We’ve heard and seen it all before: the basic triad of class roles for group dynamics in almost every single MMO. That is the basic triad of Tank, Healer, and DPS. The tank’s roles being the one to take damage and control aggro, the DPS’ job to output as much damage as possible on the intended target, and the healer to keep everyone alive with healing magics. This is nothing new.

Every MMO seems to follow this mechanic. Even if they never intended to follow this mechanic in the first place, their classes always seem to end up being reduced to one of those key three roles. Of course many classes can swap between roles, but it is still within that holy MMO trinity of constraints.

But where did this mechanic come from? Some game designers way back when the first MMOs started? This trio certainly didn’t come from real life fights. To be honest, the concept of a person trying to taunt every single “mob” to attack him and not his friends seem ludicrous when in a real life situation and not very practical. I’ve been in a few fights in my time (not that I’m saying it is a good thing here, people!) and most of them ended up being just one big free-for-all where each person looked out for themselves and did the best they could. There’s no armor. There’s no magic. And, in the at least fair fights, there isn’t even any weapons.

To think of the triad mechanic in real life, seems rather funny to me. Completely improbable for a real life situation, unless of course you’re one of those LARPers: (LIGHTNING BOLT!! LIGHTNING BOLT!!)

It’s ironic that when you compare PVE style combat to PVP combat it’s starkly different. PVP fights are actually more like a real life fight. Everyone is out for themselves and each player has to have their own set of “tricks” to get them out of messy situations. The fights are most times unpredictable and makes for an exciting play-style if you know your class well. Arena fights in WoW are crazy nuts and if you’re not constantly pushing yourself to the limits of your class, you will utterly fail.

What if MMOs followed that real life PVP model? What if each and every player has to fend for themselves in a fight? Rather than one massive Boss monster there were several higher AI monsters that a group would have to contend with. There have been a few examples where this was the case. Magister’s Terrace in World of Warcraft was a prime example where it threw the boss “tank and spank” model out the window. Each fight had to be planned out, crowd control was needed, and each player had to be ready to fight mano-e-mano with a mob. The Observations Grounds fight was especially challenging as there were a random collection of monsters and their aggro tables were pretty much non-existant. The fight always ended up playing out as one big mosh-pit, similar to an arena fight.

Star Wars: The Old Republic claims to follow this same technique as well. Rather than the usual encounter with one massive monster, the group slowly chipping away at it until it runs out of health, SWTOR claims it will have more encounters where groups face large numbers of enemies. In theory it would mean each player would potentially have to fight it out against waves of enemies, often relying on their own skills to survive.

Frankly, this asks a question we’ve been asking for a long time now. What would happen if the triad of Tank, Healer, and DPS was discarded? What if each playable class in an MMO had the potential to be both Tank and Healer at the same time. Able to withstand damage, deal damage, and even boost/heal one’s health? Essentially in a given fight, everyone would be responsible for all three roles. Sure, you’d have some classes better at a given role over others, but each class could cover all three in some form or other. Makes for an interesting playstyle.

In a way, I see MMOs already going down this path. In World of Warcraft, most of the classes can fit at least two roles and some, like the Druid, can actually play all three roles if geared and talent specc’d properly. Having played a druid myself, there was never a dull moment or a burn-out moment as I would sometimes get with other classes. Having the ability to step into any role and pushing those limitations was a great thing in my opinion. The only drawback to this was I’d have to switch specs, change gear, or even hit a class trainer to reset all my talents.

The key I’m getting at is being able to do all this on the fly. Please note, I’m not at all talking about some “super Hero class” that can perform all three roles at once. Heck no. What I’m talking about is being able to survive a fight using your own skills and abilities without having to completely rely on another to heal you or taunt off aggro. Being able to go toe-to-toe with your enemy and then, once he’s down, move on to the next enemy or help out some of your buddies in the fight. Inevitably, fights will end up becoming more dynamic, faster in duration, and ultimately, more fun and exhilarating.

At least I would like to think so. Some people like the safety and security of the triad. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I just like to mix it up once and awhile and have a good mosher every now and then in my games.

Interested in getting updates on the next GRATS! posting? Follow Rackham on twitter at: @rackhamgreg

© Posted by Rackham for Im Talkin Games with 3 comments on 05/23/2010.
Posted in: Comics, Featured Tags: GRATS!

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. Could it be because I have returned to creating web comics and blogs? Quite possibly.

First, let me make some introductions. I’m Greg Moran, a.k.a. Rackham, the newest addition to the I’m Talkin Games family. To quote Troy McClure, you may remember me from such former blogs as the Warhammer Online web-comic, Tome of Knowledge. During that time I wrote commentaries on the status of WAR with a strong emphasis on the lore and story in the Warhammer world. When I stopped playing WAR back in March I closed down my blog but continued on in other games including the ever popular World of Warcraft, and yes, even Wizards101. Still feeling the itch to write and draw web comics, I jumped at the chance when the ever great, br3ntbr0, offered me a place among his crack team of elite bloggers (team uniforms are sure to follow!).

So here is the first issue of a regular web comic feature I’m calling GRATS! You can expect to see in this comic all things gaming and geek all rendered in digital art form. I’m wanting to poke fun at everything from “Star Trek vs. Star Wars” to MMO gamer culture. I’m hoping to post these up in a regular fashion so be sure to check back often for future issues!

As my first comic suggests, I’m eagerly awaiting several things on the gaming horizon. World of Warcraft takes up my current Triple-A MMO slot at the moment with the upcoming Cataclysm expansion high on my list of things to buy. Keeping within the Blizzard family, Diablo 3, is also looking too good to pass up. Who doesn’t want to lay out some mindless, mouse-clicking frenzy, mayhem as the Monk, Barbarian, Mage, or Witch Doctor?

As my comic also suggests, the Force is strong in me. It must be, because where else would I get the strength to resist marching down to Bioware, crash down those doors, and absorb every ounce of Star Wars: The Old Republic goodness that they are cooking down there? Everything I have seen from this game has caused that young 10 year old in me with star wars bedsheets to squeal in joy. For a time I couldn’t decide between this MMO and Star Trek Online, but lightsabers beat out phasers for this geek. The jury is still out on whether I’ll go Republic or Empire, but I’m looking at everything with heavy anticipation. I still have my doubts though. We have all seen such promise before with other games only to leave disappointed or frustrated. Only time will tell. Only then will we see if Balance returns to the Force.

Until then you can find me mostly in Azeroth, but also playing in Wizards101 with my son. And be sure to keep watch for me here for more web comics!

- Rackham

© Posted by Rackham for Im Talkin Games with 8 comments on 11/30/2009.
Posted in: Comics, Featured, Funny Tags: BioWare, Blizzard, Cataclysm, GRATS!, Star Wars: The Old Repbulic, World of Warcraft