With so many dissapointment of mmorpg condition in 2007, I began to wonder, what kind of game that can satisfy the hope of most mmo players.  An article by Oliase describe it, with many more agrees that 2007 fill with so much high hope that failed to be met by so many games.  It is very ironic to see how a game like WoW can reach 10,000,000 subscribers, enough to establish a country, with fee to play, while others fail in the market even though they give a free services for their game.  Some of us even wonder, when will the game die with such enormous subscribers, like what gmbar wrote.

Looking back at games that I have played, my first RPG (in computer) that I’ve played called Ultima.  Not the Ultima Online, it’s Ultima 1.  A game created by Richard Garriot, formerly worked for Origin, but later we know him as the head of NCSoft North America.  His famous nickname would be Lord British, an NPC that always appear in all the Ultima series that I played.  The game has been listed in Guinness Book of Record as the longest RPG game series, with constant plot (Final Fantasy also has long series but it never has a continuous plot).  It has won some awards for the genre in its time.  And some critics consider the series as the best RPG ever made.  My first RPG final quest is to defeat the evil wizard Mondain.  I also have played Ultima 2 and 3, but I am not as excited as I was playing the 4^th.  I was wondering why.  And I find that the first three series was almost the same.  The quest was like the same repetitive pattern: level up, explore the dungeon for best equipment, defeat the final evil Mondain, Minax, and Exodus.  Of course the game graphic was getting better, they had some additions to the game feature, but basically it’s still the same.  Well, I got quite excited to play the 3^rd actually compared to the first two, because that’s the first time you play Ultima with battle in group or party.  However, the 4^th one is the one that got me addicted very much to the RPG genre.  This is the first game where you don’t need to overcome the master of evil of the current time and world anymore (like most of the RPG theme out there), but your final quest would be to become an ultimate avatar!  A role that has been dissapeared from Britain.  A Holy role that needed by the people of Sosaria, the former name of Britain.  Now, this game still has the same (read: improved) feature as the first three, BUT it is also adding another feature of the game.  Moreover, it differentiate itself in the form of game purpose!  The same pattern repeated in the successful series of the title on its 7^th series!  They provide the same (read: improved) feature and yet they add a NEW and REVOLUTIONAIRE way of gaming.  Now pay attention to the 8^th series of the title… THEY FAILED!  Why?  They don’t do the same success pattern again, instead… they put the game feature back to the first 2 series.  Yes, they have an improved feature at other aspect but why does Origin need to revert back some vital features?  Yes, money and schedule talk, but if you don’t pay the price, you WILL ‘pay’ for the ‘price’!  The game failed in the market.

The same success pattern apply to the company that produce the 10 million subscribers.  They’ve provide us with the successful Warcraft series, Starcraft series, and Diablo series.   But each of their sequel, is very successful compared to other game titles.  Sometimes, we had to wait for another delay from the company.  My friend once told me that ‘Delay’, is Blizzard middle name.  But that was a worth delay!  I am not going to debate about whether the delay time is necessary or not, but the pattern that they used remain the same!  They provide an improved feature of the game, and ADD or revolutionize some more!  When I heard that Blizzard is going to put out the ‘heroes’ feature in Starcraft 2, I am really dissapointed.  The birth of heroes in Warcraft 3 was inspired by the control of unique individual unit in Starcraft.  Now that’s a revolutionaire way of a game series.  But if they put it out, I am afraid they will fail.  But we don’t know that yet, so many factors can determine the outcome of the game launching.  The game hasn’t launch yet.

Now what about the online game?  I still believe that the same pattern would apply to it.  It’s OK if you want to copy most features that popular in mainstream title of online game, but just copying them would make you like, this is a “WoW me-too products”.  Even though the developer improve the feature, such as graphic, but if they eliminate other feature and didn’t bother to add new feature, the result will remain the same.  Failure.  I have played many games just to stay about 20 hours of gameplay, and decide not to carry on because I just felt that the game is the repetition of other online game with no additional feature.  Why don’t they LEARN FROM THE BEST?  Now I am trying to figure out some feature that got me addicted to online game AT THE FIRST TIME.

My first online game, sadly, is not Ultima Online.  Many people said that Ultima Online is the basis inspiration of nowaday succesfull online game.  During the launch of Ultima Online, my country internet infrastructure is not as good (hmmm… I dun think I can use this word either XD) as today.  So my first encounter with addictive MMORPG is Ragnarok Online.  After so many years without sleepless night playing games, this game has got me so addicted that I added another age of my life by sitting in front of the computer instead of celebrating it with my friends.  So I will take the game as an example.  RO was even awarded by MMOSITE voters as the best game of the year.  I think this is indeed a good example for one of the best game.

I have some friends to play along in MMORPG.  I try to asked them, why they got addicted by Ragnarok Online, as well as I must pay attention to myself onto why I’m also did.  And here’s some fact that I found.

