How Some MMOs Improve Over Time
A common perception that many people have is that older things are not as good as newer ones. This is true for anything from cars to mmorpg games. In the world of online gaming, it's expected that a normal mmo will go through the standard life cycle of launching, critical or popular success, and then a slow slide into oblivion. Every year brings out the usual dirges of that this will be the year that a particular game will finally wither and die. Yet the reality is that some mmo games get better as they age, almost like a fine wine. Let's take a look at how some mmos improve over time.
One of the most important mmo features that improves over time is content. When a new game first launches, it usually includes a good chunk of content for gamers to play through. There have been some exceptions, such as Age of Conan, but the average gamer can play for months without getting bored. Yet there comes a time when a player finds that there's little to do except run the same old raids over and over again. This is where a regular infusion of new content can really showcase mmo improvement.
I'm a total content junkie, so the more stuff that there is to do in an online rpg, the happier I am. When developers decide to create and release new content that tells a particular story arc, it really does spark mmo improvement. A really good example of this is Star Trek Online. This game has released ten full seasons of fresh content that has encompassed over 120 individual episodes. There are so many interesting stories that older and newer players can delve into just by pulling these missions up and accepting them. The amount of immersion that players enjoy through a regular dose of new content is one way that mmos improve with age. Any online game worth its salt can improve itself by having fresh, steaming content for players to devour.
There is also another way that mmos improve over time. This is the addition of new features to the game itself. Any online game that remains static and unchanged is doomed to failure as players will eventually get bored. When new mmo features are introduced, it electrifies players as there's now another way for them to interact with the game. One particular game that really improved as it aged was City of Heroes, which was sadly cancelled a few years back. The core structure of the game was pretty solid, but it was the later additions to the game that really made it shine. One such feature was the introduction of bases for guilds to build within the game. Players could devote resources into physically building a base of their own design with a lot of functionality. Even better was that guilds could attack the bases of other guilds or defend their own. A more recent example of robust guild housing isNeverwinter, who just recently added guild strongholds to the game.
Some more examples of new mmo features is starfighter combat in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Space combat had long been the Achilles heel of SWTOR as it was truly terrible. Many players, myself included, loudly complained about a Star Wars mmo that didn't feature robust space combat. To me, Star Wars is space combat as I saw the original movie in the theater and still get goose bumps to this day when the attack on the Death Star begins. Other mmos have added new features over time to enhance the player experience. The Elder Scrolls Online eventually introduced the justice system to the game where players could steal and murder, but then had to live with the consequences. As the original Elder Scrolls games allowed players to be good or evil, gamers expected that the mmo based upon the IP would allow the same. Eventually, this came to pass, and is another example of how some mmos improve with age. There are plenty of other examples of new mmo features that were added to make the game better. There's the Duty Officer system in STO, player housing in RIFT, and pet battles and garrisons in World of Warcraft.
Another feature that helps mmos improve over time is the introduction of player-created content. City of Heroes was one of the first mmos that introduced a system where players could create their own adventures and share them with other players. Finally, players no longer had to rely upon developers to craft new content, and the truth is that many gamers are incredibly creative. This type of system found its way into other games eventually, such as Star Trek Online, which originally did not feature such a system.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways that mmos improve over time. There are other types of features that are added to mmo games over the course of their lives that make them better. Some examples include new classes, new races, and new game modes for players to enjoy. The point is that games that have stood the test of time actually have quite a bit to offer to players. They might not have the latest cutting-edge graphics, but they usually offer incredibly deep gameplay with a ton of content and a slew of features. A lot of games have gotten better in the years after they initially launched. If you were disappointed or turned off by a game when it was first released, it may be worth a second look. You just might be surprised at what you find.
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