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My top 5 of recent let-downs in MMO's
Manarix
Member UncommonPosts: 98
I am playing MMO since Ultima online and since i have a hard time to find a new home these days, i was thinking of the 5 things that made me leave current MMO so fast. Here is my top 5 in no particular order:
1: Instances
...pirates of the burning sea was a shining example of instanced quests and pvp that made me feel like i was solo playing that game
2. World chat
...MMO are turning into chat boxes in a sugar coated graphical jacket. I don't want to read what player X had for breakfast and that player Y loves Angela, it kills the immersion of the game world.
3. Auction house
..another horrible idea. Gone are the days that you stood at a strategic crossroad acitvely advertising your crafts, meeting people. Instead you scroll through the same 50 magical crossbows of uber leetness, all 1 copper cheaper than the rest.
4. Repeatable quests
...for faction, to get equipment, or xp, or money. Sounds like work, feels like work, and often is more boring than a daytime job.
5. Undestructable equipment
...whatever you do, your armor and weapons never break or deteriorate, ever. Which 9 out of 10 times makes crafting useless, or unrewarding as a main occupation.
What is your top 5 of game-killing features in a MMO?
Currently playing browser games. Waiting for Albion Online, Citadel of Sorcery and Camelot Unchained.
Played: almost all MMO pre 2007
Comments
World chat and auction house does make sense in for example WoW, where the auction house is pretty much for crafters and twinks anyway. In other games they would not make sense.
Agree completely on your other 3 tho. But I'd rather focus on what features that together would make a good game than some specific features that make a bad one, since that depends on context.
Lost and depressed, where are the good MMOs at?
OP, sounds like you're either burnt out, or you've out grown the genre.
Either way, take a break from MMOs for the next six months to a year. Try different things.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
Because standing in the same place for hours on end is incredibly fun. Good riddance to those days I say.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
Real time skill advancement. (the worst)
Crafting without graphics. (a timer counting down or a bar filling)
Research that isn't research. (ala EVE)
Agree on world chat.
Agree on auction house.
Content that is junk. (get X hides by killing Y beasts and bring them back to me)
Agree on the items that never decay or break.
What ever happened to a good surprise during exploring? (what the **** is that?)
Old UO player here as well..
I don't need to think of a top five, because yours are close enough ; )
He doesn't sound burnt out, just discouraged...
As for outgrown the genre', why? Because he he wants more involvement in world around him? As opposed to just going to get uber gear #4 in the set, locked up in some instance? bleh.
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
Not to mention the joys of getting an instant 75 fps drop in popular towns
yeah, the AH has done so muuuch harm to the genre....
Add the fact that there are no longer any strict death penalties to that list and we're doing pretty well.
My point was that most games have given up on surprising the player. Quest givers all have a symbol above them. It was fun to see who had a quest for you. It was fun to run into an odd creature and have it be a quest giver. It was fun to find an old overgrown fountain hidden away and wonder "What would happen if I tossed a coin in?"
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
Perhaps its thinking like this, that we are getting these rubber stamp MMOs...
Don't all of OP's complaints seem trivial? They do from my vantage point.
Why can't you turn the offensive chat channel off?
Why can't you stand at a crossroads and hawk your wares?
UO is still up and running, so is EQ1. Play those?
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
Not to mention the joys of getting an instant 75 fps drop in popular towns
yeah, the AH has done so muuuch harm to the genre....
Because no one stands around in auction houses for hours at a time, right? What games have you been playing?
But back on point, that worthless standing around was a chance to socialize, which was an important aspect of early MMO's (as was all downtime activities) and looking back at it, the benefits of quick trading or rapid combat mechanics came at the cost of increased socialization in MMO's.
Many old school players remember this, and miss it from today's games.
Today's MMO's are so focused on keeping the player engaged in the game, they've removed the social aspect almost entirely. Sure, 10 people will jump on this post and say goodbye and good riddance, but I wish they would have stayed in FPS'ers or single player RPG's where they really belong.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Interesting topic, and timely considering the new year (and resolutions) are just around the bend. In no particular order:
1. General chat. While a good idea, and helpful *once apon a time*, it is now an outlet with internet anonymity and an audience. It is high time to go back to a period of contraction with this one. Abolish it altogether.
