Why do many MMO players not appreciate the story?

[Hanscholo]

a large % of people on forums <> a large % of subs.

 

Some people can watch a great movie and hate it, some people think Avatar was a great movie when it was rubbish.

 

People dont always see things the same way.

[Khemizt]

Simply put, it's an MMO game, people play it for the social interaction, you can play offline games and get a good story mode. Just my thoughts i enjoy the story personally.

[Hawk-Firestorm]

Story is prety good.

 

There's just no MMO.

[Sandtrooper]

Ask yourself this. If your character's story were a book, would you want to buy and read that book? So far I would have to say no. (Jugg, BH, Sniper)

 

Have you ever read any of the official Star Wars paperbacks. Uuugh! Total crap.

 

This game on the other hand has great stories. I'm savouring the ones I'm doing.

 

 

Sand

[chakkar]

Have you ever read any of the official Star Wars paperbacks. Uuugh! Total crap.

 

This game on the other hand has great stories. I'm savouring the ones I'm doing.

 

 

Sand

 

Have you read Order 66 by Karen Traviss? If so, why was that book rubish?

 

I doubt you have read it because is was really well written and tells of the goings on during ROTS, through the eyes of some clone commandos.

 

Have you read cloak of deception by James Luceno? I doubt it. THe book is a prequel to TPM. Again, not rubbish.

 

I will admit though that some of the books are very poor. My point is, you can generalize.

[Lethality]

For people saying the story sucks....

 

 

Name another MMO that has even close to as good of a story...

 

I'll answer for you...

 

There are NONE.

 

So quit your whining.

 

Actually, quite a few. In fact, World of Warcraft has an incredibly epic story and setting.

 

But the key difference here that I don't think most people even realize - there's a distinction between story and how it's presented.

 

BioWare uses the digital actors to "tell" you the story.

 

Blizzard chooses to tell you the story through participation.

 

Both games have story (wether they are good stories or not is subjective) but the presentation of the story is very different. Some people prefer digital actors, some people prefer storytelling through demonstration and participation.

 

So, there's no right answer but understand that just because TOR has digital actors doesn't mean it automatically has a better story than WoW or any other MMO. And in reverse, just because a WoW shows you the story by participation doesn't mean it's a better story either.

 

What you're arguing for (or against) here is the presentation of the story.

[chakkar]

Actually, quite a few. In fact, World of Warcraft has an incredibly epic story and setting.

 

But the key difference here that I don't think most people even realize - there's a distinction between story and how it's presented.

 

BioWare uses the digital actors to "tell" you the story.

 

Blizzard chooses to tell you the story through participation.

 

Both games have story (wether they are good stories or not is subjective) but the presentation of the story is very different. Some people prefer digital actors, some people prefer storytelling through demonstration and participation.

 

So, there's no right answer but understand that just because TOR has digital actors doesn't mean it automatically has a better story than WoW or any other MMO. And in reverse, just because a WoW shows you the story by participation doesn't mean it's a better story either.

 

What you're arguing for (or against) here is the presentation of the story.

 

WOW presents story telling through participation? In TOR I participate in Stories as well.

 

DID you mean participation through actually reading quest text?

[gtmach]

Actually, quite a few. In fact, World of Warcraft has an incredibly epic story and setting.

 

But the key difference here that I don't think most people even realize - there's a distinction between story and how it's presented.

 

BioWare uses the digital actors to "tell" you the story.

 

Blizzard chooses to tell you the story through participation.

 

Both games have story (wether they are good stories or not is subjective) but the presentation of the story is very different. Some people prefer digital actors, some people prefer storytelling through demonstration and participation.

 

So, there's no right answer but understand that just because TOR has digital actors doesn't mean it automatically has a better story than WoW or any other MMO. And in reverse, just because a WoW shows you the story by participation doesn't mean it's a better story either.

 

What you're arguing for (or against) here is the presentation of the story.

 

I'd agree with this. I've leveled many characters in WoW and I did take the effort to read quest text most of the time. You'd be surprised at how deep and incredible the story is. But you don't craft your own journey within that story. You just go through the story without making an impact.

 

I just don't understand why people don't go for the story though. I understand that MMO players from the WoW generation just don't care. But story was one of the MAJOR selling points of this game. We knew story and dialogue were emphasized long before this game has launched. Why would you then buy this game if you didn't care about story?

[knightblaster]

I just don't understand why people don't go for the story though. I understand that MMO players from the WoW generation just don't care. But story was one of the MAJOR selling points of this game. We knew story and dialogue were emphasized long before this game has launched. Why would you then buy this game if you didn't care about story?

 

Because a lot of the people who bought the game are MMO fans who bought it because it's the new AAA MMO. Not because of BioWare, story, or Star Wars. I straddle both worlds -- MMO fan and BioWare fan -- but I know that many people who bought and played did not.

