The greatest MMORPGs blind you to the fact that they are stealing your time and money via tedious gameplay mechanics by making you feel totally immersed in a world that's better than real life.
The continuous-money-flow aspect incentivizes developers to build robust worlds and formulate fun ways to keep your attention, but it also incentivizes dirty tricks like: hours-to-get-anywhere, drop-rates-that-statistically-take-decades, years-to-hit-max-level, and deleveling-upon-death.
@buru5 I'm finding that the only MMOs I can tolerate are free/fanserver reproductions. Obviously PSO Ephinea is a prime example. Others include VScape (entirely free 2007 era runescape recreation) & PokeMMO (online Pokémon that only requires ROM downloads). Also curious about Star Wars Galaxies fanservers
Possibly the only exception is Guild Wars 1, which... I've owned on disc for almost 15 years & doesn't cost anything monthly
So basically all I need to do is feel bad about wasting time, haha
@rootcompute yeah, most fan servers tune drop/exp rates to a reasonable level and provide some quality of life improvements because they have no reason to gouge you for money with demonic mechanics.
@buru5 They feel like the way the game was actually meant to be played. VScape has 2.25x exp gain, still a massive grind but so much more reasonable as an adult with a job and other responsibilities.
It's easier to get invested in a world that you don't have to worry about paying for months down the line when it may not even get booted up. MMOs that feel like solid singleplayer experiences can theoretically live on forever in this format, regardless of community engagement
@buru5 It's kind of funny how gaming pioneered the subscription model for purely digital content. These days I've grown fatigued with it in all facets of entertainment. Demonic barely scratches the surface
didn't think about that, but perhaps it's been around longer in form of cable/Internet subs and whatnot. this feels different in that it's more microlevel; "pay to play this one thing." which gaming did pioneer (2), for legit reasons (sever costs, support, maintenance). but we've let it run rampant w/ abuse, especially streaming services. idk, i'm conflicted with the whole thing (and everything in the world); can't give stuff away for free, but also: money incentivizes abuse. c22
@buru5 Agreed, & subscription models or digital goods aren't necessarily to blame on their own
I'd just say that the overall shift has helped provide convenient cover for companies to further erode the idea of media ownership. If we are promised a "free market" of goods, then people should still have the option to purchase a single physical copy of anything. The Overton window has shifted so far away from this to the point of frustration
Of course MMOs were designed ground up not to be owned
@rootcompute@buru5 I don’t necessarily disagree, but at the same time I don’t understand so many people’s obsession with owning things.
We always used to pay for concerts or to see movies at the cinema without owning anything afterwards. What’s so bad about paying to stream some movies or play an online game without gaining ownership over anything?
Well you could also buy that movie months later, or the concert DVD. Same with live sports. It's the realm of "home" media vs live events
Digital ownership rights are also important because digital media is becoming the only way to access certain things. New streaming shows & some games don't get physical releases, & companies that hold the rights can choose to yank access on a whim for a variety of reasons
I mostly use digital media, but others should have the choice
Also with subscriptions, I personally don't like paying monthly for something I don't use. If I own the thing, than I'm secure in the thought that it's there and available all the time. I prefer to avoid these FOMO-type games companies love to play these days
Sorry if all this is rambly, I'm a little sleep deprived. But just generally I am on the side of fighting for a customer's autonomy over something they paid for as well as freedom of choice in the marketplace
@buru5 True, but that also makes it fun (to some extent).
I lost interest in No Man's Sky for example once the main story was completed. You can do anything you want in it, but without goals it just gets boring quickly.
The expeditions are fun though.
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