Choosing a MMORPG is becoming as involved as buying a car.

Czzarre

For the gamer, a lot of factors have to be taken into account before choosing  new MMORPG. They are no longer like buying a Xbox360 or PS3 game where if you dont like it, you throw it on the pile and move on. PLayers really invest themselves into these games. There is also now such a vast number of MMORPGs that a  middle-of-the-road kind of player just cannot play them all. Money is no longer the limiting factor in playing MMORPGs, its the time required for character development.

Because of this, a lot goes into our decisions on which MMORPGS to purchase (or even trial). Game type, Gameplay, Developer, looks, customization options,  longevity, cost and payment options, ...As I began my deliberations it struck me that these were similar areas that I used when I bought my last CAR (Saturn SL2 ..dont blame me, I'm poor). In fact, I wager many put in more time and effort in deciding which game to next as they do for purchasing major appliances.

The industry itself doesnt help things along. Each one trying to add a new bell or whistle and touting it as "Next generation" in an attempt to seperate itself from many similar games (Especially in the Overcrowded Fantasy MMO genre...the Sedan of the Industry).

So, before we all go to the AoC vs WAR dealerships. Expect that the proccess of choosing which MMO vehicle you will be driving for the next 2 years will be rather involved.

P.S.  Remember to anticipate the resale value on Ebay

Torrential

candygirl6

Ok, it's funny how serious gamers take this decision.

Before the MMO 'genre' it was never like that, a game was a game, you could make a bad choice, but it was still just a game, and you still had fun with it.

Now though, with MMO's, people spend more time deciding what MMO to get than what car to buy. It certainly isn't about the money, it's because they spend so much time on them and invest so much dedication in it.

I think it's the companies fault for making every game lvl and progression based, (carrot on a stick). They know that's the only way gamers will keep paying, and it's not a nice system. It's gamers fault for falling for it and spending so much time on them and taking games so serious and choosing progression and grind based systems.

Why is there so much drama and hate etc around MMO's, drama about nerfs, jealousy on forums etc.. same reason, because MMO's 'demand' a lot of time from their gamers and keep them hooked with all sorts of systems.

It makes that decision important for them. Shrug, people never used to act like this with a nintendo or sega game.

Czzarre

It does beg the question. Did the game makers develope this system and we responded. Or did we do it to ourselves and they just went along for the ride

 

Torrential

tillz

WTF is WAR? or AOC?.... AION is where its at!!!!ONE!111ONE

aion is like driving an evo compared to driving the family stock lancer >war

candygirl6

I feel it's the company that created the problem. The player has a choice to go along with it or to reject it. But the problem didn't just appear.

The time invested in decision making is a side-effect then. It's a good question really, cause I can see the difference between a normal game and a MMO.

Besides the monthly costs, the financial investment is the same, so there must be another reason why this decision is 'so important' to gamers, it's the time investment no.

Xiaoki

Car dealerships offer free test rides to make sure you buy the car you want.

Too bad MMOs don't do the same.

candygirl6

Originally posted by tillz


WTF is WAR? or AOC?.... AION is where its at!!!!ONE!111ONE
aion is like driving an evo compared to driving the family stock lancer >war

....=)

Briansho

Soooo WoW players are like minivan drivers who stop at McDonalds after work every night?

inmysights

MMO's have free trials, so you cant complain if you dot like it.

Hexxeity

The premise of this thread is kind of silly.  A new console game actually costs more than a new MMOG, and neither one is so cheap that I'd ever "toss it on the pile" and forget it.  And someone already mentioned the free trials.

Of course if you really believe money isn't a factor in these decisions, I'm not surprised you can't afford a better car. 

Psilocybine

Trying an MMO is usually Free if not very cheap.

And money is no object because no MMO is really expensive. WoW is an expensive MMO and i payed for that for years without batting an eyelid.

It isnt about the money invested of course its about the time invested, "Do i wanna play this MMO and nothing else for the next 2+ years?"

and of course WoW players will know of the Goblin advice "Time is Money, Friend!"

I Myself have spent about 2 months deciding what MMO to move onto next after i quit WoW. Im still trying them out. but i know that what ever i choose now will only last a couple months while i wait for AoC.

and just to reference Aion, although it is made with the Crytek engine and will be stunning. It is also a Korean game. Which means Grind-fest. Ill try it but i cant see myself playing it on the long term.

And i also dont put as much thought into buying games for my 360 because i just read reviews when it comes to 360 games theres less choice than all PC games. Oh and i dont plan on playing them for 2+ years lol

/Psilo

Evilsam

Good analogy.For me at least.I tend to find a car I like and keep it.Same with a mmorpg game,but to a lesser extent.

