Dream MMO - Part I

Dream MMO - Part I By Ron Fair Ron Fair is a very passionate writer and scholar whose strong and sometimes unconventional opinions have stirred controversy - though his arguments and logic are often stronger than one might suspect. He is very active on MMOsite as an Associate Writer for the blogs (LordYanLiang) and moderator on the forums.

Back in August, the so-called "MMO Misanthrope" (I thought I deserved that title personally, but what can you do?) crafted their dream MMO using four core ideals (amongst others) based on somewhat radical thinking. And if I may say so myself, the dream the MMO Misanthrope crafted is a very, very beautiful one. I think I would play that "Dream MMO", but at the same time that dream MMO isn't MY dream MMO. I can definitely appreciate the "radical" approach, but my dream MMO is just a little more grounded, and built with just a little more universal appeal. This is the sort of dream MMO that I think everybody might enjoy, so I will share the core principles with as much detail as I am able to muster clearly, to see if you share my dream as well.

Dream MMO - Part II - Point 3 and 4

Point 1 and 2

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1. Limit leveling

The MMO Misanthrope called for the elimination of leveling and character advancement entirely, and while I can certainly respect the notion and the mentality behind wanting to eliminate the idea of grinding to invincibility, I find that the grandest sort of MMO cannot go without some sort of means of empowering your character. Even in a game driven entirely by stories and events, it would essentially mean that the only true competition gamers would get would come from the AI or possibly a GM posing a boss. Sure, this is cool, but in a game world truly shaped by players, if everybody was the same level and strength, mass PvP battles and PvP events would practically be devoid of challenge -- everything would just come down to a numbers game. It would also make events like players assuming any sort of power, guild or nation or otherwise, impractical. Imagine an army composed of nothing but privates, with no private particularly more qualified than the next. It wouldn't really mean much if one of them assumed command, because they don't have the ability to back up their elevated rank and responsibilities. There would be virtually no prestige in the position, and a group of anyone could take that private down and assume command themselves. Sure, there are applications for an MMO without any method of character advancement to speak of, but those are applications are limited.

No, there is definitely a need for leveling. But here's a radical idea: don't make such a big deal about it! Dynasty Warriors Online took a step in the right direction with its rank system, wherein when a character gains a rank, their stats don't go up, but the problem is that gaining ranks also requires a mindless grind -- and milestone ranks allow you to equip better weapons, so the game just promotes an indirect level grind. Level gains should not be the product of a mindless repetition of any task, whether it be running dungeons, completing tasks, or killing NPCs. Rather, level gains and character advancement should be a product of actually playing the game, and advancing through the game and storyline. And to that end, the methods for a player to be able to gain EXP should also be very limited as well. Every opportunity for a player to gain EXP and gain levels should have some sort of impact on the game and the evolving story. This might theoretically leave a big gap in things to do, as minimizing repetition and creating meaningful gameplay opportunities for EXP would mean that quests and events would come few and far between. That doesn't necessarily have to be the case, however. There can be quest opportunities for characters looking to establish their guilds or raise their personal stock in their kingdom or realm, and these quests can be carefully-conceived and programmed to limit the repetitive grinding that is the standard of the MMO. The most important point is that these quests actually lead to a specific point, instead of being leveling for the sake of leveling.

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And in this sense, the limitation to character advancement can coincide with what players actually hope to achieve. If a gamer just wants to PvP, they can gain their levels through PvP experience (both in wins and losses) and perhaps some training quests that can help build skills. They'll be grinding in a sense, but they'll just be grinding PvP kills -- which is what they wanted to do in the first place, so it's fine. Someone who wants to PvP can reach a respectable level with only a comparatively moderate output of time and effort, but would never become as strong as somebody looking for national dominance or to be a true in-game/story force, in which their leveling experience would take longer but would be more varied and significant, but they would be among the most powerful players in a game. Anyone who simply wanted to take casual quests or face the AI, partaking in the changing events but not committed enough to shaping the game in general, would take the shortest amount of time to level but wouldn't expect to become as powerful as an elite PvPer or as somebody looking for the whole enchilada. They might gain their levels and their strength in a way similar to leveling in Oblivion -- every little task you do builds up your skill level, from walking to gain endurance and speed to swinging any sort of object or weapon to gain weapon skill and strength. This could be a universal system -- very simple and inclusive to anything a player does without having to think about it or waste their time repeating to the point where an MMO just stops being fun. Figure, each "tier" of character would have that basic skill set and means to improve upon those skills, but only those who want to rise to power figuratively would have the outlet to rise to power literally.

Ultimately, character advancement takes a back seat to the gameplay experience, instead of being the primary or sole driving force of the gameplay experience. Instead of grinding to be able to do what you want in an MMO, you do want you want and the EXP comes as you do it. Better equipment can come from dungeons, semi-unique quests, and events both regular and special, and the rest comes down to the skills of the actual player.

And for those that actually want to submit to their obsessive-compulsive nature and go through the "grind" to become powerful without actually doing anything with it…well, the outlet is there as well. It's a win-win for everybody.