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MMORPG's in the Entertainment Trend
Nineven
Member UncommonPosts: 86
THIS POST IS INTENDED MAINLY FOR GAMERS AND MMORPG DEVELOPERS ALIKE.
The entertainment trend. You know what I'm talking about. The successful change that eventually becomes a cliche after a few years. If you don't know what the entertainment trend is, here's a little enlightenment for those who have been kept in the dark...
Saving Private Ryan releases at the cinema. Great movie. In fact it was so great, that when I finished watching it in the theater the audience stood up and clapped. WOW. That was a first for me let me tell you. Saving Private Ryan was a HUGE milestone for Hollywood for a couple different reasons: At the time, it was original in its design. There were no other "war" movies out. This is a good thing for movie-goers because it was something new, and of course piques their curiousity. The cinematography in SPR (Saving Private Ryan) was phenomonal. Another plus. It was also based partly on a true story if I'm not mistaken; all the better because it makes you think as you are watching it. Another reason this movie set a trend in moviemaking was because the actors actually went to boot camp. Yes, Tom Hanks went to boot camp. They treated them no different than any other kid that signed up for the Army. Great movie.
So what happens after Saving Private Ryan comes out? EVERYBODY starts making war movies. TREND ALERT. TREND ALERT BITCHES. The Thin Red Line. Blackhawk Down. Pearl Harbor, to name a few. They wanna make money too bitches, so they all make THEIR war movies. And eventually it gets old really quick. Ya seen one, ya fuckin seen 'em all. Fast forward..........
The Matrix releases. The trilogy bomb drops. Bullet Time revolutionizes cinematography. Actors get trained professionally pre-production. It's the first movie trilogy to come out in a VERY LONG TIME. So what does everyone go out and do? All these fucks start making movie trilogies. Don't get me wrong, I like some trilogies. Star Wars Original, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones. All very good. I do not however like ALL trilogies. So Star Wars Episode I, II, & III come out, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings. All right no problem, I can DEAL WITH THAT. I can't however, deal with American Pie 12, or Scary Movie 17. And all the other movies they've made into trilogies. Every movie now has to have a fucking sequel. TREND ALERT. TREND ALERT BITCHES.
Do I even have to get started on comic book movies? X-men. Spiderman. Fucking Daredevil. Alright alright. Gladiator. Now we're back to war movies, but in a different time. So there's your example of movie trends.
Now with music these days, it seems every new band I listen to sounds like Good Charlotte. Can anyone relate? Fucking bullshit pop/rock wannabe punks. Let me tell you somethin. Punk bands NEVER GO MAINSTREAM. EVER. That's why they are punk bands. So a smaller trend in music, of course making the music that "sells". Not even gonna get started on all the celebrities who think they are musicians now. Yes everyone follows the trend as you can see, trend alert bitches on that one.
And reality television. It's on every station. Good thing I don't have cable. How did that get started? MTV of course with the Real World back in the early 90's. MTV, or RTV (reality TV) as I like to call it, has always played "reality" shows. "Survivor" comes out, someone wins a million dollars and now the entire fucking world is doing "reality" tv shows. By this time you are seeing what I mean when I mention the "entertainment trend".
Finally, MMORPG's. The reason I wrote this shit to begin with. Ultima Online...the pioneer of the MMORPG genre. Everquest comes out. People have never experienced this before and are simply mesmerized. Single player PC games start shipping with multiplayer options. SOE sees the success of Everquest and picks up the Star Wars name for a future MMORPG. The massive multiplayer online roleplaying game genre begins to grow at an accellerated rate. Up to this point, all of these games are different in design, and offer different types of gameplay. They are all original, no one quite the same. Blizzard creates "World of Warcraft" and it's a HUGE SUCCESS. Now suddenly, every MMORPG developer wants to make their game like World of Warcraft and get a piece of the pie. Everyone starts creating WoW clones. Some companies like Sony Online Entertainment go as far as to scrap years of game development, (Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided), and start completely anew, (thus changing almost every aspect of SWG except the graphics and creating a new game: Star Wars Galaxies: New Game Enhancments a fucking faggot name if I've ever heard one, and giving the players a "Our way or the highway" attitude...). I played through a 2 hour instance in DDO at level 5 and I wanted to commit suicide. I think I did actually, near the end I just had my character jump off a ledge so I didn't have run back through the fucking instance to get out. Not all games I guess are trying to steal Blizzard's game. EVE Online is exquisite. Anarchy Online is legendary. Why? Because they are original in their design, AND they aren't medieval based like every other MMORPG is practically. The MMORPG's that come out today, are simply single player games based in a multiplayer environment. RPG's, basically is what they are. They don't deserve to even be called MMORPG's. MMORPG's are sandbox. A living, breathing world where players EXIST. They don't just play there. The first developer that figures this out, and figures out that players want more than just a roleplaying game will be rolling in the cash Bill Gates style.
