Pekod

The competitive side of the game is working in the opposite way.

What I would consider a 'pure' pvp style of FPS and fighters is being replaced through the MMO game model by a competition model where no individual characters/classes bring the full suite of pvp abilities, (unless they do) and are forced to cover each other limitations just to function in pvp. This is amazingly aggravating for anyone familiar with the more customary pvp model of fighters, where every class is supposed to be capable of handling every situation, even if it's in an unusual way.

I don't believe that competition is logically possible in a group format. The entire process devolves into rote memorization and co-ordination exercises. Any innovation spells disaster for the team. (please, spare me the real life sports comparison) Frankly, the old model of enforced teamplay simply isn't going to work if they player has no intention of grouping socially, and no amount of design can change that. The design must be centered around the individual, with additional, optional, and heavily streamlined group activities actually providing more fun rather than better progression or gameplay.

-Haply

Early WoW did it properly. You walk through the world slowly, and then progress your way up to fast traveling, roughly in tune with how bored of the overworld you are getting.

Two problems arose.

1. Flying mounts made the entire overworld redundant, since ironically, nothing looks terribly epic from 1000 feet. They were also effortless to acquire. Finish every quest->gather some rocks->buy epic mount. Way too easy.

2. A few of the convenience options were overboard. City portals were insane. There was already a city portal function available in the game, it was callled mage players. (No class suffered more than mage in terms of other classes getting all of their perks) It made the entire game feel like a candy store.

Yes, but only in pvp. The problem is that developer randomness (and unwillingness to nerf as a general business model) constantly changes what classes are effective in pvp. If you invest the 50+ hours requires to have a functioning endgame pvp "class," and then the developers suddenly decide to fix something, you've just purchased a very expensive brick.

Leaving choice in the hands of the players, while developers try desperately to create some form of balance for as many classes as possible, is the standard for all competitive games. To remove that choice, and to force the player to use whatever the combination of developer choice and player innovation has generated, is not a true competitive game, and will continue to stifle player desire to compete seriously.

WoW devs understand that: they allow choice on the pay-extra-to-play tournament realms, but that concept needs to be extended to default servers to encourage more genuine competitive with the classes that are actually worth playing, among ordinary players. (I've told them this a multitude of times on boards they read, but I've abandoned that game for the same reason. My 'pure' character became irrelevant due to their design shift, and no class change was permitted.)

Remember that in one very important sense, the trend is operating in reverse. Competitive games, online or otherwise, have long been single player only. Many players, especially myself, would argue that single player competition is the only kind that matters.

Now suddenly MMOs have become mainstream due to WoW, and players who have no imagination of the difficulty and adrenaline of real competition are being saddled into neat little arena teams. Randomness, latency, inevitably bad balance, and the lovely grey areas of metrics that aren't based solely in victory produce a horrible lukewarm social experience that competition lovers never imagined or desired. In front of our eyes, and entire lifestyle is crushed by forced socialization, as we run back to diminishing genres like fighters in attempt to regain a pure experience, one that actually challenges us.