Modern MMOs "Barely Even Games," Says Former Guild Wars Dev

[munsterman]

If they get the skill > numbers and spread sheet I will be all over this thing. I play WoW, and I played Tibia and both were, and still are, numbers games that can be solved and "won" (PVE especially but to a certain extent PvP also).

I would love for a MMO to break this barrier of stats > skill this could lead the way for better and more exciting MMOs where leveling doesn't matter as much as the skill of a player.

*Off soap box*

 

[DeathsHands]

This sounds like another "WE can do better!"

Really ambitious goal here... doesn't sound good.

 

[Ham Blitz]

... That game that Undead Labs is developing sounds epic. I would buy it when it came out just to see how it would go (That and if it worked out it would probably become my favorite game of all time).

 

[KrazyKain]

oh sorry, what was that? I was too busy playing global agenda

Is that any good? And is it just a straight TPS or is there more to it?

well it is mostly a straight up tps, but the mmo style skills add alot more to it. Imagine TF2, but the heavy could pull up specific shields to deflect bullets or explosives, or the sniper can lower target armor and other similar debuffs. Plus its got a good pve segment aswell as the pvp

 

[WanderingFool]

oh sorry, what was that? I was too busy playing global agenda

Is that any good? And is it just a straight TPS or is there more to it?

well it is mostly a straight up tps, but the mmo style skills add alot more to it. Imagine TF2, but the heavy could pull up specific shields to deflect bullets or explosives, or the sniper can lower target armor and other similar debuffs. Plus its got a good pve segment aswell as the pvp

Geuss Ill have to try the free trial...

 

[Atmos Duality]

The old "Click to auto attack/Pseudo-Turn-Based Ticker" System is an artifact of the days before broadband. Of course they look dated.

And yet, designing an MMO requires a massive amount of planning; from zone design, to network optimization, gameplay balance, interface design (which is far more complicated than most other game genres).

Creating an MMO FPS alone would take tremendous design space and server power.
And for every variable you add to the game, the harder it is to optimize.

That's mostly from a technical point of view too.

Of course...then there's the OTHER side of the coin...World of Warcraft.
They've cornered the MMO Market in the West. Plain and simple.
It's a network good, it's scary-huge, and I too would barely call it a "game"; more like a not-game that uses an addiction model and social factors to keep people playing rather than good gameplay.
Because the gameplay in WoW can be beaten with an Excel Macro.