Question and answer time:
Do you think the current crop of games are moving the MMORPG genre forward? Do you think most of the games are the same recycled b.s.?
The mmorpg “scene” has been stale for some time now, but the recent E3 crushes all hopes for something new(Darkfall doesn’t count).
Leave your thoughts in the comments section.
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Server technology is moving forward. We’re seeing a slow advance of enterprise technologies and techniques into the MMO space (for instance, using relational databases for game state rather than traditionally fast flat or memory mapped files). We’re seeing a slow and cautious expansion to new genres. At the same time, we’re not seeing great advances in mechanics, I’m sure in part to the conservatism of long-time players, but also due to the inherent risk in producing something truly new. (How have most players responded to DDO’s right-click-swing mechanic, for instance? Or the other added tactical options like rolling?)
I’d like to see a highly successful game built with both inexpensive content model and innovative mechanics. I don’t believe the average MMO player would accept that game, however. How many people tried and disliked Rubies of Eventide despite innovations like its rich character development system or its encounter locking? Likewise, I don’t believe the money is going to chase small studios and innovative designs, investing instead in safe bets like Bioware or another WoW clone.
The genre is slowly moving forward, but progress is measures in blocks of three to five years (aka, the development time of the next EQ/WoW killer).