Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

[Shiro_Hayate]

I'm not exactly sure what the hell has been happening to the MMORPG gaming era but it seems that every damned MMORPG besides Final Fantasy XI is a copy of something when it comes to core conepts. WoW vs. EQ2 and you basically have the same blasted game without PvP. Final Fantasy XI seems to be the only orignal one due to the party system and huge demand of incompetence from other players. EvE-Online seems to be one as well but that requires you to spend at least a year training god damn skills.

So what are your thoughts, with all these new MMORPGs coming out will they ever make something revolutional that changes the direction of MMORPGs? I guess I just woke up this morning thinking we've all been grinding for so damn long, what's the point anymore...I've been doing it since EQ1.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

Every time a big, shiny new MMO comes out, it's deemed the greatest thing in the universe. As long as it's popular, it will receive critical acclaim and enjoy a long, healthy life cycle.

The MMO genre in general was never very original to begin with. There was Ultima, there was Everquest, and eventually games like Star Wars Galaxies, Final Fantasy XI, The Matrix Online, and soon there will be Dungeons and Dragons Online and whatnot.

People thought World of Warcraft was going to be the most revolutionary MMO of all time and that it would change the face of online gaming forever. It didn't, and it won't. It only had its few additions to the standard MMO, much like any other game. FFXI didn't revolutionize the MMO genre, but it did introduce some great concepts, such as cross-platform, cross-national servers or its unique emphasis on story.

Usually when an MMO tries to revolutionize, it doesn't do too well. Planetside is a First Person Massively Multiplayer Shooter, but it's never met with the success of games like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI. Earth And Beyond allowed players to command their own spaceship and travel a virtual galaxy, but its developer shut down and had to pull the plug on the game. Wish was to be the worlds first UMMORPG, Ultra-Massively-Multiplayer-Online-RPG, featuring over 20,000 players per server. Of course, the beta couldn't even generate 20,000 players and the title was scrapped. The Matrix Online features a very unique style of combat unlike anything else seen in MMOs, but its declining sales led Warner Bros. to sell the title to Sony Online Entertainment, and its sales are still dropping. The only truly unique MMO I can think of that has met success is City of Heroes, but it still hasn't acquired the level of fame as games like WoW or EQ.

When someone quits an MMO, they tend to move on to something similar. A large number of people I met in The Matrix came from Star Wars Galaxies. A great number of people left Final Fantasy XI for World of Warcraft, then left that for Guild Wars. In my opinion, the MMO genre is in a neverending slump of unoriginality. Until a game comes out that's so revolutionary it can't be defined by today's standards of an MMO, we'll continue to see games like Middle Earth Online and the Star Trek MMO.

I too have been grinding since EQ, but I've found something I'll always love in FFXI, so grind on I shall.

[kuu]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

It's evolution, of money that is.

The general concept is Massive multi online

Each has their own ideas percentage, but they fall in generally 3 catagories.

Role play, Co-OP, and Hack and slash.

There seems to be 2 diverging trends and oddly, it's a very east vs west.

The west is leaning towards Hack and slash slayer, with City of heros, WoW, Matrix, GW, and other new ages ORPGs

The east is leaning more towards Co-Op and RP, with FFxi, Lineage, and other games people might not know. They all center around taking sides, and forming parties/allainces/Nations ect. Basically banding together.

Well given our culture roots, it's not surprising And it's a money trail.

Small companies don't have the resourse to do anymore more then paint the wheel a different color,
but BIG companies...

They want centralization. In the Big sense. The future is something akin to what Kasuragi talked about in his PS3 demo. The merging of lifestyle with games. Expect more ways to make communities, and shop, and more portals.

In the future, maybe ffxv, You will have multiple layers of gaming, those that want to fight, want to chat, what to shop, in the same world. Kind of like the current party system, but with more STUFF. You get an invite, to do something, while you're browsing the store or chatting.

They'll eventually think of something to improve the lfg system, as well as more options then just sitting around. Think of .Hack, where you almost always are able to get someone to come online.

[Pounce]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

There are several "holy grails" the MMORPG industry has been trying to pursue for some time now. Who knows if any of them will ever be achieved, but still, it's a general guideline on what people are hoping for in the "ultimate MMORPG".

1.) Balance of soloability vs. grouping. Making solo viable, while still providing ample incentives (not necessarily forced) to group with other players.

2.) Open-ness of PvP. Making PvP as open as possible while at the same time minimizing/elminating "grief" killing.

3.) Accessibility of "uber" high-end items. Make uber items attainable without ridiculous requirements, yet make them rare enough that they're highly sought-after.

4.) Accessibility of high-end content. This one kinda has been achieved recently, namely through instanced encounters.

