Hi guys,

As a 'novice' RPG player, I'm studying RGP game development/ design. For this I've also played a bit around with League of Legends and also did some research on other titles:

- Heroes of the Storm

- Dota 2

- Dota (Warcraft 3 mod)

What do you think is the reason for the big success of these games? (with double digits millions of players)

Some thoughts:

- the addiction to increase yourself

- the fun to play with other 'non-CPU' players

- freedom to live another life in an online fantasy universe

Any thoughts?

I also notice that the terms MOBA, ARTS and MMORPG are used interchangably (and are also based on interpretation and perception).

Note: I don't tend to insult all the great game developers who make these games, and I truly believe that the titles have their differences (if I would dive in a bit deeper to find out).

MMORPG is most definately NOT used interchangably with the others, at least i've never (literally not once) heard them used interchangably by another playing either or both and i've been a heavy mmo gamer since well, early (kunark) everquest more than 15 years ago.

Very very low for MMORPG, 10 years have passed and and still (ok not currently) play only World of Warcraft everything else is just crap to me.
I think there was a movie about why WoW is so successful(social experience + cool boss fights).

For MOBAs maybe DotA and LoL are successful because there were no competitors (at quality level). DotA 2 is successful(I think) because of the name, and because it is actually a Dota replica.... Imagine if the game was called "Gogo35"?

I was hooked on League of Legends for a while, I feel like the two main things that kept me coming back and are unique to that game

Each champion is unique and every match you will be facing different oponents with different teammates so every game is different. This kept the game from getting stale

It would match me with players around my own skill level so winning would always be a challenge and because it was a challenge it was rewarding.

Of course the basic combat mechanics need to be fun and have meaningful objectives throughout a single match and many other small things that combine together to make engaging gameplay.

Ok. So we can add "battles stay unique and no champion is the same" for LoL.
Clearly WoW doesn't provide that each fight is unique and each "player"/ champion is unique. Where there other features in which LoL was the first?

As for mmorpg vs moba, I believe both WoW and LoL share:
- a battle arena where things take place
- it's online with huge numbers of players and big worlds

I'm generally not a huge fan of MMORPG or MOBA titles, but lately I've played a fair bit of Heroes of the Storm along with a few friends.

It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is that makes the game engaging, but certainly:

- Low time investment. Average match length is 20 minutes, 3 matches fully unlocks a particular character's abilities.

- Teamwork is very actively rewarded. If you don't all work together, you'll lose.

- Heavily skill-based. You don't lose because you have worse gear or a worse character, you lose because you didn't play well.

- Unique play-styles for many heroes. There is nothing more fun than killing the stronger enemy heroes with an adorable baby murlock.

MMORPGs are really different from MOBAs. There's only two small areas of crossover: team PvP (aka battlegrounds), and lobby-based MMOs like Vindictis which have no overworld, only dungeons.

I played a lot of Dota and Dota 2. Reasons why I played a lot:

1. You are playing against other people. So no scripted AI.

2. You can build your heroes in the way you want and how you see fit. Even though you only have 4 skills, what you focus on as you level up determines your game.

3. Lots of item combinations adds another layer to your hero development.

4. Different teammates with different heroes produce different games. So almost no two games can be identical.

5. You noticed your skill comes and goes. You had your moments, and you also had your losses. It baffled you why you kicked ass 5 games ago, and suddenly got owned.

6. And finally, those critical moments that could suddenly turn the tide of the game makes it all worth it. Your team is losing grounds, but suddenly that one ultimate executed at the right time killed all your opponents heroes, and you all rushed to their base and destroy their hall with few HP left.

I believe all these are called 'horizontal' design.

MMORPG, however, is very 'vertical'. You have a fixed set of choices (hero/skills), and you explore them by playing more, level up more, get better items, explore harder dungeons.

MOBA is horizontal. All items are available up front as long as you have the coins. You likely max out your hero in every game, or get very close to it.

The failure rate for Moba's and MMORPG's is very high, so I wouldn't call them successful genres.

The ones that succeed seem to succeed based on constant updates, community involvement, and established franchises.