My first was The Matrix Online - I loved this game to bits when it launched, it was lacking in content and arguably broken but the live events they had and the community making its own content was really great, i really enjoyed the random PVP in this game. I loved the game being set in a city, it felt massive, it also had an air of mystery about it too. Once SOE took over this game was dead and the combat was dumbed down to a ridiculous level and the live events killed off.
Second was SWG - I really enjoyed this game too, the vastness of the world and the freedom you had was awesome, i loved being able to split from what i was doing and just fly around space, having a guild town and our own shuttleport, i just loved the game world.
After that i have played and tried about everything else, i have currently been playing WoW for about 4 years off and on but keep going back to it more out of force of habit than anything else, nothing really can drag me away from it, i suppose i just want that feeling of a world that seems full of mystery again. I would like to find something else but currently im stuck playing WoW in a never ending cycle!
I was shanghaied into Lineage 2 and I was surprised how well it worked, despite the many complaints I had about that game.
I still like the idea of having a game where you cant just do everything by yourself, but need to find a group. That made the experience much more intense.
Yes and No.. I started with EQ1 , and currently playing EQ2.. but I wouldn't say it influenced my desires.. I've alwys been a person that likes my alone time, and likes my social time as well.. It just depends on my mood that day, just like real life.. However, my last game, WoW greatly influenced what I like and dislike.. and I won't go in detail about that, but lets put this way.. That game is no longer on my harddrive.. lol
I have my eye out on GW2 and Earthrise.. not sure about TOR or Tera yet..
But yes...the point is...do you think your first MMO (or heck if you are a really older gamer...MUDs) affected your preference in MMOs? Or did it not change anything?
Well...aside from cementing what I already knew - that I preferred Fantasy type games, not really. My games have run the gamut - starting in IOK/GS3 to NWN to DAOC to WoW, LOTRO and WAR. I've tried pretty much every game there is. The only thing I can say is that I definately prefer 'western' type games. I'd be perfectly willing to grind my way through 'Eastern' type games, but their art direction borders on ridiculous (female elves in L2 anyone?)
I've played exactly 3 non-"fantasy" type games for more than the free trial (Federation, HYW and Eve - though that only lasted 1 month) UO never appealed to me - I can't really say why - I did play U1-6 and they were decent, but Online just didn't grab me. Same can be said for EQ. Absolutely loved Camelot (7 years worth - and would have played again if they had let Origins see the light of day).
I quess my rambling is just saying that really, my choice was made for me before I even started gaming. I did try all the games that were available on GEnie (and only ended up sticking with GS) and Ci$ (and only stuck with IOK) Just prefer the Fantasy genre.
UO was my first MMO and thanks to its open PVP, I went straight to EQ. That's what made EQ successful at launch, alot of disgusted UO players who loved the genre but knew the PVP ganking was horrible gameplay.
But EQ's faults were an influence too. PVP wasn't an issue in it but grouping was. You really couldn't do anything worthwhile without a group and it could take hours to get one. Even the solo capable classes had ridiculous downtime and had to choose their battles carefully.
WoW was a revalation when it allowed all classes to solo and with minimal downtime. Being able to quest and acquire gear upgrades without camping was another breakthrough.
It could be quite awhile before another MMO comes along that's enough of a leap in gameplay to surpass WoW.
World of Warcraft was my first but I have been gaming since hitting the arcades in the late 70's, so really I was just late to the online world. Now It did influence me in that it made me aware of what I don't want in an MMO and through playing other MMO's and contrasting them with each other I've formed a quite clear view on what I really do want in an MMO and what that boils down to is more of a world simulation than a game, I want to feel part of a growing world and not on a treadmill to the next tier, but really a MMO just has to feel right with the cohesion of ideas it presents and that really can be awfully subjective.
Cal.
This doom and gloom thread was brought to you by Chin Up the new ultra high caffeine soft drink for gamers who just need that boost of happiness after a long forum session.
