Anybody here into MMORPGs?

[kibasnowpaw]

...that mean you went off the rails offtop'ing. Maybe read thread title next time.

BTW, I play games on Linux, but none of them are Massive Multiplier Online RPGs, so no point listing them here.
Even online RPG that I sometimes play (Diablo IV) is not a MMO, so doesn't belong here.

You listed (among other things) Diablo 2 in MMORPG topic... on well.

I disagree about Diablo IV. I agree that Diablo II does not belong in an MMORPG discussion merely because it has online multiplayer. Diablo II is fundamentally a session-based action RPG: somebody creates a limited game instance, a small number of players join it, and that particular world disappears when the session ends.

Diablo IV is built very differently. Blizzard officially calls it an action RPG, but I am not arguing about the marketing label printed on the box. I am talking about how the game actually works.

Diablo IV has a continuously connected shared open world where other players are automatically placed into your world without anyone hosting a traditional multiplayer session. You encounter strangers in towns and outdoor zones, fight beside them during public events and Helltides, and gather with them for world bosses. The game also has clans, parties, trading, seasonal characters and centrally stored progression. It requires both a Battle.net account and an internet connection, even when you intend to play alone. Blizzard itself describes Sanctuary as an open world.

That is much closer to MMO design than traditional Diablo multiplayer. The world uses multiple instances or shards so that only a limited number of players appear together at one time, while dungeons and certain story areas are separately instanced. However, sharding does not automatically stop something from being an MMO. Full MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft also use layers, shards and private dungeon instances. “Massively multiplayer” does not mean every player must exist on one physical server or appear on the same screen simultaneously.

The strongest argument against calling Diablo IV an MMO is the scale. Its individual world shards contain relatively few visible players, grouping is generally limited to four people, most content remains solo-friendly, and its character building and combat are still designed primarily as an action RPG. It also lacks some traditional MMORPG systems, such as large social hubs containing hundreds of visible players, conventional MMO professions and large persistent guild-controlled worlds.

That is why I would describe Diablo IV as an MMO-lite, shared-world ARPG or an action RPG built with MMO-style infrastructure. But saying it has no place in an MMORPG discussion at all is too absolute. It has a persistent online service, shared public zones, automatic encounters with strangers, public events, world bosses, clans, social systems, seasons and server-controlled progression. Those are major MMO characteristics, not merely ordinary online co-op.

I called Diablo IV an MMO when it released, and I still consider it one at the edge of the definition. It may not be a traditional full-scale MMORPG like World of Warcraft, but it is about as close as an action RPG can get to being an MMO without Blizzard officially using the label.

So yes, Diablo II was a poor example for an MMORPG thread. Diablo IV is a much more defensible example, and dismissing it simply because Blizzard calls it an “action RPG” ignores how the game and its servers are actually structured.

I made this aroudn when D4 came out that why is so bad.

so we can debate if it do or do not belong mmo.

 

[Mineru]

@Mineru :-

Ah, Tolkien's somewhat like the British "Marmite" (or the Aussie equivalent, "Vegemite" - a yeast-based spread for sandwiches or on toast). As the commonly-held parlance would have it, you either love it, or you hate it.

There's no middle ground. And Tolkien's writing is rather similar; it either appeals to you.....or else you simply don't understand it / can't see the point in it...

Those who are "rooted" very firmly in the real, day-to-day world frequently don't see that there's any point in fantasy fiction and/or associated pursuits. Most who do like such stuff often fall in the higher IQ percentile, and tend to have more vivid imaginations...

(shrug...)

That's not denigrating anyone by saying so. Everybody's different.....life would be SO boring & predictable if we were all the same!


Mike.

Hehehe, I love fantasy as well as fiction, so I will definitely give Tolkien's writings a shot eventually, thank you for the recommendation!

 

[wendy-lebaron]

i'm desperately looking for a game to play. totally offline. which is like rpg. but i have to change my way of thinking.

i said in another topic. that i used to play one mmorpg. but i have disliked social networking. it's microtransactions like two people have said already. and it seems to be emphasized more and more. the higher one progresses with a player character. people are always interested. hooking up inside a game. while they all have money. although in the game i used to play. one of my characters belonged to a guild. which contained three members that demonstrated their class all the way through. i didn't have enough materials to construct a weapon. was about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way. but they helped me out. i also couldn't even construct my weapon. but one of the guild officers did that for me too. without further demands. i still feel bad even today i couldn't remain. in that guild and playing that game.

on that same character, but earlier. i joined another guild. because a married couple running it helped me out. while i was on the point of ragequitting. and was afraid of the bosses. so much i couldn't even make substantial career progress. i got helped through at least two stages. learned a wealth of skills. received other benefits. i wanted to be near mature adults playing. but some of them were into "roleplay." i left because the guy and lady married to each other. weren't logging in much anymore. i was feeling increasingly left out.

i desired to help out people in the game. but some of them had chat comportment i couldn't stand. such as "qq" every other time. overuse of emoticons. a guy kept doing the "looking around" semi-animated feature on chat. which was going to drive me away from the game for good. he was able to type faster than anybody else. while i was able to see it.

also the begging for help, for equipment, for money. the game made a poor demonstration to such people. in the last year or so i played. it seems it made a bid to attract teenagers and young adults. with the luxurious looks of the mounts. for much faster mobility around cities and safe zones at least. but they couldn't be used during battles. otherwise the selfishness would have been evident.