What would your perfect MMO look like?

[Renzokuken]

Over the past year I have been brainstorming the foundations for an MMO that I believe has a lot of potential. With another year or two of development and the right contacts I feel that it could eventually become more than just an idea.

So, I wanted to ask the good people of BG, what would the perfect MMO look like to you? What features would it have or not have?

Also, aside from some MUD's way back in the day, FFXI has been my main exposure to the online gaming scene. So, over the past few months I have been playing Aion and WoW on private servers in order to gain a broader perspective. Are there any other MMO's that you feel did something exceptionally well? There are so many smaller ones out there it's hard to know if I'm really missing something or not.

[Araelus]

The "perfect MMORPG" is a game environment which takes the tabletop RPG format "perfectly" that is, completely, forwards into a multiplayer setting so much larger than the usual group that it forms an albeit fictional world with strong verisimilitude, involving gameplay in which the players' virtual acquisition of goods and skills benefits their out-of-game lives such that the opportunity cost of participation in the game world is within acceptable limits for a recreational activity.

If people are willing to accept less than totally immersive graphics, this kind of game could exit with current technology - mostly using huge teams of people instead of having to rely on computers.

Current MMORPGs, in contrast, are games which disrespect the player's time investiture. In order to recoup enormous development and upkeep costs, the game system is made to lie about the value of playing. At best we could call this a "pleasant deception". The character does not even belong to the player - they are paying money and using time to build up digital information which is of no redeemable value.

Why? The design is to keep people playing for as long as possible. Imagine a virus - no, those kill the host, imagine a parasite. Think of World of Warcraft as a tapeworm feeding off millions of intestinal tracts. How delicious.

While current MMORPGs allow for social interaction, it is in a strange sort of environment where the player can potentially avoid repercussions from their online behavior once they disconnect from the game - or they might aim for the only real benefit current MMORPGs offer - that aforementioned social interaction.

Are MMORPGs really recreation in the same way other games are? Are they just a really, really, shiny version of a BBS or web forum with mini-games attached? Or embedded inside a mini-game? Could you make a current-form MMORPG with an internal structure like USENET?

To find the answers, go read the short story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by Frederik Pohl.

Your other option is to help development on:

Spoiler: show

" OUTSIDE "
a new MMORPG from the Creator of smash-hit " IRL"

Features:
-no monthly fee!
-massive world to explore (over 190 million square miles)
-photo-realistic 3D graphics and 11.2 surround sound (not available to all players)
-incredibly complex NPC AI and faction behavior
-over 56,400 character archetypes
-full PvP in reactive, malleable, and destructive environments
-unique game ending for each character based on their decisions
-walk, drive, fly, and swim using the intuitive controls
-no loading times (some assembly required)

...wait, "no monthly fee"!?

[Qalbert]

yeah but like all free MMOs it isn't worth playing

[Hank]

there is also no support from the developer. heyo!

[Lazytowner]

Simple. A really large online version of Oblivion that doesn't look like trash with the combat of Demon's Souls.

Can an MMO developer honestly look me in the eyes and explain to me that the proper evolution of Gygax and Ameson's creation would be probability-based combat and ability rotations? Lol, the only reason dice were used was because the DM is only going to imagine a 50 ft monster swinging his 500lb. axe across the room.

I would love to see the eventual extinction of this statistical faggotry and to finally swing my sword and shield while dodging big motherfuckin' axes with fifty other people around me. What I consider to be the perfect MMO is obviously hindered by technological barriers, but I'll wait. I can wait because I'm not willing to pay for fancy chatrooms any longer and bare to watch another group of talentless fuckwits pride themselves in basically calculating statistics with an Excel spreadsheet

inb4 "it takes leadership and organization too!" No, fuck off. It's stone age gameplay forced into modern-day gaming.

[Priran]

name something in aion and generally speaking, aion has the worst implementation of it ever. in particular, its implementation of flight probably ruined 3d movement in MMOs for the forseeable future. not even aion wants to be associated with aion's flight anymore, and just released a new ground-based pvp area to replace the old flight-based pvp area.

if you're going to make your MMO a race to endgame, don't belabor it (another thing aion did horribly). if you're going to actually make the levels between character creation and the cap an experience, lineage 2 did that well. every level range is like its own complete game. the flipside of that coin is that lineage 2 has some of the most hardcore grind anywhere.

if you're going to restrict a given character to playing one class, put in a need or greed system. if you're going to let the character change classes, I prefer FF14's freedom to FF11's more restrictive system, in both ability to change job wherever and to pick and choose "subbed" abilities from any class or level.

stat assignment is retarded. I thought that was f2p bullshit but then it popped up in ff14 for fuck knows what reason

don't make travel a chore

[Priran]

oh and lineage 2 had amazing pvp. nothing touches l2 castle sieges.

[Hyan]

I'm not sure how to answer this question. My perfect "MMO" wouldn't even be an MMO. But let's try.

