An exciting MMO story. History of online games The very first MMO game in the world

, "might and sorcery" or crime novels. Also, MMORPGs can borrow material for the universe from American comics (English), occultism and other genres. In games, these aspects are often rethought and presented in the form of typical tasks and situations such as quests, monsters and player loot. (English).

Development

In almost all computer games, the main goal of the player is to develop his character. To achieve this, a development system is almost always used by accumulating experience points and using them to increase the “level” of the character, which has a positive effect on all his abilities. Traditionally, the main way to gain experience points is by hunting monsters and completing quests from NPCs. Characters can participate in these activities either in a group or alone. The accumulation of wealth (including items useful in battle) in itself is also an element of development in MMORPGs and is also often best achieved in battles. The game loop defined by these principles (battles unlocking new items, unlocking new battles, etc. without significant gameplay changes) is sometimes negatively compared to a treadmill for rodents, and is known among players as grinding. The role-playing game Progress Quest is designed as a parody of this situation. In EVE Online, a character learns skills depending on real time; experience points in it are not a measure of development.

Some MMORPGs have an unlimited character level cap, allowing players to accumulate experience points indefinitely. In MMORPGs like these, the most developed characters are often celebrated on the respective game's website, their names and stats listed on the game's highest achievement pages, etc. Another common practice is to set a maximum level for the player character, often referred to as a "ceiling". After achieving it, the character development strategy changes. Instead of being rewarded with experience points, the character will receive in-game currency or equipment after completing quests and completing dungeons, which helps keep the player motivated to continue playing.

Often, as a character progresses, more and more equipment becomes available to him, which allows him to give him a more aesthetic appearance, as well as highlight the achievements of a particular character. These sets of weapons and armor, known in the gaming community as "high-level" sets, significantly add to the competitiveness of a character in both typical boss battles and in battles between players. Players' motivation comes from the desire to get ahead of others in possessing similar items, which are a determining factor in the success of all events associated with battles.

Also typical of the genre is the emerging need to group players into groups to ensure optimal speed of development. Sometimes this leads to a change in the priorities of the player, who begins to avoid some events in the real world in order to “keep up” with the events of the virtual world. A good example in this case is the need to exchange items to achieve some goal or team battles against powerful enemies.

Social interaction

MMORPGs necessarily contain certain methods to facilitate communication between players. Many MMORPGs have a system of user guilds or clans. If the game mechanics do not provide for such, players can independently form such associations, including using out-of-game means of communication. As a rule, such communities interact exclusively via the Internet, but sometimes cellular communications are also used, usually as an “emergency” way to urgently call clanmates online. There are also gaming communities organized on a territorial basis or based on non-virtual social connections - friends (sometimes relatives), dorm neighbors, students of a certain educational institution, etc.

In most MMORPGs, accessing parts of the game requires playing in a fairly well-played community. In such cases, each player must perform their assigned role, such as protecting other players from damage (called "tanking"), "healing" damage received by team members, or dealing damage to enemies.

As a rule, MMORPGs have Game Moderators or Game Masters, often called "GMs" by players. They can be either employees of the game publisher or volunteers whose task is to oversee the game world. Some GMs may have access to tools and information that are not intended for or available to other players and roles. The relationships that develop between players in MMORPGs can be as strong as relationships between friends or partners in real life, often involving elements of cooperation and trust between players.

Role-playing game

Most MMORPGs offer the player a choice of different types of game classes. Among all players, only a small part practices role-playing the role of their character, and, as a rule, the game has the necessary functions and content for this. To support fans of the role-playing style of play, there are resources created by the player community such as forums and reference books.

Culture

As time passed, the once united community of MMOPRG fans split into subcultures with their own slang and figures of speech, as well as unspoken lists of social rules and taboos. Players often complain about the “grind” or talk about “buffs” and “nerfs” (strengthening or weakening certain elements of game mechanics, respectively). Separate social rules apply to a player's joining a traveling party, the proper division of loot, and the player's expected behavior as part of a party.

There are discussions in various gaming media about the long-term effects of gaming abuse. The forums of the non-profit organization On-Line Gamers Anonymous are full of stories about gamers who have abandoned social and family responsibilities and lost their jobs in favor of their “virtual life.”

Architecture Features

Most modern MMORPGs use a client-server network architecture. The server maintains a permanent virtual world, and players can connect to it through client programs. Through the client program, the player can access either the entire game world without restrictions, or only the base part of the game, while access to some areas of the game's "extensions" may require additional payment for this content. Examples of games that use the second model are EverQuest and Guild Wars. Typically, players must purchase a one-time client program, but a growing trend for MMORPGs is to use a pre-available "thin client" like a browser.

Some MMORPGs require a monthly subscription to play. By definition, all "massively multiplayer" games take place online and require some form of ongoing income (selling monthly subscriptions or showing promotional material to users) to support and further development. Games like Guild Wars do not use a monthly subscription system; instead, the user must purchase not only the game itself, but subsequent expansions for it. Another payment model is the micropayment system, in which the main content of the game is provided for free, and players are encouraged to purchase optional add-ons such as character equipment, decorative items, and animals. Games based on this model are often developed in Korea, such as FlyFF or MapleStory. This business model is also called pay for perks(rus. "pay for benefits") or freemium, and the games themselves, working on such a model, are promoted and described as free-to-play(rus. "play for free").

