ARCHIVE: Forced Grouping and Community in MMOs

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

In the various MMO forums in which I spent an unhealthy amount of my free time, I've come to notice a trend in arguments about grouping. People are constantly arguing for and against more group content. While grouping is an integral part of all MMOs, I think there are two types of games in this regard: The type in which community is created through necessity, and the type that community has to be forced upon. There are upsides and downsides to both, and they're pretty much mutually exclusive.

ARCHIVE: On "Realistic" Graphics

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

I see a lot of people arguing back and forth about the merits of "realistic" graphics versus more stylized graphics (such as in Borderlands), and the main reason I see people arguing in favor of the "realism" graphic style has to do with immersion. The arguments make sense; something that looks realistic is easier to relate to than something that seems unreal. It's easier to suspend your disbelief. However, there is a glaring flaw in that argument.

ARCHIVE: On the Importance of Jumping in an Online Game World

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

For me, jumping has nothing to do with the practicality of being able to jump over objects (it's a nice bonus, though).

The ability to jump is about freedom. It's not like an emote (a static animation unaffected by the surrounding area). There are a couple games I've played where the jump has been more like an emote and it has defeated the purpose. Real jumping in a game proves the existence of gravity in the world you are inhabiting. For example, if you jump while moving down a hill, you'll stay in the air longer (emote-like jumping wouldn't do this).

Jumping is important to me because it makes the world feel more like...well, a world. It prevents me from feeling like I'm glued to the ground. The existence of gravity and the existence of real space outside the confines of the ground increases my immersion. It's a strange phenomenon, admittedly, but, for some reason, jumping is crucial to my feeling of freedom in an online world.

ARCHIVE: Spontaneous Cooperation

note: any post that starts with "ARCHIVE:" is something that I wrote either for an older blog or in some other location, but deemed worth of copying over to this.

There really needs to be more of an effort by MMO developers to allow and reward spontaneous cooperation. I don't see why everyone shouldn't get quest credit for helping take down a mob, even if someone else tagged it first. If someone manages to come in at the last second and do a sliver of damage, well...lucky them!

There are so many fantasy movies/stories/whatevers in which someone pops out of nowhere to help someone out. We should be able to do this in MMO's! It's all about the multiplayer, isn't it? So why are there ever detrimental repercussions for cooperating?

I see the future of MMO's getting rid of the standard grouping formula all together. If people are near each other, they can cooperate! And all get credit for their heroic deeds! Yay!

Seems pretty simple. I don't know why no one has done it.

So come on, developers. Let's turn "kill stealing" into a forgotten term and replace it with "kill sharing".