What could we learn from CoA for a MMORPG?
-
I have always been fascinated with online game design, and appreciate the sustained longevity and appeal of CoA.
I suspect Roleplaying is difficult to encourage in mainstream online games, but what else can we learn from the work of CoA's DMs over the last five years or so.
Personally, I like:
1. The Daily Quests and how others can be included after they begin.
2. Fugue and Resurrection system (not the xp loss, just the gameplay).Thanks,
Eric -
I think one reason CoA is as successful as it is is because it is NOT an MMORPG. The world design is up to the players to design and manage. There is an emphasis on roleplay rather than on hack and slash (Granted, there are hack and slash servers for NWN if you wanted that).
NWN enabled gamers to play the game the way they envisioned it rather than forcing everyone to think from inside their box. (To certain extents)
-
The greatest asset we have is dynamicism. We can grow and change with the player base. A lot of MMOs are pretty static and add new content over time regardless of approach.
I know Guild Wars 2 really pushed to have the dynamic story-telling paradigm; but in an MMO environment it is harder to maintain. Our player base is but a fraction, and this ends up being a very time-intensive endeavor for a lot of us.
The other appeal is the Roleplay aspect, and the extreme level of customization available – a character is how you wish to make them and from a history of your choosing, rather than a predetermined set of background quests, etc.
If these two things could be bottled and unleashed effectively in an MMO, life would end as we know it.
-
For that second part, I disagree. In a MMOPRG, I could, also, come up with a background for my character woven into the story of the universe as a whole. Nothing prevents me from saying, "my character is from Y and this and this happened to them". Just the ability to create one of them is not that much.
What's different is that the character's history is a much more relevant part of them. It's more than a word file you keep somewhere in case it turns up somewhere.
-
For that second part, I disagree. In a MMOPRG, I could, also, come up with a background for my character woven into the story of the universe as a whole. Nothing prevents me from saying, "my character is from Y and this and this happened to them". Just the ability to create one of them is not that much.
What's different is that the character's history is a much more relevant part of them. It's more than a word file you keep somewhere in case it turns up somewhere.
Whats different is that if you gave your character a history in world of warcraft, no one would give a crap about it. The only roleplaying games I've ever seen good roleplay in where the ones that booted players who went out of character or made fun of the roleplayers. And since most games that charge money won't boot customers, the only real rp you'll find is in games made by the people for the people rather than by the corporate executive for the corporate executive.
-
For that second part, I disagree. In a MMOPRG, I could, also, come up with a background for my character woven into the story of the universe as a whole. Nothing prevents me from saying, "my character is from Y and this and this happened to them". Just the ability to create one of them is not that much.
What's different is that the character's history is a much more relevant part of them. It's more than a word file you keep somewhere in case it turns up somewhere.
Whats different is that if you gave your character a history in world of warcraft, no one would give a crap about it. The only roleplaying games I've ever seen good roleplay in where the ones that booted players who went out of character or made fun of the roleplayers. And since most games that charge money won't boot customers, the only real rp you'll find is in games made by the people for the people rather than by the corporate executive for the mindless masses.
Fixed
-
To play 10 25 or 40 of us would have to get online at X time/s at X day/s of the week and know the Starry and meta game every last video or get yelled at and spend 3-4 dying multiply times for little sense of reward expect to say i have a 1% chance to get this bow that 0.01% better then my other bow.
I like COA when i'm going into a area or a dm quest it's the unknown :)