Depending on the number of players and the architecture, MMORPGs can run on multiple servers, each of which represents a separate independent game world, while players located on different servers cannot interact with each other. A notable example here is World of Warcraft, in which each server can accommodate several thousand playable characters. As a rule, in MMORPGs the number of characters simultaneously present in the game world is limited to several thousand. A good example of the reverse concept is EVE Online, where the server is capable of accommodating several tens of thousands of players at times (more than 60 thousand in June 2010). In some games, a character once created can move freely between worlds, but at any given time he can only be present on one server (for example, Seal Online: Evolution); in other games, a character can only be in the world where he was created. World of Warcraft features elements of cross-kingdom PvP (i.e. cross-server) interaction on dedicated battlefields, using server clusters and "fireteams" to assist and coordinate players who wish to engage in structured PvP content such as, such as the Warsong Gulch or Alterac Valley battlefields. Additionally, patch 3.3, released on December 8, 2009, introduced a cross-server "group search" system that helps players create a group to access instance content (that is, quests not available in the open world) from a larger number of players than the "home" one can offer. character server. Subsequently, the interaction of characters from different servers went beyond instances and PvP content, and currently players from different servers can intersect in many points of the game world.

Story

The origin of the term "MMORPG" is attributed to Richard Garriott, the author of the game Ultima Online, who needed it to describe MMORPGs and the social communities built around them. Its authorship is confirmed by several authors, and the term itself dates back to 1997. Before the advent of this and similar neologisms, such games were usually called “graphical MUDs”, and the history of the MMORPG genre itself can be traced back to games of the MUD genre. Thus, some key elements of the MMORPG genre can be found in such early multiplayer worlds as Maze War (1974) and MUD1 (English)(1978). In 1985, the roguelike MUD game Island of Kesmai was released for CompuServe, as well as Lucasfilm's graphical MUD Habitat. The first fully graphical multiplayer RPG - Neverwinter Nights- distributed through AOL since 1991 with the personal approval of AOL President Steve Case. Another early example of multiplayer RPGs are three games for The Sierra Network: The Shadow of Yserbius (1992), The Fates of Twinion (1993) and The Ruins of Cawdor (1995).

An important event for the genre was the lifting of restrictions on the commercial use of NSFNet in 1995, which opened up wide Internet spaces for developers, thanks to which the first truly mass-oriented games could appear. According to modern ideas, the first MMORPG proper was the game Meridian 59 (1996), the main innovations of which were the scale and three-dimensional graphical “first-person” view. Almost simultaneously with it, the game The Realm Online was released. Ultima Online (1997) is considered the first MMORPG to attract significant attention to the genre, but EverQuest (1999) and Asheron's Call (1999) gained greater popularity among Western audiences, and Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds (1996) among Korean audiences.

Thanks to the financial success of early MMORPGs, the genre has become highly competitive. Nowadays, MMORPG games are also available on game consoles, and the quality of gameplay has also improved. World of Warcraft from Blizzard Entertainment, which is the largest MMORPG, has established a dominant position in the modern market. Final Fantasy XIV and Guild Wars 2 follow, followed by a variety of free-to-play MMORPGs supported by advertising and the sale of in-game items. The free-to-play system is widespread among South Korean games, such as MapleStory, Rohan: Blood Feud and Atlantica Online. There are also variations of free-to-play, when the game itself is offered for free, and only an optional monthly subscription for additional functions is paid, for example, in RuneScape and Tibia. The exceptions are Guild Wars and its successor Guild Wars 2. To access these games, you do not need to purchase anything beyond the initial payment, which is designed to increase competitiveness against games with other payment systems.

Psychology

Despite the fact that game universes are virtual, the relationships between people in them are quite real, so MMORPGs are a good tool for psychological and sociological research. Clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle conducted surveys of computer users, including computer game enthusiasts. She found that many of these people had a broader emotional scope as they explored the many different roles (including gender identities) that are offered in many MMORPGs.

Nick Yee surveyed more than 35 thousand MMORPG players over several years, focusing on the psychological and sociological aspects of games. Recent data shows that about 15% of players can become guild leaders from time to time, but the majority consider this role to be difficult and thankless. These players, while in a leadership role, spent a significant portion of their game time performing tasks not directly related to the game, but which were part of the metagaming (English) .

Many players noted that they experience very strong emotions while playing MMORPGs; for example, among players, according to statistics, about 8.7% of men and 23.2% of women have had an in-game marriage. Other researchers have found that the enjoyment of a game depends on its social complexity, from occasional skirmishes between players to highly organized play in structured groups.

In their work, Zaheer Hussain and Mark Griffiths note that approximately one-fifth of gamers (21%) said they preferred online social relationships to real ones. Significantly more male gamers than female players said they found online communication easier than in real life. More than 57% of players play as characters of the opposite gender, noting that a female character has a number of positive social traits.

Richard Bartle, author of the famous work Designing Virtual Worlds (Russian) development of virtual worlds), divides multiplayer RPG players into four main psychological types. His classification was expanded by Erwin Andreasen, who developed this concept into the thirty questions of the Bartle test (English), used to help determine the category a player belongs to. As of 2011, more than 600 thousand people have been surveyed, making this likely one of the largest tests currently ongoing. Based on Yee and Bartle's research, Jon Radoff published a new model of player motivation built around passion, competition, and achievement. These features are present not only in MMORPGs, but also in many other games, forming the so-called. "field of gamification".

Economy

Many MMORPGs have evolving economies. Virtual items and currency accumulate over the course of the game and have a definite value for players. It is possible to study such a virtual economy by analyzing the log of the server side of the game software, which has value in economics research. More importantly, virtual economies can influence the real economy. A number of large consulting companies use multiplayer economic games such as Second Life and Virtonomics to analyze the behavioral patterns of their virtual markets in order to model and predict behavioral scenarios in real consumer and financial markets.

One of the first researchers of this phenomenon was Edward Castronova, who showed that in virtual economies there is a market of supply and demand that intersects with that in the real world. For this intersection to exist, the game must provide the following features:

The idea of ​​valuing game items with real-world currencies has had a profound impact on players, the gaming industry, and even the legal system. One of the pioneers of the sale of virtual currency, IGE, received a lawsuit from a World of Warcraft player for introducing into the game economy due to the intention of using the game to sell in-game gold. In her first paper, Castranova notes the existence of a market (possibly illegal) for highly liquid game currencies, with the price of the game Everquest's currency exceeding the market rate of the Japanese yen at the time. Some people make their living by exploiting virtual economies. These people are usually associated with farmers and may be employed in corresponding semi-legal organizations.

