MMORPGs: Will Designers Please Read This? Probably NOT!
Long Post:
I've been playing almost all MMORPGS except those made by Sony (barring FFXI). Currently playing Dark Age of Camelot (trial version, lots changed), and also Dungeons and Dragons Online. I've been frustrated as of late about the current state of games. I, like many of my friends, are casual gamers, and for once, I wish game designers would pay attention to us and not the market or trend of other games.
Essentially I wish I could design my own type of game. Here's a few things I would love to see in a game:
Programmable, Level-gaining NPCs that you can group with
Instances that can be adjusted either based on your level, skill, or customizable.
More gear/eq/loot on mobs than you can shake a stick at
Leveling that doesn't take months for a casual gamer (playing about 2-3 hours a night or up to 15-25 hours a week) to reach end game
Mobs that automatically adjust to the difficulty in players's skill, making it where skill over your character is a factor, not the loot or the cookie-cutterness of your character.
Solo content all the way to end game.
Group content designed around beating a large mob for fame and weapons, but said mob can still be tackled by a skillful soloist.
Group content designed around groups vs. group play. Not talking about Player vs. Player, but mob vs. player, in which you bring a group of players/NPCs to face off against another group of players.
Loot that is just loot: it looks cool, might do a few magical things, but it never weighs more than skill in battles.
Crafting where a player can actually level up and become rich and famous without lifting a sword. And the gear is topnotch.
Loot that is actually appropriate for you. I'm tired of creating characters that do quests and get jack for my class because well the designers didn't take the time to make the NPC figure out that I'm a cloth-wearing caster and a robe would do better for me than that leather jerkin. Or when I open a chest, my non-arrow firing character doesn't pickout a bow and arrow or just 3 bundles of arrows (happened to me TWICE in one night in DDO, I shit you not).
Quests that you can actually pick back you when you log in.
Basically why can't we just take the best things about console/PC solo-type RPGs and apply them to MMORPGs? Its possible, and hell I think if you created a game that was outstanding out of the box, you barely adjusted it unless something was broke (by your standards, not the whiners out there who cry foul every time you adjust minor things on one class vs. another), and regularly added more and more content, you'd attract more customers, keep potential casual customers, and maybe keep regular power-gamers.
Basically, why aren't designers looking at PnP for inspiration, not Everquest? World of Warcraft is essentially a better version of Evercrack with more crap. It has a threadmill of gaining xp and money that is ridiculous.
Actually I think I'm more disappointed that DDO is no where near PnP DnD. I expected that, i mean there are a few things that don't translate well in a game, but when it doesn't even follow standard operating procedures of DnD, there is something wrong. I mean, for one, you don't even get to pick your starting loot. If you happen to take Exotic Weapon Feat: Bastard Sword, well you have to wait a while to get a bastard sword (although this just recently changed with the latest patch). But it takes forever for you to get helms and other things essential for raising your ac and protecting your self. Healing potions cost an arm and a leg and barely heal you. You can't do quests soloable, and if you can, well you aren't getting much from them. And you can only do them for so long before it's not even worth it for you.
And don't even get me started on the whole new Dragon that they got available. Its only accessible by raiding groups (12 people). C'mon, can't for once we actually get to see some dumb smuck fight the dragon one-on-one?
Well that's my two cent. I'm gonna go play some console games now. =)
I've been playing almost all MMORPGS except those made by Sony (barring FFXI). Currently playing Dark Age of Camelot (trial version, lots changed), and also Dungeons and Dragons Online. I've been frustrated as of late about the current state of games. I, like many of my friends, are casual gamers, and for once, I wish game designers would pay attention to us and not the market or trend of other games.
Essentially I wish I could design my own type of game. Here's a few things I would love to see in a game:
Programmable, Level-gaining NPCs that you can group with
Instances that can be adjusted either based on your level, skill, or customizable.
More gear/eq/loot on mobs than you can shake a stick at
Leveling that doesn't take months for a casual gamer (playing about 2-3 hours a night or up to 15-25 hours a week) to reach end game
Mobs that automatically adjust to the difficulty in players's skill, making it where skill over your character is a factor, not the loot or the cookie-cutterness of your character.
Solo content all the way to end game.
Group content designed around beating a large mob for fame and weapons, but said mob can still be tackled by a skillful soloist.
Group content designed around groups vs. group play. Not talking about Player vs. Player, but mob vs. player, in which you bring a group of players/NPCs to face off against another group of players.
Loot that is just loot: it looks cool, might do a few magical things, but it never weighs more than skill in battles.
Crafting where a player can actually level up and become rich and famous without lifting a sword. And the gear is topnotch.
Loot that is actually appropriate for you. I'm tired of creating characters that do quests and get jack for my class because well the designers didn't take the time to make the NPC figure out that I'm a cloth-wearing caster and a robe would do better for me than that leather jerkin. Or when I open a chest, my non-arrow firing character doesn't pickout a bow and arrow or just 3 bundles of arrows (happened to me TWICE in one night in DDO, I shit you not).
Quests that you can actually pick back you when you log in.
Basically why can't we just take the best things about console/PC solo-type RPGs and apply them to MMORPGs? Its possible, and hell I think if you created a game that was outstanding out of the box, you barely adjusted it unless something was broke (by your standards, not the whiners out there who cry foul every time you adjust minor things on one class vs. another), and regularly added more and more content, you'd attract more customers, keep potential casual customers, and maybe keep regular power-gamers.
Basically, why aren't designers looking at PnP for inspiration, not Everquest? World of Warcraft is essentially a better version of Evercrack with more crap. It has a threadmill of gaining xp and money that is ridiculous.
Actually I think I'm more disappointed that DDO is no where near PnP DnD. I expected that, i mean there are a few things that don't translate well in a game, but when it doesn't even follow standard operating procedures of DnD, there is something wrong. I mean, for one, you don't even get to pick your starting loot. If you happen to take Exotic Weapon Feat: Bastard Sword, well you have to wait a while to get a bastard sword (although this just recently changed with the latest patch). But it takes forever for you to get helms and other things essential for raising your ac and protecting your self. Healing potions cost an arm and a leg and barely heal you. You can't do quests soloable, and if you can, well you aren't getting much from them. And you can only do them for so long before it's not even worth it for you.
And don't even get me started on the whole new Dragon that they got available. Its only accessible by raiding groups (12 people). C'mon, can't for once we actually get to see some dumb smuck fight the dragon one-on-one?
Well that's my two cent. I'm gonna go play some console games now. =)