An update is in order. I integrated enet into my library. At first, I decided to go with Raknet, however, after reading their licensing and looking over the code more closely, I decided not to go with raknet. First, I do not like to integrate anything into my library that has a license attached which could introduce possible complications later on. Second, after reviewing the code, I got the impression that it was too high level for me to work with. I have also integrated MLAA into my engine.

As I was reading some articles today, I came across a response that I liked (you can read the article here):

Sounds like the author and I have similar opinions regarding MMOs. The problem as I see it, WoW has been too successful, so all subsequent MMOs feel compelled to follow the WoW MMO paradigm, which includes character advancement using a Class system, and a quest-centric model of game play to advance whatever story line is present. This is fine as far as it goes if you like that kind of game, and a LOT of people do, but personally, I prefer a more open world setting, and skill based games.

Again, I’ll use Ultima Online as originally released as the best example of this kind of MMO. Instead of classes, IN UO you had 70+ skills to choose from. If you wanted, you go make a tank character equivalent to a WoW warrior class, or a mage, and so forth, or you could make an interesting hybrid character by combining melee skills with magery skills. You wouldn’t be as good a warrior as someone who chose pure warrior skills, and you wouldn’t be as good a mage as someone who chose pure magery skills, but in some circumstances, you might be better than either (or worse than either, which made playing a hybrid tricky).

This made UO harder to play for some folks, in that a class based system makes it hard for you to screw up your character, whereas in UO, if you chose poorly in your skill selection, you could seriously gimp yourself. In another way, though, UO made it easier for players in that nothing was irreversable. If you selected a skill that didn’t work as will as you thought it might, you could always start training a different skill that worked better for you, allowing the mismatched skill to atrophy. In a class based game, once you start as a mage, you can never change that character to be a warrior. In UO, players did that frequently as Origin changed how skills worked over time, and players changed their skill sets to compensate.

Some player prefer an open ‘sand-box’ game style over quest games as well. Part of what I liked most about UO was that I could do pretty much what I wanted, where I wanted. Now there were places where it wasn’t a good idea for a player to go, particularly solo. There might be mobs there beyond my current skill level, or the PvP might be a bit too intense to be wandering about alone, but beyond that, the entire UO playing area was available at all times. In WoW, by contrast, only a small part of the total gaming area is available to a player at any one time. If you are low level, it would be worse than useless to go to a raid level dungeon. If you are a high level player, the newbie areas are not worth returning to, even though they may be geographically interesting. There is nothing useful for a high level player to do there.

Games like WoW also make grouping players of different levels problematic. My level 5 WoW player can’t interact sensibly with a level 65 player. Given how XP is rewarded, the level 65 players will probably suck all the XP out of the group, making it useless for me to associate with them. In UO, it was much easier for players of differing skill levels to play usefully together. In this regard, WoW type games work AGAINST the MM part of the MMO game design. It discourages player interaction.

Class based quest driven closed games are popular and useful. Without quests, some players would stand around and complain, “There’s nothing to DO here”. Throw a large set of skills to choose from, and many players wouldn’t know where to start. Give players a wide open world, and many will be bewildered regarding where they should go.

That’s fine. ALL games don’t have to be Class/Quest based. A little variety would be healthy, thanks. Give me a world. I’ll figure out for myself what to do with it.