Failure of the MMOFPS

 

Granted, I've never played an MMOFPS, so I'm not nearly as experienced as I should be on this matter, but I find the consistent failure of the MMOFPS genre very interesting when MMORPGs can achieve such massive success. Why can't the FPS, the most popular and profitable genre in gaming, be translated into the massively multiplayer space? Why can't games like PlanetSide or Tabula Rasa attract and maintain sustainable audiences like Blizzard's World of Warcraft? Some say it's the nature of the FPS genre that makes creating a compelling MMO experience impossible. However, I think MMOFPSs have simply been approached from ineffective perspectives and need to be re-worked and re-thought for mass audiences. It's fascinating that MMOFPSs have failed, time and time again, to be a reliable and viable platform to develop games. I think this genre is full of untapped potential and it's only a matter to time before the MMOFPS blasts its way through the genre's seemingly impenetrable dark crevice of the gaming sphere.


Looking at the current MMORPG model, I can identify 4 pillars that contribute to its success.  First, is its social aspect, second is its progression system, third is multiplayer content, and lastly, gameplay. To be clear, this list captures why I think the genre is successful, not a game within that genre. A game could have all the facets of a modern MMORPG (aka the game could follow the current MMORPG formula), but still fail because of the game's setting or art style for example.  MMOFPSs on the other hand, fail because of a distinct lack of a formula to begin with. Or, to rephrase, the game's failure hinges upon its foundation. Since the genre is so young, a firm and reliable foundation has yet to be built. If this genre can somehow incorporate what makes MMORPGs successful in their own way, I think MMOFPSs will pull its way out of the deep whole in which the genre currently sits. Allow me to explain why and how I think MMOFPSs need to adapt these four pillars.

The Social Aspect

FPSs are, by nature, very action focused, but they also lack a defining quality of any MMO: player interaction. Sure, team mates can communicate and work together to win matches, but social interaction in First Person Shooters is not as expansive as MMORPGs. This trait of limited communication makes the FPS to MMOFPS translation very troubling. One of the most important elements that distinguish the MMO category from any other genre is its heavy reliance on community interaction. The social spaces MMOs provide are vital to the genre's success because an interconnected and vast community sustains the game through the long term. Not only are FPSs not tailored to support this feature, but the genres most successful platorm, the console, is also not as optimal for communication as the PC. In order for MMOFPSs to have long life cycles, this genre needs to heavily emphasize and support the dynamic social interactions present in other MMOs.

Orgrimmar in World Of Warcraft

Without some form of community, there's little incentive to play -or to keep playing- any massively multiplayer game. One possible solution is to create a lobby system in the form of hub-worlds where players can communicate out of combat and perform other MMO activities. These hub-worlds could be similar to main cities in other MMOs where people look for groups, guilds, queue for PVP, craft items, etc. Perhaps the solo grind and multiplayer content should be accessed through these hub -worlds. These social spaces would act as meeting points between the levelling experience and multiplayer content, so incentivising this type of lobby system could help establish and bind a community.

The Progression System

In terms of a progression model, FPSs can inject many MMO staples like obtaining skill points, profession points, new gear, and weapons, without major redesigns to the FPS formula. In fact, many FPSs have forms of these RPG systems already in place (levelling up and obtaining new items in Call of Duty for example). But no matter how many cheap progression bars a developer crams into a game, nothing beats witnessing your character change in power and in appearance. Since RPGs are usually set in the third perspective, players visually see their character progress in the form of armour and weapon upgrades. For me, visual progression is more exhilarating than any type of experience bar or rank emblem. After completing a quest, who can't wait to see what their newly awarded item looks like? Who hopes it's a pair of bulky shoulder pads or a long cape? Players able to measure and get excited about progression helps keep the player interested and wanting to continue playing.

Experience bars ahoy in Modern Warfare 2

At its core, MMOs are about the player's journey. Seeing how far characters have visually evolved is -in my opinion- the most effective method to achieve a sense of growth. Experience bars don't capture the same sense of accomplishment or create the same level of attachment to one's character. FPSs are in first person, so players don't get to experience gear progression -and its effects- on the same level as RPGs because players can't visually see their character grow throughout their journey. Now, player progression isn't nearly as important in FPSs as RPGs, but as with any MMO, player progression should be a huge focus in an MMOFPS. Solving this problem can be as straight forward as allowing the MMO to be playable in both third and first person, or having players roam lobbies in third person. In fact, there are MMOFPSs currently in development using a third person mechanic. FireFall, a soon to be released Free-to-play MMOFPS, supports first and third person perspectives. FireFall allows the player to transition between the two perspectives at any time. Giving players this freedom doesn't disrupt or force players to play a specific way, and implements a visual sense of character growth. If MMOFPSs focused on providing a rewarding, in-depth progression system, perhaps players would feel encouraged to progress and have greater incentive to continue playing as a result.

Multiplayer Content

MMOFPS multiplayer content should be pretty straightforward and from what I've seen, MMOFPSs approach multiplayer content fairly well. There's really not a lot to cover here other than the fact that this genre's endgame usually isn't as expansive as an MMORPG. The only consideration I can suggest would be a PVP system that's incredibly deep, strategic, and diverse. From what I've seen, MMOFPSs don't have its equivalent to dungeons or raids; the meat of the game is PVP. Since there's only one multiplayer focused activity, I'd be logical to create an incredibly complex, skilful, and varied PVP feature.

Gameplay

Again, there's not a whole lot to contribute in this area in part due to never having played an MMOFPS. However, whatever the current state of MMOFPS gameplay is, I think the genre should stray (or continue to stray) toward a mixed FPS/RPG experience. Instead of weapons having one ammo-type (or one ability) like in current FPSs, perhaps weapons should have numerous abilities which would act as the player's ability set. Weapons with multiple uses allow more gameplay options and moves away from the tedious and monotonous action of firing the same gun over and over. Imagine, in an MMORPG, if players only had access to one spell at a time, and obtaining a new ability meant getting a new weapon. This doesn't make sense for either MMOPRGs or MMOFPSs. Adding an ability set to the FPS model would create a layer of complexity and variety perhaps never before seen in an FPS style game.

The many gameplay options in World of Warcraft

Adding this type of system isn't just for the sake of copying the MMORPG though. A higher level of gameplay variety introduces a greater quantity of player options which, in turn, lengthens the game's life-span. If this type of game -which is suppose to sustain a large player-base for long amounts of time- doesn't have enough variety, whether it be through multiplayer content or gameplay, the genre will most likely bore players and therefore, lose subscription numbers. Perhaps this genre's tendency to consistently underperform is due, in part, to its lack of gameplay variety. Getting new weapons and gear to advance your character are vital parts of the MMOFPS experience: so should be obtaining new abilities.

Conclusion

The adoption of RPG elements into FPSs is nothing new to the genre. Games like Call of Duty and Halo are slowly incorporating elements popular in Role Playing Games. If the FPS is to ever make the transition to the Massively Multiplayer Online market, I think it needs to heavily but uniquely implement elements that make the MMORPG so successful. Elements like social hubs, visual progression systems, varied multiplayer content, and deep gameplay options could expand the level of player investment, widen player options, and lengthen the game's life span. I predict that if this genre ever gets off the ground, the game that will do it will resemble an RPG/FPS hybrid.  So, maybe MMOFPSs were doomed to fail. Perhaps they just can't work. MMOFPSRPGs on the other hand...