The best mainstream PvE MMORPGs for older players are definitely EverQuest II and Lord of the Rings Online, especially the latter. I have never had any problems with snotty kids in these games, but I dealt with them often in WoW.
Basically, so long as you stay away from the most popular games with low requirements, you will be fine, as a rule.
Eve seems like it might be a good game for you. The classic client is pretty light on system requirements, and your average WoW retard (and no I'm not saying all WoW players are retards, just a lot of them) usually falls out within a few hours of rolling their character.
The game is very corp-centric. How good the community is depends mostly on what corp you join and what you choose to do - the game isn't all about pvp if you're not really into it (I know I'm not). Also it's very casual friendly (I only play 2 or 3 days a week usually) since skills train in real time whether you're logged on or not and the only thing the guy who grinds 23/7 will have that you don't is a big pile of ISK, which isn't nearly as important as the grey matter in your head.
As far as F2P MMOs go, PQ is the best, and always has been.
One I'm trying now is AO..not sure about it yet....I tried UO already and it seemed dead to me....I know that LOTR had some video Glitches..You can see some hesitations even on Gamespots video review...Is that normal?
Here's the embarrasing part i'm 61 fixing to turn 62
I should mention my system ia a AMD 2800cpu...Nvidia6800XT,,,1.25 GB..of ram.
One I'm trying now is AO..not sure about it yet....I tried UO already and it seemed dead to me....I know that LOTR had some video Glitches..You can see some hesitations even on Gamespots video review...Is that normal?
Here's the embarrasing part i'm 61 fixing to turn 62
I should mention my system ia a AMD 2800cpu...Nvidia6800XT,,,1.25 GB..of ram.
Well EvE couldbegoodforyou.
Its a long term game with real time skill learning. Also it has a rreal community spirit as its a Corperate game so it pays to work together in EvE. Because of this everyone tends to be more courtious and polite unless of course you are at war.
"Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god." -- Jean Rostand
Well I'm 32 .. so that makes me over 30.. so heres the games I have liked recently. (in no specific order)
EQ2 .. lots of depth, tons of quests, the best crafting system of any game out right now and an awesome generally more mature community. Probably the best MMO around right now in my opinion.
LOTRO .. Again more mature community, and just a more mature MMO then WOW in my opinion. Much better managment and customization to the characters, more quests then you can shake a stick at, and a much more casual friendly game (since most of us over 30s have a job to go to). Also it just feels like a much larger world.
EVE .. probably the most adult oriented MMO on the market right now. Very mature players, lots to do, but can at times lack focus. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL game though and you dont need a hardcore system to run it. For the most part a great community too.
Pirates of the Burning Sea .. wont be out for another two weeks, but I was a beta tester and found this game absolutely enjoyable. Great community in beta of very mature players. Awesome trade system in game and brilliant ship combat. The swashbuckling mechanic I think also takes a mature mind to appreciate it .. as its more like a puzzle then traditional MMo sword combat. Has a few bugs but nothing game breaking and all in all a great game.
Tabula Rasa .. I only recommend this one if you arnt a hardcore player and can only dedicate a couple hours a night to play (like me right now). Much more twitch style with a big world to explore. Has alot of subtle neuances that are lost on alot of the players because you have to actually look for them. Good game that with some help from the devs will only get better. Still I dont recommend it for the hardcore as its pretty easy to level and you will get bored quickly.
I have to say that while ALL WoW Euro servers have universally nightmarish communities, I do hear that there are much more mature, friendlier WoW US servers. WoW specifically codes its game discs so that if you buy a disc in Europe you have to play on a European server and vice versa as regards US discs so I don't know if it is true that WoW US players are a little more bearable than the thirteen year old, pock-marked Swedes speaking keybonics and skipping their Ritalin meds.
Eve has the greatest ratio for younger to older players, plus the game doesnt demand alot to play it. I ran 2 accounts at same time on a laptop thats 3 years old.