[spacepuppy]

I feel the people who hate the story in this game are the minority. Almost everybody who continues to subscribe most likely finds it the most enjoyable aspect of the game; its the focus afterall. I flatly disagree people don't play MMOs for the story. Believe it or not, WoW actually had a pretty good story going on. Its hard for some people to take the cartoony graphics seriously I guess. The conflict between Horde and Alliance can be complex and not all black-and-white. I have played MMOs with poorly presented stories (namely RIFT) and they failed to engage me for very long. I did not feel part of the world and felt the characters were all boring, despite the PvP being fun. Maybe its not the most important aspect in MMORPGs, but I think it means a great deal still. Edited February 2, 2012 by spacepuppy

[Lethality]

WOW presents story telling through participation? In TOR I participate in Stories as well.

 

DID you mean participation through actually reading quest text?

 

No, not just that.

 

As an example, let's take the Icecrown 5-man dungeons... they are connected and all 3 progressively tell a story WHILE you're playing, DURING the action. At the culmination, the Lich King is literally chasing you down an icy corridor and it's a race against time... he's talking and everything, but you are playing and your heart is pounding while he is slowly walking toward you, as you fight your way through his minions and walls of ice to outpace him.

 

It would have been completely different if it went to a cut scene where we watch him as a digital actor threaten us, as we made dialog choices. That just slows it down to a bore and takes you out of the moment.

 

THAT is story through participation in an MMO.

[Lethality]

I'd agree with this. I've leveled many characters in WoW and I did take the effort to read quest text most of the time. You'd be surprised at how deep and incredible the story is. But you don't craft your own journey within that story. You just go through the story without making an impact.

 

I hate to say it, but do you here in TOR, really?

 

I've discussed this for years on the pre-release forums, but for me, personally, I don't need to be THE hero. I don't need to influence the story directly. I get an epic feeling just knowing I was a part of this epic, legendary quest to defeat the primary antogonist of the entire expansion... being part of that is enough for me.

 

I think pandering to the pure hero-types is for a certain kind of player and certain kind of game, and frankly I think is a trap designers fall into a little too often. In an MMO, where your character can never truly THE main protagonist especially by name, I think it's not necessary to force it - write incredibly epic scenarios for the player to find themselves in and they will feel heroic by nature.

 

 

I just don't understand why people don't go for the story though. I understand that MMO players from the WoW generation just don't care. But story was one of the MAJOR selling points of this game. We knew story and dialogue were emphasized long before this game has launched. Why would you then buy this game if you didn't care about story?

 

Again, that's not true.

 

MMO players DO like story, but the presentation of it has to be done right. And I believe that it has to be faster paced that digital actors can provide, in an MMO setting.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Lethality

[Aljabik]

the story is great, for the 3 weeks it takes to complete. A good mmo should fill your life for many YEARS

[Darqu]

In EQ2 it was optional, you could read or listen to the story depending on which tier it was. Some of those quests and complete storylines were really awesome, but most importantly they were optional (until WoWcloneexpansion RoK was released) anyhow...

 

In SWTOR the story is there IN YOUR FACE, always, and everyone has some problem that ONLY YOU can solve. And that involves going to point A killing X mobs or clicking Y items and sometimes even a bonus quest that's kill x of those , click y of those defeat elite mob.

 

In EQ2 I want to do them all, all the quests to hear all the stories, in SWTOR I'm like "Oh no not another one of those annoying beggars who can't pull their own weight and babbles until I accept or space 1 space 1 space 1 space 1"

 

Then you're trying to play with friends over with whatever voip client and server connecting you. You start getting warm, interrupted by lame boring story, okay, try building up the fun again, next generic boring story. We ended up soloing to 50 and they quit playing.

[Kaverf]

At first it's awesome. But by the time I got to the fourth planet, I became ready to send a bill to bioware for any physiotherapy I needed on my thumb after pressing the space bar so many times. The dialogue just becomes stale and boring after so long, that all I want to do is kill whatever the dude wants killed and be done with it.

[adamqd]

I appreciate good story, but this is Bioware story.

 

This. I play MMO's to blaze my own trail, not follow the yellow brick road

[Gankdalf_]

Because a great MMO allowes the player to make the story, not NPC voice acting.

 

My WOW story was about a guild of gankers that would block instances, raid Stormwind, take over Hillsbrad etc etc

 

We did what we liked and it was 5 amazing years.

 

In SWTOR you can't do any of this, it's just too linear.

[chakkar]

This. I play MMO's to blaze my own trail, not follow the yellow brick road

 

YOu've been around since 2008. You knew this was a "story driven MMO". You have no room to complain.

