A while back, MOP’s Eliot, Chris, and I were discussing Last Oasis and why it didn’t take off. Collectively, I think we determined it was a bunch of factors, including the fact that it was a bit of an emptybox asking players to, as Chris put it, “establish a freakin’ kingdom from nothing” – but “without that mechanic all you have is Conan Exiles but crappier and with wood spiders.” Harsh, maybe, but true. MMO players have seen these kinds of mechanics a thousand times.
I think there’s another layer to it too: I think it’s also an issue of faith. An MMO holds together as long as there’s a critical mass of people who have faith that it will hold together, and when that fails, it’s over.
And Eliot pointed out that a lot of early access and Kickstarter MMOs also attract the types of players who will fight hard over what the game is and whom it should be for; they don’t want to see the game shift to suit the “masses,” but the masses are the fans most likely to stay long-term and bolster the game’s success. In other words, the early-adopter superfans solve one problem but create new ones.
I thought it was worth some further discussion, not really for Last Oasis specifically but for any MMO. How much do you think MMOs succeed on faith vs. mechanics and fanbases?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