I am 32 years old, 8 year miitary vet. I played SWG, Eve, and currently Tabula Rasa, which I am quiting, cause its got a huge inmature base, even though EULA says 18+.
I HIGHLY recommand Eve, the big name corps and alliances are controled by older gamers, not kids. Eve has won numerous awards continuously since it release and has beaten out every other MMO on here, for best game, for the past couple years. Granted, its a VERY indepth game, but can be played, while not logged in. Skills are based on TIME, not GRIND. So when you log off, you can set a skill that will take a few hours, to a couple days, even a couple months to learn, like Frieghter 5, which took 50 days. Eve also has a great set of players that are willing to help new players out. When I played, I usually gave out a free ship, equipment, and some ISK to get you going. I left, cause Player Politics at the time where harsh, due to the BoB War, which is coming to a end, finally. The game is ultimatly controlled by the players and is the most realistic game, for example, its scams, there are 2 markets, one ran by NPCs, and one ran by players. The one ran by players canbe tricky, if you dont read every little detail, you will get scammed, and its perfectly normal, cause one of the professions, which are not defined, is being a Smuggler and Thief.
Hi I'm way over 30 so i wonder which MMO has a mature player base and some depth...I bought WOW and so far I don't see the fun and from the Intelligent chat from the player base.."Noob.." Dumbass "and other brilliant comments I have a feeling my time there is limited.... Forget AOC for now..my computer is only mediochre right now...... Makes me miss some old gems like Meridian 59 and Underlight.. thanks for suggestions in advance..
Well I'm way way over 30 and way way over 40 too ! and I still enjoy most Mmo's, However the ones I play on a regular basis are Lotro , WoW and Eq 2 tried most of em Eve I could'nt really get a feel for ( tho I'm sure its outstanding if you can get into it, City of Hero's is good for a dip in now and then, and you couldgive Tabula Rasa a go maybe.
Vanguard is also improving at a real fast pace and does seem to have a mature player base. However the most mature community I have ever seen is definitley in Lotro and it is an excellent Game. WoW is great for any age of gamer and you can just put the Kiddies that annoy everyone on ignore, WoW should be played and enjoyed by everybody and you should'nt be put off playing as it is still argueably the best Mmo out there. I'm playing WoW at the moment and have had no troublr finding real nice people to group and chat with. You know what no matter what game it is if you enjoy it give a go and dont let the minority of immature idiots spoil it.
Ps I forgot to mention Anarchy Online a real Oldie but goldie ! ....... oh yeah and Daoc too ..... right I'll shut up now way to much talking for an old git like me !
There was a time when SWG was a tad complex/complicated for the wee-folk. That time has come and gone however. Since then I have jumped around quite a bit. If I were to recommend some games to a friend they would be as follows. (Not in any particular order) 1. EQ2....possible the best MMO on the market in my opinion. (Still play occasionally) 2. LotRO....Fantastic graphics and very polished game (I only lasted a couple months not much depth) 3. Vanguard....Don't let the haters blow smoke up your arse, It has come a long way (Still play it) 4. Eve....very nice game if you like flying around in a ship all time (Nice game, just not my thing) 5. PotBS....Big change of pace for the genera, a little(scratch that), a lot rough around the edges (Pre-orders start in 7 days) All of the above have seemed to keep the kiddies out for what ever reason. PotBS is a tough recommendation as I feel the game still needs work. It just happens to be the one I'm currently enjoying and don't see it appealing to kiddies. Might even be easier to state ones to stay away from. 1. WoW....guess you know that already (in case someone missed it) 2. SWG....Sigh, I don't even want to talk about it. 3. Guild Wars....kids, kids, kids 4. Anything that is F2P.....kids, kids and more kids I would love to see Warhammer and Age of Conan make it to the first list later this year but unfortunately feel it is going to be quite the opposite. These are my opinions based on my experience...do with them what you will.
