After reading through various threads and discussions, it tells me MMOs may not be exactly dying and going to a niche product...but their quality has quickly declined over the years.
No longer is there innovation like the old days. Now its all about how to make the most money out of a cash shop. No longer are there GM made events, now its all pre-built events done the same year after year. There are no MMOs that TRULY try to be good and innovate. Sure there is Star Citizen and some alpha MMOs and some indie MMOs that try to get back to the good stuff. But, they aren't released yet and Star Citizen is a very long time away, to even know how that will do.
Look at singleplayer games or multiplayer games. Ark Survival is more advanced than most MMOs are today. I talked about it in my AI thread, but Ark has better AI than most MMOs do. Singleplayer and multiplayer games are innovating, getting more people in multiplayer to bigger and better servers. Better technology. Less focus on FORCED cash shops, but sometimes still allow for cosmetics/DLCs/expansions. Singleplayer and multiplayer games have quickly outpaced the quality and content of MMOs.
Is this why MMORPG.com is not active like it used to be? and why so many MMOs in general are just not as hyped up like they used to be. because no one wants to innovate or talk about improving MMOs without calling them whiners or trolls? MMOs are very stagnant in how much they have evolved, yet singleplayer and multiplayer games have advanced greatly.
Even today, we still get MMOs with the same mechanics of WoW. You could say why change what works? But where is the old innovation of older generation MMOs? Where are the epic worlds of Ultima Online, or Dark Age of Camelot, SWG, Asheron's Call? I don't want clones of those games, but each of those games was innovative, unique, never done before.
Today, every MMO feels like I played it before. Yet when I play singleplayer multiplayer games, I see tons of innovation, creativity and advancement of their genres. Sure maybe not every singleplayer or multiplayer game, but far more than any MMO.
And again, of course there are indie MMOs coming out. Crowfall. Star Citizen. Quite a few others. But, they are all in alpha, can't buy them or play them, and if they DO let you test their alpha, its pretty bare bones (at least for Star Citizen). So maybe innovation will come back from these indie MMOs, but time will see.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
Comments
But the acronym MMMORPG now currently means Microscopic Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Kappa.
Arche Age another one of those games when I joined it was a great game, 6 months later a little less it goes into major state of decline because of the patches and stuff.
Then you got MMO's like "Black Desert" Just totally lacking any innovation, Constant have to be on at this time to fight this many bosses, The Housing system being horrid, Developers who don't listen, limited pearl shop item space so even if you play only one main character and have all the costumes you run out of space and can't buy anymore.
I am looking for games like the (Original WOW) not this watered down crap blizzard has given us over the years, but with updated graphics.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I just think that some games are managed in a way that concentrates too much on squeezing as much revenue as they can from it, often to the detriment of the game itself.
LoL only need to do one thing right. The scope of mmorpg become so large it's impossible to have as much focus on every aspect of the game.
The monster AI to you may be the most important thing in mmorpg. To me, it's something I dont' really care that much about. And really most of the dungeons in mmorpg have pretty good AI or script, it's just when it go out to the open world the focus is less.
We can't compare old school with new because both devs are working with a whole different set of tools and technology.
That is why i like to use the term "effort".Devs in the old days were giving us their best,now a days they are cutting corners everywhere,they have the tech and know how to deliver amazing quality games but are giving us often not even as good as old school.
So if i rate old school top rated games as 7/10 ,these new devs are giving us crap 1.2.3/10 effort.Instead of spending on quality of game design,they see it cheaper to advertise and pay others to promote their crap on us.This is why law has stepped up in clamping down on businesses that try to manipulate the market by paying others to promote their products,we are being scammed big time.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
MAGA
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
Clearly the majority of those who are playing mmos right now strongly disagree with you...but hey when you are unable to move on from something that has passed you by like most mature adults at least you have sites like this where they allow and encourage grown men to pout non stop.
Adadpt or move on its that simple...the genre isn't going to chance because a few 50 years are sad.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
As for mmorpg.com's popularity, you have to understand that there are many venues to get news or gaming information compared to when this site was in its 'prime.' Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can put out information on YouTube and tend to do it without even bothering to do research first mainly for a higher chance of views if its posted fast enough. If its wrong later, they'll just do an apology video and get even more views. All of that deals with one person, where as mmorpg.com has a staff. I'm pretty sure there's not many rogue agents on this site.
And what type of person cries a genre is trash and still comes to a website dedicated to that genre just to cry?
BTW every game on the top pay to play list has been around a lot longer than three months, its amazing how ignorant you bitter old school babies are to actual FACTS.
https://www.superdataresearch.com/us-digital-games-market/
The quality of games have gone up substantially over the years. Honestly, even the F2P games have arguably better quality then many of the games in the old days. Everything else you wrote is just opinion. We get it. You're unhappy and want the old days of hell levels back, innovation at its finest!
Those days are long gone and based on what the general population wants it looks like it's good riddance. They will never be coming back. Have no fear! You'll still be able to find the excitement you're looking for in niche games made through Kickstarter.
However, no matter how much you complain and argue more than likely there will never be another AAA MMO released that meets your criteria.
Many of the formerly "big" players in the MMORPG spaces have been sold, are looking for a buyer, have gone out of business, have stopped making MMORPGs/MMOs, or canceled major titles that were a ways through production.
The only thing hitting the market for the most part these days is Asian import crap, barely finished / not really finished indie crap, and arena shooters.
The MMO market has never been in worse shape, on the business side, as "big" games are not being made by major studios anymore.
The market has moved on to "the next thing", which is what the market always does.