What keeps players coming back to an MMOG. I have never played an MMOG but recently was thinking of dabbling in some hobby design of one. But seeing as I have no experience with them I figure I'd ask here what makes players come back for more in an MMOG, is it the social interaction, coop quests, exploration, dicovery...? My imagination is leading me towards an MMORPG so if you have specific opinions with regards to them please share, if you have an opinion on other MMOG's again please share.

Thanks in advance for your input.

I'm baffled by why you would try to design a game in a genre you don't play, unless a friend who really likes the genre is the driving force behind the project or something...

Anyway, MMOs are actually quite diverse, as are the people who play them; different subgenres have completely different player appeals. Before you ask what keeps people coming back, you have to understand which people are being initially attracted to a specific game by what features. MMOs are divided along many lines: solo-friendly vs. required grouping, PvE vs. PvP, themepark vs. sandbox, the standard avatar-based gear-treadmill RPG vs. several other kinds of gameplay from sim/time management to minigame arcades to racing to strategy or tactical combat...

What keeps players coming back to an MMOG.

In order of importance: Community and Content (and potentially any Creations you make within the game).

Different players are interested in different things:

Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players who Suit MUDs

(Note: 'MUD' (Multi-User Dungeons) is the term used for text-based online virtual worlds that MMOs developed from)

There's also more advanced Bartle MMO-player social categorization scheme that subdivides a cube into 8 chunks, rather than a square into 4 chunks, because it adds a third axis.

To every suit of players, people you know in a game become one of the motivations of staying with a game even past it's normal 'enjoyability' factor, but it might not be the primary factor.

To socializers, other humans are content. Whether guild socializing, or just chatting with strangers in the town square. The more people are willing to talk with them (and especially, listen to them), the more valuable the game is.

To achievers, challenges are content. Both number-based achievements ("Reached 1542 strength!"), and skill-based achievements ("Finally beat that boss, without wearing any armor, while it was raining outside, and got my Grinder Of The Year achievement unlocked")

To killers, prey is content. The more the prey gets irritated or upset, the better.

To explorers, the world is content. Not just geographically ("Reached the mountain top, and found some cherry blossom trees"), but also mechanically ("I found if you mix cyanide with orange juice, it nullifies most of the toxins.").

Players can be a mix; they don't have to be one extreme or another, and they may have other interests as well.

I'm baffled by why you would try to design a game in a genre you don't play

To be perfectly honest so was I, but it seems to be an itch I have to scratch.

Different players are interested in different things:
Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players who Suit MUDs

Thanks for that, I took a brief look... I'll read it later. What should I search for to find the 8 role breakdown?

I'm baffled by why you would try to design a game in a genre you don't play, unless a friend who really likes the genre is the driving force behind the project or something...

Part of me agrees with you. The other part of me is reminded that actors sometimes like to play characters pretty grossly different than their personalities. So with that being said, I think what he is doing is okay as well. Just you have to be cautious when it comes to designing a game you don't play.

However, my suggestion to the OP is not to ask here for a text answer but rather play some of those games and experience the real feelings from them himself. Just saying.

Thanks for that, I took a brief look... I'll read it later. What should I search for to find the 8 role breakdown?

Wikipedia has a list of the categories, without much description.

I read the write-up about it in a book, and I can't find an online article talking about it.

Here's the graph though:

I'm baffled by why you would try to design a game in a genre you don't play

I agree, it's a suicide. Especially with MMOs which are very specific and do require from the administrator (not developer since developing such game is easy, the hard part comes later) specific knowledge and experience.

Do yourself a favour and don't do it :)

I think I am going to try the opposite advice - Go for it, design an MMO. I am not disagreeing with any of the advice given to you so far about difficulties inherent, but sometimes you have to butt your head up against a brick wall if only to see if you can break through it...and who knows you might be the metaphorical grandmaster of some oriental discipline (or just your typical average Scottish guy) and be able to Glasgow kiss your way through. Either way I figure you might learn something of value. Good luck :)

Albeit long, the following is a curious thread about the game "YoVille." Some of the posts are from the players:

http://www.gamedev.net/topic/652115-zynga-pulls-plug-on-yoville-million-in-yocash-evaporate/#entry5122806

It gives you a notion of the type of person that plays these massively social online games.

I think I am going to try the opposite advice - Go for it, design an MMO. I am not disagreeing with any of the advice given to you so far about difficulties inherent, but sometimes you have to butt your head up against a brick wall if only to see if you can break through it..

It's not about difficulty, actually MMOs are the easiest to make (it took me 2 weeks to make a fully playable version of my first MMO without prior experience with these). The thing is understanding the audience. If you never were there... well, most likely you will sink. You see, "normal" games are a product, a game, MMOs are a service, a world. It's a different mindset.

But to give a practical advice, consider this: There was a chat, people went there to hang around, but since sometimes there was no one to talk to some devs started to add a game to the chat. That's how this genre emerged :) I know it might be a bit of extraggeration, but only a bit, in its core it's very true. Once you understand this you understand the MMO players :)

(note: I make a living making MMOs, but on the other hand I don't earn that much at all so maybe it is me who don't get it :D)