Why aren't there more MMOFPS titles?

VioletZero · 2012-02-16, 08:24 PM

True MMOFPS I mean. Like Planetside.

Both MMOs and FPS titles are popular. You'd think triggerhappy CEOs who are glued to demographics charts would at least greenlight one by accident.

But the only MMOFPS that I can find is the Planetside series.

How is that even possible? Am I just not looking in the right places?

Mightymouser · 2012-02-16, 08:44 PM

Go look up WWII Online

But they're rare because they're a pain to develop, hosting so much fighting on a 'massive server' brings up big problems in terms of latency (read CSHD/SSHD issues), and it's difficult to persuade dev houses to break the mold, when standard MMORPGs and standard FPSes do so much better on their own.

If you run instanced fights with limited player counts (see sudo MMOFPSes like Huxley, Global Agenda, etc, and also obvious standard FPSes) you can control lag, and keep people happy, while also maintaining server side hit detection. On the other hand, if you can slow things down, so that twitch gaming, and millisecond lag doesn't really affect the player (see MMORPGs of all colors) then you don't have to worry about the player lagging behind a little while his computer and the server discuss things.

PlanetSide, and true MMOFPSes have to run large persistent worlds, while maintaining very low latency and updating constantly. This is very difficult; which is why it doesn't work very well in PS1, they say theyve fixed it in PS2; we'll have to see... But that's why no one really tries it...

Hamma · 2012-02-16, 09:37 PM

Other companies are afraid of doing it to be honest - there has been no smash hit MMOFPS.

I suspect that if PlanetSide 2 is hugely successful that will change.

Crator · 2012-02-16, 10:22 PM

Cause they use magic in the game engine!

Forgelight is supposed to handle it all... SOE has secret MMOFPS formula?

Warborn · 2012-02-17, 03:56 AM

Well, lets see now. MMOs are expensive, so when the guys with money look at something to develop and see WoW with many millions of subscribers versus Planetside and WW2OL which totaled jack shit over their lifespans, WoW-like is an awfully tempting thing to finance.

Second, latency. Broadband is common these days but it has not always been the case. Making a game that demands low latency in a world where broadband wasn't common limited your subscribers. So as far as network infrastructure goes I am guessing we're just in the initial period where everyone has good latency always.

I guess that's probably it? I don't know. But definitely the WoW clones like SWTOR and the rest have been obvious attempts to cash in on a proven paradigm rather than any honest attempts at making a good game. And I agree, I think if Planetside 2 does well it could usher in a new era of action MMOs. The failure of SWTOR will hopefully be the final nail in the coffin of WoW clones, so the new age of MMOGs is in need of a flagship.

Livefire · 2012-02-17, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by Warborn

Well, lets see now. MMOs are expensive, so when the guys with money look at something to develop and see WoW with many millions of subscribers versus Planetside and WW2OL which totaled jack shit over their lifespans, WoW-like is an awfully tempting thing to finance.

Second, latency. Broadband is common these days but it has not always been the case. Making a game that demands low latency in a world where broadband wasn't common limited your subscribers. So as far as network infrastructure goes I am guessing we're just in the initial period where everyone has good latency always.

I guess that's probably it? I don't know. But definitely the WoW clones like SWTOR and the rest have been obvious attempts to cash in on a proven paradigm rather than any honest attempts at making a good game. And I agree, I think if Planetside 2 does well it could usher in a new era of action MMOs. The failure of SWTOR will hopefully be the final nail in the coffin of WoW clones, so the new age of MMOGs is in need of a flagship.

Ya both those reasons are why we have not seen a PS clone yet, but with the technology available today we will start to.

As far as SWTOR goes that game is sweet, This is the best rpg out there and I truly believe wow and SWTOR will be the only big ones left. The rpg crowd is big and so is the mmo pvper crowd that just plays mmo's for the pvp, which needs to get better in swtor but it's a new game only a couple months old and they are working on it. SWTOR is the fastest growing game in world history and for good reason, it costs 200 million to make. But compared to a MMOFPS as in planet side, no game can compare.

Warborn · 2012-02-18, 07:37 PM

TOR doesn't innovate in any really meaningful way. Its story-driven leveling narrative was cool, but once you're at max level it's just the same as what people have already done in WoW. I guess it'll keep a modest number of subscribers on account of its license, but overall it won't have any meaningful impact on the market. It will be eclipsed by WoW just like all the other pretenders.

cellinaire · 2012-02-19, 01:28 AM

1) Proper MMOFPS is hard to make(technically).

2) There's still no successful case when it comes to MMOFPS games(I mean, financially successful)

cellinaire · 2012-02-19, 01:34 AM

Originally Posted by Crator

Cause they use magic in the game engine!

Forgelight is supposed to handle it all... SOE has secret MMOFPS formula?

SOE have long development experience, infrastructure, funding, many talented programmers and devs, to support MMOFPS games.

+ Smedley said, he personally prefers Planetside over Everquest series.

Crator · 2012-02-19, 09:43 AM

Thanks for defining magic!

Baneblade · 2012-02-20, 06:21 PM

Well, the problem with an MMOFPS is that the fps crowd and the mmorpg crowd are distinctly separate entities with very different priorities. It is actually a very niche market that is interested in a hybrid of the two.

In my mind the perfect MMOFPS is basically a mix of Rise of Nations, PlanetSide, DarkFall Online, and SWG. Which parts of each incorporated is a discussion for a more specific thread.

Traak · 2012-02-23, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by Crator

Cause they use magic in the game engine!

Forgelight is supposed to handle it all... SOE has secret MMOFPS formula?

First MMOFPS and the first using ForgeLight.

They seem to be determined to stay on top. It's the massive portion of MMOFPS that scares others off.

The commitment of dollars and time is not something most non-Asian countries can even wrap their heads around.

Japanese go for ten-year market share goals. Many others go for quarterly, monthly, or weekly profit reports.

Kipper · 2012-03-17, 06:22 PM

I hope Planetside 2 is hugely successful, not just because I am so looking forward to playing it - but in the hope that it seeds a new generation of MMOs that contain something more than virtual dice rolling dressed up with pretty graphics.

I quickly get bored of doing quests against PvE mobs to find gear which by the time you've collected, isn't powerful enough. Then expected to do exactly the same thing again with bigger monsters. Never made it to max level in an MMO yet apart from PotBS which was quicker, and the ship combat had some actual fun and real-time control around the dice rolling-ness.

Waiting for cooldowns and spamming hotkeys gets old quick, I don't feel that 'connected' to what my character is doing. Having to line up shots and shoot people whilst not getting shot, as much as I suck at it a lot of the time - is much more engaging, and satisfying.

Dreamcast · 2012-03-17, 07:31 PM

Too hard and Risky.

I mean why make an MMOFPS when most people are use to 24 max players in consoles and dont complain to have more massive battles.

Hopefully planetside does a revolution and people demand bigger battles/more people.......now MMOFPS on consoles will make a big revoultion IMO

Kipper · 2012-03-18, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by Dreamcast

Hopefully planetside does a revolution and people demand bigger battles/more people.......now MMOFPS on consoles will make a big revoultion IMO

Exactly this, gamers don't demand MMOFPS because too many of them don't think it's possible, or because they literally have no opinion - they consume what they're given and don't think about what more could be done.

Once a new idea gets let out though, people will start looking at other FPS and saying "what, only 64 people on the whole map?" and other developers will have to step up.

I applaud SOE for taking on a risk in an industry where many developers are still playing it safe. They have the resources to make it work and if/when it does - Battlefield and CoD et al. are going to have to have a rethink.