MMORPG
Material from the Role playing encyclopedia
Go to: navigation, Search
Context: Desktop RPGs
This article needs to be reworked to meet quality standards.
Additional information is available in the edit history and discussion of the article
MMORPG, or massively multiplayer online role playing game is a genre of computer role playing games with a common game world for the mass of users.
MMORPGs differ from text based MU* by the presence of a graphical client or, in the case of browser based MMORPGs, by the control method (web interface instead of text input).
Although various games that provide a common world for the mass of users were released back in the seventies, the first truly successful and popular MMORPG was Ultima Online, which appeared in 1997.
At the moment, the genre is one of the most popular among video games, and the audience of active players of the most successful World of Warcraft has more than 10 million users.[1]
All MMORPGs are divided into browser and client games, that is, games that require installing the client program on a computer and those that work in a regular browser (IE, Opera, FireFox, Chrome, etc.).
Almost all modern browser games, if they are not client side, work using flash technology and consume a lot of traffic.
Old browser games allow you to save traffic due to the weaker graphical component of the game.
Content
1 MMORPG as a wagering environment 2 MMORPGs on desktop systems 2.1 Neverwinter Nights 2.2 Dark Sun Online 2.3 Dungeons & Dragons Online 2.4 World of Darkness
3 Role playing systems for MMORPG 3.1 EverQuest RPG 3.2 World of Warcraft RPG 3.3 Arianrod
4 Dungeons & Dragons 4 5 Notes
[edit] MMORPG as a wagering environment
There is a redirect to this section: Wagering in MMORPG.
For wagering in an MMORPG, an internal chat is used.
The setting automatically becomes the game world, and the game characters are the current characters of the players.
Like other types of video games, MMORPGs were strongly influenced by the first editions of D&D.
However, in most modern MMORPGs, wagering is not part of the gameplay.
The main goal of an MMORPG is to provide interesting group classes and a sense of community for a wide audience.
The verisimilitude of the setting or immersion is not required for this, but it can be present, especially in old school browser games, which limit the visual component and thereby encourage others (for example, communication between players).
In addition, if the number of players is large, role playing communities can form among them.
Sometimes such communities are officially supported as useful for a wide gaming audience.
For example, in World of Warcraft there are special role playing servers with behavior requirements that protect role players from troll interference.
Unlike ordinary players, for whom the world and the character are only an atmosphere, role players make up a quenta for their characters, which can usually be read in the description.
However, it is considered bad form to use information from the metagame.
For example, you canot call a stranger by name, even if the game writes names over everyone's heads.
If the game features allow, a separate chat channel is used for wagering.
Also, MMORPGs usually allow you to express emotions with the movements of the character, for example, sit down, lie down, laugh, gesticulate (this is used by ordinary players for entertainment during recreation).
Often, role players can be recognized by the fact that their characters sometimes walk rather than run, while other players have no reason to move slower.
The game takes over most of the mechanics.
The vast majority of MMORPGs have races, classes, battles and leveling, so the battles are not played according to any system, but take place live.
Many games provide a virtual cube command.
At the same time, the video game restricts the imagination to the information pre set in it and allows you to see what is happening, rather than imagine it.
However, when the number of players is large, role playing communities can form among them.
Sometimes such communities are officially supported as useful for a wide gaming audience.
World of Warcraft stands out in particular, where there are special role playing servers with behavior requirements to protect role players from the intervention of trolls.
[edit] MMORPG on desktop systems
[edit] Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights, which appeared in 1991 for the America Online service, was the first graphical MMORPG.
It combined the Goldbox engine, on which numerous computer implementations of D&D were based, with the network capabilities of MUD.
Initially, the game in NWN required an hourly payment of $ 4 to $ 8, depending on the time of day, but with the fall in Internet prices, the game was included in the basic AOL package.
The capacity of one game server increased from 50 people in the year of launch to 500 people in 1995.
At the time of closing, NWN had 115 thousand active players and 2000 players at the same time during peak hours.
In the single player role playing game Neverwinter Nights, which appeared in 2002, there is also the possibility of a mass network game.
This mode is not officially used, but an advanced editor that allows users to create any terrain, dialogues, characters, add new graphics, monsters, items and other resources, allowed them to create several fan MMORPGs.
[edit] Dark Sun Online
"Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands" was released in 1995 for Windows 95.
Some features, later popularized by Ultima Onine, first appeared here.
