MMO on Rails

[yoshikwalla]

A good MMO has a direction. Even sandbox games have directions. Mabinogi has the destiny system and a series of quests that get you started on your build before going into the main story and other things. Even Ultima Online revamped its new user experience to point the character in the right direction.

The fact is, we've been going on-rails this whole time. Go through main scenario quests, do grand company quests, get to level 50. All MMORPGs have rails, one way or another.

However, Just because 2.0 has a direction doesn't mean that there will be just ONE direction. The good thing about FFXIV right now is that there are a lot of paths that cross. Starting city, profession, job, grand company, among other things. We don't just have one rail - we have a lot of them. Simply by switching jobs, you can go through another path you just opened up.

Skyrim is on-rails to an extent, too. You start out, go through a tutorial, become the thane of whiterun, go to the greybeards, get helped by the blades, beat Alduin. That doesn't mean it's the only rail you go on considering the amount of questlines there are.

A good game doesn't just have one set guidelines - it has tons. Final Fantasy XIV has lots of em and 2.0 will have them, and more.

And why not show the stuff that you can do when you enter a map? That isn't on-rails. It's an opportunity to see what paths you can go. You can pick what you want to do as a low-levelled Marauder when you go up, then come back after you get to level 50 WAR as a low-levelled Thaumaturge and pick what you want to do next.

FFXIV isn't just on-rails. It has too many, and that's why it'll make a great open-world game.


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Oh, why am I thinking. This is a Rokien thread.