Summary
Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games have beenpopular since the late 1990s. Some have persisted for over three decades, while others failed spectacularly shortly after launch. Without exception, every successful MMO requires some level of cooperation between players, but not exclusively so.
Cooperation within an MMOdoesn’t always mean teaming up in combat, although this is a common theme in most online games.Aspects like resource gathering, crafting, research, and political maneuvering are all key parts of the MMO genre that have and continue to prompt deep cooperative gameplay. This can range from small groups or guilds working towards group goals to massive alliances of thousands of players forcing their will upon the entire game.
Even though theStar Wars Galaxiesservers closed down in 2011, it was still the game that required the most large-scale collaboration ever, with one exception. With a completelyplayer-driven economyand a crafting supply change that required miners, component manufacturers, final goods manufacturers, and merchants, no other game has ever required more players to work together towards mutual goals.
Star Wars Galaxiesclosed down a very long time ago, following the turmoil caused by the first Combat Update (CU) and then the New Game Experience (NGE) update. Still, this classic MMO offered a great experience for those looking for player-focused gameplay and engaging co-op.
World of Warcraftis the most successful MMORPG of all time. Even though much ofWoWcan be played solo, there are certain aspects of the game that require players to band together to meet a challenge.
Players who want to complete dungeon instances to complete quests and get some good loot need to team up with a small group of players and cooperate to complete the dungeon. When it comes to end-game raids, even higher levels of cooperation are needed, with whole guilds working towards completing raids and farming raid points.
As MMO games go,Black Desert Onlineis a little different. Much of the game is aimed at solo players, especially the trading and farming aspects. However, to be able to undertake end-game solo activities, the player needs to reach the maximum level. Unfortunately, combat inBDOdoesn’t scale in a linear fashion. End-game combat encounters are far tougher than thosein starter zones, which means that players need to group up.
High-level combat is additionally made problematic due to the fact that it takes place in PvP-enabled zones, and players can and do camp the main spawn spots for cheap PvP kills. Trying to farm these areas solo can lead to frustration and wasted time.
Released in 2014,TheElder Scrolls Onlinemanages cooperative group play somewhat differently from other MMO games. Instead of players progressing through zones with ever-increasing difficulty, they are free to tackle content in any order, and the combat scales with the gamer. If the player is in a group, it scales with the group level.
Delves and dungeon dives are also group-orientated in this game. End-game gear is farmed from group-oriented content as well, making cooperation unavoidable for a player who wants to get their hands on the best armor sets and weapons in the game.
Albion Onlineis a great game to play solo, but to get the most from it, a player needs to be part of a guild that cooperates to achieve set goals. Unless a player becomes part of such a group, they will not be able to progress to end-game content.
All of the end-game content inAlbion Onlinetakes place in conquerable parts of the map, where player groups have declared sovereignty and, in general, block access to anyone outside of the guild. Therefore, cooperation with a group such as a guild or alliance is unavoidable to progress beyond a certain stage in the game.
Following its release in 2011,Star Wars: The Old Republicwas jokingly dubbed the best single-player multiplayer game ever. And even though today much of the main gameplay is completely scripted for solo players, there are now many more cooperative activities available.
Flashpoints are instanced adventures, much like dungeons in many other MMO games, that require groups of players to cooperate to solve quests, defeat enemies, and solve puzzles. These cooperative instances must be completed to progress beyond a certain point of the game and to acquire the best gear.
Interestingly,EVE Onlinewas launched in the same year asStar Wars Galaxies, making 2003 something of a bumper year for MMO fans. And this is not the only similarity between these two games. They both feature an entirely player-run economy.EVE Online,SWG, andAlbion Onlineare the only three MMOs to feature an entirely player-run economy. Although some other games have implemented a semi-player driven economy, they still incorporate powerful loot items, rather than everything being entirely player-made. This means thatEVE Onlinerequires complex interactions between multiple parties to make the simplest piece of equipment. Some items, such as capital ships, require cooperation between hundreds of players.
Of course,EVE Onlineis famed for its complex, player-run, political backdrop. Entire regions of space are cut off from other players by large corporations and alliances, jealousy protecting their borders 24 hours a day. Border disputes can result in huge fleet battles, with thousands of players cooperating to fight their enemies ina persistent world.
