Ask Massively: Discuss this picture edition
After picking a number of ridiculous title images over the past several months to lead off Ask Massively, I've noticed an interesting trend. In spite of whatever is discussed in the text of the post itself, at least half of the comments will wind up discussing the picture or the intro text instead. So I figured I might as well make use of this fact by leading off with John Singer Sargent's "Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood." If we're going to have to talk about the picture, we might as well get some culture out of the deal.
If you absolutely must read about MMOs as opposed to fine art -- which would sort of make sense; our coverage of impressionists is out of date and not terribly robust -- this week we've got questions about the state of the overarching MMO model as well as the dreaded "double dipping" of cash shops and subscription fees. If you've got a question for next week, mail it to ask@massively.com or just leave it in the comments!
FriedYoda asked: The MMO model hasn't changed significantly since it was first introduced. It has been tweaked to keep up to date with the times with each new patch or generation of titles that comes out. Is it becoming an archaic Frankenstein or is it so damn solid that it is paving the way for the future of gaming?
Sort of both. The thing is, while we're definitely in a bit of a design rut, there is a certain evolutionary fitness to game design. The best parts of development models tend to survive and be brought over to other games, and over time that development becomes the accepted standard. By way of example, compare the gameplay of the original Final Fantasy game to its more modern counterparts or to the myriad other console RPGs available.
The underlying model of MMOs has changed pretty significantly in some aspects -- forced grouping has largely fallen by the wayside for leveling, graphical interaction has become much more prevalent, and methods of tracking game goals have been developed. We still haven't had many games moving away from focusing upon combat, but that's hardly unique to MMOs, and we're also dealing with a genre that's only existed as a genre for about a decade -- and only in numbers for about five or six years. The slow changes we're seeing are steps toward the future.
Borks asked: Now that cash shops are becoming more common in games with subscription fees, are we going to see in-game benefits sold via cash shops even in games that aren't free-to-play?
We already do. Several games offer respecs for cash, and Star Trek Online rather notably offers several high-end ships for real money. Admittedly, said ships can't be flown until you reach a higher level, but they do exist.
To be fair, none of these cash purchases is required to play the game, and even free-to-play games that try that route wind up with a lot of player backlash (see the Allods Online debate for backstory). But if you're dreading a future when in-game improvements for a subscription game are sold for real money, we're sorry to inform you that the future is right now.
Vagrant Zero noted: I like how we're all commenting on the image instead of the post.
Well, I'll expect an essay from everyone this week to make up for it.
Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!
