Hello everyone, I'm in the process of writing an article on the future of MMO games. =) It's not just about what would be "The Perfect MMO game", but what exactly that entails and how close we are to making that game from a practical and financial standpoint. Anyway, I've come to you today because I've got a relatively short survey to help me get into the minds of MMO game players. Just sit back, relax, and look within yourself to see what really draws you to this genre. You don't have to click any links or e-mail me or anything like that, I'll post it right here: First, let’s gets to know you as a MMO player. This is important to distinguish the differing opinions between age groups, genders and “casual” vs. “hardcore” players. (You can skip this section if you like, it's more for the article itself) 1A: What is your gender? 2A: How old are you? 3A: How long have you been playing MMO games? 4A: How did you get introduced to your first MMO game? 5A: How would you define your play experience as a gamer? (Do you consider casual vs. hardcore from strictly a time investment standpoint?) Next I'll try to find out what makes a game tick to you. What draws you to a game? 1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game. - An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock. - A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather. - A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun. - Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes. - Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read. - A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns. - A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor. 2B: Do you: - Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics? - Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill? - Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting. 3B: What keeps you playing an MMO? - The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild. - New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome. - Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun. - The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers. - PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena. Next, a few general questions: 1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors? 2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy? 3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game? 4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes). 4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor? One last question… Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game? Feel free to answer whatever questions you want. I'm aware there's not an option for everyone's tastes, but try to answer as best and honest as possible. Alternatively you could just skip the question. =D Thank you everyone who taken the time to read this, and especially those who have taken the time to answer the brief survey. Happy playing!

also just so you understand how much I hate any form of grinding I must again say I HATE GRINDING! Also in an mmo when you add new content try not to gimp the old.

Example: Runescape. A lot of people got banned for macroing cooking. 2-3 years later runescape comes out with a new "feature" where people can now macro in game cooking.

So all those thousands of players are still banned, everyone else who worked hard to get that skill up are now feeling cheap because some Joe can do it 10x more easily.


edit: Put this in a code box so that it wouldn't take up the entire screen
sunandshadow's edit: added line breaks so the code box did not stretch my screen

[Edited by - sunandshadow on August 12, 2009 2:50:41 PM]

Thanks for the reply. =)

1A: What is your gender?
Male
2A: How old are you?
17
3A: How long have you been playing MMO games?
Don't know. Atleast 3 years.
4A: How did you get introduced to your first MMO game?
A lot of my classmates played Runescape.
5A: How would you define your play experience as a gamer?
I don't quite get the question but... Hardcore?
(Do you consider casual vs. hardcore from strictly a time investment standpoint?)
Nope.

1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game.

- An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock.

High.(I usually don't like MMO storys though)

- A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather.

Low.

- A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun.

Top!

- Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes.

Moderate.

- Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read.

High.

- A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns.

Moderate.

- A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor.

I don't quite get what that would be.

2B: Do you:
- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics?

Not in the least.

- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill?

A bit.

- Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting.

If it's exciting then it's exciting, which I really like. But games rarely are.

3B: What keeps you playing an MMO?
- The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild.

I don't have enought experience to answer.

- New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome.

Definetly.

- Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun.

Nope.

- The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers.

Untill I grew bored of it.

- PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena.

If it has the above mentioned combat system, I'd never stop playing for this.



1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors?

I find it bothersome when people have better stuff becuase they've played for longer. (This si basicly imposible to avoid)

2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy?

Any un-classbased system is basicly imposible to balance, and if it were balanced it would probably be boring. I would like a system which let you change your class/re-speck. I also like when the "class" is defined by te weapon. This would also make sence when changing class.

3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game?

Exp should be awarded for doing/acheving somthing you ahve not yet done/achived. Such as beating a boss for the first time or exploring a new dungeon.

4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes).

The enemy movement should not be predictable and should force the player to activly analyze the sitiation.(Attacks might be avoided by paying atention to a backstab for example(Backstab should taget random player, so that all of them must be on-edge))

4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor?

I think it's all very situation based. Realism is however one of my last prioritys.

Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game?

Shadowrun. It's a very free world with a lot to do. Most problems cna be solved in a number of ways. Youa re also never safe in a battle. If you get shot in the head by a sniper, you're dead. It doens't mather if you are over level 9000 and have realy expensive gear. If you don't play right, you lose.




I don't know how to put it in a code block.

Thanks again for the replies guys.

