MMO Development Lesson #16
Don’t be different for the sake of being different. Be different for the sake of being better. If the core tenets (or vision) of your game dictate that a standard MMO feature be removed or changed, then so be it. Most everything currently counted as a standard is there for a good reason, not just because everyone else does it (despite some claims to the contrary). I’m not advocating cloning, but it is important to examine why things are the way they are, and avoid being different just for the sake of not being the same as other games (you may find that your game would benefit from that feature you wanted to change).
[...] posted “MMO Development Lesson #16” and while I agree with the overall message, I don’t like the way the introduction [...]
[...] There’s a lesson here. A Lesson to rule all Lessons. [...]
The problem that I have with this lesson is that there is no clear definition of “better.”
Is a skill-based system “better” than a stat-based system, or would a combination be “better?” If a backpack can hold only a very limited amount of loot, would that be “better?” If two whacks from a sword would kill anyone in the game, is it “better?”
There are thousands of variations that could be applied to the MMO genres, but deciding which are “better” is tricky business with millions of development dollars at risk.
It’s because of this that I disagree with the contention that many of the standards are in place because there is a good reason, unless that good reason is “we know this, more or less, works.” For me, it seems that some standards remain solidly entrenched simply because developers know that new systems require a lot more work and in the end they run the risk of poor adoption of new systems that gamers aren’t already familiar with. And for the most part, those same central, institutional systems have been in place since the dawn of computer gaming.
So when you say “be different for the sake of being better,” to me it seems like the accepted definition of “better,” especially in MMO development, is a slightly-slicker version of what has been largely accepted before.
Since I’m not in the industry, I’m completely dabbling in opinion here. Maybe Ryan can say whether I’m hit or miss here.
There seems to be a harsh separation between the various systems within MMOs today. A few of those systems, of course, being combat, travel, questing, looting, instancing…etc. Most of the time it seems, just purely from an outside standpoint, that these game aspects are created as stand-alone pieces that are forced together to make up the overall game world.
From my experience as a hobbyist game maker, I like to start with the macro game world and design from there. Asking myself what is the overall point of this game world and how do I create the tools the players need to interact with the world.
In sticking with the theme of Ryan’s main post, I think many times in modern MMOs, systems are put into games without a lot of foresight as to how the system should or will impact the macro game world.
Concentrating on the macro world first can help define the sense of purpose that players should get while they play the game, especially at max skill or max level.