Richard Garriott blames Blizzard for ignoring the social gaming field

@Vunak
I think it's a testament to what you're saying that years later, I remember that guy by name and his bad reputation. Hell, even people from other -servers- knew what you had done in FFXI if you didn't keep your nose clean. The only unfortunate part was that a person could usually overcome a "jerkass" stigma by having very good gear and being a very good player, but man, if you stole loot or initiated LS drama literally everybody would hear about it.

@Vunak
You know what I think has created solo-friendly content in MMOs? The fact that people have lives and don't want to waste them on 5 hours of LFG but still want a social experience in a video game setting.

@KDolo

There is nothing wrong with Solo friendly content. But when you revolve your entire game around solo friendly content or don't give people the incentive to group up and have some fun then there is something seriously wrong.

You should be awarded more for grouping up, not punished. WoW is a prime example of this. With questing you get those pick up quests and mob drop quests. They aren't shared...whats this mean? Its easier and faster to solo because you don't have to do the quest twice, once for yourself and twice for your buddy. Also most of the time you do group up with a friend your not focusing the same mob. You are both doing your own thing hoping your in range to get updates on your kill quest.

Once again FFXI is a great example. You grouped up. When the game came out with Rise of Zilart the first expansion you had.... I think 15 classes. 14 of the 15 were party oriented classes. Group based. The one class that wasn't was specifically used to solo with, the Beast Master (BST for all you FFXI guys/gals). Then later after ToAU came out people got smart and started soloing with there Black Mages. But it was still more profitable, for lack of a better word, to group up with other people.

TL;DR version

Make grouping your main focus. But keep solo play viable for the people that don't have as much time as others.

PS: Having a life has nothing to do with basic mechanics like this in a game.

@Iram

Yeah. FFXI was a great game for its community, the best IMHO. They didn't even have official forums or anything like that back then either. BluGartr and KillingIfrit... ect. where your ways of communicating outside of the game. Unfortunately Abyssea killed what FFXI used to be.

@BeeblesTV

hey now.. keep the name ultima out of your ****sucker

ultima online was the great mmo ever created period

@crazybi0

Develop reading comprehension, learn to form coherent sentences, and avoid hyperbolic non-sense please. Thanks!

@EuchridEucrow

cry much?

@EuchridEucrow Thanks!

@Reverend St Jay

I think beyond the Garriott bashing going on in comments, I think you hit a nail closer to what most are doing.

One has to be "open-minded" and nimble to take advantage of other types of gaming and he could say Blizzard and EA "failed" to start up social gaming, which is true, but what both companies have done have worked for them; if there is no impetus/reason to start something else, especially when you are making money, why bother?

I mean, I could easily call out Blizzard for not making a console game, especially a single-player game for the same reasons. The focus of such a venture is different from an MMO. Blizzard could, but it'd need to start a new branch inside their company (a company within a company) with its own people dedicated to making such games and THAT requires money in salaries and development and servers.

IMO, Garriott and others are feeling the freedom social gaming offers that online gaming used to offer 10 years ago. That's cool and things can be done to capitalize on it, but if I were Garriott, I wouldn't give EA or Blizzard any ideas because they'd probably ruin/corporatize that segment as much as the MMO side has been. Heck, in fact, there has been some in-roads EA has done with a bit of social gaming via Dragon Age, so they are so-so testing the waters and it has been their goal to make more games with online capability, so what Garriott suggests, EA is doing already (albeit very slowly).

Kudoes to Garriott and his start-up but...man...do some research and think about the money expenditures. Am I going to see his new company, Portalarium, make social gaming AND enter the fast-food service arena and offer electronics? Those industries can be profitable, too! To non-exaggerate, will I see Portalarium make console games, because that is a big market? I doubt it.

@Khalus

I remember those days, and don't believe I'm looking back at them through rose tinted glasses. I still remember a number of people I played with, and despite being many levels apart, you could still enjoy their company.

MMOs like EQ required so much more patience than the hack/slash/raid of today's games. For that reason, I find it difficult to get into the child-minded MMOs of today.

@Startingline13 ArmlessOctopus

I'm glad you have fond remembrances to share and all but lets not gloss over all the teeth-grinding crap about that game as well. There is a reason why World of Warcraft toppled Everquest from the top spot when it came out.

@EuchridEucrow I agree, We need to take the good newer MMOs have done, but get rid of the bad.

@startruck And don't forget, also a sellout!

@startruck I was gonna post this but you beat me to it. World of Warcraft was the game that brought casual into the MMO genre. It redefined it (although I'm sad to say, no longer innovating it).

How is WoW not social? When I was playing the game, there was plenty of social interaction and last I checked, you still need a guild to raid every week and there's plenty of chances to group up.

Yeah, they're getting a raid finder to help the casuals out but what MMO doesn't have the feature by now? The one I'm currently playing, DC Universe, has it and it's the one thing that's going to keep me there.