The Evolution of Online Dragon-Slaying

1up has a second article in a series on the evolution of online games. This entry wonders aloud about the MMOG player preoccupation with dragon-slaying. From the article: "Are we really that happy to hang out with orcs all the time? Apparently, yes. According to mmogchart.com, an MMO research site run by Bruce Sterling Woodcock, fantasy-based RPGs account for approximately 85 percent of the market share of all current MMO players. Aside from the recent exception of City of Heroes (which lets us swap out our leather elven tights for spandex superhero tights), most games that don't let us brandish +3 battleaxes of dorkdom and slay mightye beastes have fallen over like level 1 rats." We've previously discussed the first article in this series.

Woodcock?

[cryptoz]

Oh dear.

Paging Brad McQuaid

[1inthestink]

For all the EQ and Sigil fanbois:

"Game-design-wise, WOW's success proves in a very strong way what I had hoped for years was true," says Auto Assault's Seabury, "which is that fun games are what people really want. I've often felt the first-generation MMOGs were built by sadomasochists, despite their success. There were so many punishing, tedious systems and mechanics that made those first games great for someone, for example, who might enjoy peeling their fingernails backward very slowly, just to say the

Dragons simply got harder...

[MMaestro]

Or became less common. Generally dragons have simply gotten less common, less used or became extremely high end monsters. Lately dragons have become to the new 'uber' monster that generally requires large numbers of players, are located in the far corners of the world and always have the best stuff.

Older video game RPGs simply overused dragons. (The Dragon Warrior/Quest and Final Fantasy series being some of the biggest offenders.) In paper-and-pencil RPGs (such as D&D), dragons were never meant to be

Re:Suspension of disbelief

[cluke]

EVE is sci-fi, and it does it well. You can save your personality into a clone, and this can live on after you die. Makes even more sense to me than resurrection in a fantasy setting - in WoW, for example, how could there have been a terrible war if people can be resurrected willy-nilly? Or, to paraphrase that list mocking RPG conventions, it's the "Why didn't they use Phoenix Down on Aeris, then?" effect.

Re:Suspension of disbelief

[Datamonstar]

I don't care about WoW and it's wars, but in the case of Aeris, she was DEAD, not KO, the status ailment that Phoenix Down cures. There's a difference.

Re:Suspension of disbelief

[heinousjay]

A serious question - did this death have an emotional effect on you?

Re:Suspension of disbelief

[Minna Kirai]

but in the case of Aeris, she was DEAD, not KO

So then the question becomes: Why did a weapon which is a nonlethal KO attack 99.99% of the time mysteriously KILL her when he wanted it to?

And, if he had the ability to KILL people, why didn't he use it more often (like, against the rest of your team)?

How many times?

[tvalley000]

How many times are we going to refer to SirBruce's charts as definitive? He's mentioned publicly, as well as on the site itself, that his numbers are based on press releases and hearsay. Additionally, the companies themselves use the same terms to describe different metrics ("registered users" vs. "subscribed users" vs "active users" vs "active accounts", etc).

Sure, there are no other independent sources out there compiling this information, but surely we don't have to be subjected to yet another gaming j

How have MUDs progressed?

[DeXtroMe]

I'm interested in hearing about any MUDs any of my fellow /. MUD geeks have found that they feel are doing something new and original. I'm an avid MUDder but I'm starting to grow sick of the Dikus, etc. The most original I've seen lately is Nodeka [nodeka.com], but I'd enjoy seeing any others that are doing something different. Any recommendations, my unwashed nerd masses?

Re:How have MUDs progressed?

[Soleille]

Medievia has been developing non-stop since 1991. Check us out to see the most in-depth game ever created.. updated daily!

http://www.medievia.com/ [medievia.com]

Re:How have MUDs progressed?

[DeXtroMe]

Dammit, I should have known one of you people would try that. Anyone new to MUDding: Medievia is based off a MUD codebase called Diku, but the author refuses to acknowledge this despite overwhelming evidence. Anyone into opensource software knows how uncool this is. Not to mention it doesn't do anything substantially original, which was the basis of my question.

Fantasy roleplaying all

[David Eckelberry]

In every market research study and sales report I've seen. from Wizards of the Coast years ago to this day, fantasy roleplaying dominates the roleplaying genre in every medium. Yes, there will always be mildly successful science fiction RPGs, and even lesser candidates such as westerns, cyberpunk, etc., but for the foreseeable future, fantasy RPGs will rule the day. I'd like to offer some real analysis why fantasy MMOs dominate as they do, but I don't have data, just guesses (in short: D&D, Tolkein, an

Re:Fantasy roleplaying all

[kn0tw0rk]

The funny thing is that most of those same people like to watch sci-fi tv series. Go figure :)