It’s no secret thatmassive multiplayer online gamesare a risky business; constant supervision, maintenance and content can turn a foray with live service into a consuming game that takes over a developer’s entire work staff. Take Bioware for example, who handed the development ofStar Wars: The Old Republicover to Broadsword simply because it wasn’t allowing them to commit fully to other projects.
With every success-story, however, there are ten failures, but that doesn’t necessarily make them awful. Many defunct MMOs have unique gameplay features that were ahead of the time or simply a shining star in a pile of rubble, and it would be wise for current MMO developers to take a look at these games for inspiration.
7The Matrix Online’s Neutral Player Faction Is A Great Way To Diversify Gameplay
The Matrix Onlinehad many struggles duringits troubled lifetime, coming off the back of the middling reception ofMatrix 2and3,whilst original publisher Ubisoft backed out prior to launch. Despite this,The Matrix Onlinecan be fondly remembered for its tertiary faction system, something unique to mainstream MMOs.
Unlike the single or dual factions of modern massive multiplayer titles,The Matrix Onlineallowed players to align with a third, neutral faction, The Merovingian, and work dynamically against the other factions. If modern MMOs introduced a wildcard faction like The Merovingian, it would certainly diversify the gameplay, stories and alliances that feature in these games.
6Club Penguin Mascots Are A Fun, Easy To Achieve Mini-Event
For those growing up in the early 2000s,Club Penguinis a milestone video game where many spent hours at their parties, mini-games or igloos. When it came to the limited-time events, nobody knew how tospike player engagement fasterthanClub Penguin.
The main reason for this was mascots; ‘celebrity’ penguins often cited in the game or story that would make brief, selective visits to sign autographs (give a limited edition item) and waddle around. It was a huge success, and if active MMOs had something similar, it would be easy to see how huge numbers of players would accumulate to meet them.
5Asheron’s Call Utilized An Immersive Spell System That Remains Unique
Asheron’s Call, one of the first MMOs on the market, was a longtime competitor for many early MMOs, inviting a small group of passionate fans to participate regularly in the content. The fanbase was so devoted to the game that in 2017, whenAsheron’s Call’s closure was announced, there were many attempts to privately purchase or lease the intellectual property.
One of the most memorable aspects of the game was itscomplicated spell system, which relied on trial-and-error for players to be able to perform the desired magic. It was a challenge to master, so much so that the developers eventually included a secondary, easier method, but the immersion of the process remains a desirable focus for roleplayers.
4Star Wars Galaxies Strived To Create Player-Run Communities
In traditional MMOs, player housing is almost certainly guaranteed, but what setStar Wars Galaxiesapart was its playercities. Complex systems encouraging mass player congregation, player cities were like something in a sandbox more than an MMO, and as a result, isa cherished mechanic.
Current MMOs could implement this feature to reinforce community further and encourage group play in a way simple clans and guilds cannot. It seems to be a complex set of responsibilities, running and maintaining a city, but inStar Wars Galaxies, it was equally rewarding.
3Tabula Rasa Was A Traditional MMO Infused With Other Genres
Set in a persistent world that responded to player action,Tabula Rasacentered on a conflict between human alliances and an alien race calledThe Bane. Missions, NPCs, and gear were all dependent on the state of the world and the war at its center, which required players to fight through any means necessary.
The methods players could use were heavily modified shooter mechanics, fusing the traditional slow-paced combat of MMOs with gunplay that keptTabula Rasafresh and engaging. Packed into a sci-fi world,Tabula Rasahad a wide selection of inspirations that influenced its design, something current MMOs could utilize to make themselves more individualistic.
2The Horizontal Character Progression In The Chronicles Of Spellborn Is Unique
Unlike most MMOs,The Chronicles of Spellbornput zero emphasis on weapon and armor choices, making both entirely cosmetic. Instead, skill and progression were formulated through the development of skills and abilities to create better characters, making them hugely accessible and viable in most forms of combat found in the MMO.
Modern MMOs could take theSpellbornformula further, as it was still restrained by class and lockout skills, and instead do away with vertical progression andunique skillsentirely, allowing every character access to the same things, just not all at once. It would certainly be an engaging new model not yet seen in MMOs.
1Lego Universe Is Low-Stakes Fun Reliant On Friendly Cooperation
Almost every MMO thrusts the player at the center of an ancient crisis, destined to destroy the big bad or heal the world. WhilstLego Universemay have eventually traveled this route if it hadnot closed downin 2012, what players experienced was a fun RPG that relied on players working together, never apart.
The only exception to this was leaderboards and races, but both were designed to encourage friendly competition, not all-out rivalry. There was no PvP and no meta for player-killing, creating a richly low-stakes world that was fun to be in. More MMOs need to adopt whatLego Universehad; a sense of adventure, not marred by heavy storytelling.
