Single player MMO experience

[J1M]

Let's discuss single-player games that offer an experience akin to what is normally found in MMOs. The two examples that I can think of were both on PS2.

Final Fantasy XII had the feeling of a single-player version of Final Fantasy XI. I only made it about halfway through the game, but I liked the way you could unlock abilities for your party and assign them AI scripts in a free-form manner. If the game had the japanese story elements cut from it and the game was just about roaming the wasteland hunting down named monsters I probably would have played it longer.

.hack revolved around playing an MMO inside the game. It was a neat idea, but the combat felt very poorly executed. Didn't get far in this one at all.

In some ways, Dragon Age 1 may fit the bill. You have a party that can be somewhat customized and somewhat scripted. Plus, it has a lot of trash mobs.

Were there any others? Or one currently in development?

 

[His Majesty]

Kingdoms of Amalur? Enclosed zones which are filled with fetch quests and a horrific story presentation. Really got a (bad) MMO feel about the game.

 

[Metro]

Amalur plays like a low budget version of WoW with active combat. A lot of the locations are ripped straight from WoW, too. Almost any Diablo clone. Borderlands, etc. Any game where quests are simply there for the sake of leveling up and shuttling the player from one location to another to grind more enemies.

 

[Seari]

PoE is a good one.

 

[J1M]

Kingdoms of Amalur? Enclosed zones which are filled with fetch quests and a horrific story presentation. Really got a (bad) MMO feel about the game.

Perhaps I should have been more explicit, but party-based would be a requirement for this type of game. The idea being to recreate the enjoyable parts of an MMO (exploration, dangerous areas, interesting boss fights) without the things that drag (massive time commitments, requiring a dozen friends to be online and interested, etc).

 

[Zed]

Two World II is the most MMORPG-ish singleplayer RPG I've ever played.

 

[Average Manatee]

Guild wars fits the bill depending on your interpretation. Very nice that you can play so well as a "fuck off everyone I want to play my MMO alone and interact with no one except through PMs" person.

 

[racofer]

Skyrim.

It's large, empty, and dull as fuck. Carry useless loot all day to make money you won't need. Tons of A -> B quests with the magic quest compass.

 

[J1M]

Guild wars fits the bill depending on your interpretation. Very nice that you can play so well as a "fuck off everyone I want to play my MMO alone and interact with no one except through PMs" person.

I did think about guild wars while posting this thread, but I didn't include it because if I remember correctly the NPC companions can't have their skills/AI changed by the player.

 

[Average Manatee]

I did think about guild wars while posting this thread, but I didn't include it because if I remember correctly the NPC companions can't have their skills/AI changed by the player.

They added Heroes in the expansions which do just this, and you can semi-control them (stances, manually activate skills or temporarily ban skills from being used).

This also destroyed the game for the "normals" who wanted to group with other people and socialize, since it turns out that 95% of people in MMOs want nothing to do with other people in MMOs 95% of the time.

 

[Metro]

Perhaps I should have been more explicit, but party-based would be a requirement for this type of game. The idea being to recreate the enjoyable parts of an MMO (exploration, dangerous areas, interesting boss fights)...

I'm not sure how these things are hallmarks of an MMO? Although you aren't going to find many (if any?) real-time combat (RTwP doesn't count) party-based RPGs if that's part of your requirement. Otherwise there's no shortage of turn-based/RTwP single player RPGs that do.

 

[J1M]

Perhaps I should have been more explicit, but party-based would be a requirement for this type of game. The idea being to recreate the enjoyable parts of an MMO (exploration, dangerous areas, interesting boss fights) without the things that drag (massive time commitments, requiring a dozen friends to be online and interested, etc).

I'm not sure how these things are hallmarks of an MMO? Although you aren't going to find many (if any?) real-time combat (RTwP doesn't count) party-based RPGs if that's part of your requirement. Otherwise there's no shortage of turn-based/RTwP single player RPGs that do.

