General Discussion

We got two major mmo game titles coming out this year. Both which clearly base on a long and thoroughly history of it's lore. WAR & AoC. I wonder how big of importance the lore really is to attract new players. I believe that lore somehow connect the player and game better. You feel somewhat more attracted to the game, you're character and the enemies. Everybody wants to feel a little bit unique and special. 

Even if you really don't care about the lore (like me), you still got the option to someday read the whole history about everyone and everything. Also knowing that 'this game is based upon heaps of stories' might give you the impression that the game will be better. Furthermore it has several options to expand. Many will probably also want expansions since this let them explore their mystic world even further.

Well obviously this is a trend in the mmo market. To reshape books or movies into the mmo-genre. Starwars, Lotr, Matrix (there is a matrix mmo right?). Of course keeping the player base is another thing. But the game sure did get a head start by only it's name.

Any thoughts on this matter? Is lore one fundamental corner stone in every successful mmo? 

Lore is a major plus in an mmorpg. Just look at world of warcraft, it has a rich lore which is indepth and quite interesting which keeps pulling me back to play : /

I know WoW is a decent game. WoW is although infesting every mmo discussion there is nowadays. Very often the topic is forgotten and all that remain is the ancient discussion if WoW will die when X is released.

This was i noticed.

Originally posted by jatski

I know WoW is a decent game. WoW is although infesting every mmo discussion there is nowadays. Very often the topic is forgotten and all that remain is the ancient discussion if WoW will die when X is released.

This was i noticed.

Riiight..i was only saying i admire lore in a game and gave you an example of an mmo which i think had a good lore back story...but alright nervermind.

I believe Immersion is a major factor in retention of players for the long term. It may not get the players there initially, but once they do play for the first month, immersion will keep them playing. WoW , love or hate it, has a decent amount of backstory and lore.

However, Gameplay trumps everything. It doesnt matter how immersive the game is, if the gameplay is bad, it wont do well

Torrential

Originally posted by jatski

We got two major mmo game titles coming out this year. Both which clearly base on a long and thoroughly history of it's lore. WAR & AoC. I wonder how big of importance the lore really is to attract new players. I believe that lore somehow connect the player and game better. You feel somewhat more attracted to the game, you're character and the enemies. Everybody wants to feel a little bit unique and special. 

Even if you really don't care about the lore (like me), you still got the option to someday read the whole history about everyone and everything. Also knowing that 'this game is based upon heaps of stories' might give you the impression that the game will be better. Furthermore it has several options to expand. Many will probably also want expansions since this let them explore their mystic world even further.

Well obviously this is a trend in the mmo market. To reshape books or movies into the mmo-genre. Starwars, Lotr, Matrix (there is a matrix mmo right?). Of course keeping the player base is another thing. But the game sure did get a head start by only it's name.

Any thoughts on this matter? Is lore one fundamental corner stone in every successful mmo? 

I dont know!

Lore or a famous IP? Have that become one today?  Both WAR and AoC must have hundreds of writers working for decades. TCoS have just a real gamelore and nothing else.

So i dont know wich one would be the real deal. But nothing will matter if the game sucks. Thats for sure.

Game play leads to immersion.  I the controls and game world are fluid then the game has a more immersive feel.  I do not believe lore is all that important in a MMO.  I think the most important quality any MMO can have is polish.  If the tooltips, quests, and GUI seem natural then players will stay regardless of lore.  Few people want to fight controls or poorly written text.

"lore" is not necessarily tied to a famous IP.

Look at Anarchy Online, for example. Before SL was released, the game really felt like another world. FC did an amazing job of making the place seem alive, and there was SO much going on in the game. This enhanced the immersion factor immensely, making the game much more interesting and fun.

I'll use LORTO as well here, even though it IS a famous IP. I've never been a raving Tolkien fan myself. The movies were OK, the books were good, but that's not why I decided to try the game. (I was bored, looking for something to play).

However, the fact that the world feels alive, and there is lore, history, and a reason for what is happening in the game, make it that much more immersive, and fun. Keeps me playing.

IMO, a game will do better if it draws you in, makes you feel like you are a part of something, rather than just an excersise in game mechanics.

Putting out a game about a story with an established fan base is guarenteed to pull in at least a few people who try it because of the name.  Reading the forums on LoTRO before and just after it began there were up to a hundred or more people who HAD NEVER PLAYED MMO's before (including me) who just decided to try the game and therefor the genre because of the Name, because we are fans of Tokien.

I suspect many games are going that route figuring that either once they pull them in they will stay - or that all they want is that first flush of gamers the marketing ploy that comes from having a "name" game.