Will WoW be forced to adapt fully into the ''Modern MMO'' style?

[Elfezen]

With modern i mean the acctual new style, dungeon and raid finder were a big evolution from the oldschool but nowdays even those are getting old and the modern mmos are focused mostly on solo online content, the biggest examples are Final Fantasy 14, Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online but basically all of the mmos now follow this route, Wildstar tried to go oldschool and got knocked out within a few weeks. Modern MMO style means that on the one hand there is active community between the players like all games now anyway (even the non-mmos and single players have online community now, chats etc) but on the other hand the content progression and obtaining gear can be done just by yourself without depending on the others.

To be more specific, the modern mmos are focused mostly on solo story content while at the same time there is the same online interaction that the previous mmos had - you don't feel alone. Raids do not play a big role in getting gear, they are just big events with multiple NPCs that fight the bosses and you can basically solo them without the need of other players, sometimes there might be more players there if they are open raids but working on their own. Dungeons have become the endgame content instead - 4 up to 5 man but even these dungeons you can choose to play them solo and maybe meet with other players too while they try to do the dungeon aswell but not that you need them in order to join and complete it.

I think that WoW will eventually be forced to follow this route, it doesn't have to do anything with the number of subscribers but because it's current system is getting really old and does not fit now, especially the big 20-25 and 10 man raids raids they belong in the past, not the raids themselves but the grouping system.

[Deleted]

What you're describing its not how a mmo should work.
If i want solo content il play dark souls.

[PuppetShowJustice]

I hope not. All the stupid single player crap is what drove me out of FF14. There was never any opportunity to make friends with anyone.

[Stormspellz]

I don't understand, wow has altered the genre not the other way.

[Deleted]

WoW is already like that.

[Deleted]

Modern MMO? I don't think you know what that means. Tera isn't a modern MMO. Rift isn't a modern MMO. There's nothing modern about these MMOs. Any hot-key based MMO is using a concept as old as WoW (WoW being my example, because I really cba to think of older hot key based MMOs).

There's not much innovation in this genre beyond completely remaking it.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

I don't understand, wow has altered the genre not the other way.

Yup, this is the answer. End of the thread.
The other games you list operate that way because they needed to find things that weren't already dominated by WoW.

WoW has adapted a LOT to the modern audience though, but the game itself will never change what it is. Just how its played.

[zorkuus]

What? FFXIV is not focused on solo content. You CANNOT proceed forward in the main storyline quests (very important in the game) without doing group things. For all intends and purposes it's basically a shinier WoW. It has raids and dungeons and so on.

[Isheria]

A game that can be played entirely solo but has the option of multiplayer is not an MMO, the whole point of an MMO is to play together with other players in order to complete activities that cannot be completed by playing solo. If you wanna just play by yourself and group with others whenever you feel like it single player games with multiplayer options exist already.

[PuppetShowJustice]

What? FFXIV is not focused on solo content. You CANNOT proceed forward in the storyline questline (very important in the game) without doing group things.

the storyline questline was 99% running around clicking on things and talking to people style fetch quests and 1% fighting primal avatars and doing dungeons.

I seem to recall all the scenarios to get my class armor were solo as well. You can't be serious.

[Elfezen]

I hope not. All the stupid single player crap is what drove me out of FF14. There was never any opportunity to make friends with anyone.

All right Mismagius, use Phantom Force!

[zorkuus]

the storyline questline was 99% running around clicking on things and talking to people style fetch quests and 1% fighting primal avatars and doing dungeons.

I seem to recall all the scenarios to get my class armor were solo as well. You can't be serious.

No shit sherlock? The point was grouping is mandatory to proceed in the game.

[PuppetShowJustice]

All right Mismagius, use Phantom Force!

My Mismagius is a special sweeper and doesn't know Phantom Force.

[Gheld]

"MMO" is barely a meaningful designation anymore.

Nearly every game offers an open world multiplayer experience now. The only thing different about the "Classic MMO model", aside from core gameplay mechanics is that in the classic MMO model players are stuck fighting over crafting resources and thus don't like to see each other out in the world. Whereas in "non MMO" games seeing other players is fun.

[PuppetShowJustice]

No shit sherlock? The point was grouping is mandatory to proceed in the game.

OP's post:

To be more specific, the modern mmos are focused mostly on solo story content while at the same time there is the same online interaction that the previous mmos had - you don't feel alone.

So, my experience with FF14 was that it was focused mostly on solo story content and I felt alone. Having to queue up to fight Shiva a million hours in doesn't change the fact that the bulk of my playtime was solo. As a healing class, no less.

[Deleted]

I always liked on elite quests, that req a lot of skill (mostly kiting, cd managment) for solo or just a party. Also i just watched a video about black desert, seems it isnt rly a "modern" mmo (i dont know how a game that you play solo is rly mmo)

[zorkuus]

So, my experience with FF14 was that it was focused mostly on solo story content and I felt alone.

How is that different from WoW? Where do you have more opportunities to make friends in WoW? Most people level up alone in WoW aswell. People aren't toxic in FFXIV so wouldn't that give a better opportunity to make friends there?

[Aleksej89]

The outdoor content is the perfect opportunity for WoW to have meaningful solo content, that you can do in groups if you want.

It used to be like that in vanilla, questing in WoW felt more immersive and authentic than oblivion/skyrim - and was far more difficult.

[PuppetShowJustice]

How is that different from WoW? Where do you have more opportunities to make friends in WoW? Most people level up alone in WoW.

I'm not suggesting that it is different than WoW. My original post was that I quit FF14 because I felt isolated and was unable to make any friends there. Modern WoW leveling from scratch probably isn't any better socially, but it doesn't apply to me because I leveled in an environment where cross realm tech didn't exist at all and I had to manually make parties with other people on my server, thus, social activity. I've been in the same guild since vanilla and already have established friends.

Unfortunately FF14 never provided any need for people to band together at any point I played it so I never got to find "my people".

[alzoron]

I don't understand people that want change for the sake of change. Just because something has been a certain way for a long time doesn't mean it's a bad thing. If there's a compelling reason to change something, ie. it's buggy or another way would work better then fine but I see people that complain about things being "antiquated" with no real explanation for why it's bad other than it hasn't changed in a while.