As a rule, publishers officially prohibit the exchange of game values ​​for real-world money, although there are games in which the idea of ​​such exchanges (with the publisher making a profit) is widely promoted. For example, in the games Second Life and Entropia Universe there is a direct connection between the real and game economies. This means that game currency can be freely exchanged for real currency and vice versa. Thus, real world items can be sold for Entropia Universe currency; There is also a known case when a Second Life player earned very real US$ 100,000 in the virtual world.

However, virtual economies have a number of problems, the most acute of which are:

However, merging real-world and in-game economies rarely occurs in MMORPGs, as it is considered to have a detrimental effect on gameplay. If the riches of the real world can be gained more and faster than skilled play, this leads to less interest in complex role-playing games and less immersion in the game. This also leads to an unfair gaming hierarchy, with wealthier players in real life receiving better in-game items, allowing them to outperform stronger competitors and gain levels faster than other - less wealthy but more dedicated - players.

Development

As early as 2003, the cost of developing a competitive commercial MMORPG often exceeded US$10 million. These games require the involvement of developers of various specialties, for example, artists, 3D modelers, client-server subsystem developers, database and network infrastructure specialists.

The frontends (i.e. the client program) of modern commercial MMORPGs use 3D graphics. As with other modern 3D games, the front-end requires experience with 3D engines, adept use of real-time shaders, and physics simulation. The concept of the game's graphical content (areas, creatures, characters, weapons, etc.) is developed by artists in traditional 2D sketches, after which it is transferred into animated 3D scenes, models, and texture maps.

When developing MMORPGs, specialists in the areas of client-server architecture, network protocols and security, and databases are needed. MMORPGs must include robust systems to support critical functions. The server must be able to accept and verify several thousand connections, prevent cheating, and support changes to the game (fixing bugs and adding content). The system of saving game data at specified intervals without pausing the gameplay also plays an important role.

Supporting the game requires a sufficient fleet of servers, Internet connection bandwidth, and special technical staff. Lack of resources leads to lags and user frustration, which can negatively affect the game's reputation, which is especially critical during the launch period. Staff should also monitor server occupancy, maintaining it within an acceptable range for gameplay by increasing or decreasing the number of game servers. Theoretically, when using peer-to-peer technology in MMORPGs, it is possible to cheaply and effectively regulate server load, but problems encountered in practice (asymmetric connection speeds, resource-intensive game engines, unreliability of individual nodes, inherent security problems that open up wide opportunities for cheaters) make them implementation is extremely difficult. A commercial MMORPG host infrastructure may include hundreds (or even thousands) of servers. Creating a financially acceptable infrastructure for online gaming requires minimal investment in equipment and networks that can serve a large number of players.

In addition, online game creators must be experts in fundamental areas such as world creation, mythology, game mechanics and other game features that bring pleasure to users.

Independent development

Despite the fact that the bulk of all MMORPGs are developed by companies, small teams or individual authors also contribute to the development of the genre. As noted above, development requires significant investment and time commitment, and game support is a long-term commitment. As a result, developing an independent (or "indie") MMORPG is not as commonplace as games in other genres. However, there are a significant number of independent MMORPGs made in different genres, offering different types of gameplay and payment systems.

Some independent MMORPGs follow open source principles entirely, others use proprietary content and open game engines. Around the WorldForge project, opened in 1998, a community of independent developers has formed, aimed at creating a systemic basis for a number of open-source MMORPGs. Multiverse Network is also developing a network platform taking into account the characteristics of independent MMOGs.

Trends

Due to the existence of a large number of significantly different MMORPGs, as well as the rapid development of the genre, it is quite difficult to determine the prevailing general trends. Nevertheless, some developments are quite obvious. One of these is completing quests with a raid group (or simply “raid”), which is a quest designed for large groups of players (often twenty or more).

Dedicated zones on demand

Dedicated zones on demand (English: instance dungeon, slang for “instances”) - game areas, “copied” at the request of individual players or groups, in which game interaction with the rest of the game world is impossible. This reduces the level of gaming competition and also reduces the amount of data sent through the network, which reduces lag. The first game where some semblance of such zones appeared was The Realm Online. In Anarchy Online, this technology has received significant development, becoming one of the key elements of gameplay. Since this game, dedicated zones in MMORPGs have become commonplace. In the "raids" mentioned above, this technology is often used. Examples of games that use dedicated zones are World of Warcraft, The Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Aion, Guild Wars, RuneScape, Star Trek Online, and DC Universe Online.

User Content

Licensing

In addition to this, there are a number of MMORPGs based on television product licenses, such as Star Trek Online and the canceled Stargate Worlds.

MMORPG for game consoles

The first MMORPG developed specifically for a video game console was Phantasy Star Online for the Sega Dreamcast. The first open-world MMORPG for video game consoles was Final Fantasy XI for PlayStation 2. EverQuest Online Adventures for PlayStation 2 was the first MMORPG for video game consoles to be released in the United States. Since the development of MMORPGs for game consoles is considered to be associated with increased complexity, each such project attracts increased attention.

Browser MMORPGs

The first browser-based MMORPG was Tale, opened in 1999 and still working (its continuation is the game Legend) [ ] . The game was conceived as a new type of MUD, running in the browser and more convenient for the player. The Tale game marked the beginning of the development of a certain genre of browser games (where the game is combined with a chat) from which such famous games as “Fight Club” and its multiple clones came from. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the main emphasis of the gameplay in Tale is on traveling through a huge world and PvE battles, while the entire “Fight Club” is built on PvP battles. Therefore, it is impossible to call these games similar, although they are united by a similar appearance at first glance. And yet, when you hear the word “browser”, these are often the games that are meant. At first, such browser games were completely free, but later they began to use the Free-to-play model.

