Elite Dangerous no longer an MMO?

Ghostickles · Jan 7, 2015

I read FD removed the MMO label from advertising, and sure enough it doesn't say MMO on anything current that I am seeing. What is this??
First they pull offline, now they strike MMO?
Sorry, but Devs cant just do that. FD advertised and sold it as an MMO it needs to deliver or refund.
If someone orders a steak and you give them chicken its not a steak, even if you change the menu after they order and pay, its kind of illegal to do that. Bad form to say the least.
Pretty simple stuff.
Is this true, what do you know about it?
Lord knows we haven't heard much of anything from FD since launch.
What in gods name did I buy into?
Hopefully its just a false alarm. If so I will delete this post haste.

Skip Intro · Jan 7, 2015

It never was an "MMO" in the sense you're complaining about.

Aldaris · Jan 7, 2015

It never has been and never will be an MMO.

Ghostickles · Jan 7, 2015

It WAS advertised as such though, was it not?

Vendraen · Jan 7, 2015

Ghostickles said:
It WAS advertised as such though, was it not?

No. Not that I ever saw. Not once.

LaveLubber · Jan 7, 2015

Ghostickles said:
It WAS advertised as such though, was it not?

It was. It was in the marketing blurb, and DB said so in at least one interview. Don't worry, you are not going mad despite others around here trying to rewrite history...

Hyena · Jan 7, 2015

Ghostickles said:
It WAS advertised as such though, was it not?

So what? They changed based on what people wanted, they took offline mode away to sustain the online economy bells and whistles but people still wanted to be able to go away and do their own thing without being bothered.

No point moaning at FD for taking it in a way that people -wanted-. They gave people the option to play alone in their bubble universes and people took them up on it, doesn't mean they lied.

TUXER · Jan 7, 2015

Ghostickles said:
I read FD removed the MMO label from advertising, and sure enough it doesn't say MMO on anything current that I am seeing. What is this??
First they pull offline, now they strike MMO?
Sorry, but Devs cant just do that. FD advertised and sold it as an MMO it needs to deliver or refund.
If someone orders a steak and you give them chicken its not a steak, even if you change the menu after they order and pay, its kind of illegal to do that. Bad form to say the least.
Pretty simple stuff.
Is this true, what do you know about it?
Lord knows we haven't heard much of anything from FD since launch.
What in gods name did I buy into?
Hopefully its just a false alarm. If so I will delete this post haste.

I am not sure if FD themselves ever had MMO labeling on their advertising.

Other game journalist sites did though

Cidcaldensfey · Jan 7, 2015

It seems like FD never advertised it was, but also it made no effort to stop others from doing it. Doing a search reveals just about everywhere calling it an MMO, including the Elite: Dangerous Wikipedia entry.

Kramster · Jan 7, 2015

I would describe it as an MMO if you apply the basic literal meaning of MMO
Taken from Google:
.
A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMO and MMOG) is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting large numbers of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet.
.
It is a massive server/world/galaxy which all players share
It is multiplayer
It is online
But most gamers have the expectation of raiding, grouping and watching the world run by...ED is not this.
.
Pre release there were comments made by FD, mostly in the newsletters, as to the game being an MMO and I think they were taking the first literal meaning.
I think they may be avoiding the MMO wording now as players don't perceive MMO's this way and it creates a conflict of expectations

Flying Penguin · Jan 7, 2015

They DID for a time band the MMO phrase around a lot(incorrectly imho), it has now definitely become a much less used phrase, with only one reference to "massively multiplayer online" buried low on this page:https://store.elitedangerous.com/eur/

Will it ever become an MMO in the classical sense (guilds, crafting etc)? I hope not.

crushdepth · Jan 7, 2015

Ghostickles said:
It WAS advertised as such though, was it not?

It will be when Frontier get around to adding the conspicuously missing group communication and coordination tools.

TUXER · Jan 7, 2015

LaveLubber said:
It was. It was in the marketing blurb, and DB said so in at least one interview. Don't worry, you are not going mad despite others around here trying to rewrite history...

I am not sure that is actually accurate.

1. game review articles that call this game an MMO is not FD
2. game sites that put this game in the category of MMO is not FD
3. Devs saying the game is 'like' and MMO is not saying it is an MMO

Kndanoob · Jan 7, 2015

If they took out the mmo part thats false advertising.

StayFrosty · Jan 7, 2015

Obviously, when a game has next to no social tools, is heavily instanced, and has options for group and solo play, it's not much of a MMO anymore. I feel like Diablo 2 was more of a MMO than ED.

And yes, it was defined as such on many occasions. For some reason, the word "massive" is nowhere to be seen on the official website, but until not too long ago, it was there: https://web.archive.org/web/20140819232955/http://www.elitedangerous.com/about/

Head for the stars, take a ship and trade, bounty-hunt, pirate or assassinate your way across the galaxy in this massively multiplayer online space adventure

Oh well, that exact sentence can still be read on the store page anyway: https://store.elitedangerous.com/eur/

Vendraen · Jan 7, 2015

LaveLubber said:
It was. It was in the marketing blurb, and DB said so in at least one interview. Don't worry, you are not going mad despite others around here trying to rewrite history...

Provide evidence, then. I never saw any official advertising calling this game an MMO.

Batavier · Jan 7, 2015

Can't remember seeing/reading anywhere that Frontier saw this game as MMO. It was supposed to be online like MMOs, but not an MMO AFAIRemember. I don´t mind either way, even if they first said it was an MMO and now think it´s not.

*shrug*

dunyain · Jan 7, 2015

Erm. It's still a Massively Mulitplayer Online game. They took away Offline. You might not meet many other players, but they are there. You are online. And the universe is, frankly, massive.

What's the problem?

Vendraen · Jan 7, 2015

dunyain said:
Erm. It's still a Massively Mulitplayer Online game. They took away Offline. You might not meet many other players, but they are there. You are online. And the universe is, frankly, massive.

What's the problem?

It's not an MMO in the sense that any MMO vet would recognize. Thing is, it was never billed as one.

Ghostickles · Jan 7, 2015

I know I saw it in black and white, rhetorical question. Right now - I'm severely disappointed. I understand how people felt having offline pulled.
MMO/Multiplayer, as I have stated before, is my reason for purchase. Now its like a sudden validation that this game is going to be what it is, not what we were promised, not anytime soon and I personally will have a hard time believing any information FD puts out now. Too much back and forth, flip flopping. This is complete and utter .