Incidently, i completly agree with madkieth.(wow) online games get boring when you get creamed all the time. practice is great but i know i wouldnt attempt to get into a game like quake online. i would never win. these online rpg''s ive played: ultima online, everquest... there isnt really anyhting that kept me coming back. ooooh lets go kill this monster.... oooh we get this much gold.... ooooh. there needs to be more to it. there needs to be a more indepth story and for an online game, this would be a paint to include all the characters into. what was up with diablo? that was a pussy point click kill (wannabe) rpg. there was little story and the game sucked online. the few times i lived to lv 10 i somehow just got killed by a passing lv 40 asshole with an itchy trigger finger.

I am not text, I am not organized pixels, I am not killed by turning off your monitor, I am not isolated by turning off your computer. I just am.

Conshape Electronic Arts

Hey, Fantasy Edge, no agreeing with me! Who am I going to have long intense arguments with if you agree with me!
*lol*
But seriously, I think there will be a trend to smaller-scale multiplayer games. If I''m not mistaken, the current crop of MMO games are very successful in amounts of users, but not really that successful in terms of revenue. It is incredibly expensive to keep all that hardware up and running I''d reckon.


People might not remember what you said, or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
Mad Keith the V.

What i find interesting is that Blizzard have kept Diablo 1 surver running. That''s very bizzare. When i logged on a few weeks ago i was expecting some sort of no answer. Online games are definitly harder to make sucessful or should i say keep sucessful after the critics have had their say.

Eco Terrorist - a name given to people who work in favor of the environment. Very interesting yes?

Exactly:
3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours 43 minutes and 5 seconds

I don''t see offline games ever dying. Online games are great and all, but they have some disadvantages. First, you can never "win" them. And if the developers did let you win them, they''d have to be pretty foolish since most are pay per month games .

Also, online games face a unique set of design challenges you never need to worry about in offline/single player games. In a single player game, if the player derives their enjoyment from killing innocent civilians, who cares? It''s not like it''s hurting anyone else. But, in a multiplayer game that can be a huge problem. Also, in a multiplayer game you have to keep things fairly well balanced, which doesn''t always go over too well with people who like to become powerful.

Also, there are just certain things that a multiplayer game can''t provide. They can''t provide much of a story other than as a backdrop, or as an excuse for certain events taking place. In a single player game the story can be strong, but in multiplayer games it just isn''t really a factor. Therefore, you aren''t going to see something like half-life in online games.

Finally, some people just don''t want to play multiplayer games. Maybe they just can''t stand some moron spamming the zone with "wts trout eyes 40 pp!". Whatever the case, there will always be a market for single player games.

quote: Original post by The Senshi


Also, there are just certain things that a multiplayer game can''t provide. They can''t provide much of a story other than as a backdrop, or as an excuse for certain events taking place. In a single player game the story can be strong, but in multiplayer games it just isn''t really a factor. Therefore, you aren''t going to see something like half-life in online games.

I''ve noticed that i lot of people here tend to think the same way but there''s something about this statement that just doesn''t agree with me. Is it just that it hasn''t been proven or done yet - the real reason why people say this?



Eco Terrorist - a name given to people who work in favor of the environment. Very interesting yes?

quote: Original post by The Senshi
never "win" them. And if the developers did let you win them, they''d have to be pretty foolish since most are pay per month games .

no, only the bad ones have a fee. Even most bad ones don''t charge you per month, just the worst of the worst. If you are talking multiplayer vs single player do not use EQ and its cronies as examples, just as we won''t use horrible single player games as our examples.

Has anyone here ever played Rainbow Six Multiplayer? I think that this is one of the only games that successfully created group interaction and teamwork into an enjoyable online expierence. Everyone playing on the same team HAD to work together because one shot and your dead. Really an incredible expierence, especially when playing cooperative, and an excellent example of an ideal online environment yet to be paralleled by a MMOG.

BTW Anyone know if Microsofts multiplayer service is still up. I think it was IGN or something...



Brent Robinson
"Ich bin deinem Vatter!"

quote: Original post by Coconut

BTW Anyone know if Microsofts multiplayer service is still up. I think it was IGN or something...

Just a side thought: What happens to the shelf-life value when the MMO game stops being widely popular. Someone was warning me away from purchasing the game Allegiance because no one''s playing it online anymore. Unless the server software''s publicly released, you''re stuck with a complete dud.

So much for replaying old classics...

--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

I''m with MadKeith all the way on this one. Guess he won''t be getting any arguments from me.

A couple years back, I actually started developing a game just like the one he described. Then I got my head out of the clouds and recognized its scope, which is a shame. It would have been nice to finish a game just for my friends and me. Perhaps after college, when I have more experience and money.

I would definitely like to see such a game hit the market, even if it''s only to test the consumer waters. Vampire: Redemption was the first of this breed, since you could make your own stories and whatnot. (Personally, I hated the game. They completely disregarded the sit-down rules, and that''s why the game sucked.) I think Neverwinter Nights will be a much better example.

I''m not one for Internet games, if only because I can''t stand lag and unstable connections. I don''t think I''m the only person here who''s been disconnected in the middle of a fight in Asheron''s Call or another such MMORPG. I cancelled my account almost a year ago.