Massively

Questing

Without a doubt one of the defining features of Massively Multiplayer gaming is the quest. Questing was *the* thing to do during the days of MUD1 and its ancestors, a practice muddied somewhat by GUI titles. EverQuest's terrible questing system was actually a step backwards, in many ways. It took until the release of games like City of Heroes, EverQuest 2 and (of course) World of Warcraft to make questing the beautiful core game component it is today. It's hard to argue with questing's place atop the heap of MMO features; quests are how MMO stories are told, how you know when it's okay to go exploring. They're the glue that binds players together in instances, the reason for one group to PvP against another. In upcoming games, they're even reasons to move beyond the concept of 'pure self' in an online game. Warhammer's public questing system will marry the raid and the quest in a holy matrimony of awesomeness - a combination I fully expect to be another defacto standard in future games. Titles like the Agency and Free Realms are mixing up the milieu as well, asking players to do some surprisingly non-violent activities for their rewards. Agency has spies doing nothing more than following and taking pictures, while Free Realms is actually making a profession out of exploring the game world! Of all the features you think of when you think of MMOs questing is easily the most accessible, arguably the most compelling, and without a doubt is the most common thread in the best Massively Multiplayer games on the market.

World of Warcraft

12/03/08