If I could write well .. well this is the one to bump. Nicely said. SWG was the best out there to fit your bill. Since my problems with SOE, I have been awash. The one thing that people don't talk about on MMORPG.COM is Neverwinter Nights franchise.
I ran a persistent world for 2 years, and I think if you are into D&D style fantasy, you can have some great multiplayer experiences in that space.
I am almost 50, that should make me an old gamer for sure. I have less and less time (or patience) for games (unless its good). I am getting burnt out faster and faster with every new game. Maybe I am just too old.
As for a good game for an old gamer without 24/7 devotion, I agree with the general view here. A little ordering as my contribution to an other aged gamer: I group the games by similarities, not as a ranking or preference.
1. DAoC, EQ these 2 are machine friendly and very old games with little appeal to the leet babies. Most of the players left are playing for the game rather than for hype. Unfortunately, many of the remaining players took pride for being vets, hence some kind of elitism. Since the game is old, most players are maxed out long ago, and even their alts are rich and mostly power-leveled by the primary characters (2boxing) or by guildmates. Finding a group is not that easy. Soloing is very easy in DAoC. In EQ well ...
2. LOTRo and COH/V (1 game now). Very polished interface, LOTRo is more hardware demanding, your spec will not be good enough for the best display setting. These games offer very smooth gameplay, these 2 games are different, but they both support very good soloing, and occasional grouping for fun if needed be. LOTRo is heavily quest loaded, though grinding is easy as there are lots of spots with many mobs to fight. COH/V has simpler quests, weaker lore, but a more unique skill set. Both games lack end content though. That means little raid content, if that is what you seek as end content.
3. EVE and WWO2. These games are very unique. Hate it or love it. You will be spending a lot of times preparing for that fight. In WWO2, you run hard to the battlefield and you can be killed by 1 shot. No healers or magical shield, if you die, you respawn way back far from the battlefield sometimes. The game is fun when you are shooting and not 1-shot instantly. Most of the time you are running to the front (after death) or dodging, hiding, waiting to find someone to shoot at, don't try to shoot at a plane or a tank when you are an infantry). In EVE, you need to slowly grow your skill (just keep paying the subscription fee) and patiently amass money to deck out a big ship, while playing a starter ship. Its not bad, its different.
4. WoW and GW. GW is not free, imagine the cost of buying the endless streams of expansion. Both games are hyped, both are mass appealing games, and the mass are young players. You know what I am hinting at.
5. F2P games. These games are most appealing to the young ones. Yes, young ones. The boy next door is a guild head, of a big guild and he is only 13. I will not immediately conclude that he is immature or something, but I will not try to describe 13ers as mature, steadyhanded, coolheaded, good administrators with tolerance understanding and respect for the occasional players who needs AFK, baby-sitting breaks, missing raid dates b/c of work ...
There are lots more games to talk about, but games like VG, well they will not work well with you hardware.
I've been playing Everquest 2 for a long time now, and from what I've seen, the general server population consists of married couples. The guild that I'm in right now is led by a married couple. I don't think that in all my years of playing Everquest 2, that I have come across ANYONE who has called me a "noob", or anything "degrading". So if you really want a game with an older generation, I suggest Everquest 2. The fighting style isn't me, but you may like it ^^.
This is very true - I started in EQ2 and then went to WoW. I did that because, in my opinion, WoW was superior to EQ2 in terms of content, landscape, design and 'look and feel'. However, with regard to community, EQ2 is decisively better than WoW - I never met a less helpful, more aggressive, dishonest, rude set of players in my life - and I have tried four seperate servers over a period of two years. Apparently, WoW gets a lot better if you can get into a good guild. However, so many guilds start and fail in WoW that you tend to have to experience four or five of them before you can find one not peopled by bullies, thieves and cretins. Just my experience.
Eve, too, has a helpful, mature crowd of players it seems though I have not played the game long enough to know much about them.
