Developers Corner

Seems so in my opinion with such "innovative" games like AoC....

And seeing what crap WoW has turned into.....

Have developers gotten lazy??

It almost seems as tho we are taking steps backwards in MMO's...

What happened to player housing? Owning Boats? Taming mounts? *sigh*

It's  a shame none of the initiatives to develop a robust AAA MMORPG frame work that can be licensed and modified have paid off. It seems to me way too much time and money is wasted "reinventing the wheel" by having to code everything from the ground up.

If the core of the game could be in place early and be robust enough to handle everything that needs to be layered on top of it, maybe we would see more innovation in features?

Another common problem I see with most MMORPGs is lack of content. I think the best investment an MMORPG developer could make would be the creation of an extremely efficient content creation tool set.  Of course, the game's framework also needs to be able to support a game with a ton of content.

If most MMORPGs could be counted on for providing a working feature rich game with plenty of content, then success would hinge more on the vision, presentation, creativity and innovation of the project.

As is, 90% of MMORPGs don't launch with the basics for success in place, so the chances of getting a product that meets expected standards AND is compelling for more subjective reasons becomes very slim!

I don't think it's that they're lazy (hell some of them work 80+ hour,  7 day work weeks during crunch, so I wouldn't use the word lazy), I think it has more to do with not having much creative control or not having proper time to polish a game before it's launch.  I happen to think AoC could have been a pretty decent game, sadly it probably needed another 6-9 months to become that pretty decent game, instead we got an ok game. 

The biggest problem with MMORPG's these days is that the shots are being called by guys in suits that don't play MMO games and have no clue what most gamers want, only what focus groups tell them what gamers want.  Another new problem we're seeing is companies wanting to make dumbed down MMO games (instead of creating virtual worlds) that could be ported over to the coveted console market.  After playing BF: Bad Company online this week, the game is a ton of fun, but I couldn't help but think that the online play still felt really dumbed down compared to the PC's BF games.

Originally posted by Wolfdor

I don't think it's that they're lazy (hell some of them work 80+ hour,  7 day work weeks during crunch, so I wouldn't use the word lazy), I think it has more to do with not having much creative control or not having proper time to polish a game before it's launch.  I happen to think AoC could have been a pretty decent game, sadly it probably needed another 6-9 months to become that pretty decent game, instead we got an ok game. 

The biggest problem with MMORPG's these days is that the shots are being called by guys in suits that don't play MMO games and have no clue what most gamers want, only what focus groups tell them what gamers want.  Another new problem we're seeing is companies wanting to make dumbed down MMO games (instead of creating virtual worlds) that could be ported over to the coveted console market.  After playing BF: Bad Company online this week, the game is a ton of fun, but I couldn't help but think that the online play still felt really dumbed down compared to the PC's BF games.

My impression has been that, rather than lazy, they are bankrupt of ideas, despite claims that they have more ideas than they know what to do with.  However, a recent post by someone in the business seems ot affirm what you say, Wolfdor.

The guys who call the shots stifle the creative process because all they can see is the bottom line ($$$).  They are unable to view an MMORPG as a work of art, which is what it truly is.  To them it's an instrument by which money is made.  The ironic thing is, they could probably make more money if would just butt out and let the devs do what they need to.

I'm quite amused about the priority people set on mounts, boats, and houses. Thats no true game content, is it ? Its decoration.

Plus of course, I DO play a game with mounts, boats, and houses (Vanguard). So its way hard to miss them, hehe.

Originally posted by Adamantine

I'm quite amused about the priority people set on mounts, boats, and houses. Thats no true game content, is it ? Its decoration.

Plus of course, I DO play a game with mounts, boats, and houses (Vanguard). So its way hard to miss them, hehe.

Hmm yes it is decoration i suppose, but it can be used to serve as game content.  Exploring the sea on your boat....finding islands/caves etc... Player housing can serve as a purpose too (vendors) guess devs just use auction houses now tho (lame)!  Mounts decrease travel time also could be used for mounted combat i suppose....I dont think this is just decoration.

It is not as much that they are "lazy" but they are worried to make a difference.  The big developing companies out there are too worried to risk their money on something different, as MMOs are rather expensive to make.

Publishers and investors are scared to risk their money on different games; which winds up appealing to a smaller crowd.  Instead, they put their money into things more like WoW and EQ clones, as they believe it is a "safer" way to use thier money.

This is why the future of games lies with indie developers.

Although I voted yes, I'm not sure who to pin the blame on.  Perhaps the fault is more management trying to streamline the experience in order to maximize ROI.  There's certainly merit to streamlining a game at the current time as many people are still content with the wow style of play and may be willing to try the same gameplay in a different setting.  After all, they are only trying to meet the needs of the market, and those of us who desire a "deeper" game are truly a small segment of the market. 

Put in other terms,