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Originally Posted by mag
But the reason you like those things is because they're associated with the development of your character. Surely you wouldn't be interested in working with stats just out of a sheer love of mathematics. And I doubt you'd be very interested buying virtual equipment just as a simulated exercise in capitalism.
And even assuming you do enjoy just those things, that still doesn't mean that those are the defining characteristics of the genre. It may be what you like about it, and that's your right. But that's a different thing. The thing I like about adventure games is the stories. But I recognize that a game needs to have more than story to be considered an adventure game.
mag
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I thought you were saying stats in general aren't a major part of RPGs... And actually, in MMOs, it is very much about capitalism for a lot of people, and it's fun as hell. The economy is a big part of MMOs. Everyone starts going crazy because it's rough on the people at the bottom, but those at the top enjoy having the power to basically keep the best items in the hands of the die hard players alone (every server becomes a tiny, fantasy version of real life in many ways just by allowing people to begin doing what it is that they instinctively do).
In FF11, there was a bow called the Eurytos' Bow that any respectable Ranger wanted to get their hands on. The enemy that dropped the bow (and it wasn't even a 100% drop) spawned once every REAL LIFE 24 hours! So, you can imagine the demand for this bow would be quite high. Last I checked it's up to 15 million gil on most servers. Anyway, I do realize that this isn't a big part of single player RPGs, but I would say it's a huge part of an MMO. You often see other players with a piece of equipment that you want really badly, but you can't afford... Status and reputation are quite a big deal in MMOs too. That's why there isn't much story. Once you start playing an MMO, no one gives a rat's ass about story.
EDIT: I forgot to mention, some MMO players (actually quite a lot of them) focus entirely on crafting. So, for them, I guess crafting items to sell or trade to "adventurers" (those that go out and create parties and fight) is what they like best about these games. A high level crafter can really create a monopoly early on because people will want their rare creations and there won't be any immediate competition. It's pretty neat how it works... Argh. Talking about these games makes me want to play again, CURSE THEM!
