3D Zombie MMORPG, would it work?

[Lazarus Long]

Multiplayer I can take or leave (with an inclination towards leaving), I just want Dead Rising and Grand Theft Auto to make sweet love and have beautiful babies. Perhaps raised by Bethesda.

 

[Twilight_guy]

So... a L4D mmo? pass. I'm tired of whinny geeks and zombies at this point. Shoving zombies into everything seems to have increased in recent years and It's getting real old, real fast.

As for the mmo... It'd probably do well for a time but never be really popular. Zombies are interesting for a time but can't hold an entire mmo together just on that.

 

[oppp7]

Isn't NCSoft making one?
Isn't Fallen Earth a apocalypse MMO?
Edit: I'd play it if it was free to play.

 

[Tucker154]

there is one its called dead frontier

are they still on the beta for that or is the full version out?I was waiting for it to be fully made before playin it.

OT:I think it would work if the scale of the cities was HUGE(!) and if they did,i would actualy like them to make ammo rare.If they did that it would feel more like u were in the zombie ap.

 

[kevin_kaya]

So... a L4D mmo? pass. I'm tired of whinny geeks and zombies at this point. Shoving zombies into everything seems to have increased in recent years and It's getting real old, real fast.

As for the mmo... It'd probably do well for a time but never be really popular. Zombies are interesting for a time but can't hold an entire mmo together just on that.

Are you sure? You seem to dismiss the idea without really considering the concept in depth. Almost all aspects of a fantasy MMORPG can be applied to a Zombie mmo, (emphasis on almost)

Quest = Missions
Monsters = Zombies
Mage, Warrior = Shotgunner, Machinegunner (Something of the likes)
Gold = Dollars
A vast magical land to explore = A vast city/landscape to explore

See what I mean??

 

[Kryzantine]

The problem with a zombie MMORPG is that any MMORPG is designed around the ability to jump into a world of other people, boost your own strength and compete or cooperate with said others, who all have different strengths, making the situation interesting. Unfortunately, this completely defies the purpose of a zombie game, where the PC might get a few better guns and maybe an extended health bar, but there isn't much actual progression; the whole purpose of the game is to test the player's endurance. You had this problem in Fallout 3, which quickly sacrificed the survival aspect in lieu of the RPG aspect, and you didn't have too much problem with common enemies.

So you can't have a zombie MMORPG because you cannot balance progression with survival against the same enemies. Either players get to a stage where they do not find zombies challenging anymore (which is the problem with Dead Frontier ATM), defying the purpose of the zombie title; or everyone turns out to be equal, defying the purpose of a MMORPG.

 

[SquirrelPants]

Would it work?

Would you play it?

What would you want to see in it?

What WOULDN'T you want to see in it?

I know there's that flash one, but I'm talking proper 3D MMORPG, on a scale similiar to WOW..

I don't see why not. It would probably require a ton of server space to run the game itself, but given proper funding I see no reason it wouldn't work.

Hell yeah I would play it.

A good mix between traditional zombies and the newer "fast zombies" would be nice. Good RPG elements are a plus, but I'd rather have the type where you level up in specific skills than an actual "level up"(as in D&D, WoW, Fallout, etc.) system. Also good character customization.

I actually am thinking that I wouldn't like to see quests/missions. I think it would be interesting to have them, but I would prefer to just pave my own path through the game.

 

[SquirrelPants]

The problem with a zombie MMORPG is that any MMORPG is designed around the ability to jump into a world of other people, boost your own strength and compete or cooperate with said others, who all have different strengths, making the situation interesting. Unfortunately, this completely defies the purpose of a zombie game, where the PC might get a few better guns and maybe an extended health bar, but there isn't much actual progression; the whole purpose of the game is to test the player's endurance. You had this problem in Fallout 3, which quickly sacrificed the survival aspect in lieu of the RPG aspect, and you didn't have too much problem with common enemies.

So you can't have a zombie MMORPG because you cannot balance progression with survival against the same enemies. Either players get to a stage where they do not find zombies challenging anymore (which is the problem with Dead Frontier ATM), defying the purpose of the zombie title; or everyone turns out to be equal, defying the purpose of a MMORPG.

To counter this problem, see my post above. Having an RPG system in which there are no levels, but you can boost up certain skills(Guns, Melee, Engineering, Strength, Endurance, the list goes on) would mean players wouldn't eventually lose the challenge, and it would also mean that so many skills could be added that it would be neigh impossible to have a character who isn't specialized for a specific thing like sniping, building barricades, making improvised weapons, etc.

 

[Koganesaga]

It wouldn't work, but out of principle I would have to play it at least once and try my damnedest to like it.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

there is one, it's called urban dead. it's pretty neat, to bad I got locked out a wile ago. but I would like to see one where you control a person directly instead of a word on page.

 

[SquirrelPants]

there is one, it's called urban undead. it's pretty neat, to bad I got locked out a wile ago. but I would like to see one where you control a person directly instead of a word on page.

I believe you mean Urban Dead [http://www.urbandead.com/index.html]. It's interesting, but not much fun.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

there is one, it's called urban undead. it's pretty neat, to bad I got locked out a wile ago. but I would like to see one where you control a person directly instead of a word on page.

I believe you mean Urban Dead [http://www.urbandead.com/index.html]. It's interesting, but not much fun.

oops, thanks. like I said, it's bean a while sense I was gone, so I had forgotten the exact name.