For example, in DSO for the first time it was possible to attack other players without restrictions.
The DSO engine used the principles, graphics and some sounds from "Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager" — a CRPG on the world of Dark Sun for MS DOS.
The official servers of the game existed until 1998, when the hosting company Total Entertainment Network collapsed.
Later, the engine was picked up and refined by fans, thanks to which Dark Sun Online continues to function to this day.[2]  [edit]
Dungeons & Dragons Online
D&DO, or DDO, was released in 2006 and implements D&D 3.5.
The action takes place in the setting of Eberron, in the city of Stormreach.
This city is the frontier of civilization in the wild continent of Xendrik, represented in the desktop materials by an unexplored "white spot" where the master can put anything.
Thus, the game developers were able to create an environment that does not contradict the information from the board game.
Later, the Stormreach city plan and the new features of Xendrik from DDO were included in the book "Secrets of Xen'drick".
There are a lot of non traditional MMORPG chips in DDO.
The only common area is the town of Stormreach.
The remaining locations are created as copies (instances) for each group, that is, when completing the quest, you can not meet other people's characters.
The player controls the character directly from the keyboard, including movements in combat, and does not give commands with the mouse cursor.
This allows you to actively block, attack on the move (with a penalty of -4) or standing up, take the enemy in a pincer.
Some missions include moving underwater, jumping on platforms, solving puzzles.
By itself, killing monsters does not give experience — it is earned by completing the main and side goals in quests.
The rules of the third edition are implemented in the DDO close to the original.
The only serious difference is the Action Points system points that are obtained 5 times per level and allow you to buy mini features (enhancements).
Otherwise, the action of skills, abilities and spells, the features of monsters and objects are close enough to the table rules that an experienced player can predict the effects without looking at the DDO fansites.
The start of the game was unsuccessful due to errors and lack of opportunity to play solo.
Although the servers were opened in three regions (America, Europe and the USA), the attendance was sufficient only to keep the game afloat.
In 2009, the American DDO servers switched to an innovative hybrid payment system — users can play on a monthly subscription, getting access to all the features at once, or play for free, purchasing additional features in packages.
This transition led to a surge in popularity, which continues to this day.
[edit] World of Darkness
In 2006, Crowd Control Productions and White Wolf, Inc. announced plans to jointly develop an MMORPG on the World of Darkness in 4-5 years.
In 2008, they announced the start of development in 2009, and in the corresponding year they officially confirmed that the development is in full swing.
The game is scheduled for release in 2010.
[edit] MMORPG role playing systems
The cover of "Arianrod".
[edit] EverQuest RPG
Main Article: EverQuest RPG
The EverQuest2 role playing game was released in 2002 by White Wolf (an imprint of Sword & Sorcery).
The d20 system licensed under OGL is used.
In 2005, the updated "EverQuest II Player's Guide" was released, which distanced the system from the classic fantasy d20.
For example, the number of classes has been reduced to four archetypes.
Archetypes can be specialized using classes and subclasses, analogs of prestige.
The magic for the new system was released a year later as a PDF.
Officials said[A link?] that future books on EverQuest will be compatible with both the first and second versions of the system.
[edit] World of Warcraft RPG
Main article: World of Warcraft RPG
The first role playing game in the Warcraft universe was released in 2003 based on d20.
Like EverQuest RPG, it is published by the Sword & Sorcery imprint.
In 2005, the system received a second edition, entitled World of Warcraft RPG (the MMORPG itself appeared in 2004).
As in other Warcraft products, Chris Metzen is responsible for the facts of the setting in the desktop version.
According to him, no game or work on Warcraft can show the whole world because of certain restrictions, so many facts that were not found in MMORPGs are revealed in the desktop system.
The history of the world of Warcraft is constantly evolving (for example, with each addition to WoW, which are released approximately once every two years).
New additions to WoW RPG update the game's resources according to the latest events.
With this in mind, the information from Warcraft/WoW RPG is considered as canonical for the setting as the facts from the original strategies and MMORPGs.
[edit] Arianrod
Main article: Arianrod
The role playing system "Arianrod" (Japanese: "Arianrod") was developed in Japan as a desktop embodiment of MMORPG concepts (for example, monsters drop loot).
It was published in 2004 in an inexpensive paper format and immediately earned popularity.
As of 2008, Arianrod was as popular in Japan as Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, Alshard and Sword World 2.0, to the point that several recordings of games of famous voice actors are distributed on a commercial basis.