With the widespread popularity of social networks such as Facebook, a second wave of browser-based MMORPGs has emerged, based on Adobe Flash and HTML5 technologies. This second wave began with browser games that were already well-known at that time and integrated into social networks to attract new players.

MMORPG for smartphones

In 2007, when smartphones and app stores hit the market, gaming underwent another rapid evolution. Not only did it change the way people played games, but it also catapulted the gaming industry into the mainstream of pop culture. In 2008, Russian developers were the first to create a full-fledged MMORPG Warspear Online (English) for smartphones running Symbian and Windows Mobile. At that time, these operating systems were leading and occupied 65% and 12% of the market, respectively. The game is an example of a classic cross-platform fantasy MMORPG with pixel graphics and has now been ported to all popular platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows and Linux. The next attempt to launch an MMORPG on smartphones was the Chinese Anrufen Online. Its first release on Symbian took place in 2009. The rapid development of mobile technologies over the past decade has led to explosive growth in the mobile games market. For example, in 2017, Google Play presented 250+ games in the MMORPG genre: with 2D and 3D graphics, various gameplay features, in a science fiction and fantasy style. However, there are still relatively few games with classic gameplay and following the canons of the genre, shaped by games such as Ultima Online and World of Warcraft.

AMMORPG

The name stands for "action-MMORPG" (eng. Action massively multiplayer online role-playing game). In this type of role-playing game, you need fast reaction speed to dodge enemy attacks.

Notes

1. Parks Associates. Online Gaming Revenues to Triple by 2009 (undefined) (2005).
2. Harding-Rolls, Piers. Western World MMOG Market: 2006 Review and Forecasts to 2011 (English). - London, UK: Screen Digest, 2006.
3. Harding-Rolls, Piers. Subscription MMOGs: Life Beyond World of Warcraft (English). - London, UK: Screen Digest, 2009.
4. Reilly, Luke World of Warcraft Subscriptions Back Over 10 Million (undefined) . IGN(November 19, 2014). Retrieved September 9, 2019.
5. Star Wars: The Old Republic Jumps to Light Speed ​​(NASDAQ:EA) (undefined) . Investor.ea.com (December 23, 2011).
6. Rundle, Michael Star Wars: The Old Republic Is "Fastest-Growing MMO Ever" With 1m Users (undefined) . Huffington Post (December 27, 2011).
7. Mulligan, Jessica. Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide / Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky. - New Riders, 2003. - P. 474, 477. - " experience points A point value that is accumulated by gameplay activity such as leveling and is used as a measure of a character"s power. Popularized by the classic dice version of TSR"s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons back in the 1970s and carried over to online gaming by designers. level A rank or rating of a character's power. [...] leveling Activity in-game devoted to increasing a character's experience, level, and/or skills. Leveling usually consists of killing mobs." - ISBN 1-59273-000-0.
8. Nicholas, Munn J. "The Reality of Friendship Within Immersive Virtual Worlds." Springer Science+Business Media (2011): 1-10. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
9. R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson. The Psychology of MMORPGs: Emotional Investment, Motivations, Relationship Formation, and Problematic Usage// Avatars at Work and Play: Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments (English). - London: Springer-Verlag, 2006. - P. 187-207. - ISBN 1-4020-3883-6.
10. Jøn, A. Asbjørn. The Development of MMORPG Culture and The Guild (undefined) // Australian Folklore: A Yearly Journal of Folklore Studies. - 2010. - T. 25. - pp. 97-112., p.97
11. This Weekend: The Alliance Tournament Finals! (undefined) (unavailable link). Retrieved January 25, 2014. Archived February 18, 2015.
12. World of Warcraft Europe -> Info -> Basics -> Battlegroups
13. World of Warcraft Europe -> Patch Notes - Patch 4.0.1 - 4.0.3a
14. Safko, Lon. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success / Lon Safko, David Brake. - Wiley, 2009. - “Richard Garriott first coined the term MMORPG in 1997." - ISBN 0-470-41155-4.
15. Castronova, Edward. Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games. - University Of Chicago Press, 2006. - P. 10, 291. - “The ancestors of MMORPGS were text-based multiuser domains (MUDs) [...] Indeed, MUDs generate perhaps the one historical connection between game-based VR and the traditional program [...]". - ISBN 0-226-09626-2.
16. Bainbridge, William Sims. Berkshire Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. - Berkshire Publishing Group, 2004. - Vol. 2. - P. 474. - “Developers had long considered writing a graphical MUD. [...] the last major 2D virtual environment in the West marked the true beginning of the fifth age of MUDs: Origin Systems" 1997 Ultima Online (UO)." - ISBN 0-9743091-2-5.
17. Mulligan, Jessica. Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide / Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky. - New Riders, 2003. - P. 447. - “1985 [...] "My memory says that Island of Kesmai went live on CompuServe on December 15, 1985, after a very long internal test. The price was actually $6 an hour for 300 baud, $12 for 1200 baud. Serious players paid the bucks." -Kelton Flynn" - ISBN 1-59273-000-0.
18. Koster, Raph Online World Timeline (undefined) . Raph Koster's Website(February 20, 2002).
19. Snow, Blake World of Warcraft addicts 10 million subscribers (undefined) . GamePro.com (January 23, 2008).
20. Turkle, Sherry (English)Russian. Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (English). - Simon & Schuster, 1997. - ISBN 0-684-83348-4.
21. Yee, Nick. Life as a Guild Leader (undefined) . The Daedalus Project(March 20, 2006).