[chakkar]

Because a great MMO allowes the player to make the story, not NPC voice acting.

 

My WOW story was about a guild of gankers that would block instances, raid Stormwind, take over Hillsbrad etc etc

 

We did what we liked and it was 5 amazing years.

 

In SWTOR you can't do any of this, it's just too linear.

 

So....you dont like the game because you can't have "gankers" block your way into an instance?

 

What is stopping you from making your own content the same way you did in WoW? Nothing. How is the game linear? In other MMO's Ive played, such as Rift, you did quests in Sliverwood Zone, then you levled to a certain extent and went to Gloamwood, After leveling a certain # of levels you then went to scarlett gorge....sensing a pattern here?

 

You like WoW, go play WOW.

[NoxiousAlby]

A lot of people come from other MMOs that are light on the story. So they are used to ignoring it. Unfortunately with SWTOR, the story is the main focus, when you ignore it TOR's other shortcoming become even more visible.

 

It doesn't mean anyone is dumb, just that this isn't their type of game.

 

Exactly right, in other games it's about leveling to cap as fast as possible (and we have seen that here) and mindlessly banging your head over repetitious runs time & time again to get that upgrade. Gear progression is the goal of 95% of players imo, and some players from other games dont want to waste time with story lines to get there.

 

For me personaly I have throughly enjoyed the class story lines, so much so I have several characters running with one at cap and another 4 levels off.

[Fardarter]

People are complaining because this game is on rails. Your experience is exactly like anyone else who plays your class. It isn't a step forward for MMOs, it is more a step back.

 

Players have very little freedom in this game to forge their own story or develop a unique identity. This game has too much hand-holding, it is themepark to the extreme to the point it is essentially a single player game where you see other people.

 

No dynamic events, hell I can remember GMs in EQ would run events a decade ago and get everyone involved they were exciting and fun. There is none of that here. The game is a series of quests, poorly implemented pvp, and buggy end game pve.

 

I am in the camp that they released an unfinished product. I think they were under a ton of pressure to do so and behind closed doors they know it.

 

The game will get better but the question is when.

[hurriedcorgi]

I can honestly say (and without remorse) I truly do not care about the story. I play MMOs because I am a competitive person and I like to win. I do also play MW3 but the best mmo of all time was easily pre-t2a UO in the late 90s.

 

When I want story I go play FiranMUX, which, I do on a regular basis.

 

-Matt

Edited February 5, 2012 by hurriedcorgi

[chakkar]

People are complaining because this game is on rails. Your experience is exactly like anyone else who plays your class. It isn't a step forward for MMOs, it is more a step back.

 

Players have very little freedom in this game to forge their own story or develop a unique identity. This game has too much hand-holding, it is themepark to the extreme to the point it is essentially a single player game where you see other people.

 

No dynamic events, hell I can remember GMs in EQ would run events a decade ago and get everyone involved they were exciting and fun. There is none of that here. The game is a series of quests, poorly implemented pvp, and buggy end game pve.

 

I am in the camp that they released an unfinished product. I think they were under a ton of pressure to do so and behind closed doors they know it.

 

The game will get better but the question is when.

 

Can you elaborate on the "little freedom" and "forge your own story" parts of your complaints please.

 

I can go where I want to go, the same as I have in other MMO's. There is no lack of freedom for me. As far as forging your own identitiy, are you saying that because you do the same story as everyone else in your class, you somehow don't feel unique?

 

I do the same stuff I did in other MMO's. I do Instanced dungeons, Raids and gather up ppl to go look for ppl of the oppsing faction. SAME AS I DID IN OTHER MMO's. There is noting lacking here. The game is not on rails.

 

How is PVP poorly implemented? I fight players of the opposing faction, I die, or they die. SAME AS OTHER MMO"S.

 

DONT LIKE THE GAME, LEAVE.

[chakkar]

I can honestly say (and without remorse) I truly do not care about the story. I play MMOs because I am a competitive person and I like to win. I do also play MW3 but the best mmo of all time was easily pre-t2a UO in the late 90s.

 

When I want story I go play FiranMUX, which, I do on a regular basis.

 

-Matt

 

You sound like exactly the type of player for EVE Online. You should check it out. Maybe you're not hardcore enough for EVE, I dont know. I played it off and on since 2003, that is the most competitive game ever created, at least imo.

[ageNtreachery]

A large percentage here on the forums hate on the game and state that they don't give a crasp about the great story Bioware has put into the game. These are probably the same type of people who would play Modern Warfare, but feel they're a more sophisticated gamer, so they play MMO's....then constantly complain about them.

 

IMO, story is what sets this game apart. Ive only played bounty hunter so far and love the story and look forward to playing every class.

 

Story is great. Narrated quest text not so special.