thats the problem, is there is no originality.
i ran a mud for 6 years. learned to code by myself. I miss it so bad. starting with a 100k mud file and broadening it out to over 10 megs is no easy feat.
ive played more mmo's then i care to count, or remember.
honestly, I almost prefer mudding, as it was original, or felt original. we made our own critters, how we wanted. we did not have to worry about ip rights, on a store area, for something someone else made.
what is worse, is that these mmo dev teams, make the same mistakes for years on end, over and over.
they dont learn from their mistakes (or others). all they can do is border them selves inside a box with someone elses ideas and attempt to run with it. whats worse, is they only do it half assed.
lord of the rings, wow, warhammer, conan, star trek, the list of ip rights goes on and on.
everquest, uo, camelot, that was original.