A View From the Road: Welcome to the Massive World
- Thread starter John Funk
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Those of us who prefer our games with involving stories not delivered purely in Quest Giver Pre-Ambles and without random douchebags asking "how I mine for fish" every 5 seconds are in a spot of bother however. I know I'm not the only person who despises this constant slide toward multiplayer.
More and more games are growing to encompass MMOG-style gameplay, which... well, sucks, to be honest. Every time I've tried to play a game online I've left in disgust after 5 minutes. There are quite a few gamers that are a joy to play with, but we all know the types that are the scourge of the online gaming world.
I prefer playing only with people I know. It's more enjoyable that way.
I prefer playing only with people I know. It's more enjoyable that way.
What about games like Spore, or Demon's Soul?
If I got your point, these too are crossing the line between MMO and non-mmo.
I, for one, like the idea that there are some games you can share with every other player.
who knows, gaming might some day be regarded as social, like going to the pub is today.
If I got your point, these too are crossing the line between MMO and non-mmo.
I, for one, like the idea that there are some games you can share with every other player.
who knows, gaming might some day be regarded as social, like going to the pub is today.
I think it's more a matter of terminology than anything else. Gaming has grown so much the last couple of decades that most of the old words either no longer sufficiently cover the essence of the genre they describe, or have become so vague as to be meaningless.
"RPG" is one example of both: On the one hand, most RPGs have next to nothing to do with the tabletop role-playing games that spawned the genre and gave it its name. On the other hand, there are so many games that claim to be RPGs (or to have "RPG elements", which is even dumber IMO), but they're all very different from each other. Issues like this give rise to endless discussions like "Is FF13 an RPG?" Everyone's got their own answer, but none of them are 100% right (even though I like to pretend my answer is more right than the others
) since the term has been so stretched and twisted that it's become next to meaningless.
The same goes for "MMO". Even more so perhaps, because it's not really a genre to begin with. Maybe once upon a time when 99% of all MMOs were MMORPGs in one form or another (MUDs, MUSHes, etc.), the word implied a certain type of game, but these days everything is online, and almost everything has certain "massive multiplayer" elements. Whether it's high-scores that are compared to thousands of other players, custom content that is exchanged, or simply a massive online playerbase. As this development towards online gameplay and data-exchange continues, the term "MMO" will become increasingly meaningless.
"RPG" is one example of both: On the one hand, most RPGs have next to nothing to do with the tabletop role-playing games that spawned the genre and gave it its name. On the other hand, there are so many games that claim to be RPGs (or to have "RPG elements", which is even dumber IMO), but they're all very different from each other. Issues like this give rise to endless discussions like "Is FF13 an RPG?" Everyone's got their own answer, but none of them are 100% right (even though I like to pretend my answer is more right than the others
) since the term has been so stretched and twisted that it's become next to meaningless.The same goes for "MMO". Even more so perhaps, because it's not really a genre to begin with. Maybe once upon a time when 99% of all MMOs were MMORPGs in one form or another (MUDs, MUSHes, etc.), the word implied a certain type of game, but these days everything is online, and almost everything has certain "massive multiplayer" elements. Whether it's high-scores that are compared to thousands of other players, custom content that is exchanged, or simply a massive online playerbase. As this development towards online gameplay and data-exchange continues, the term "MMO" will become increasingly meaningless.
I really hate to be the one...but as long as I am not paying a monthly subscription I don't mind if some games are closet MMO's.
The term MMO only becomes a "stay away" flag for me once the letters RPG are tacked on after it. MMORPGs are terrible games that are devoid of any development creativity and are essentially just really complicated slot machines. Making a game with a huge amount of online interactivity though can be good, and it can be bad. These days though, it's leaning mostly towards bad. It's become a crutch for developers to just make their game have MMO aspects so that the devs can spend less time doing anything actually creative with the game itself.
Multiplayer in general is becoming problematic because it ferociously relies on a well known truth: Everything is more fun with friends, even shitty games. A game can be mediocre and average as all hell, but sure enough, throngs of people will say it's the best game ever because of "how fun it is with friends." Checkers is fun with friends. Lawn darts are fun with friends. Kicking a bag of poop around is fun with friends. "Fun with friends" instantly translates to me as "this game is actually pretty mediocre and can be safely ignored."
Multiplayer in general is becoming problematic because it ferociously relies on a well known truth: Everything is more fun with friends, even shitty games. A game can be mediocre and average as all hell, but sure enough, throngs of people will say it's the best game ever because of "how fun it is with friends." Checkers is fun with friends. Lawn darts are fun with friends. Kicking a bag of poop around is fun with friends. "Fun with friends" instantly translates to me as "this game is actually pretty mediocre and can be safely ignored."
Quite true. A great many games have aspects of what makes MMOGs so popular, despite being primarily something else. But it's not so poignant a statement when you step back and consider what a broad description Massively Multiplayer Online Game is. It's the MMORPG which is a genre on its own, and it seems like more and more the only distinctive quality of a true MMORPG is the beloved grind.
