subject: An Editor Of Eurogamer Reviewed The Current State Of Mmo-market [print this page] in particular with Paul Barnett (Paul Barnett) from EA Mythic, Dvonsom Colin (Colin Dwans) - Manager Fallen Earth - and others, and reviewed the current status MMO-market and how it is changing with the advent of free online games, as well as appearances in social networks. Jim also spoke about the incredible success of online games from Blizzard World of Warcraft and its impact on other online games,for example tera gold game.
Jim Rossignol on online games
I called Paul Barnett Paul Barnett in the U.S., literally on the other side of the world, and hear how he walks around the office, occasionally exchanging a few phrases with your colleagues. We continue to talk about the discussion on the IMO, held in the exhibition PAX East in Boston, one of whose members had Barnett. "The term" MMO "loses its meaning", - he said. "As the phrase" twirl the phone, for example. Of course, we will contact by phone, but few people today still uses disk devices. Same with the IMO - most of today's massively multiplayer online games are not the same as before, and were not really IMO.
It is understood that the term "MMO" today means so much that it lost its relevance. Several years ago in the same situation was the term "game". Under the "game" we could well mean and "video game", and anything else. Thus, the meaning of the word increased, but the meaning was unclear. Although we can always identify each game individually, we can not say with certainty that they have in common. The same is true for the IMO. Once that word implied the server that simultaneously connect hundreds of people. Now everything has become much more complicated.
The main problem with the assessment of MMO games is their versatility: at present, the term "MMO" is applied to a variety of projects ranging from global, epic games on a subscription basis, such as World of Warcraft or EVE Online, and finishing induction, and indeed even no multiplayer "causal" games, such as FarmVille. Commission on PAX East does not even recognize the existence of sports IMO - not because they had never heard of anything like that, but because they fundamentally do not correspond to perceptions of experts about the IMO. They absolutely do not like games like EverQuest or Ultima Online. And they have no place in the ranks of the IMO.
EVE Online
Nevertheless, the greatest concern among experts on the IMO cause near-successful MMO projects like FarmVille, Free IMO and the IMO in the spirit of MapleStory, with millions of fans. It seems that users are mostly refuse subscription games and choose a completely different model of interaction: those in which initially all free, and then start "extortion" in the form of "micro-payments". Maybe it's the fact that the Internet creates in people a desire to get everything for free? Some have already started talking about the decline of the century IMO.
Of course, the root of the problem is much deeper. The fact that the major MMO projects in recent years, it seems, were created on the assumption that World of Warcraft has greatly expanded the market IMO. The number of subscribers World of Warcraft has reached the phenomenal value of 11 million, almost five times the previous record holder achievement Lineage. Behind WoW A whole galaxy of MMO games with a similar plot and actors: Lord of The Rings Online, Warhammer Online, Vanguard, Tabula Rasa, Star Trek Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Aion, Age of Conan, and so on.
But none of those games was not destined to repeat the fate of the masterpiece Blizzard, even though that they were all made in the image of the classic MMO. All these projects are classified as large-scale, calculated on a huge number of users of games with corresponding income from subscription fees. Of course, we can not say that they suffered a crushing defeat (with the exception of Tabula Rasa), but the expected millions of new subscribers have not appeared. Does this mean the end of the genre? Has the audience MMORPG its peak? Or World of Warcraft has created an audience exclusively under World of Warcraft, ignoring the rest of the MMO world?
FarmVille
This theme emerged in the discussion of lo-fi, post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth Project Manager Colin Dvonsom. I must say that being a less important and ambitious project, Fallen Earth has suffered less than their larger "brothers", but, as they are forced to exist in the shadow of the immortal work Blizzard.
Colin Dvons:
"We have benefited from the success of World of Warcraft. From a business perspective, people have become more serious about the industry MMO games. They understand that if the project is very popular with players, then it can make good money.
As an audience, I really believe that after experiencing the World of Warcraft, many users become real fans of this game, and they do not need anything else. But some players still yearn for something new. For example, I know that some WoW fans switched to EVE, far more complicated game. "
Of course, the major publishers seek by all means repeat the success of World of Warcraft, but is it worth doing? From a modest first projects could easily "grow" games such as Fallen Earth or famous EVE Online - less accessible, more "hadkornye, which will only benefit from a good awareness of users and investors about the world of online gaming.
Producer of EVE Online Torfi Franz Olafsson (Torfi Frans Olafsson):
EVE requires players to the basic principles of the IMO. We see that the majority of our users, "asylum seekers" from other MMO games. They came to us, disappointed in other online worlds, and from this point of view we do not believe World of Warcraft or any other such projects are their competitors, especially because they often become a training ground for our future players. "
To be sure, Olafsson not far-fetched statement in his statements: in 2009 the number of users EVE Online has increased by 30 percent, reaching 320,000 people.
