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#Post#: 1559--------------------------------------------------
The difference between a story with MMO setting and an MMO theme
d story.
By: Lumaria Date: January 9, 2017, 11:30 pm
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I really wanted to make this because i felt many of the issues
with comparing different stories with MMO involved, are not
always fair. First off, i want to clarify the difference between
an story with an MMORPG setting, and a MMO themed story.
Stories with MMO setting:
Stories using MMORPG as a setting more than as the main theme
don't necessarily explain a lot as to how the MMORPG works, and
how it can be successful if it was a real game. Creative license
usually takes over above all else if it means telling a
compelling story. The biggest example of this is dot-hack.
Dot-hack has an MMORPG known simply as "The World". Its distinct
and easy to tell that it's a fantasy MMO. But usually doesn't
explain "how" the MMO, just enough to know how it effects the
story. Most of the times the themes are how personalities are
effected in an MMO and the curiosity of what the other person is
like in the real world. In my opinion, dot-hack succeeds in what
it wants to achieve. There are other things affecting the MMORPG
"The World" that can't be tackled as if you were playing an MMO,
the MMO is simply the obstacle they need to overcome.
Another series is "Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?".
This one sort of counts but not fully as gods have transformed
the world MMO-like rules such as armor, spells, and leveling up,
and a simplified and easy to understand economy. But doesn't
explain how you can learn these abilities or how to level up.
only that it is difficult and take a long time, and for story
purposes the main character manages to level up at a unusual
way.
For this series, the purpose of using game mechanics was exactly
to show how much progression a character has made and how much
recognition which readers can understand immediately based on
how this world works.
MMO-themed stories
MMO stories such as Log Horizon and SAO are stories that use MMO
fully as the theme and main intent to fully make us believe that
these MMOs could exist in the real world. Explaining how combat
works, how leveling works, how players can have the biggest
advantage is what drives the entertainment value. Log Horizon
has the biggest advantage of this as the main characters are
adults who major in the kind of thinking and fully take
advantage of the MMO gameplay and use it to their advantage.
The SAO predicament
Why SAO is bad? because it doesn't convey exactly what the story
should be. should it be a heavily themed MMO or should it be a
story that happens to use MMO as a setting?
The simplest terms as to why SAO fails is that it wants us to be
immersed in the idea that SAO is going to be the first MMO to
use VR. It wants us to believe in the numbers given despite the
numbers not being big. It wants us to enjoy the world and the
mechanics when the mechanics don't make too much sense.
So when you don't have a believable MMO, what you have left is
to rely on the story. And what does this story give us? The
story gives us characters that have potential to be something
more than what they are. And although the story seems to make it
like they did, they ended up being the same characters only
getting what they want. Worst of all the main premise also
doesn't make any sense and characters don't even try hard enough
to explore the glaring issues. It could be that the novel
explores more. But i dont believe an entire anime series would
be willing to dumb down the story that much.
IN the end, rather than expanding the SAO with expansion and new
mechanics, it goes make a completely new MMO with its own flaws
(that make no sense for the story) and then does it again for a
second time. It does explore some things that make me personally
believe it wants us to think that it uses MMO setting to explore
other themes, but it doesn't. Which makes it even harder to
appreciate.
How to make a good MMO-themed story and a good story with MMO
setting:
#1) MMO needs to have a purpose (even if its not the main
purpose of the story). Usually one of the biggest themed
explored in both is the gap between the real world and the
online world. Other themes could be explored as well.
#2) The MMO needs to have all the very basics of what makes it
an MMO or one that you can see players playing. Elements such as
such as getting the best armor, monsters to fight and level up,
towns and/or cities for players to either trade or be social and
be immersed.
#3) Make sure you focus on the story being just as compelling.
Many problems SAO had is that it brought glaring issues to the
story and did not address the problems at all. Characters were
also very one-dimensional. If you have interesting compelling
character and story on top of a great MMO theme or setting.
