I started playing mmos with Asheron's Call 2. The game was truly amazing to me, but it wasn't the most memorable one. I moved from AC2 to PSO and then to DAOC. All of them were very different games, so maybe that's why they all seemed new and exciting. I think the problem today isn't that us gamers are old and stale, but that most mmos just aren't unique these days. The problem is that most mmo developers just want to get rich with the same old regurgitated formula.
Simple version:
My first mmo was Asheron's Call 2.
Yes, many games.
They all offered something that the previous didn't.
I guess my point is that it's best when there's a lot of things you haven't experienced before. The problem is that most modern mmos aren't introducing anything that I haven't already experienced in another mmo. There's some pretty unique looking games coming soon though, so I'll be keeping an eye on those.
Have you played anything since then that you liked better?
If you have played something better, how was it an improvement over your first game?
MMO...depends. Did a lot of mud games which were multiplayer, but not quite massively, and not simultaneous. Then there was the Tower (or Shadow??) or Yserbius. Then to Ultima Online and the rest.
Um...yeah. It's all gotten better. And worse.
Graphics. Content. Playability. Communications. Oh yeah and better Internet Speed.
I think the best one was my third, if I remember right. First two were Meridian 59 and Ultima Online, both of which I didn't like, then after much time on MU's - Shadowrun Seattle - I found EverQuest and that was that.
Answer is NO. unless you consider Neverwinter nights an MMO.
My first MMO was EQ2, I like Darkfall better, currently playing Fallen Earth which I like but not as much as Darkfall but better than EQ2.
Additioanlly, my favorite video games in general where by far NOT the first ones I ever played. However, I do find it curious that that in my some 30 years of playing video games on and off that all my favorites comes from the year 2002 and 2004.
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
I'm curious whether people tend to have their most fun experiences in whatever their first mmo happened to be. That is the time when everything is new and you haven't already done the same things over and over a million times.
So my questions are, what was your first mmo?
Have you played anything since then that you liked better?
If you have played something better, how was it an improvement over your first game?
1. EQ
2. Yes
3. Lotro - Much more lore and quest driven which I enjoy. All around better user interface and more game elements available to make for a better all around mmo experience
WoW - Same as above
FE - Same as above
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Yes. Asheron's Call was my first and nothing has compared to many of it's features. That's not to say that it was perfect or can't be improved upon, but not with the current direction in MMOs.
The first MMO I really got into was CoX, but the whole time I played that game I had some gripes, about slow combat and an overly restrictive archetype/class system. The developers of CoX felt the same way, so they addressed these issues in Champions Online, which is why I enjoy CO much, much more than I ever enjoyed my first MMO, CoX.
My first MMO game experience was my best in the MMO world, and it was SWG. It was a blast, but a lot because I had no expectations, no experience to compare and a really, really great guild. Also a really great community back then. I am not sure if today I could enjoy such pure a sandbox again, tbh. But I sorely miss the strong community aspect of it.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Yes it was! I still have fond memorys of the anticipation when downloading Ragnarok Online open beta 1. It had just went to open beta from alpha, the community was fun but harsh, clicky, but i had a blast! My online game experience up to that point was playing rocket arena 3 and Q3 ctf. It was later i discovered D2 and got addicted! Just started playing again....
Its been all down hill since though! With the expecption of WoW and Priston Tale, all other mmos ive played dont give me that feeling i had when i played RO. But i have hope for the future...
Yes. My first MMO was Anarchy Online. I still consider it the best I ever played mostly cos I loved the crafting in it, and the fact that it was all easy enough to get, and craft for the most part. I loved my Nanos and bots as well. You made me want to go and play it for nostgalia now. lol
My original gameplay style was FPS (still very much is) and when I began starting to play MMO's around 2006 or so I started with 'Silkroad Online' which I'm sure most have heard of. A friend and I were both new to this MMORPG thing at the time he linked the game to me and we began playing immediately falling victim to the MMO bug. I ended up getting to cap level quite some time later, which is no small feat if you know anything about Silkroad Online. So I would say, yes I enjoyed the game more than the ones I do today because it was my first one. If I had played others before hand I probably wouldn't have stuck it out with silkroad online for so long. I probably wouldve stuck with any MMO had it been graphically pleasing enough and had decent gameplay. The thing is, once you get so much time invested into a game you feel obligated to continue playing especially when you've invested not just time but alot of money into it as well (premium and what not). I will however say the PVP is something I still think is of the better out there for my taste, hard to describe really but I enjoyed it alot.
So to some extent, yes, I enjoyed my first MMO more so than the rest I've played. You're less picky when you have no expectations.
My first MMO was either Ryzom or EQ2, they both launched around the same time and I had very different experiences in each. My all time favourite is FFXI though, hands down.
