The MMO is one of the few genres that really and truly struggles on consoles. It and the RTS are the bane of the console industry, and while both genres have their bright spots on consoles and are constantly being tackled by developers, there are some reasons they don’t work. Rob Pardo, Blizzard's executive vp of game design, believes he knows why MMOs aren’t making the leap so well. Speaking with Industry Gamers he laid the cold hard truth out.
"...there's a lot of challenges. I'd say challenge #1 is the input device. So if you're going to port a game like WoW how does that work? Do you ship a keyboard and a mouse? Do you try to make a game that [adapts] to all the different controls and buttons? That's a porting issue. The bigger issue would be things like hard drives. I think WoW now is about 10 gigs and we're always pushing out more content. That's something cloud computing could eventually solve, but in the current generation of consoles that's a lot to deal with. You'd have to eat almost the entire hard drive, and there are Xbox consoles [sold to consumers] that don't have hard drives. So that's a big issue," Pardo explained.
He continued, "Another big issue is how to actually do patches because the certification process is pretty arduous to do that. I know that's something Microsoft is trying to work out so you can do more updates and the certification process is faster, but it's not going to be nearly as fast as we can do it. We just put it through our QA department and upload to our servers. ... Then, the other big issue is the business model. Right now, Microsoft and Sony charge platform fees for retail, but if you do an MMO there and it's subscription-based, they're going to want a cut of the subscription revenue too, and so that becomes a hurdle. So there's definitely a lot of hurdles right now for doing MMOs on a console, but it all can be overcome and I think in the next generation of consoles it'll be much easier."
So the issues are the controls, the platforms and the money – that’s pretty much everything, isn’t it?
Contest:
4:00 PM on 06.27.2009
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Not an issue.
If something's good at something, and something else isn't, why try to make them both the same?
Somehow I think Microsoft would bend their rules a bit if WoW on the 360 was a possibility. Pardo's complaints are valid, but the solutions to his concerns aren't nearly as complicated as he makes it sound. I just think Blizzard has absolutely no interest in some sort of WoW console port.
FFXI was crap on the 360. 6 hour installation, 6gb mandatory harddrive space. I don't see how that is working just fine for a console.
I did just fine in FFXI with a PS3 remote. Even though I played it on PC, I opted for a controller, because it's a menu based game. In something like WoW, it would never work, so it would have to require keyboard support. Also, don't assume that Microsoft will never work something out with Turbine or Blizzard in the future, that includes select MMOs in with the gold plan. If they can tackle a few of the hurdles mentioned above, it's too lucrative a business to not strike some deal for (they spend millions on exclusive DLC deals, so it will happen one day). Also, again, PSN=free.
@Topic
Problem #1 is incredibly easy: have it require a USB keyboard and mouse. Nearly everyone has them, and just print it on the box. If Activision can sell Guitar Hero separately and print "requires official keyboard peripheral", why can't an MMO company do the same thing with something you probably have lying around the house? Also, it would be very imprudent of Blizzard to go back and re-develop WoW for consoles: don't expect a Blizzard console MMO until "Blizzard MMO Project II", or "World of Warcraft: Next".
Every MMO has huge a install. In fact, installing FFXI to my laptop took LONGER than it did to install to my 360. Besdies, I was talking mainly about gameplay and updates, not the installation process.
Both FFXI and PSO do not require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play them. I would imagine any MMO brought to the 360 in the future will have a similar policy.
(No PSU shit, K?)
A game that is already on the PC could never be ported to the console because without the mouse and keyboard you would be subpar. Have you seen a Warcraft raiders UI? Its insane. Then you are talking about having to port addons in order to be competitive, you may just as well not play. I use my entire 1-9 plus bind keys to shift + 1-9 and my four mouse buttons with shift counter parts, and the scroll enabled for actions.
Its just too much for it to actually be useful, then as they mentioned size is an issue. Xbox 360 HDD is 20GB at minimum with 13gb usable. Next WOW expansion renders your drive obsolete.
For starters, who say there has to be a keyboard, or controls that necessitate that? If you're creating a console experience, make it work for consoles. Map buttons, limit your 40 ridiculous keystrokes down to basic but nuances combat and magic. I don't want a port of WoW. I want a game that works for what you're putting it on. We've put up with interaction without a keyboard on consoles for year. Between headset communication and the ability to design software (you can still do that right), I'm sure someone can come up with a reasonable communication system. I'm fine communicating in emotes, if you make it intuitive enough.
Then the platform. Sorry to say, its definitely one of the things you're going to have to give up given the current gen. However, I believe a solid piece of code could live without an update. So you've got to have a hefty harddrive. Cost of doing business. Make a vanilla version and a HDD version.
And money? Its really ok. If you're giving a quality product, the gamer will pay. Its been proven by WoW. Further, people pay for gold accounts without blinking for the most part and, of course, the PS3 has no premium network model.
I think its alot of whining and undue trepidation on the part of the MMO developers - all of 'em. Man up and just put something out there already.
Seriously. Fable II. Fable II is probably 9 months of good netcode work away from being a console MMO. Do that. Get money. Thank me later.
Actually It'd be more like porting a 360 game to PC or a PC game to 360, since that's what you're actually talking about. The graphics for Wii are not comparable to 360, and neither are the current controls. Consoles (or at least PS3) support both a controller and keyboard and mouse.
A PC may not be a "console", but a console is literally a computer with a unique OS that is game focused.
And I agree with Tubatic. In my opinion it seem old control systems for MMOG need to be innovated anyway.
Square-Enix says time and time again that due to its need to keep FFXI the same on PC/PS2/X360 they have had to make real sacrifices and have had to drop ideas in favor of ensuring playability on consoles.
Looking into the future, company's are going to have to face the fact that, if your PC and console people are going to play together, your going to have to scale down your PC version.
That being said, Over the years SE had made some leaps and bounds doing all they can to use every last ounce of power and hdd space they can on the PS2 and its still very enjoyable to play so its possible for sure.