But it's not only the fault of the player that he's chasing numbers. The current MMO's favor this kind of thinking, and make you a victim at the same time. The fact of the matter is, that what we're going to be doing most of our playtime in an MMO is battling, and usually at the same time, leveling. Other features can add to the mix, but they'll never be as important as the combat, which is why it's so important that the combat is different. If the rest is different, that's just not going to cut it most (all) of the time. I don't agree that leveling is nothing but acquiring experience. Leveling is all about combat, if you're not a crafter. Change the combat, change the leveling. The character progression system does not need much tweaking, but it can be good too. The "deeper" things work to add to the flavor, make a good experience even better; but gameplay in the end is what matters. Good story can make up for the gameplay if it's interesting, but stories in MMO are only a minimal fraction of the game, at best. Not enough to keep me occupied like they do in single player games, where a good story can save the game. If the gameplay is not that much different, the "leveling" isn't either.
Im sorry the message here looks a little mixed between two points. Ill try to understand to the best of my ability.
Are you suggesting to have a way to level through different activities? In a way its already done just on separate scales and levels, then you delve into what a level would really mean in a game.
Leveling is nothing but adding up an amount of points to reach the next threshold, thats what I mean by acquiring experience. Yes, it does revolve around combat, so change the combat and you change the leveling is your reasoning. However, what exactly can you change in combat and how far would you potentially go? I think in todays standard, it would between drastic, radical changes i.e. moving from menu based to twitch-FPSesque style combat or subtle changes, adding on to whats still out there i.e. the hotbar system and adding various layers of combat to add to the dynamics?
I think the combat is changing today, but in more of the subtle, slowly evolving type fashion. These games dont just change/evolve over night and careful decisions have to be made and placed by these developers and companies. Again, I think a lot of the changes in MMOs get lost ultimately under the generalizations.
I disagree in regards to gameplay being everything. If that was the case, then no one would care about how they would look or the setting they are playing in. Context and background add a lot more than people want to think hence the reason why you prefer a sci fi over fantasy setting or modern as opposed to medieval.
Lets not forgot the RPG side of these things which involve story and background no matter how subtle it might be. Imagine playing your favorite MMO under a different guise, a different backdrop. What if it was infested with nothing but zombies and dragons were all done away with. That would drastically not only change the story and setting but possibly how the game is played as well (more focus on survival less on monster hunting?). Context has great weight and I think too much credit is being given to the game mechanics itself. If it was all about gameplay, why not just play pen and paper? Why do you prefer your RPG experience to be in a video game form? Game mechanics/gameplay are nothing but a set of rules to follow. Video games just add a layer of visualization on top of it.
Ultimately in regards to this thread, this becomes more of an issue outside the "its just leveling, same old bs" moniker.
I just wanted to get back into a quest focused mmo since I havent played one seriously in years.
Maybe I havent found the right one?
to answer one poster, I've never played a mmo for the numbers, i've never rushed to endgame.
For me it's always been about the journey (check my post history i hate endgame with a passion).
Maybe its come to the point that the journeys are bleeding together due to being so similar to one another fo me?
You bring up the differences between WoW and Aion and yet both of those games all I remember doing was filling up a quest log over and over again, traveling to the next zone once one hub was empty.
If a mmo was about "numbers" to me I would beable to ignore this "been there, done that" feeling and rush to max level.
To the people suggesting DF, FE and other more open ended games I thank you but I was trying to get into the more themeparkish games I already play sandbox games and have been doing so for years.
Maybe I'm trying the wrong games? any quest based leveling experience that's unique? one that chnges shit up with all types of activities to keep me from getting bored?
This part of your post, shouts: "I want DDO!!!"
Seriously, I wonder why noone mentioned that. When I first played DDO I really felt the quests were actually fun and unique unlike in other games where quests are only there to mask the grind aspect of the game. However DDO is kind of an Online Adventure game not a true MMO, But trust me on this, it can be a great relief after all the quest grinds .
I’m sorry the message here looks a little mixed between two points. I’ll try to understand to the best of my ability.
Are you suggesting to have a way to level through different activities? In a way its already done just on separate scales and levels, then you delve into what a level would really mean in a game.
