The Proper Care & Feeding of a MMO - A Multi-Part Series

Jacob: We here at Hyper Critical are going to start a new series based on the genre that we think has the most growth potential for the immediate future. After seeing the massive reaction garnered by games like Gears of War and Crackdown, there's no question in my mind that co-op gameplay is the future of gaming. Online gaming is no longer an option...it's expected in this next generation, on consoles and on PC. So, what else could be the pinnacle of online gaming but the MMO? The MMORPG is, in comparison to most other genres, still a little wet behind the ears. As such, I don't think game developers have even scratched the surface of what is possible in these games. I've played a couple of online games in my time, but not many. That's why the entire staff of Hyper Critical (that's myself and finnagan...) are teaming up for this in-depth look at what the genre should become.

finnagan: I'm surprised subscriptions to MMOs aren't manufactured in abandoned apartment buildings and sold in the dark corners of subway stations. It would only make sense — they're just that addicting. Don't worry, I'm not here to lecture you on playing your favorite MMO in moderation. By all means, indulge yourself. Personally, I have a special spot buried deep down in my cholesterol-ridden heart that's reserved just for MMOs. I think the fundamental idea of an MMO is fantastic. You and some friends travelling together, killing things and taking their belongings, alongside thousands of other people doing the same thing. What isn't there to like? In my opinion a lot. I think MMOs have a lot of potential of becoming a phenomenal genre but they're just not quite there yet. 'But finnagan, MMOs are an incredible genre! My hunter in WoW can out-damage (per second) a vampiric-ninja riding a cocaine-crazed triceratops'. This is where I would interrupt (with the most evangelical voice I could summon, mind you) and command the speaker to unshackle his cookie-cutter restraints. In all seriousness, WoW is great. There are some other good MMOs out there too. But are any of them truly great? Is there a Citizen Kane of MMOs? No. I think we're stuck with Road House at the moment. But fear not, true believer. There might still be hope. Jacob and I have some ideas. And we carry some weight, he and I. Over the course of the next two months, we are going to be your spiritual guide to MMO nirvana. We are going to describe an MMO, that from our perspective is flawless. We call it — A Hole in the Ground: The MMO Experience

Jacob: "But what qualifications do you have?" you might ask. "You're just a couple of guys on a blog that so few people read, I often wonder why you even post in the first place!" First off, no need to be dismissive. We're trying to help you. Secondly, we've each got multiple MMOs under our belt. finnagan has played more than I have, but I've had tenures with City of Heroes and World of Warcraft. I've also had enough experience with typical RPGs and tabletop gaming to consider myself able to speak intelligently. But there's a problem in this. The main one is that I hate MMOs. I either play video games to get an immersive narrative experience or an exciting and compelling gameplay experience. I don't play games merely for the privilege of playing them. For some, hunting down a better set of armor than the next guy is enough. That's pointless to me and that's how I find most MMOs play out. The combat isn't interesting. Most of the time it's boiled down to pressing the "1" key, over and over again. The story isn't engaging because you're getting the same quests as anyone else. A great game narrative makes you feel unique. In an MMO, I'm just another number in the mass of Orgimmar. Sure, there's lore to look up, but most of that occurs out of game, which is counterintuitive. After a while, I realize I'm doing mind-numbing fetch quests, and listening to people bitch about lag, which isn't my idea of a fun night. One of the harshest criticisms I've heard levied toward the genre was from EGM Editor Shane Bettenhausen who called it "MSN Messenger with graphics." Harsh, but at the level many current MMOs are at, I'd be hard pressed to refute it.

I also approach this from the perspective of a casual MMO player. I've never been sucked into an MMO the same way a great single player can. That's why Oblivion captivated me so much. It's like a MMO without all the assholes and a more cogent storyline. I so desperately want to be a hardcore player, because I see so much potential in the genre. It truly is the future of gaming, if done correctly.

finnagan: If MMOs were lovers, I'd be writing this with an itchy crotch and at least one illegitimate child. Like a drunken sorority-girl with a high threshold-of-pain, I've sauntered from game to game — looking for love in all the wrong places. My MMO rap sheet includes Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons: Online and The Lord of the Rings: Online. When I haven't been involved with an MMO I've been playing games like Neverwinter Nights on player-built persistent worlds. Furthermore, when we subtract teh interwebs from the equation, I'm all over Oblivion and playing tabletop Dungeons & Dragons. How do I feel about MMOs? I love the idea of MMOs, I'm just tired of the playing the same game but paying a different company. If a fantastic MMO came along, I'd welcome it with open arms (and an open wallet).

Jacob: finnagan and myself have been planning this out for some time now. Over the past few years, we've discussed what makes a good MMO. What the highlights were in the ones we were playing, what was wrong with each of them, and what we wished they could do. Over the span of this 8(?) part series, we'll cover all of that and, through that, craft the perfect MMO.

finnagan: What would the perfect MMO (A Hole in the Ground: The MMO Experience) entail? Well, that's what we're going to be talking about over the next two months. We're going to be covering several issues that will hopefully open some eyes. We're going to be looking at the idea of a persistent world, how a player should be able to interact with the world, be it his inanimate surroundings or NPCs. We'll also talk about how the story of an MMO should be handled. This involves the scary idea of player-driven story. Something else that we'll touch on is the maximum capacity of game servers and how they should be managed. We'll examine the idea of using small servers for better interaction. Of course, we can't forget the ever-beloved character creation screen. This is something that I hold dear to my heart. If someone released Character Creation, the Game I wouldn't be writing this, I'd be playing that instead. So, of course we're going to be talking about the digitalized birthing process of your character. And if we're going to be talking about the birth of characters, we've got to look at the death as well. What happens to us when we die? If we don't know in real life, should we know in a game? Spooky, huh?

Jacob: All in all, I think this has the potential to be fascinating. For us, at least. We'll get to all of this in time. In our next installment, we'll discuss the idea of a persistent world and where we came up with the title, A Hole in the Ground: The MMO Experience.