Making MMOs Legendary

I'm one those people that love Dwarf Fortress. That's right, I'm one of those people, the type that rants about it to whomever will listen, and when someone tries to change the topic, will find some way to bring DF back into the conversation. I'm one of those people who think DF is the most important thing to happen to gaming in a decade, and I feel anxious when I think about lone developer Tarn Adams being a mere mortal who may die before he finishes his opus. I'm one of those people.

But I'm not going to talk about why DF represents human genius better than any other single game in history. I agree that the deathly keyboard interface is the worst UI ever constructed -- if you can call it that -- but I also think that such a gaping hole in its design only highlights its genius. Remember, I'm one those people. But like I said, I don't want to talk about that. Instead, I want to talk about a feature built into the core of DF that could, and should, be employed in every game, particularly MMOs: history.

Everything in DF is extrapolated from the moment the world is formed. Civilizations rise, fight, and fall, great cities are built, towns are raided, heroes fight monsters, and monsters eat children. And that's all before you start playing. You can check out the legends of the world at any time and read through the entire history of events that led up to the present. But most importantly, everything you do is added to the world history. The world could not be as it is without your involvment, and the mark you leave, however small, is recorded.

To really get a sense of how this kind of emergent history works, I recommend checking out Tony Dowler's neat pen-and-paper solo game, How to Host a Dungeon (my game in progress is pictured above). HtHaD strips back the world generation of DF into a fun little dungeon creation kit. With some paper, dice, and a set of rules, you create a network of underground caverns populated with monsters, treasure, civilizations, and adventures. As the 'game' rolls on, the map is literally layered with a history (thanks to overlays of tracing paper) that you created. It's a fun afternoon in itself, but given the rich backstory, you could also use the dungeon in a tabletop D&D campaign (there are even instructions on how to convert it).

Let's take this a step further and apply it to MMOs. Sadly, most MMOs are in a 'theme park' glut. This is a completely appropriate term, as a theme park strives to present the same experience for every single person. As theme park games are specifically designed not to have a history, it's pointless to talk about them in this context. In fact, I also think this is another reason why some are predicting their downfall. Theme park MMOs are essentially grinding achievement systems, and there are a ton of games coming out now that use the same mechanic, but without the grind. Exhibit A: Team Fortress 2.

But MMOs can, and should, have a dynamic world that not only lets players shape the environment, but let's them record what's going on. People shouldn't just be sharing the same space, they should be sharing the same history. World histories in MMOs these days are compiled by a dedicated few, or are communicated between players through conversation or via a 'meta-level' of forums or fansites. But these histories are optional -- they aren't built into the fabric of the world. I'm talking about a vast, ubiquitous pool of events that can be mined by the developers, or players, and then put back into every corner of the world.

Imagine going into Anchorhead's cantina in Star Wars Galaxies and conversing with the NPC barkeep. He might tell you about a recent raid near the town; maybe he tells you about a fight that broke out in the bar between two high-level characters; or perhaps he whispers to you that someone has amassed a large fortune. Of course, it need not be NPC driven -- you could walk into a library and read books about legends that came before you. It could even be player driven, or even a player skill, where some characters could have access to world events and then sell the information, write articles in a bulletin, or use it to gain some kind of strategic or tactical advantage.

These histories, however they're implemented, can enrich the spaces that players interact with, and within, every day. It gives meaning to what they're doing, encourages them to talk and interact, and gives all players a shared history. And it's simple to implement. All this information can be recorded, we just need developers canny enough to parse it back into the game.

MMOs need histories like this (or any type of device) that bridges the gap between its two core strengths: shared experience and world persistence. Those games that don't play to these strengths are doomed to be either lonely sandboxes or sugar-coated theme parks. And I think we're all pretty sick of eating sugar and playing with ourselves.

For HtHaD players: I made some fatal mistakes. First, I assumed that baking paper would be a good substitute for tracing paper. It isn't. Second, cats are trouble. Third, you really do need a pencil and an eraser. One tip for Australians: if you don't have beads, which is probably likely, use a $2 coin for loot, and a 5c piece for units -- they're both the same size, but easy to distinguish. Also, if you have a girlfriend (which is unlikely if you spend your Saturdays drawing dungeons) or have long hair, then elastic hair ties make excellent one-shot ZOC markers.