Learning from success: Why does Eternal Lands works?

This free 3D MMORPG has been around for some years now, enjoying a large community of loyal players and contributors. We have to admit that this game is not the 7th wonder of the online games. It has a few problems, from my point of view, that I will detail here.

First, the isometric view is a problem. I really hate it for online games (after playing a lot of Anarchy Online and Planeshift I prefer third person view) and in this particular case tall objects interferes with the view. Chasing a target in a forest can become a difficult task, as you have to click and at the same time rotate the view to dodge that annoying tree.

Second, EL never had a target selection system, I think because of the initial map design being based on tiles. So, the concept of ranged attack didn't existed until recent versions. But even when ranged attacks were added, they don't apply for magic or melee, you have to get in range to use the attack. That wouldn't be a problem if the EL entities were static. But they *move*, and they do it a lot! I have spent a minute chasing a rabbit, when in the rest of MMORPGs I have played the entities don't move except to attack you.

Third, the combat system favours unarmed fight. why? Because every hit gives experience. If you use a sword, or even if you increase your strenght too much (thus inflicting more damage with your bare hands), you kill with less hits and get less experience points. Weapons are for high level monsters or PvP.

Fourth, the magic skill is pretty useless. There are few offensive spells, they do not increase damage with levels, they require a lot of reagents to be casted and the energy recovers too slow.

Fifth, the loot. EL has a very strict economy system. High level mobs drop a few coins and *very* rarely an item, probably a useless one.

Five disadvantages, and even so, EL has thousands of players. Some of them pay, some of them write all kind of bots (trade bots, information bots, etc), some of them even have been promoted to the developers team. We can say it is a successful game. Why does it works?

Well, because it works. I mean, because things works as we expect they do. EL is not an innovative game. We have the usual stuff, harvest resources, craft items (far from Ryzom's flexibility), make essences or potions...

But armors protect, economy works, the universe to explore is large and with time and effort you can level up a lot. The client is small, not too system demanding, and even so it looks good. They also have a native version for Linux. New features are added, slowly, but steady.

I have always said: no matter what you do, you will always find somebody willing to play it (that you get money from it is another different matter). Historically the MMORPG have been a sort of mission impossible, nobody wants to make them because it is too difficult. Besides, if thre is WoW, why would you want another MMORPG?

Well, people indeed wants more MMOs. There is market for more online games. But not for incomplete games or projects lost in a useless quest for the innovation Holy Grail. Originality is a must, but after you have an established base, or when its implementation does not delay the essential elements of gameplay.