Extinct Old School MMO Mechanics We Should Have Saved - Part 1 - Page 3
BEING KoS
Remember when factions mattered for more than just lore and PvP? Back in the good ol’ days in EverQuest, if you played a Dark Elf and you happened to wander into, say, Felwithe, a bunch of High Elf guards would run out the minute you came into view and kick your ass. Invitations to group in some zone with goodie-two-shoes guards left you saying, “Uh, they don’t like me much there.” The term for this mechanic was blunt--you were KoS, for “Kill on Sight.”
But you could work to improve your faction by killing certain mobs or completing certain quests. It took a while, but after some dedicated faction grinding you could get those same guards to stop wanting to draw your blood and merely scowl at you instead. And seriously, what’s not to like about a mechanic like that? It made the world much more alive and immersive. But, for one reason or another, game developers must have decided that they wanted their players exploring every nook and cranny of the world they’d created, and having guards wanting to kill you probably wasn’t conducive to that.
Because game developers are vain, and also maybe because players are lazy and don’t want to have to work faction in order to interact with certain parts of the game, the days of being KoS have vanished from existence. Thanks a pantload, guys.
Next week we’ll explore a few more mechanics that are on their way to becoming fossilized remains. What are some of the old school MMO mechanics you loved to hate, yet still miss? Share a comment below.
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~waves fist~ Curse you Stormfeather! :)
I wouldn't say that I loved corpse runs, but there was definitely something to be said for having to depend on other players. There's very little of that in MMOs today. I do miss camping, though. Some of the best times I ever had were hanging out with my buddies camping some rare spawn, and usually drinking a lot of beer to pass the time. (You're not drinking alone if you're with online friends. That's the story I'm sticking to.)
All of these mechanics could be a real pain in the ass. I'm not sure I'd want to go back to them, but I will admit that MMOs have changed a lot and people just don't hang out together like they used to. The guilds I've been in all seem to drift apart after they tear through a game, and I don't actually get to know most of the people I game with now except the few old friends I hang with.
Easy to reminisce, but yeah...do I really have all night to camp some rare drop? Maybe not. Wish I was that young again when I could pull an all nighter and still work the next day.
Accidental double post. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Pssst... check http://albiononline.com/the-game/ <.< it might be what you're looking for and it's not gonna be long before they hit closed beta.