Phuck phat lewt. I don't want to pay extra to have the screaming chimpanzees of the internet bothering me while I play MY video games.
Ha! I was going to ask if you downloaded a Gundam skin! Lord knows I've paraded mine around here a few times
Anyway, it seems to me games these days aren't really becoming MMO's, but instead adopting MMO gameplay idead. TF2 has the drop system, Modnation Racers and a few other games have the "hub world". In Fable 2 you can actually see everyone online as little orbs in your world if you so choose. Hell its basically a damn auction house in Bowerstone Market. At least it was a year ago, no idea if it still is. Also you have the auction houses of Forza and other racing games (I think, I don't play much racing games) and, well that Fable 2 example I mentioned.
The only thing they seem to be lacking is a widespread massive world on different servers. With the possible exception of Fable 2. But something tells me games aren't and won't become full-blown MMO's. At least an MMO by current standards. But perhaps MMO will soon mean something other than World of Warcraft and the other MMORPG's.
Anyway, it seems to me games these days aren't really becoming MMO's, but instead adopting MMO gameplay idead. TF2 has the drop system, Modnation Racers and a few other games have the "hub world". In Fable 2 you can actually see everyone online as little orbs in your world if you so choose. Hell its basically a damn auction house in Bowerstone Market. At least it was a year ago, no idea if it still is. Also you have the auction houses of Forza and other racing games (I think, I don't play much racing games) and, well that Fable 2 example I mentioned.
The only thing they seem to be lacking is a widespread massive world on different servers. With the possible exception of Fable 2. But something tells me games aren't and won't become full-blown MMO's. At least an MMO by current standards. But perhaps MMO will soon mean something other than World of Warcraft and the other MMORPG's.
In games that allow a massive (generally upwards of 100) number of concurrent people to play together, at the same time, in the same persistent and interconnected place, in a way that all said users may potentially interact with each other.John Funk said:
Well, that sort of cut the article short didn't it?
Allow me to elaborate:
WoW is an MMO, where you can have hundreds (thousands?) of people concurrently connected on the same "world". ModNation Racers is not an MMO, it's simply a game with a chat system and "community" capacities, when you want to play the actual game, you're limited to... what? 8 people? Yeah.
You could, and indeed tried to, argue semantics: "It allows several thousands of people to interact online over the game, therefore MMOG!". Under that same logic every interactive website, chatroom, or forum are an MMO, and every game ever made is an RPG as they allow, and indeed intend to be conductive to, role playing. At the end of the day all you're arguing semantics. Sure we could redefine the meaning of the word "MMOG", or "RPG"... But it's just needlessly complicating the procedure for the sake of semantics. We'd find a different word for the games we now call rpgs (Grinders?), and a new word for MMOGs (Massive Concurrent Online Multiplayer Games?), and we'd be right back at square 1.
Online modes are, by nature, social. An online mode is NOT the same as an MMO. Supporting your game's community does not change it's genre.
You know, John, I bet there is a group of Diablo fans planning your murder right now.
Anyway, I can see the point you are trying to make and it is true. Having said that, I do agree with others in this thread that I am quite disturbed by the increased focus on multiplayer games tend to have nowadays.
Sure, playing with others can be loads of fun, but that isn't something I look for in every type of game. Yet, for some reason, developers see fit to implement multiplayer in every game imaginable (even those with a heavy singleplayer focus).
Anyway, I can see the point you are trying to make and it is true. Having said that, I do agree with others in this thread that I am quite disturbed by the increased focus on multiplayer games tend to have nowadays.
Sure, playing with others can be loads of fun, but that isn't something I look for in every type of game. Yet, for some reason, developers see fit to implement multiplayer in every game imaginable (even those with a heavy singleplayer focus).
Call me a Luddite if you like, but I find the increasing pervasiveness of interconnected networks to be annoying at best and stupid and useless at worst - the prospect of a future where every game is an MMO sounds positively horrifying. Sure, there are situations where the ability to interact with a world-wide audience is a real plus, but there's a freaking limit - how would you like it if you couldn't read a book anymore without somebody reading over your shoulder, asking you to go back/skip forwards, interrupting or otherwise obstructing your ability to just read the damn book?
That is a ridiculous example of course, but how do immersion-breaking pop-up messages about achievements or notifications that friends just came online help one enjoy a narrative? Now imagine how much worse it would be if you literally could not escape interaction with other people no matter what you're trying to do, because everything is multiplayer now, it's the future!
Oh freaking boy, I cannot wait. I think I'll go shove sharp objects under my fingernails until then!
That is a ridiculous example of course, but how do immersion-breaking pop-up messages about achievements or notifications that friends just came online help one enjoy a narrative? Now imagine how much worse it would be if you literally could not escape interaction with other people no matter what you're trying to do, because everything is multiplayer now, it's the future!
Oh freaking boy, I cannot wait. I think I'll go shove sharp objects under my fingernails until then!