Massively multiplayer online game

World of Warcraft, a very well known MMORPG

A Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG or MMO) is a computer game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously, and is played on the Internet. Typically, this type of game is played in a giant persistent world.

MMOs enable players to compete with and against each other on a grand scale, and sometimes to interact meaningfully with people around the world. Most MMOs require players to invest large amounts of their time into the game.

Overview and history

The most popular type of MMOG, and the sub-genre that did much to pioneer the category, is the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). MMORPG's descend from university mainframe computer MUD and adventure games such as Rogue on the PLATO System and Dungeon on the PDP-10 that pre-date the commercial games industry.

The first graphical MMOG, and a major milestone in the creation of the genre, was the multi-player flight combat simulation game Air Warrior by Kesmai on the GEnie online service, which first appeared in 1987.

Commercial MMORPGs gained early acceptance in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The genre was pioneered by the GemStone series on GEnie, also created by Kesmai, and Neverwinter Nights, the first such game to include graphics, which debuted on AOL in 1991.

As computer game developers applied MMO ideas to other computer and video game genres, new acronyms started to develop, such as MMORTS. MMOG emerged as a generic term to cover this growing class of games. These games became so popular that a magazine, called Massive Online Gaming, released an issue in October 2002 hoping to cover MMOG topics exclusively, but it never released its second issue.

The debuts of Ultima Online and EverQuest in the late 1990's popularized the MMORPG genre. The growth in technology meant that where Neverwinter Nights in 1991 had been limited to 50 simultaneous players (a number that grew to 500 by 1995), by the year 2000 a multitude of MMORPG's were each serving thousands of simultaneous players.

Despite the genre's focus on multiplayer gaming, AI-controlled characters are still common. NPCs and mobs who give out quests or serve as opponents are typical mostly in MMORPGs. AI-controlled characters are not as common in action-based MMOGs.

The popularity of MMOGs was mostly restricted to the computer game market until the sixth-generation consoles, with the launch of Phantasy Star Online on Dreamcast and the emergence and growth of online service Xbox Live. There have been a number of console MMOGs, including EverQuest Online Adventures (PlayStation 2), and the multiplatform Final Fantasy XI (PC, PS2 {except in Europe} and now Xbox 360).

On PCs, the MMOG market has always been dominated by successful fantasy MMORPGs. In addition to Neverwinter Nights, Ultima Online and EverQuest, major entrants have included Asheron's Call, Ragnarok Online, Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes/Villans, Final Fantasy XI, and Lineage/Lineage2.

Science fiction has also been a popular theme, featuring games such as Anarchy Online, Eve Online, Star Wars Galaxies and The Matrix Online.

Several of the most recent successful MMORPG titles are Everquest 2, Lineage 2, Toontown Online (which is also the first aimed at families), World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

Some upcoming MMO title that show promise are Tabula Rasa and Vanguard.

Comparing MMOGs to other computer games

There are a number of factors shared by most MMOGs that make them different from other types of computer games. MMOGs create a persistent universe where the game continues playing regardless of whether or not anyone else is. Since these games strongly or exclusively emphasize multiplayer gameplay, few of them have any significant single-player aspects or client-side artificial intelligence. As a result, players cannot "finish" MMOGs in the typical sense of single-player games. Some MMOGs, such as Star Sonata, do have an end condition that includes awarding a "winner" based on a player's standing in the game at the finale.

Most MMOGs also share other characteristics that make them different from other multiplayer online games. MMOGs host a large number of players in a single game world, and all of those players can interact with each other at any given time. Popular MMOGs might have thousands of players online at any given time, usually on a company owned server. Non-MMOGs, such as Battlefield 1942 or Half-Life usually have less than 50 players online (per server) and are usually played on private servers. Also, MMOGs usually do not have any significant mods since the game must work on company servers. There is some debate if a high head-count is the requirement to be a MMOG. Some say that it is the size of the game world and its capability to support a large number of players that should matter. For example, despite technology and content constraints, most MMOGs can fit up to a few thousand players on a single game server at a time.

To support all those players, MMOG's need large-scale game worlds. In some MMOGs, large areas of the game are interconnected so that a player can traverse vast distances without having to switch servers manually. For example, Tribes comes with a number of large maps. A server plays in rotation (one at a time), but in the MMOG PlanetSide all map-like areas of the game are accessible via flying, driving, or teleporting.

In a new MMO development, the space sim Eve Online has up to over 25,000 people playing simultaneously on one server. This is different from most other MMOs that might have a far larger player base, but spreads the players over a large number of servers.

There are also a few more common differences between MMOGs and other online games. Most MMOGs charge the player a monthly or bimonthly fee to have access to the game's servers, and therefore to online play. Also, the game state in an MMOG rarely ever resets. This means that a level gained by a player today will still be there tomorrow when the player logs back on. MMOG's often feature ingame support for clans and guilds. The members of a clan or a guild may participate in activities with one another, or show some symbols of membership to the clan or guild.

