Thoughts inspired by the 'How would you improve RPGs?' thread.
CRPGs are limited by the amount of content and choices they can include. If a million players all at some point play through your game, for each choice you put in, there will be a million different choices people would like to make in those situations. It is simply not feasible for game writers to cover everything, and so just cover the basic routes of 'good', 'evil' and 'practical'.
What makes CRPGs addictive and successful is the grinding element. Others have spoken at greater length and far better about this fact. Getting a lucky random drop makes you happy; working hard to finally get that good item makes you happy; good items mean you can try harder tasks, and so on. There is a skill element, and a time element. This is the part of the game that is removed from the roleplay part: there is no real roleplay involved. It's just what makes the game addictive.
If it is not practical to just write more options into every dialogue screen, the only other recourse you have is with other people. Table-tops and larps are great for this, as it's the traditional and easy way to deal only with people who are prepared to roleplay. Humans produce human responses, and you are able to choose to attempt whatever you want.
The roleplay of MMORPGs is limited. If interacting with the plot, you interact with NPCs. CRPG - same problem. You can also interact with other people though. The problem is, however, the vast number of people who are shit. Roleplayers have their own servers, at least on WoW, but that doesn't stop a lot of non-rpers coming there.
(As an aside, I spent several weeks talking to various non-rpers about why they were on an rp server. For a lot of them, it's because they joined the server their friends were on. It begins when the first guy starts on a regular PvE server, but were told they were noobs, and generally abused. People are nicer on rp servers, because dps/gear/skill is mostly irrelevant until the endgame: as such, they win the dps game that no one else is playing. Go them.)
The majority of roleplayed storylines that I have ever seen have been based on a player creating some drama for their character, and an attempt to get other people interested in solving it with them. Some storylines are excellent, others not so great.
Shortly before my last subscription ran out, I had an idea, that I never really had the opportunity to play around with: GMing a storyline for another group of players who I trusted, using the medium of a MMORPG. The freedom of talking and interacting with a variety of PCs, trying to achieve a goal, and doing so in any way they wanted (with the freedom to ignore it and wander around levelling other stuff if they wanted a break). It wouldn't have to progress particularly quickly, it wouldn't involve prima donnas taking as much limelight as possible, since it would be controlled by a neutral GM, and could be quite cool.
Table top games have a GM, and are frequently lauded as the kind of thing that people want CRPGs to be more like. Why not just add them to a MMORPG?
One thought that even occurs is how to implement it as a standard feature in a MMORPG. Being able to make a 'GM' style account/character, with limited abilities to grant buffs or quest rewards, or spawn in monsters in certain areas, a feedback form you could fill in, or a way to rate the type, style and ability of a GM so that people could see the kind of GM, it'd be pretty cool.
CRPGs are limited by the amount of content and choices they can include. If a million players all at some point play through your game, for each choice you put in, there will be a million different choices people would like to make in those situations. It is simply not feasible for game writers to cover everything, and so just cover the basic routes of 'good', 'evil' and 'practical'.
What makes CRPGs addictive and successful is the grinding element. Others have spoken at greater length and far better about this fact. Getting a lucky random drop makes you happy; working hard to finally get that good item makes you happy; good items mean you can try harder tasks, and so on. There is a skill element, and a time element. This is the part of the game that is removed from the roleplay part: there is no real roleplay involved. It's just what makes the game addictive.
If it is not practical to just write more options into every dialogue screen, the only other recourse you have is with other people. Table-tops and larps are great for this, as it's the traditional and easy way to deal only with people who are prepared to roleplay. Humans produce human responses, and you are able to choose to attempt whatever you want.
The roleplay of MMORPGs is limited. If interacting with the plot, you interact with NPCs. CRPG - same problem. You can also interact with other people though. The problem is, however, the vast number of people who are shit. Roleplayers have their own servers, at least on WoW, but that doesn't stop a lot of non-rpers coming there.
(As an aside, I spent several weeks talking to various non-rpers about why they were on an rp server. For a lot of them, it's because they joined the server their friends were on. It begins when the first guy starts on a regular PvE server, but were told they were noobs, and generally abused. People are nicer on rp servers, because dps/gear/skill is mostly irrelevant until the endgame: as such, they win the dps game that no one else is playing. Go them.)
The majority of roleplayed storylines that I have ever seen have been based on a player creating some drama for their character, and an attempt to get other people interested in solving it with them. Some storylines are excellent, others not so great.
Shortly before my last subscription ran out, I had an idea, that I never really had the opportunity to play around with: GMing a storyline for another group of players who I trusted, using the medium of a MMORPG. The freedom of talking and interacting with a variety of PCs, trying to achieve a goal, and doing so in any way they wanted (with the freedom to ignore it and wander around levelling other stuff if they wanted a break). It wouldn't have to progress particularly quickly, it wouldn't involve prima donnas taking as much limelight as possible, since it would be controlled by a neutral GM, and could be quite cool.
Table top games have a GM, and are frequently lauded as the kind of thing that people want CRPGs to be more like. Why not just add them to a MMORPG?
One thought that even occurs is how to implement it as a standard feature in a MMORPG. Being able to make a 'GM' style account/character, with limited abilities to grant buffs or quest rewards, or spawn in monsters in certain areas, a feedback form you could fill in, or a way to rate the type, style and ability of a GM so that people could see the kind of GM, it'd be pretty cool.
