Another 5 of My Favourite Quality-of-Life Mechanics in MMOs
Last year I wrote a post about several “quality-of-life mechanics” found in MMOs. Systems and functionality that just make a game more manageable or convenient. Despite having many features in common, MMOs are far from identical in their interface and controls. If you’re a genre aficionado, then you can usually bluff your way through a new game and decipher how to play it. But for new players, often just trying to figure out how to do a simple thing, like find your skill points, can be an uphill struggle. However, every now and then, you’ll come across some simple functionality in a game that is useful and makes a task much easier. So I have collated another five “quality-of-life mechanics” that I feel are significant and beneficial to the player. Some are very minor but that does not diminish their value. Sometimes, less can indeed be more.
Star Trek Online: Away Teams and Combat Pets.
Some MMOs include AI companions that can join you on quests. I used to enjoy the virtual company of Guss Tuno in Star Wars: The Old Republic and his amusing quips and personal foibles. However, Star Trek Online goes a step further and allows players to take a 4 man away team with them on ground missions. You can pick your away team from your Bridge Officer personnel and have whatever mix of classes you wish (Engineering, Science and Tactical). Hence, a well balanced team can provide heals, buffs and DPS support. Furthermore, if you wish to play more tactically, you can assign basic instructions to your away team, such as holding a position or suppressing fire. It’s all a bit hit and miss at times but it adds to the fun and has practical benefits. If you are defeated you can opt to respawn or call a team member over to revive you. If you have an android as part of your away team they have the ability to reboot themselves. If the entire team wipes they will self revive and then resurrect everyone else. You also get to customise your away teams gear, so you can make them very robust if you choose wisely.
Like other MMOs STO has cosmetic pets. But it also has a modest collection of combat pets that can be used offensively during ground missions. It is possible to equip up to 4 of these at a time, although I wouldn’t advise such a strategy as it comes at the expense of other useful ground equipment. Combat pets can be very effective if used in conjunction with deployable turrets and other ground support weapons. Plus it is great fun to watch a combat Horta leisurely sliding over to the enemy. However the jewel in the crown is the Bio-Engineered Furiadon. Who doesn’t want an armoured dinosaur equipped with lasers fighting at their side?
LOTRO: Simple Rally Horn.
The Lord of the Rings Online has a huge game world. Standing Stone Games’ virtual Middle-earth has grown prodigiously over the last 14 years. If you want to play through content with another player or need assistance, it can be quite a chore for one party to travel to the other. The is a complex network of stables and auto mounts across the various zones and it can take a while to get from A to B at times. However, the simple rally horn is a consumable item that will summon another player to your location, if you are grouped with them. They can be obtained from the Hobbit Gifts, which are a daily login reward, or purchased from the store. They are incredibly useful and I always keep a few in my bag for occasions when I want to team up with another player. Because so many play LOTRO PVE content solo these days, these items are often overlooked.
Guild Wars 2: Revival.
Over the years, the MMO genre has experimented with various systems that handle player “death” or “defeat”. I’ve never liked “corpse walking” as it is a major inconvenience. Many games have a specific class that can revive, resurrect or heal a downed player which is fine if you have one in your group but not so good if you don’t. In STO, your AI companions can revive you which is beneficial. However, I feel that Guild Wars 2 handles this mechanic the best, insofar as every player has the ability to revive another. As it is a game with wide expansive zones and dynamic events it makes sense to have this common skill. When a player is defeated and in a “downed” state, they can either retreat to a nearby waypoint, or be resurrected by one or many players. The more players that participate, the quicker the process is. It is a simple and efficient process and I wish it was available in other games.
The Elder Scrolls Online: The Crafting Bag.
Storage, bag space and inventory slots are a perennial problem in most MMOs. Many players feel obliged to store everything “just in case”. Therefore, you can never have enough storage and therein lies the problem. Monetising bag space is an easy source of revenue. Perhaps the biggest culprit for hoarding space are crafting items. I tend not to craft in MMOs but I do trade in such commodities. So even I am not immune from this problem. Which brings me onto The Elder Scrolls Online and the way the issue is handled in that game. The Craft Bag is a unique subset of the player's inventory, that does not take up any space and can store an unlimited amount of all crafting and style materials. Therefore when you are out in the world playing through content, armour, weapons and jewellery etc will be deposited in your regular bag space but crafting items are automatically segregated into the craft bag and doesn’t steal space. The only caveat is that this facility is only available as part of an ESO Plus subscription. However, I usually play ESO for 2 to 3 months a year and during that time, I always subscribe due to the practical benefits of this bag.
So these are another five examples of “quality-of-life mechanics in MMOs” that I find useful and consider game enhancing. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples. Feel free to leave comments below any that you enjoy and would like to mention.