2. Non-fluid gameplay. I had huge hopes for Aion. This whole point-and-click, can't-move-my-character-until-cast-animation-is-complete (despite the cast already having taken place) was so rigid, I felt violated for having paid 100 bucks (2 copies) and participated in its launch.
3. 1 button gathering and crafting. Click 'Build All' and go afk for 10min while I build 400 items that are all expendable, and flushing a game's economy in the process. It's a grind *without even* involvement. It is truly terrible, and insulting to the gamer.
4. Auction houses. I understand their purpose and their allure, but trade was one of two major interaction sources (the other being combat downtime), and of the two, was the one that actively promoted it. Historically, the games that had the better communities had trade bazaars and the like. While this won't be the saving grace, it's absolutely a key ingredient.
5. An increasing F2P with cash-shop trend. I'm a fan of a level playing field for *all*. It really does promote a uniform chance in the world, and doesn't give a sense of feeling cheated because the game endorses purchases rather than gameplay. I want to lose because I don't have the skill necessary, much less because of game/class imbalances, let alone gear offsets that are present due to a cash-shop model.
That is exactly right, and we're not saying NO to save WoW, because it is already a lost cause. We are saying NO to dissuade the next group of greedy suits who decide to emulate Blizzard and Cryptic, etc.
We can prevent some of the future games from spewing this crap, but the sooner we start saying no, the better the results will be.
So - Stand up, pull up your pants, and walk away.
- MMO_Doubter
Quoted for truthiness.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
Perhaps its thinking like this, that we are getting these rubber stamp MMOs...
There are plenty of relatively innovative mmos out at the moment, some people choose to play them, others choose to day dream about UO. Play EVE, play DF, or MO. dont like space ships, pvp or a buggy game (atm)? Well, you won the nit-picking award.
Or they could just play UO. But I guess graphics arent as 'non-important' as some like to say.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
No, because both of those games destroyed thier core aspects with expansions. They are now just like all the others.
RP is a about environment and mood. Server wide. It's not as easy as you say to maintain an immersive environment when some people are doing one thing and others are doing something else. That is simply a weakness of modern mmo, they don't feel like a world or a community. Very little RP. Very little social aspects. Very little immersion.
It's sort of the same thing if you got someone who didn't fit the group playstyle on the old PnP games.
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
Perhaps its thinking like this, that we are getting these rubber stamp MMOs...
There are plenty of relatively innovative mmos out at the moment, some people choose to play them, others choose to day dream about UO. Play EVE, play DF, or MO. dont like space ships, pvp or a buggy game (atm)? Well, you won the nit-picking award.
Or they could just play UO. But I guess graphics arent as 'non-important' as some like to say.
I'm playing Darkfall, and enjoying it..
Your point is well taken, and you are correct, it does seem that rubber stamp is getting pushed aside, albeit very, very slowly. My point is, too many developers, especially those with decent backing, feel the same as you, new is only new once, and thats a shame.
Not to mention the joys of getting an instant 75 fps drop in popular towns
yeah, the AH has done so muuuch harm to the genre....
Because no one stands around in auction houses for hours at a time, right? What games have you been playing?
what games have YOU been playing? the ones I played had 1 AH for each town, sometimes even more than 1 per town
While games like L2 or PW comes to mind, where for some reason all the retards agreed on one specific place in one specific town to set their stalls. You went there under risk of frying your gfx card
and who could forget the lovely chats we had in games without AH
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
LFG random location
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
is anyone reading me?
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
hellooooo?
Selling XXX for YYY
Selling XXX for YYY
yup, the socialization aspect was thriving....
I can honestly say that those are 5 features that I actually like in MMOs. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
Perhaps its thinking like this, that we are getting these rubber stamp MMOs...
There are plenty of relatively innovative mmos out at the moment, some people choose to play them, others choose to day dream about UO. Play EVE, play DF, or MO. dont like space ships, pvp or a buggy game (atm)? Well, you won the nit-picking award.
Or they could just play UO. But I guess graphics arent as 'non-important' as some like to say.
I'm playing Darkfall, and enjoying it..
Your point is well taken, and you are correct, it does seem that rubber stamp is getting pushed aside, albeit very, very slowly. My point is, too many developers, especially those with decent backing, feel the same as you, new is only new once, and thats a shame.
