Usage
Further information: Comparison of massively multiplayer online role-playing gamesPerhaps the first virtual world to use instances was the MMORPG The Realm Online, launched in 1996. Combat in this game was extensively instanced, with every battle taking place in a special room outside of the open world.
In Guild Wars, Town/Outpost areas are created on demand, with a new "district" of that town being created for every 100 players in it; players can move between these at will. Players can play with players across the globe, as in EVE Online, along with the advantages in load scaling and resources of a traditional multiple server model for ArenaNet, the developers.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes does not use instance dungeons. It was initially envisioned that, through the Advanced Encounter System (AES), certain "boss" NPCs could be triggered when a group entered an area; this NPC would then be "tagged" to that group, meaning no other players could attack or interact with it. However, AES was ultimately not implemented in the commercial release of Vanguard.
In RuneScape, instances are used mostly in quests, so that other players cannot interfere with the player who is doing the quest, such as battling boss NPC's or having to accomplish a special task. They are also used in certain 'minigames'. However, most monsters not related to quests are not instanced, so players often have to compete with each other to get the reward from killing them. They are also used extensively in the new skill Dungeoneering.
Wizard101 has a unique system for its instances. As soon as a player steps on the entry area, there are ten seconds given for up to three other players to enter. Once inside, the instance usually triggers a new line of quests, which must be completed to gain access to other parts of the instance. If a player logs out or leaves through the "front door", progress wil be reset (a warning message will appear). If a player dies, flees, or teleports, data will then be reset in 30 minutes. If a monster is defeated in an instance, it stays defeated. Players can repeat instances as many times as they want.
Read more about this topic: Instance Dungeon
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