08-19-2009, 03:34 PM
I think all MMO games must follow this one rule:
Let me play the game with my friends.
1) You can strive towards something fun and worthwhile regardless of how many people are online. 1 person online? 2? 3? 5? 9? 22? You have something worthwhile you can work on together.
1a) ...and you can pretty well come and go freely, at least as far as game mechanics are concerned. If you have a group of 20 people doing a dungeon and a 21st member logs on, he should be technically capable of joining the group. Maybe he can't get past the enemy blockade but at least the game mechanics themselves didn't lock the door on the first 20 people and tell the 21st person "tough shit".
Every fantasy MMORPG I can think of breaks this rule.
Let me play the game with my friends.
1) You can strive towards something fun and worthwhile regardless of how many people are online. 1 person online? 2? 3? 5? 9? 22? You have something worthwhile you can work on together.
1a) ...and you can pretty well come and go freely, at least as far as game mechanics are concerned. If you have a group of 20 people doing a dungeon and a 21st member logs on, he should be technically capable of joining the group. Maybe he can't get past the enemy blockade but at least the game mechanics themselves didn't lock the door on the first 20 people and tell the 21st person "tough shit".
Every fantasy MMORPG I can think of breaks this rule.