Not really, although that could definitely help. The main activity can be different from the norm however, it doesn't have to revolve around two-shotting rats in a nearby field then going back to get your +50000 exp reward. There are many ways to do it if you want there to be.
Leveling is nothing but adding up an amount of points to reach the next threshold, that’s what I mean by acquiring experience. Yes, it does revolve around combat, so change the combat and you change the leveling is your reasoning. However, what exactly can you change in combat and how far would you potentially go? I think in today’s standard, it would between drastic, radical changes i.e. moving from menu based to twitch-FPSesque style combat or subtle changes, adding on to what’s still out there i.e. the hotbar system and adding various layers of combat to add to the dynamics?
There is a middleground, but the developers don't want to even go that far. Subtle changes just don't cut it, as shown in the general trend: Aion didn't do well (outside the "if you can upgrade your weapon to +9 with 0,0001% chance, we'll like it" S-Korea), or any game with "subtle changes" to be frank.
Why must there be Auto Attack? Why doesn't the environment matter (direction, position, etc.)? What if regaining MP was much harder, making fights more tactical? Why are there no cooperative skills to use with other players? Why can you not change your class easily without making another character? Why are there no more reactive skills? Why is the monster AI not better? Why can you not manually block with your shield, or parry? Why can you not mix abilities from other classes together to create new combinations? Why is crafting considered a mere minigame within the game with no deeper purpose and interactivity? What if skills were made much more precious and you couldn't just spam them over and over again freely, but had to choose which skill to use from your repertoire instead of just spamming them when the cooldown is up?
I'm sorry for bringing up single player games, but there we see what can be done. Compare combat in Dragon Age, Mass Effect, FFXIII, FFXII, Demon's Souls, Oblivion, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, The Last Remnant, Star Ocean, Diablo, Kingdom Hearts, Shadow of the Colossus.. it's not because "WoW's combat can not be made better" that we are facing a situation like this, that's for sure. MMO's are more limited when it comes to combat, but it's no reason for the innovation to suddenly disappear.
I think the combat is changing today, but in more of the subtle, slowly evolving type fashion. These games don’t just change/evolve over night and careful decisions have to be made and placed by these developers and companies. Again, I think a lot of the changes in MMO’s get lost ultimately under the generalizations.
You are right, but when the changes don't mean much in the big picture it's no wonder they get lost. These games should change overnight (although that I feel is a bad way to say it, because I think the games shouldn't change their existing systems "overnight", but make a game from the groundup that supports the new combat).
I disagree in regards to gameplay being everything. If that was the case, then no one would care about how they would look or the setting they are playing in. Context and background add a lot more than people want to think hence the reason why you prefer a sci fi over fantasy setting or modern as opposed to medieval.
I never said it's everything Fantasy or medieval, lots of character customization or not, if the gameplay sucks then the game sucks. That's what it comes down to.
Let’s not forgot the RPG side of these things which involve story and background no matter how subtle it might be. Imagine playing your favorite MMO under a different guise, a different backdrop. What if it was infested with nothing but zombies and dragons were all done away with. That would drastically not only change the story and setting but possibly how the game is played as well (more focus on survival less on monster hunting?). Context has great weight and I think too much credit is being given to the game mechanics itself. If it was all about gameplay, why not just play pen and paper? Why do you prefer your RPG experience to be in a video game form? Game mechanics/gameplay are nothing but a set of rules to follow. Video games just add a layer of visualization on top of it.
Because throwing a dice is different than reacting to an enemy running towards you by rising your shield just before the monster swings his weapon.
The Gameplay is superior (not just visuals, as I described above). That is why I like to play in the video game format.
Using LOL is like saying "my argument sucks but I still want to disagree".
Maybe I'm trying the wrong games? any quest based leveling experience that's unique? one that chnges shit up with all types of activities to keep me from getting bored?
This part of your post, shouts: "I want DDO!!!"
Seriously, I wonder why noone mentioned that. When I first played DDO I really felt the quests were actually fun and unique unlike in other games where quests are only there to mask the grind aspect of the game. However DDO is kind of an Online Adventure game not a true MMO, But trust me on this, it can be a great relief after all the quest grinds .
I think most people hold off on suggesting GW or DDO because they don't want to derail a tread into a "That's not a MMO" topic.
I agree though DDO is pretty good I have it on my HD.
