The second installment in a three part series of articles depicting a different approach to MMORPG design capable of defeating the stagnation plaguing the genre.
The Curse of Stagnation that plagues the MMORPG genre today is truly a monumental plight, as evidenced by the subsequent failure of every new major MMORPG title throughout the last several years. Yet any problem has a solution. Alas, as is often the case, some simply refuse to acknowledge such solutions as viable. This is what has led me to writing this particular series of articles: to at least throw out an idea, to upset the established order, even if ever so slightly.
Part 1 of this series was concerned with items, which are a defining feature of MMORPGs as a whole. Now, with that article serving as a sort of foundation, I’d like to go into the more complex concept of player interaction in MMORPGs and how it can be altered to bring forth those much desired qualities of surprise, excitement and discovery that players expect from the virtual fantasy worlds they populate within the confines of the MMORPG genre.
To start off, let’s look at the currently existing methods of player interaction in modern MMORPGs as a whole. Whether it’s PvE content with characters teaming up to vanquish their mutual enemies, PvP combat with players fighting against each other for glory and honor, or even non-combat oriented activities such as crafting and trade, MMORPGs today offer plenty of variety but little room for originality.
As with extremely low drop chance items and randomized stats, an element of the unexpected can bring incredible amounts of enjoyment to player interaction as a whole, if only such elements were allowed in the all too strictly regulated worlds of popular theme park MMORPGs today.
For the most prominent example, let’s look at player-versus-player combat. However, since we’re speaking of surprise and excitement, let’s throw away predefined types of PvP such as battlegrounds/warfronts, arenas and world based PvP scenarios. What does that leave us? Open world PvP.
PvP combat in particular is arguably the single most varied experience players can have in an MMORPG for the simple reason that players don’t behave in a predefined manner and thus constantly generate original content within the game world like a rich source of fuel that is just waiting to be tapped. However, the modern obsession with balance and safety in the MMORPG genre has all but eradicated truly unexpected scenarios and improvisation for those partaking in PvP.
Instead of being expected to travel a persistent fantasy game world and encounter various enemy players in it, engaging in unexpected and totally improvised combat situations, players are herded like cattle into instanced areas bearing the name of battlegrounds, warfronts, arenas, and a variety of other titles to try and cover up the bland and static nature of what these areas really offer. These special places, plastered with pillows and other safety measures, force players to play by specific rules and never allow anyone to truly shine in ways that were not predetermined by a strict system of balance and equality for all.
Some MMORPGs go further than that and attempt to mask the predefined nature of such PvP by providing world PvP scenarios and the like, which offer PvP incentive in the persistent game world, usually revolving around various objectives to perform, such as capturing territory or destroying enemy fortifications.
Yet I’m sure that anyone who takes a truly critical look at such PvP content will have no trouble realizing just how limited it is. The only difference between such forced world PvP and battlegrounds is the lack of instancing (usually). When all is said and done, such scenarios are no more exciting or surprising than a battleground or arena match, and that is a sad state of things.
I postulate that true PvP lies in open world PvP: the kind of PvP that takes place in the persistent game world and is fueled entirely by players’ actions, decisions and desires.
When casting aside the concepts of balance and safety for but a moment, it isn’t hard to see the benefits of open world PvP, as it adds the highly desired yet incredibly elusive concepts of freedom and the unexpected to a fantasy world that is otherwise restricted by a myriad of static elements.
Picture this. A mighty warrior traverses the path between two tall hills on his way through the wilds. His goal is to reach a small town in that particular zone that is known to have a merchant who deals in rare and hard to find enchanted weapons. He is armed to the teeth, much like any adventurer travelling those lands should be, but being the close quarters combatant that he is, he has few options for long ranged battle, and that is a hindrance that he would soon regret. Several archers reveal themselves atop the hills on either side of the path the warrior was taking. It swiftly becomes evident that they are of the enemy faction. It is also obvious who their target is and what they plan on doing. Not a moment later, a rain of arrows shower the warrior from above, leaving him in a most unfortunate situation. Calculating his chances, the warrior realizes that he has no way of scaling the steep hills on either side of the path to get to his assailants. With his heavy armor providing some protection from the biting arrows, the warrior attempts to flee the path as swiftly as possible. Alas, that simply wasn’t meant to be. One of the archers fires an enchanted arrow that brings the warrior to his knees in the midst of his flight. It’s all over. The warrior was outnumbered, outwitted and defeated.
The unfortunate reality today is that many would call such a scenario “ganking” or some other term that evokes feelings of dread and anger. But why? Let’s take a closer look.
Both players and developers alike would not look any further than the ending of that particular scenario and instantly brand it as a negative player experience that should be prevented at all costs. However, upon glancing at the big picture, it becomes evident that such a scenario is but one event out of many in a thriving, living fantasy game world. Furthermore, what many perceive as “negative” player experiences are exactly the types of memories that stick with players for years on end, for challenge and defeat sting harder than bland, predefined combat, and leave a dramatic impression the likes of which static MMORPG content is simply not capable of. Dynamic content, regardless of the outcome, speaks to the heart. And no matter what players that fall prey to some negativity every once in a while may shout and cry using their conscious minds, their hearts know better, and developers would do well to appeal to the hearts of their players rather than their conscious faculties.