Players will always complain, that just comes with the territory. You can't expect all these different kinds of people to agree on one thing LL THE TIME. Players want more. They want to be different than the next guy/girl. What's fun about having the same hairstyle, or class as the other person? Players want options. You need to make a game, within a game, within a game. Right now, in just about every MMORPG, there is nothing to do at max level. Players need to know that's not the end of the game for them. It's not accomplishing the goal that's fun, it's the journey it takes you to get there that's fun.
Well I've showed you what the entertainment trend is, and how it seems to be driving MMORPG's. I hope this was useful in some way to those who read it. Any developers that read this remember, PLAYERS WANT OPTIONS. Be original for fuck's sake man, take a good look at console systems if you need to. Give the players more options, and stop copying other people. You're some of the most creative people in the entertainment industry, start showing it.
And for any SOE devs: Stick with what you know: Everquest. Because you can't handle Star Wars or the Matrix Online, not now; not ever.
Comments
The gaming industry is definitely suffering the same thing as your comparison states. Not only with mmorpgs, but with other game types as well. Just read the R6 Vegas boards, a once great series for fps games, and now it's just another one month wonder to pay for their next one month wonder. At least there are a few original projects in the works, and even more hopefully, we decide to support them with more then a few heart felt forum posts. Cold hard cash, or the lack of, can go a long way in helping companies chose their direction.
Never give up and never surrender!
I always enjoy a good rant. Reading this one was a bonus because I happen to agree with your sentiments.
Ok, but now what, I ask myself. You're not the first person to say this sort of thing. I've said it myself. So people rant and get it off their chests and then...nothing. Then the game developers just keep plodding along, remaking the same damn game over and over again with minor alterations and different graphics.
Hell, for the amount of change that has happened in mainstream games we might as well all still be playing the original EQ. If they opened a new server once in a while with different graphics it would be about as much change as we get from new games.
Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it except agree when another person can't hold it in any longer and lets loose a rant about it. I especially agree with what you said about most of these games being little more than single player games given multiplayer functionality. Somehow I suspect that a lot of people won't quite get what you mean by that but I understand and agree.
But I'm afraid things won't change untill some group of developers has the balls to try something radically different (and I'm talking game mechanics more than setting)....and they do it well. And it's a hit. And then a new trend will be set and you'll see years of copy cat games spinning off of that new trend.
I like the wording.
It's more my language . I think some white bunny rabbits call it "Asshole style"
Nicely done.
The only thing that goes on anymore is that people take what was made long ago and try to make it there own once more and that goes on and on and on. There are not anymore people with ideas for anything be it movies, games, or anything to do witht he entertainment biz
Kinda like how some forum users take the persona/writing style of others in an attempt to form themselves an identity?
I did a little study long ago on stratics, it was creepy...really creepy.
Often times it's the safest measure to secure yourself, and if you lose..
"We dunno what happend! <insert mmo> did well I have no idea why DnL failed!
Welcome to the last 6000 years.
While I was seriously disappointed to discover this to be just another anti-WoW rant, I have to say that I agree with him to some degree. Developers need to stop making MMORPGs unless the game design SPECIFICALLY REQUIRES MORE THAN A THOUSAND PLAYERS AT ONCE!!! Otherwise, just make us some nice multiplayer or online multiplayer games. You'll get bigger sales and be free of the upkeep that MMORPGs incur.
Whether you're playing EQ or WoW, it's still the same old grind.
Very few people have the balls to create something new and orriginal. The rest of the people take a good idea and try to make it better.