes), MOBAs(ex: SMITE, Smashmuch, Super MNC, Infinite Crisis), MMOFPS (ex: AFO, Firefall, Brickforce).
Now, your argument to the contrary is that those are different from your expectation of what an MMO should be, therefore they aren't under the MMO umbrella. You are correct. EQ/WOW-style games will always look and feel like an EQ/WOW-style game. IMO, MMOs have evolved since then. I don't think many are interested in gaming like its 2000.
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
Completely wrong about both games. WoW never brought anything to the genre? How about making it accessible to millions of people by streamlining many of the tedious game systems found in current MMOs and bringing it to the masses? And Eve not a sandbox? What? That's too misguided a statement to even reply to.
Exactly, it would take a "digital revolution" to send a big enough message to force a change. sadly, that won't happen.
If you want a new idea, go read an old book.
In order to be insulted, I must first value your opinion.
Have you even played either of these games? This paragraph is one of the most ignorant statements I have seen on these forums ever (which is really saying something). I don't like either of those games, but at least I have played them enough to know why. You, obviously, have not.
If you want a new idea, go read an old book.
In order to be insulted, I must first value your opinion.
These are truly amazing words and it is my dearest hope that one day I may be afforded the chance to bask in the golden rays of your knowledge of MMO history. Your posts regularly fascinate me, but this one... this was truly amazing.
The cockles of my heart thank you for the joy you have brought them.
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
I think chances are that those 3 games you mentioned aren't going to end up that different from the rest of the pack.
You could be better off pinning your hopes on(in aprox order of release) the repopulation, archage and world of darkness.
So as others have said try again in a year or two.
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
in mmo genre are many changes ; they are without or minor group content ,they are focused on FPS,action ,easy mode combat without tactic,just shoot,shoot...
new trend are spend money on voice acting & cut scenes,what is nonsense for MMO genre , waste of times & resources
mmo's are solo instance focused...Devs & publisher selling SP games as MMO's
Reading such posts you understand how badly people are informed
There are a few very promising game coming !!.... next year most probably so take a 6 months break EVERquest NEXT and ArchAge both game are full of new innovative stuff. I would say also Elder scroll online but it is developed by Zenimax not by Bethesda Game Studios so I don't know how good it will be. I'm afraid it might be another SWOTR if you know what I mean .
In order for a game to bring something new, it must be NEW. WoW took everything from other games and put it into one game. A new combo is not new idea, its just a combo of other ideas.
It would be like saying, hey, im going to take a screwdriver and put a toothpick on the handle Look, I invented something new!
P.S being popular does not mean it brought something new to the genre...just means it watered it down to get more to play it.
Because right now devs are perfectly fine producing fly by night cash grabs with less features than WOW had at release, just look at TERA or GW2 if those games actually gave the player base what they wanted and not just shells of games where everything is meaningless they might do better. The same can be said for TOR or probably some of these other new games coming out now.
I mean think about it how many games have so much as a real humanoid race, how many have shapeshifters. There might be a total of 2 games on the market that people will actually play with shapeshifters, very few have beast races. They are even removing combat features players like and most of these new games are just DPS battles, very little CC, healing or non combat oriented skills. Crafting is usually a joke, the skill sets for the new games look more like something for the Nintendo Wii than a computer game. All these games going with the weapon skill presets with 3 or 4 skills you "choose" out of preordained brackets makes balancing easy because you have almost no choice anyway, so theory craft is dead.
The worlds are just dead quest hubs and chat rooms to tide you over until you do the lame watered down pve or the sanctioned PVP area they shove you into.
For the most part they have a formula for these bad mmorpgs same play in a different dress and homogenization is king. Some of these classes the only real difference is the animations and the tag on the damage people are doing things the same way at the same distance because you dont need class mechanics if the depth of the class mechanics is not much deeper than Street Fighter 2.
I personally place all the blame on WoW and greedy corporate suits. Instead of innovating and bringing new and exciting systems into the genre too many try and replicate WoW's success.
Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!
Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!
Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!
So it's WoW's fault other games try and replicate that success.
You must be a liberal.
You need to look beyond the strict MMO definition.
LoL, WoT are not big hit 2 years ago.
Destiny and Division are not on the horizon 2 years ago.
I know you view it like this, but many do not. I play LoL, like it, but it does not give me my mmo fix. I like fps games also, but they do not give me the mmo fix. So yes, their are plenty of good games, but not so much in the traditional mmo sense.
We can call everything a mmo if we want, but for many, it would just make the complaining/debate worse, I mean if someone used LoL, then made a post why they thought it was a horrible mmo, or why they like mmo 'x' more, people would think they were crazy.