Is the next evolution of a WoW-style game just a lobby game?

[ro9ue]

I was going to title this "Is the next evolution of MMOs just a lobby game?" but I refuse to believe that the path WoW has been heading down is the fate of the genre. So instead I just want to speculate on the current WoW design and what it leads me to believe will be a newer generation of a 'themepark' game/MMO.

Let's be perfectly honest about what WoW is right now.

• You purchase the expansion. The first two weeks you utilize the world for questing and the story.
• The remaining 100+ weeks of that expansions life... you generally spend sitting in town queueing up for things or building groups.

Doesn't that mean the natural evolution for any themepark MMO is basically the Destiny design?

• A lobby/main city area. You just buy and sell shit here.
• A queueing UI, where you queue for raids, dungeons and PVP.
• You sit in the city and wait your queue to pop.

Obviously WoW has the world, but if you're a developer who wants to make a new themepark MMO game... you would have to consider maybe the world itself isn't really worth building since it gets so little use in the broad context of the gameplay.

If you're going to make a game with balanced PVP, really rigid raid and dungeon mechanics, etc... isn't this the ideal set up?


Maybe you read this and think WoW should be LESS of a lobby game and focus more on the world - I agree with you. All I'm pointing out is that the direction the game is going, along with every other end game focused themepark MMO, it's towards something like this. Eventually the next set of games will drop the world because it's a lot of development work for something that isn't integral to the core gameplay.

[Jtbrig7390]

Doesn't that mean the natural evolution for any themepark MMO is basically the Destiny design?

Good chance that is the case. Games like The Division and Destiny are the next step for MMO's. Its the same systems just smaller and like you said more lobby style.

Personally besides a few Development choices and (Bungies Anti-Consumer Bullshit) I like both Destiny and The Division. Good chance both will hold me longer since I can drop in and out whenever. The Division welcomes more solo play as well, So I can chose when to go solo or group.

Thats just my 2cents tho. Also there is no sub fee for ether. I am done paying sub fee's for MMO's, If there comes a time I can't buy a WoW Token that is when my time in WoW will end.

[Edge-]

The design has been around for many years before Destiny came out and has traditionally been soundly panned by the MMO crowd proper as "not real MMO" (Warframe, Dragon Nest/Vindictus before it, etc.)

It's not "new" nor will it replace traditional open world MMO's with persistent worlds. Both have existed alongside each other for years and will continue to do so in various capacities.

[DesMephisto]

I was going to title this "Is the next evolution of MMOs just a lobby game?" but I refuse to believe that the path WoW has been heading down is the fate of the genre. So instead I just want to speculate on the current WoW design and what it leads me to believe will be a newer generation of a 'themepark' game/MMO.

Let's be perfectly honest about what WoW is right now.

• You purchase the expansion. The first two weeks you utilize the world for questing and the story.
• The remaining 100+ weeks of that expansions life... you generally spend sitting in town queueing up for things or building groups.

Doesn't that mean the natural evolution for any themepark MMO is basically the Destiny design?

• A lobby/main city area. You just buy and sell shit here.
• A queueing UI, where you queue for raids, dungeons and PVP.
• You sit in the city and wait your queue to pop.

Obviously WoW has the world, but if you're a developer who wants to make a new themepark MMO game... you would have to consider maybe the world itself isn't really worth building since it gets so little use in the broad context of the gameplay.

If you're going to make a game with balanced PVP, really rigid raid and dungeon mechanics, etc... isn't this the ideal set up?


Maybe you read this and think WoW should be LESS of a lobby game and focus more on the world - I agree with you. All I'm pointing out is that the direction the game is going, along with every other end game focused themepark MMO, it's towards something like this. Eventually the next set of games will drop the world because it's a lot of development work for something that isn't integral to the core gameplay.

WoW has always been what you described. Because people don't want to work for shit. You're not very smart.