To the people suggesting DF, FE and other more open ended games I thank you but I was trying to get into the more themeparkish games I already play sandbox games and have been doing so for years.
Um, FE isn't really all that sandboxy....it's a big open world, and yeah you *can* level by crafting alone, or by mob-grinding (if you don't mind missing out on bonus APs), but it's also full to the brim with missions....I'd see it as a themepark that allows you to go off the rails whenever you feel like it (and only if you feel like it).
FE is hybrid FPS/RPG in terms of combat (aiming and damage rolls), and hybrid Themepark/Sandbox in terms of ways to level. I see it as more themeparkish, but possibly other players may disagree with me on that one.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
To the people suggesting DF, FE and other more open ended games I thank you but I was trying to get into the more themeparkish games I already play sandbox games and have been doing so for years.
Um, FE isn't really all that sandboxy....it's a big open world, and yeah you *can* level by crafting alone, or by mob-grinding (if you don't mind missing out on bonus APs), but it's also full to the brim with missions....I'd see it as a themepark that allows you to go off the rails whenever you feel like it (and only if you feel like it).
FE is hybrid FPS/RPG in terms of combat (aiming and damage rolls), and hybrid Themepark/Sandbox in terms of ways to level. I see it as more themeparkish, but possibly other players may disagree with me on that one.
I disagree.
Fallen earth is open ended when it comes to character skills and ways to skill up. sure the game has quest chains but the skill system is freaking awesome and nothing like a themepark.
Themparks have set classes, you fill a quest log and hop from one zone to another. no way to stray from this you basically follow a story, ding a level then get a spell off a trainer. Its completely static when it comes to class skills and player freedom.
^ That is the type of gameplay i associate with themeparks adn i was hoping to find a good one to play.
Fallen earth is way more of a sandbox than a themepark due to its classless system.
I've found that a couple weeks or months away from MMORPGs really helps bring the real reason to play them into focus: Other players. When I start to get burned out on MMOs, I will generally shift to single player games and/or multiplayer shooters for awhile. Until I start to get that urge to play and interact with other people and build a character. The leveling does get old, but if you are making and playing with friends, its not so bad, at least for a little while.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Fallen earth is open ended when it comes to character skills and ways to skill up. sure the game has quest chains but the skill system is freaking awesome and nothing like a themepark.
Themparks have set classes, you fill a quest log and hop from one zone to another. no way to stray from this you basically follow a story, ding a level then get a spell off a trainer. Its completely static when it comes to class skills and player freedom.
^ That is the type of gameplay i associate with themeparks adn i was hoping to find a good one to play.
Fallen earth is way more of a sandbox than a themepark due to its classless system.
Ok, now I'm confused, you want a game with a lot of questing, but when I say FE has lots of missions (which most people would use to define "themeparkishness") you say nope, not a themepark...because of AP allocation? Did I get that right?
You may be a melee/mutant or a pistoleer/crafter or a rifleman/medic, but you will be either a rifleman, pistoleer or melee'er first and foremost. You can be a pure crafter, but you'll have a heck of a bad time in PvP if you are. That goes triple for "pure mutant". Cookie cutter builds are all the rage, and will be more so come May 7th (Bloodsports) and the respec offer. Honestly, it is less sandboxy than you give it credit for. I love the game, but it is a hybrid. Calling it a sandbox just gives people the wrong impression. Sandboxes, for good or ill, are associated in most peoples' minds with FFA PvP and few to no quests at all.
So what you're looking for is a linear themepark where you are led around on rails level up and go to a trainer for your new skills.... well, not to be smart about it, but don't the majority of games fit that criteria? The tightest "on rails" game I played recently was Aion. It felt really small and cramped to me, and not a lot of fun, you might feel differently.
And if you can find nothing there right now that pleases you, the best advice I can give is what I already gave - walk away from the genre totally for a while. No endless free trial in WAR, no dropping in and out of EvE.... and see how you feel about the games on offer in a few months.
Fallen earth is open ended when it comes to character skills and ways to skill up. sure the game has quest chains but the skill system is freaking awesome and nothing like a themepark.
Themparks have set classes, you fill a quest log and hop from one zone to another. no way to stray from this you basically follow a story, ding a level then get a spell off a trainer. Its completely static when it comes to class skills and player freedom.
