Quote:
Originally Posted by Kika Maslyaka
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
eq1 is not an rpg neither =)
compare it to real rpg games like Baldurs Gates - there is not a glimpse of that in eq, neither in any other MMO
|
Newer ones are. Most mmo's out now are multiplayer rpg's repackaged so to add a sub cost. They call most everything an mmo/mmorpg these days, literally. EQ and such mmo's are MUD'ish. The new wave of mmorpg's are based on RPG play style and where everyone "wins" in their instanced solo environment.
Once upon a time, RPG's were nearly extinct, because of the horrid gameplay so many developers regurgitated over and over again. After RPG's died (apart from a few companies like Bethesda etc.), they turned their attention to the new cash cow, mmo's, but with the same cyclical games (flavor of the month) they rehashed RPG's to death with. Their not even built in mind to last, but to farm cash (marketing PHD's on the job) and then milk it until the servers are turned off.
Technically, newer mmo's out now are far more designed with RPG mechanics, yet not even as good as some of the classic RPG's. Fail at making an RPG and your company tanks, but make an awful mmo-rpg and you can milk it with a cash shop to get your money back and crank out another, with hopes of creating that killer app/game next time. Safe looking for publishers/investors.
Lastly, too many "mmorpg" players just do not like mmo's, flat out. They were lured in from PHD marketing research, promised "casual gameplay" which was injected with bright shiny graphics to compensate for the lack of content and empty rewards. Then lured from one game to the next, with the often resonating phrase "I'm boooored". But there are so many people in this world that DON'T like mmo's so that these developers/publishers target them. Then the bored players demand every mmo be like they got used to, more of the stuff that they THINK they like, or what publishers/marketeers tell them is for the cool kids like the prom queens and what the dead actors play. It's about image.
So why did EQ really die (or close to dead)? because there are not really that many real mmo players. I think it's a big chunk of the reason at least. Not that there are not enough to turn a profit for a new mmo, in time, but we are spread out more now compared to a decade ago, and often staying with a single game or two for years. The new mmorpg's (or morpg's) offer a quick fix, then their players go someplace else, but the publishers make back their money off of them. For the most part, anything that may ever be more like EQ, UO, DAoC etc. will probably be made by indie companies in the future, for the sake of the art of game making.