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What takes so long?
issling
Member UncommonPosts: 162
Why does it seem to take so much longer for mmo's to hit the market now? I started with EQ1 so I will reference that first, after that came Ashron's Call and then Dark Ages of Camelot, SWG, Anarchy Online, EQ2, Vanguard, WoW. Forgive me if I have forgotten one or two but in my beer induced memory all these where within a five to seven year span? I am sure my order might be off.
Now I am sure someone will come with a whole slew of mmo's after and maybe even more in a faster time, but maybe what I am asking is where has the depth gone in my opinion? How could they have come out with so many engaging mmo's in a short amount of time then everything after wow has been so uncreative in my view and seem to take even longer to make a generic game.
I am just finding it interesting that throw back servers for some game are getting more attention then some of these AAA titles on the horizon.
Comments
If you are interested in making a MMO maybe visit my page to get a free open source engine.
Let's not forget pay-to-play-for-free-because-a-free-meal-is-really-free-said-no-one-ever.
Edit - Best example I can think of: Even people that were given free cars on Oprah's show still had to pay taxes on them. Nothing in this world is truly free.
Now, which one of you will adorn me today?
There have been plenty of AAA mmo's to come out recently, just because they aren't all unique doesn't mean much at all. The reason MMO's had unique systems back in the day has been explained countless times. They were all done by companies that didn't have much to lose, developed for gamers by gamers, and most importantly developed for in depth RPG gamers. Now that companies have dumped hundreds of millions into titles they want to emulate the games that have brought companies success in the genre, it's a smarter business move than dumping 300 million into a niche perma death ffa pvp mmo (not saying this is what you want, just giving an example).
There are unique MMO's out on the market at this moment though, but people have cornered themselves into wanting a stupidly specific niche that doesn't have a large amount of people that also enjoy the same specific niche that will never exist out of that early access paywall / dead on arrival development cycle. So many people have come to want so many different things that any developer who makes a game that one player wants, gets 100 other players throwing it down because of it not having their specific feature they wanted in it. Then comes the fanboyism from the niche that gets their game, and the eventual downfall from people hating on it who didn't want that type of game.
Ya know I always wondered how we put men on the moon in 10 years for millions of dollars, when now its taking like 25 years and billions of dollars to send someone to Mars!
I mean whats up with that??
Shouldn't we be able to do it cheaper and faster now? I just can't figure it out.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
How long do you think it took to bring one to market back then?
Back then, when the following was limited or non-existent:
That's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. MMOs do a heck of a lot more now than they used to, yet they're still delivered in about the same amount of time (3-5 years).
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 am sooo with you. Everything is so convoluted it has sapped our collective will.
As to the OP you would think given all the software and hardware advances over the years it would take less to achieve more faster.
I am sure I am just being naive but so it goes.
Del Cabon
A US Army ('Just Cause') Vet and MMORPG Native formerly of Trinsic, Norath and Dereth. Currently playing LOTRO.
But my point was......... aaahh forget it
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
This is how it is.
One word :
" MARKETING "
Marketing managers come first, then cartoonist to make all the non-gameplay action based video clips to get players all excited. Then they will talk about features before they even start. They keep cost low and watch the hype or at least cause the hype.............Then they start making the game years later.
Video game law ?.........is none !......You get what they give ya
I bet my **** that there are far more than 1mio players interested in EQ1 in 2015 skin. Look at these forum. Every third thread is about EQ1.... wtf are the companies waiting for? We dont want action combat, korean bull**** games anymore...
its the same few people posting and these forums don't really give a good representation of the total market.
fact is EQ1 capped out at about 450,000 concurrent subs and a good portion of that group has left the market. its unlikely the post-wow era western players could handle the grind and the eastern market likes the action combat korean bull**** games.
as to the original post
its basically the mmo market has matured and there isn't as much profit to be made. very few companies have the resources to produce a AAA mmo and their is little incentive even if they did.
why bother with a 100 million dollar mmo with a 4-5 year development cycle that will take in maybe 200 million in a 24 month period, when you can make a moba/tcg for 5million in a 18 month development cycle and make 100 mil in a 12 month period.
I wouldnt mind EQ1 in 2015 skin WITH action combat, really.
Project 1999 is already out there. If people really want that gameplay, they can play it. They aren't playing it, though.
The graphics argument is illogical, as you're basically saying the game will either have a 2-3 year life span or it would need the graphics (or even the entire graphics engine) to be completely overhauled every 2-3 years. Right? If you got 2008 graphics would it be good enough? 2012 graphics? If only 2015 will do, then will those people leave in 2017 for the next shiny thing? If not, then why aren't they playing EQ now? If so, then why spend 3-5 years developing an MMO people will only play for 2 years?
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
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
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Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Atavism?
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
And most importantly next to nothing for questing and story content. Sandboxes are cheap and quick.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I'm not sure about that. While they certainly require far less assets and a smaller team, and you *can* quickly bang out an empty unbalanced mess (see: any of the dozen 'survival sandbox' games), to make a decent one seems to require a good amount of time and effort.
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 it's a good point that there is so much pre-release hype, so much obsessive-compulsive overanalysis prior to a release that it feels as though it's everywhere and thus makes the run-up to release seem a lot longer and drawn-out than it actually is.
8 years and counting addicted to
Avalon: The Legend Lives - the longest running online RPG in history