[MUD-Dev] When will new MMORPGs that are coming out get original withthe gameplay?

[Sasha Hart]

[Matt Mihaly]
> [Paul Schwanz]
>> [David Kennerly]

>>> When enough players vote for originality with their wallets.

>> On the other hand, it is difficult to vote for what isn't on the
>> ballot. It seems to me that originality is going to take some
>> risks on the part of developers as well.

> There are hundreds of MMORGs out there. The idea that they are all
> the same is patently ludicrous. The gamers have voted and they are
> voting, en masse, for one type of game.

Okay, so suppose that we have some original game out (which, as Paul
Schwanz is pointing out, is a logical necessity in order to 'vote
for it with your wallet' as David Kennerly gives is necessary for
original games to come out.)

There is nothing wrong with believing that originality doesn't pay,
and cloning does. It is plausible enough. But here is an invalid way
of getting to that conclusion: waiting until an original (or cloned)
game comes out, then gauging the success of originality or cloning
on the basis of that game. For example, if it's original but doesn't
run the gauntlet of technical problems, or is just lousy, then
people won't 'vote' for it no matter the virtues of originality or
cloning.  In fact, if it so much as gets a reputation for being bad,
or even fails to advertise adequately, then it doesn't get 'voted'
for.

Further, suppose an original game comes out, runs the gauntlet, is
found good, AND is large scale enough and well advertised enough to
be blood in the water for someone with money. What sounds more
plausible as a result - that they say to each other, 'Hey, this is
really original. Let's do an original game!' or 'Hey, THAT is taking
off. Let's do something like THAT!'

Neither the players nor the industry are treating this anything like
'voting' or 'counting votes,' so it is misleading to suggest that
any reasons for the purported unoriginality of the games are
necessarily the will of the (plebeian, bovine) players. This isn't
to say that anyone should risk anything, but on the contrary, that
any problems with originality come down to stupid reasons which no
one should be expected to fix. This I believe. The sheer cost of
these projects is vast, and I gather it is already hard enough to
break even with acceptable probability.

If you ask me, anyone who is outraged about the originality of the
genre and is not happy trying to make their own original game (e.g.
because they assume it's not worth doing anything but a lag-free
MMORPG with ten thousand players, original music, neural networks
controlling facial animation, and real-time ray-tracing) should be
working to improve the state of the free tools so that the products
of the teeming amateur hordes are improved. And they should do it in
an effective way, not reinventing every wheel in sight, not
implementing flash but unnecessary technologies, and not holding out
for a sugar daddy.

In other words, I am saying there will be more original MMORPGs when
the costs and expertise involved in production drop.

When the technology gets cheaper and the tools get good (not just
'user-friendly' apps where you paint in an NPC and set his dialogue
- those are GM tools - but usable, modular engine bits) then the
floodgates will open as they did in the text MUDs (and in other
places, like Half-life mods). What will come through will be the
characteristic mix of 90% derivative crap, 10% random crap. However,
you really cannot underestimate the importance of it being a HIGH
VOLUME of derivative and random crap; that and natural selection is
all you need in order to get the requisite stream of refined and
original games. (Mostly without original music, because whether or
not the game comes to term is part of the fitness function.)

The feasibility of this will depend on two things. One is for
amateurs to LOWER THEIR STANDARDS to allow reasonable specs. It's
not necessary or sensible to expect everyone to run HUGE games with
60,000 people in them, simulated armpit temperatures and so on. It's
not particularly fun either. (Neither is it surprising, if the list
is any indication of general opinion: 'That's not an MMORPG, it's
not big enough!' Well, so what?) The other is how long it is before
the tools are done. You can affect that directly if it is important
to you.
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