FW: [MUD-Dev] DESIGN: Study of MMORPG/MUD friendliness

[Lisa Galarneau]

Sean Howard said:

> I'd say that UI differences make the least amount of
> differences. Most MMORPGs have a specific set of functions (user
> created channels, shouts, tells, group chat, mail, who,
> friend/ignore list, etc) which are standard.  I don't think I've
> seen a MMORPG without these features, or if I had, I didn't think to
> miss them. I don't think I've seen any MMORPGs with more than that
> either. I think one has an in game forum for guilds to use.

Speaking as a player here, I would argue that UI makes a huge
difference.  CoH's team seek and find member functions are so simple and
well-integrated that the temptation to use them is tremendous.  Having
to broadcast LFG on a chat channel (even a dedicated one like WoW) is
messy, annoying to listen to, and easy to miss.  And in SWG, I find that
the UI for finding other players is pretty unfriendly, even though it
has endless options built-in -- I can search for players well enough
(even by blood type?), but there are no context-sensitive options for
sending tells, etc., once I've identified them (unless I've missed it?
If so, that's a usability issue right there).  And if a player is
standing around that I want to talk to?  Why do I have to spell their
name to send a tell?  Actually, the ability to communicate easily and
casually has been missing from several MMOs I've played lately.  But
again, in CoH, I can easily send tells to a player via a right-click,
both in physical proximity and from my friends' list, etc.

But the key for me with regard to grouping in CoH is that I can
broadcast my availability via the 'seek team' flag, then go about my
business.  Nine times out of ten, someone invites me to group within
about ten minutes, often within a minute -- but if they don't, I haven't
wasted a bunch of time standing around.  And when I want to a build a
team, it's a quick scan of a list (clearly marked with who's LFG, as
well as their level, location and class), fire off a bunch of grouping
invitations via quick right-clicks, and in about a minute, I've got a
group of eight (with very little begging -- people generally join first
and negotiate terms second).  I'd say the ease of use decreases the work
of trying to group and dramatically increases the pay-off.

Does anyone know if there are statistics out there for the various MMOGs
and percentages of time people spend grouped vs. solo?  It would be
interesting to see if ease-of-use of grouping functions has an effect on
the tendency to group (although this is as much a function of the type
of players that gravitate towards any given game, perhaps).

And, on this topic, as well (since I've momentarily delurked), does
anyone have opinions or data on frequency of grouping as it relates to
player attrition?  Does grouping and guild/clan membership translate to
greater stickiness?

Lisa
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