MMORPG Gameplay Issues

Since MMORPG’s (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) are still in their infancy, there are many issues that are being thrown up as games are released. Each major problem must be addressed and overcome. Below I have listed some of the more common problems. Some of these points will be expanded into full articles in the future.. Not all of these issues affect all games.

Class balancing

Many RPG's use a class based system. The player chooses a profession like Warrior, Alchemist or Trader, and then gains skills particular to that class. This always raises the problem of class balance - the power of professions relative to each other. Unfortunately, classes often function differently in different circumstances. For example a class may be able to do things and kill mobs very effectively on their own, but contribute little as part of a group of players. One of the major problems with class balance is that it can be largely perceived – some people always seem to believe that they are hard done by.

Camping

Camping is the process by which a player or group of players find a spot, then just wait there. This is usually used as a easy way to get XP. Sometimes these spots are at mob spawn points, but more usually they are safe spots, where mobs can be fought without additional ones joining in.

Camping also occurs when players try to get items that only drop from certain mobs. Some of these can respawn infrequently, and which often do not drop the relevant item.

The main problem with camping is that although it is usually an effective way of gaining XP, it is generally seen as a fairly dull way to do so. If your game encourages camping (by making it far superior to other forms of hunting and item gathering), then you run the risk of making play tedious.

Farming

Similar to camping, but this is where a person, or group of people keep killing a particular mob or type of mob in order to collect items to sell – either within the game, or more dangerously on online auction sites for real money. This also prevents other people from gaining items that they may want. This can often be a serious problem as "farmers" (as such people are known) are usually significantly higher level than the mob they are farming from, and are able to kill in complete safety whilst removing play options from more appropriate characters.

Twinking

This is the process of high level characters giving high powered items to beginner characters – usually ones that are controlled by friends, or possibly a secondary character. This allows those characters to progress far more rapidly than they would normally. It also makes them more powerful than an equivalent skilled character with standard equipment for their abilities.

Unlike some other problem points of MMORPG, this one is more controversial. Some people are incredibly anti twinking, whilst others don't see any problem with it. It is more of an issue in environments where player killing is allowed.

Death Loss

Most MMORPG's feature some punishment for being killed. Although the exact nature of the punishment varies from game to game, they all aim to add an element of risk to the player's actions. However, such penalties can be very annoying, especially when death is as a result of outside influences, such as loss of connection, packet loss, latency grief play etc.

Player Killing

One of the biggest problems facing massively multiplayer rpg’s at the moment is the subject of player killing. Some games such as Everquest have some servers where player killing is allowed, and others where it is not, or is limited. Others, such as Ultima Online have become infamous for the amount of player killing that occurs, which has put off some of the newer players form continuing with the game. Player killing opens up more opportunities for griefers, and therefore needs to be carefully thought through.

Character Gimping

A character is considered "gimped" when the player feels that they are useless, and unrecoverable. Sometimes this happens because a player develops a character in a particular way, only to discover that the abilities gained fail to live up to expectations, and other characters of a similar experience are far more powerful. It can also happen when some abilities are nerfed (a purposeful reduction of the ability by the developers).

Grief Play

Grief play varies in nature, but encompasses any actions where one player does something purely to inconvenience or hurt another player. Players who do this are known as "griefers", and can cause a lot of problems to other players. Common examples of griefing include.

Kill Stealing

This is a method by which one character "steals" the experience and items from another player by attacking mobs already involved in a fight, thus gaining significant benefits at little to no risk. The player who has had the kill stolen has spent all the risk, and must recover from it, and gained none of the rewards.

Player Camping

The nature of this varies from game to game, but involves the griefer waiting at a place where they know another player will be weaker or at a disadvantage, so that the griefer may kill the other party. The exact method varies from game to game, in Everquest it is camping player corpses, in Anarchy Online it involves camping teleport spots.

Another variation on this is when a griefer attacks players who are currently involved in a fight, or have just finished a hard fight and are almost dead.

Scamming

Scamming is any method by which a griefer attempts to con another player out of something. In some situations it can be relatively harmless, resulting in the loss of a small amount of game money or similar, but sometimes it can mean the loss of game money or equipment that took the player months to acquire. Most scams rely on the secrecy a griefer possesses, and the generally trusting nature of most players. Although characters don't get killed by scammers, it can cause a real downturn in the trust levels within a community, which is one of the great parts of a MMO games.

"Training"

A slightly confusing phrase, as training can also be the improvement of player skills. A train in a MMO game is where a character runs away from a group of mob's which are attacking them. The mobs give chase, following the player around the map. As the character continues to run, other mobs can join in, resulting in a large number of mobs chasing the character. These are usually strung out in a line, or a "train".

Training is when a player deliberately causes a train, and then uses this train to kill other characters by making the mobs run near to neutral players.

Conversation Griefing

Insults, spamming, spreading rumours etc. Just like e-mail and newsgroups, some people can and will cause trouble just by their typing.

There are many other issues, many of which will be added at a later date.