#4) Whatever you do introduce, make sure it's well thought out.
If you're not a hardcore MMO player, ask around and make sure
it's not too obscure.
#Post#: 1563--------------------------------------------------
Re: The difference between a story with MMO setting and an MMO t
hemed story.
By: Orchid Date: January 11, 2017, 8:49 pm
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I like how you differentiated .hack from SAO and how they are on
different levels.
I also think .hack was around the time where MMORPG using VR was
still impossible for the time and that's why it doesn't explain
a lot.
#Post#: 1564--------------------------------------------------
Re: The difference between a story with MMO setting and an MMO t
hemed story.
By: Lumaria Date: January 12, 2017, 12:58 am
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Maybe, but the dot hack series has continued for a while now
even as SAO and Log Horizon grow popular. I still see the same
themes being explored and the MMORPG aspects are always in the
background.
#Post#: 1703--------------------------------------------------
Re: The difference between a story with MMO setting and an MMO t
hemed story.
By: Crackhead Johny Date: April 21, 2017, 10:55 pm
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SAO fails hard and on many levels.
1. a MMO as the world where the story happens, is just an
additional layer to tell the readers that the story doesn't
matter. Why add that other layer? (MMOS are hot right now lets
make that into a story!!! blech)
2. Trying to make the game world matter to the real world
requires some heavy duty level stupid when it comes to the
writing.
3. We now have a generation of people who have played MMOs so
when you make it clear that you have no clue about MMOs and you
want to write a story about them?.. yeouch!
4. MMOs revolve around grinding and griefers. SOA doesn't know
this.
5. People in the real world couldn't figure out how to fix the
murdering griefer problem by simply disconnecting the bad
people.
6. card board cut out cliche characters you cannot care about.
7. the "you can't disconnect it or you will die!" trope.. dumb
every time someone trots it out for another flogging.
SAO is like retardation masonry with one layer of stupid built
on the last layer of stupid which was built on the previous
layer of stupid and so on.
#Post#: 1705--------------------------------------------------
Re: The difference between a story with MMO setting and an MMO t
hemed story.
By: Lumaria Date: April 23, 2017, 6:24 am
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[quote author=Crackhead Johny link=topic=128.msg1703#msg1703
date=1492833333]
SAO fails hard and on many levels.
1. a MMO as the world where the story happens, is just an
additional layer to tell the readers that the story doesn't
matter. Why add that other layer? (MMOS are hot right now lets
make that into a story!!! blech)[/quote] agreed. If they do add
that layer of has to be relevant. Other than that
[Quote]
2. Trying to make the game world matter to the real world
requires some heavy duty level stupid when it comes to the
writing.
3. We now have a generation of people who have played MMOs so
when you make it clear that you have no clue about MMOs and you
want to write a story about them?.. yeouch! [/quote]
This is where creative license and filling the blanks is
important. Not every story is going to be perfect, especially
involving MMO.
making sure you know what kind of story you want to make. SAO
just doesn't know of it wants to be a story with an MMO setting
or an MMO story. It's somewhere inbetween. It wants to be taken
seriously but then fails on the very things it wants people you
to take seriously.
I think most people can forgive the large gaps if the NON aspect
wasn't so forced on.
[Quote]
4. MMOs revolve around grinding and griefers. SOA doesn't know
this.
5. People in the real world couldn't figure out how to fix the
murdering griefer problem by simply disconnecting the bad
people. [/quote]
[Quote]
6. card board cut out cliche characters you cannot care about.
7. the "you can't disconnect it or you will die!" trope.. dumb
every time someone trots it out for another flogging.
SAO is like retardation masonry with one layer of stupid built
on the last layer of stupid which was built on the previous
layer of stupid and so on.
[/quote]
I think the worst thing about SAO is that it simply just didn't
know what it wanted to do. It's main goal was to wow us that it
was a new type of MMO
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