Raph Koster has responded to the recent Wikipedia whirlwind by taking a moment to write up a history and definition of the DIKU MUD. This is a valuable resource that I have bookmarked and will probably be referring to again in the future. Modern MMOs have much to thank DIKU MUDs for, for better or worse. They are apparently the root of the class structure and level/loot treadmill, among other things.
If you’ve been reading my other articles, you might know that I’m actually not all that impressed with that lineage. One of the “diseases” that the DIKU genetic strain is susceptible to is altitis. Technically, it’s a mild form of imaginative metagaming schizophrenia, often seen in RPG players as well. It is harmless in most cases, but a notorious time sink.
One potential “cure” for altitis in MMO design is Alternate Progression. Research on this is still in the early stages, and the market is glacially slow in acceptance. Still, with a modest grant of 50 million dollars (pocket change for the TARP, and the aging MMO genre certainly qualifies for monetary relief), I’m sure I could come up with some effective treatments. (This, of course, is assuming that players want such solutions. There’s nothing really wrong with altitis, but I see it as a symptom of one school of game design.)
I’ve discussed it obliquely here and there, notably recently here, where there are some great comments. (Thanks, all!) I suppose that this really could have been a comment in that thread also, but as this is long and somewhat tangential, I wanted to break it off into a separate post. It’s also another way to hopefully get more eyeballs into the mix, and solicit more insight. This post from Ysharros triggered these thoughts, and this article is another good riff on the theme.
First, hello, I’m Tesh and I have altitis.
Perhaps putting myself in a position to research it and try to solve it is a conflict of interest, but I do have practice with alternate viewpoints, so it’s not much of a stretch.
Second, I’m tired of classes. I loved school for the most part (but hated busywork… that’s another rant), but here I’m talking about the class system of the DIKU lineage. Lately, this has devolved a bit into archetypes; Tank, Healer and Damage Dealer. (Is that a small poem? Weird.) Classes are a way to define characters and their roles in the game’s combat. We even see classes in Final Fantasy and FFTactics. They call them “jobs”, but the principle is the same; a character has certain proficiencies, abilities and weaknesses, giving them distinct roles in combat. Sometimes the roles are smooshed together, like when the Tank is also a Healer, but for the most part, hybrids like that aren’t bringing much that’s actually new to the game, just new ways of approaching the Tank/Healer/DPS triangle.
The bigger problem, though, is that the alt experience isn’t substantially different from the first playthrough in most MMO games. This is especially true in Wizard 101, where every class (school of magic, there) plays the same missions, with a handful of class specific missions. WoW is a little better, since most races have unique starting zones. (Shush, you Dwarf main with a Gnome alt!) Even so, once you’re out of the starting zones, the experience is pretty much the same each time you level through the game, you’re just approaching it with a new character.
On the one hand, that does lend a certain element of replayability. Smart replayable games are typically shorter, though, and offer significant differences each time through. I’ve come to call MMOs keeplayable, since the whole goal is usually to keep players playing. In that context, I see altitis as a subconscious cry for choices and customization in how we approach keeplayable games.
Enter Alternate Progression.
Alternate Progression is basically a bunch of different things for players in keeplayable games to do to feel like they are accomplishing something in the game world. It’s the map exploration running total. It’s hidden nooks and crannies with story nuggets and mysteries. It’s the Pokemon-like collection of pets. It’s clothing and the ability to recolor it. It’s hairstyles and fashion shows. It’s a folder full of screenshots. It can even be in-game recognition of forum activities, as a few things in Puzzle Pirates have been. (Notably derived from their awesome Grand Crafting Puzzle Project, where players submitted ideas for new minigames.) Gaming a player-driven economy is another form of alternate progression, albeit a looser one with less defined goals, other than “accumulate money”.
Whatever the case, there is a sense of progress and achievement outside of the level/loot mindset. Animal Crossing is almost a case study in alternate progression. As with pretty much any sandbox game, it doesn’t have an “end”, just a series of goals and toys.
I’ve not played Ultima Online or Star Wars Galaxies, but apparently, they are skill-based games where players create their own identity out of a huge pool of proficiencies or skills. I really should study them; it’s on the list.
In such a system, there are no archetypal classes, just roles that naturally come out of gameplay. Roles in such a skill-based game are a “choose your own adventure” sort of mechanic, where players find thier own niche and play in it. That’s the sort of customizability that MMOs can excel in, if they so choose.
It will, of necessity, mean that it’s a bit more work for the player to tease out their own character. Some of that might be streamlined by having gameplay itself direct progression (use a sword, get better at swordplay). There’s a natural push and pull between player control and autopilot; I’m just looking for the ability to control a lot more than I can presently, including that balance.
It may also mean that the trinity of archetypes (Tank/Damage/Healer) may naturally appear, so it’s not a panacea for stifled gameplay in that regard. Breaking the triangle would mean some new AI and combat designs. I’m working on another article on that concept.
Of equal importance is the ability to change that niche, should player tastes change. That’s one thing that Guild Wars does well. You can “respec” any time you are in a town. It’s only a half measure, as you can’t really change your class, but you can change your skill setup, which can alter how you approach the game. You can also equip any weapon, but only those with relevant proficiencies can use them to their full potential.
