| Well - MMO.games "go" (can) just as far as Single Player games. You just have to remember, in MMO.games there are thousands that experience the same story line.
In DAoC for instance, many quests are connected, do one to open up for another that continues a specific story line (where there are many story lines). That is the same way single player games work (BG2: Pay 10.000 gold to get to next chapter?). There are just many more quests, and more that keeps getting added. So there - story lines are developed and expanded constantly.
In EVE-Online, the developers have done much for the players to involve the story line of the universe. For instance when the old emperer of one of the "races" died, all players of that race (each player belonged to a "house", that they selected a character creation) would battle against each other (sort of a civil-war/contest) and the winners "house" was allowed to elect a new emperor from that house. Of couse this didn't mean that a player became emperor, but the player had influence on the game universe.
I've seen such things happen many times in both DAoC and EVE-online.
But yes, much of the games in MMO. games is about "leveling" up, buying fancy stuff and getting better then your enemies - but such is it in most all games, - you level up and get better equiptment in BG2 also, there you just compete with computer controlled NPCs.
But much of the MMO. atmosphere is - you are doing so with and against thousands of other players at once. |