^ That is the type of gameplay i associate with themeparks adn i was hoping to find a good one to play.
Fallen earth is way more of a sandbox than a themepark due to its classless system.
Ok, now I'm confused, you want a game with a lot of questing, but when I say FE has lots of missions (which most people would use to define "themeparkishness") you say nope, not a themepark...because of AP allocation? Did I get that right?
You may be a melee/mutant or a pistoleer/crafter or a rifleman/medic, but you will be either a rifleman, pistoleer or melee'er first and foremost. You can be a pure crafter, but you'll have a heck of a bad time in PvP if you are. That goes triple for "pure mutant". Cookie cutter builds are all the rage, and will be more so come May 7th (Bloodsports) and the respec offer. Honestly, it is less sandboxy than you give it credit for. I love the game, but it is a hybrid. Calling it a sandbox just gives people the wrong impression. Sandboxes, for good or ill, are associated in most peoples' minds with FFA PvP and few to no quests at all.
So what you're looking for is a linear themepark where you are led around on rails level up and go to a trainer for your new skills.... well, not to be smart about it, but don't the majority of games fit that criteria? The tightest "on rails" game I played recently was Aion. It felt really small and cramped to me, and not a lot of fun, you might feel differently.
And if you can find nothing there right now that pleases you, the best advice I can give is what I already gave - walk away from the genre totally for a while. No endless free trial in WAR, no dropping in and out of EvE.... and see how you feel about the games on offer in a few months.
Yep Fallen Earth is a themepark game just like any other mmo which happens to feel a little like a sandbox game due to the wide open landscape and freedom to go where you please. Its still just as static as any other standard questing mmo though. Having skill points instead of set classes makes little difference to the way you find yourself playing the game. Do the quest, collect the reward, move off to find the next quest giver and off you go again. Business as usual.
Hopscotch is right though. You should stop blowing your money on these games for now. Try what I suggested earlier and have a go with Allods. It will really highlight for you how bad these AAA mmos are because its so similar to all of them. It kind of highlights the crappy direction mmos have been heading over the past 5 years.
Heroes of Telara and Guildwars 2 look like they might possibly be worth paying attention to in the future though as they seem to be attempting to introduce more dynamic content which has been long overdue. A game world that can be different each time you log in? Quests that change along with the state of the world? Sounds good to me. Wouldnt it feel good to not play any mmos until one of those gets released and then jump into a new fantasy world with those features?
However......I must admit from reading your more recent posts that you do seem to be suffering from "the craving". I suspect you may well end up succumbing to one of the crappy mmos that you already know you're gonna hate. Resist! Fight the evil urge! You know nothing good will come of it. You will just be left with the same old feeling of wasted time and money. Thats why Allods is a safe way to go. You only waste your time.
LOL I'm not gonna quit the greatest mmo ever created (eve) because I happen to have a hard time finding the vanilla themepark I want (as a second or third mmo).
And come on guys dont turn this into a Fallen earth topic thread I already told you i consider it a sandbox and already play it (off and on).
This thread is about vanilla themeparks. I pick a class, I quest, then theres some type of endgame raiding mechanic for gear.
Very simple, I would like to find a game like this but thats actually interesting.
I kind like how War lets you level in pvp but that game has noone playing at my playtimes and I refuse to go back to WoW since that ship has sailed for me.
I'm asking too much I think? Maybe in a few years aye?
My suggestion would be to play a different kind of game whether that be FPS, RTS, etc. I do this from time to time take a breather and then go back to it. It refreshes the experience IMO. Play your console games, that is if you have a console. Just something different.
Feel proud, you've discovered that it's boring as hell.
It's the developers issue, not yours. Unfortunately most of them just follow the trend. Which is "do the exact same thing over and over again for 200 hours to actually be able to start playing the game".
They need to just start making games skill based, stop making them, or go a route similar to how TOR is doing it. You know, make the quests have some significance or tell a story.
There's nothing you can do about it man, it's just boring as hell and it always will be.
Playing: *sigh* back to WoW -------- Waiting for: SW:TOR, APB, WoD --------- Played and loved: Eve and WoW -------- Played and hated: WoW:WotLK, Warhammer, every single F2P
Take a look at Rappelz, if you haven't already. Another ftp from gpotato, but I am finding it engaging (thus far) because it feels quite challenging. There is a new pve only server (Unicorn) if you don't want pvp.
