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

[kennerly at sfsu.edu]

--- Matt Mihaly <the_logos at achaea.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 7 Jul 2003, Paul Schwanz wrote:
>> David Kennerly wrote:

>>> 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.

Original gameplay is on the MMO ballot. A few examples: Puzzle
Pirates (Puzzle), JumpGate (RTS?), Eve (Space RTS?), ToonTown
(Turn-based/puzzle suite), Motor City Online (Racing), Fortress
(Worms Armaggedonish, Korea), BeatDance (Dancing, Korea, ... well,
not anymore), Infantry Online (Tactical/RTS?), Underlight (RPG),
Shattered Galaxy (Tactical/RTS), QuizQuiz (Game show suite, Korea),
CrazyArcade (Arcade, Korea), Mabinogi (Anime RPG, Korea). And many
more that I don't know about or can't mention.

Besides the existing games, on the commercial ballot "none of the
above" is always an option.  If any of the existing MMOGs could pump
up their user base by 20% by adding "original" features, they would.
The producers would sign the check with a smile.  Likewise, if any
MMOG was faced with a loss of 20% of their user base for lack of
"original" features, they would sing a new song.

And in other countries, Asian countries are the only ones that I
know for sure, MMOs with original gameplay are getting a larger
share of the market than in the US.  Developers there are feeding
what their players are hungry for.  I guess in the US we developers,
to a comparable degree of efficiency, are feeding our players what
they are hungry for, too.  If they begin to get tired of the 2003
status quo, there are at least dozens of original alternatives.

> On Mon, 7 Jul 2003, Paul Schwanz wrote:

>> It seems to me that originality is going to take some risks on
>> the part of developers as well.

Yes, you're right. Most any game's developer takes risks. Age of
Mythology mentioned this in their post-mortem in a recent Game
Developer magazine.  They tried to manage their risks of original
gameplay and familiar gameplay.  They knew the deal: It's the
players that set the odds.

David
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