MMOs are huge collections of game elements. Crafting, raids, instances, quests; battlefields, duels, arenas: Are you making use of all these opportunities? Or could you do without some of them?
Even in Destiny the first players complain when they log in on Tuesdays: “Too much to do!” What should players in the years-grown amusement parks of Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2 say? Over the years, MMOs accumulate endless features and activities. With each patch, something new is added, but rarely is something removed.
World of Warcraft, for example, regularly trims down, has fundamentally revamped the skill system, simplifying it, and also removed flying. In Destiny, efforts have been made to significantly reduce the farming of materials, ideally to eliminate it entirely, as it is perceived as annoying rather than an exciting gameplay element.
For many players in “full MMOs,” a sensitive topic: PvP. Some don’t use it at all, stay away from it, and wish that the time spent in “player versus player” combat could have been better invested in PvE. Others are not interested in the often obligatory crafting system or feel that the mini-games that some games provide are unnecessary.
If a lot is offered and there is something for everyone, it may not be a big problem if one or two features do not go over well. However, if too many elements of the game are affected, then it is a problem. In WildStar, for example, this quickly became a problem: Players accepted neither the 40-man raids nor the innovative ideas that were devised for PvP.
“Luxury features” are often put to the test. “Achievement” systems are sometimes looked at suspiciously, not everyone has long appreciated the “pet battles” from WoW, the upgrade systems for legendary weapons in Lord of the Rings Online feel complicated, and crafting through companions is annoying in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Or not? Would these games be better without the systems or just poorer?
What about you: Are you a jack-of-all-trades in your MMO trying to enjoy everything, getting the most for your money? Or are there features and aspects in your MMO that you wouldn’t even want to try for a truckload of cash, and you just wish they would go away? Which game elements in your MMO could you do without?
