MMORPGs; An Addicts View (Timberbee)
From the Quicksilver Metaweb.
In The Beginnning
Seven Years Ago, there came onto the Scene, Ultima Online, though it shared the name of the Legendary, Interactive, Stand-Alone, Moral Plays of Lord British, it was to have little in common with that Illustrious Series, or, indeed, with almost any other Game.
This was to be the start of the MMO craze. God Help us all.
A Social Experiment of the Grandest Kind... Gone Horribly Wrong
Pushed Live in late 1997, Ultima Online embodied the "Virtues" of Richard Garriott's Best selling works, though not it's engine. This was truly a Game of limitless possibilities, with few Rules to hinder Social Interaction, or Individual Creativity, the stage was set. Stand-Alone games of the past largely existed as fairly "Linear" constructs, ie; One could progress along any path, in Any direction one wished, so long as the road taken was the One which led to the scripted end.
Ultima Online was to remove that scripted End. There was to be no Foozle in this land.
Geography
At it's inception, Ultima Online Consisted of fewer than a Dozen "Shards" -- Shards were essentialy seperate, yet identical "Worlds", allowing a much greater Subscriber base, while suffering less latency as a result. The Creation of these Worlds was seen as an Integral Element of Fan Fiction, and a bridge from the Stand-Alone Ultima Series to it's New Online Format. Nearly Every Other MMO would use a similar manner of Partioning Players, Each, also, with a Mythos Unique to their very own Game setting.
One significant Exception to this rule (as it is an exception to just about Every Other rule generated by the Catastrophic Catacylism of the Ultima Experiment) Was Anarchy Online, which choose to Utilize only Two Seperate "Worlds" at launch, with absolutely No attempt to either justify, or to explain the parrallel existances of Multiple, and Identical Game Settings. In an MMO so wholely focused on Storyline, this choice seems to reflect, not the negligance of the Designers, but the emminent practicality with which, at times, infuses Anarchy Online.
What UO did Right -- Housing
In a great many MMOs since Ultima Online, Housing has been either private (or semi-private) apartments, stuck away where no one can ever see them, or, actual "Houses", relegated to cloistered reserves (Such as In DAoC). Hard to get to, limited value, a game-play addition with little or No practical value. This was never the case with UO. In UO houses could (at various times) be placed... almost anywhere.
It is precisely this, and a few other aspects of Ultima Online Housing that caused most games to isolate Apartments.
Public vs. Private
Ultima allowed one to "flag" their structures either Public (Anyone could enter), or Private. At one time, one needed a Key to enter. Those who possessed the key... could enter at will. Creating a whole new genre of griefers, thieves, etc... the House Breaker. In the early days, those who did not check their house each and every time they entered, for hidden, unwelcome guests, often did not live to regret their mistake. Or, if they were lucky, had the quick thinking, and vast coordination to target their attacker (no tab, no hotkey. Just the Mouse), and hit thier, well used, key of banning. "I ban thee!", and, Poof... safe? O.o
Enter the Mage. Area Effect spells (Metor, to name one) could root out, shake loose, and, ultimately, kill those who thought they were safe within their domisciles.
the predation of One set of people upon another, the Very Open, non-structured nature of Ultima Online, and the ability to drop houses, Towers, Castles, almost anywhere gave rise to yet another very unique UO aspect...
Communities
SWG had towns, and houses, right from launch. The lack of readily available personal transport tended to make Star Wars Galaxy "Towns" cluster near established cities. Time was a great factor in determining One would call home. Not so in UO.
Runes
Each and every character in UO had the capability to be anything under the sun. From Miner, to Mage, to fighter, to crafter, or any combination therein was available to the average player, with caveats. One had a set number of "Points" to spend. You built your 'toon by Doing. there was no leveling to speak of. One gained experience in the true sense of the word, by going out, performing a task , be it battling a monster, baking bread, making a chair, or digging ore. Whatever didn't kill you... made you stronger.
Runes were an aspect of this flexibility. Blank Rune stones could be purchased at many mage, and alchemist shops throughout Britania. Once "Etched" by a Mage with of suitable skill, through either their own, raw, talents, or with scrolls made by more knowledgeable wizards, the rune would forever be linked to the spot where it was Marked. Thereafter, any one casting recall upon it (a Mage skill with surprising low skill requirements) would instantly be transported to that spot.
Rune books were added to hold the vast collections of stones which soon flooded the World. Characters, such as mine, made large libraries, taking entire houses to store, cataloging every aspect of Ultima Online they could think of, from Sight seeing wonders, to player "Communities". Shop and Mining runes were ever popular. Some went so far as to scour all of Britania, seeking out famous makers, or, resellers of, famous Armorers, weaponsmiths, and the like. Filling book after book with rune stones linked to their shops.
Of all the Massively Mult-Player Online Games out there, none had, or has, a travel system as vast, easy to use, or empowering as UO had. Absolutely any spot in Britania was capable of being visited at a moments notice, so long as... someone had visited there first, and, marked a rune.
