Go West Young Man… As Long As You Come Back

Exploration: do MMOGs do enough for the curious types who want to immerse themselves in a new world? That's the topic of discussion this Monday across the Ten Ton Hammer network, and new LotroSource writer AgonThalia delves in to the topic of exploration in today's MMOs.

"When designing MMO's, the developers often find themselves with contradictory concepts that they have to elegantly solve, while at the same time, make sure that the players are having fun. One of those concepts is exploration vs. socialization. Exploration allows players to roam the lands, find interesting creatures, NPC's, and geography. One of the fascinating things about exploration in MMO's is that first feeling you get when you enter an area that you haven't been before. The landscape changes, you start hearing the new music swell, the environmental sounds change from the twitter of birds and the clacking of insects to the menacing howl of wolves and the unholy groans of the undead. Instantly, your mood is transformed from a sense of familiarity to the anticipation of what's about to stare you down."

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