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We're in a MMORPG recession, People
pencilrick
Member Posts: 1,550
Imagine if the best food in the world was McDonalds....
Yes, everyone would eat there, but there was no better food to be had than the standard "sog-burger" and "cold fries".
Imagine that, because that's the state of MMORPG gaming today. There is WOW (i.e., McDonalds), and all the rest of the "less appetizing" games.
When, when, when will some bright creative dev's rescue us from this 6-year gaming recession? 2011? 2012? Longer?
Comments
Look to the Indies.
Stay away from the Meatrix, Leo.
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
6 years? Was thinking more along the lines of 10. I guess it depends on when you got tried of the same old crap.
6 years? Was thinking more along the lines of 10. I guess it depends on when you got tried of the same old crap.
There were some great PC titles in the mid-1990's. Maybe these should be redone and re-released.
By recessesion do you mean personal opinion? or are you being economical and talking about sales?
6 years? Was thinking more along the lines of 10. I guess it depends on when you got tried of the same old crap.
There were some great PC titles in the mid-1990's. Maybe these should be redone and re-released.
Yep, like Monkey Island 3. I think that was the last decent Lucas Arts game TBH. After that they stopped developing in house. Well maybe MI4, but that game sucked.
While WOW, is the biggest of all games, I do not rate it as a great MMORPG (personal opinion). I see it as a comfortable "stop-gap" MMORPG while folks wait out a better game somewhere down the road.
While WOW, is the biggest of all games, I do not rate it as a great MMORPG (personal opinion). I see it as a comfortable "stop-gap" MMORPG while folks wait out a better game somewhere down the road.
WoW brought about a glut of games. There is a new MMO coming out almost monthly now, the only problem is they are almost all bad. You either have the game who tries to be easier than WoW, or the one who tries to be something totally different (yet appeal to the same crowd).
As someone else said in another thread, WoW created the MMO Bubble. Soon it will pop and you wont see but maybe 1 MMO released in a year or so, Until a company comes along and makes a game that will grab the majority of attention. I see this happening when Blizzard releases the Third expansion and people finally realize that its just another 10 levels of the same old same old.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
While WOW, is the biggest of all games, I do not rate it as a great MMORPG (personal opinion). I see it as a comfortable "stop-gap" MMORPG while folks wait out a better game somewhere down the road.
WoW brought about a glut of games. There is a new MMO coming out almost monthly now, the only problem is they are almost all bad. You either have the game who tries to be easier than WoW, or the one who tries to be something totally different (yet appeal to the same crowd).
As someone else said in another thread, WoW created the MMO Bubble. Soon it will pop and you wont see but maybe 1 MMO released in a year or so, Until a company comes along and makes a game that will grab the majority of attention. I see this happening when Blizzard releases the Third expansion and people finally realize that its just another 10 levels of the same old same old.
How many people said TBC was just another same ol same ol? PLenty!!! Then reality set in. Best selling expansion to date. Also, universal critical acclaim. Huge sales. Loads of happy players. Critics love it. Whats wrong about that?
Many people here need to quiot playing games, because obviously they hate everything unless its made by some indy developer. You're deluded about as much as someone who thinks only foriegn movies are well done, even though the rest of the country thinks they suck=)
PC gaming is now an "old" industry. Those were the days when we have new ideas on gaming every now and then. Remember "Wing Commander?", "Dune 2", "Might and Magic", "Ultima", and a host of adventure games, "Myst". Every now and then a new "kind" of game pops up. Those were the days.
Now in the world of MMOs, every game is a multi million $ project. Every game is built on the principle of mini-max. Minimize risk, maximize expect rate of return. In order to gain a wide appeal, all games are built with a standard mix of everything. Much like the Hollywood crapbuster, always a pretty lady with more meat shown than cloths, always a handsome chap, oh come on, is that realism? immersion? Same for the soap operas. Same of most of the music albums. Recycling.
