you can't have instanced content in an MMO. If you have instanced content then you're just playing an online game like Diablo 3. Content is fueled by player interaction which is fueled by scarcity of resources. Resources are raids, bosses, loot. If those are instanced you automatically eliminate one of the major features of an MMORPG. Competing over spawns, racing to spawns, creating alliances, formulating treaties, having rivalries, etc. These are organic elements fueled by competition. Without competition you have nothing and you will just have another game that people quit after 1 month.
There is NO WAY to have instancing in a game without creating a moral hazard. People will always take the easiest path towards an objective. They will log in, group with friends, zone into a raid, finish a raid, then log out. This is what WoW and every other game has become. The world is nothing more than a virtual lobby. You will never avoid this if you have instanced content.
The next true innovation for an MMORPG will be to go back instead of forward and recreate what the original genre was all about. A sandbox with PVE content without instancing. Would you rather be a participant in a fantasy world, or a spectator puppet going through the motions predetermined for you by a game designer. One thing is for sure, I will never play another ?MMORPG? that cheats me out of participating in a virtual world due to the complete antisocial element of instancing. If I want an anti-social experience, I have many great single player games available to me.
