The Daily Grind: Are you interested in mobile MMOs?

With the growing ubiquity of smart phones, tablet PCs, and other devices that hook up to the internet on the road, mobile MMOs have begun to take off. Admittedly, the gameplay is still not wholly complex, but games like Pocket Legends have staked their futures on the novelty of an MMO you can play from anywhere while doing almost anything. While you might be able to fault the overall depth of the experience, being able to log into a massive and persistent world on a portable device is still worth some novelty.

Of course, the real question is whether or not there's any merit to the game beyond novelty. After all, if you're on the go, you're generally doing something that would require concentration, not tapping at your phone's screen. The field is still expanding, but today we ask -- are you interested in mobile MMOs? Are they the sort of thing that tickles your fancy? Or do you see them as a neat idea that ultimately isn't really suited to the way you like to play online in the first place?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

Reader Comments (39)

I would be interested in one that:

- Had low enough requirements to work on either my Ubuntu Netbook or on my Galaxy 3.

- Was still playable in some form while offline.

Until I find something that is fun for me and meets the above requirements, I will stick to playing online games only on my main computer.

@DarkWalker A good dungeon crawler would make an excellent MMO... one that supports both offline & online play. Pocket Legends is ok, but it gets a bit annoying dropping out while on the road, so yeh, not ideal for a mobile device.

Maybe when mobile data speeds up and becomes a more ubiquitous we'll be able to tolerate it, but until then an offline mode is essential I feel.

@sortius

Dungeon Hunter is not a bad little Dungeon Crawler game for a mobile device, although it is not multiplayer yet, I don't think. Haven't played it in a while.

My biggest complaint with mobile MMO games is shallowness of story and simplicity of gameplay. Pocket Legends is a good example of an "MMO Lite" -- it's not a bad game, but it gets repetitive and old really fast, imo.

@Tom in VA

In my case at least, the kind of fun I expect of a mobile MMO is quite different from a normal computer MMO.

In a computer MMO, I want involving stories in a game capable of keeping me occupied for as much as it takes, and I'm OK with content requiring a 10-30 minutes minimum game time in order to effectively make progress.

In a mobile MMO, I would want a game that could be taken and dropped at any time, where even one or two minutes would be enough to make some progression. Something where I don't have to even think hard about where I left off last time.

I don't want to use mobile MMOs as a substitute for traditional MMOs. They have different needs, they are played under quite different circumstances. I don't think doing a mobile MMO exactly like a conventional MMO would do any good (although the kind of extremely casual friendly MMO needed for mobile use can actually work on computers).

BTW, one thing I would truly love would be some kind of mobile MMO tied to a conventional computer MMO I also played. For example, letting us do select solo and fast group content on our mobiles, and actually being able to interact in some way with players using the full computer client.

I'm willing to keep giving it a shot as long as the games get better. Tried Pocket Legends the other day and lost all interest after about an hour of play. Game is too...I don't know....shallow? Now Order and Chaos looks interesting as do a few others coming down the road.

Still...I would only play it in very small chunks here and there, since if I'm at home, I'm going to be using my PC with my awesome sound and graphics. Currently I only play my Android games on the train to and from work. Which comes to about 2 hours a day.

Interestingly, I think RTS type games or even better, turn based Strategy games like Civilization, would shine on mobile devices. Those games are so much better for pausing or having to stop playing suddenly.

I'd rather stick with the scaled down version of PBBGs. I can't really afford to waste my phones battery on some 3D MMO resource hog. My phone is a phone first and foremost and I need it to be ready even when I can't get to my charger for a few days.

I'm not interested in them. If I'm on the go, I don't have the time or required attention to play a game.

@Noviere Exactly!

@Noviere Couldn't agree more

@Noviere

Agreed.

Pocket Legends is great, but something about it lacks and it isn't the cash shop. It's fun for clicking around for a while, but playing on the mobile isn't comfortable for long sessions. Battery life is also an issue, and once you plug a charging cable into a tablet or smartphone, it becomes awkward.