 

[kevin_kaya]

What I have in mind isn't even comparable with a "pen and paper" MMORPG

And I think the 'Problems' people have come up with are quite easily avoidable..

With the progression thing, you just have to change some of the 'outlines' of MMORPG and adapt them into a Zombie concept, so you keep 50% of the classic things and change the other 50% for new things.. so you still have the MMO feel but with a twist.. So you keep the good stuff of an MMO (Community, endless progression) and replace the bad ones (Grinding, boring quests, lack of 'player skill' required) with good things!

 

[josemlopes]

It will never work. Sure, Zombie MMOs may well be made, but they will never, ever work well. The reason why is obvious: MMOs are designed around a static set of circumstances that do not change significantly no matter what the player accomplishes, allowing the game to be played infintely. Without this, you literally cannot have an MMO. On the other hand, any story, film or game involving zombies is necessarily designed around a finite outcome - you either win against the zombies or lose against the zombies (with the option of infinite struggle being functionally exactly the same as loss, because if you can't ever beat the zombies what's the point of trying). Once this finite outcome is reached, that's it - end of game. This is an incompatible state of affairs with MMOs in general.

I would not play such a game even if it existed. Zombies are ultra-trendy right now and thus boring me a little at the moment. I'm kinda craving something different in games right now, not the same old same old.

I disagree. What's the 'point' of any fantasy MMORPG? `There isn't one, it's just get stronger, collect items, meet people, complete quests. Why couldn't it work for Zombies? Seeing as the world is over run by zombies, weapons will be scarce so finding decent weapons will be a hard task, missions can revolve around helping people, i.e "Travel to this place and find Dr. Yeang, he has been working on xxx and we need a sample of it" etc. etc. There could be a huge world to explore, loads of things.. just think about it

It could work for Zombies.

It won't work well for Zombies. Zombies is one of those very specific types of storytelling that is completely incompatible with the MMO format for the reason I've already stated. If you don't believe me, wait and see. The "kick-ass WOW-beating zombie MMORPG" will not be made within our lifetimes.

Make one that is finite then, in each server its a different story, some servers may be winning while others are loosing, when one of them ends he will restart, the players can play from the start or go to another server. The transation could be the player arriving to a new city that is still infected. While the city is still infected they cant leave. Each server is a city, and each character are forced to switch server (city) when they die and they can choose to switch when the city is clear.

Which would work beautifully. But then you're not playing an MMO. See my point?

Well, survival its the key for horror, and for survival to work you must have the abillity to win or loose, or there would be no porpuse to play the game. It may not be a true MMO, but it would feature large cities, enough players and a dynamic world, I would even consider it better then the typical MMO where everything is always the same. Expansions could add new studd from time to time, like new countries with new acrhitect stytle and wheather conditions.

 

[Twilight_guy]

So... a L4D mmo? pass. I'm tired of whinny geeks and zombies at this point. Shoving zombies into everything seems to have increased in recent years and It's getting real old, real fast.

As for the mmo... It'd probably do well for a time but never be really popular. Zombies are interesting for a time but can't hold an entire mmo together just on that.

Are you sure? You seem to dismiss the idea without really considering the concept in depth. Almost all aspects of a fantasy MMORPG can be applied to a Zombie mmo, (emphasis on almost)

Quest = Missions
Monsters = Zombies
Mage, Warrior = Shotgunner, Machinegunner (Something of the likes)
Gold = Dollars
A vast magical land to explore = A vast city/landscape to explore

See what I mean??

Notice how I mentioned an MMO based around zombies? I meant based only on "ZOMG, zombies!" as a selling point. You are now introducing underlying gameplay. That holds a game together and makes it work. Take note that this selling point does not rely on zombies though, the set pieces can be swapped with a wide variety of things and zombies are just one skin to pull over the mechanisms. In this case, it's not zombies selling the game but a fun game that has zombies where it could have mutant slime, pirates, aliens, or fluffy ponies. I play fun games because I like fun games but trying to sell a game on the idea of zombies alone as something different (the essence of the question) does not sell the game for me. I don't give a damn if I'm shooting zombies or hacking the limbs off ogres, its the gameplay that draws me not the motifs that give form to the underlying processes.

 

[kevin_kaya]

More people's opinion?

 

[WestMountain]

Maybe like GTA IV with +300 players sandbox mode with barricade mechanics and looting, and once in awhile there would be panic events a la L4D so players must cooperate against the masses of AI zombies trying to kill them

Wouldn't that be fun?

 

[TheEarlOfGrey]

I'm not sure. I mean I always thought Capcom would do a Resident Evil MMO set in an absoluely giant Raccoon City complete with a Nemesis and Tyrants where the players were infected, and work together to survive and so side quests and helping STARS or for anti-virus tablets and such.

 

[Marsell]

So you mean like Left 4 Dead, but MMO.

Fuck that'd be awesome.

It wouldn't work, but it'd be awesome.

that was my first thought to.
Character customization.

 

[CuddlyCombine]

Two factions; zombies and humans. Humans have firearms, fatigue, strongholds, and the anti-virus. Zombies have heightened speed, toughness, reanimation and infection. If a zombie fights a human and wins, the human becomes a zombie. However, the humans can inject zombies and convert them to humanity with the anti-virus.

Obviously you'd need a lot more work done, but I think that would be a really fun game.