Workshop: Building the Perfect MMO

A couple of years back, we built the perfect shooter. The results were a lot of fun — in the comments, we put together all of our favorite features to describe the ideal shooting scenario, taking cues from things like Counter-Strike, Goldeneye and more. This time around, I thought we’d tackle a new genre.

I’ve long been intrigued by the MMO genre, but no game can ever put together enough of the right pieces to get me to take that leap into another realm. I’m not a big fan of grinding, paid subscriptions or disconnected point-and-click combat. I’d also love a story that morphs over time, in a way that makes me feel like my actions matter beyond just a stat or a new level number next to my name. I want big worlds, big universes, high stakes and easy accessibility. But maybe I’m just being nitpicky.

So for this feature, we’re going to dig into a variety of options, and discuss what we would love to see in the perfect MMO. Below are the categories and options I came up with. If you don’t like the options, feel free to add your own!

Model:
Subscription
Free to Play
One time purchase with DLC

Story:
Rigid, overarching narrative that shifts with updates
Player-generated story with little oversight (a la EVE)
Player/Developer combo — player actions change game world

Combat:
Point-and-click
First person
Third person action
Flight

Setting:
Fantasy
Sci-Fi
Apocalyptic
Modern Day

Experience:
Grinding
Skill-based point system
Use of skills

Instances:
Dungeon/instance is for you and your party only
Other parties can stumble across one another

Classes:
Limited set of classes
Classes and hybrids
Player-defined — assign points however you feel

Roleplaying:
Limited to none
Available for some
Every player has a job/role to fill in world

Death:
Forgiving death system
Permadeath

Server Size:
Thousands
Hundreds
Under one hundred

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Feel free to give examples of games that have done each of these things well, and each of these things terribly. There’s basically no format here, so comment as you will. If enough people come up with a category I might have overlooked, then I’ll add that to the list.

Go! Build!