Wide range of game exploration

If you play RPG, usually you will have a destined (read: determined) purpose.  Either you have to kill the ultimate  evil, or to solve a mistery, or to become a certain role, it is an absolute purpose.  But when you play MMORPG, you will be the one who determined your own purpose for playing the game.  And if the game doesn’t provide you with so many area of exploration, you will soon get bored with the game.  If becoming the best, in terms of level, in the game is the only thing that a game can provide, people will quit the game soon.  Not everybody can stand grinding to reach the highest level.  I remember, that reaching lv 99 is not my purpose in playing RO.  To build a specialize forging blacksmith with max dex and luck is my purpose.  So that I can provide ANY weapons with ANY elements for my guild so that my guild will be the best known guild for having complete weapons.  But leveling up such character is very difficult.  So I have to create an agi str knight to support my purpose.  Another friend of mine has a purpose to collect ALL cards ever dropped in the game.  That’s very ambitious.  She doesn’t care about her character’s level.  The reason a game provide a new job, a rebirth system, a new skill, and etc etc, is to provide a new range of exploration.  But developers can not just have the same things like Ragnarok.  Provide the same feature is good, but please provide a NEW feature.  A good article by lekaku about some changes that we can expect from future online game would be a good example.  Actually, I’ve been playing Granado Espada for about a month, and I found some NEW feature, but I’m afraid they lack of some aspects.  However, this is my first online game where you control a team not just a character.  I will try to make a review for the game after I have explore the game long enough.

Complexity and Variety

When I know that the weapon in RO can be boosted by cards and also can be made with elements in it, I’m getting obsessed with the game.  And not just that, the skill and attribute point are limited, so that I have to choose what kind of character that I want to make.  I can choose the same job as others, but that doesn’t mean my character is the same as theirs.  Being a tanker, VIT knight using spears, will be very different from being a quick killer, AGI knight using two handed swords.  During the first launch of RO in my country there hasn’t any 2^nd job alternatives or 3^rd job.  But it’s already offering a vivid variety for building a character.  It doesn’t stop up to that point.  The game has a very complex matrix of battle.  Elements, type of monsters, the way a monster attack us, cards, skills, attributes, war of emporium, variety of items and equipment of this game was offered in a very complex way.   Imagine how the game conceptor has to make several matrix for it.  For example: when somebody hit a skel worker, it has to account this elements: the monster is an undead type, middle size, with dead elements, demi humans, and how the monster got hit by weapon with each elements, each level of skill, and many more.  Even for one monsters, the developers has to make a complex matrix of battle result.

Rivalry and Competition

When War of Emporium has been added as new feature in RO, a large number of RO players are putting their effort to build their guild as the best guild to defend or capture castles.  And not just that, players were meeting each other with their fellow guild members just to talk about strategy.  Even the “cheapest” strategy was being formulated to defend their castle.  I still remember how a guild put all the area skill in front of the castle door just to make the “heavy lag” situation.  My VIT knight with 300 white potions that used just for one entry wasn’t enough to penetrate such strategy.  The only reason why this game is still running in my country during 2006 with so many bot programs around is because of this feature.  Another good example is Lineage II (during my first encounter with online game).  One of my friend was playing Lineage II and giving me a preview of castle siege and I have to agree with him that the way NCSoft providing this feature really boost the excitement to play the game.  The environment, the scale, the sound effect, the rule, all aspects really designed to make you feel that you’re in the middle of a real war.  No wonder it has become the number one online game in Korea for quite some time.   I believe that PK system was provided as a feature to fullfil this aspect.  However, nowaday PK is used mostly just to bully a new player, not as a tool for rivalry.  That’s why many people hate the PK system.

There is also one aspect that I felt quite important, but not cruicial.  However, I believe providing it will prolonged the lifecycle of an online game:

Storyline

Now, maybe this is not a cruicial point to be provided for players.  But trying to compete with WoW without providing a good storyline, will be very difficult because many players of WoW also playing Warcraft.  Many of thems are longing to know the feelings of being one of the citizens of Azeroth.  And when Blizzard succesfully create the world, the players just feels like they found their second home.  Warcraft player will already know about Arthas, Kel Thuzard, Cairne Bloodhoof, Thrall, and many more characters in Warcraft.  So being one of their tribe, can give a different feeling instead of just creating a new character in an unknown world with an unknown storyline.  The important point to remember about RPG is the first word: ROLE!  Give us the feeling of being one important role.  Without a good storyline, maybe the game can be succesfull but IF they provide a good storyline, a strong bond will be created for many players (well, not all of us care about the story either).   But looking at how the patch is delivered, sometimes I think the developers doesn’t give a damn about the story, while on the other side, stories are told by cinematic scene of Burning Crusade and Wrath of Lich King, creating a powerful image in the mind of WoW players. 

The above points are just a formulated conclusion of game feature.  I am not talking about the details of game feature.  As long as the game developer can fulfill the above criteria BY IMPROVING the available feature WHILE adding or even REVOLUTIONIZE a new feature, the game will get a large number of players.  Deleting an already popular feature will make the game fail.  Providing an already popular feature without adding a new one will make people think it is another WoW duplication.

IF a game is already good and can be describe as the best, why would every players in the world crying for NEW game?  One of many reasons I believe because they need a new creative addicting feature.