MMORPG fans often demand as much realism as possible in a game, and some “retro” elements are also on their wish list. However, when games offer this, they are rather rarely successful.
For the Masses or Rather a Niche?
Ultima Online is an MMORPG that is repeatedly cited as an example of how brilliant the genre used to be. Developers are supposed to orient themselves towards Ultima Online, and then they would create the ultimate MMO that becomes a huge success! However, looking at Kickstarter campaigns for MMORPGs like Das Tal, Trials of Ascension, or the first campaign of Shards Online, it is noticeable: All of these crowdfunding campaigns have failed.
Are “retro” elements like open PvP or full loot really not as popular as is often claimed? Such features cater to a relatively small audience. On one hand, you need a high tolerance for frustration if you are playing in a game with open PvP and full loot. This already limits the player base.
Then you should bring a lot of time because you have to constantly replace the equipment that is taken from you after a lost duel. This also reduces the number of players. Furthermore, players should be familiar with and have loved the venerable games to find enjoyment in a more modern representative with these features. And suddenly, part of the potential players is gone…
As harsh as it sounds, and even if many do not want to admit it: MMORPGs with open PvP and full loot are aimed only at a niche of gamers. This may change again, but at the moment, the preferences of the majority of gamers seem to lie elsewhere. When you read statements like: “If the game were just like Ultima Online, the developers would have raised millions of dollars through crowdfunding!”, you can only smile about that.
From Frustration to Fun?
And yet, many gamers are also keen on realism in existing or future MMORPGs. Let’s take the example of Shroud of the Avatar. Nights should be pitch black, there are no quest markers for NPCs, and you hardly know where to go. If you want to see something at night in the wilderness, you need a torch or a light spell, and even then, you can hardly see anything. If you want to find NPCs or specific locations, you have to ask around – and that through text input!
The fans of SotA think this is great and do not want anything to change. However, one forgets that the game should also be successful. Who likes sitting in front of a black screen because the nights in the game are so pitch black? Who wants to ask hundreds of NPCs before finding the one where they can turn in the quest?
This appeals to hardcore gamers who are into such realism and “retro” elements. However, it will probably not reach the masses. Statements like: “Players will recognize the value of this realism while playing,” are rather far-fetched. If a game generates frustration, you are unlikely to persist through it in the hope of finding fun in that frustration.
Retro and realism are two goals that can work in MMORPGs, but only under certain conditions: On one hand, the fun of the game should never suffer. On the other hand, developers should not use retro and realism just for the sake of it, but only when it makes sense.
If game elements have developed sensibly, setbacks for the sake of setbacks are counterproductive.