Another vote for EQ 2 from me. The guild I was in was all adults with families and no one under 18 was invited . You will find all ages in any mmorpg however , I would say wow was the most pathetic community of any game I played , even the free games have better communities . Wow is like an unsupervised elementary school playground , I honestly cant believe anyone over 12 plays that game.
I would recommend croNous (www.cronous.com). It has mature community. Its a old school game and low hardware spec requirement since its graphics is not the best you could expect.
I'm 35, I've tried and played most games out there. I'm currently playing DDO. The playerbase is pretty courteous and mature. I've only had one bad experience so far. Downside is, you're expected to have voice coms and it's not a very solo-friendly game. Stay far, far away from WoW. Its playerbase is like a modern day representation of "Lord of the Flies".
If you're into the lore, and don't mind linear gameplay, LoTRO has a pretty mature community from what I've found, especially on the Landroval server. Of course, the game is fairly demanding from a hardware point of view. Try the demo and see what you think. I've been playing since July and I'm starting to get bored with it, but every once in a while I'm impressed by a new environment that I discover.
I will disagree with you on hardware, most rigs can and will run LoTRO unless you want D10 gfxs.
just my point of view.
Playing: Everthing Played: DAoC,AC2,EvE,SWG,WAR,MXO,CoX,EQ2,L2,LOTRO,SB,UO,WoW. I have played every MMO that has ever come out.
I am 30+ old, i work in software dev company. And as you know we burn midnight oil.
I have 2 - 3 hours TOPS in a to play daily , add to this a wife that is complaining, house chores...etc
This is what 30 year old has to cope with
Thats why EVE might have mature community, but it is apsolutely not suitable.
EVE is like a job. You can play it casual , but you will only scratch the surface. If you want to enjoy most of what EVE stands for you need to INVEST a lot of your time to it. You need to be there in set times, when your corp ask you to. You need to give a lot of responsibility to it. And a top of that it is stressful too.
LOTRO is easy going. Looks good. Quests are excelent.
You will be able to invest small amount of time and still experience everything...
I should mention my system ia a AMD 2800cpu...Nvidia6800XT,,,1.25 GB..of ram.
Heya ttomm, IMHO you might want to think about at least upping your RAM to 2GB. Thats going to hurt you with games like LotR and EQ2 ...again IMHO, I like a nice smooth game, no choppy or slide shows at all.
As far as a suggestion, again IMHO you can find a mature community in almost any game but I agree that in some it is definately more difficult then in others. WoW and GW are probably the prime examples of games where it is difficult to find a more mature group of players. Of course free to play are about impossible to find decent players at times.... IMHO.
Other then that, I can't really say that any one game is better then others.
Dark Age of Camelot is a great game for your current system specs. Mostly vets playing right now and its far to different and aged from the "popular" model to draw many of the "leet minded" now a days.
I have had very good experiences with LotR and EQ2 also like many have posted. Asheron's Call was a great game in it's day, I can't imagine the players having changed all that much. Then again, I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with, I had a great time in Lineage 2 for over a year and my only regret is I couldn't bring my guild with me when I left. City of X has a very community. I gotta say Ryzom has (had?) a stellar community but the fate of the game is unknown at this time.
Really anything a bit aged. New games tend to draw the leet player type looking for the "next big thing". The last generation games seem to keep the dedicated players.
Based on some of the replies and the fact you didn't write what type of game you like, I would be wary of EVE, although it does have a very good community, it is a PvP game. You didn't say if your into that sort of thing. Stay away from Vanguard for now. Your PC will not run it worth a poop anyway. On top of it, the population is not only very very thin but very transitory right now also.
Use this site to see how your system will handle a game.
Comments
The best mainstream PvE MMORPGs for older players are definitely EverQuest II and Lord of the Rings Online, especially the latter. I have never had any problems with snotty kids in these games, but I dealt with them often in WoW.
