MMO Developers Grapple With Underused Features and Player Desires
MMORPGs often feature mechanics that go unused by the player base. Developers face challenges balancing player requests for changes with the potential long-term impact of removing features. Recent improvements in games like The Elder Scrolls Online highlight ongoing efforts to evolve and enhance player experiences.
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The Daily Grind: Are there features in your MMORPG that nobody uses?
This article discusses the phenomenon of underused features in MMORPGs, using Star Wars Galaxies' auction system and City of Heroes' LFG tool as examples. It questions why these features persist and prompts players to share their own experiences with unused game mechanics.
The Daily Grind: What’s the best improvement your MMO made this past year?
The Elder Scrolls Online has seen significant improvements over the past year, including a seasonal model, subclassing, class proficiencies, and overland difficulty adjustments. This article asks players to share the single best improvement their own MMORPG has made in the last 12 months, whether it's a technical upgrade, quality-of-life change, expansion, new system, or business model shift.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO feature is legitimately a ‘You think you do, but you don’t’ feature?
This article discusses the concept of 'You think you do, but you don't' features in MMORPGs, using Blizzard's initial reluctance to create World of Warcraft Classic as an example. It explores whether features like decay systems, which players often claim to want removed, might actually be beneficial for the long-term health of sandbox MMO economies.