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Horror MMOs: Possible, or Just Another Dream of Mine?
Category: Ramblings Game: Default Posted on May 27, 2009 9:00 pm
Horror MMOs
MMOs come in all flavors; Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Social (Such as Second Life), Post-Apocolyptic, FPS, and more! But a horror MMO, is it possible? Can there actually be a game, with millions of players, that are absolutely TERRIFIED? I sure hope so.
Current Attempts
The only attempt I currently know of is Requiem: Bloodymare, and honestly? It just doesn't interest me. I've watched videos. Seen the monsters. Went to the website, registered, and installed it. But never once have I played it. Mainly because the videos didn't scare me. Maybe I should give it a chance, but unless you, the reader, can convince me to, I doubt it will stay installed on my computer for long.
REALLY? Blood + Big Monsters = horror? I don't think so Requiem, I don't think so.
My Ideas on a Horror MMO
My first idea was about the monsters. I wanted monsters that were so unbelievably powerful that put up a real fight one on one. It would basically force you to band together with others in order to survive. Next, since monsters would require you to party, most classes would have party buffs that only take effect when in a party. Your medics would have a +stamina buff and a bonus to their healing abilites. The buffs would grow in power depending on how many players were in the party. Then, I had to think about what era this would be set in. Would it be futuristic, such as Dead Space? Would it be fantasy, like most MMOs? Or would it be placed in modern times, where I believe the most horrific games are placed in, such as Resident Evil (before 4 and 5), Silent Hill, Siren: Blood Curse, and others? I think a modern gameplay style would work the best, but it would make me use the most sensical system for a modern game, FPS.
So, after contemplating quite a few game mechanics, I think I figured out a plot: A maniac has kidnapped hundreds of thousands of people from throughout the world, and has dumped them on a large island unknown to the world, about 500,000 mi. in diameter. The kidnapped people are spread in concentrated spots on the island. The main character starts out waking in the middle of the island, in a small makeshift settlement, with injured and dying people all around. You are greeted by a strange woman, who seems to be the leader of this settlement. She gives you advice as the starting quest giver. You are given a scavenging mission, and at the end of the text, she gives you a stern warning, "If you see any monsters or mutants, STAY AWAY. And if they come after you, RUN. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN BACK TO THIS CAMP. We'll take care of them. Or we'll try, at least."
After completing the scavenging quest and learning some skills such as scavenging, cooking, fishing, weapon and armour creating, and the like, you will have leveled up to level 5. You will then have the choice of a class; Fighter, your main DPS, Medic, the healer, Warrior, the tank, Theif, melee DPS, but is mainly a support class, or Ranger, the ranged DPS. After choosing the class, learning your main skills, and making some makeshift weapons, you are told by the the leader that you need to fight off some monsters. In the middle of talking, a cutscene starts. You hear a dark, evil voice cackling over what seem to be a hidden PA system. He greets you, and welcomes you to the island. He tells everyone on the island that they are part of a game, and if they want to escape, they must lie, cheat, steal, and fight to survive. He also tells you that there are docks scattered over the ends of the island, with boats that have autopilot to the nearest country. After the leader instructs you to find a group of people (players) to escape with, you choose a direction to move in. It's best to travel in day, because night is pitch darkness and you only have a flashlight. Also, at night, voices seem to haunt you, visions appear, invincible murderous maniacs come after you, and the like. You fight monsters, go through dungeons, disarm traps, find weapons, fight wars, and reach the docks, where you must fight a final boss, where you finally escape, and head home... or so you think.
Problems with a Horror MMO
The main problem surrounding a horror MMO is, of course, the horror. Is it possible to cause a state of total paranoia and fear in the player while there are hundreds and thousands of people around him? I believe so. I think the main way to cause this is to make players only trust their closest friends, because people can betray each other and kill them (PK), trick them into a trap where they have to wait for time to escape, or for death by mutant or monster. An example is being trapped in a hanging net and having monsters jumping up and attacking to break it, just wanting to get to your succulent flesh.
The next problem is profitablity. This is the main problem for any MMO. For most companies, profitability decides whether a game will be made or not. I believe this is why there are no good horror MMOs, because the market for them is too small. And seeing as the main fanbase for MMOs is teenagers, I doubt the profits would not be good.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, I believe that a horror MMO is possible, it just needs the correct direction, and quite a bit of funding.. Blood does not a horror MMO make. Neither to monsters that appear to be strong. Psychological fear is the strongest of all fears, and can be an extremely powerful weapon in games, such as F.E.A.R. 2. All the way throughout the game I was paranoid that something was going to pop out, or sneak up on me, or Alma was going to appear. They had me scared to even play the game, but was good enough to keep me playing. So, one day, I WILL see a horror MMO one day that will captivate the senses and chill you down to the bone.
Tags: Requiem Bloodymare horror MMO ideas possibility
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