Basically, so long as you stay away from the most popular games with low requirements, you will be fine, as a rule.
Eve seems like it might be a good game for you. The classic client is pretty light on system requirements, and your average WoW retard (and no I'm not saying all WoW players are retards, just a lot of them) usually falls out within a few hours of rolling their character.
The game is very corp-centric. How good the community is depends mostly on what corp you join and what you choose to do - the game isn't all about pvp if you're not really into it (I know I'm not). Also it's very casual friendly (I only play 2 or 3 days a week usually) since skills train in real time whether you're logged on or not and the only thing the guy who grinds 23/7 will have that you don't is a big pile of ISK, which isn't nearly as important as the grey matter in your head.
As far as F2P MMOs go, PQ is the best, and always has been.
One I'm trying now is AO..not sure about it yet....I tried UO already and it seemed dead to me....I know that LOTR had some video Glitches..You can see some hesitations even on Gamespots video review...Is that normal?
Here's the embarrasing part i'm 61 fixing to turn 62
I should mention my system ia a AMD 2800cpu...Nvidia6800XT,,,1.25 GB..of ram.
Its a long term game with real time skill learning. Also it has a rreal community spirit as its a Corperate game so it pays to work together in EvE. Because of this everyone tends to be more courtious and polite unless of course you are at war.
"Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god."
-- Jean Rostand
vanguard and eve seem to have more adult orientated populations with 30+ ages
playing eq2 and two worlds
Runescape
I am 30 + and found that the Lotro community suit me best. However, I 'm playing on the European RP server.
Well I'm 32 .. so that makes me over 30.. so heres the games I have liked recently. (in no specific order)
EQ2 .. lots of depth, tons of quests, the best crafting system of any game out right now and an awesome generally more mature community. Probably the best MMO around right now in my opinion.
LOTRO .. Again more mature community, and just a more mature MMO then WOW in my opinion. Much better managment and customization to the characters, more quests then you can shake a stick at, and a much more casual friendly game (since most of us over 30s have a job to go to). Also it just feels like a much larger world.
EVE .. probably the most adult oriented MMO on the market right now. Very mature players, lots to do, but can at times lack focus. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL game though and you dont need a hardcore system to run it. For the most part a great community too.
Pirates of the Burning Sea .. wont be out for another two weeks, but I was a beta tester and found this game absolutely enjoyable. Great community in beta of very mature players. Awesome trade system in game and brilliant ship combat. The swashbuckling mechanic I think also takes a mature mind to appreciate it .. as its more like a puzzle then traditional MMo sword combat. Has a few bugs but nothing game breaking and all in all a great game.
Tabula Rasa .. I only recommend this one if you arnt a hardcore player and can only dedicate a couple hours a night to play (like me right now). Much more twitch style with a big world to explore. Has alot of subtle neuances that are lost on alot of the players because you have to actually look for them. Good game that with some help from the devs will only get better. Still I dont recommend it for the hardcore as its pretty easy to level and you will get bored quickly.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Also add DAOC to your list. In my experience the older games have a more mature crowd
Torrential
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
Was going to suggest Bridge, Pinochle, Dominoes... But.
No mature players on my Lotro server don't know about the rest.
Try Dark Age of Camelot or Ultima Online for the old folks network. hehe.
Smedders is always all whiney that SWG has older players, so theres something to consider.
Eve has the greatest ratio for younger to older players, plus the game doesnt demand alot to play it. I ran 2 accounts at same time on a laptop thats 3 years old.
I am 32 years old, 8 year miitary vet. I played SWG, Eve, and currently Tabula Rasa, which I am quiting, cause its got a huge inmature base, even though EULA says 18+.