I think that the strength of the mobile platform is in its ability to be the light-duty UI for whatever game you play on your larger screen when you get home. If the MMO is only accessible through the mobile platform, then it's going to be hard to invest me in the game when I'm at home in front of my media center.

Pocket legends is awesome, though.

"Are you interested in mobile MMOs?"

Not really. Too small, not enough content and don't really like doing anything with the smaller buttons. I wouldn't spend any money on it no matter how cheap the apps are or how 'cute'.

I can't imagine being that bored with life totally that I'd have to be still gaming when away from a computer.

Usually when I'm not gaming on an actual computer or console, I don't WANT to be gaming (usually doing actual real life stuff) so the mobile doesn't make any sense for me.

@real65rcncom

Agreed, they aren't really MMO's either they are ORPGs. I am for add-ons to current games, the wow ipod apps are a good start. Adding some mini-games that affect in game stuff would be the next logical step.

On my phone the controls are too small to feel comfortable for a MMO, and the virtual keyboard is a pain to use when talking.

Since i'm playing an MMO on my phone, why do I have to type to talk? Why can't I use voice chat? That should be automatic for any game on a phone where you have to communicate with the other person.

On iPad = YES
On iPhone = NO

Too small, too "laggy" controls etc. At the beggining I thought that iPhone was big, but the sad thing is that you get used to it and then it becomes small and not even good for mmorpgs, imo. Nothing bad with the phone mmos, but as I said...too small if you don't play it on, for example, an iPad!

The mobile device should be the enabler, not the addiction. With the mobile I want to be able to do those quick five-minute things during lunch break from my horrible job.

A prog spends his mental day thinking about what he'll do when he gets home and logs on. The mobile MMO needs to offer an outlet for 'downtime' work, practice and preporatory stuff that maximizes the value of sit-down gameplay.

I found Pocket Legends to be too MMO-lite to keep my interest.

HOWEVER, Order & Chaos has won me over. It is a true MMO and the interface on the iPad is astoundingly well implemented.

I can forgive the derivative art style for the amazing game engine, interface and world design.

It is truly quite good.

I play Order and Chao, it has kinda taken off at my school....Rumor has it that Blizzard is developing WoW for the Ipad, god help us if that come true.

No.The way I play MMOs, I prefer to sit down at a big screen in a comfortable chair at a nice desk.

Chances are if I'm somewhere where I would have to use a mobile device to play an MMO, I don't have enough time or concentration to do so.

I write an entire column about mobile MMO gaming, so I can tell you that there is quite a lot more to it then just Pocket Legends. PL does not represent mobile gaming just like WoW does not represent all of "normal" MMO gaming.

http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmobility/

There are more games being released all the time. While the market is not as old or developed as the standard MMO market, this is a good thing. That means that the games have not started to follow any sort of standard design like we see in a lot of "AAA" MMOs. The field is wide open! :)

Beau

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The Daily Grind: Are you interested in mobile MMOs?

Reader Comments (39)

Posted: May 14th 2011 8:47AM DarkWalker said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:36AM sortius said

Posted: May 14th 2011 10:43AM Tom in VA said

Posted: May 14th 2011 5:57PM DarkWalker said

Posted: May 14th 2011 8:53AM MMOaddict said

Posted: May 14th 2011 8:57AM thud said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:08AM Noviere said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:15AM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 14th 2011 1:54PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 15th 2011 12:50PM Averice said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:09AM Borick said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:15AM real65rcncom said

Posted: May 14th 2011 1:43PM Rayko said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:22AM Goldenspiral said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:25AM Sladden said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:32AM Borick said

Posted: May 14th 2011 9:37AM Pingles said

Posted: May 14th 2011 10:09AM Dunraven said

Posted: May 14th 2011 10:37AM PrimeSynergy said

Posted: May 14th 2011 11:21AM Beau Hindman said

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