I’m looking for a highly customizable experience, where all of these ideas are rolled together. Characters can equip any gear or weapon, but will naturally use them with different levels of efficiency. Anyone can learn any crafting ability, or any of the game’s talents, and can switch at any time if they feel like changing the game experience. (Or perhaps, maintain the “only respec in town” to keep from abusing things too much.) Couched in WoW terms, it would mean the ability to change class and spec at (nearly) any time. There would be no more need for alts, or for grinding through the “leveling content” just to raise a new character class. (Though there would be nothing stopping it either; altitis would be entirely a function of wanting a new character and wanting to see older content again.)
…so yeah, more of the same sort of thing that I talked about last week, I’m just pontificating more here. I’ll keep commenting in both threads. I like the tangents that we can run having a couple of discussions open. Thanks again, all, for the comments and concepts!
I wonder if there were no classes, would there be any reason to start a new character and play through the game a second or third time? If the game didn’t lock you into any skill trees and you could change you character’s role anytime you liked, why would you ever need to start a new character? Maybe classes are a good thing, as they add replayability to the game. I’m guessing that the game companies would look very favorably on Altitis.
Earthrise is not meant to have have any classes. It will be interesting to see how well that goes for them.
I mentioned in a post of mine about my distaste for classes. I also don’t like the whole “alt” idea either. If you’re bored of doing the same ol thing with the class you’re playing, why would doing the same content with a different playstyle be any better?
Good post Tesh.
Well, that’s sort of the point. In what I’m calling a “keeplayable game”, replay isn’t a huge factor. I know full well that these subscription games bank on keeping people playing, but what bugs me about altitis is what I see in WoW; the company has all but neglected the old world, and spends their dev time on new content. Alts won’t see that content, and someone who wants a new class to go raiding with friends has to grind through content they have done already.
I actually like playing alts, whether it’s just to get away as a new character, or to test out new builds and classes. I don’t ever really see alts going away, nor do I think they are a bad thing, joking about the “disease” aside. I play many characters in modern MMOs, because that’s the only way I can see all they have to offer.
It’s just that in MMOs, one of the selling points is the keeplayability, and the creative world… but one of the best ways for players to see different content or experience it in different ways is to play alts. A truly classless game where any character can be anything, and can shift easily might even suck people in even more, since they can get invested in their character for the long term beyond just as a role in a raiding party.
This ties back into what we expect of our long-term customers. Do we have an “end game” where the play shifts from the leveling content treadmill to a loot lottery for progression, or is the whole game world interesting with a ton of horizontal content? Can players establish a market and role for themselves, like the local butcher/baker/candlestick maker/blacksmith/miner/whatever, and “live” out an interesting and fulfilling alternate life, continually contributing to the economy and society, or will they sequester themselves away in level-appropriate and gear-driven groups to play on group treadmills?
Yes, I’m trying to reduce the reason for alts, not because I want people to stop playing, but because I want to give them more reasons for playing with their “main” in any and all situations. The alternate would be to make the leveling grind shorter, like Guild Wars, and making the alt experience an easy one, rather than an arduous task.
Much of this in my mind also comes back to my main concerns with charging for time rather than content. If you’re charging for time, it’s in your best interests to make treadmills and lotteries, because they are low overhead. In my theoretical game, where the company charges for content, there is a different impetus for playing. Long-term players would play because they want to play and because they are still contributing to the community and the economy (and/or are even still monetizing the game through microtransactions), not because they feel a need to justify their sub investment.
I’m all for giving players choices, in game play and in monetization. Once I take it as a given that I’m not trying to retain customers via the sub model, it changes a lot of the core design philosophies.
Guilty! I’m definitely an altoholic. In WoW, I had 2 level 70’s, and had maxed out the number of allowable alts. I had my twinked lvl 29 rogue for PvP, and other toons just to see how the class played. Part of the appeal starts as giving excess equipment to alts, and continues in the desire to have every crafting skill covered.
In WAR, I had about a half dozen toons, too. Highest level toon before I quit was a lvl 35 Witch Elf. In LotRO, which I played for a couple of months before quitting, I had the same deal – one of each class, all of the crafting skils, and no one above the level of 25, lol!
One of effects of being an altoholic is that I think I’m less “allergic” to the level grind/rush to end game syndrome. It seems though, that I’m definitely in the minority as most people I know, tend to whine about not being max lvl, where presumably, all the “fun” is to be had. It was particularly annoying in games like Dungeon Runners, where general chat was a lot of “Plz Pwr Lvl me noob 20+” or something to that effect. I have observed, however, that a lot of these same people are the ones who, now being max level, start to whine about being so bored. Lol.
Anyway, back to alts – The only MMO that I’ve played recently, where I didn’t want to roll an alt is Atlantica Online, where I’ve been perfectly happy equipping my squad. It also breaks the “holy trinity” of tank/healer/dps since every squad will have them.
I think the concept of the three archetypes was fine in its day, but that this is something that is in bad need of updating and innovation. It became very tiresome in my final days of WoW. And then continued into the other MMOs that I’ve played. It’s probably one of the biggest contributing factors to my general burnout in the three big MMO’s (WoW, WAR, & LotRO).
Another thing about alts – a lot of people play them to get away from their in-game social network. Guild drama, ftl.