I don''t think the history is as important as the ability to let the players become catalysts for change in the world.

As it stands, MMORPGs are very singular in their experience. Most players can get the same gear, the same look, the same experience as any other.

Most complaints about MMORPGs come from people who usually miss the experience of roleplaying D&D or some other system where their actions can have profound effects on the world the DM creates.

Anarchy Online was the first to promise a dynamic world based on player action, but it wasn''t really tangible at release, particularly under a cloud of bugs and technical issues.

I think if you can create a design for a MMORPG that allows players to control the development of the world, then it will be a hit. I think most people tend to attempt to model MMORPGs to appeal to everyone. So what if your dynamic world alienates some who don''t like the course it takes? I guess so long as you don''t alienate everyone.

Say your dynamic world ended up becoming near total anarchy, Player Killers everywhere. You''d have to spin it as the "Dark Times" and hopefully inspire some players to retake the world.

I guess the idea would be how to make the game mutable and truly dynamic. I guess the idea of the Keep Wars on DAoC is a good step, but players still can''t change the world beyond those very minor constraints.

Personally, I hope some of the "next-gen" MMORPGs incorporate more dynamic content that let''s players carve out a niche. Currently, it feels like my MMORPG experiences are just excercises in Min-Maxing and following the same tried-dull methods used by everyone else playing the game.

R.

GBGames,

I also have had the idea of a persistent timescale and offline PC automation. This not only creates a more realistic world with more play options, but by properly adjusting the timescale and creating a sufficiently powerful scripting tool to schedule your PC''s time while you''re offline, it removes the boring drudgework of "leveling up" from the game. If your character experiences a week''s worth of training as you spend a day offline, then when you go online he or she is ready to go adventuring. For more on this and other concepts which are FREE FOR THE TAKING, see my website (link in sig). I''ve been working for some time on an alternate model for CRPGs and MMORPGs and my site contains all my best ideas so far. As a matter of fact, is there someplace that''s working on developing "the RPG we''d like to see" which is taking suggestions? Ideas like this one keep cropping up, so somebody should be paying attention.

Desperately seeking a pro to pitch to...

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-SpittingTrashcan

You can''t have "civilization" without "civil".