Why do some games fall into oblivion, while others are visible from afar after decades? Most likely, everyone will have their own answer to this. Some will argue about the quality of the product, others will say about the lack of advertising or its execution, and others will simply grumble once again that games have long since gone downhill. But, despite the widespread failure of many new ones, there are many games on the market that remain in demand to this day.

1. World of Warcraft

Unsurpassed in popularity, the great and terrible World of Warcraft is still at the top of any top MMORPG gaming genre. Neither outdated graphics, nor a full-fledged subscription system, nor constant adjustments to the game balance interfere with this.

2: The Elder Scrolls Online

It was only a matter of time before “Scrolls” appeared as an online game. And relatively recently, the long-awaited phenomenon did happen. This allowed fans of the famous universe to trample together their favorite paths of Skyrim and Morrowind, snacking on a sweet roll. The Elder Scrolls Online may not have become the most popular MMORPG in the world, but we can say with confidence that among the classic representatives of the genre, this game currently ranks second.

In short, the game itself is a hybrid of Skyrim and World of Warcraft. There is both a full-fledged epic story on the level of the main series, and many activities for cooperative play. "Dungeons", world bosses, for the capital of the empire and much more.

But the game is valuable not only for all this and the quality of its execution. What is especially valuable is that many locations from the Elder Scrolls universe first appear here (Not counting Daggerfall). And they do this, sparkling with all the beauties of modern graphics. The Elder Scrolls Online has not officially been released, but thanks to an amateur translation, many can plunge into this world in their native language.

3. Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is one of the most successful attempts to encroach on the throne of World of Warcraft. And although the throne remained in its place, this “Western” type MMORPG gained considerable popularity. The developers from ArenaNet managed to dilute the usual with fresh ideas, which allows the game to be successful for a long time.

For example, most of the quests in the game don’t even need to be started from the usual NPCs. Instead, while exploring, players simply help each other, seamlessly connecting to tasks already started. is also an interesting hybrid of Target and , and skills depend not only on the class, but also on the weapon. Overall, Guild Wars 2 is a very solid project, which can only be marred by the lack of localization. And both in fact and in plans.

4. Blade & Soul

5. Black Desert

Black Desert became the boiling point of anticipation for rebirth. Afterwards, it was this game that carried the title of the last hope of the genre. In our area, people upgraded their computers and bought up early access kits just to see with their own eyes everything the developers promised. Of course, the game didn't turn out as perfect as expected.

Throughout the world, Black Desert occupies a deplorable position, but in the CIS it is the flagship of the newest MMORPGs. The game maintains such popularity thanks to its breathtaking picture for the genre, the long-awaited free PvP and open world. The icing on the cake is one of the best Non-Target combat systems, which even single players can envy. All this makes Black Desert one of the ideal options for those who are not familiar with this genre, but would like to get to know it. The main thing is to be sure that the PC is capable of this.

6. Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn

Talking about the popularity of Final Fantasy is like talking about what a Nokia or Mercedes is. And even though the majority of players from the CIS are scratching their heads, not understanding why the whole world is so crazy about every “Final”, this does not bother the world itself at all. Therefore, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm, which is an MMORPG, deservedly basks in the glory. But it was not immediately possible for her to achieve success.

The originally released Final Fantasy 14 turned out to be of a quality that was far from matching the famous series. As a result, the authors of the game relaunched it, adding the subtitle A Realm Reborn to the name. And the existence of the old world was stopped in a rather epic way, by dropping a meteorite on it. Now the game delights players with a unique colorful world, a class system that does not force the creation of characters, and the atmosphere of an Asian fairy tale.

7. Aion

8.Neverwinter

Whatever the quality, it was simply destined to become popular. And the point here is not only the huge financial injections from the Chinese from Perfect World, but also the fact that this MMORPG is dedicated to the D&D universe. Fortunately, fans of the setting did not have to force themselves to play through tears, because the game turned out to be quite high-quality. This is confirmed by the interest of gamers, which continues to this day.

In addition to the famous world, Neverwinter offers a high-quality and dynamic Non-Target combat system. The level of its performance also did not disappoint, and therefore it is surprisingly pleasant to hit with swords and shoot fireballs here. The core of the gameplay is built not on exploring the open world, but on completing session quests. They are often accompanied by interesting plot implications, which are a pleasure to watch with friends.

9. RuneScape

The name RuneScape means little to most domestic players. However, this hybrid MMORPG, which works both in the browser and as a client, is quite popular in the world. This fact is confirmed by the fact that this creation of the Jagex studio was lucky enough to visit the Guinness Book of Records twice. Agree, not every game can boast of this.

It is very difficult to describe any differences between RuneScape and modern games. And all because at the time of the release of the first versions, the authors had to be almost pioneers in the MMORPG genre. Therefore, in essence, the game is a standard set of leveling, crafts, and PvP. However, this does not prevent this world from existing to this day, delighting players.

10. Tera

Tera Online was another Korean game that was predicted to rehabilitate the MMORPG genre. And even though not all expectations were met, the high quality of execution makes this project quite popular to this day. Well, in our realities, this is facilitated by complete Russian-language localization.

And although Tera was one of the first MMORPGs with a Non-Target combat system, today this is not what makes it so valuable. People come here for truly fierce PvP, working according to the rules and foundations in the spirit of the old. Guild wars, sieges and showdowns for quality positions. The only thing that can prevent you from enjoying all this is the crazy Asian style of the game world and the bias of the content towards female characters.

11. Revelation Online

Following the Koreans, the Chinese continue to make attempts to seize records for MMORPG releases. And while most of these games remain popular in their homeland, Revelation Online has reached our shores, remaining warmly received by domestic gamers.

Typical Asian cuteness with wings, riding kittens and whales here intersects with many cruel things. The most significant difference between the game and others is the sieges, in which up to 5,000 people can take part. The picture of popularity is complemented by modern graphics, inclusions and interesting classes, among which there is even a fighter with firearms.