No, you dont understand, Im not saying they shouldnt do 'New'. Im all for new. All Im saying is that once us, the players, see 'New' everything else can never be 'New' again. You had whatever experience in UO, EQ1, whatever. You will not get the same experience again, regardless if a game is up to your standards or not. You will have new mmo players in your game, players you dont like. WoW players. Even if they are in the minority. Everything that ages, evolves.
"That" monster surprised you once. A monster surprises you today and its not the same. Even if you are still startled by it. You've seen "that" mysterious fountain before. You know what I mean?
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
Indeed. More power to you.
But our side has no game. Yours has plenty.
I'm hoping that with all of the crash and burns the past couple of years that someone realizes that there is room for the "hardcore" niche.
Maybe not, but I'll never stop lobbying for it. Not every movie needs to be The Godfather. Not every book needs to be A Tale of Two Cities. And not every mmo needs to be WoW.
I understand your point. That is why I'm headed for STO. Whole worlds of content along with space to explore. : )
The problem with things being new, is that they are only new once.
Perhaps its thinking like this, that we are getting these rubber stamp MMOs...
There are plenty of relatively innovative mmos out at the moment, some people choose to play them, others choose to day dream about UO. Play EVE, play DF, or MO. dont like space ships, pvp or a buggy game (atm)? Well, you won the nit-picking award.
Or they could just play UO. But I guess graphics arent as 'non-important' as some like to say.
I'm playing Darkfall, and enjoying it..
Your point is well taken, and you are correct, it does seem that rubber stamp is getting pushed aside, albeit very, very slowly. My point is, too many developers, especially those with decent backing, feel the same as you, new is only new once, and thats a shame.
No, you dont understand, Im not saying they shouldnt do 'New'. Im all for new. All Im saying is that once us, the players, see 'New' everything else can never be 'New' again. You had whatever experience in UO, EQ1, whatever. You will not get the same experience again, regardless if a game is up to your standards or not. You will have new mmo players in your game, players you dont like. WoW players. Even if they are in the minority. Everything that ages, evolves.
I take MMOs for what they are, games..
I don't consider UO my first love, its a game I enjoyed from '97-01.. I'm not like these typical "fanbois" who spout off on how their game is the best, and "U sUx" because you're not playing it...
I AM getting the same experience from Darkfall I did from UO, its a pvp based sand-box, that emphasises crafting. Its what I like, and its about time ; )
We are getting waaay off topic here, and i didn't think you didn't want to see new.. I was playing your words as to what the genre' has been doing.. apologies.
The complaints aren't trivial, they're based on flavor.
Turning chat channels off may work in the short term to stem some of the issues, but that can result in missing out on some information due to most other players still using those channels.
You could stand at a crossroads and try to sell items, but you will rarely make a sale, because anyone looking to buy something will go straight to the auction house. Auction houses, along with ingame mail, may make things more convenient for players, but they destroy the element of location for marketing. In some MMOs, selling items is more than simply who can undercut the most, it's about decently priced items sold at a well known/easily accessible area. This element is dead in the MMOs that have auction houses.
Lastly, UO and EQ aren't even in the same ballpark as they were in their prime, not to mention that they're both about 10 years old and their development is sparse.
The concerns are valid. Most of the changes listed are hand-holding changes that have been added to make MMOs "so easy a caveman can do it". A lot of these features however, detract from the virtual world aspect of the game, which a lot of players value, and a lot of MMOs today simply lack.
Not to mention the joys of getting an instant 75 fps drop in popular towns
yeah, the AH has done so muuuch harm to the genre....
Because no one stands around in auction houses for hours at a time, right? What games have you been playing?
But back on point, that worthless standing around was a chance to socialize, which was an important aspect of early MMO's (as was all downtime activities) and looking back at it, the benefits of quick trading or rapid combat mechanics came at the cost of increased socialization in MMO's.
Many old school players remember this, and miss it from today's games.
Today's MMO's are so focused on keeping the player engaged in the game, they've removed the social aspect almost entirely. Sure, 10 people will jump on this post and say goodbye and good riddance, but I wish they would have stayed in FPS'ers or single player RPG's where they really belong.
Did you not read OP's #2? He does not like that kind of socializing.