What we want from The Next Great MMORPG!

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  McMackMuck Member

  December 2021

  Here's my opinions... I focus I what I feel an MMORPG needs to have, rather than the knobs and whistles that I might also want it to have.
  
  Beyond my pre-requisite "no p2w", there are a few critical system implementations for an MMORPG to have a life beyond the first few months (Cough cough New World):
  
  1) Combat. It needs to be a satisfying experience, where you develop a feel for your character's capabilities and limitations. An emphasis on group interactions would also make the game feel like an MMO rather than a solo game in a shared environment, whilst adding greater tactical depth. I'm happy to see quasi-regular combat balance tweaks that results in winners and losers as it means the devs are at least trying to adjust balance (even if we accept that a game cannot be completely balanced because of too many complex interdependencies).
  
  2) non consentual PvP. It needs to work in such a way that losers do not become disenfranchised and quit. For Ashes, playtesting of the corruption system may result in the discussion polarizing between PvE-ers and PvP-ers if it is not possible to strike a happy medium. I believe that the corruption system should be harsh on ganking PvP-ers as there are several formal (opt-in) PvP activities that don't result in corruption.
  
  3) Economy. The economy needs to not have rampant inflation. It also needs to allow players to play the markets making some relatively rich and some relatively poor. If 1% of a server's population holds 99% of the gold there needs to be several ways and means of poorer players redistributing that wealth. If a high percentage (99.99%?) of the server's gold is permanently sitting in storage, does the economy still work?
  
  4) Content. Whether it's quests, node politics, an overarching plot line, dungeons/raids, PvP arenas or something else, there needs to be a variety of things to do that changes over time so that players don't get bored with samey-content.
  
  5) Guilds and/or social groups. One of the biggest things keeping me in a game is contributing to team objectives. I've stuck with games long after I got bored with the grind just because I was part of a team. I enjoyed the social interaction and helping others. Although this doesn't fix issues that would eventually make me quit it does make me tolerant of them to an extent which gives the devs time to fix them (if the devs listen - many games don't).
  
  Each of these impact on the longevity of the game.
  
  I think Ashes has plans in place to address all of the above, so it will come down to the detail of how each system works and interacts. We should know everything we need to know by the end of A2 playtest iterations. As Intrepid don't have the time pressure of shareholders expecting a timely return on investment it allows them to iterate systems for longer than most other companies.
  
  Intrepid doesn't exist in a vacuum though...
  ... I think Jake Song is in a realistic position to challenge Steven Sharif for MMORPG market share if Ashes takes too long. Blizzard also have the pedigree and resources, but I'm not sure they are ready to accept WoW is in a death spiral and start on something new. Maybe when they've finished with Diablo 2: The Bandwagon and expansions, generated another Starcraft release (3?), then they might re-visit MMORPGs.

  

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