It is hard to over emphasize the impact Runes made on Day to Day life in Ultima.
Community is where people of like mind, need, or purpose gather. Ease of travel, quality of communication, and Purpose make for strong communities. UO offered all of these but one, communitcation
Communication
Speaking to one another in Ultima was easy. One merely typed in what one wished to say and, others would see it. Provided... they were close enough, or paying attention.
Enter ICQ.
The Professions
Crafting
The Combatant
Enter the PK
What happens when you remove Any and All Constraints upon Human Behavior? In UO speak this was to be more than merely a question of acedemic curiousity, In fact, people were caught, watching, in Horid fascination, as the answer unfolded before their eyes.
Newbie killing, Noto PKing, Reds, Blue Mules, Wolf Packs, Blue PKs -- UO, the Birthplace of Petty Tyrants
How many words do you have for Snow? An age old, and still misleading, misunderstood statement, but, One which can help illustrate what was beginning to take place in the Land of Virtues.
Cities were safe Havens; Patroled by Guards, Aggressive Flora and Fauna of the World was kept at bay. Armed Escalation, rising from Heated Disputes between players, were not merely against the Law, they were punishable by a, near, instanteous, Death, though Retribution for thievery was left in the hands of the offended players, Relatives, close personal friends, and Distant acquantances... leading to scenes of pursuit making the most Vivid Hollywood Chase almost Pale in comparison.
Successors
Lessons Learned
The Creation of Trammel (Care-Bear Land), in UO, was as the result of a Catastrophic Breakdown in the World of the Developers. It was beginning to be noticed that... Something... was going wrong. Horribly Wrong. And... Something... must be done, Immediately, to fix it. What happpened next, as a result of that fix, was a Major, and, irreversable Exodus from the Original Lands of Felluca. For many, Long-Term, communities, which had grown under the pressures of the Tangible dangers of the World, this would mark the beggining of the end.
In Ultima Online Communities were not merely the gathering of like minded individuals, nor merely people in spatial proximity. They were enclaves in a Dangerous Land. Though many communities revolved around the relationships of the "Guild", numerous towns were much more reflective of "Real Life" villages; they encompased wide ranging loyalties, factions, and playstyles.
A call-to-arms was no small thing. While a random "Red" offered no significant risk to the seasoned Veteran, and would garner only the reflexive, knee-jerk response of a swift Kill, or challenge (Not all Reds were Kill-On-Sight, KOS, Noto PKs and Newbie Killers were seen as a Far graver threat to community), The discovery of a "Red Base", was a far different matter, often developing into battles of Epic porportions, with an outcome that was almost always assured... These were Outlaws, in every sense of the Game defined Word. Dependent upon "Blue-Mules", and relative obscurity. A Nest of Reds would not only draw upon Concerned Communities, with their Multi-Guild Networks, but would sure to attract the "Blue PK" -- Wolfpacks of Blue players who Roamed the Lands in search of Reds to hunt, much the same way that Wolfpacks of Reds Hunted down lone Blues, of Any skill level.
Reds had More to fear
A Career as a Red was neither as Fearsome, nor as secure as often made out. While the Life of a Noobie was fraught with no less peril than exists for the newly hatched of the Natural World, Refined in the fires of Felluca, GMd in a skill or two (GrandMastered), the Vetran player was no longer the staple food of the Red PK, nor of the Wolfpacks. For those, both, fed on the Unwary, and the unprepared.
In encountering a Blue, a Red ran enormous risks, a process of Rapid assessment occured; Was this, unarmored, Horsed, individual Blithely chopping trees, far from the safety of Any town, a rank amateur? Or, did there Lurk, beneath this outward facade, some Danger?
The Charge
One of the easiest, and most popular, manners of testing one's opponent, was to... Charge.
A Red name Bursting in, On a Direct intercept course, Quick! What do you do? To turn and flee was the mark of the Newbie, signaling fair, and relatively safe game. The charge was merely a ruse, Quarry targeted, a paralize, followed by a Cor Por, quickly spelled Doom. A instantaneous recall, on the other hand, merely betrayed one prepared.
In the case of the Vetran... A single keystroke to equip Armor, another to equip Sword and Shield, all as the Intended Victum is rushing Headlong, not Away, from the Red, but Towards. It was half, and half, at this point, whether dialogue would occur, or if this Wood Chopper, was, infact, as happy for the occasion of a Red, as the other was for the Newbie Blue.
Most new games would focus on exactly "What" was
Anarchy Online's Departure
Appendix
One of the easiest ways to gauge an online Game's health has been to see how many active, fanbased, fan maintained, websites have sprung to support it. The greater the Depth of involvement, the more robust the forums, the more likely it is that the game has gauged something correctly. But, expect All MMO's to wane, particularly just before a major expansion, or release, of another.