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Raph Koster On Sony Online's MMO Plans, Hopes
Thanks to Warcry for its interview with Sony Online's chief creative officer, Raph Koster, as he discusses his relatively new job ("My job is primarily to help the teams make their games better, not to have them make my game. I know a lot of folks have been wondering if I'm here to change EverQuest to be more like Ultima Online or Star Wars Galaxies, and the answer is no"), the evolution of the MMO ("I see a little bit of a backlash here and there against the MMORPG in its classic form. There's maybe a sense that we haven't advanced the genre fast enough. My main answer to that one is 'it takes three years to make one of these things, give us a break, we haven't actually gotten to iterate very much yet'"), and why it's not just about designing the game ("I've been reading more and more in psychology and anthropology and sociology... Game design is only one facet of online world design, frankly.")
... "I've been reading more and more in psychology and anthropology and sociology... Game design is only one facet of online world design, frankly." ...
...
I guess its just a matter of terms, but I'd prefer he focused on the spirit of the game, rather than turning it into numbers and analyses and breaking it down into this terribly typical corporate newspeak... but then it could be my general dislike of the video-game industry in general which could be swaying my view. I'll admit that I find any group who seek to profit by wasting peoples time as much as possible [(*(void *)consumer-time)] to be a relatively despicable bunch...
Anyway, my point is, justifications of 'not enough iterations' not-withstanding, MMORPG's have just lost a lot of spirit.
Its like, the RPG's which used RPG 'format' as a means by which to tell a story compared to the RPG's which use RPG 'format' just to cover a market seem to be better.
All this format and over-analytical plot-mongering which comes from 'load balancing' and 'average mean time to next bathroom break' measurements seems to detract from the humbler purpose of RPG's, MMORPG's, and video games in general, and that is to tell some sort of story
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Game design is only one facet of online world design, frankly.
True. I'll be the first admit that (having obtained a psychology degree at university). However, game design still remains the most important facet. And frankly, you didn't get that right with Star Wars Galaxies. Jedi system, anyone?
There's been a lot of discussion on how Raph 'failed' both UO and SWG. His concept of what he thinks players want is similiar to how you treat an ant farm. The issue that most players take with this... noone wants to be treated like a worker drone ant, and to be told point blank, well that's a slap in the face.
Raph should take a close look at FFXI, and remind himself that people want to play a game. The word MMORPG ends in G, and that should be the most important aspect, not creating some sort of microcosm of human society. People often play their games as a form of escapism, to get away from the everyday world. They don't want every aspect of reality within this world. Players "pay to play", this isn't a MUD, where devs can play as gods. Customers are just that, and a clash of egos between players and devs does more to hurt the genre.
Another thing people want is content. Not make your own world type content, but real content, that they've paid for. The idea is that MMO's should be worlds built for players, not built BY players. Vocal minorities among players will say one thing, but it's often "pie in the sky" ideals. The vast majority of players will determine what they want, aka "Skinner Box" mentalities via money they've spent.
Disclaimer: I knew Raph Koster back when he, his wife, and another couple first founded LegendMud. While I don't agree with everything he's done since then, I admit I'm probably more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt than the average Star Wars Galaxy player.
People have complained time and time again that what they miss the most from an MMORPG is the story. What the same people don't realize is that MMORPGs do not end, thus have no resolution, thus have no story.
I admit it's a fine distinction. It's certainly possible to have episodes and quests where you set out to accomplish a goal. The problem comes when you've accomplished all of your goals. Then what? Sit around and twiddle your thumbs? Grief play?
To further illustrate the point, when you play a conventional single player RPG, you usually either destroy the world, or destroy the threat to the world such that the populace can live in relative peace and harmony. You get a sense of accomplishment and you move on.
I recently stopped playing Asheron's Call (an old MMORPG by today's standards). When I left, I asked one of my friends why she continues to play and she says she loves AC still because it gives her the freedom to do any old thing. Some days she feels like being an archer and sniping titans (Lugians in the game), other days she feels like being a melee and getting down and dirty with Alien style bugs in the underground tunnels (the Olthoi). Once in a while, she doesn't feel like exploring so instead she crafts.
The point being is that she plays for the visceral experience, not because she has a specific purpose in mind. I believe the vast majority of people who stick with all these "terrible, stupid, non-innovative" MMORPGs like Star Wars Galaxy feel the same way; they are not there to co-op towards a goal as in NeverwinterNights, they are merely there to enjoy the freedom of choice in their day to day activities.
And those people are the people most willing to pay monthly fees year in and year out.
I suspect Raph Koster had that in mind right from the begining. The problem is that the Star Wars Universe is very story driven - there's a conflict and there's some resolution that changes the nature of the galaxy, such as the rise and fall of the Emperor. And as many people have since then discovered, not everyone can be a Jedi and change the galaxy, and it's a hell of a lot boring if you want to be one of those Jedi.
At this point, Sony probably wants to create worlds that encourage people to well... "be born", make friends, make enemies, "grow families", build houses, grow old and well... die, over the span of years. The last thing they are interested in is creating a single arc story that a power-gamer can come in, finish in six months and move on to greener pastures. With that thought in mind, I think Koster is a good choice - people do bitch and whine about his worlds, but in the end, they live on for an extremely long time as UO will testify.
How to give a player a role in a larger world without forcing him into it and without belitting everyone else.
The last three letter in MMORPG stand for Role Playing Game. We already know the single player RPGs are coming to a crossroads with the East (Japan) sticking to painfully linear storylines and characters while the West (U.S.A. and Europe) are going with the non-linear development of games. The problem with making a MMORPG is the storyline. Any quest any developer thinks of for a game is quickly blown through by players (even "super" monsters are being taken down by parties/guilds numbering in the hundreds). As such, developers are left with this one option, constantly and quickly add new content on a regular basis. The best successful example of this is Final Fantasy XI.
However, note that I said 'best' not 'only' or 'most'. The reason I point this out is because Final Fantasy XI has not been regularly releasing content that is pertant to the storyline except in irregularly released expansion packs (which non-Japanese players got as part of the original game). However I state that Final Fantasy XI is doing well because they have been successfully holding special events regularly on holidays and have already annouced an expansion which (at least the title) is related to the storyline.
Until a MMORPG successfully manages to constantly release content (free or not) containing quests related to the storyline, current MMO"RPG"s will be nothing more than leveling up or hording phat l3wt games since players will quickly go through whatever quests related to the storyline in a few weeks.