Of course people use MMO's to escape to other worlds but that doesn't mean every world must include elements of fantasy. 
 
I'd like to see some sort of futuristic MMO a-la Fallout but with a persistent world. 

" i think a pirate mmo could be potentially good, and wouldnt have to rely on the same shitty wow mechanics that are all to commonplace "

I'd try out a game set in the Roman Empire. I also see no reason why the game can't have the feeling of real life without all of the realism. You tend not to die in one shot in most FPS's, but that doesn't stop them from simulating combat, being fun, or enjoyable. I think it will just require some game makers to be creative with it, but it would be sweet to leave the cycle of having to learn pretty much the same lore over and over with slightly different twists. History is a lot more interesting than people give it credit for. And the beauty of it being an MMO would mean that you wouldn't have to simulate every minor and boring detail, only the more interesting one's.

Ive said this many times before 
But, a warhammer 40,000 MMO would be badass

" The Sims Online, The Massive Multilayer Experience of living your own life........but with friends "

I will say this now.  Fantasy MMOs will never die.

You should really check out Roma Victor, it's an historically accurate MMO, that also tries to have fighting mainly skill orientated. Although with a small development team, and with most of the features promised still not being implemented like 2 years after release, it's struggling to find it's feat.

Doesn't WoW still have around 11 million subscribers?
 
Why change the formula?

I agree , that's why I can't wait for APB to come out. That shit's all types of historically accurate!!

" @TheMustacheHero: I'm not saying I want a simulation type game, just an historicly accurate setting. "

Cause that's what the tech of today can handle, every time someone tries something new no one takes to it. It's all AHHH no elves I'm out.

if you base an mmo in reality you are bound by that eras ending, something an mmo developer would be retarded to commit to. and if you don't then you're not true to the source and it'll probably end up failing anyway. 

Limitations?  I play games to be the hero not the guy who serves you coffee at Starbucks.  The problem with reality is that it is too mundane.  There are group of people who enjoy the minutia of every detail of a Roman legionnaire's battle dress, but most of us would rather kill cyclops and sex up sirens.  History is great.  I love it and get deep into the tactics of an actual battle when I play a turn-based wargame, but I don't want that level of precision in an MMO.  I want things to be fast, lethal and I want to look cool while doing it.   I whole heartedly agree that fantasy in MMOs has outplayed its welcome in my book, however.  I see no reason why we don't see more MMOs based in any other genre from horror to space opera to steampunk adventure.  
 
I believe Fantasy as a genre imposes limitation on the player that game makers enjoy.  There is a reason why a low level serf can't compete with a fully armored knight.  Also, lowbies can't travel because there are no wide spread mass transit systems set up which there would be in any modern or forward looking setting.   And while your aim can be adjusted with higher skill ranks, a bullet is a bullet and will kill the same target whether you are level 5 or 50.  Not so in the world of MMOs where skills and magic are based on level.  A rank 1 fireball is not going to be as powerful as a rank 10 pyroblast.  So this gives the player a reason to level up.  Also, within the limited confines of a fantasy-based MMO, there is another reason to keep leveling.  Better armor and gear.  In a world full of magic where armor and weapons can augment your abilities, there is a reason to keep playing.  In a more reality based MMO, once you have your sword or gun and whatever armor offers you the best protection, you are done.  No assault rifle in the world is going to make me smarter or more appealing to the ladies (well, not the type of lady you bring home to mother.)   EDIT: Oh, and I forgot one other thing that fantasy affords a game maker that can't be added into modern games or games based in reality.  It's illegal to kill indiscriminately in reality based games.  No going out and slaughtering scores of pigs to level up.  Killing is how you level in lots of games and it is a crutch, too that game makers rely on.
 
So, what it comes down to is MMO creators finding ways to keep players playing that doesn't necessarily involve leveling or gearing up.  That type of advancement takes a lot more work on their part than adding a bunch of fetch/kill quests.  We'll see how the new generation of MMOs showing up this year and next fare with that hurdle.

What's weird is that in a regular game, the setting doesn't bother me at all. In the realm of MMO's though, I find it terribly boring and uninspired.

I am afraid monsters are so much more fun to fight than humans. 
 
I never played an MMO but i have played The RTS warcrafts and Dawn of war as wel as fable two.

"It seems to me like these are the main flaws that plague the MMO genre:  -Been-there-done-that Universes-Next-to-null impact of the player on the Universe -Repetitive combat-focused Gameplay   Do you agree? "

Even if they made an MMO placed in a historically accurate universe they would still  have to put some fantasy or really generic mechanic in there. What exactly do you mean by "Historically Accurate" and what would the limitations be?  If its to close to real life then you get an MMO thats ran by economics and politics, with combat where you die with one well placed hit, all you would be able to do is swing your sword or fire your gun with no special skills and thus even more repetitive combat.  

It's a rule from D&D days.

" I think that MMO's with real life limitations would be pretty lame, actually. "

Stabbing people with enchanted swords while casting fireballs and dancing in the middle of a battle doesn't get old.

" I think that MMO's with real life limitations would be pretty lame, actually. "

I think that MMO's with real life limitations would be pretty lame, actually.

Why aren't there any historicly accurate MMO games? Isn't this something that more developers should consider? I can think of a few periods that could be interesting to visit in a MMO, like the Roman Republic or the Cruzades, the Napoleonic Wars or even WWI and WWII. Instead companies start to craft their own world even if the lore they come up with isn't all that great. It's always the place that orcs and demons and dragons inhabit, and I Iove that, don't get me wrong, I played through the Warcraft games and got into WOW for awhile, but enough is enough.
 
It seems to me that the fantasy worlds created by companies don't have an obvious advantage over the real thing. But it's probably easier to stick with the tried and tested formulas: 
WWII ---> FPS/Strategy
Roman Republic ---> Strategy
MMO ---> fantasy universe
 
More than that, these fantasy MMO's have a gameplay that relies solely on combat. Sure they put fishing and cooking and weaponsmith professions in there, but is there really any gameplay bonus that comes from these additions? I believe it's just a matter of time before the MMO market starts shrinking, because the impact that WOW had is already wearing down. WOW membership is decreasing at this point, and its not because there are better MMO's out there, it's because people get tired of killing 6 Kobold Wizards over and over again. 
 
Besides, all the effort you put into your quests has virtually zero impact on the WOW universe.  In this last aspect I hope that KOTOR:OR does a lit bit more for the player than WOW did. 
 
It seems to me like these are the main flaws that plague the MMO genre: 
-Been-there-done-that Universes
-Next-to-null impact of the player on the Universe
-Repetitive combat-focused Gameplay 
 
Do you agree? Love some feedback.
Cheers