Tell me something guys.. i have seen a lot of people advertise about designing or starting a new MMORPG.. y r ppl hooked on to this genere? i believe u need to put in a lot of effort to bring out a game in this genere and if it has to be successful, u need really cool ideas (not just 1 or 2 !!) and the game must be really stable cos its not single player anymore.. and i also believe that this should be much more tougher in designin and implementing and also would cost a lot.. i dont know why the heck ppl wanna start building a MMORPG as their first game.. hmm maybe it gives u hella lotta profit if its successful or i have no clue.. pour in ur views guys and enlighten me Slow and steady wins the race.

Bro, you have no idea the satisfaction u get from having players tell u how much ur games ROCKS! I get it all the time and it makes me feel damn good knowning that people all over the world are playing MY GAME. I used to play pimpwar - but then decided to make my own - u should try it- www.playmafia.com - the majority of ppl love it. Those that dont, have many more similar games to choose from.

I think it is the satifaction of making a successful application that ppl enjoy playing - there is no shortage of challenge.. i can assure u that much!

I have to agree that I don''t know why MMORPG''s are so popular. There was a section on gamespy.com from the critic on why he thinks they are destined to flop. The main reason is the fact that once you tack on a 12.95/month charge, most consumers won''t be able to afford more than one or two games. Sure, lots of gamers may pick up the game at first, but if there isn''t a large enough base to make the game popular, then it won''t attract many new gamers.

I also don''t see the point of MMORPG''s to be honest. I like paper and pen RPG''s, but computer versions just seem like glorified chats. I wonder how many that play compter games play paper and pen versions? I think if they tried, they''d see that computer versions are really missing alot.

But, if a MMORPG is what really floats your boat, more power to you. But if you are doing it because you think it''s the next big thing and want to capitalize on a MMORPG bandwagon...you may want to think again.

quote: Original post by Dauntless
I also don''t see the point of MMORPG''s to be honest. I like paper and pen RPG''s, but computer versions just seem like glorified chats. I wonder how many that play compter games play paper and pen versions? I think if they tried, they''d see that computer versions are really missing alot.

I''ve played the pen and paper version and, with a good DM, it''s a lot more fun than any MMORPG. But you have to have a good DM and a good playing group that make it interesting and fun to play.

I think some of the appeal is the novelty factor, but that can''t explain it all. They''re basically graphical MUDs, which have been around for quite a while. So in other words, I dunno.

what are pen and paper RPG''s? seriously.. i dont know what it is..
also yea i understand that people all around the world will use and appreciate ur stuff, but they''ll do for any genere..
and i personally feel, its a very very tough game to start with for the first timers. i see ppl here saying "i have an idea for MMORPG and i am lookin for programers+other guys", i think even if they start one, i dont think they''ll be able to finish it. even if they do finish it, how long will they be able to survive? i dont get it. i have heard of so many ppl wanting to make one and i just see only a few very good ones outside...
y rnt ppl interested in other generes like adventure, rts or action ? they do sell in huge numbers, ppl around the world buy and appreciate if ur work is good. i am confused ..

Slow and steady wins the race.

Paper&Pen RPG''s are the old fashioned RPG''s that you play with paper and pens (or pencils)
Things such as Dungeons&Dragons, where you have a group of people sitting round a table, and you roll dice etc. thats a p&p rpg.
As for the point of MMORPG''s, they are certainly not glorified chats anymore than a p&p rpg is a glorified (real-life) chat. A lot (if not majority) of people enjoying playing games with, and against, other people. If they didn''t, people wouldn''t play p&p rpgs! So a very simple reason for playing MMORPG''s is to play with and against other people, rather than against a computer. Just look at how huge online shooters are. People get satisfaction from beating other people.
I do however agree, that any mmorpg that has a monthly subscription will find itself vying for a very tough slot in the consumers budget. I think people will continue to buy non-MM games as steadily as they do now, but having to pay a subscription (and also the attachment to your character) will leave people playing only 1 or possibly 2 MMORPG''s whereas they may buy a new non-MM game (one with a normal shelf price, no subscription) each month. Each new MMORPG is going to find it more and more difficult to attract a large base, simply because players don''t want to leave a game with their level57 character or whatever....

I think most programmers just like the idea of creating a living world accessible for everyone where you can actually play a role like in real life... no limit. That''s the reason I became a programmer too... it''s my life goal!



KING CLAUDIUS Now, Hamlet, where''s Polonius?

HAMLET At supper.

KING CLAUDIUS At supper! where?

HAMLET Not where he eats, but where he is eaten

Pen and paper RPGs? Well ... it''s the base of most (all??) Computer Role Playing Games. Basically you sit around witha few friends, one of which is called ''Game master'' (GM for short). He tells you what you see and what is happening, you tell him what you want to do, everybody rolls dices with so many faces that you get sick just trying to find a particular one, combat and other actions is resolved (that''s what the dices are for in case you wondered) depending upon your skills(that''s where the paper and the pen comes in, and the action goes on until one out of three things happens :

1) everybody (except the GM who, of course is unable to ) dies
2) the story the GM is telling comes to an end.
3) the sun goes up or there is no coffee anymore, in which case the rest of the game is postponned to the week-end.

If the GM is good, they can be extreme fun.

As to why people play MMORPGs, as an Ex-Evercrack addict, and ex AO-Post-6-Month-of-Patching part time gamer : they are fun. Playing with massive amounts of other people (giant raids in Everquests)))) ton accomplish ''epic'' deeds is great, and of course, they are the best chat clients around (even if probably the most expensive).

bye,
Sammy

There is just something about the idea of being able to totally "be" someone different than yourself, in a world that mimics the real one, but is certainly "not" the real one, visiting this world with many many other REAL people who are, like you, taking part in the experience. The idea of the persistant, dynamic world, that changes and continues on without you, a game that never ends (until the company goes out of business and shuts the game down), all these things are part of the mass appeal. Truthfully, looking at current games, I can see why you don''t see the point. No game has made any major improvements to the genre. The graphics help to immerse you in the world, and the popularity of games like EQ, are just about the ONLY things making them "better" than muds. The appeal of these games isn''t the games themselves, it''s the promise the genre holds. Everything changes when everyone (or at least most) you meet is a real player.

As for pnp rpgs, they are great with a good gm, and lots of fun. But a gm is NOT a computer. They can''t manage more than maybe 10 players at once very well. The more players you have in one of these games, the longer it takes before you take your turn, and the more time you spend rolling dice instead of role-playing. Are the best mmorpgs better than the best pnp rpg sessions? Of course not. But the potential is there.

Computer rpgs were kind of the next step up from pnp. But really, they were more of a step back. Massively multiplayer rpgs, I believe, will be the true next step of pnp.

I think the original question was not "Why do people play MMPORPGs?", but rather "Why do people setting out to make their first real game choose to make it an MMPORPG?". Which, I think, is a bloody good question. Whatever happened to starting with a simple 2d game and gradually working your way up? Talk about jumping in at the deep end!