Balancing solo play in Star Wars: The Old Republic
Filed under: MMORPG Related, Opinion
So here we are. Bioware, a company that has a pretty good rep for its single player RPGs (although it was pretty brave to add its name to the unfinished and sometimes unplayable KOTOR II), is taking a step into the big time. Playing with the big boys. Building an MMORPG on top of Simutronic’s Hero Engine.
And what can we say about it? What is pretty much carved in stone at this stage?
- Characters will get class driven storylines.
- Characters will get NPC companions to help them out.
- Solo play is very, very possible.
You know, the cynic in me wonders whether this isn’t just going to be a single player RPG, but with the “added bonus” of other people being around to chat with if you feel lonely… oh, and that pesky monthly fee, of course.
See, when you start talking about in-depth storylines (which had better be PRETTY DAMN IN DEPTH, given that most MMORPGs try and make a fist at giving you a storyline for your character; and often customised to your class, too), and using NPCs to fill out your groups, and giving people all the tools they need to solo… I start to worry.
MMORPGs are, by their nature, social and co-operative beasts. Does anyone want to debate me on that? There are no other major reasons, to my mind, that you would want to step into a world populated by real people, beyond socialising and/or getting assistance from them. See, if you ignore those two things, you’re ultimately just playing a single player RPG.
Of course, at the end of the day is all about balance. Dragons Online started off by basically forcing everyone to group… and people hated it. Meanwhile, Age of Conan went out there with a VERY solo-friendly game and, besides other issues with it overall, the solo nature of the game is what made it very boring for people. It was just people shuffling around a map, doing their own thing and not really affecting, or interacting with each other… because they didn’t have to.
So what do you think? Is BioWare pushing us towards a single player RPG that we are going to pay a monthly fee for, essentially just to cover the fact we can chat with other people in the game world? Or is it all going to be pulled out of the fire and despite the individual storylines and despite the NPC companions instead of real party members and despite solo play being a major option, you think that this is still going to be a highly social game? Your thoughts, please!
October 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
These things will encourage groups a lot. Even with a game that has a lot of solo potential. Just because solo is “very, very possible” does not mean it is the fastest most profitable path. And THAT is the path most people will take. You don;t have to force people, just make it faster, and they will do it, with the option to play solo as well.
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What a game needs to do is make solo’ing easy, just like WoW did. BUT they need to make it more profitable to group. haveing 5 people in your group does not mean you get 1/5th the exp. Maybe all 5 get 1/3. This way people will WANT to group because you level faster, etc. Most MMO’s are so scared that you’ll level too fast (and not keep playing?) that the exp grind kills off my interest before I reach the end game.
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Also items need to drop like the current crop of action RPG’s: you only see what drops for you. On paper it does not sound like it matters, but this has a great effect on groups. No bothering with rolls, no body worries about getting shafted, etc (One side effect though, there has to be little to no ‘Bind on Pickup”).
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Another thing I’d love to see: A slightly different exp system. When you gain exp, it goes into a bucket, not to your charcahter, yet. The bucket can only hold a certian amount in it, lets say 20 mintues. That bucket slowly drains into your char at a defined rate. This way you can fill up the bucket and for the next 20 mintutes (or however big the bucket is) your still gaining exp. The games I’ve seen this in all had very lively towns and common areas. This is because your never “wasting your time not exp’ing.” More people craft (put the forge, etc in town so people become social). Maybe instead of “rested exp”, the bucket drain faster for a while…
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Other things encourage more social play as well, if not grouping. Long lasting powerful and unique buffs that work on people only in your group/raid, but stay even if they leave the group. Buffs that have to be specialized in, so that not everybody of the same class has them. Again, this will pull people to a common area to get buffs every hour while the exp bucket is draining.
Sorry for the wall of text, but it seems like I am missing something, because I can’t figure out why NO game can make it profitable but yet not required to group.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:13 am
The issue is how they’re going to allow characters to advance their story. This is usually accompanied by a pretty epic change in the game world in most single player RPG’s. Obviously you can’t replicate the same in an MMO because your story would dramatically alter everyone else’s world.
But I think it might be a little early to run around shouting that the end is nigh for SW:TOR given that they just released it. Wait until more info comes out about the story-driven part, they’re selling at as their major feature so I’m sure there’s some level of secret tech they’ve devised.
October 27th, 2008 at 7:41 am
*Blink* I didn’t realise I was shouting that the end is nigh for SW:TOR. I just gave two sides of the equation and asked people which is more likely to occur.