12. The Division

Few purebred MMORPGs deviate from the classic fantasy setting. Perhaps both this and the fact that The Division is made at the AAA level contributes to its popularity. The game world is presented as closed under quarantine due to the global spread of the deadly virus.

The chosen time frame and genre naturally favor the use of “firearms” of various calibers. A variety of fugitive criminals and other crazy individuals will get hit on the ears by the special squad agents. You will have to shoot in activities familiar to MMORPGs, such as missions, randomly generated “dungeons” in the subway and, of course, the PvP-oriented “Dark Zone”, famous from advertising trailers.

13. ArcheAge

Long-awaited, longed for and, according to the dreams of those who expected it, unsurpassed ArcheAge. A game of this magnitude has become popular, but what did this Korean MMORPG deserve such attention? To begin with, this is a picture that amazed the imagination at the time of its release. The 3.0 engine coped well with both water spaces and lush forests with animals running through them.

The second point is the variety and versatility of the gameplay. The authors of ArcheAge seem to have remembered everything that should be in an MMORPG and tried to bring it into their game. Here you can find farming, animal husbandry, guild wars, world bosses, naval battles and much more. Therefore, the above, together with the famous system of “Free” classes, are quite significant reasons for the continued popularity of the game.

14. Allods Online

Domestic Allods Online were clearly created with World of Warcraft in mind, which did not prevent them from becoming quite popular in our area. This MMORPG has been pleasing players both stylistically and gameplay-wise for many years. The game world combines fantasy, ancient Russian myths, cliches about and much more. All this diversity is very memorable and, maintaining a precarious balance, creates a unique picture.

The gameplay is not far from its ancestor. There are two factions “Red” and “Blue”, and leveling up with quests, and the ubiquitous “Battlegrounds”. But there is also a difference in this project, which is “Astral”. In the game world, guilds travel on their own, which even engage in clashes with each other. All this makes Allods a rather interesting alternative to World of Warcraft, flavored with a familiar spirit and recognizable things.

15. Albion Online

Our selection ends with a game like which we have been waiting for a very long time. Albion Online offers much of what modern representatives of the genre lack. Therefore, a developed guild system and the lack of marks on everything that moves and what needs to be moved are just the tip of the iceberg.

Completing the hardcore theme is a player-controlled economy. Within its framework, all resources and items are mined and created by users themselves, without generating them from stores. What makes the game more popular is the class system, in which the skills used are tied to armor and weapons, and not to the choice of development path.

All this, coupled with developed guild PvP for production zones, the construction of fortified areas and fierce battles, makes Albion Onlne quite famous among players. This MMORPG allows you to experience everything that is now shown by only a few developers.

Special: Destiny 2

Destiny 2 has been moved beyond the main list of popular MMORPGs. This happened because even unlike The Division, the shooter part is more dominant here. And yet there is a place for it on this list and it is well deserved. A project of this level is naturally doomed to become noticeable and attractive to many gamers. Whether it will stand the test of time remains to be seen, but for now the game shines brightly and noticeably.

Destiny 2, like the first part, is a mixture of shooter and MMORPG. There are raids, classes, and even an epic plot that continues the development of the story that began earlier. In addition, in comparison with its predecessor, both the combat and role-playing systems have become deeper and more interesting. And the shooting turned out to be almost a masterpiece. Overall, the game confirms the reputation of both Bungie and the famous series, which has finally reached PC.

Of course, the list is not complete, because there are still a lot of MMORPGs on the market. Offhand you can remember: Lineage 2, EVE Online, Runes of Magic, etc., etc. But the trick is that all these games are more famous than popular. While our list is quite relevant today. You can be sure that in these games you will not get bored from loneliness.

MMORPG is one of the most popular genres in the gaming industry market. There are many large projects in which more and more people register every day. We decided to go back to the roots of the genre and find the very first MMORPG game online. The role-playing multiplayer online game began to be called a separate genre in 1997. It was then that Ultima Online is the very first MMORPG game online.

Richard Garriott is an American computer game developer who has done a lot for the development of this genre. He has worked not only in the Ultima Online project, but also in Lineage, one of the most popular role-playing games. Ultima Online was released in 1997 and is still afloat. For 17 years now, Ultima Online continues to delight its players.

Over the course of its existence, ten global add-ons have been released. Ultima is one of the most diverse RPGs out there right now. You can build own houses, light fires, use pets as mounts, kill other players and mobs. The game takes place on a fragment of a fictional planet, where life in the Middle Ages reigns. Each player has a choice of several types of weapons, a profession and his purpose in life.

If you are interested and want to know more information about the game Ultima Online, then these pictures and videos are especially for you.

Starting the game in Ultima Online, interface overview and lessons for beginners.

Find your ideal world in which you can get stuck for a couple of hundred hours.

Want to find a decent MMORPG that will help you fall out of reality? There are many options. In fact, PC gamers have a ton of choices these days. Home computers are once again the focus of the gaming industry.

Why are we sure of this? Because we take into account the dominance of Steam in the games market, the desire of many publishers to release games only on PCs, and Microsoft’s active promotion of Windows 10 as the main gaming system.

Many of the best exclusives are released on PC, and some of them are MMO projects. And although the demand for World of Warcraft has already subsided a little, the MMO market is still vibrant and can offer a lot of interesting games that will hook you from the very first seconds.

Although these games can involve a large number of players, it is still worth noting that these MMORPGs are amazing, exciting and well-designed. You can easily get lost when you are looking for the right game for you. But you just need to know where to look. Luckily, we have prepared for you a selection of great MMORPGs to play on your computer and console. We've selected 30 of the best for you, so get ready for new adventures.

Retired from the main list

Available at: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC

I was thrilled when I learned that Uncharted Waters, one of my favorite games of the 16-bit era, was getting an MMO sequel that featured a massive, open sea world. Uncharted Waters Online successfully combines all the distinctive features of games about pirates and sea simulators, which work perfectly within the framework of an online game.

