Post by Morreion on Mar 9, 2010 7:42:13 GMT -5
The Digital Continuum: The importance of involvement (Massively)
Keep those rewards coming! I don't care for leveling games where you only get abilities every other level- that's disappointing. And I like the idea of progression having other aspects; for instance, in Vanguard there is the Diplomacy system that is a whole new advancement system. More ways to advance is good, as are frequent milestones. That keeps me involved.
Instant(ly)
Being involved "instantly" means that moment-to-moment activities like combat should be involving and, this goes without saying, fun. If I'm playing a first-person shooter and the physicality of shooting someone just doesn't connect -- if it's too floaty or the bullets move through the environment in an unconvincing manner -- then I'll likely think said game is lackluster. Even if there's some really great progression or late-game features, it won't stop someone such as myself from playing for a few minutes before walking away with other matters on their mind.
Near(ly)
The "nearly" part relates directly to MMOs. It's your character progression and the satisfaction gained from leveling, acquiring a new piece of equipment and basically chasing that next juicy reward. Obviously, having too little progression is very bad. On the other hand, there's definitely a point of diminishing returns where adding too many little carrots wastes development time and money, in addition to watering down all other rewards' importance.
Eventual(ly)
Which brings us to that "eventually" part of involvement. Every MMO has its milestones. Your first mount is a big occasion. A brand new zone to explore is like getting a trash bag of candy on Halloween when you were a kid. These moments need to be properly punctuated so they're memorable, so that a person will fervently tell a friend about their experience. In fact, each of these three facets are key because when done well, word will spread beyond an established community and into the discussions of family and friends.
Being involved "instantly" means that moment-to-moment activities like combat should be involving and, this goes without saying, fun. If I'm playing a first-person shooter and the physicality of shooting someone just doesn't connect -- if it's too floaty or the bullets move through the environment in an unconvincing manner -- then I'll likely think said game is lackluster. Even if there's some really great progression or late-game features, it won't stop someone such as myself from playing for a few minutes before walking away with other matters on their mind.
Near(ly)
The "nearly" part relates directly to MMOs. It's your character progression and the satisfaction gained from leveling, acquiring a new piece of equipment and basically chasing that next juicy reward. Obviously, having too little progression is very bad. On the other hand, there's definitely a point of diminishing returns where adding too many little carrots wastes development time and money, in addition to watering down all other rewards' importance.
Eventual(ly)
Which brings us to that "eventually" part of involvement. Every MMO has its milestones. Your first mount is a big occasion. A brand new zone to explore is like getting a trash bag of candy on Halloween when you were a kid. These moments need to be properly punctuated so they're memorable, so that a person will fervently tell a friend about their experience. In fact, each of these three facets are key because when done well, word will spread beyond an established community and into the discussions of family and friends.
MMO combat is going two directions right now: shooter and classic. By classic, I mean games like EverQuest 2 and World of Warcraft. Shooter is fairly self-evident but there's a lot of variety to be found. Is the combat third-person or first? Realistic or futuristic/fantastical? Vehicles or infantry only?
Progression is really just coming up with ever increasingly complex ways to customize the playing experience over a prolonged period of time. Some games stick with a simple-to-follow system: players have a level and some kind of customization tree. This system funnels each class into a few options, but limits each character to a predetermined archetype. The other side of this coin is an open skill system that's very flexible and opens up the possibility that a player will create a distressingly useless character.
Both methods contain faults, have stagnated at times and also made great strides forward at other intervals. Ultimately, I think new and exciting forms of progression are going to stem from unexpected places. Perhaps the world and story surrounding an MMO will fire off a spark, creating a burning pyre of new ideas. New customization and social interaction methods may lead to a meta-progression that happens both in and out of a game. Regardless of how it happens, I'll be ready to treat these future new ideas with reverence and fanfare.
Both methods contain faults, have stagnated at times and also made great strides forward at other intervals. Ultimately, I think new and exciting forms of progression are going to stem from unexpected places. Perhaps the world and story surrounding an MMO will fire off a spark, creating a burning pyre of new ideas. New customization and social interaction methods may lead to a meta-progression that happens both in and out of a game. Regardless of how it happens, I'll be ready to treat these future new ideas with reverence and fanfare.
Keep those rewards coming! I don't care for leveling games where you only get abilities every other level- that's disappointing. And I like the idea of progression having other aspects; for instance, in Vanguard there is the Diplomacy system that is a whole new advancement system. More ways to advance is good, as are frequent milestones. That keeps me involved.
