05.10.07 - by Edinn
By publishing this article, we hope to bring you closer to understanding the often confusing titles and genres we associate with massively multiplayer games.
MMOG. It can be a confusing word for those new to online games. It has an almost guttural sound to it when we attempt to pronounce it. MMOGs provide us with an environment to participate with other gamers in a joint setting, a place to hone our gaming skills and participate in a social structure unique to the Internet. They also provide us some of the biggest and most epic games that exist in modern media.
What is a MMOG?
A Massively Multiplayer Online Game (’MMOG’ or ’MMO’) is an online game usually played on a computer, but recently also expanding into console games. The game itself must be capable of supporting hundreds if not thousands of players simultaneously. Typically all of the game play occurs on a persistent world. Many games have all of their players on one world together. In games where player numbers exceed stable server conditions they may be separated into “servers” or “shards” which are identical copies of the game world in which the players can pick where they wish to play. In some larger games, the shards may have alternative universes. An example of this is with EverQuest which sports many regular servers, a role play (“RP”) server and a progressive server, which contains older versions of the game being re-released in their original order to recreate the expansion release experience for it’s players.
What makes a MMOG different from a traditional single player game?
Unlike most games, when you log out, the game world continues without you. Other people may continue to play and some world events may continue to evolve. The games allow players to participate either alone, as part of a group of players aiding each other for a cause or competing against each other. Very few MMOGs have a definite ending, therefore it is impossible to beat or win the game. Instead these games continue maturing and expanding. Most MMOGs have regular expansions that continue to increase the levels and achievements a player may experience. Characters remain persistently unless the players choose to delete them, usually to make room for another character. And can continuously be built and increased in power and experience. In a few games such as Adellion, character death is permanent.
In a MMOG players generally can work together to help one another or engage in massive player vs player (’PvP’) combat against one another. With multiple participants this means multiple tactics are engaged and can provide a great deal of excitement for combat intensive play.
Most MMOGs include an initial cost (to purchase the game or a game key), and a monthly fee. These nominal fees help to cover both development costs and operation costs. There are however some games that are both free to obtain, and free to play.
So there is more than one type of MMOG?
Yes! MMOGs are divided into an ever growing list of genres. The most common is the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game). These games generally focus on taking on the persona (character or avatar) in a fictional world setting. Many of the biggest and most popular current games fall into this genre. The various kinds of MMORPGs is further divided by types such as fantasy, science fiction, etc. Examples of the MMORPG are Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach , Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar , Dark and Light , Archlord , RF Online , A Tale in the Desert III and Entropia Universe.
The BBMMORPG (Browser Based Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) is very much the same as a standard MMORPG except that it is run through a web browser as opposed to a stand alone system.
Another kind of popular MMOG is the MMOFPS (Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter). These games hold the most in common with single console first person shooter type games. Unlike a single player version, these usually have larger scaled worlds and incorporate aspects of the MMORPG like experience points.
A more recent type of MMOG is the MMORTS (Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy) game. These games are based on their single player brethren called Real Time Strategy games or “RTS” for short. MMORTS games are generally war or combat based and do not involve turns but rather they progress in “real time” and usually revolve around planning the movements of entire armies on a single or multiple map. Individual units are given orders to execute by the player and run otherwise for the most part automatically. In many MMORTS another important aspect of game play is the economic one. Players generally are also gathering and building their store of supplies and production of weapons, armor and supplies for their armies to make use of amongst other manufacturing. An example of this is Dreamlords.
A less common industry version of the MMOG is the MMOSG (Massively Multiplayer Online Social Game). These games revolve around community interaction more then any other aspect. They can include group building projects such as world building, creation or art. Another more obscure MMOG type that fits into this category is the MMCAP (Massively Multiplayer Collaborative Art Project), these are generally browser run games that involve creating ’art’ as a group. An example of both the MMOSG and MMCAP is Second Life .
A new form of MMOG is the MMOCCG (Massively Multiplayer Online Collectible Card Game). Examples of this genre are Lord of the Rings: Online Trading Card Game and Magic the Gathering: Online which are a digital versions of the popular card games.
Finally the last type of MMOG is the Simulator. These games are generally designed to be as true to life as possible and provide a safe environment for players to either hone or experience a task that is not safe to do or simply is cheaper to do digitally then it is in the real world. An example of this is a flight simulator where multiple pilots can be in the air with other participants taking on the role of tower control as well.
So that’s what a MMOG is!
You now have all of the information you need to start into (or delve deeper) into the wonderful world of online gaming. We recommend moving from here into our game specific information sections. This will help you to understand each game in our catalog as well as garner some tips and tricks to improve and make game play easier, as well as to explore the rich background lore and cultural information associated with them.