Like you say OP, I think many people have fond memories of their first MMO due to it all being new. There's more to it though imo. I think a lot of people grow attached to the mechanics and style of the game and then actually find it very difficult to enjoy games that are different. It took three attempts for me to actually enjoy FFXI, purely because I was so used to the type of gameplay in EQ2, but once I broke that barrier it was the best experience I ever had in a game.
I know a lot of modern gamers dismiss games that aren't casual like WoW for varying reasons. If they actually gave those games a chance though I honestly think they could enjoy them more than their first.
The Realm was my first MMO, but don't really consider that part of the modern MMO's, so EQ is what i'm considering to be my first. As much as I enjoyed EQ at the time, I definetly enjoyed DAoC and SWG better! I also enjoyed playing EQ2, Potbs, Vanguard, AO, and Wow to lesser extents. I did not enjoy playing LOTR, Horizon or Eve. Reason i like others better was EQ is too much of a time sink and getting the higher levels was brutel, one death would make you want to cry lol! DAoC had a great community (at least for migard) and the end game was a blast! SWG just had it all as you could do anything and everything or just chill out in the cantana listening to musicians and watching the dancers.
No I played AO for a week close to launch. Then I got AC2 for all the bad things everyone has ever said about it. It is still the one that I miss the most. I hope every day that I come to this site that i will see that Crapturbine has decided to dust it off and make it like DDO so I can enjoy it again or heck make it so they can throw a shard out for us.
How many delicate flowers have you met in Counterstrike?
I got a case of beer and a chainsaw waiting for me at home after work.
My first real MMO was Dark Ages (by Nexon). Shortly after that I played Nexus (also by Nexon). The first generation of MMOs were basic yet exciting. I think they were so exciting because the whole concept was new. I remember my favorite MMO of that era was UO, something about owning a home in a world makes or breaks most games for me. I love WoW these days but with no housing I don't often stay longer then a month lol. Nah for me ever since UO housing has been a difining part of my choice to play a game or not.
My first 3 MMORPGs were Ultima Online, Everquest, and Star Wars Galaxies...and yes, those three were all amazing games with wonderful communities. Nothing since has topped them, and I am losing hope that anything ever will. :<
first was DAOC then SWG...but yeah my first two were the best ones however as GW was my third and the game was not F***ed up by the devs i enjoyed GW for a longer period of time however i don't think that anything can replace SWG
I think I was more tolerant back then. MMO's were still new, we didn't really know what to expect, what we wanted from them.
Think back to Doom, a classic FPS but would it sell today? Are its design decisions still valid?
Take Star Wars Galaxies, my first real MMO. It was wonderful of course but in hindsight there was a lot wrong with it, even more then I realized at the time.
Take the "10.000.000" inventory items. Go and collect lots of goodies you can get for collecting parts all over the place until your inventory explodes and you can't venture outside for more then ten seconds before your bags overflow. Lord of the Rings Online has this problem and in 2010 it is just FIX THIS GODDAMN STUPID GAME MECHANIC ALREADY.
Who here isn't tired of facing an enemy that has no other challenge then an insanely high number of hitpoints? Or purely scripted battles where you can use a stopwatch to time the battle?
And going on from this, the KILLER of MMO's for me, when you can do a spreadsheet of how long you need to do X to get Y and it ends up being months.
I did the math and calculated how much the village Jedi-XP thing in SWG would take me, and quit.
I did the math and calculated how much time it would take for me do Mines of Moria raid/Legendary weapons and quit.
I can understand the need to repeat content, but there should be a balance between fun and rewards.
Helegrod (the only 24 man raid in Lotro) has lousy rewards but used to be a lot of fun to organize, especially since because of the lousy rewards there were enough people who took part just for the fun of it.
But the radiance gating in Lotro is no fun, especially for more players with more then one character. The math just becomes to extreme. 6 instances, 1 drop per instance, 6 alts, 6x6x6 = NO WAY.
I need an MMO were you can learn to play relatively simple, then get better as you learn the game, were group content is big enough to make it doable, were you can recover from a mistake and it is more then just hitting the right button when the HP reaches a fixed point. Helegrod got this "right" by accident as there is more then one tactic to beat it. I hate the kind of instance were you are so limited you need a certain group combination or you can't succeed without a certain class. Always needing 2 burglars for Helegrod was doable (1/12) but still.
Get me some MMO where tactics and strategy are needed. And get rid of the old and tired delay tactics.
