Taxi! Transportation in MMO's
by: Tony "RadarX" Jones
In the olden days of MMO's, transportation wasn't really frequently discussed. You just had bigger things you worried about like crashing, spells acting goofy, etc.. If you look at EverQuest 1, which is generally credited with popularizing MMO's, you had two options: A teleport from a Wizard/Druid, or what is lovingly referred to as "Fred and Barney" (that's walking if you've never heard of the Flintstones).
That's correct, If you couldn't find a "port" you walked to a dock, waited for a boat, walked a little bit further, then waited for another boat. It could take you an hour to get to an expansion island depending on where you were. That was the way it was and we LIKED it. Well, some people still feel that way. I was one of the people who frequently complained it took me 45+ minutes to get somewhere and set up a group for 30 minutes.
As MMO's evolved, so did transportation. EverQuest eventually instituted horses which increased running speed, but this wasn't enough. Star Wars Galaxies had a complex system of shuttles which would move you not only between planets, but between cities as well. Everquest 2 (yes all my examples are SOE), has "bells" which will fast transport you between zones and even "griffins" which will transport you to different towers in the zones. They've also recently reintroduced boats which have significantly less wait time than EverQuest 1's.
Gods and Heroes from what we can tell already has over a dozen areas. If they meet the normal size of a zone for what we see in World of Warcraft/EverQuest 2 then we can expect travel time to be significant. Very little has been said about transportation. The Community Manager for Gods and Heroes, Binky, has stated "There will be strategic fast travel systems" but what does this mean? Will we have horses like in EQ2, horse stations like in Echoes of Faydwer? Will there be Pegasus towers similar to the mechanics EQ2 and World of Warcraft uses?
So it seems Perpetual is in touch with the trends surrounding fast transportation, but can it be taken too far? The same shuttle system in Star Wars Galaxies allowed someone to be almost anywhere in 15 minutes, and EverQuest 2 had the same problem with their bells. In these cases at least EQ2 has made corrections over the last 8 months with boats and teleporting spires. A common tactic to battle trivializing travel is to make it cost prohibitive, but unless you monitor the economies eventually inflation will make these toll a mere inconvenience.
Another mode of fast transport Gods and Heroes will be getting is a Trudis which will return you to a city or location you are bound to. This is similar to the hearthstone and call spells which World of Warcraft and EverQuest 2 provide. It's a convenience which lets players get back to a place of safety at the end of their adventure, and a much needed feature.
As you can see, there isn't a whole lot which can be said about transportation and it's necessity, but what will be in the game, is still up in the air. Whether it'll be flights, ships, chariots, horses, or magic you can bet there will be something in Gods and Heroes to take a few minutes off that walk. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on Gods and Heroes, and don't be afraid to hail a cab. They have them in Rome I'm sure.
