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[Dire Bare]

Originally Posted by Felon

I wonder why MMO's play it so safe. Why are there never any big dramatic cutscenes, for instance? Why is it so easy to go through a quest/mission without really having any idea what it was about?

WoW was actually pretty innovative from previous games, but now it is the "default" game that others are judged by and try to emulate.

LotRO felt like WoW in Middle-Earth to me, but I liked the implementation and feel better, so I dig the game.

Many MMOs play it safe for the same reason Hollywood plays it safe with most movies, and why large game companies (okay WotC) also play it safe with their major properties . . . innovation is risky! Innovate well and you raise the bar and become the industry leader, innovate poorly and you destroy your once-loved property. Keep it safe and enjoy a more stable source of income and profit.

DDO (Dungeons & Dragons Online) had a lot of innovative features that were praised by critics and many players (one of which being the nonstandard D&D setting of Eberron) . . . but over time the game has morphed to be more like WoW in order to keep a survivable subscriber base. While DDOs innovations were pretty cool, the game overall was "fun" and "okay" but not "GREAT" or "OMG WOW THIS IS SO COOL!!!" and so the game never enjoyed the success it could have.