Quote:

1A: What is your gender? 2A: How old are you? 3A: How long have you been playing MMO games? 4A: How did you get introduced to your first MMO game? 5A: How would you define your play experience as a gamer? (Do you consider casual vs. hardcore from strictly a time investment standpoint?)

Male, 24, about 3 years actively (though I've tried various MMO games for the last 5-6 years). Not counting browser games and MUD-s, otherwise extend the period to about 10-12 years.

I got literally dragged into it by a bunch of online friends who refused to play anything other than WoW. The ones I tried out earlier myself were the games I read about online - though my experience with them usually fit in 30 minute long sessions. I'd subsequently get bored, and quit/uninstall.

I play all games casually from a time investment standpoint, though my way of looking at games is closer to a hardcore player's perspective.

Quote:

1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game.

I didn't bother with the ordering, I hope my comments will be enough though. :)

An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock.
If my gameplay experience is heavily tied around the story, I will pay attention to it, but it's still mildly appealing at best - presence and actions of other players are bound to break any real immersion anyway.

A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather.
Very appealing as an idea.

A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun.
Pretty much a #1 priority for me.

Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes.
Appealing as long as it runs smoothly. However, the graphics don't have to be cutting-edge in technical terms. I put much more value in style, art and imagination (this is where, above all else, WoW really excels).

Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read.
Low priority / mildly appealing.

A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns.
Extremely appealing - player-ran factions, economy and politics would be a big plus for me.

A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor.
This is a vague point really. On one hand, I want to have fun. On the other, I've found that I'm indifferent (at best) to many things that majority of people considers fun.

Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics?
Absolutely not.

Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill?
Yes, not that it happens too often though. :)

Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting.
I don't mind losing, if that's what you were hinting at.

Quote:

3B: What keeps you playing an MMO? - The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild. - New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome. - Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun. - The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers. - PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena.

The friends I have playing WoW are the one single reason I'm still playing as well, though we go back a long time before WoW as well.

1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors?
It doesn't bother me at all.

2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy?
Between those two, I'd prefer a skill system. Generally, I want to be able to develop a single character the way I want, rather than having 5 different characters to try out all the abilities and tricks I find appealing.

3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game?
It is the number one thing on my hatelist when it comes to MMO games. It's actually the reason why I hold the entire genre in low regard for the time being. It's a cheap substitute for gameplay really, as is the whole "progress and achievement" line of thought. It works, yes. But it's cheap, and it's inherently bad.

4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes).
Absolutely.

4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor?
Realism doesn't have to detract from fun at all, or the number of things one can do in a world. You just need to be more creative to substitute some of the things that don't fit in a realistic game.

Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game?

Honestly, if I could play out my D&D sessions online in such an environment (with DM-ing and all), I'm pretty sure I'd never look for another computer game in my life.

1A: Female
2A: 18
3A: Err... on and off for the past six years, I think.
4A: My mom read in a magazine about something called Virtual Worlds, which was a 3D simulator where you could own property and whatnot like Second Life, but much more primitive. Eventually I discovered they had a game called Mutation, which I played for a few months. It was very simple, point-and-click fighting, with maybe five spells. Not exactly MMO, but certainly a bunch of people online playing the same game.
5A: As a gamer, I tend to like the experience of roaming around and figuring out the mechanics. I like quirky classes and good member communities, making friends and trying out new stuff. How casual or hardcore I am depends on how long I've been playing an MMO - typically I really get into it for the first month, and then once I understand it, I get bored and leave. Call me casual.

Next I'll try to find out what makes a game tick to you. What draws you to a game?

1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game. In order of preference:

1. A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor.
High! It's a game after all, it should be fun.

2. A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather.
High. I like to feel like I'm somewhere real. This ranks higher than good graphics for me; pretty pictures are nice, but they can't replace an interactive world.

3. A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun.
Yes please! I would take innovative, fun, and skill-based any day.

4. An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock.
Iffy. A single-player storyline in a multi-player world completely breaks the flow, which is what lots of MMOs are doing. But discovering more about a well-detailed game world, and a rich storyline that manages to include all of its players (challenge: make it about something other than war)? Game heaven.

5. Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read.
Moderate. I love customization, and it can really build your playerbase; if you've ever been on Gaia Online, you know what I'm talking about. Sure, it's a forum community, but their avatar customization mechanic is brilliant and addictive. Overall I think it's a lot of fun, and players will appreciate being able to look unique.

6. Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes.
Pretty lights and colors are great, but the only MMO I ever stuck with for a full year was in text. It's an awesome detail if you can get it done, but mechanics mean more to me. You can always adjust graphics later (or can you? I don't know much about 3D), but if the manpower needed to create the models saps from the balance, it's not worth it.

