Comments on: Blizzard’s Next MMO: “New, and different.”

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:04:14 +0000

If Blizzard will be creating anything, lets hope to the heavens that they aim to actually attract MMO veterans who have scorned them ever since they’ve released this pinnacle of a treadmill game called WoW. Let’s hope that Blizzard releases a game where REAL skill is needed. Let’s hope that they create a World Simulator, something akin to Ultima Online BEFORE Trammel ruined it. Let’s hope that they create something serious to compete with Darkfall or Mortal Online(both games I can’t wait to play). I want to join a world, not a “game”. I’ve had enough of the same garbage being spat out by this industry EQ, AO, WoW, AoC, WAR ect ect…. Blizzard has the power to turn this entire industry around and go back to MMORPG roots, go back to the times where players shaped the environment in a seamless world without instances instead of the devs shaping the world for the player. I hope Blizzard begins catering to MMO vets instead of going after MMORPG noobs. But this is probably just wishful thinking…

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:13:56 +0000

There are a lot of ideas from old MMOs that I’d love to see back. Asheron’s Call 2 had some amazing features similar to what people have mentioned: A dynamic world, one that evolved depending on the players. For example, each town started out in shambles, but depending on the population of players hanging out in that town, it regrew and started having quests and NPCs to interact with. Also, the forge, required for crafting, was fueled specifically by the players. They would have to harvest resources from around the world to fuel the forge so people could craft and rebuild.

Unfortunately Asheron’s Call 2 was shipped so unfinished I considered it pre-beta. It was an amazing world though.

Then there’s the Saga of Ryzom, which is a great game I only played briefly. You basically earned spell modifiers instead of full blown spells. So you could create an entirely customizable spell depending on the situation and your play style (do you want “long range, big damage and costs lots of mana” or “short range, weak damage, but essentially free”) … I found that system to be incredibly innovative.

Then there’s Planetside, which I still have a hankering to bust out at times. One of the best MMO games ever, if it weren’t for the lag and how unbalanced things can get. I loved that it was an FPS though and it was all PvP on a global scale.

There are a lot of fantastic ideas out there that failed for many reasons… I only hope that Blizzard gathers them up and polishes the hell out of them to create a truly fun game. I don’t care if it’s “unique” or “innovative”… I want something that’s fun to play and always evolving.

By: Dathelon

Dathelon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:52:18 +0000

Evolving armor and weapons would be nice. That way everyone’s not just a copy of their neighbor and gives character types and abilities more customability. Oooh, and creating your own character type instead of getting a list of what you can be.

By: Visi

Visi — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:11:15 +0000

A game where the players built it as they went along always sounded like an awesome idea in my head…

Start out as a forest or whatever, players wear roads as lots of players pass over a point, cities would spring up at key areas…. It probably couldn’t be done, but I can fantasize.

By: Conquests.of.

Conquests.of. — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:34:59 +0000

I hope it’s World of Starhammer. Online. Craft.

of Duty.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:31:58 +0000

Your arse is well polished?

By: Andy Kay

Andy Kay — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:34:29 +0000

New and different? my arse.

(yes, my arse is new and different, at least as much as any Blizzard MMO will ever be!)

By: Erlam

Erlam — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:30:03 +0000

Oh, and kudos to the ADOM reference above!

By: Erlam

Erlam — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:24:35 +0000

“this is actually rather chin-strokingly intriguing.”

Holy crap, I was ACTUALLY stroking my chin when I read it too, hahaha.

I’d really, really love an FPS MMO based on Starcraft. In fact, the.. err… fact it hasn’t been done is insane. Come on, who WOULDN’T play that?

By: Lacobus

Lacobus — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:24:40 +0000

Things Blizzard’ll need to do capture the ’serious-gamer-but-thinks-MMO’s-are-shit market’ (in which I include myself)

1) No grind. I REALLY hate levelling up.

2) No grind. How can people enjoy this? I’d settle for less grind, or better yet, grind hidden by all the amazing fun you’re having.

3)Nothing with war or age in the title. In fact, no swords ‘n’ sourcery or far future interstellar space travel, period. Its been done to death and is B o r i n g. New idea maybe?

4) Real time combat, really, this is must. I want to click mouse-left to fire or punch or whatever, not use a menu system.

5) I know, get rid of combat all together, most games with combat in are really just excuses for teenage boys to vent any feeling of latent homosexuality anyway. Gears of War exists for this reason alone. In fact you know what? Fuck it. MMO’s will always be shit. I’m gonna go play World of Goo and PicPic (thanks Mr Walker!).

By: Nuyan

Nuyan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:57:47 +0000

Hah. So it really is the dirty cigar-smoking orc that also gave a very cool speech during the huge War Council meeting in the Gurubashi Arena (among the most impressive events in WoW ever, I’m sure), I think I still have a screenshot of you standing there somewhere. Anyway, I was one of those Second Gurubashi Empire trolls and actually ended up as guildmaster of that guild for over a year or so. Ah well, happy I left WoW though. :)

Small world.

(sorry for offtopic chatter)

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:37:51 +0000

I want more guild interaction. In WoW, a guild is basically just a group for raiding and Guild Banks were a pain in the ass to manage. I want to see more management tools regarding community aspects of the game. I buy MMORPGs to play with people online (my buddies in RL and ones I meet online). I dont buy it to grind by myself. I think the focus should be on community and group play. It is something that until GoW2 and L4D recently came out, console era was strugglin bigtime with my passion of sharing my game experience and play with someone. Anyhow, Blizz makes great games, and I will continue to buy them. I can argue, dare to be great and make another Title that is just outta nowhere and is a huge success. Or I can argue, if it aint broke, dont fix it. What you have is raking in 100+ million a month. Im no mathematician here but god that is insane.

I bitch piss and moan about dumb stuff all the time in a game. It is because i care and enjoy it so much. If you dont get people getting pissy about small things, then start to worry about the shit franchise you just made.