Comments
I started playing mmos with Asheron's Call 2. The game was truly amazing to me, but it wasn't the most memorable one. I moved from AC2 to PSO and then to DAOC. All of them were very different games, so maybe that's why they all seemed new and exciting. I think the problem today isn't that us gamers are old and stale, but that most mmos just aren't unique these days. The problem is that most mmo developers just want to get rich with the same old regurgitated formula.
Simple version:
My first mmo was Asheron's Call 2.
Yes, many games.
They all offered something that the previous didn't.
I guess my point is that it's best when there's a lot of things you haven't experienced before. The problem is that most modern mmos aren't introducing anything that I haven't already experienced in another mmo. There's some pretty unique looking games coming soon though, so I'll be keeping an eye on those.
MMO...depends. Did a lot of mud games which were multiplayer, but not quite massively, and not simultaneous. Then there was the Tower (or Shadow??) or Yserbius. Then to Ultima Online and the rest.
Um...yeah. It's all gotten better. And worse.
Graphics. Content. Playability. Communications. Oh yeah and better Internet Speed.
My first MMO was Horizons.
So I probably don't need to spell out the fact that yes, I have played better games since.
I think the best one was my third, if I remember right. First two were Meridian 59 and Ultima Online, both of which I didn't like, then after much time on MU's - Shadowrun Seattle - I found EverQuest and that was that.
TO OP:
I am glad this question is being asked.
Answer is NO. unless you consider Neverwinter nights an MMO.
My first MMO was EQ2, I like Darkfall better, currently playing Fallen Earth which I like but not as much as Darkfall but better than EQ2.
Additioanlly, my favorite video games in general where by far NOT the first ones I ever played. However, I do find it curious that that in my some 30 years of playing video games on and off that all my favorites comes from the year 2002 and 2004.
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
Yes
but i guess in a way i was lucky because it was WoW.
1. EQ
2. Yes
3. Lotro - Much more lore and quest driven which I enjoy. All around better user interface and more game elements available to make for a better all around mmo experience
WoW - Same as above
FE - Same as above
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Yes. Asheron's Call was my first and nothing has compared to many of it's features. That's not to say that it was perfect or can't be improved upon, but not with the current direction in MMOs.
Same for me. I really enjoy LOTRO and AOC now, but nothing compares so far the SWG Pre-NGE.
My first mmo was FXI and it still my favorite mmo. I have lot of good memories playing that game.
The first MMO I really got into was CoX, but the whole time I played that game I had some gripes, about slow combat and an overly restrictive archetype/class system. The developers of CoX felt the same way, so they addressed these issues in Champions Online, which is why I enjoy CO much, much more than I ever enjoyed my first MMO, CoX.
Cryptic is trying a Customer Development approach to MMO creation.
Yes, Pre CU SWG.
My first MMO game experience was my best in the MMO world, and it was SWG. It was a blast, but a lot because I had no expectations, no experience to compare and a really, really great guild. Also a really great community back then. I am not sure if today I could enjoy such pure a sandbox again, tbh. But I sorely miss the strong community aspect of it.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Yes it was! I still have fond memorys of the anticipation when downloading Ragnarok Online open beta 1. It had just went to open beta from alpha, the community was fun but harsh, clicky, but i had a blast! My online game experience up to that point was playing rocket arena 3 and Q3 ctf. It was later i discovered D2 and got addicted! Just started playing again....
Its been all down hill since though! With the expecption of WoW and Priston Tale, all other mmos ive played dont give me that feeling i had when i played RO. But i have hope for the future...
Yes. My first MMO was Anarchy Online. I still consider it the best I ever played mostly cos I loved the crafting in it, and the fact that it was all easy enough to get, and craft for the most part. I loved my Nanos and bots as well. You made me want to go and play it for nostgalia now. lol
My original gameplay style was FPS (still very much is) and when I began starting to play MMO's around 2006 or so I started with 'Silkroad Online' which I'm sure most have heard of. A friend and I were both new to this MMORPG thing at the time he linked the game to me and we began playing immediately falling victim to the MMO bug. I ended up getting to cap level quite some time later, which is no small feat if you know anything about Silkroad Online. So I would say, yes I enjoyed the game more than the ones I do today because it was my first one. If I had played others before hand I probably wouldn't have stuck it out with silkroad online for so long. I probably wouldve stuck with any MMO had it been graphically pleasing enough and had decent gameplay. The thing is, once you get so much time invested into a game you feel obligated to continue playing especially when you've invested not just time but alot of money into it as well (premium and what not). I will however say the PVP is something I still think is of the better out there for my taste, hard to describe really but I enjoyed it alot.
So to some extent, yes, I enjoyed my first MMO more so than the rest I've played. You're less picky when you have no expectations.
My first MMO was either Ryzom or EQ2, they both launched around the same time and I had very different experiences in each. My all time favourite is FFXI though, hands down.
