• Esme
  • Da Vincian
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-10-01
  • Posts: 184

Topic: Alchemic Dream wants your opinions!

Hi Everyone,

Alchemic Dream would like to ask your opinion on a topic that is important to us all:

We are currently working on a global study on live events in online games, and the involvement of game masters, and would like to have your opinion on the matter: Do you think that in game events have a major impact on MMOG's?

You may also vote by clicking on the link below:

http://www.dpolls.com/polls/34571/How_i … nts_in_MMO

Please leave your thoughts here - we will be checking - and also follow the above link.

Cheers,

Esme aka Takame

  • Oluf
  • Administrator
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-10-01
  • Posts: 343

Re: Alchemic Dream wants your opinions!

Hm... Let me know if this is going off topic from what kind of feedback you are looking for esme... but my current thoughts on the matter is:

First off lets assume this poll is about your every day MMO, not one of those Rp centric mmos we so despertly are trying to find in this community wink

It depends on the game. If the gameplay itself is interesting enough then events really doesnt matter that much. Let us assume that we got an interesting MMO (hard to find..but just for the sake of the argument wink ) then I would actually rather have either a lower subsciption fee, more new content, a kick ass service for when my char gets stuck in the world, more focus on keeping gold sellers out of the game, more focus on creating a good community.... etc....
My thoughts on events is that they are supposed to be a nice surprise. If the game is interesting then I cant really see why GM created events should be required in the first place. Making them 'required' really shouldnt be ...well...required! Sure I like a good event during the holidays or at holloween or whatever but as this is (as i assumed above) about your 'normal' mmo then having these events doesnt alter the actual game world anyway, thus I dont really consider them required or a 'must have'.
Focusing on community feedback, good in-game(and out of game) services is more important when the events arent more exciting then they are in most MMOs.... Just my humble opinion smile

I voted "A nice plus" ... but if there was an option in between," A nice plus" and "They dont matter" I would have choosen that i think smile

  • From: Aachen, Germany
  • Registered: 2006-10-02
  • Posts: 51

Re: Alchemic Dream wants your opinions!

I think a nice plus at most. As Oluf pointed out a MMOG should be interesting enough in itself so it doesn't needs what usually is understood under the term events. While for 'real' MMORPGs Seed showed the way, GMs should be giving out tasks, guiding here, pushing there, generally providing the human input no game mechanics alone can provide to give the feel of a living changing world.

  • Darkhawk
  • Fluffy harmless Teddy bear
  • Offline
  • From: Denmark
  • Registered: 2006-10-01
  • Posts: 710

Re: Alchemic Dream wants your opinions!

To the question, I can answer quite briefly: No

Ok wink

And now less briefly: If impact is defined as something that will keep a majority of people playing and interested in the game, the answer is no, I think. Some people, particularly people like us, roleplayers, but also others, will like it to varying degrees, but the commercial success of a game seems to have no connection to whether there is ingame events or not. It is not on top of most players wish lists, nor are there that many participating in the few events that are held.

Also, events are a strange thing to handle to everyone's satisfcation. Are they IC only, RP'ed out? Then everyone but the few RP'ers will find them strange, and most will avoid them. If they are general, OOC events, then more people might find them cozy, and they will attract a bit more attention, but their point will be kinda' lost, the RP'ers would revolt, and in any case I don't believe they would have an impact.

But, not to be all doom and gloom, I'm just trying to look rationally at the question. Of course I'd like RP ingame events, the more the merrier, in all MMO's, but realistically, they won't matter in the big scope of things, i.e. commercially. They might however heighten the reputation of the game in the RP community, and draw more RP'ers. SoR had such a reputation once, and even non-RP'ers listed the ingame events as a good aspect of the game.

And events are a bit 'in the middle', in that the game itself should provide the content/events, or on the other hand, the game should be completely RP, like Seed was, not just with 'events' thrown in here and there to liven up the desert. Still, events are a plus in my book. That just won't net any company much money I'm afraid, though it will heighten the quality of the game as I see it. The general mass of gamers wouldn't care though.

My, I'm Mr. negative today wink And it wasn't meant quite like that, just giving my 'objective' view about what kind of impact events would have. They can add colour, but for the non-RP'ers they're irrelevant and for the RP'ers they're not enough. Tough place to be in ;D