your ideal MMO would...

[StrayBee]

So im just wondering what people would want in their ideal mmorpg. I havent got a lot of MMO experience, but i've been playing Fallen Earth quite a bit lately, and its made me wonder why it is that people either seem to love or hate it... so having said that, id like to post the question... what are you looking for in your ideal mmorpg?

[StrayBee]

having put the question out there, i may as well be the first to answer...

ideally i like the post-apoc setting provided by FE, as well as the varied character developement options that are available. so both would be top priority. vehicles are a must. a deep and twisty (or twisted) story would be great. a different planet would be awesome, to free devs from the need to evolve current species into post apoc settings. f2p would be awesome also. RP servers as well as non RP servers is a must, but the RP servers must be for RP only and enforced.

[Justin Kace]

I can't be bothered reinventing the wheel so most of my points will reference existing games...

• Setting does not matter. I'll enjoy almost any setting if the game mechanics are good. Fantasy and post apoc probably favourite, but sci-fi and real-life based are fine too.
• Avatar customisation of the superhero games (Champions Online for example).
• Level-less skill based character advancement (Ultima Online or original SWG) with a limit (no one character can come close to doing everything).
• Full loot open world PvP with meaningful punishment for criminals/murderers (has yet to be achieved by any MMO I've played).
• Tangible punishment for death (something that makes you actually really not want to die).
• Free form housing/player town creation (SWG/Ultima Online) with the ability to set the laws in your territory.
• An advanced taming/pet system (something along the lines of UO or early SWG).
• Player created missions and random mission generation.
• Sandbox design as opposed to directed experience.
• A team of staff responsible for creating and running regular events.
• A deep resource and crafting system. Something like original SWG with variable quality resources, optional inclusions, experimentation, and variable outcomes. NOT ingredient A + ingredient B = Item C, same same for every crafting attempt.
• Interesting random spawns, not just mobs but special zones and scripted events. Something that gives the explorers in the game a reason to keep exploring.

That's a good start...

[Reoh]

Hmmm, thats a big question to ask and I doubt I'll think of'em all in one post. Not without a TL;DR wall of text anyway.

So instead I'll just throw one idea out there that no MMORPG to date has done it (although some are trying). Being able to play in the world/game in multiple ways, and what I mean by that is this. Let's say for example there was a Battletech: Mechwarrior MMORPG. If there was, I'd want to be able to pilot 'mechs, yeah that'd be cool... but; I'd also want to be able to hop into an aerospace fighter or hitup some space combat. I'd want to be able to do "people" missions as well, perhaps FPS style to shake things up. All these different ways and genre's of playing a game that melded into a single shared MMORPG experience. Everyone in the same "shard" too.

Bonus pts if it had multiple PvP factions. PvP warzones of fighting and capturing systems back and forth. All that but not free-for all pvp everywhere. I like areas that are pve, and others that are pvp. So when I feel like one or the other I can engage in that without having to bother with it when I don't.

Also, and this is something I really miss about my first MMORPG, but regular monthly content updates. It was a staple feature of Asheron's Call. Every month you'd have some new things to do. Seasonal flair sure but the story of the world also developed a little more each month. The world even changed at times, drastically. A fortnight before there would be teasers, hints at what was coming. They wouldn't be listed out in patch notes though, you'd have to search the world to find them (there'd be clues, from the teasers and also the npc town cryers). People would race to find them out and then report them to their favorite websites. It really brought the community together.

[Bling_T]

I would love to see more random stuff. Usually things are fixed: you go the wiki to learn the layout, what mobs there are, theirs skills and what strategies you have to use.
Random (or procedural generated) instances with a different layout every time you enter. Mobs would have several different skillsets and get 1 random assigned to them when spawning. For example a wizard shooting fireballs, may use lightning the next time.
Instances as a challenge itself, not "memorizing the wiki to get the reward ASAP"

[solarbear88]

A game without quests.
A game without the holy trinity.
A game with really well though out Risk v Reward.
A game without notoriety and other useless grinds.
A game that forces grouping.
A game with somewhat balanced pvp.

[Valdur]

1.An MMO with a World and not a backdrop for gameplay.
2.A sandbox game with some theme park features.
3.A crafting system where you can experiment things and make some discoveries.

[Reoh]

Massive open world, not constantly zoning. Using that "phasing" technique WoW introduced in WotLK and Cata for dungeon grouping as well.

[solarbear88]

The big problem I have with Rift and WOW is that the entire game is a minigame. PVP, join a warfront. PVE, join an instance... even the bosses are minigames. Rifts, more minigames. There is no living world in which you are taking part in. You don't feel like you are a part of anything significant.

[dday_0612]

Originally Posted by solarbear88

The big problem I have with Rift and WOW is that the entire game is a minigame. PVP, join a warfront. PVE, join an instance... even the bosses are minigames. Rifts, more minigames. There is no living world in which you are taking part in. You don't feel like you are a part of anything significant.

Come check out Wurm Online...

I am not sure exactly how to explain it, but Wurm has me transfixed. Mostly for reasons similar to your comments about a living breathing world that you are a part of and shaping (figuratively). I am actually making a difference to the game world that won't necessarily go away. Very interesting game.

It is pretty amazing.