Why would you think that they aren't? The fetch quests and solo leveling experience were popularized by WoW.

 

[Metro]

I was referring to the things you drew attention to in your parenthetical: exploration, dangerous areas, interesting boss fights. Those aren't limited to MMOs. Or single player games that somehow 'ape' the MMO experience. Shitty fetch quests? Is that also one of the requirements?

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Dragon Age: Inquisition. Core gameplay is an MMO.

Story and cutscenes are the only non-MMO thing about it. Everything else is straight out of an MMO. Horrific, HP bloat combat. Shit sidequests. Boring areas.

 

[J1M]

I was referring to the things you drew attention to in your parenthetical: exploration, dangerous areas, interesting boss fights. Those aren't limited to MMOs. Or single player games that somehow 'ape' the MMO experience. Shitty fetch quests? Is that also one of the requirements?

Some have incorrectly assumed I was asking for a game with shitty fetch quests. My comment on them was a response to that.

The properties I listed in combination with party-based combat is how I would define the "single player MMO". I can't see a similar game with a single character evoking the same 'feel'. In part, because it would probably feel more like Zelda/Darksiders and in part because the combat is almost guaranteed to have less depth.

 

[Metro]

Yeah I get that. But, like I said, unless action(y) combat is also a requirement there's plenty of turn-based single player games that have the things you mentioned. And if action combat is a requirement then, like I also said, you'd be hard pressed to find many games like that. RTwP is essentially turn based combat as either it's balanced around pausing to issue/queue orders or actions take so long that you can switch back and forth to control the whole party with ease.

Turn-based wise any Gold Box game fits the bill. RTwP? Infinity Engine stuff. I guess I'm not seeing the distinctions you're trying to make.

 

[J1M]

Yeah I get that. But, like I said, unless action(y) combat is also a requirement there's plenty of turn-based single player games that have the things you mentioned. And if action combat is a requirement then, like I also said, you'd be hard pressed to find many games like that. RTwP is essentially turn based combat as either it's balanced around pausing to issue/queue orders or actions take so long that you can switch back and forth to control the whole party with ease.

Perhaps minimal/lack of a story is also a requirement then. I would not include something like Temple of Elemental Evil in this discussion. It is a great game, but feels very much like a traditional RPG.

I'd prefer to see games (real time or turn based) that allow scripted behaviors for party members, but if you have a long list of turn-based games that meet most of these criteria it sounds like you should share them.

 

[Terpsichore]

Pretty much all modern MMOS are singleplayer (shitty) RPGs.

 

[kain611]

Sword Art Online: Hollow Lands on PS Vita

 

[Kane]

Single Player offering similar experience to Massively Multiplayer Online. I feel so tired sometimes.

 

[Metro]

Perhaps minimal/lack of a story is also a requirement then. I would not include something like Temple of Elemental Evil in this discussion. It is a great game, but feels very much like a traditional RPG.

I'd prefer to see games (real time or turn based) that allow scripted behaviors for party members, but if you have a long list of turn-based games that meet most of these criteria it sounds like you should share them.

Well I'm fairly certain you could toggle an auto-move/AI even for pc party members in Gold Box games. Granted they usually did terrible things but there you go!

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

A game that is like multiboxing a full party in WoW (or some other similar game), but you have better scripts and some kind of customizable AI for the other characters, so you don't have to constantly switch between them (although you certainly can). And then some party banter like Wizardry 8. Player made characters. Minimal story/cutscenes, lots of combat.

Could be cool.

 

[deuxhero]

DC Universe Online.

It's actually is an MMO, but it seems like everything under the level cap was made to be soloed and post cap is just recycled shit, so you never actually play with anyone. It winds up being an OK beat-em-up with good character customization with 20-30 hours of content at no cost, but nothing to pay for.

 

[Machocruz]

Fantasy Life on 3DS. From what I've read, seems like it has a lot of grinding out skill and class levels.

 

[Major Malfunction]

Legend of Mana on the Playstation.