Like you say OP, I think many people have fond memories of their first MMO due to it all being new. There's more to it though imo. I think a lot of people grow attached to the mechanics and style of the game and then actually find it very difficult to enjoy games that are different. It took three attempts for me to actually enjoy FFXI, purely because I was so used to the type of gameplay in EQ2, but once I broke that barrier it was the best experience I ever had in a game.
I know a lot of modern gamers dismiss games that aren't casual like WoW for varying reasons. If they actually gave those games a chance though I honestly think they could enjoy them more than their first.
The Realm was my first MMO, but don't really consider that part of the modern MMO's, so EQ is what i'm considering to be my first. As much as I enjoyed EQ at the time, I definetly enjoyed DAoC and SWG better! I also enjoyed playing EQ2, Potbs, Vanguard, AO, and Wow to lesser extents. I did not enjoy playing LOTR, Horizon or Eve. Reason i like others better was EQ is too much of a time sink and getting the higher levels was brutel, one death would make you want to cry lol! DAoC had a great community (at least for migard) and the end game was a blast! SWG just had it all as you could do anything and everything or just chill out in the cantana listening to musicians and watching the dancers.
First mmo - SWG
I still have many fond memmories about this game that once existed. Doubt anything is going to replace that anytime soon.
No I played AO for a week close to launch. Then I got AC2 for all the bad things everyone has ever said about it. It is still the one that I miss the most. I hope every day that I come to this site that i will see that Crapturbine has decided to dust it off and make it like DDO so I can enjoy it again or heck make it so they can throw a shard out for us.
How many delicate flowers have you met in Counterstrike?
I got a case of beer and a chainsaw waiting for me at home after work.
My first real MMO was Dark Ages (by Nexon). Shortly after that I played Nexus (also by Nexon). The first generation of MMOs were basic yet exciting. I think they were so exciting because the whole concept was new. I remember my favorite MMO of that era was UO, something about owning a home in a world makes or breaks most games for me. I love WoW these days but with no housing I don't often stay longer then a month lol. Nah for me ever since UO housing has been a difining part of my choice to play a game or not.
My first 3 MMORPGs were Ultima Online, Everquest, and Star Wars Galaxies...and yes, those three were all amazing games with wonderful communities. Nothing since has topped them, and I am losing hope that anything ever will. :<
first was DAOC then SWG...but yeah my first two were the best ones however as GW was my third and the game was not F***ed up by the devs i enjoyed GW for a longer period of time however i don't think that anything can replace SWG
I think I was more tolerant back then. MMO's were still new, we didn't really know what to expect, what we wanted from them.
Think back to Doom, a classic FPS but would it sell today? Are its design decisions still valid?
Take Star Wars Galaxies, my first real MMO. It was wonderful of course but in hindsight there was a lot wrong with it, even more then I realized at the time.
Take the "10.000.000" inventory items. Go and collect lots of goodies you can get for collecting parts all over the place until your inventory explodes and you can't venture outside for more then ten seconds before your bags overflow. Lord of the Rings Online has this problem and in 2010 it is just FIX THIS GODDAMN STUPID GAME MECHANIC ALREADY.
Who here isn't tired of facing an enemy that has no other challenge then an insanely high number of hitpoints? Or purely scripted battles where you can use a stopwatch to time the battle?
And going on from this, the KILLER of MMO's for me, when you can do a spreadsheet of how long you need to do X to get Y and it ends up being months.
I did the math and calculated how much the village Jedi-XP thing in SWG would take me, and quit.
I did the math and calculated how much time it would take for me do Mines of Moria raid/Legendary weapons and quit.
I can understand the need to repeat content, but there should be a balance between fun and rewards.
Helegrod (the only 24 man raid in Lotro) has lousy rewards but used to be a lot of fun to organize, especially since because of the lousy rewards there were enough people who took part just for the fun of it.
But the radiance gating in Lotro is no fun, especially for more players with more then one character. The math just becomes to extreme. 6 instances, 1 drop per instance, 6 alts, 6x6x6 = NO WAY.
I need an MMO were you can learn to play relatively simple, then get better as you learn the game, were group content is big enough to make it doable, were you can recover from a mistake and it is more then just hitting the right button when the HP reaches a fixed point. Helegrod got this "right" by accident as there is more then one tactic to beat it. I hate the kind of instance were you are so limited you need a certain group combination or you can't succeed without a certain class. Always needing 2 burglars for Helegrod was doable (1/12) but still.
Get me some MMO where tactics and strategy are needed. And get rid of the old and tired delay tactics.
Everyone's first MMO is the best one. Doesn't matter which one it was, UO, EQ, you'll never experience that first blush again.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren