With the explosive growth of the MMORPG market, it's upsetting to realize that a lot of MMORPGs are lacking simple features that would greatly enhance the enjoyment of that particular game. New games are coming out almost every week and developers still exclude some obvious must have features. Developers please take note of these features and try and include them in future projects. The top five must have features in MMORPG games are as follows:
5. In game messenger.
This is one feature that has been becoming more and more popular in newer games today, but plenty of games still don't have it. Even World of Warcraft, one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market, lacks an in game messenger system. One can easily argue that using the game's regular chat system would be just as effective as implementing a messenger, but when chat becomes cluttered with messages and advertisements to sell equipment, it can become hard to track what someone just sent to you. Free games like Fly for Fun and Gunbound both include an extremely functional messenger.
4. Regularly updated Content
What better way to keep players hooked to a game? All MMO games need new content every so often; otherwise players will get bored after they do everything the game has to offer. The best example of a game that updates regularly with new content is Eve Online. CCP, the game's developers, try and release a free new expansion pack every year. World of Warcraft has also been on top of this, as they're expected to release Wrath of the Lich King soon, but it would have been much better for players if the new content was free, as players who don't buy the expansion would be at a disadvantage.
3. PvP
Too many games today, mostly free ones, don't have a PvP system. For a lot of players, the only real motivation to "grind" through the games content is to become the best player in the game, and the best way to prove you're the best is to be able to beat everyone else in a fight. Implementing a PvP system can also keep players from getting bored of a game. Once you hit the level cap in a game, and the game doesn't have PvP, there really isn't anything left to do.
2. A Player driven economy
The most important aspect of an MMORPG community for me is the game's economy. What's the point of being rich in a game if you can't buy anything with the game's currency? The best example of a good player driven economy is Goonzu: Rise of the Luminary. In Goonzu, in order to purchase new equipment, even low level equipment, you would have to buy it from another player. Almost everything from crafting materials to quest items would have to be purchased the game's auction house. If you wanted to sell your loot after a successful hunt, you wouldn't go to the local NPC, but would have to sell it to another player through the game's market place. The price of every item in the game is determined by actual market forces of supply and demand, as the game's few NPCs only sell very basic items and pay nearly nothing for all items sold to them, no matter how powerful the item, the NPC will only pay pennies.
1. An Auction House
Every MMORPG has some sort of in game trading system, so why not make the trading and commerce almost infinitely better by including an auction house system where players can put up their items for sale and go do something else, rather than standing around for hours at a time trying to sell their wares. The game most notorious for a sloppy trading environment is MapleStory. [See below]. It's nearly impossible to try and sell your rare items in MapleStory, as players won't even get a chance to see you! The trading area is packed. An auction house would also be an excellent way to eliminate trading fraud and scamming.
Look what happens when an MMORPG doesn't have an Auction House:
Source:
http://mmohub.org/2008/top-5-must-have-features-in-an-mmorpg