7. A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns.
Lower. If it applies to the game, high.

2B: Do you:
- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics?
No; that means that the only way to be good is to grind.

- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill?
When I'm in PvP, of course! It means I have some say in how the battle goes.

- Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting.
Will anyone answer that they don't like having fun?

3B: What keeps you playing an MMO?

Quote:

- The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild. - New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome. - Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun. - The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers. - PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena.

All but the last one. I like the feeling of being immersed, the way a good book should make you feel like a part of the story.

Next, a few general questions:

1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors?
It bothers me more when the class I've chosen is undesirable in the social context. I haven't played too many games that stress gear or achievements, but I'd probably be annoyed in a situation like the question.

2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy?
I tend more towards the skill system, as long it's always possible to get more skill points or redistribute the ones you've already used. I don't like games where not realizing which skills are actually important in the beginning screws me over later on.

3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game?
If it's paced right, grinding shouldn't exist. Either that, or combat should be fun/challenging, so that it doesn't feel like grinding. What I'd like to see is a game where it's not all about hitting the level cap, where every stage of leveling has its own pros and cons. Honestly, who will answer that they enjoy grinding?

4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes).
Mix of both? I wouldn't be able to tell you whether the enemies in the games I've played were scripted or had AI. If I knew the difference, I would tell you which I liked better.

4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor?
When it gets tedious. In real life, you have a schedule; every day you do certain things, like go to work, brush your teeth, etc. This should not be the case in a game.

Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game?

If done right, that would be so intense. I would want to keep some of the pencil and paper roots, though - have actual dice in your inventory, maybe make them customizable or something. If players could build and run their own adventures within the world for a small group of players... yum! Maybe leveling up in-game makes gives you access to enemies you can use in your areas as a DM, building types you can create, or how dynamic you make the area.

God, that would be incredible. I'd play it.

[Edited by - bardbarienne on August 11, 2009 9:34:09 PM]

1A: What is your gender? Female
2A: How old are you? 29
3A: How long have you been playing MMO games? 8 years
4A: How did you get introduced to your first MMO game? Although I knew that MMOs such as Ultima and Everquest existed, the first one I played was NeoPets - I found it when searching for online collections of puzzle games I could play, and I liked the fact that it was free, had forums, and had pets.
5A: How would you define your play experience as a gamer? From a time-investment standpoint, hardcore, I tend to play more than 2 hours a day, sometimes as many as 8 hours in a given day. From a more psychological standpoint I'm not so hardcore - I don't tolerate permadeath, I don't do 40-man raids, I prefer not to need to use voice chat while playing, and I'm not interested in PVP unless there are no real penalties.

Next I'll try to find out what makes a game tick to you. What draws you to a game?

1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game.
most=1, least=7
1 An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock.
6 A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather.
4 A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun.
3 Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes.
2 Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read.
7 A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns.
5 (what exactly is fun factor?) A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor.

Comments - The story needs to be INTERACTIVE, not one-size fits all. Good story is about being able to romance an NPC, have the world recognize the personality expressed through an avatar's behavior, and develop my avatar's career-based and race-based social role, NOT what a crazy wizard did 1000 years ago.

2B: Do you:
- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics?
- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill?
- Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting.
? I enjoy feeling rich because I cleverly found a way to earn money and industriously carried it out, feeling clever because I solved puzzles, looking awesome because I acquired a cool pet, mount, clothes, and bodily accessories like wings, feeling experienced/mature because I came back as a higher level and soloed a boss or dungeon that previously required a group, and feeling that the world is a place I enjoy 'living in'. I don't enjoy a system where losing is really an option or people want to pwn me.

3B: What keeps you playing an MMO?
- The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild.
- New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome.
- Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun.
- The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers.
- PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena.
When I stop playing an MMO it is usually because there is too much grind - I have no new quests to do that aren't the same as I've done 10 times already, I can't make a noticeable amount of progress in a day, there are no visual customizations left that I am motivated to earn, or the only things I want would take a huge amount of grinding to earn.

Next, a few general questions:

1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors?
I don't care if people get something by buying it from a cash shop as long as it is possible for me to buy it from them using in game currency. I do think it's unfair if cash-shop items aren't resaleable or have game-breaking effects. And yes classes need to be balanced, it's no fun to be a class that no one wants on their team. And one thing that's atrocious is single-gender classes, also single-gender clothing or class-specific/race-specific equips. For example I'm currently playing Perfect World International. I wanted to create a venomancer, that's their pet-using class. But venomancers can only be female. Also venomancers can't have wings, only elves can; elves can't have flying mounts, only venos and barbarians (beast person race) can. And most of the cool clothes in PWIs cash shop are male-only. On the other hand PWI has the good feature of allowing people who buy their cash currency to sell it to other players for game currency.