I HIGHLY recommand Eve, the big name corps and alliances are controled by older gamers, not kids. Eve has won numerous awards continuously since it release and has beaten out every other MMO on here, for best game, for the past couple years. Granted, its a VERY indepth game, but can be played, while not logged in. Skills are based on TIME, not GRIND. So when you log off, you can set a skill that will take a few hours, to a couple days, even a couple months to learn, like Frieghter 5, which took 50 days. Eve also has a great set of players that are willing to help new players out. When I played, I usually gave out a free ship, equipment, and some ISK to get you going. I left, cause Player Politics at the time where harsh, due to the BoB War, which is coming to a end, finally. The game is ultimatly controlled by the players and is the most realistic game, for example, its scams, there are 2 markets, one ran by NPCs, and one ran by players. The one ran by players canbe tricky, if you dont read every little detail, you will get scammed, and its perfectly normal, cause one of the professions, which are not defined, is being a Smuggler and Thief.
any game with almost no graphics(browser based non-graphical.) like astroempires.com
any game with a small/entwined community.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
Vanguard is also improving at a real fast pace and does seem to have a mature player base. However the most mature community I have ever seen is definitley in Lotro and it is an excellent Game. WoW is great for any age of gamer and you can just put the Kiddies that annoy everyone on ignore, WoW should be played and enjoyed by everybody and you should'nt be put off playing as it is still argueably the best Mmo out there. I'm playing WoW at the moment and have had no troublr finding real nice people to group and chat with. You know what no matter what game it is if you enjoy it give a go and dont let the minority of immature idiots spoil it.
Ps I forgot to mention Anarchy Online a real Oldie but goldie ! ....... oh yeah and Daoc too ..... right I'll shut up now way to much talking for an old git like me !
Have you ever considered Voyage Century? i guess this game will probably suit you. the game background is based on the truthful world.
Haven't heard anything about voyage century...i may check it out.
I ran a persistent world for 2 years, and I think if you are into D&D style fantasy, you can have some great multiplayer experiences in that space.
I am almost 50, that should make me an old gamer for sure. I have less and less time (or patience) for games (unless its good). I am getting burnt out faster and faster with every new game. Maybe I am just too old.
As for a good game for an old gamer without 24/7 devotion, I agree with the general view here. A little ordering as my contribution to an other aged gamer: I group the games by similarities, not as a ranking or preference.
1. DAoC, EQ these 2 are machine friendly and very old games with little appeal to the leet babies. Most of the players left are playing for the game rather than for hype. Unfortunately, many of the remaining players took pride for being vets, hence some kind of elitism. Since the game is old, most players are maxed out long ago, and even their alts are rich and mostly power-leveled by the primary characters (2boxing) or by guildmates. Finding a group is not that easy. Soloing is very easy in DAoC. In EQ well ...
2. LOTRo and COH/V (1 game now). Very polished interface, LOTRo is more hardware demanding, your spec will not be good enough for the best display setting. These games offer very smooth gameplay, these 2 games are different, but they both support very good soloing, and occasional grouping for fun if needed be. LOTRo is heavily quest loaded, though grinding is easy as there are lots of spots with many mobs to fight. COH/V has simpler quests, weaker lore, but a more unique skill set. Both games lack end content though. That means little raid content, if that is what you seek as end content.
3. EVE and WWO2. These games are very unique. Hate it or love it. You will be spending a lot of times preparing for that fight. In WWO2, you run hard to the battlefield and you can be killed by 1 shot. No healers or magical shield, if you die, you respawn way back far from the battlefield sometimes. The game is fun when you are shooting and not 1-shot instantly. Most of the time you are running to the front (after death) or dodging, hiding, waiting to find someone to shoot at, don't try to shoot at a plane or a tank when you are an infantry). In EVE, you need to slowly grow your skill (just keep paying the subscription fee) and patiently amass money to deck out a big ship, while playing a starter ship. Its not bad, its different.
4. WoW and GW. GW is not free, imagine the cost of buying the endless streams of expansion. Both games are hyped, both are mass appealing games, and the mass are young players. You know what I am hinting at.
