5 Things MMOs could do different

Those of us who played online games in the 80s and 90s probably remember MUDs. These text-only MMOs offered a persistent world, quests, mobs to kill, loot and XP. Most MMOs today still follow the mold of those old games. In fact, they hardly changed at all, and it’s about time some things change. Here are 5 areas in MMO gameplay that could use some innovation

1. Classes
You are the healer. Or the tank. Or the DPSer. And once you chose DPS, you are DPS until the levelcap. Why? It’s not impossible to give each player the potential to learn each skill in the game and allow them to persue the playstyle he or she prefers. Healing killer? Why not? A stealth mage? Could be fun! It has been done before. And I am not just talking about the Elder Scrolls series. What about Final Fantasy V, and its flexible Jobs system? Especially in an MMO, where you are supposed to be part of a living, changing world, it makes sense to allow you to really be whatever you want to be.

2. Agro/tank/heal/dps combat system
You know the drill. The tank grabs agro. The DPSer hits as hard as possible without taking agro away from the tank. The healer heals and the rogue debuffs. Yeah, that is fun and allows for interesting combat. But why is that the only way to play? What about mobs with more than two braincells, who take cover, flank you, call for help and generally make more tactical decisions? That would liven things up!

3. Zones with level ranges
You start off in the newbie zone. After ten levels you go to the next area. Level some more and on to the next. If you go to the wrong area, every beast will kill you by just looking at you. Or no quest gives any XP at all for being too low level. Why? Sure, it’s easier to design a zone that’s just tailored to a certain range. But easier isn’t more fun. A more open design with something to do for every level would open up a world tremendously. Travel from town to town, looking for the jobs you’re capable of and come back for the rest when you’re ready.

4. Quest hubs
You arrive in town. You see the question marks or rings or whatever floating above the NPCs. Pick up your quests and you’re off. Okay, fair enough. But must every task be so obviously placed? How about the entrance to a cave, somewhere in the hills. You go in, explore and find monsters, and some treasure. You keep going and at the end of a coridor you find a cage with a trapped woman inside. She begs you to help her. Now the quest starts and you do what she asks. The quest becomes the reward for exploring. Hide lots of these ‘secret’ quests and people have much more incentive to explore every inch of the gameworld

5. Player influence
The gameworld you enter at level one is probably about the same when you cap out. Sure, some more area’s have been added and you feel your class has been nerfed more than any other. But generally, it’s all the same. Wouldn’t it be cool if players had an actual influence on the world they are part of? Would it not be cool if the towns in the world are actually built by players. And I am not talking about suburbs of player houses. Imagine Stormwind, but built by players. And every city is like that! Places start out as small hamlets and grow during the game’s lifetime. Who knows what will be the capital after three years? And what if some towns are destroyed during player-fought wars? And how about the landscape itself… Look at what humans have done to the earth… what if a gameworld would allow similar interference, with rivers blocked by dams, tunnels dug and mountains leveled…

Of course, these are difficult things to pull off. But after seeing MMO after MMO follow the Diku mud rules as if it is the only way of doing things, it is time for some change. Isn’t it?