Fr Mmorpg [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Fr Mmorpg [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Thunder
10-06-03, 07:36 AM Hey, what do you guys think about the idea of having an MMORPG set in the Forgotten Realms?
To those who don't know what an MMORPG is, it is short for Massive-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Games under this catergory include Everquest. The main appeal of an MMORPG is that you get to adventure in an alternate and constantly changing world, all the while meeting new companions from all over the globe.

Anyway, back to the point. I really think that an FR MMORPG will work out. This is because the PC and video gaming community has been exposed to a wide range of games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and most of them have been critically acclaimed( eg. Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights). Morever, the Forgotten Realms have been fleshed out to a gargantuan extent, and the game developers only need to refer to the continuosly coming out supplements for ideas.

I can imagine the nearly-infinite amounts of quests to complete, and perhaps the game developers may engage the assistance of devoted players to act as DMs and create quests for a certain area of the world! Imagine your adventures being played out not by just your gaming group, but by people all over the world!

Also, I really wish that the events in the MMORPG will be directly interwined with the novels and storylines! That way, I can make an impact for all to see instead of just being restricted to my gaming group! (However, I can forsee certain players with name such as MQ2747dh being immortalised in the setting
:D!)

So, what do you guys think about this issue?
Darkmistress
10-06-03, 08:02 AM This topic has come up way, way too many times, I think.

Have you ever played a MMORPG? No, playing NWN online doesn't count. Playing any of the IE games multiplayer doesn't count, either. And no, playing Diablo/Diablo2 on Battle.net isn't quite it.

I was a player of Everquest for over two years. My main character was level 56. I have canceled my account long since, but I can say with good authority that MMORPGs are, to some extent, all the same. Why? That's because of the majority of players.

To put it simply: most people don't want story. Most people don't want a rich setting. Most people want pretty graphics, preferably with a lot of sex appeal (and ideally, with little lag), and phat lewtz. And if a company wants to make money, it must make a game that appeals to the majority.

Everquest had only one "roleplaying" server when I left it, one out of over twenty and more; I highly doubt they have established another by now. Even then, the roleplaying server wasn't awfully popular. People who were on them didn't really roleplay.

Guilds are not judged by their roleplaying. They are categorized into first, second, third, etc. tiers by measuring how many "big" monsters they have slain, how many uber items they have accumulated, and how high the level of their players are. People would quarrel over a spawning mob. Fights broke out over items and money. Some people would spend hours after hours after hours "camping" for an item or another. Quests were done not because of roleplaying value, but because of the items you would be rewarded with. For all the time I spent in the game, I only saw "real" roleplayers perhaps thrice. The game soon became a chore, but an addictive one. I played mostly for the socializing, but as I ascended to higher levels, I joined a guild or two. I couldn't really participate much due to timezone differences, and I was left behind pretty quick. Because I was becoming bored with the leveling treadmill, and I wasn't motivated to join major "raids" on dragons, gods, and other major critters. Story? What story? The official site tried to tag in some semblance of plot, but it's rather meaningless and ignored.

A lot of balance problems abounded. People choose what class to play not because of its roleplaying value. People chose classes because of how easy it is to find group with X class, how much damage per second does Y class deal with Z weapon in hand, etc. EQ message boards brimmed -- and probably still do -- about posts along the line of, "Omg! Enc is so overpowered! Druids must die!" No one was really happy with his/her class, I think. I played the enchanter, and remember being very bitter over the bard's ability that began to override some of my class'. In a FR MMORPG... Well. I can already hear the complaints. "My favourite prestige class didn't make it in! There's no X spell, and no Y feat to choose from! Omg, Z skill is useless, and why did I bother playing A class with B race combination and C deity choice? I can't find a group! *cries*"

Customer service was awful. Someone cheated you? Report to a guide or a GM? Good luck getting the matter sorted out! Because a guide will tell you he/she doesn't have power to solve this or that. A GM -- if there's a response from one at all -- will tell you, in a roundabout way, to suck it up. Or "I'll look into it," but nothing ever gets done. Oh, I've run into a few good guides and GMs -- and they were very, very good -- but they were rare.

A FR MMORPG would be just like that. Maybe sans the horrible customer service. Maybe.

I can imagine the nearly-infinite amounts of quests to complete, and perhaps the game developers may engage the assistance of devoted players to act as DMs and create quests for a certain area of the world!

That used to happen sometimes in Everquest, but rarely -- unless you pay extra to get on a special server, where GM events were supposed to be more frequent. In which case, it'd need one hell of a lot of GMs to orchestrate that. Nearly infinite amounts of quests to complete? Not likely. If they are set quests, once someone completes it, spoilers and walkthroughs will be posted all over the 'Net. And there are only so many ways to fabricate a quest in a computer game. "Go here, kill this, fetch that, return to me for a diminutive amount of EXP and a sucky item for reward."

The main appeal of an MMORPG is that you get to adventure in an alternate and constantly changing world, all the while meeting new companions from all over the globe.

Everquest has a fairly big world. But if you have played it, you would know all too well the cycle: Lake of Ill Omen -> Overthere -> Dreadlands -> KC. Well, since SoL came out, it changed a bit. But there you go: most areas will be deserted most of the time, with players competing in a series of "hot" areas that are supposed to dish out more EXP than the rest.

