Remember a few years ago when most Browser RPG games were solely text-based? Not that there is any wrong with a text-based Browser MMORPG. They do certainly leave a lot to the imagination. With evolving technology, both hardware and softer; the differences between the Browser RPG and installed MMORPG games are being slowly removed.
One huge differences between a Browser RPG and online role playing games installed on your computer (via download or installing off of a CD/DVD etc) is that Browser RPGs do not take advantage of your computers video card. This means that the graphics are usually not going to look as good as games as say.. Aion or WoW. This of course should not matter as game play should be the determining factor if a game is good or not, but you know; some people prefer pretty things to good thing. A Browser Based RPG that has graphics is going to take a lot of CPU power, especially if there are animations.
Thanks to technologies like flash and ajax, a browser can communicate with a game server without having to refresh the whole page ever time (wouldn’t that suck?!). This is the main thing that bridges the gap between the two different type of Online Role Playing Games. With a text-based Browser RPG, you click your action and the page reloads with some kind of result display. Thanks to things like ajax, a web browser can send a “behind the scenes” server request and load the resulting display anywhere the developer chooses on the web page, making a 2D Browser RPG possible, as well as 3D!
One difference that still remains, however thanks to faster broadband connections is slowly diminishing; delay between actions. An installed pc game is going to seem much more “real-time” than Browser Based MMORPGs. The reason for this is that an installed pc game maintenance constant open connection to the game server, packets of info are constantly moving back and forth. With A Browser RPG this is not exactly as easy to accomplish as one may think. Sure on one single request, a connection to the database can be maintained. On multiple and not necessarily synchronous server requests however a connection will not be constantly open to the server. What this means in plane English (well as close to it as I can get lol) is that a Browser Based MMORPG will have around a minimum of a second delay on new information, as opposed to a preferred 50ms or less delay on a pc game. Big difference in latency. Like I said earlier though, faster internet connections are slowly removing this problem.
Now its not that just that the Browser RPG is emulating pc MMOs, it also is working the other way around. Now… what is generally the number one benefit of playing a Browser RPG over a game you would for example find on the shelf at Best Buy? Usually they are free! A few of big name pc MMORPGs such as Lord of the Rings Online are now becoming Free Online Role Playing Games! Its hard to go wrong with free online games.
For those hesitant to try out a Browser RPG on account of its lesser graphics and higher latency. Remember you can play at school, at work (assuming you have internet access) and sometimes on your phone! Also a lot of the time on a pc MMO, you will have to commit hours to a particular quest or mission of some sort, with Browser RPGs this is much less the case, meaning you can play for as little or as long as you like. Try one out, you might find yourself addicted.