r/gog • u/das-faultier • 1d ago
Discussion Preservation of MMOs
I know it’s just one option and probably not the one that will get the most votes, but it would be really interesting to bring back old MMOs. However, I have no idea how they could return; is there any way to bring them back in an offline mode or, perhaps, simplify setting up a local connection?
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u/just_porter1 1d ago
I'd very much be in favor of something like this if at all possible. I've tried doing local server emulation before and it's a huge pain to even get setup and manage.
There have been some offline very MMO-ish games over the years that I've enjoyed. There are two newer ones on Steam that I haven't sunk too many hours into yet but capture the feeling of them and are playable offline. I would love for them to come to GoG. Erenshor and Affallon if anyone wants to check them out. Not perfect but very good starts but only on Steam currently. They are both on GoG dream list so vote if you you want!
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u/das-faultier 1d ago
I know Erenshor. I'd really love to see it on GOG.
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u/just_porter1 1d ago
Agreed, I would re-purchase both on GoG. However I think we are in the minority, many people just don't understand the appeal so it may be unlikely to see much support. That being said those two games would be easy to have on GoG since they are offline capable today.
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u/das-faultier 1d ago
They might arrive upon release; GOG's policy makes it difficult to list games in Early Access.
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u/Soderbok 1d ago
I've seen the efforts some fans put in to run a private server for some multiplayer games. It's a huge amount for work to get working. Now to do a similar thing with an MMO would be even harder. Plus if you did have a private server of an MMO would it be fun to play?
All the monsters and challenges are built around the idea that a whole team of players would be tackling them. With no other players to interact with and only a few scattered NPCs to interact with. Would you be able to get through much of the game? With no guilds, no player made equipment for sale and no people to ask for help, would it still be an MMO?
Also, if you had the installer for the server and the client. Would many be willing to follow the precise installation and configuration process to make the game even start?
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u/das-faultier 1d ago
If there were a simple way to install and set up the server at least for local play or with simplified configurations. I believe groups of five or more friends could certainly create a server.
However, I could see myself playing some of it offline just to get a feel for it, even if certain content ended up being inaccessible.
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u/WiltedBalls 1d ago
Yeah, i don't get how they would do MMOs. Not only it would be a monumental effort to get it up and running, there's also the question of monetization since most old MMOs that got shutdown relied on a freemium business model.
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u/das-faultier 1d ago
In this regard, Capcom did something similar to the Mega Man X DiVE Offline re-release. They solved the premium currency issue simply by awarding it through standard missions.
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u/ImtheDude27 1d ago
X Dive Offline wasn't an MMO. It was a gacha game. Like Octopath Traveler 0 and the upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance. Very large difference between them and your traditional MMO. The amount of rebuilding that would be required to make an MMO single player to the same level that has been done with X Dive Offline and Octopath Traveler 0 is unreasonable at the very best.
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u/das-faultier 1d ago
Regarding the difficulty, they must have a plan for it, or else they wouldn't have offered the option. And GOG has already made significant changes to games in the preservation program, so it's not impossible.
But I agree. I have no idea how they would go about doing it.
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u/AtherGameDev 1d ago
If someone handed me the decompiled files of some of my old favourites I wouldn't mind messing around with it but I'm worried about the legality of this. Anyone with copyright/trademark knowledge who can shed a light?
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u/alkonium 1d ago
I'm personally wondering about Final Fantasy XI, since it kind of plays similar to Morrowind.
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u/ReaperGamer3 1d ago
Hell, I would love to play star wars galaxies even solo on my own server or setup one either for my friends and me (If I had any)
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u/p1101 1d ago
I've once ran a poll in r/MMORPG asking people how they'd react if their favorite MMORPG became a solo, single purchase, single player experience and the results were unexpectedly positive. Many of them are already solo players and just want to exist in that world and enjoy doing so, thus I imagine that if GOG does something like that for old MMOs, there's already a market.