2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy?
I would love a system where I could purchase skills, figure out clever combinations, and change my build around without a big penalty whenever I wanted to try something different. My character's build could be like designing a magic the gathering card deck.

3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game?
I don't mind killing N monsters of type X or visiting a set of locations, or gathering quest-specific mats. I do mind when the task isn't important to the story, and when I supposedly changed the world or an NPC yet it looks the same to me afterwards, and when the kill quests aren't broken up with other kinds of quests. I realize the designers want people to play as many hours as possible, but they should provide forums and minigames for players to spend their time on, not endless killing. Variety is the spice of life, and it's great to be able to choose what activity you are in the mood for at any time.

4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes).
It would be nice if monsters of a species didn't all act the same, but I'm not totally sure I understand the question.

4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor?
No I'm not particularly interested in realistic settings or costs/penalties, I play a game to be able to be rich, powerful, pretty, and free of the stupid compromises I have to make every day.

One last question…

Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game?
Um, I don't know a lot about tabletop games, maybe BESM's Cute And Fuzzy Cockfighting Seizure Monsters? I've played several online text-only games I think would make a great MMO but they were all diceless games, usually with a romance focus. I played one where everyone began the game by hatching from an egg as a baby dragon, one where everyone was a student at a magical school, one where everyone was either the NI brain of a mecha or a mecha pilot, one where everyone was being pushed into an arranged marriage, and several involving captives/slaves and their captors/owners. That kind of roleplay is awesome because it's like writing a collaborative story (often an erotic one) with one or a few partners. I think at least some of that could be worked into an MMO which did age-verification and allowed adult content in areas of the game which were restricted to players whose ages had been verified as over 18. Also a game with a branching storyline might have branches geared to younger players and alternative branches geared to adult players.

[Edited by - sunandshadow on August 13, 2009 4:13:33 PM]

1A: What is your gender? Male.
2A: How old are you? 20
3A: How long have you been playing MMO games? 9 years.
4A: How did you get introduced to your first MMO game? A friend.
5A: How would you define your play experience as a gamer? I'm on and off, I play a lot when I've got a good ingame network of friends and plenty of things to do. Having long played a game where the most 'hardcore' players had little or nothing to do (Everquest 2), I don't feel that hardcore indicates time committed, though that generally is a characteristic hardcore players share, I feel that the hardcore mentality is about being willing to have consequences of loss. Hardcore players don't mind having risk, playing many hours is an effect of being hardcore, more than a cause.

1B: Rate these game features from most appealing to least appealing. Assume that your lowest ranked item will still be decently implemented in the game.

Like others, I won't rank these in order, because I don't think the questions are clear enough for a ranking. I will, however, comment. ;)

- An amazing and engrossing storyline, rich with lore and with hidden areas to explore and ancient secrets to unlock.
I don't care for lore written by developers. I love a deep storyline, however, but prefer it to be one where it is guided by the players, rather than the players being guided by it.

- A completely modular game world where you can interact with nearly every object from sitting in chairs to destroying terrain all the way to killing NPC’s and casting spells to control the weather.
It doesn't really bother me. I can suspend disbelief enough not to matter if I'm sitting down or not. Being able to change the socio-political world is more interesting to me than the physical. If I'm able to use cunning and hard world to dominate a sector of trade and use that to build an army and become rich and powerful, I can ignore not being able to sit in a chair.

- A highly sophisticated combat system that rewards player skill and interaction that’s fast paced, exciting, dynamic and simply fun.
I find it's quite important. However, this isn't just about combat, all interactions should reward player skill or knowledge. I do, however, think that skill comes in more forms that twitch based combat (though that rocks), knowing the ins and outs of a system like EVE Online's is a form of skill, and can be fun and exciting.

- Rich and stunning graphics that suck you into the game world and never let go, from plants swaying in the wind to detailed ancient ruins and vast landscapes.
I do like good graphics, but don't really care that much. So long as it's consistent and not trying to do more than it can.

- Complete and utter character customization, starting from your first name, last name, nickname and all the way to coloring and personalizing armor, wearing different clothes and perhaps even giving each item a description for other players to read.
I like to be recognized, but again, not a big deal. The status quo for commercial games is more than enough, but I'd like to be able to add more text descriptions to shit.

