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Trends--they can dictate what clothes we wear, what music we listen to,
what TV shows and movies we watch, and whether we're using MySpace (so
yesterday) or Facebook. When it comes to trends, no one seems to be
immune, and the MMO gaming industry is no exception. As yesterday's
innovations become today's standards, we asked our developer friends to
talk to us about what trends they're spotting in MMOGs in 2010, and how
their own games fit into the big picture.



Here's the question we posed:


What trends are you noticing within the MMOG
industry as this year unfolds? How does your game follow those trends?
How does it rebel against them?



Brian Knox, Senior Producer

TERA


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We don't
know what they are, but we dig their pimpin' hats. (Those are hats,
aren't they?)

The MMOG  industry is constantly finding new ways to set
itself apart from the crowd. Action has been a big theme lately, and in
my view, no one has really nailed it. With TERA we believe we have the
real deal.  We don't rely on a partial targeting system or
lock on
modes; where you aim your bow or swing your sword will determine
whether you hit (tab key = unassigned ;) ). Development teams can also
get lost in feature creep, and trying to be “bigger and badder” in all
areas without innovating in any of them.



By contrast, TERA is
built around the single concept of keeping the player's attention
focused on the center of the screen. By understanding the core of the
game--especially what makes it unique and new--then building around it,
you can achieve a high quality product that feels very satisfying.
Diversifying your development team into too many “ground-breaking
features” can sound fantastic on paper, but what it really means is
that you’re spreading your resources too thin, and that it’ll take an
enormous amount of time to finish the product.  Time equals
money,
and eventually you’re driven to the point of launching your product
regardless of the quality level. The ability to maximize developer
bandwidth for quality and innovation is something at which the Bluehole
Studio team has really excelled.



EJ Moreland, Lead Designer

APB


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Me and what
army? THIS army.

The
major trend that seems to be accelerating throughout the market is the
conversion of older subscription-based titles to free-to-play. I
believe this is an extremely positive sign that developers and
publishers are beginning to experiment more with diverse or
non-traditional payment models for this type of ongoing and persistent
entertainment.



APB started with a fairly diverse payment model
including traditional elements as well as new elements such as players
being able to earn their time through our player Marketplace. We
believe that adding diversity and choice to how users can pay for their
online entertainment is extremely important, especially if they have
options to subsidize their costs through in-game mechanics.



In
terms of how we’re standing apart, we are not currently planning any
shifts to a free-to-play/micropayment model. We’ve been very
happy
with how our current payment model is performing.







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Todd Harris, Executive Producer

Global
Agenda


cellpadding="10" width="253">
style="font-size: 20px; line-height: normal;">"Looking
at 2010 we see that many newly announced games are now evolving...with
their own hybrid combat systems--the goal of combat as more than
pressing number keys resolved via dice rolls."

I'm
excited to see the introduction of more fluid, action-oriented combat
into MMOGs. With Global Agenda we focused on blending the
combat
mechanics of a shooter with the character and world persistence of an
MMO. First Person Shooters are incredibly popular, MMOGs are
incredibly popular--but can the two communities be combined and
satisfied with a great hybrid product? 



We certainly
think so. And, looking at 2010 we see that many newly
announced
games are now evolving in that direction with their own hybrid combat
systems--the goal of combat as more than pressing number keys resolved
via dice rolls. Game engines and networking technology has
evolved
so collision mechanics can be more real-time, reticules can be aimed,
projectiles can be evaded, cover can be used, melee close combat fights
can be positional, the environment can be used, and player skill
matters.   Given that technology is no longer an
excuse for
confining and constricting the player I think you'll see more MMOGs
adapting faster-paced combat and new forms of player
movement. Jetpack anyone?



Cindy Armstrong, president and CEO

Electric Bat Interactive (WebLords)


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Cindy
Armstrong, President and CEO of Electric Bat Interactive

I’d say there are two major trends in the MMO industry this
year, the first being fewer large scale ($50 million plus in
development costs) MMOs and the introduction of interesting “casual”
MMOs. These new MMOs have many of the same core elements,
leveling, persistency, true massively multiplayer (not just matching);
however, they are much lighter in nature.  They are
browser-based,
require less of a time commitment from a user standpoint, have lower
development costs and are quicker to market. This new
generation of
games may not fit the traditional view of a MMOG; however the elements
that define most MMOGs exist.