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons 4
The fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons was poorly received by many, especially numerous accusations of "MMORPG on the table" [3].
The following disputes arose:
In D&D4, explicit combat roles appeared for the first time, taken exactly from MMORPG slang:[4] defender (tank), controller, attacker (damager) and leader (caliper).
But these roles have been in D&D since the first edition, and MMORPGs actually took them from desktop games.
But combat roles are associated with the implementation of the aggro model, which has never been used in board games, and first appeared in MUD.
But now classes are built around their combat roles, and not around fantasy archetypes.
Now it is more difficult to play a party of less than four characters, because all the roles must be represented.
Abilities in the "four" are conditional and resemble skills in an MMORPG.
They have a cooldown time, and the most important thing in the ability is the effect, not what they actually represent in the game world.
But the abilities of the classes already in the top three were not very realistic: for example, a barbarian can become enraged a certain number of times a day, regardless of the circumstances.
This gives fixed bonuses and penalties to certain characteristics.
The cooldown time may have an explanation in the game world: for example, the footrest does not work more than once because the enemies are now ready for this trick.
But if a new enemy enters the room, it will not be possible to use a footrest on him, despite the fact that he did not see it.
Finding explanations is a crutch, not the real state of affairs.
There will always be conventions in tabletop role playing games, because the rules cannot reflect reality.
There are more conventions in the four, so more people lose immersion.
Systems based on effects allow you to substitute your own description of the ability and give the character any shade.
Conventions allow you not to stop the game when you need to drop a grapple or decide how to digitize a strange application.
In cinematic fights, the techniques are not repeated many times per fight.
D&D4 creates a cinematic battle, hence the incentive for a variety of strikes.
In fact, it is much more difficult to shift the mechanics of the "four" to an MMORPG than the third edition, because it is well tied to turn based tactics.
Everything that does not concern combat was cut out of the game — like in an MMORPG, where only pumping is important.[5]
Only dangerous situations should have mechanics, and the system only hinders craft, diplomacy and other similar moments.
See.
The system prevents wagering.
There is a system of skill tests, as well as many quent chips in the new additions.
They are worked out enough to give the character a shade.
Skill tests have bad mechanics.[6]
This is a return to the roots, when only combat was regulated, the rule books were small, and anything could be written into the background and non combat features of the character.
D&D has always been primarily a wargame.
In our party, the non combat aspects of the third edition were successfully applied and contributed to a versatile game.
This distinguished the game from an MMORPG.[5]
D&D is now by subscription.
The D&D Insider service is optional, it is not necessary to use it.
The D&D Insider service only provides advantages, such as playing at a distance.
In addition, you used to pay for a subscription to Dragon.
In the "four", the names are like in WoW: two rooted neologisms, and the names of monsters consist of two parts (race and clarification).
There have always been neologisms in D&D.
Statistically, such neologisms do not make up such a large part of the names of the"four".
Almost all new titles (and not taken from previous editions) are compiled in this way.
There were "elite mobs", as in an MMORPG.
Monster stats now have more to do with the needs of tactics than with the essence of the creature.
Elite monsters are a good feature.
It's good that Wizards borrow useful experience from successful games.
Many monsters have their abilities implemented more conveniently and elegantly than in previous editions.
[edit] Notes
This page has been corrected compared to the version in the RPG Wikia
↑ MMOG Active Subscribers ↑ -= Dark Sun Online =- ↑ D&D 4e, a year later ↑ D&D 4th Edition — Learning from MMOs ↑ 5,0 5,1 What’s Wrong With MMOs?
D&D 4th ed. Has Answers ↑ Skill Challenge Analysis
Source — "http://wiki.rpgverse.ru/w/index.php?title=MMORPG&oldid=54254"
Categories: Context: tabletop role playing games Articles for processing Articles without links Video game genres Role playing games
Hidden category: Pages marked with licenses
Personal Tools
Create an account Introduce yourself to the system
Namespaces
Article Discussion
Variants
Views
Read Edit History
Actions
Search
Navigation
Role playing encyclopedia Table of contents Community portal Recent edits Random article Help
Tools
Links here Related edits Special Pages Printable version Permanent link
Friends
Last modified on this page: 15: 51, July 3, 2015.
This page has been accessed 3740 times.
The content is available according to the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike.
Privacy Policy Encyclopedia Description Disclaimer
