Massively

Instancing

Partitioning off a portion of the game world is one of the more recent additions to this list of MMO features, only having shown up in a games since after the turn of the century. The idea of instancing, though, is just as much a classic as PvP or pets. Modern games make copious use of this feature, usually for storytelling purposes. Where games like EverQuest 2 use it judiciously to ensure a fun play experience for dungeon groups, breaking up the playerbase is a basic element of the Guild Wars philosophy. As a result of instancing, modern games are bouncing back and forth liberally between the two extremes of GW's 'hub and spokes' and a totally open world. Upcoming titles are planning a judicious use of private game areas, either for focused PvP experiences (WAR, AoC) or to allow for specific stories to be told (The Agency). None of them compare to the use of instancing we would have seen in the now long-dead Mythica ... but that's a lament for another article.

Guild Wars

12/03/08