I'm yet another lonely mmo wanderer these days, seeking to cure the craving and not quite managing to with only one game, so I have a few on the go. (Rappelz, Allods, might go back to Alganon after re-release). I just bought The Longest Journey (single player) and looking forward to that.
Some nights I just don't bother with any game, but even so I am still hoping to find a new home in one of the upcoming releases like Guild Wars 2, Aerrevan, FFIV.
Maybe I'm trying the wrong games? any quest based leveling experience that's unique? one that chnges shit up with all types of activities to keep me from getting bored?
City of Heroes is pretty different in terms of gameplay to all of the EQ clones you said you've played.
You will eventually get bored with it - there's no end-game at all (yet) - but it might be different enough from the games that you've played to feel fresh.
Otherwise maybe you're finding the fantasy genre a bit stale? Maybe try a sci-fi MMO like Anarchy Online - though it's very old and the graphics are accordingly very dated. Or if you like spaceships Eve isn't bad. You just have to come to grips with their skill progression over time system, i.e. your skills progress based on how long you've been paying money to CCP rather than anything you do in the game - which personally isn't to my taste. Though the game itself is enjoyable and definitely not EQ'ish.
I haven't tried it myself yet, but my guildies are all really enjoying Global Agenda. It's not a real MMO but it's supposedly lots of fun.
Honestly, how unqiue can you make a game experience when you try and keep it within a boundary such as "quest based leveling experience"? I'm sorry but there is nothing unique about quest based leveling since it'll be an experience based on questing, which has been done over again hundreds of times and its very popular within the genre.
If you're looking for different settings and/or backdrops that are unique, there might be some MMO's out there based on questing for you. However,it sounds more like an issue of gameplay and experience and more likely than not, there is no MMO that would satisfy you.
Something unique in terms of a leveling experience will have to be driven outside of being quest based.
Comments
Im sorry the message here looks a little mixed between two points. Ill try to understand to the best of my ability.
Are you suggesting to have a way to level through different activities? In a way its already done just on separate scales and levels, then you delve into what a level would really mean in a game.
Leveling is nothing but adding up an amount of points to reach the next threshold, thats what I mean by acquiring experience. Yes, it does revolve around combat, so change the combat and you change the leveling is your reasoning. However, what exactly can you change in combat and how far would you potentially go? I think in todays standard, it would between drastic, radical changes i.e. moving from menu based to twitch-FPSesque style combat or subtle changes, adding on to whats still out there i.e. the hotbar system and adding various layers of combat to add to the dynamics?
I think the combat is changing today, but in more of the subtle, slowly evolving type fashion. These games dont just change/evolve over night and careful decisions have to be made and placed by these developers and companies. Again, I think a lot of the changes in MMOs get lost ultimately under the generalizations.
I disagree in regards to gameplay being everything. If that was the case, then no one would care about how they would look or the setting they are playing in. Context and background add a lot more than people want to think hence the reason why you prefer a sci fi over fantasy setting or modern as opposed to medieval.
Lets not forgot the RPG side of these things which involve story and background no matter how subtle it might be. Imagine playing your favorite MMO under a different guise, a different backdrop. What if it was infested with nothing but zombies and dragons were all done away with. That would drastically not only change the story and setting but possibly how the game is played as well (more focus on survival less on monster hunting?). Context has great weight and I think too much credit is being given to the game mechanics itself. If it was all about gameplay, why not just play pen and paper? Why do you prefer your RPG experience to be in a video game form? Game mechanics/gameplay are nothing but a set of rules to follow. Video games just add a layer of visualization on top of it.
Ultimately in regards to this thread, this becomes more of an issue outside the "its just leveling, same old bs" moniker.
It's no secret that im a sandbox mmo player.
I just wanted to get back into a quest focused mmo since I havent played one seriously in years.
Maybe I havent found the right one?
to answer one poster, I've never played a mmo for the numbers, i've never rushed to endgame.
For me it's always been about the journey (check my post history i hate endgame with a passion).
Maybe its come to the point that the journeys are bleeding together due to being so similar to one another fo me?
