Making a killer MMORPG 1

So, I've decided on 2D gameplay. Now, let's talk about the gameplay itself. Let me count off my fingers fatal flaws with MMORPG gameplays:

- Horrible battle systems
- Bad or overly complex controls
- Overly text-based games
- Assuming the player knows how to play the game.

So, let me address each one individually.

1. Horrible Battle Systems

Yep, I'm talking about the old "Click and kill" theory. That was good for Ultima Online. Maybe even Everquest. But now, in the advent of modern computers with more gigaherz than stars in the sky, we can do a little bit better, world. We can create games that don't make the character feel detached. Who wants to play a game where you watch your virtual you do stuff you wish you could control?

Take FFXI, for example. I click. He attacks it. Just keeps on swinging. Fun. I take a sip of my water. I take a bite of my sandwich. I click another enemy to kill. He kills it while I essentially gourge myself on sustinence. Eventually, I start browsing the web for a macro editor to just click any enemy so I can do better things. See my problem? You never feel like you accomplish something. Hitting level 10 for me was anticlimatic. "Woo, level 10. Now I can work my way up to 20. Then 30. What exactly am I doing here?".

And I'm not talking about that player-touches-player bullshit with the Matrix Online. The Matrix Online is dying. Not just because it's ripping the franchise for the millionth time, but because the gameplay is boring. Coding a player-touches-player system where it LOOKS like you're fighting is nice, but it still doesn't replace actual combat. Go figure.

So, what are our options? Well, either keep the battle system or create an action battle system. I think the choice is evident. However, this is going to be difficult, because the hacking abilities will be much more evident. Still, I think the extra time coding will be worth it when people are able to play a game where they do more than sit on their virtual ass.

2. Bad or overly complex controls.

Ever played the original Everquest and tried to understand all the menus and configurations? You now have my feel for most MMORPGs. They just SUCK. I absolutely detest using my mouse in a game that's not a shooter or strategy game, because it's usually not needed. Game companies love to make MMORPGs where you use the mouse, and I detest it. There are a shitload of keys on my keyboard, not only just these alphabetic keys I type this article with. Why use the mouse for something I could use a macro for? You see my point.

So, in my future game that I want to make, the mouse will not be used at all. I might code in the ability to use it, but the game should be completely playable without ever touching it. In fact, I think I'll model my game over a cheap gamepad. Few buttons, lots of control.

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