Pessimistic? Perhaps. But I'm speaking from experience.
Pandelume
10-06-03, 05:55 PM Well they are making a D&D online game its just not a FR setting.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/ddonline/index.html

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Thunder 10-06-03, 07:36 AM	Hey, what do you guys think about the idea of having an MMORPG set in the Forgotten Realms? To those who don't know what an MMORPG is, it is short for Massive-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Games under this catergory include Everquest. The main appeal of an MMORPG is that you get to adventure in an alternate and constantly changing world, all the while meeting new companions from all over the globe. Anyway, back to the point. I really think that an FR MMORPG will work out. This is because the PC and video gaming community has been exposed to a wide range of games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and most of them have been critically acclaimed( eg. Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights). Morever, the Forgotten Realms have been fleshed out to a gargantuan extent, and the game developers only need to refer to the continuosly coming out supplements for ideas. I can imagine the nearly-infinite amounts of quests to complete, and perhaps the game developers may engage the assistance of devoted players to act as DMs and create quests for a certain area of the world! Imagine your adventures being played out not by just your gaming group, but by people all over the world! Also, I really wish that the events in the MMORPG will be directly interwined with the novels and storylines! That way, I can make an impact for all to see instead of just being restricted to my gaming group! (However, I can forsee certain players with name such as MQ2747dh being immortalised in the setting :D!) So, what do you guys think about this issue?
Darkmistress 10-06-03, 08:02 AM	This topic has come up way, way too many times, I think. Have you ever played a MMORPG? No, playing NWN online doesn't count. Playing any of the IE games multiplayer doesn't count, either. And no, playing Diablo/Diablo2 on Battle.net isn't quite it. I was a player of Everquest for over two years. My main character was level 56. I have canceled my account long since, but I can say with good authority that MMORPGs are, to some extent, all the same. Why? That's because of the majority of players. To put it simply: most people don't want story. Most people don't want a rich setting. Most people want pretty graphics, preferably with a lot of sex appeal (and ideally, with little lag), and phat lewtz. And if a company wants to make money, it must make a game that appeals to the majority. Everquest had only one "roleplaying" server when I left it, one out of over twenty and more; I highly doubt they have established another by now. Even then, the roleplaying server wasn't awfully popular. People who were on them didn't really roleplay. Guilds are not judged by their roleplaying. They are categorized into first, second, third, etc. tiers by measuring how many "big" monsters they have slain, how many uber items they have accumulated, and how high the level of their players are. People would quarrel over a spawning mob. Fights broke out over items and money. Some people would spend hours after hours after hours "camping" for an item or another. Quests were done not because of roleplaying value, but because of the items you would be rewarded with. For all the time I spent in the game, I only saw "real" roleplayers perhaps thrice. The game soon became a chore, but an addictive one. I played mostly for the socializing, but as I ascended to higher levels, I joined a guild or two. I couldn't really participate much due to timezone differences, and I was left behind pretty quick. Because I was becoming bored with the leveling treadmill, and I wasn't motivated to join major "raids" on dragons, gods, and other major critters. Story? What story? The official site tried to tag in some semblance of plot, but it's rather meaningless and ignored. A lot of balance problems abounded. People choose what class to play not because of its roleplaying value. People chose classes because of how easy it is to find group with X class, how much damage per second does Y class deal with Z weapon in hand, etc. EQ message boards brimmed -- and probably still do -- about posts along the line of, "Omg! Enc is so overpowered! Druids must die!" No one was really happy with his/her class, I think. I played the enchanter, and remember being very bitter over the bard's ability that began to override some of my class'. In a FR MMORPG... Well. I can already hear the complaints. "My favourite prestige class didn't make it in! There's no X spell, and no Y feat to choose from! Omg, Z skill is useless, and why did I bother playing A class with B race combination and C deity choice? I can't find a group! cries" Customer service was awful. Someone cheated you? Report to a guide or a GM? Good luck getting the matter sorted out! Because a guide will tell you he/she doesn't have power to solve this or that. A GM -- if there's a response from one at all -- will tell you, in a roundabout way, to suck it up. Or "I'll look into it," but nothing ever gets done. Oh, I've run into a few good guides and GMs -- and they were very, very good -- but they were rare. A FR MMORPG would be just like that. Maybe sans the horrible customer service. Maybe. I can imagine the nearly-infinite amounts of quests to complete, and perhaps the game developers may engage the assistance of devoted players to act as DMs and create quests for a certain area of the world! That used to happen sometimes in Everquest, but rarely -- unless you pay extra to get on a special server, where GM events were supposed to be more frequent. In which case, it'd need one hell of a lot of GMs to orchestrate that. Nearly infinite amounts of quests to complete? Not likely. If they are set quests, once someone completes it, spoilers and walkthroughs will be posted all over the 'Net. And there are only so many ways to fabricate a quest in a computer game. "Go here, kill this, fetch that, return to me for a diminutive amount of EXP and a sucky item for reward." The main appeal of an MMORPG is that you get to adventure in an alternate and constantly changing world, all the while meeting new companions from all over the globe. Everquest has a fairly big world. But if you have played it, you would know all too well the cycle: Lake of Ill Omen -> Overthere -> Dreadlands -> KC. Well, since SoL came out, it changed a bit. But there you go: most areas will be deserted most of the time, with players competing in a series of "hot" areas that are supposed to dish out more EXP than the rest. Pessimistic? Perhaps. But I'm speaking from experience.
Pandelume 10-06-03, 05:55 PM	Well they are making a D&D online game its just not a FR setting. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/ddonline/index.html