 Car...!978 Mustang II Ghia Sport Coupe factory v-8,probably older than most people using this forum.If something goes wrong with it,I fix it,Wish game companies did that.

DJMurtz

For me, finding the right MMO, is actually more difficult than finding the right car. It's like having the choice between 100 cars but none of them seem to really "catch" you and give you the joy you where hoping for when doing a test drive.

I guess AoC might be the new audi I was looking for But that still remains to be seen and like you said, it's still a few months away.

daryosh

maybe it will be the new audi. however, they started to mess around a little with classes, prestige classes and so more things. seeing things like this happen close to launch, i feel strongly reminded to other betas, where the crowds were poisoned by WoW players and the dev's listening to them willingly poisoned their games. its a sad fact that whining on the forums seems to come through very often.

 

lets just hope, that they dont start over with an underpowered engine, when it comes to the start. and i'm not talking about grafics, cause they're pretty cool .

 

Phos

It's funny, I never thought about it that way. But actually, for me, picking an MMO is even more involved than buying a car. (seriously)

- Phos

Ritto

I only buy about one MMORPG a year possibly 2 if the first wasnt my thing, so I take my time when I choose my MMO of choice.

Beatnik59

Purchasing an MMO isn't like purchasing an automobile.  I'm afraid it has become far more involved.  It's more like investment planning than a product purchase, and like the OP, I do suspect that the industry culture doesn't help matters any.

The chronic problem in this genre is that you never really know what your purchase today is going to look like a day or a year later.  The folks in charge of the game take the liberty to alter anything and everything they see fit, which means you never really know what you are going to be logging into on a given day.

The problem isn't buying the product.  The problem is trying to anticipate the quality of the service that makes the product work.  Subscribers these days have to look over the past performance of the development team, the publishers, and the history of all the changes in order to ascertain whether the game is a scam (like D&L or Age of Mourning), or will become a bait and switch (like SWG).

In short, the problem isn't that we "purchase" MMOs.  We can't purcase an MMO, because there's no way to evaluate it on the basis of "what it is," because "what it is" will always be subject to change.

 

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Trollstar

I take the less involved approach.  New game comes out, early reviews either say it blows, or its decent.

I then buy the game and play it.  After 30 days, am I still having fun?  OK, keep playing. Else, terminate.

Wait for next game to come out.

I'm not looking for a marriage, or a long term relationship like a car, so I just buy em, try em, and dump them.

 

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Thornwolf

It really is hard to pick one, and the thing is I think that there needs to be more free trials available for these games than we see now. I play WoW at present, and have since launch. I have played MMOs since UP in

It really is hard to pick one, and the thing is I think that there needs to be more free trials available for these games than we see now. I play WoW at present, and have since launch. I have played MMOs since UP in 1997.

I will pay for one MMO at a time, and right now I am bored with WoW. The gear chase has me bored, the raiding scene is a challenge but can be fun but it is nothing if not a grind with few options. PVP is "okay" but not my scene so in small doses I can tolerate it.

Right now I need a new game, but none of the options out there really have pulled me in. I tried LOTRO through the beta, Tabular Rasa through the beta, and several others. Not one of them really did it for me. Sad as it was because I really wanted to like LOTRO being a huge fan of the books and clearly of the lore. Then TR, I love Lord British, and have supported his work since I was 13 years old playing Ultima on my C64. But as I said none of them did it for me.

Right now I would like to try several games out there. Vanguard, Pirates of the Burning Sea to name two. If they had easily attainable trials who knows they might already have my 50 bucks and monthly subscription.

Wicoa

 

Originally posted by Beatnik59


Purchasing an MMO isn't like purchasing an automobile.  I'm afraid it has become far more involved.  It's more like investment planning than a product purchase, and like the OP, I do suspect that the industry culture doesn't help matters any.
The chronic problem in this genre is that you never really know what your purchase today is going to look like a day or a year later.  The folks in charge of the game take the liberty to alter anything and everything they see fit, which means you never really know what you are going to be logging into on a given day.
The problem isn't buying the product.  The problem is trying to anticipate the quality of the service that makes the product work.  Subscribers these days have to look over the past performance of the development team, the publishers, and the history of all the changes in order to ascertain whether the game is a scam (like D&L or Age of Mourning), or will become a bait and switch (like SWG).
In short, the problem isn't that we "purchase" MMOs.  We can't purcase an MMO, because there's no way to evaluate it on the basis of "what it is," because "what it is" will always be subject to change.
 

 

Nice post.

And nice OP.