MMORPG Leveling -- A visual timeline. Predictions?

[Nahara]

EVE is the only true sandbox game so far.

Admittedly it's not out yet, but Pathfinder Online is set to be a sandbox game as well

[BoomerOU]

Admittedly it's not out yet, but Pathfinder Online is set to be a sandbox game as well

I always see it discussed as a hybrid sandbox/ theme park.

[Anjian]

Too much 'accessibility' can be a bad thing. MMO developers want to keep people paying so they want to keep people playing. Making too much available too easily kills revenue so time sinks are necessary.

And I'm not familiar with any true modern sandbox MMORPGs out there. Even ESO looks like it's going to end up being pretty theme-parky from what I've experienced in the betas.

EQNext will certainly be more open and encouraging of a sandbox style game but that's not due for at least another year. Additionally there is Brad McQuaid's Pantheon that is on Kickstarter now but that won't be likely to even hit alpha until 2015 either.

In addition to EVE, there is also Age of Wushu aka Age of Wulin.

[mindful]

Since now most of that generations player base from the old times, are now in the late 30's and 40's and some them working as heads at game companies I would say. Phantasy star online dungeons,borderlands weapons style,Real time battles, Full open worlds,User content added,One character does it all with many jobs,multiple choices to level,No rails it will be all community generated, developer just put there idea out there and watch it grow and keep eye on it somewhat so it stays on there vision, one true voice chat program, tv's will have the power to run the games build in at 70 inch paper thin(nano and fiber tv),cellphones be the controller and option to play the game,entire world will fiber optic, Data centers that run at nano fiber speeds,

[KraggyKor]

1999: Leave town in a party of multiple players, and venture into an open world to grind mobs, free to set your own pace.

FFXI, 2002: Sit in Jeuno for days, weeks and months LFG on whatever is loljob of the month.

Your rose-tinted spectacles need cleaning.

[Warlyx]

FFXI, 2002: Sit in Jeuno for days, weeks and months LFG on whatever is loljob of the month.

Your rose-tinted spectacles need cleaning.

[Magis]

FFXI, 2002: Sit in Jeuno for days, weeks and months LFG on whatever is loljob of the month.

Your rose-tinted spectacles need cleaning.

The only people who sat in Jeuno for months were those too lazy to form their own parties. 45min to 1h was the longest it took to form one if you were proactive. Some Duty Finder queues take that long or longer!

[Snitchie]

MMO's evolve just like everything else evolves. And it is no supprise that MMO's follow same principal. FASTER STRONGER HARDER ... Relax man . Take a puff smell some roses

[Magis]

The leveling experience in Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games

A Visual Timeline

1999: Leave town in a party of multiple players, and venture into an open world to grind mobs, free to set your own pace.
2004: Leave town alone, and venture into an open world to grind quests, free to set your own pace.
2009: Don't ever leave town, line up in a queue to enter a linear closed off instance with multiple players, pace is bottlenecked by controlled daily/weekly experience bonuses.
2014: ???

It's now 2014 -- time for us to settle into the next five year chunk. As we prepare for the new leveling standard that will usher us through the next half decade, what are your predictions about what we will end up with?

According to the trends above, we should expect to be left with "zero colors" for the new generation. On the other hand, last year showed some interesting hints of developers experimenting with open world, multiplayer grinding: a new "color combination", with FFXIV's FATEs being the most familiar example to those reading this.

So what do you think -- will the trend of the past 15 years continue, or will we finally start seeing the pendulum swing back toward the true definition of an MMORPG experience?

From what I heard, Everquest Next is trying to go to the old school style direction of "let the players do what they want".

[indira]

well everquest next is going the the more old school sandbox where you wander around but with new technology, best of all no endgame which means no linear grinding. you can build and destroy stuff in the world too.

also horizontal progress FTW.