A Look Inside MMO Games

There is a world as yet untouched by a multitude of Xbox® gamers, a genre of play that is sometimes confounding and often misunderstood. To those that live it and play it, it has many names. Call it a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game, a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game), an online RPG, or a Persistent World game.

Whatever you choose to call it, these games live largely on the PC with a few exceptions (Phantasy Star Online™ Episode I & II), and, despite their growing fan base, are still considered niche games, or at the very least for the hardcore.

I've seen eyes roll, heard mocking laughs, or observed stunned looks of glazed silence when broaching the subject of MMOs to many a gamer friend. I've also called those same friends later to invite them to a bar or a ballgame, only to be told "sorry, I'm raiding tonight." The MMO market—the acronym I prefer since not all these titles are roleplaying games (RPGs)—is a finicky seductress. For those that dig it, the immersion of a living, breathing, dynamic world with a real community and player-based economy can be intoxicating.

With FINAL FANTASY® XI set to launch for Xbox 360™ (and currently in beta), we now have a confirmed and highly popular entry into the MMO genre for traditional console gamers. It's time now for a little explanation, a little bit more understanding of the genre, and a few warnings to boot.

The Art of Persistence
It's the persistent element of a MMO title that sets it apart from your standard online fare. The world exists and will always exist until years down the road when the developer pulls the plug. When you sign off and head to bed, the world you exited continues to live. Players still quest, monsters spawn, auctioneers hawk their goods, battles are waged, characters are created, etc. It is quite literally a virtual world.

The persistent worlds of MMOs are also changing worlds. Since these games are played on a subscription basis, the developers are constantly working to create new content to keep the game fresh and exciting for the players. This includes new gear, whole new environments (often called zones), new dungeons, etc. Play a MMO game on day one, and then look at it a year later, and you'll see radical change all around you. These changes range from fantastic new locales and loads of new equipment to new races to play and character classes to experiment with. Change is the promise of the MMO and it's one of the genre's most attractive features.

Some MMOs deliver this new content via regular or semi-regular code updates, while others choose to release new content via expansion packs. You don't need to purchase the expansion packs to keep playing, but you won't be able to partake in the new content if you don't hand over some cold, hard cash.

Staples of the Genre
MMO games are traditionally RPGs, and since FINAL FANTASY XI is coming to Xbox 360, we'll stick with that as the template for our discussion. When you begin these games, you create a character (some call them avatars or toons, but not me) just like you would in many RPGs (think The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind®). Then you select a race; in Final Fantasy XI's case, you choose from:

• Elvaan: This is your typical elf character, slender but powerful, sharp features, pointed ears, and very tall.
• Balka: This race is broad and hulking and almost tailor made for the warrior class.
• Hume: Essentially, these are the humans, and, like most RPGs, the humans are a jack-of-all-trades sort of people. They specialize at nothing, but are capable of most anything.
• Mithra: Breaking form from most RPGs, the Mithra are a cat class, and possess many of the benefits you would think fitting a feline character; they make excellent rogue-like characters.
• Tarutaru: These tiny folk would have to crane their necks to look even a hobbit in the eye. They make up for their lack of pure strength with a keen natural prowess in the magical arts.

After selecting a race, you choose your character class (typical archetypes like warrior, ranger, rogue, magician, healer), and then customize the look of your character and perhaps alter a few stats or skills. After that, you're unleashed upon the world to fight injustice, meet new friends, explore fantastic settings, and generally become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. There are also a few broad staples of the genre that people should be aware of.

Servers
Typically, when you sign up for a MMO game, you're asked to pick a server to play on. A server is the physical location where your world and your characters are stored. You pick a server for your character to permanently live on. Most gamers like to pick one that their friends are on, or a server that best fits their play style. Many MMO games will offer you several different server choices:

• PvE: This stands for Player versus Environment, which means you're primarily concerned with battling game-controlled monsters and playing through quests. This is a sort of catch-all server dedicated to no particular hardcore slant. It doesn't mean there's not any PvP (Player versus Player) action, but it likely means it's not as prominent and possibly even a little scaled back. Also known as PvM, or Player versus Monster.
• PvP: These servers bring Player versus Player gameplay to the forefront. Standard PvE questing and grinding still exists, but player on player combat is much more prominent. For example, on PvE servers you may be able to travel through enemy territory unharmed unless you decide to attack a non-player character (NPC, controlled by the game) or PC (Player Character, controlled by another person), whereas on a PvP server, when you enter enemy territory you're fair game to everyone.
• Roleplaying: PvP servers may be the ideal playground for hardcore competitive gamers, but roleplaying servers are for those that take their characters seriously, or at the very least play MMO games for the utmost escapism. While you're usually not required to talk "in character" all the time, you'll likely run across a lot more people who play the part of their character as opposed to sitting around chatting about RL (real life) topics or discussing in-game mechanics (referred to as meta-gaming), which can sometimes lead to breaking the mood of the game.

Warring Factions
This feature is becoming quite popular as more and more MMO games hit the market. In titles with warring factions, when you pick your character at the beginning of the game you also select a race belonging to one of two different factions (think of a Halo® 2-themed MMO where you could play the part of a Human or Covenant character). Thus, for PVP purposes in the latter stages of the game, you already have a natural enemy in your opposing faction to unleash your wrath on.

Grouping
With cooperative games still fairly fresh, gamers have been pining for more and more group play, and, if that's your thing, the MMO genre has exactly what you're looking for. Much of the content for MMO games is designed with a balanced group in mind.

This is especially true of Final Fantasy XI, where, after proceeding through the early levels, you need to group with friends and strangers to survive any mid- to high-level zone. In MMO games, each class has a dedicated role in a group, so instead of soloing and trying to do everything you can let the warrior "tank" (provoke the enemies into hitting them since they're well-armored and stocked with health) and let the mage stand back and fire off spells and "debuffs" (debilitating effects on monsters) while the ranger snipes from the back row and the healer protects everybody.

Guilds
Remember, when you're playing an MMO, you're literally playing with thousands of other people inhabiting the world simultaneously. These servers offer up real communities of people, and guilds are a way of fostering that community. Guilds give you the chance to belong to a dedicated network of gamers, so you can always have an opportunity to ask for help in a quest, get a question answered regarding a new skill, help develop strategy for different encounters, and so on and so forth.

MMO games have shattered the conception of linear gaming. You don't go from one quest to the next to eventually beat the game. There is no ending, no standard "beating the game." The goals and satisfaction garnered from the genre are of your own devising. Maybe you just want to hit the level cap, build and manage a guild, become a dedicated crafter selling your wares, a freelance adventurer for hire, or simply a social creature organizing in-game parties and events. It's all up to you.

Article by Ryan Treit