Which gameplay features actually have "mass appeal" ?

[Shiyo]

[citation needed]

I think AuctionGirl and Nipa nailed it.

Google.com - > Any MMO after 2004.

[Cairdeas]

Tear-jerking Epic Storylines.

[Physic]

gear that doesnt get outdated is kinda ehhh, i get tired of wearing the same thing all the time, and seeing everyone else wearing the same thing. also i enjoy developing my chr further.
The materia system has some potential though, especially if it allows people to keep specializing gear that they like, with some difficulty of course, but if you really like a certain sets look, and you can make it compete with new gear by boosting it incrementally, that would be hot.

[AuctionGirl]

You know more than 50% of MMO players (now a days) don't want a challenge, they want to enter the game get the best items without working for it. Be able to gloat to their friends they have XYZ item etc.

Top 10 Requirements to make a fun MMO that people don't get bored.

#1 Challenge - This really needs to be in the game, there is no reason everything is so squishy. Screw the population that thinks everything should be easily obtainable. Its like real life, if you work harder you are going to get more than someone else.

#2 Improbable to obtain Weapons/Armor - Make some items that are AWESOME something to strive for. Make it take a long time to achieve. This doesn't mean that this would be the only thing to achieve, but something to maybe build/upgrade and ALWAYS something else beyond that if someone achieves this.

#3 Story - Without a good story behind the quests the game feels empty. A plot goes a long ways and can lead up to something great.

#4 Group Events/Play - Without groups and Linkshells, this game will get boring. Start enforcing people must team up to do things. This encourages teamwork and making new friends, along with sharing experiences. This creates experiences people remember

#5 Road Blocks - Blocking/Detouring the ability to grow without finishing XYZ etc... This creates the need to do the Quests and/or other requirements before you can continue to grow. This promotes people gathering to do these quests and/or other requirements.

#6 - New Equipment/Items - Always adding new items/equipment in the game will keep the game fresh for years to come. When a person is stuck with a certain armor/weapon for years it makes the game feel OLD. This gives old and newcomers something to shoot for.

#7 New Areas/Quests/Content - I grouped these together cause they all are equally important with each other. Its important to have new areas to go to, to do new quests and content. Giving new quests in the same old areas still makes those quests feel not as important.

#8 Exploring/Hidden stuff - People love to explore and find out the cool "hidden eggs" in a game, so they can share it with their friends. Having these change every once in awhile and new stuff appear etc, will keep people always hunting for more. The best part of MMO's is sharing your experience with friends in game.

#9 Side Quests - Important for people who have less time, but still want to do some quests. These quests can be simple as kill X and get Y. But shouldn't be limited to that. There are players who prefer this type of quest and there are others who don't.

#10 Music/Graphics - Eye catching things will keep people coming back, boring plain old maps/terrain gets old quickly. So adding new areas and/or changing old terrain by adding items or anything to it, keeps the game appearing fresh.


Lets face it, if you expect handouts you get what you get. But when you work for it, you get what you want. Keep this in mind, hard work should be paid off with better things.

[Chezen]

You know more than 50% of MMO players (now a days) don't want a challenge, they want to enter the game get the best items without working for it. Be able to gloat to their friends they have XYZ item etc.

If this is actually true, it negates half of your statement. But then, I have seen very few people actually say this.

Challenge is subjective, along with sense of fun. Not everyone wants to grit their teeth all the way through their playtime. For an mmo to have mass appeal, it will have varying degrees of challenge in it, with comparative rewards for the level.

[AuctionGirl]

If this is actually true, it negates half of your statement. But then, I have seen very few people actually say this.

Challenge is subjective, along with sense of fun. Not everyone wants to grit their teeth all the way through their playtime. For an mmo to have mass appeal, it will have varying degrees of challenge in it, with comparative rewards for the level.

I have to agree with you somewhat... what I mean by challenging doesn't mean time consuming at all. There needs to be fun stuff ALL THE WAY to the end, and even more fun stuff AT THE END. You see the problem is... there are no goals, nothing really to feel accomplished, nothing to keep you stuck to the game. You cant make a game too easy for MMO, you will be ending that MMO quickly if its too easy... People get bored quickly and that is why things have to constantly change in a game. If fights took 1-2 minutes each, and you were forced to group, some might have more enjoyment doing parties. If you are playing an MMO to feel accomplished without working towards those accomplishments, then you need to go back to FPS games. Those are quick accomplishments. MMO's are for people who want to be mentally challenged with strategy and understand that sometimes investment of time/effort will get you there quicker.

[Chezen]

I have to agree with you somewhat... what I mean by challenging doesn't mean time consuming at all. There needs to be fun stuff ALL THE WAY to the end, and even more fun stuff AT THE END. You see the problem is... there are no goals, nothing really to feel accomplished, nothing to keep you stuck to the game. You cant make a game too easy for MMO, you will be ending that MMO quickly if its too easy... People get bored quickly and that is why things have to constantly change in a game. If fights took 1-2 minutes each, and you were forced to group, some might have more enjoyment doing parties. If you are playing an MMO to feel accomplished without working towards those accomplishments, then you need to go back to FPS games. Those are quick accomplishments. MMO's are for people who want to be mentally challenged with strategy and understand that sometimes investment of time/effort will get you there quicker.

I do see what you are saying, but I don't think that's completely true. If people enjoy, really enjoy, what they are doing, they will do it more than once. How many times do people ride the same roller coaster, or see the same movie? Are they doing that for the reward at the end, or the fun during?

Working really hard at something for several minutes or more might feel accomplishing, but there's less chance you'd want to do it again (Of course, that's subjective too). Especially if your sole reason for doing it was for the reward. If you simply enjoy the fight, or whatever else the content it is, then you have a larger chance of wanting to do it again.

This is not to say that a sense of accomplishment isn't important in a game, but a game that can get people to want to do the same content over and over, I think that would be a successful game, mmo or console.

[Duelle]

I so miss this!

You miss sitting around waiting for invites when you were playing the "wrong" class that did not contribute to the overall goal of getting the most exp/hour? I certainly do not miss forced partying.

[AuctionGirl]

yeah I forgot 1 in the list above...

#11 Sense of Accomplishment - This must be in the game, making you feel like you did something rare or something hard that others have challenges with. This can be as simple as smaller goals too... Just need stuff that makes you feel like you EARNED it.