I wanted to start doing some sort of feature where I ask all my readers a question hoping to incite lots of responses. I’m doing this mostly because I’d like to hear what sort of responses I can get, hope to learn more about my readers, and also hope to inspire people to comment more! Sometimes my questions may serve a practical purpose, but this one is purely for my own interest.
Q: What is your favorite sort of environment in an MMORPG? For example, snowy zones, firey zones, jungles, etc. What is it about that particular environment do you like, and can you name a game that really displayed what you love about that environment design?
So throw it at me. The more responses the better!
Tami Baribeau is the Associate Producer for Metaplace, Inc, currently working on Island Life. She is also the Lead Editor of feminist gaming blog The Border House, and the National Facebook Games Examiner for Examiner.com. She can be reached on Twitter or by email.
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Nice feature.
I’d have to say that my favorite environment is any sort of large, open area that is bright and lush green. Maybe some nice rolling hills and a bit of mountainous region along the edges too.
Probably the best example is Nagrand in Outland (World of Warcraft). It’s just an incredibly beautiful zone.
Snowy zones would probably be my second choice.
As a side note…I tend to hate fire/lava/volcano type zones in a game, followed closely by jungle and desert areas.
Jungles. Hands down. Especially “real” jungles– you know them. They’re the very dark, dense ones, with dangerous stuff jumping out to kill you all the time. I like to feel like I’m wandering through the heart of darkness.
I absolutely adore Snowy zones in ANY game. I’m not sure why, either. Maybe it meshes with my notion of the middle-ages, and my affection for dwarves.
But mountainous snowy zones are where I feel the most “at home” in an MMO or any game.
I really think it just depends on how the well the ambience of the zone is done. I love the snowy zones in WoW especially the way the sun or moon reflects off the snow covered ground.
Jungle areas can be cool as hell to if they have a slightly foggy effect and the proper ambient sounds.
Desert type areas are definately my least favorite. I’ve been hiking through Sedona, the Saguaro desert and areas like which are stunning in RL but that type of environment doesn’t translate well into the digital world.
I’m not sure that I have a favorite, but I’ll echo comments from above in that I do not like “wasteland” zones. I always feel like they’re a cop-out by the designers. Even if some of the wasteland-looking zones are full of geometry, they don’t feel like they do.
What exactly is fun about adventuring in an empty plain/desert/savanna? I want some terrain that I can work with. Jungles, forests and hills are all awesome.
I love snowy zone…the one in EQ2 comes to mind. I guess a nice forested zone with nice sloping hills are a close second.
Personally, Ive always been a fan of shorelines. I just like when water in a game meets a landscape. I think some designers really take their time to show that the water has in fact, created this land.
Some good examples of this are the Tryker area of Saga of Ryzom or outside New Targonor in Vanguard.
Cyptic punishing ones. For example:
Velks
I agree with Brack, shoreline environments can be cool if they are done properly. Again I think it’s all in the details.
Vanguard has some really beautiful areas but IMO everything feels very sterile. I think part of it is the lack of scurrying creatures, flying bird, etc. SWG suffered from the same problem.
As far as current MMOs, I think WoW and EQ2 do a pretty good job of breathing life into their environments. I absolutely hate the Barrens but I still think it’s cool when you see a bunch of deer go running across the plains. It just adds character.
I’m smitten by the Rushock Bog in LotRO right now and I’ve been trying to figure out why. I think it is because it is an area unlike anything I have seen before in an MMO. It’s kind of swampy, with gnats flying around and cattails all over the place. Moss growing on trees and lots of water.
Image of Rushock Bog. Warning large image.
The other thing I love is weather effects in any game. For some reason, having it raining or snowing really pulls me into the game more than the normal sunshine does.
Ethic,
did you ever experience Dustwallow Marsh in WoW? Its a similar type environment to that. Great commentary so far, keep it coming!!
My favorite zone of all time is still Old Sebilis. It is a dungeon that has many faces. It has a crypt, 2 jails, a mushroom area (not sure what to call it) a disco platform, many many rooms with beds and just decorated like that. There was a chef’s area and of course a Dragon’s lair. That zone was huge but every area/section had a different personality. That’s the kind of zone I like.
I like beautiful fields and temperate forests — like in Pre-Searing Ascalon in Guild Wars:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinstar/81158238/in/set-1704373/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinstar/79673630/in/set-1704373/
I also like snowy areas (but I hate the snow IRL):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinstar/79658282/in/set-1704373/
This probably isn’t what you’re looking for but I’m pretty much done with “zones” and static environments. I no longer have any interest in exploring a crafted, unchanging area regardless of it’s appearance or inhabitants. I would rather enter a virtual environment that I can mold to my own tastes or that is unlike anything I can find in my own real existance (i.e., earthlike).