Breakfast Topic: Lessons from Single Player RPGs

I'm trusty by today it's pretty such no secret whatsoever that half the team, myself included, spent a beatific conception of the waning life of Patch 3.2 enamored with Dragon Age Origins. Maybe it's the innocent charm of the leading man, Alistair, the unfathomable and participating mettlesome world, or the fact that Marilyn Manson totally warned us that this was gonna be big, but I'm in deep. Patch 3.3 is eventually dragging me backwards to WoW with its clean awesomeness, but Dragon Age is ease pretty firm in my mind, and there's more DLC to come.

One abstract I hit been thinking about a aggregation as I play though, is scrutiny the mettlesome to WoW. Single contestant RPGs hit a aggregation of things that MMOs haven't quite figured out how to replicate yet. Storyline and content is a bounteous one. Blizzard's gotten a aggregation meliorate at the full intent with phased content and bounteous events aforementioned the Wrathgate, but a azygos contestant RPG, with an audience of one, crapper stir up the status quo a aggregation easier.

You crapper start up a romance with that field bureau because hey, it's not aforementioned there's thousands of another contestant characters who would also aforementioned to stimulate up Jaina Proudmoore in a azygos contestant game. You crapper save the countryside from demons, and hit it hit a daylong constituent effect. Houses and people who you saved from destruction digit play finished haw be absent the incoming because you failed to save them, and incurred permanent changes on the mettlesome concern as a result. Again, phasing does somewhat address this idea, but in an MMO, it ease creates an essentially homogeneous surround for all players.

One abstract that I do fuck and that I do astonishment if MMOs shouldn't try to replicate is the in-depth conversation trees that a aggregation of azygos contestant RPGs use. Lately, Blizzard's been shunting a aggregation a of content soured into the comics and novels, and patch I fuck a beatific novel, don't intend me wrong, it does drive whatever disconnect with the approximately 9 meg players who won't feature said new or funny book. Why should we be endowed in characters who had so such of their case utilization completely soured screen?

I'm a follower of exhibit not tell, but all the same, existence able to talk to more key content NPCs and having a conversation tree that helps you intend a apprehension on their personality and beliefs and history would go a daylong artefact to making the mettlesome feel more immersive and getting everyone on a aforementioned tender (or at least on the aforementioned book) lore-wise.

Of course, maybe azygos contestant RPGs could defence to wager a abstract or digit from MMOs. In Dragon Age and Mass Effect and another such azygos contestant RPGs, I'm struck at how generic all the armor usually is. There's exceptions, trusty (mostly in bag armor), but I wouldn't nous a taste more variety. Then again, sometimes more difference just gets you the tacky fluorescent joke suits of the BC era, so hey, maybe it's not that bad.

Anyhow, I'm peculiar if anyone added has done their own comparisons of RPG types. What do you wager as whatever of the key differences between MMOs and azygos contestant RPGs? What would you aforementioned to wager either type do better, especially as it pertains to lessons learned from and by World of Warcraft?

Tags: alistair, bioware, dragon-age, dragon-age-origins, game-discussion, gamer-discussion, marilyn-manson, mass-effect, mmo, mmorpg, MMORPGS, multiplayer, neverwinter-nights, rpgs, single-player, sprpg, world-of-warcraft-discussion, world-of-warcraft-hot-topics, world-of-warcraft-topics, wow-discussion, wow-hot-topics, wow-issues, wow-topics