5. F2P games. These games are most appealing to the young ones. Yes, young ones. The boy next door is a guild head, of a big guild and he is only 13. I will not immediately conclude that he is immature or something, but I will not try to describe 13ers as mature, steadyhanded, coolheaded, good administrators with tolerance understanding and respect for the occasional players who needs AFK, baby-sitting breaks, missing raid dates b/c of work ...
There are lots more games to talk about, but games like VG, well they will not work well with you hardware.
Eve, too, has a helpful, mature crowd of players it seems though I have not played the game long enough to know much about them.
Another vote for EQ 2 from me. The guild I was in was all adults with families and no one under 18 was invited . You will find all ages in any mmorpg however , I would say wow was the most pathetic community of any game I played , even the free games have better communities . Wow is like an unsupervised elementary school playground , I honestly cant believe anyone over 12 plays that game.
I would recommend croNous (www.cronous.com). It has mature community. Its a old school game and low hardware spec requirement since its graphics is not the best you could expect.
I'm 35, I've tried and played most games out there. I'm currently playing DDO. The playerbase is pretty courteous and mature. I've only had one bad experience so far. Downside is, you're expected to have voice coms and it's not a very solo-friendly game. Stay far, far away from WoW. Its playerbase is like a modern day representation of "Lord of the Flies".
just my point of view.
Playing: Everthing
Played: DAoC,AC2,EvE,SWG,WAR,MXO,CoX,EQ2,L2,LOTRO,SB,UO,WoW.
I have played every MMO that has ever come out.
He asked for best game for 30 year old. Right ?
I am 30+ old, i work in software dev company. And as you know we burn midnight oil.
I have 2 - 3 hours TOPS in a to play daily , add to this a wife that is complaining, house chores...etc
This is what 30 year old has to cope with
Thats why EVE might have mature community, but it is apsolutely not suitable.
EVE is like a job. You can play it casual , but you will only scratch the surface. If you want to enjoy most of what EVE stands for you need to INVEST a lot of your time to it. You need to be there in set times, when your corp ask you to. You need to give a lot of responsibility to it. And a top of that it is stressful too.
LOTRO is easy going. Looks good. Quests are excelent.
You will be able to invest small amount of time and still experience everything...
Heya ttomm, IMHO you might want to think about at least upping your RAM to 2GB. Thats going to hurt you with games like LotR and EQ2 ...again IMHO, I like a nice smooth game, no choppy or slide shows at all.
As far as a suggestion, again IMHO you can find a mature community in almost any game but I agree that in some it is definately more difficult then in others. WoW and GW are probably the prime examples of games where it is difficult to find a more mature group of players. Of course free to play are about impossible to find decent players at times.... IMHO.
Other then that, I can't really say that any one game is better then others.
Dark Age of Camelot is a great game for your current system specs. Mostly vets playing right now and its far to different and aged from the "popular" model to draw many of the "leet minded" now a days.
I have had very good experiences with LotR and EQ2 also like many have posted. Asheron's Call was a great game in it's day, I can't imagine the players having changed all that much. Then again, I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with, I had a great time in Lineage 2 for over a year and my only regret is I couldn't bring my guild with me when I left. City of X has a very community. I gotta say Ryzom has (had?) a stellar community but the fate of the game is unknown at this time.
Really anything a bit aged. New games tend to draw the leet player type looking for the "next big thing". The last generation games seem to keep the dedicated players.
Based on some of the replies and the fact you didn't write what type of game you like, I would be wary of EVE, although it does have a very good community, it is a PvP game. You didn't say if your into that sort of thing. Stay away from Vanguard for now. Your PC will not run it worth a poop anyway. On top of it, the population is not only very very thin but very transitory right now also.
Use this site to see how your system will handle a game.
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srl
Some sick people here recommending EQ, a game that was designed in the 1990's lol.
Your best bet right now is Wow or EQ2, or if you are into pvp, Eve. Not much else decent right now.