Fallen Earth
The conclusion is truly fantastic: it turns out, World of Warcraft is not merely expand MMO audience, but also significantly increased business confidence in this area. Of course, some users have switched to WoW and EVE Fallen Earth, but none of the really big MMO project was not "seized" a multimillion-dollar market of subscribers belonging to the World of Warcraft. The number of subscribers does not exceed tens or hundreds of thousands, which corresponds to figures since the market dominance EverQuest and Asheron's Call. The notorious "flow" of immigrants from WoW in fact nothing more than a thin stream, but when it comes to small companies, even a small part of the eleven million is important to them.
But to get it, have to experiment. Model IMO - this is experience points, quests, promotion levels and history in a spirit of fantasy. It has long been "proven" themselves, so many developers prefer to go on a well-trodden in terms of plot and the mechanics of the way, considering it a win-win option. However, in fact, in MMORPG is still a lot of unexplored areas, both in terms of shape, so in terms of content.
Developers Fallen Earth, for example, have relied on a post-apocalyptic style, and immediately won the hearts of many players. Of course, the team Dvonsa can not claim to millions of users, like some epic fantasy online game. But, nevertheless, their modest first project is already significantly "increased", following the model of development that emerged from EVE Online. The essence of this model is to create a virtual world as a whole, and then gradually fill it with various parts, options, etc.
This model has already migrated from EVE in particular and computer games in general on the console. SSR company is going to create FPS DUST 514, so that fans of consoles too, had the opportunity to fight on the orbits. They switched to the production of games, action games and games for consoles, not forgetting his true, proven over the years the Internet community, and constantly staying in touch with him.
Olafsson on EVE Online:
"The thing is unlimited gameplay in the style of" sandbox. Here you can not win or reach the maximum level, but there is always something to do. Because the gameplay at high levels EVE involves constant interaction with other players - in the form of joint work or military confrontation - conflicts are inevitable.
According to Olafsson, playing in this style originated from the generation of designers who are familiar with MUD and Ultima Online. Olafsson suggests that EVE own work will soon begin to appear in a new generation of IMO, as project design, many new designers will be guided by the features of EVE.
ALL Points Bulletin
This moment in the history of games - or rather, a time when, if Barnett rights, the term "MMO" becomes meaningless label - could mark the beginning of dramatic changes. Experiments have already led to significant changes in the business model of MMO. Given that the main obstacle for the fans IMO is a monthly fee, developers started to look for ways to circumvent. What led them to experiments, we can see with my own eyes: the APB with the players will not be charged a monthly fee. Allods Online is a well-developed, but completely free MMO. Thus, MMO games are becoming more diverse, and the term "MMO" - increasingly blurred.
Dvons assumes that all these changes are likely to lead to a variety of games, but not to tough competition:
"I do not think that it have a major impact on our subscribers, since free games, after all, are aimed at a slightly different audience and a slightly different market. The developers of these games is not quite produce the same product as we are. Personally, I think the additional free games. Because they are free, some users do not need to terminate the current subscription to play them, that is, they can play in them in addition to the major (paid) game.
Their main advantage is "Causality." They allow their users to quickly move forward and receive the corresponding rewards. We must take into account this nuance and think about how to encourage fans of the more standard MMO, without causing their boredom and irritation.
However, according to Dvonsa, free games can affect the tastes and expectations of the players. MMO games have traditionally require the players a lot of time and attention. All this is understood, and either spend their time and effort, or not. Free games imply a slightly different approach.
Perhaps this is what designers have in mind, saying that have begun to pay more attention to other games FarmVille and Facebook (many of them more than once that at the March Game Developers Conference). We all understand that even though these games are not direct competitors to the traditional MMO, but may well affect the tastes and expectations of players, and in this whole thing.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Returning to the telephone conversation with Barnett, I can say that the one I was very clear: no matter what form did not accept the MMO market now, and wherever the various projects have not led us in the future MMO games with huge databases of subscribers live. On the horizon there were Star Wars: The Old Republic, threatening to displace Blizzard from its pedestal. BioWare company has invested enormous resources into this project and, besides, it stands for "collective intelligence EA. And I doubt that this is the last major MMO. Whatever was said at the massive multiplayer games, and what would be an independent mini-projects did not go into the daylight, I am sure that the latter will be given to such titans of industry, like BioWare, and Blizzard.
