What is fundamentally wrong in MMORPG's, and what can be done to fix them?

[chipmunk]

I would have to say that the biggest problem I have found with every MMORPG I have played is - magic is way too powerful.

As a Christian I am not big on usage of magic in a game I play. Given the choice, I will avoid the magic, and use a character who relies on their brawn. Herein lies the problem - every MMORPG I have played gives the advantage to the magic user.

I got so disgusted with this promotion of magic that I turned off playing any games online for a great many years. I have since played games like Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart online.[/

Casters have a damage per second advantage (depending on the caster), but often times they are squishy having less armor than other classes. In WoW a Priest, Warlock, and Mage must wear cloth at lvl 60 they can hope to have an armor set affording them around 500-700 armor. The Warrrior or Paladin, on the otherhand, gets plate and at lvl 60 can have around 3,500-3,800 armor. BIG difference. It's all in how you play though. I can kill fighters of my level playing a caster, but they can also kill me. Usually quickly too. Hitting us interupts our spells making them take longer to go off.

I don't have much experience with other MMORPGs, but I know there exists some that have no magic. They are usually tech games set in the future. I'm not particularly fond of tech games so I'm not really sure of the names. I know my bf talks about them.

Another rather large problem with the MMORPG's in my book is the pricing plans. You buy a month, or two, and then cram as much play time into that month. This really is not a lot of fun, since the entire concept has the player obsessing over the game. Sure you can play a little here and there, but then you feel like you wasted your money.

I don't think the pricing was that bad. My roommate spends more a month on her hobbies (movies) than I do on WoW. Only $15 a month.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

Well I guess there shouldn't be any murder in games either... and forget about fighting since God tells us to love and not fight... so basically the only game available to play is pretty much The Sims Online... oh, but wait, it has sex in it... can't play that one either.

CJ

There is always puzzle games like Tetris.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

The two aren't anything a like. Playing a magic user isn't gonna drive me to use magic. Infact...I used to know quite a few wiccans...if you compared the two...the wiccan would just laugh at your ignorance thinking the two are remotely alike. Why? Because it's total fantasy.

I'm fighting in a world where there are fantastic enviroments, strange creatures and magic.

Again...I guess some people are just not born with an imagination and think that EVERYTHING must stay within the real-life realm. heh

How does fantasing about certain things help you draw closer to God?

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

heh, you do realize that the Occult and fantasy magic are completely unrelated and NOTHING alike, right?heh

Where did you get that idea from?

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

chipmunk,
Thank you for your answer.

 

[SteelDisciple]

Where did you get that idea from?

Because i've actually known people deep IN the occult.

 

[SteelDisciple]

How does fantasing about certain things help you draw closer to God?

I find it a great time of fellowship with other christians (i'm in a Christian guild) As well as a great time to connect with my Wife as we both play together.

It's also..*Gasp* fun. I know...shocking that a Christian might want to have fun being that some Christians believe fun isn't allowed unless you are learning. Heck, some of the most well known writers in the Bible had parties...and that wasn't frowned on apparently.

But yes..it's a great way to fellowship and it's also just some good ol' fun. Like paintballing, or sports or racetracks, etc...


BTW...same question to you. How does playing Mario Kart or Princess Peach bring you closer to God? How does playing a Christian First Person Shooter (can't remember it's name...but I do have hopes for it on being good) bring you closer to God?


Truth is. It doesn't. But that doesn't mean it's a sin. God never says fun is sin. He just doesn't want us to get CAUGHT UP in the world...we can be in the world and not be OF the world. The point is...He doesn't want us to get consumed by things that take us away from God. If you get addicted to games, then turn it off and get rid of it. You can still play GAMES...just don't make them your god.

 

[skysthelimit]

FamilyFriendlyGaming, before I say anything I just want you to know that I respect your opinions and I'm glad you are on a mission to help video gamers draw closer to God. However, I have to make a distinction between what you're saying and how things really are.

I'm an avid World of Warcraft player, I play everyday, and I enjoy my time when I play. I am well aware of what you're saying how there's magic and fantasy stuff like that, but these things have never affected me in the real world. An interesting point about MMO's as opposed to other online games like first person shooters and RTS games is that in WoW and all other MMO's, you are able to talk to other people and have good conversations. I personally have made various friends of all ethnic backgrounds and personalities, and I believe it helps diversify my own knowledge of other people's ways.

Here's the kicker and why I believe that MMO's are great, I have helped many people solve real life problems, and I've even brought a few people to Christ. Yes...the magic is there, but the people are real and I am able to talk to them and help them in spite of that present fantasy.

As far as the price...I agree that prices are high. But as long as companies like Blizzard are raking in tons of money...well...from a marketing standpoint they have no reason or obligation to change. I believe it would be fair to modify their prices to better convenience it's users, but unless they see a decline in the user base, they have no reason do lower prices. It would be nice though!

~Sky

 

[Bluwav]

If magic isnt real, why does it bother you people so much!? Just have some fun!

 

[seebs]

Huh, I just don't see the point. One of my characters in WoW is a warlock, who turns critters into soul shards to use to summon demons. So, uhm. I guess she's probably not Christian.

So what? She's a fictional character, and telling her story can be interesting. Mostly, it's funny; she is a tiny little gnome with pink hair and no one takes her pretensions of megalomania seriously.

 

[seebs]

FWIW, I would have to second the observation that there's nothing in any fantasy magic I've ever seen that bears even a superficial resemblance to real occultism.