5.) Skill vs. time. Most MMORPGs reward almost exclusively on time spent to the point that massive time expenditure is usually more rewarded than player ability. Balancing content for "hardcore" vs. more "casual" players.

FFXI is a rather unique title, but it shares more in common with Western games than it does with Asian ones - the vast majority being PvP-heavy Korean games that are of an extremely competitive nature. The "co-op" that takes place in these games is usually purely for PvP and is totally different from the forced-grouping system FFXI relies upon. Eve Online is IMHO, the closest Western game to these kind of MMORPGs, with the same kind of faction-building you find in games like Lineage.

[Blood Red Poet]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

FFXI has the best characters, best plot, and it has 'it'. Those are the reasons I play it.

[Jei]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

every games in general are copies of original with addition systems if you look at it like that but as you see, even with the same core, there are not many games that are well done or complete. Same as MMO for me they don't have to be revolutionary or anything. Look at FFXI, it's basicly a newer EQ1. But it feels very finish, very complete and very playable. Add on top stories and styles and the game shines among the others.

[Macht]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

every games in general are copies of original with addition systems if you look at it like that but as you see, even with the same core, there are not many games that are well done or complete. Same as MMO for me they don't have to be revolutionary or anything. Look at FFXI, it's basicly a newer EQ1. But it feels very finish, very complete and very playable. Add on top stories and styles and the game shines among the others.

I agree, but also brining in the cutscenes like they do and story development does give FFXI some uniqueness that you won't find in other MMORPGs.

[Shiro_Hayate]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

I just wish there'd be a MMORPG where you could do what you want, like crafters craft (without having to need 9 million to begin with *cough* Goldsmithing*) housing, The Sims-like stuff, and of course the classic hack-slash grind. Not sure what MMORPGs are lacking but I seem to be drifting away from them now, been trying all these trials and I couldn't stand them. Shadowbane was horrible, Asheron's Call 2 was just too damn ugly and Anarchy Online is good but dying.

[Jei]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

starwars galaxy and ultima online has that. You can be pure crafter, start your stores, maintain your shop etc

[Pounce]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

Maybe Ultima Online? That sounds similar to what you describe. Probably one of the few MMORPGs where you can play without ever killing anything.

Speaking of UO, I'd like to see more games with a skill-based instead of a level-based system of character development. Level-based systems are so....archaic, not to mention restrictive.

[tazirai]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

Maybe Ultima Online? That sounds similar to what you describe. Probably one of the few MMORPGs where you can play without ever killing anything.

Speaking of UO, I'd like to see more games with a skill-based instead of a level-based system of character development. Level-based systems are so....archaic, not to mention restrictive.

When Anarchy Online first came out it was purely skill based. Your level only ment the aquisition of skill points to apply to your stats. It was awesome. Anarchy also had a great story to start with , It had a CG animated series, a novel, and great ingame action and events.
Then Funcom became NOfuncom. and everything went to hell.

I played a Nanotech basically a BlackMage in the future. At level 21 I had roughly
1400 nanopoints(mana) and 500 HP. I could literally rip up a level 35 mob, because its where I put my skillset. Now think of a level 14 BLM no SJ with Quake.
Dunes would be full of Black Mages ^^.

Basically AO had a great Team/Solo Aspect, then changed it all around, That and the stopping of the story to a degree is killing it.

[DakAttack]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

WHile I played AO I never actually saw any storyline. For the most part I didn't really understand most of what I was doing, or what else there was to do, but I found myself doing those weird missions over and over without any end.

I never understood the popularity of World of Warcraft. Only because thousands of people played the RTS thousands of people played WoW, but none of them realize how crappy the game really is.

Since every aspect a MMORPG could cover has been covered sperately in every game created, it would take a lot to gain popularity. You'd need a lot to hook a player, get them to start playing, and something to keep them playing.

[Shiro_Hayate]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

I tried playing Star Wars Galaxy, maxed out my Bounty Hunter after the combat upgraded came out. I left the gam for a simple reason, they screwed up Bounty Hunters and Jedis so badly. Before people were complaining about Jedis hiding in houses and such. I usually just waited a long time for them to come out but now since they allowed more then 1 person on a transport Bouty Hunters got screwed. You walk up to a jedi, then hop onto their friend's speeder and run away. At least before you could stop them for taking out their speeder....god damn SoE is stupid.

[Jei]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

I quit before Jedi were in game. How are the jedi? How powerful are they?

[Pounce]

Re: Final Fantasy XI & future of MMORPGs?

I've played AO (admittedly not too much though), and it's still a level based system. While it has the makings of a skill based system too, you're still ultimately limited by the old school D&D-style class-level system.

i.e. you couldn't make a bazooka-wielding doctor. Whereas in UO you can make a halberd-wielding healer ;p