Furthermore, just because some players fail to control their emotions upon defeat (which happens even in predefined PvP content) doesn’t mean the benefits of freedom and diversity should be removed from the game, because at the end of the day, all players are equal before the winds of chance. All have the opportunity to setup ambushes in the vast wilds of their virtual fantasy world of choice, all have the freedom to organize events with friends or against enemies, and all have their choice of activities in the game world. Or rather, they would, if they were not guided by the hand and repressed from any true form of freedom at every turn.
It is in player-created interaction that lies the true source of diversity and surprise in an MMORPG. It’s sad that MMORPG developers no longer have enough faith in players’ imaginations to grant them the freedom that would make their fantasy game worlds that much more entertaining, yet the obsession with balance and “carebear” attitudes among the modern MMORPG market are simply too strong.
However, there’s more to consider. Let’s take a look at PvE content: a part of MMORPG gameplay that doesn’t revolve as strongly around balance, yet is still plenty restrained by all sorts of barriers from all sides.
When faced with the idea of PvE content, the first (and only) things that come to mind are, just as before with PvP, predefined situations. Whether it’s an instanced dungeon or raid, a persistent world PvE scenario, or just your average quest, PvE content brings little in terms of originality once it has all been consumed.
Even before being consumed, however, one singular fact remains: PvE content in popular modern MMORPGs is always the same for everyone. This may appear quite a bit like stating the obvious, but when looking at the big picture, it actually becomes somewhat of a revelation.
What is so exciting about static content that never changes? What is so fun and unexpected about fighting the same enemies and acquiring the same loot? Where is the surprise, the shock and the awe to push players to think, react and fight their way through it? And where is the dynamic content that makes players feel truly unique as they recount their unexpected and never-before-seen encounters to other players? It simply isn’t there. So how would one go about fixing such a grave injustice?
The real solution, much like with the previous topic in this series concerning items, lies in randomization. At the cost of some safety (still easily found in towns, instances and so forth), developers have the opportunity to infuse their virtual fantasy worlds with self-perpetuating PvE content that doesn’t simply provide something to consume but spurs players to feats of strength, cunning and strategic genius while at the same time rewarding them with items they do not expect.
Random item stats, random item drops, random NPC spawning and a variety of other randomized features can change the feel of the fantasy world within an MMORPG greatly, especially when striking a balance between randomosity and storytelling, thus retaining a feel of a truly thought out fantasy world but infusing it with traits that make it feel alive. After all, the goal isn’t to create a barren sandbox MMORPG but to provide players with the thriving, self-perpetuating game world they seek within a product they enjoy not only for its gameplay but also for its story and aesthetics.
What does this have to do with player interaction? Why, everything. Simply put, PvE content is but a part of the whole that is created by players in a player-run game world. PvE content, including solo content, provides players with something to do in the game world with their allies, while PvP content combines with that to add even more player generated content and unexpected results. All of this occurs in one place: the persistent game world.
Yes, I’m talking about that very persistent game world that was such a huge tide turner back in the day when MMORPGs first began offering truly seamless worlds. Back then this feature brought awe and wonder to the hearts of players. So what happened? Where did it all go so wrong? When was the turning point that sent MMORPG developers into a frenzy of repetitive instanced content? We may never know. But I digress.
In the grand scheme of things, a player encountering an NPC with randomized traits, finding an extremely low drop chance item with unexpected stats, or partaking in PvP in a completely improvised area and with unforeseen consequences, is a player who is far more attached to his/her MMORPG world of choice than one who simply logs in from time to time to consume the latest static content patch.
It is these elements in particular that can be used to forge a truly vibrant and exciting MMORPG world. The only question that remains is: why don’t developers embrace such ideas? Why not give players freedom of action and provide them with incentive to use their own imaginations by not leading them along by the hand from level one to endgame and then providing cyclical activities without a drop of originality?
It may be hard to grasp the answer to such questions without in-depth knowledge of what drives MMORPG developers to create the stale products that they have been throwing out onto the market for years now, but one thing is for certain: the current trend of creating such utterly restricted and borderline movie-like MMORPGs is spiraling the genre into stagnation.
For MMORPGs to live up to their true potential, they must give players the freedom and excitement they desire by developing actual game mechanics instead of just static, finite game content. The latter, of course, has its place, and should in no way be exterminated, but unless modern MMORPG developers tear themselves away from their overly protective attitude towards their players, the future of the genre looks grim.
In the next and final article in this series, I figure it would best to look into the final element of a self-perpetuating game world: world shaping, which is a concept that spans many levels of MMORPG gameplay. That will be the third and final part in the series, and it will follow soon™.
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