- A complete social network that includes local banks, caravans bringing supplies, advanced guild creation and management options, creating towns and laying siege other player’s towns.
As long as it's not too designed.

- A game that, above all else, stresses fun factor.
Depends what you mean by fun factor. If you mean the current wave of developers saying they're looking to make a game that's FUN and not about grinding or whatever, I think they're barking up the wrong tree. Don't say leveling is boring, then include it all the same, saying you added some 'quests' to make it quicker. Plenty of people find picking herbs in Egypt just to put food on a table a fun game, be consistent and empowering, and you will attract players that just want to have fun (girls, apparently).

2B: Do you:
- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with better items, level, gear, or in-game statistics?
Prefer to overpower them with my ruthless cunning and social clout - or rather, my character's. But yeah, PvP combat is fun too, but there's gotta be a challenge. Otherwise it's just griefing.

- Like the feel of overpowering other players or monsters with physical player skill?
Yeah.

- Simply enjoy the fun factor of the game, win or lose, as long as it’s exciting.
I got nothing against losing. It just makes revenge that much sweeter.

3B: What keeps you playing an MMO?
- The social network of friends you have made with other players and your guild.
This is hugely important. HUGELY.

- New and more challenging PvE content for you and your guild to overcome.
Most of the time me and my guild is a ragtag group of alcos who struggle to overcome the regular content. New content is great, but I usually see it an expansion too late.

- Exploring the world, meeting people, leveling and having fun.
Yes, having fun keeps me playing.

- The role-playing experience or escape from reality a MMO game offers.
Escape from reality has negative connotations, I find. I love my reality, I also like the ability to act as a tyrant or sage, because while I like reading and thinking about that shit, it's pretty far removed from my everyday.

- PvP, you live for the kill, either world PvP or a specific venue such as an arena.
I live for whatever I've decided to live for. In EVE Online, it's the benefit of the corporation, in EQ2 PvP it was just for living - I played a shit class, I'd be happy if I repelled an attack enough to get them to run away. I'd let them run. I'd never enter an instanced arena unless it was more than a WoW-esque VR penis contest.

Next, a few general questions:

1C: Does it bother you when other players have an item or achievement that you’re working on, and you don’t, and you feel it’s because their class is more suited to gaining that item or achievement, or other “unfair” factors?
Hell no. If the game is based around competition, and that item or achievement makes the whole competitive balance unfair, then sure, but if I've got similar comparable benefits, even if they're in different fields, doesn't bother me.

2C: Would you prefer a class based system, or a skill system where you can choose whatever you want but with a skill cap? Is there another system you enjoy?
No system at all? What about a system where my name meant everything, and the ultimate penalty was having the character banned, ATITD style. I don't advance my character's statistics, but rather advance my character's interests by social interaction and getting my name known.

3C: Does “grinding” in MMO games annoy you, or do you feel it’s necessary for the game?
If it's fun. Grinding in early Everquest was hella fun. And it was a long grind. Other systems can be fun too. Griding is good if it's fun, and it's usually fun if it's challenging, involves other characters and doesn't feel like it's just something to get through before the end (read: fun) game begins.

4C: Would you prefer PvE monsters to have AI or a script? AI would allow a monster to attack a “healer” whenever it decided to, for example, but make encounters more dynamic and interesting (sometimes).
It depends. Games with combat based on threat management usually benefit from more scripts. It depends on how the combat system is organized.

4D: Do you enjoy a realistic (within the game world, we all know magic doesn't really exist) game? At what point does realism start to detract from fun factor?
I'd be more than happy to play a game set in the real world, say, prohibition US. I get shot, I die, and I have to try to get rich or die trying. Suits me. I also love high fantasy. Doesn't bother me. Realism detracts from the fun factor the instant the fun factor relies on realism not being there.

One last question…

Hypothetically, if somehow a pencil and paper RPG could be reasonably yet amazingly transferred to a visual MMORPG, which one would you play? Would you stick to a MMO game that doesn’t spawn from a paper game?
Pen and paper games tend to be based around collaborative storytelling. That's the element I'd like to see. I don't care if it's based on a license or whatever. Pen and paper games tend to benefit from having simple rules (no-one wants to have to roll with a scientific calculator on their game table to have to perform calculus every time someone swings a sword), CRPGs can have much more complex calculations, and therefore the potential for more interesting combat and rules. So yeah, any pen and paper game that emphasizes collaborative storytelling would be great for me, as for the actual rules, I probably couldn't care less.

Hope this helped.