MMORPGs

Is anyone else getting tired of the same-old same-old when it comes to MMORPGs? It seems that every game on the market now panders itself toward the 12-21 year old crowd. The boring, nonsensical questing...the long, arduous and nearly pointless grinding...the cookie-cutter lack of options that current class archetypes provide. It's like everything is designed so a monkey could play....and even compete!

Games seem to be making player-made (read: crafted) goods useless by providing far superior goods off quests and MOBs. In fact I'm not sure why crafting still exists in games like World of Warcraft, other than to provide another time sink when the gamer isn't raiding Molten Core for the umpteenth time.

Ownership and investment is virtual non-existent anymore. Where are the games that allow player-built cities, land defense, player-built housing and more? Shoot, there doesn't even seem to be customization for individual players, either. We all pretty much look the same as we walk the capital city street. The virtual definition of self is reflected as the same pair of shoulders everyone in your class wears as a symbol of the 60 hours it took to win a roll. Talk about boring.

So, like most folks I know who play extensively in the MMORPG genre of games, I have a view of what I would like in a game. Rarely do I find two people who agree on the specifics, but a lot of the general tends to be worked out nicely in peace. One of the specifics that seems to generate the most conflict is the old PvP versus PvE argument. By old school definition, PvP is unrestricted player versus player conflict; looting of corpses and ganking. Current definition puts it more like: consensual player versus player combat where the playing field is leveled; dueling and instanced combat against players just like you. PvE is, of course, just player versus environment; combat against the computer.

A second argument tends to have less to do with exact game play as much as your character. This is generally an argument hashed out between developers more than gamers, but it's still relevant. This is the old class archetype vs pure skill based character development. The arguments for each are substantial and based in logic, but it really boils down to this: class archetypes are easy to balance, skill based characters are not. The latter is a gross understatement as the balancing issue can be gigantic even with the best staff money can buy.

For my own tastes, I prefer a completely player-driven environment. Full player versus player combat with looting and conflict. A full player-driven economy with meaningful crafting, brokers, merchants, orders...supply and demand. Player-built cities that can be attacked and razed. The mechanics of which I have been pondering for years during my drives home from work. I'll begin formulating my thoughts into words over the next couple weeks because I figure it's finally time to have something I can refer to later.