The combat system, both at sea and on land, is exciting, but the main feature of UWO is its depth. The game eschews the traditional monotonous grind in favor of multi-faceted trading, banking, exploration and adventure systems. UWO can entice you for several weeks, during which you will not reveal even a quarter of your potential.

But the game is updated with new content to this day; for example, for the New Year, new ships, costumes and weapons appeared in the game for both crew members and heavy ship weapons.

Available at: PC

Among others, Elsword Online stands out for its recognizable side-scrolling style. The graphics in the game, which look like they were drawn by hand with pencils, are beautiful. Cutscenes and character designs refer us to the manga of the same name, which served as the basis for this game. Instead of the usual set of classes, Elsword allows the player to choose characters from the source and develop them so that they suit their preferred play style.

In addition to the standard professions (fighter, mage, ranger), Elsword also has a number of more exotic options, such as Yves, Queen of Nasod, who can summon robot assistants during the battle. The combination of memorable graphics and intuitive battles makes Elsword a very original project with a bright author's style.

Available at: PC, Mac

As you know, Marvel and Disney have long been firmly established in the entertainment industry, and therefore the appearance of MMOs from these studios was only a matter of time. The surprising thing is that the resulting game (considering the recent updates) is not a cheap hack, but a high-quality product in which there is no shame in getting lost for a couple of months.

The free-to-play game gives you the opportunity to feel like you're in the shoes of your favorite superheroes and combines classic Diablo techniques with time-tested MMO mechanics (add here the familiar flavor of the Marvel universe). Of course, 30 Captain Americas running around the map may confuse the uninitiated, but you will soon notice that playing as your favorite comic book hero is truly interesting, and only for this you can forgive all minor flaws in this MMO.

Available at: PC

The idea of ​​combining the concepts of Blizzard and Diablo and creating an MMO game based on them is not at all new, and this game is one of those where this idea was realized.

The successor to Manchester United Online, the successful and innovative South Korean MMO game, "Man United Legend" is characterized by chaotic movements, impressive damage effects and fantastic characters that fans of Eastern MMO games will immediately recognize.

Although not designed to revolutionize the world of action RPG gaming, Legend of Man United is still very entertaining, has a lot of content, and can be played for a long time without interruption. screen.

Available at: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

At the moment, the game "Osiris: New Dawn" is one of the most accessible. It still needs some work though, as there are few weapons in this game (a pistol with limited ammo and a rifle) and you rarely have to fight. But there is one big plus - the atmosphere of this game is unforgettable. On an alien planet, caves full of mysterious skeletons await you, but to get to them, you will need to make your way through sandstorms and meteor showers.

And how will you get to them? Of course, with the help of vehicles and spaceships that you can create yourself. The starting point for the game is the Proteus 2 satellite, where you will build your own home in the form of high-tech equipment. Resources include meteors that fall to the ground during thunderstorms, natural gas that you mine using barrels, and various metals. Judging by the first reviews, we can say that Osiris: New Dawn is definitely worth paying attention to.

Available at: PC

For an MMO released in 2014, WildStar has an obscene number of outdated mechanics. Inconvenient raid settings? On the spot. Daily quest chains appearing at random times that make gaining experience much more difficult? Also in place.
A quest system tied to endless grinding? We put a tick here too. But the fact is that this is not particularly upsetting, because the combat system, built on spectacular action, atones for all sins. Take, for example, one of the skills that marks a piece of land in front of the character with a special marking.

As long as the enemy is within this marking, all your attacks on him will hit the target. And this emphasizes the need for active dodging and smart use of skills - as a result, battles are almost never boring.
In addition, each class in the game has flexible characteristics, and can play at least 2 of the 3 standard roles for any raid (healer, tank and damage dealer).

The project is currently experiencing slight financial difficulties as a result of canceled promotion in the Chinese market, but this has not affected players from Europe and North America. It's time to try out the game.

Choose your second life.

Available at: PC, Android, iOS

The game is in final beta testing, but still deserves a place on this list due to its unique visual style, excellent PvP mode, and a fresh take on the traditional MMO crafting and profession system.

When you're not fighting other players for new territory and prestige, or exploring dungeons, destroying monsters and collecting rare resources, Albion Online offers quiet islands where players can build their farms and breed animals, as well as customize their homes .

Albion Online is still at the very beginning of a long journey, but the game already looks like a serious competitor to more famous titles, and if development continues at the same impressive pace, we will soon see a game that will likely linger in our hearts for at least a decade.

While we all wait for the release of the seventh expansion of World of Warcraft Legion and its incredibly exciting story, we invite you to learn about the development of the MMO genre itself, as well as the unique history that has been conveyed in games of this genre, starting from the earliest roots of then-existing games like MUDs ( MPM - multiplayer world) and ending, of course, with long-loved games of the MMORPG genre.

The first virtual worlds and the MMM genre

In 1973, summer intern Steve Colley at NASA Ames used the PDS-1 and PDS-4 machines from the space shuttle project to create the world's first virtual maze world. After Colley wrote a program that allowed the user to find himself inside a maze, simply calling it Maze (Labyrinth) - a game in which the player had to reach the end of the maze. Later, Colley's colleague, intern Greg Thompson, took the program to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and modernized the game so that it could work through ARPAnet - a computer network created in 1969 in the United States by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and which was a prototype of the Internet. . Thus, Greg continued the development of the newly created game, calling it Maze Wars - a game in which two players could compete with each other on locally connected machines at an incredibly low speed of 50 kb / s. The goal of the game was to hide from the enemy while simultaneously trying to find him and shoot him. Maze Wars became so popular that at one point the game was banned from the ARPAnet by the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Network due to the fact that half of the outgoing and incoming packets that month were moving between Stanford and MIT.

