6 replies to this topic

[FallguySoldier]

Having played since the Closed Beta, I think I'm ready to ask this question that has been looming over me throughout this entire time.

Will MW:O remain as a multiplayer game, or will it eventually become a MMOFPS?

First off, let me just say I'm glad that the developers are working hard to push content as well as fix the multitude of bugs that's currently plaguing this game, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask now as to the direction of where this game is actually heading, especially since we're in OBT and pretty much gearing up for live release.

Right now, based on how things are, it seems like MW:O is an online multiplayer shooter with mechs. And that's it. Sure, you have "skill trees" and such, but that's pretty much how it is with any other shooter. So far, I haven't seen anything about this game that makes it truly stand out from the crowd, especially when we have a competitor such as HAWKEN pretty much doing the exact same thing, except their's is much more of a twitch shooter whereas MW:O is more tactical.

So I ask, will there be plans to expand on this game and its universe to make it more of an MMO as opposed to just yet-another PC multiplayer game? When I think of MMOs, I think of PvE aspects (raids/invasions), faction-based combat, lore-related quests, multiple modes aside from just Assault, etc. etc. Basically, things that would go beyond than what we're already dealing with (and getting used ot), which involves joining matches (lobby-based) and customizing our mechs.

Inb4 the trolls and haters, this thread is not a complaint. I'm genuinely interested in the progress of this game considering how much I enjoyed the previous MechWarrior titles.

[Irreverence]

I don't think there was ever any intention for it to be an MMO. But who knows what the game might evolve into. There are some early Developer blogs that explain the direction they plan to take the game.

[FallguySoldier]

Hmm, I guess I'll have to check up on those blog posts then. I did watch the interview videos, but I guess I missed a lot of things.

I guess you could say I've been spoiled by a few MMOFPS titles out there, one of which I'm currently testing right now but I won't say its name to prevent an NDA breach, but let me just put it this way: While I was playing that game, I kept thinking to myself, "Man, if only this game was MechWarrior, it would be perfect..." Sadly, it's not a MechWarrior game, and the MechWarrior: Online that we're playing right now is not like the game I'm referring to lol. I wish there was a way for me to just put them both together.... Lol.

Edit: Oh, and the only reason why I keep emphasizing "lore" is because I've enjoyed the books and novels that accompanied the game... I understand the timeline is different, but that's even better because now the developers have creative license to come up with original ideas as well as fill in gaps that lead up to the current state of affairs.

Edited by FallguySoldier, 04 December 2012 - 09:16 AM.

[Thorn Hallis]

Where's the difference?

[Shismar]

MWO already has persistent characters which makes it kind of MMOish. Of course it could use a more coherent world and some kind of content where a story progresses. These lines between MMO and FPS have been blurred quite a bit in the past years. I would not worry too much. As long as there is progress in the game, chances are it will receive more MMO elements.

[Heffay]

Shismar, on 04 December 2012 - 09:27 AM, said:

MWO already has persistent characters which makes it kind of MMOish. Of course it could use a more coherent world and some kind of content where a story progresses. These lines between MMO and FPS have been blurred quite a bit in the past years. I would not worry too much. As long as there is progress in the game, chances are it will receive more MMO elements.

It's really not "massive" in the grand scheme of things. No persistent world. And while your mechs are persistent, there is no interaction outside of combat.

[FallguySoldier]

Thorn Hallis, on 04 December 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

Where's the difference?

Honestly, there's so much to list I could probably ramble on a wall of text, so I'll just try to keep it short as possible. And to do that, instead of asking "what's the difference", let's look at it from a different perspective: "What makes MW:O anymore different than the online multiplayer feature you see in console shooters like Crysis, CoD, Battlefield, etc.?" And there's a simple answer to that: There is no difference. And that's my issue.

I want this game to succeed (i.e. stand against the test of time), but I feel that for it to succeed it needs to go above and beyond than what's presented right now. Yes, focus on the bugs first. Yes, focus on what you originally intended to develop. But as much as it's important to focus on the here-and-now, it's just as important as to focus on the horizon... will the game hold up if it stays the way it is? How can it be improved? What's the game's prospect?

Shismar, on 04 December 2012 - 09:27 AM, said:

MWO already has persistent characters which makes it kind of MMOish. Of course it could use a more coherent world and some kind of content where a story progresses. These lines between MMO and FPS have been blurred quite a bit in the past years. I would not worry too much. As long as there is progress in the game, chances are it will receive more MMO elements.

I agree, a more coherent world would be nice, even if this has to be exclusive to another mode.

I guess for the sake of semantics, let's say in an MMORPG we have "quests", well in an MMOFPS we can have "missions". The so-called "raids" would be attacks from the Clans or even a warring faction, that we can either defend our base or invade theirs. The story progression, if there is one, would deepen the game's lore (and make the whole faction system that much more important), and it would be nice to see some cutscenes filled in-between. I like ******** Betty, but what about actual voice-acting from HQ (headquarters), or from your engineer who just pumped in those two Gauss rifles on your Catapult? The game can be so much more alive, but in order for it to feel this way, it needs to cross the "MMOFPS" boundary. Because right now, it just seems like an OFPS (online first-person-shooter) without the massive-multiplayer part of it. Emphasis on massive.

It will be interesting to see how this game progresses, but I guess I'm worried only because we're already in OBT, and that usually means it's just one step behind live release.