The social interaction is important. The whole game should be built with this in mind. Make us interact with each other, in various ways. The more, the better. Do not make us into one-man superheroes that can do everything themselves. That's not what MMO's are about. "Forced" grouping (grind suited for groups, not soloers), and of course, lot of customization in-game (and I'm not talking about simply aesthetics). I don't want to feel restricted.

PvE focus because PvP in MMO's fucking sucks. Always.

Gameplay is not too important, but some cooperative gimmicks to help ease the otherwise simplistic game mechanics would spice things up a lot. And the more boss fights, the better. However, majority of gameplay should happen in the open world- instances can be used when needed, but no MMO should completely rely on them.

Now, if you create a huge world, the developer should make use of it. No instant traveling if possible, or at least restrict it.

Player based economy. It's pretty must a requirement anyway.

Not too much user based content. Developer based content is always better. So, more of a themepark than sandbox MMO.

And of course, frequent content updates and longevity. I expect to play the game for years, not days. So, grind is important.

Also, new ideas. Not just during the development, but also during the game's lifespan. A variety of things to do.

As for endgame, a horizontal system done right would be perfect.

[Elcura]

My perfect MMO? KH. I dunno how it would work, but it would be fucking awesome.

[Riposte]

I have several ideas on MMOs. All excelling "perfectly" in their own ways. For example one idea might be an improvement and proper implementation of the ideas of FFXI/FFXIV, but I also might want a MMO which is based on hunting down other players and killing them in the harshest environment possible.

One thing is for sure: combat either needs to be action-like or you need to be able to control multiple characters at once. Anything else is too simplistic.

Actually, MMO is a very limited term which has little importance. More than anything else, I'd prefer it if people dropped the idea that MMOs have to look like MMORPGs. Games are not categorized by the number of players in them. So it goes without saying a good combat system in a MMO should be good even if it was played with only enough people to support a game of Halo.

[Hyan]

Actually, MMO is a very limited term which has little importance. More than anything else, I'd prefer it if people dropped the idea that MMOs have to look like MMORPGs. Games are not categorized by the number of players in them. So it goes without saying a good combat system in a MMO should be good even if it was played with only enough people to support a game of Halo.

Of course I think most people would prefer something like an online RPG (hubs and instances, better gameplay) as opposed to MMORPG.

But I don't think MMORPG should cease to exist. With inferior gameplay it wouldn't be much of an RP"G" but it would still be interesting in it's own ways.

[Viq]

Lineage 2 without bots

[Dryr]

if FF and WoW had a baby...

[stewie]

FFXI with better graphics and challenging mobs.

[Tobi]

I still want a .Hack MMO! But the .hack series is done + there was .Hack MMO in Japan, but they had to shut it down, can't remember why, though

[ronin sparthos]

Perfect MMO? Virtual Reality.

[Alderaan]

GW2.

[Gwynplaine]

Well since you asked, and since this is the internet and everyone really cares about what I think, here goes.

1.) The game must have some compelling story with good characters. Ideally your character could have some kind of personality with the story somehow and not be just some everyman generic Ryu type. I would like the story to be made a much bigger part of the game than most MMOs have right now. Don't just spit me into some setting and assume I'll go mechanically leveling up on the nearest level 1 Ensorcelled Squirrel. Why am I there? Why should I care? What am I working toward?

2.) Graphics and style must be well done. It's about the only thing Square excels at. The style and setting must also be creative and at least an attempt at being unique. There's nothing I pass on quicker than yet another RPG in a European medieval setting. No stone castles, no trolls and goblins, no goofy wizards.

3.) Eliminate or minimize any randomness. Nothing says "I have complete disdain for your life and your time" more than having a computer roll a dice to decide what happens to your effort. If a player does something that requires some effort they should be rewarded accordingly, period. No randomly getting a good critical, or a synth, or a drop.

4.) The focus should be on winning a goal (you know, like... a game?) not simply reaching X level as fast as possible then looking at what you have to work with.

5.) No obvious LoTR racial copying. Everyone knows the "big" and "little" races are just wanna bes influenced by LoTR. Elves, Dwarves, and all that. Galkas and Taru are no exception.

6.) Have good voice acting or for fucks sakes include an option to turn it off.

7.) If you're going to include long scenes and bits of story, particularly if they're the juicy bits, don't just leave the player to sit there clicking through junk waiting to return to the game. If possible find a way to involve the player in the good parts first hand. Valve (Half Life 2) and Irrational Games (Bioshock) do this really well. While the characters are doing their thing moving the story along, you can still move, interact, and check stuff out. And during action scenes your right in it, not just checking your watch. Square did take this approach sometimes during FFXI particularly with the WotG instanced missions, and it sorta worked. Usually however their cutscenes are too long and too distant.

Just a few things. And really the more I think about it, the more I question whether the idea of an MMORPG is valid or desirable at all.