Story in MMORPGs

robert4818 · 2005-08-08T02:48:55

Just some thoughts on stories from MMO's. One of the goals of an MMO is to have players create thier own stories. Unfortunately what I see in alot of games is that the games do not really provide the necessary items for players to really do that. Some games, like EQ provide no story at all except a background. After that the world remains pretty static with just quests for the players to go through. Other games such as FF11 and guild wars, try to run the player through the GAMES storyline. Either way though the game does not really provide much of a way for players to forge thier own story in thier game....just an endless grind to the top. By forging their own stories, I mean getting the feeling that the player gets to react to a changing world, but is not being led around by the nose.... What are the items that MMO's can provide that will allow players to forge thier own stories... A dynamic world. This is one of, if not the most important concepts in the idea. A static world just does not lend itself towards the creation of stories. Its nothing but walking around a gameboard. Now when creating a dynamic world, there need to be some story changes that get affected by the players, and there needs to be some changes that the player CANNOT help and can only react to. Most games that strive fof a static world go in only one of those two directions. The game's dynamic world needs to set up situations to draw players in. (i.e. a town being ravaged by plauge, thieves, etc) that the player can choose to help or not...Situations like this may need to be instanced. This way players can feel that they are the ones reacting to the world, not trying to compete with other players. I'll stop rambling for now...but just some thoughts on story.

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by robert4818 August 07, 2005 06:28 AM

9 comments, last by methulah 19 years, 6 months ago

methulah

172

August 08, 2005 02:48 AM

My MMORPG project is basically based around interactive programming (link[sorry, it's just a WIP]).

We are working very hard to create a system where popular and powerful players can literally take positions of power, where they get a stronghold-like managing system. They can just as easily wage war against other factions, indeed the whole design is faction based.

We are working on getting a _good_ instanced quest system where results effect the world. One thinng that worries us is that with the success of games like WoW, it seems that players just want to sit around spawn camping mobs 'til they level. Does anyone think there is a market for a game with an actual dynamic world where the player can be involved on multiple levels?

[email=django@turmoil-online.com]Django Merope-Synge[/email] :: Project Manager/Lead Designer: Turmoil (www.turmoil-online.com)

Story in MMORPGs

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Story in MMORPGs

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