Shortly thereafter, in 1975, Will Crowther created Adventure (originally called ADVENT because the file name could not exceed 6 characters) on a DEC PDP-10 computer. The text-based role-playing game required about 300 KB of RAM to start (that feeling when you need as much as 4 GB of RAM to run World of Warcraft Legion, more details). The game was later renamed Colossal Cave Adventure because it was loosely based on the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky. The game itself had a lot of Dungeons and Dragons.

In 1977, a group of students, inspired by the game Adventure, wrote Zork. They used the MDL programming language to create the game on the same DEC PDP-10 computer. The product itself was released to the market as three separate games, starting with Zork I in 1980 and subsequent Zork II and Zork III released in 1981 and 1982, respectively. Zork became part of the vast labyrinth of the Great Underground Empire. Despite the fact that the game itself is not multiplayer, it made a huge contribution to the development of the MMO genre

"Zork Gameplay"

University of Essex student Roy Trubshaw began working on a multiplayer adventure game using MACRO-10 assembly language on his DEC PDP-10 computer in 1978. He named his game a MUD (multiplayer adventure) after the Underground variant of Zork. Roy converted MUD to BCPL (predecessor to C) before developing the game with his classmate Richard Bartle. The popularity of such games increased in 1980, when personal computers and modems became more affordable. Role players could join a multi-threaded network Bulletin Board Systems with the help of good old ARPAnet.

Meanwhile, graphics-based multiplayer games were created based on a University of Illinois system called Control Data Corporation PLATO. They already had navigation graphics for moving into the dungeon, player status, and chats. The most popular games were dnd (1974), Moria (1975) and Avatar (1977-1979). Even though these games were very advanced at the time, their audience was small since they were all proprietary programs that only PLATO people could have access to.

"Gameplay dnd"

Commercial development

In 1980, students John Taylor and Kelton Flynn, inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, wrote a 6-player game called Dungeons of Kesmai. In 1982, they founded the Kesmai company and already in 1985 released a commercial version of the game, called Island of Kesmai, which supported up to 100 players using the CompuSever online service.

Habitat was released by Lucasfilm in 1986 and was one of the first attempts to create a large-scale multiplayer virtual environment. Habitat is presented to users as a real-time animated game in an online world simulator in which users can interact, play games, go on adventures, fall in love, get married, get divorced, start a business, find religions, start wars, protest against them, and also test yourself in the role of self-manager. Habitat ultimately closed in 1988. AOL also met with failure when they tried to relaunch the game later this year.

"Habitat Gameplay"

In 1989, a little-known game Kingdom of Drakkar appeared with 8-bit graphics and a plot based on the 1984 MMM game called Realm. Developed by Branon Lineberger, the game is still available online, making it one of the oldest MMORPGs available to play today. The first ever graphical MMORPG game was Neverwinter Nights, which was released on AOL in 1991. The game itself was developed by Don Daglow and programmer Katherine Mataga. The game existed for 6 years, until 1997. It was this game that became the first “proper” MMORPG, since it contained those gameplay elements that were most expected from this genre. However, based on the price of $6 per hour, the game was not cheap.

"Gameplay "Neverwinter Nights"

Subsequently, Neverwinter Nights was unable to compete with games released over the years, which included Meridian 59 (1995), The Realm Online (1996), Furcadia (1996), Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds (the first Korean MMORPG, released in 1996) and Tibia (1997). Nexus was one of the first popular games after Neverwinter Nights and achieved widespread success. However, the first "massive" MMORPG was Ultima Online, released in 1997 by Origin Systems. Its producer, Richard Garriott, was the first to use the term "MMORPG", and the game itself took the genre to a new level. It was the first MMORPG to reach 100,000 subscribers and reached its maximum number of 250,000 in 2003. The game boasts 8 expansions and is still available to players.

"Ultima Online Gameplay"

Over the years, even more games have appeared. This included the horror MMORPG Dark Eden released in 1997 and the extremely popular Lineage released by the South Korean studio NCSoft. In 1999, Sony released its first MMORPG: EverQuest. Within a year, EverQuest broke all Ultima Online records and already in 2004 could boast of its 500,000 subscribers. Officially released as a p2p game, it contains 21 additions and is still in active development. In 2012, some F2P elements began to appear. At the moment the game is available as F2P (with some restrictions on content and features), but there is also the possibility of obtaining “All Access” (Full Access).

"EverQuest"

The graphical browser game RuneScape was officially released in December 2001, and in 2003 a new version of RuneScape 2 appeared with a rewritten engine, and already in 2013 RuneScape 3 appeared. Since the first launch of this game, about 245 million accounts have been created, and the game is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the game that has the most cumulative time spent by users in it - 443 million minutes of game time.

Following the success of Lineage in 1998, NCSoft released several more games, including Lineage II (2003), City of Heroes (2004), Guild Wars (2005), Exteel (2007) and Aion: The Tower of Eternity (2008). Lineage II, along with the space MMORPG Eve Online (which, by the way, was also released in 2003), became the most popular MMORPGs. Lineage II even reached 2.25 million subscribers in 2005. Be that as it may, the World of Warcraft game released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2004 immediately overtook all previous games in terms of the number of subscribers. Blizzard used a one-size-fits-all monthly subscription model that was inherited from EverQuest. World of Warcraft was listed by Guinness World Records as the game with the most subscribers, reaching 12 million in October 2010.

"Original World of Warcraft box"

After the release of World of Warcraft, there were several more successful releases. The Matrix Online, released in 2005 by Sony Entertainment, existed until 2009. Other games such as Guild Wars 2, Blade and Soul, Rift and Wildstar have continued with moderate success to this day. In addition to long-term games, there was one game called All Points Bulletin, which lasted only 79 days. This game cost $50 million to develop and was closed after being taken over by developers from Realtime Worlds.

What was and perhaps still is your favorite MMORPG?