The average timespan for my playing an MMORPG is two weeks. Some games get less than that (Asheron’s Call 2), some get more than that (WoW and Final Fantasy XI)… But it has never gotten to the point where I feel compelled to play the game even a month after I first buy it. I’ve been trying to figure out why this happens, and why I can’t play an MMORPG nearly as much as I can a single-player RPG like Final Fantasy VII (Which I played through AT LEAST 4 times), Dungeon Siege, or Diablo 2. Then it hit me.

MMORPGs all do the same thing wrong, that not a single one I’ve seen has been able to change:

• Level grind - I like leveling up my character as much as the next guy, but MMORPGs FORCE you to level up if you want to get anything cool. In single-player RPGs, you could level up at your leisure, and you weren’t punished if you were a low-level by anything other than the fact that certain spots in the game would be harder for you (easier if you were higher-level). Also, that said, a higher-level character should [i]feel[/i] more powerful than a lower level character. Often, the differences that one or two levels makes is negligible. Don’t go for a ridiculously high level cap if its going to take a 10 level difference to make any real impact in the power difference between two characters. With that said, I want there to be the possibility that a lower-level character with skill can easily take out a higher-level character (within reason) that has no skill, just higher numbers. Make MMORPGs more skill-based.
• Cookie-Cutter Quests - All MMORPGs I’ve played have had the same quests, over and over and over again. 90% of the quests are all “Kill x,” “Kill x, y number of times,” “bring x to y,” etc. How hard is it to come up with a truly GENUINELY fun quest? Guild Wars is the first MMORPG I’ve seen to actually come up with a solution for this problem, and so far, it looks absolutely amazing.
• Combat System - Whoever made the rule that an MMORPG combat system had to be based on a rigid point-and-click system? EVERY MMORPG I’ve seen has done this, and the least they could do is make it a bit more action-packed clicking. Add some more strategic layers to the system (Final Fantasy XI and Guild Wars have managed to do this very well) to make it not just about numbers.
• Traveling - Another aspect of the MMORPG that I greatly dislike is the idea that you need to spend hours upon hours traveling from Point A to Point B. It’s [i]perfectly[/i] okay for an RPG to expedite the traveling for LOW-LEVEL CHARACTERS. Numerous games give mounts to high-level characters, but these “high-levels” take FOREVER to achieve. Why not give mounts to character at, like, level 15-20. That way it still takes a couple days to get high enough to need a mount, but not so high-level to the point that only the most hardcore can achieve. Or, hell, just leave traveling to a “first time only” thing. Once you explore a certain area, you can travel to it instantly whenever you want (from key locations, like a “flight master,” a la WoW).

There are some aspects of the modern MMORPG that I do like though. For instance, the constant search for better, more rare, and more unique items is something I actually enjoy. I like being able to deck out my character in only the coolest-looking and most rare items around.

[Originally Posted at GameDev.net]