Game devs: What NOT to do to an MMO

There’s a way to play the game, and there’s a way not to. We’re not just talking about gamers here who dwell by the millions in the MMORPG’s of their choice, be it WoW, EverQuest, EvE, or other major titles out there.

This message goes out to the game devs for these MMOs that have probably at one point drawn the ire of the community for one reason or another, be it because some game breaking glitch (Haha, Overrated!), or the total nerfing of a favored class.

MMORPG.com’s staff writer Dan Fortier recently came up with four game dev “Do not”s for his MMOWTF column over at their site, and we thought the dudes here would like to hear him out.

1. Don’t make major changes to the game post-launch.
We won’t name games here, but for the guys who’ve had to face major revisions to their MMO’s just days/weeks after it’s been released, you know who’s guilty. If it’s about having to stare down that “server down” message ever time you log on, it’s about finding out your revered character’s just been nerfed big time in one night.

It also speaks volumes of their attitude for the game: It indicates a lack of commitment and foresight on the part of the devs who have to make one major tinker after another – like the surgeon cuts his patient up again post-coronary just ’cause he left his Rolex.

2. Don’t make too many promises.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This goes out to all those uber cool updates, or snazzy new gear that the devs promise with the next patch-up, only to find that they can’t implement their ideas, as cool as they are, because of time constraints or game balance issues (read: game-breaking goodies). As the saying goes, “Keepin’ it real.” – if the devs are do promise something, make it realistic, and make sure it’s something that defines the game, not turn it into some whacked-out PL fest.

The full article awaits after the jump!

There’s a way to play the game, and there’s a way not to. We’re not just talking about gamers here who dwell by the millions in the MMORPG’s of their choice, be it WoW, EverQuest, EvE, or other major titles out there.

This message goes out to the game devs for these MMOs that have probably at one point drawn the ire of the community for one reason or another, be it because some game breaking glitch (Haha, Overrated!), or the total nerfing of a favored class.

MMORPG.com’s staff writer Dan Fortier recently came up with four game dev “Do not”s for his MMOWTF column over at their site, and we thought the dudes here would like to hear him out.

1. Don’t make major changes to the game post-launch.
We won’t name games here, but for the guys who’ve had to face major revisions to their MMO’s just days/weeks after it’s been released, you know who’s guilty. If it’s about having to stare down that “server down” message ever time you log on, it’s about finding out your revered character’s just been nerfed big time in one night.

It also speaks volumes of their attitude for the game: It indicates a lack of commitment and foresight on the part of the devs who have to make one major tinker after another – like the surgeon cuts his patient up again post-coronary just ’cause he left his Rolex.

2. Don’t make too many promises.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This goes out to all those uber cool updates, or snazzy new gear that the devs promise with the next patch-up, only to find that they can’t implement their ideas, as cool as they are, because of time constraints or game balance issues (read: game-breaking goodies). As the saying goes, “Keepin’ it real.” – if the devs are do promise something, make it realistic, and make sure it’s something that defines the game, not turn it into some whacked-out PL fest.

3. Listen to your beta testers.
A good leader doesn’t just give good orders – their decisions are based on their own knowledge and the combined knowledge their subordinates share. With this in mind, we quote Mr. Fortier saying, “This may seem like a no-brainer, but anyone who has beta tested several MMOs can tell you a few horror stories of designers that completely disregarded important and persistent warnings about issues that ended up as game breaking bugs.”

As he said, the beta testers aren’t just their to spread the word to players on what to expect with the new game or new patches, but also serve to sniff out any bugs that could make the MMO an unpleasant experience for anybody signing on. Just listen.

4. Diversify updates and upgrades
One major pain we gamers have probably experienced is that habit of game devs to focus the new stuff on a specific community in game – usually the upper-level players who’ve been around. Think about it – almost every MMO out there has some sad story about how unforgiving the game is to beginners, and how overly focused the new gear and events are on the PL-hungry gamers. Suddenly he

Instead of making such top-heavy updates, it’ll pay to give out more diverse packages that benefit not only the game’s existing oligarchy, but even the new guys just out to have fun. Sure, the old guard will gripe about missing out, but in the long run the game as a whole becomes more enjoyable.

Via MMORPG.com