One of my hobbies is studying peoples' claims of "magic". I have about the level of familiarity with every real-world magic system I've heard of that newbie practitioners do, and I frequently have a much better understanding of their theory.

None of them bear the slightest resemblance to anything I've seen in MMORPGs, console RPGs, Harry Potter, or anything else.

 

[SteelDisciple]

FWIW, I would have to second the observation that there's nothing in any fantasy magic I've ever seen that bears even a superficial resemblance to real occultism.

One of my hobbies is studying peoples' claims of "magic". I have about the level of familiarity with every real-world magic system I've heard of that newbie practitioners do, and I frequently have a much better understanding of their theory.

None of them bear the slightest resemblance to anything I've seen in MMORPGs, console RPGs, Harry Potter, or anything else.

Thank you

We as people tend to be quick to judge what we don't have a good understanding of.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

Because i've actually known people deep IN the occult.

I spent years studying it, and find amazingly similiarities. I am confused how we both could have spent years studying this topic, and have the exact opposite opinion.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

I find it a great time of fellowship with other christians (i'm in a Christian guild) As well as a great time to connect with my Wife as we both play together.

It's also..*Gasp* fun. I know...shocking that a Christian might want to have fun being that some Christians believe fun isn't allowed unless you are learning. Heck, some of the most well known writers in the Bible had parties...and that wasn't frowned on apparently.

But yes..it's a great way to fellowship and it's also just some good ol' fun. Like paintballing, or sports or racetracks, etc...


BTW...same question to you. How does playing Mario Kart or Princess Peach bring you closer to God? How does playing a Christian First Person Shooter (can't remember it's name...but I do have hopes for it on being good) bring you closer to God?


Truth is. It doesn't. But that doesn't mean it's a sin. God never says fun is sin. He just doesn't want us to get CAUGHT UP in the world...we can be in the world and not be OF the world. The point is...He doesn't want us to get consumed by things that take us away from God. If you get addicted to games, then turn it off and get rid of it. You can still play GAMES...just don't make them your god.

The real difference I find between the fun they had in the Holy Bible, and what you are describing as fun is this:
They were not committing or pretending to commit acts that grieve God. Sidenote: usually.

 

[seebs]

I spent years studying it, and find amazingly similiarities. I am confused how we both could have spent years studying this topic, and have the exact opposite opinion.

Well, what exactly did you study? Which systems are you familiar with? Can you identify some specific similarities?

I have met many people on the internet who claim to have studied "the occult" and found it similar to whatever the current bogeyman is. None of them have ever had the time to offer a single concrete point of data about what they studied, and mostly it seems to be secondary sources; they read a book someone else wrote about occultists, but that book was just made-up, and they never checked their facts.

 

[morningstar2651]

I would have to say that the biggest problem I have found with every MMORPG I have played is - magic is way too powerful.

As a Christian I am not big on usage of magic in a game I play. Given the choice, I will avoid the magic, and use a character who relies on their brawn. Herein lies the problem - every MMORPG I have played gives the advantage to the magic user.

I got so disgusted with this promotion of magic that I turned off playing any games online for a great many years. I have since played games like Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart online.

Another rather large problem with the MMORPG's in my book is the pricing plans. You buy a month, or two, and then cram as much play time into that month. This really is not a lot of fun, since the entire concept has the player obsessing over the game. Sure you can play a little here and there, but then you feel like you wasted your money.

Solutions:
Problem 1: Better balance, and have magic do less damage. Also allow fighters to actually crush mages if they get in close.

Problem 2: Better pricing is one idea. The second idea I have is a complete overhaul of how the game is played. Think about this: you buy the game, and play it on your PC. The player is then allowed to purchase online where different areas can be accessed, and other players can be met up with. This way online is additional to the existing game. If a player wants to work on skills offline, they can. That takes away the feeling of wasting money, and obsession. The online communities could be as robust as they are now, and it would not be turning as many people away.

Anyways I am curious to what some of ya'll think.

Mages are usually nukers - they are defenseless but deal large amounts of damage.

Fighters are usually the tanks of the game - they eat all the damage while the nukers handle the big damage and the healers keep them alive.

The nukers need the tanks to protect them.

---

I haven't seen a single MMO with magic similar to any real-life system I'm familiar with.

 

[seebs]

I have talked to a number of people who believe in and claim to practice magic.

Thus far, not one of them has adopted a weird posture, had a blue glow appear around his hands, and then fired a bright blue ball of energy at someone which causes them to turn a uniform bright blue and walk in slow motion.

Maybe I'm just not talking to the right practitioners.

 

[Victory of the Cross]

I have known a few, and know a few people that have some what "magical" abilities, none of them seem to resemble anything I have seen in a video game or RPG for that matter, some I have, but they are fewer in number.

There is Magic and there is Magic and not many Video games have the stuff

 

[Arkanin]

Hmm, that's funny as I've always had exactly the opposite complaint myself. In DAOC, Berserkers could 1-shot casters and all the other melee classes, infiltrators and scouts were very powerful, and all the warrior classes except (maybe) blademasters were very, very dangerous. I had the most fun playing DAOC with a berserker. In World of Warcraft, a Warrior with the new gear is downright amazing, which is what I played mainly there.

Granting that in a lot of games I never had time to play -- RO maybe? -- Magic was pretty much the only source of DPS in the game. But you've got to keep in mind that since usually, the spellcasters in games are about as tough as a wet paper sack, they will have something else going for them -- either lots of support and utility in spades or lots of DPS or a mix of both.

 

[skysthelimit]

There is Magic and there is Magic and not many Video games have the stuff

Haha, brilliant deduction. I'm saving this