Too bad most of the people accept the standard fast food, for both the stomach and the mind. That is what the majority consumes, that is what the producers churns out. If you want original music, you need to rent an empty warehouse somewhere remote and built your own band. If you want a unique MMO, maybe write your own rules and play it on paper with a friend, or against a dice.
I keep watching MMORPG and the other webs, I search for a new game that can help kill some time. Right now, I find the neighhorhood parks more entertaining. I found HGL from MMORPG.com and its now the only game I pop in on and off as I wait. WAR, I am pinning hopes on it now. What about you?
There are plenty of new mmo's that are taking risks with new ideas. The few that come to mind are
Champions Online (Super hero mmo from creators of City of Heroes)
The Agency (007 meets MMO)
Warhammer Online (Sucessor to DAOC with nice RVR end game PVP)
(Unannounced Blizzard next gen MMO different brand new franchise)
Tabula Rasa
Age of Conan
Darkfall Online
APB
Pirates of the Burning Sea.
Dungeon Runners
The list goes on and on really. Perhaps what you meant was that World of Warcraft had set the bar so high that other MMO's struggle to compete. This is true but all games eventually grow old and boring. WoW will go into a decline after Wrath of the Lich King I predict.
We are not in an MMORPG recession, otherwise you wouldn't see these many MMO's. Truly it's an MMO Golden Age.
Lets not forget Dragon Age and the possible Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO from Bioware.
The real recession is coming to the U.S.A. if it isn't already here.
Possible light at the end of the tunnel
The Agency - Yes, this does look very interesting. I hope they deliver a polished title.
Champions claims action rpg, again I'll have to see it to believe it. But at least heading in a different direction.
Stargate Worlds - claims gameplay is very focused on positional combat, taking cover, gaining the higher ground, flanking, etc. If they capture elements from games like X-Com, JA:1/2 or Silent Storm they will truely bring some new game mechanics to the MMORPG genre.
Hmmmm, seems like there was another one... don't remember.
Not convinced the game mechanics of the following games will be THAT much different
Both WAR and AoC I will believe the overall game mechanics are different when I have played them. The "build up" heals in WAR sound interesting. If AoC focuses more on HoTs and less on spam/touch heals it may pull away from the old mechanics...in some areas at least.
TR did a good job, but lacks depth and lacks polish.
Darkfall could be interesting, it has been in development for so long, almost seem vaporish. However, their new video and screenshots look pretty good.
Dungeon Runners doesn't stick very long. If you have played Diablo 2 religously it just feels like a poor dupe.
Pirates of the Burning Sea - I can see this filling a very niche group.
APB - What title is this? Do tell.
Unannounced Blizzard next gen MMO - Ah Blizzard. Their last genre defining title was Diablo. WoW is a very polished title, but based on decade old game mechanics. I really hope they will do something very different and refreshing with their new title...they just haven't delievered anything amazing for a few years now. Maybe they will do something different this time.
Project Offset - Interesting engine, a long ways off, possible vaporish?
In my frustration with old game mechanics I have put together a site that tries to narrow down the basic features and mechanics of the various titles. www.irongamer.net/mmorpg/
The game grid allows you see various titles and how their mechanics compare. www.irongamer.net/mmorpg/game_grid.html
The game/combat mechanics of mmorpgs have been dry for some time. About the only thing that keeps me trying new ones is the exploring part of the game, at least they offer a new world to explore, but once that is done the mechanics are too old and bland to keep me long.
Oh, the other possible interesting title to bring in some mechanics that are new to the mmorpg genre is the Bioware title.
Here's the info on APB you asked.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=APB&btnG=Google+Search
think of it as a GTA MMO.
I hope some of the new ones coming out will live up to at least half of their promise.
Only two I'm looking forward to are SGW and Fallen Earth.