You bring up the differences between WoW and Aion and yet both of those games all I remember doing was filling up a quest log over and over again, traveling to the next zone once one hub was empty.
If a mmo was about "numbers" to me I would beable to ignore this "been there, done that" feeling and rush to max level.
To the people suggesting DF, FE and other more open ended games I thank you but I was trying to get into the more themeparkish games I already play sandbox games and have been doing so for years.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
This part of your post, shouts: "I want DDO!!!"
Seriously, I wonder why noone mentioned that. When I first played DDO I really felt the quests were actually fun and unique unlike in other games where quests are only there to mask the grind aspect of the game. However DDO is kind of an Online Adventure game not a true MMO, But trust me on this, it can be a great relief after all the quest grinds .
"Ad astra per aspera."
I think most people hold off on suggesting GW or DDO because they don't want to derail a tread into a "That's not a MMO" topic.
I agree though DDO is pretty good I have it on my HD.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Um, FE isn't really all that sandboxy....it's a big open world, and yeah you *can* level by crafting alone, or by mob-grinding (if you don't mind missing out on bonus APs), but it's also full to the brim with missions....I'd see it as a themepark that allows you to go off the rails whenever you feel like it (and only if you feel like it).
FE is hybrid FPS/RPG in terms of combat (aiming and damage rolls), and hybrid Themepark/Sandbox in terms of ways to level. I see it as more themeparkish, but possibly other players may disagree with me on that one.
I'm with Rockgod, I'm burnt out on leveling MMORPG's. I tried to play Aion recently and I just wasn't interested in leveling a character.
Guess I'm just done with that mechanic (for a while) so I'm sort of stuck with EVE until some alternate progression systems are offered.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I disagree.
Fallen earth is open ended when it comes to character skills and ways to skill up. sure the game has quest chains but the skill system is freaking awesome and nothing like a themepark.
Themparks have set classes, you fill a quest log and hop from one zone to another. no way to stray from this you basically follow a story, ding a level then get a spell off a trainer. Its completely static when it comes to class skills and player freedom.
^ That is the type of gameplay i associate with themeparks adn i was hoping to find a good one to play.
Fallen earth is way more of a sandbox than a themepark due to its classless system.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
I've found that a couple weeks or months away from MMORPGs really helps bring the real reason to play them into focus: Other players. When I start to get burned out on MMOs, I will generally shift to single player games and/or multiplayer shooters for awhile. Until I start to get that urge to play and interact with other people and build a character. The leveling does get old, but if you are making and playing with friends, its not so bad, at least for a little while.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Ok, now I'm confused, you want a game with a lot of questing, but when I say FE has lots of missions (which most people would use to define "themeparkishness") you say nope, not a themepark...because of AP allocation? Did I get that right?
You may be a melee/mutant or a pistoleer/crafter or a rifleman/medic, but you will be either a rifleman, pistoleer or melee'er first and foremost. You can be a pure crafter, but you'll have a heck of a bad time in PvP if you are. That goes triple for "pure mutant". Cookie cutter builds are all the rage, and will be more so come May 7th (Bloodsports) and the respec offer. Honestly, it is less sandboxy than you give it credit for. I love the game, but it is a hybrid. Calling it a sandbox just gives people the wrong impression. Sandboxes, for good or ill, are associated in most peoples' minds with FFA PvP and few to no quests at all.
So what you're looking for is a linear themepark where you are led around on rails level up and go to a trainer for your new skills.... well, not to be smart about it, but don't the majority of games fit that criteria? The tightest "on rails" game I played recently was Aion. It felt really small and cramped to me, and not a lot of fun, you might feel differently.
And if you can find nothing there right now that pleases you, the best advice I can give is what I already gave - walk away from the genre totally for a while. No endless free trial in WAR, no dropping in and out of EvE.... and see how you feel about the games on offer in a few months.
Yep Fallen Earth is a themepark game just like any other mmo which happens to feel a little like a sandbox game due to the wide open landscape and freedom to go where you please. Its still just as static as any other standard questing mmo though. Having skill points instead of set classes makes little difference to the way you find yourself playing the game. Do the quest, collect the reward, move off to find the next quest giver and off you go again. Business as usual.
