This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tracy Guile (talk | contribs) at 00:21, 21 September 2003 ((corrected spelling of enemy)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:21, 21 September 2003 by Tracy Guile (talk | contribs) ((corrected spelling of enemy))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Massive(ly) multiplayer online role-playing games or MMORPGs, are virtual persistent worlds located on the Internet in which players interact with each other through cybernetic avatars, that is, graphical representations of the characters they play.
MMORPGs are computer games that trace their roots to non-graphical online MUD games, to text-based computer games such as Adventure and Zork, and to pen and paper role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.
Some of the most popular MMORPGs are EverQuest (1999), Ultima Online (1997), Asheron's Call (1999), and Anarchy Online (2001). Of all MMORPGs, Lineage has the most subscribers and is the most popular in Korea. These commercial MMORPGs generally require a monthly fee to play. There are also several projects in development to create a free MMORPG, such as Planeshift, or a free game engine for MMORPGs, such as Arianne.
MMORPGs have begun to attract significant academic attention, for example in economics.
Genre Challenges
MMORPG developers face many challenges:
- It is impossible for one player to realistically affect the overall state of the world. In a normal RPG, the player or party is the hero and single-handedly saves the world. In an MMORPG, every player can't save the world.
- Inflation. In many MMORPGs, the economy becomes imbalanced.
- Bots. In many MMORPGs, you can set up scripts to play the game, performing the same task over and over again, and reap huge rewards. This lets you build up a powerful character just by letting your computer run unattended. This flaw is built into almost the very essence of a RPG "leveling", that your character becomes more powerful primarily by repeatedly killing things. These macroes are forbidden in many of these games, and developers are now fighting back by working on automation detection systems.
- Player Killing (PKing). In order for a world to be realistic, players should be able to kill anything, even other players. However, this is very discouraging to new players, who are slaughtered by experienced player killers.
- Time Commitment. A character's power represents how much time is invested in playing, rather than skill. Again this is due to the "leveling" aspect of the game. Being killed is discouraging for casual players, who are interested in 1-3 hours a week without dedicated their entire life to the game. This also leads to the problem that powerful characters and items are sold on eBay.
- Pay to play, Pay even more to win. Due to the problems just mentioned, one can receive a great advantage in game by buying another persons' already powerful character. It is also possible to buy memberships or special items such as those offered by games such as Runescape and Elysaria.
- Rude Players. There also is a problem of rudeness by other players. Some MMORPGs discipline nasty players by ensuring that responsible moderators or admins are online at all times.
- Scamming. Scamming can also be a problem in many of these games, as players try to break the rules to further enhance their characters.
- Clans. Often these games bring players together in clans where they can make allegiences and enemies, enhancing the game itself and the roleplay within it.
External Links
- Stratics, massively multiplayer news and information
- RPG Vault, MMORPG news and information
- Arianne RPG