WebLords is one of the first true
browser-based MMOs, developed in less time than most. Players
have the ability to grow their Empire, complete quests, develop and
customize their character. Players can compete against
game-generated opponents (PvE), against other players (PvP), or both.
Finally, players today crave the ability to engage anytime,
anywhere. With the iPhone application, WebLords players have
the
ability to play the same exact game and compete against others that
might be on their desktop computer or an iPhone. As a MMOG the
data is saved and accessed the next time the player logs in, regardless
of device.



The second major trend is the move from subscription-based games to
free-to-play, or a hybrid model. This trend seems
to be driven mainly from lack of paying subscribers and the influx of
more eastern MMO players that are accustomed to free-to-play and
microtransaction models. It provides developers that have not
built a strong user base to increase their player base, eventually
monetizing from micro-transactions and/or advertising. Online game
mogul Richard Aihoshi has uncovered some interesting truths about the
free to play trend.





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Glen “Famine” Swan, Senior Assistant Community
Manager

Funcom (Age of Conan
| The
Secret World
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/40">Anarchy
Online)


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Glen Swan
keeps his eyes on the MMO gaming industry.

Trends are very interesting because they can break down into
many different categories that either best relate to your customers or
best relate to your organization. For me, I work in the community
management field. A lot of the top trends I’m experienced with come
directly from the community itself. And most of the time, those trends
are just reflections of the top MMOG trends as a whole.



For
example, I can break the community trends down into 2 categories called
pre-launch and post-launch. The trends I notice from pre-launch are
normally hot new feature requests that players want from either the
game they are currently playing or previous games they have played
within the genre. One of the biggest requests from that specific
category is the infamous crafting or profession system. Then when you
talk about the other category you normally always see requests for new
content additions like new raids or quests. These are what I consider
common community trends that of course impact the overall game when we
either follow or rebel against the trends within our own little bubble
of Funcom.



But, what about the trends within the MMOG industry as a whole rather
than those pesky community trend reflections?



A
lot of the most noticeable trends that I’ve caught on to have been with
player services (or paid services) and how they’ve been developing
across the board in the MMOG industry. The amount of player services
(or paid services) has doubled, possibly tripled, over the past 5
years. It’s not uncommon to find a MMOG that offers extra character
slots or paid character transfers between servers, and it’s not
uncommon to find those infamous cash shops that drop insane amounts of
player services for everyone to enjoy. We’ve noticed them too, and we
have, of course, followed suit in adding our own line of player
services across our games on things like character transfers, extra
character slots, etc.



We’ve found that players want services
like these and respect them a great deal if  they're
maintained
correctly. We’ve also found that players want more of those services
depending on the current demand or top trends within the industry. So
we both looked at the top trends within the MMOG industry as well our
customer needs to offer a new line of services that best fits our games.



Now, how about [discussing] the trends our company rebel against and
why?


cellpadding="10" width="253">
style="font-size: 20px; line-height: normal;">"Top
new trends may be popular in the industry as a whole, but maybe not as
popular within our own customer base. Not every player community is the
same and their needs or demands are not always the same either."

When
you talk about hot new trends in the industry you are normally
referring to a wave of new features or services your competitors are
adapting to their games. For us, we try to keep on top of all the hot
new features and services other developers are adding to their own
games. It’s important we stay on top of those things because we know
our customers are not always just restricted to just one MMOG. Thus, we
are always trying to find ways to enhance our players experience with
the k new additions.



But, we aren’t always so lucky.
Some things are not as appealing. Some things are not as easy to follow
or offer to our customers because games, much like people, are not
all built the same. Developers don’t all use the same tools to
develop their games and not everyone has the same amount of time or
resources to dedicate to adding that hot new feature or service. So,
when we rebel against the popular new trend, it’s mostly because we may
not have the time, resources or even tech (tool compatibility) to
complete the job.



However, we also have to think about the
customers. Top new trends may be popular in the industry as a whole,
but maybe not as popular within our own customer base. Not every player
community is the same and their needs or demands are not always the
same either. It’s important that we don’t follow some big
trend
just because it’s well, umm...trendy. It’s also important that we try
to keep our players' interests at heart with the things we know
we can implement that hopefully keep our players happy with our
endeavors.



To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Age of Conan: Unchained Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Karen is H.D.i.C. (Head Druid in Charge) at EQHammer. She likes chocolate chip pancakes, warm hugs, gaming so late that it's early, and rooting things and covering them with bees. Don't read her Ten Ton Hammer column every Tuesday. Or the EQHammer one every Thursday, either.

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