…regarding my recent (and now done-away-with) rant post about my passport and how I was having a ton of problems getting it.

Somehow, with the help of my parents and some others, I was able to get my passport situation straightened out, and I apologize to those who had to read my little outburst.

Actual design-related posts to come!  Meanwhile, I’m in Florida catching the waves for vacation.

I’m mostly referring to the ones that lack the stability and creativity to be truly great.

What I mean is, it seems that all these “new” MMORPG’s coming out are just duplicates.  Where is the originality anymore?  I’m kinda tired of seeing so many games much-too-similar to other games like Ragnarok Online or Maple Story.  I’m sure we all know at least one that falls into this category.  (And by the way, I don’t consider myself an expert on this.  This is just my opinion on the subject. )

Wait, what’s an MMORPG?
Oh how out-of-the-loop you are my friend.  An MMORPG is an acronym for “Massively Multiplayer Online Game”.  It’s basically where you are able to interact with other people over the internet using the virtual environment built into game you are playing.  Some common examples are WoW (World of Warcraft), RO (Ragnarok Online), and MS (MapleStory).

It starts with one…
All it takes is one good, creative, original idea to come around.  And you can always tell when it’s really good, because within a short matter of time… poof.  Another game just like it magically appears under a different name! And another! And another….and another…and another…

They just want their share…
… in the market.  Of course if a new game happens to make $132,243,634 every day others are going to want to get a piece of that.  Who wouldn’t?  I’m not saying I’m against that.  That’s cool, and I’d probably do the same thing.  But what I just can’t stand is…

… poor planning, non-existant atmosphere, bad or weak storylines, etc etc.
I can understand if you’re a teeny tiny just-started-out-with-your-friends developer and can’t get access to corporate level resources or funding, and I salute that!  That’s great, go for the dream.  But generally, that’s not what I’m talking about.  If you are backed by a company and decide to launch a game, don’t just assume because it’s a game that other people can play online together that it’s automatically a winner.  It’s not.  No, I’m not joking.  The best parts of games (in my humble opinion) are the storyline, the atmosphere, and the players I’m interacting with.  The graphics don’t matter as much.  (Hey, look at all the people who still play text-based games! Yes, they’re still popular, and they don’t even have any graphics!)  If I’m playing a game, and I don’t get that “absorbed” feeling, (meaning I’m feeling detached from the atmosphere of the game) I have no reason to stay.  In the long run I’d like to believe that it’s feeling connected to the game that makes people stay and keeps them interested.

If the people who made it really care, the players will too.
I like to think that people enjoy feeling needed.  Truthfully, games would be nothing without players.  Also, GM’s or Admins should ALWAYS try to interact with others in the game.  It gives them a sense of being part of something.  It establishes that connection with the user.  It tells them “Hey, I care about you.  I don’t see you by your ID number or IP address, but I recognize you’re a human being who cares about this game, and I want to help you care more.”

Just remember: It’s quality over quantity.
People will flock to the games that are actaully well done.  The better the quality of the game overall, the more people are interested.  It doesn’t matter as much how many you make; one great one is enough.

Update: Well, it seems the “Forbidden” error is over (hopefully for good) but my sites still seem a little sluggish. Hopefully they’ll get everything going again like it should be.

Well, as I feared from the beginning from reading other reports from people who chose Grid-hosting from MediaTemple, my sites are intermittedly going up and down and giving an odd “Forbidden” error when I try to access them time to time.  This has gone on for about a day or so, and on their Service Status Weblog I am surprised to see that they don’t have a specific notice for my problems, or any that are of “High” status.

I really hope that MediaTemple clears this up soon.  To be honest, I like their service when it’s working.  But… it seems I might have to move again if this keeps up.  At least it’s happening before the end of the 30-days mark to get my money back if I need to…