Random Dialogue: The Setting is the Story
Dialogue, 2004-02-02

Fantasy

The standard set of tropes that Massively Multiplayer games drag around are based in the realm of fantasy. The reason for this is historical; the first MUDs were by and large fantasy games, so subsequent worlds which use MUDs, MOOs, MUSHs, etc as their templates tended towards a fantasy setting. While this has lead to a lot of stale and derivative designs, the fantasy setting is still a good choice for Massively Multiplayer games. Several aspects inherent to low-technology settings can allow the designer to make the players lives more challenging without the players feeling unduly punished. Similarly, the relative lawlessness of the vast areas of wilderness endemic to the fantasy genre allows for the rough and tumble gameplay that players tend to prefer.
City areas can then be outfitted with guards to provide a safe haven for newer players while allowing more experienced players opportunities to brave the wilds for reward. Fantasy cities are also convenient, as low population density is explained by the usual low overall populations in Fantasy settings. Though fewer buildings and NPCs may be frustrating for some players, the marriage of ease of design and setting support is appealing.
Combat is likely to largely center around melee types of attacks. Ranged attacks are likely to be limited to bows and arrows and (largely stationary) artillery. Reducing the range at which players can damage NPCs and Mobs allows for more open areas. If there are a large number of players that generally don't engage in ranged combat allowing players sweeping views into another cavern without fear of the players kiting the mobs there. Additionally, the range that a human arm can shoot an arrow can logically be somewhat limited.
The intrinsic reality that money has weight in a low-technology setting can be a helpful design element. If players are not disencouraged to travel the lands with their pants brimming with gold, a designer's wish that players generally stick to one area can be realized. Transportation limitations can aid that as well if the designer desires it. Horse-back travel is likely to be the most common form of quick movement, although the inclusion of player pets may be something to be avoided. A horse rental service is a possibility (ala the Chocobos of FFXI), and can accommodate the player interest in long-range travel.
Crafting, a player favorite, is considerably easier to explain in a fantasy setting as most crafts are very hands-on. Sewing a shirt by yourself in the middle of a forest makes more sense than assembling a carburetor in the same location.

The fantasy setting also has a few inherent disadvantages. Instant communications of players at a distance is hard to explain. Telepathy or some sort of magic can explain the ability to speak with someone on the other side of the world, but that inherently limits the number of people able to use the ability. Despite this, all fantasy games include the ability to talk with players who are not where you are. From the point of view of player-friendliness I see this as a good thing, but it is somewhat immersion breaking. Fantasy settings (almost by definition) require magic, and magical systems can be difficult. Not only does the possibility of undetected exploitation exist, but making the magic system believable is a daunting challenge. In general believability can be a challenge. Yeah, their are elves and dwarves and stuff...but why? Why did they evolve that way and where did they come from? Backstory design is very important to a fantasy setting, and skimping in this area can come back to haunt a game once the players begin to feel at home.

Some of the most intriguing settings in Massively Multiplayer fantasy games are also the oldest. Everquest's unique spin on legend and magic makes it a perennial favorite. Ultima Online benefited originally from the setting, familiar to those who had already played the single-player games. More recently, Square/Enix has cashed in on the tropes they've established with their much celebrated series in FFXI. Chocobos make for impressive visual imagery, and the world they evoke is something that a lot of gamers can get behind.

Science Fiction

Where fantasy settings evoke the otherworldly and mystical, science fiction settings are popular because of the grounding they provide for players. Most players have at least a passing familiarity with the world around them, and s/f draws from that to make the "supernatural" believable. Because the world is more believable, the specifics of the setting itself are more easily tweaked. Science fiction covers ground between the grim and gritty AO and the space drama of SWG. Where fantasy tends towards well-established (perhaps tired?) ideas, Science Fiction settings are more free to experiment.
Science Fiction also lends itself to much more vast spaces. The relatively slow transportation speeds that fantasy settings deal with means that much more has to be packed into a smaller area. The world of Norrath in Everquest is undoubtedly the largest fantasy setting currently available, but it quickly pales next to the explorable planets of SWG. If you have the man-power necessary to really take advantage of this, it can truly give players the feeling of an entire universe to explore. A decision to keep in mind, though, is whether to have several "planets" of small size ala Galaxies or to go for more surface area of one planet as Anarchy Online does. High power and low power areas can be kept apart by relegating them to different planets.
At the same time that the worlds are larger, the speed of transportation available in sci-fi games can make the worlds navigable. Personal vehicles, shuttles, planes, teleportation, and space ships can all make the sprawling frontier of a s/f game approachable to a player. The sense of being able to choose almost at will where your character is can allow your player to interact with much more of the game world than might otherwise be possible.
Unlike the melee combat heavy realms of fantasy, science fiction lends itself to ranged combat. Pistols, blasters and other firearms require careful attention be paid to areas that kiting would do irreparable harm to. NPCs, similarly, need ranged attacks or they'll be sitting ducks for the more mobile players.

Science fiction settings are very concrete. They operate very much like the real world. Certain aspects of the fictional world are altered by the inclusion of more advanced technology but fundamentally they're more modern worlds that the average player can understand more easily. This immersion-aiding connection is exploited heavily in Anarchy Online and Star Wars Galaxies. Though there may be cyborgs and Wookies to contend with, sci-fi games are generally more approachable to players who live in the here and now.

Next week I'm going to continue this discussion by taking a look at some interesting genres that aren't widely used in the Massively Multiplayer field. I'll touch on the design limitations that have prevented games of other genres from becoming very successful, but for the most part I want an opportunity to lament the absence of a good Massively Multiplayer horror game. See you next week on "In Search of Shuggoths!".