Hopscotch is right though. You should stop blowing your money on these games for now. Try what I suggested earlier and have a go with Allods. It will really highlight for you how bad these AAA mmos are because its so similar to all of them. It kind of highlights the crappy direction mmos have been heading over the past 5 years.
Heroes of Telara and Guildwars 2 look like they might possibly be worth paying attention to in the future though as they seem to be attempting to introduce more dynamic content which has been long overdue. A game world that can be different each time you log in? Quests that change along with the state of the world? Sounds good to me. Wouldnt it feel good to not play any mmos until one of those gets released and then jump into a new fantasy world with those features?
However......I must admit from reading your more recent posts that you do seem to be suffering from "the craving". I suspect you may well end up succumbing to one of the crappy mmos that you already know you're gonna hate. Resist! Fight the evil urge! You know nothing good will come of it. You will just be left with the same old feeling of wasted time and money. Thats why Allods is a safe way to go. You only waste your time.
LOL I'm not gonna quit the greatest mmo ever created (eve) because I happen to have a hard time finding the vanilla themepark I want (as a second or third mmo).
And come on guys dont turn this into a Fallen earth topic thread I already told you i consider it a sandbox and already play it (off and on).
This thread is about vanilla themeparks. I pick a class, I quest, then theres some type of endgame raiding mechanic for gear.
Very simple, I would like to find a game like this but thats actually interesting.
I kind like how War lets you level in pvp but that game has noone playing at my playtimes and I refuse to go back to WoW since that ship has sailed for me.
I'm asking too much I think? Maybe in a few years aye?
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
It sounds like you're burnt out on MMOs.
My suggestion would be to play a different kind of game whether that be FPS, RTS, etc. I do this from time to time take a breather and then go back to it. It refreshes the experience IMO. Play your console games, that is if you have a console. Just something different.
Feel proud, you've discovered that it's boring as hell.
It's the developers issue, not yours. Unfortunately most of them just follow the trend. Which is "do the exact same thing over and over again for 200 hours to actually be able to start playing the game".
They need to just start making games skill based, stop making them, or go a route similar to how TOR is doing it. You know, make the quests have some significance or tell a story.
There's nothing you can do about it man, it's just boring as hell and it always will be.
Playing: *sigh* back to WoW
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Waiting for: SW:TOR, APB, WoD
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Played and loved: Eve and WoW
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Played and hated: WoW:WotLK, Warhammer, every single F2P
Take a look at Rappelz, if you haven't already. Another ftp from gpotato, but I am finding it engaging (thus far) because it feels quite challenging. There is a new pve only server (Unicorn) if you don't want pvp.
I'm yet another lonely mmo wanderer these days, seeking to cure the craving and not quite managing to with only one game, so I have a few on the go. (Rappelz, Allods, might go back to Alganon after re-release). I just bought The Longest Journey (single player) and looking forward to that.
Some nights I just don't bother with any game, but even so I am still hoping to find a new home in one of the upcoming releases like Guild Wars 2, Aerrevan, FFIV.
City of Heroes is pretty different in terms of gameplay to all of the EQ clones you said you've played.
You will eventually get bored with it - there's no end-game at all (yet) - but it might be different enough from the games that you've played to feel fresh.
Otherwise maybe you're finding the fantasy genre a bit stale? Maybe try a sci-fi MMO like Anarchy Online - though it's very old and the graphics are accordingly very dated. Or if you like spaceships Eve isn't bad. You just have to come to grips with their skill progression over time system, i.e. your skills progress based on how long you've been paying money to CCP rather than anything you do in the game - which personally isn't to my taste. Though the game itself is enjoyable and definitely not EQ'ish.
I haven't tried it myself yet, but my guildies are all really enjoying Global Agenda. It's not a real MMO but it's supposedly lots of fun.
Honestly, how unqiue can you make a game experience when you try and keep it within a boundary such as "quest based leveling experience"? I'm sorry but there is nothing unique about quest based leveling since it'll be an experience based on questing, which has been done over again hundreds of times and its very popular within the genre.
If you're looking for different settings and/or backdrops that are unique, there might be some MMO's out there based on questing for you. However,it sounds more like an issue of gameplay and experience and more likely than not, there is no MMO that would satisfy you.
Something unique in terms of a leveling experience will have to be driven outside of being quest based.