We're in a pit of gloom,looking out at a few twinkling stars,striving to reach them and not sure what we're going to find when we actually get there
Well i think the problem is this "McDonalds," makes a Big Mac and then the burger place down the street "McDonells" comes out with the Big Make. What "McDonells" doesn't understand is that no one wants to drive 5 mintues out of their way in order to buy a Happy Sack when they could just go to the closest "McDonalds" and buy a happy meal. Feel me?
Devs need to wake the hell up and build a different store on a different street...maybe even a different county.
So many Chicken Littles in this world.
If an economic analogy were appropriate, the current state of MMO's would be stagflation.
This is also the best moment for an Indie or a brave established developer to launch a new kind of MMO. There is simply no competitor, anything not orthodox will attract whatever market out there that is not satisfied by WoW and the mimicks.
So don't despair guys.
remember that guy in school.
The one with the black hair, gel'd in some funny way with a T-shirt that attempted to make a statement.
Remember how he'd rant that bands sell out to the man. How the only real music was garage bands and those who couldnt make a living and had to suffer.
Everyone hated that guy.
Your all becoming that guy.
after 6 or so years, I had to change it a little...
However, the term stagflation is said to have been coined by a British politician named, Iain Macleod, and is a combination of the words stagnation and inflation. When I think of the MMO market, I think we are in a period of many new releases (inflation), but almost all of them really suck (stagnation). Good description Jadar.
I find mcdonalds pretty good for the price....
The biggest problem isn't that all MMOs suck, although a lot of them do, it's that they're all doing basically the same thing with very little spin on it. You get WoW, then you get a dozen games that all look like WoW in different genres. You get games that emphasize different things but the core concept is still the same. No matter how many variants on the WoW theme, that doesn't change the fact that WoW is a very shallow, idiotic concept that your dog could play if he could use the computer. It leaves a lot of us who don't want to play shallow, idiotic, cookie-cutter games out in the cold.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Relatively Recently (Re)Played: HL2 (all), Halo (PC, all), Batman:AA; AC, ME, BS, DA, FO3, DS, Doom (all), LFD1&2, KOTOR, Portal 1&2, Blink, Elder Scrolls (all), lots more
Now Playing: None
Hope: None
I suppose if you choose to ignore World of Warcraft, and various other high profile MMORPGs released in the last few years, the genre will appear to have declined. But it's an inaccurate view of things. Reality doesn't change simply because you'd rather gnaw off your own arm rather than *gasp*, acknowledge that WoW or EVE or CoX are excellent quality games.
Still waiting for your Holy Grail MMORPG? Interesting...
I think just the Opposite actually...
Take the past few years of releases of games. In 2006 when they released DnL, their Producer said "I don't think there's a feature in WoW that isn't in DnL." Games were shooting for the "Gold" in 2005 and 2006 and even into 2007, who believed that WoW was the only MMO worth competing with.
2007 was a slight change in market, we saw the emergence of the "Nitch Market", and Developers who wanted nothing more then to carve out their portion of nobody else's land. Many Developers no longer wanted "a piece of the WoW pie" and realized that, while not as lucrative, there was definately money to be made making a great game for a different group.
2008 is continuing that Trend, games with very specialized Feature Sets are coming out and being announced almost monthly. Historically speaking, we'll have another 2 years of this before we enter the next phase of:
2009-2010 will introduce more "Independent" MMO styled games that were made with a fair budget, but were made for smaller and smaller audiences. You'll still have the "Blockbuster" styled titles, but you'll find the cat amongst the dogs more and more.
Overall, it truely remains to be seen. Historically speaking though, this is a market that any well planning, big or small, can make a fortune in. I, personally, feel that companies that carve out their little portion with their price to make remaining lower but creating a passionate game for a core audience will be the future.
I was recently inside a Publisher talking about my game to them, before me was a charismatic young man I conversed with in the waiting room over some coffee. He was asked to leave his meeting for pitching his expected market as "over 10 million possible players", the Publisher was nowhere near interested in hearing about WoW's player base.
Just a personal experience.
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."