However, the boundaries between multiplayer online games and MMOG's are not always as clear or obvious. Neverwinter Nights (2002) and Diablo II are usually called online role-playing games, (RPGs) but are also sometimes called MMORPGs (a type of MMOG). Guild Wars has been called an MMORPG, but most of its gameplay involves small groups of players in private areas. The game's developer prefers the term "competitive online role-playing game".

Types of MMOGs

File:Shattered Galaxy screenshot.jpg

Shattered Galaxy has been one of the few MMORTS games.

There are several types of massively multiplayer online games.

MMORPG

Main article: MMORPG

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, known as MMORPGs, are perhaps the most famous type of MMOG. See list of MMORPGs for a list of notable MMORPGs.

BBMMORPG

Browser Based Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games are MMORPGs played through an internet browser, saving the developer the hassle of creating a client for its game, and the players the hassle of downloading one. They usually use browser plugins and extensions, along with server-side scripts such as PHP or Perl and are typically driven by database systems such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. Typical BBMMORPGs have 2D graphics (Like Travian) or are text-based (Like Starkingdoms, Bushtarion, Kingdom of Loathing, StarSphere or Planetarion). The most popular BBMMORPG is the Java-based RuneScape.

MMOFPS

Several MMOFPSs first-person shooters have been made. These games provide large-scale, sometimes team-based combat. The addition of persistence in the game world means that these games add elements typically found in RPGs, such as experience points. The first MMOFPS was probably 10SIX, released in 2000. World War II Online, released in 2001, is often quoted with the same honor, because it more closely fits the traditional FPS mold, and was more widely published. Another popular MMOFPS game is Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide. For building one's own MMOFPS, there are now free MMOG game engines.

MMORTS

A number of developers have attempted to bring real-time strategy games into the MMOG fray. Some notable MMORTS games include Mankind, Shattered Galaxy and Drugrunners.net. Another interesting take on this is Time of Defiance.

MMOTG

Massively multiplayer online tycoon game. Online versions of tycoons games. Mainly all browser based however there are two client based games, Starpeace and Industry Player

MMOSG

Before the RTS games appeared, strategic games, like Empire, were Turn-based and offered PBeM modes to compete with others. Nowadays turns can be processed on central (web)servers, allowing massive amounts of players. Unification Wars is a good example which relies heavily on diplomacy and player interaction. Instead of quickly mouse-clicking units into action RTS style, players carefully plan their moves.

MMMOG

MMO games played on mobile devices (basically, cell phones) are called Mobile MMOGs, or MMMOGs, or even 3MOGs.

MMCAP

Massively Multiplayer Collaborative Art Projects are typically browser based. Recent MMCAPs do not require any browser plugins or extensions. In contrast to traditional MMOGs, MMCAPs place an emphasis on creative collaboration. An example for an MMCAP is the TheBroth, an Ajax-based real-time mosaic application.

Others

Most other MMOGs are apparently simulation games, such as Motor City Online, The Sims Online (though this is often called an MMORPG), Ace of Angels, and Jumpgate.

There are also games like Second Life, Furcadia and There that derive from the tradition of MUSHes, emphasizing socializing and sometimes world-building. These are sometimes collectively known as Massively Multiplayer Online Social Games, or MMOSGs.

In April 2004, the United States Army announced that it is developing a massively multiplayer training simulation called AWE (asymmetric warfare environment) that was expected to begin operation among soldiers by June. The purpose of AWE is to train soldiers for urban warfare and there are no plans for a public commercial release. Forterra Systems Inc. is developing it for the Army based on the There engine. [1]

Alternate reality games (ARGs) can be massively multiplayer, allowing thousands of players worldwide to co-operate in puzzle trails and mystery solving. ARGs take place in a unique mixture of online and real-world play that usually does not involve a persistent world, and are not necessarily multiplayer, making them different from MMOGs.

Considered by some to be a MMORPG, Castle Infinity was the first MMOG developed for children. Its gameplay, however, is somewhere between puzzle and adventure, making it more like a massively multiplayer platformer than a MMORPG.

'Quick Fix' MMOGs, such as Racing Frogs are MMOGs that can be played with only a small amount of time every day.

A single well known Massively Multiplayer Collectable Card Game exists, Magic: The Gathering Online sometime abbreviated MTGO or MODO. Other MMOCCGs might exist (Neopets has some CCG elements) but are not as well known.

External links and references

gamebunny.com - MMOG news, reviews, previews and interviews--billed the "online worlds travel information service"
MMO Boards - MMO Discussion, WoW strategy guides, and gaming news.
MMOz - News of current and upcoming MMO titles, industry coverage and community forums.
MMOFX - Massively Multiplayer Online Foreign Exchange - Independent virtual currency price index for MMOGs
MMOGCHART.COM - Bruce Sterling Woodcock's tracking of MMOG subscription data.
Terranova - Widely respected MMOG blog
TomCat Games - Some On-line games, between them several of multiplayer.
MMOCCForum - A MMO Developer forum.
MMORPG.com
Free MMO games
mpogd.com - A directory of online games
Stratics - news and comunity sid for MMO's
MMO IT Magazine - A free to download magazine for the MMO genre