UO was my first MMO and thanks to its open PVP, I went straight to EQ. That's what made EQ successful at launch, alot of disgusted UO players who loved the genre but knew the PVP ganking was horrible gameplay.
But EQ's faults were an influence too. PVP wasn't an issue in it but grouping was. You really couldn't do anything worthwhile without a group and it could take hours to get one. Even the solo capable classes had ridiculous downtime and had to choose their battles carefully.
WoW was a revalation when it allowed all classes to solo and with minimal downtime. Being able to quest and acquire gear upgrades without camping was another breakthrough.
It could be quite awhile before another MMO comes along that's enough of a leap in gameplay to surpass WoW.
Uh, no WoW wasn't a revelation. You could solo in every other MMO quite easily. In AC, AO, DAoC. Why do EQ players always act as though EQ was the only MMO that mattered?
No. Asheron's Call was also my first MMO, but over the years I have tried and played all different kinds of MMO's. I do prefer more open world MMO's with skill based setups as opposed to class setups, but in the end I play what it fun and immersive (as an MMO can be) for me. A variety of different game systems is also a plus, such as the character based and space ship based mix from SWG. But my first MMO just gave me a preference for the genre in general.
Did my first MMO influence later choices? yes. My first MMO was "City of Heroes." I don't play Coh right now, but i enjoyed the product enough that I was interested in NCSoft's products. From there i found Guild Wars, and Dungeon Runners. Both are good games, and led me to a new hobby.
UO was my first MMO and thanks to its open PVP, I went straight to EQ. That's what made EQ successful at launch, alot of disgusted UO players who loved the genre but knew the PVP ganking was horrible gameplay.
But EQ's faults were an influence too. PVP wasn't an issue in it but grouping was. You really couldn't do anything worthwhile without a group and it could take hours to get one. Even the solo capable classes had ridiculous downtime and had to choose their battles carefully.
WoW was a revalation when it allowed all classes to solo and with minimal downtime. Being able to quest and acquire gear upgrades without camping was another breakthrough.
It could be quite awhile before another MMO comes along that's enough of a leap in gameplay to surpass WoW.
Uh, no WoW wasn't a revelation. You could solo in every other MMO quite easily. In AC, AO, DAoC. Why do EQ players always act as though EQ was the only MMO that mattered?
I played AO and DAOC. They shared some features but they were nowhere near on the same level as WoW. They were moderately successful as alternatives to EQ and that's it.
Comments
My first was The Matrix Online - I loved this game to bits when it launched, it was lacking in content and arguably broken but the live events they had and the community making its own content was really great, i really enjoyed the random PVP in this game. I loved the game being set in a city, it felt massive, it also had an air of mystery about it too. Once SOE took over this game was dead and the combat was dumbed down to a ridiculous level and the live events killed off.
Second was SWG - I really enjoyed this game too, the vastness of the world and the freedom you had was awesome, i loved being able to split from what i was doing and just fly around space, having a guild town and our own shuttleport, i just loved the game world.
After that i have played and tried about everything else, i have currently been playing WoW for about 4 years off and on but keep going back to it more out of force of habit than anything else, nothing really can drag me away from it, i suppose i just want that feeling of a world that seems full of mystery again. I would like to find something else but currently im stuck playing WoW in a never ending cycle!
I was shanghaied into Lineage 2 and I was surprised how well it worked, despite the many complaints I had about that game.
I still like the idea of having a game where you cant just do everything by yourself, but need to find a group. That made the experience much more intense.
Yes and No.. I started with EQ1 , and currently playing EQ2.. but I wouldn't say it influenced my desires.. I've alwys been a person that likes my alone time, and likes my social time as well.. It just depends on my mood that day, just like real life.. However, my last game, WoW greatly influenced what I like and dislike.. and I won't go in detail about that, but lets put this way.. That game is no longer on my harddrive.. lol
I have my eye out on GW2 and Earthrise.. not sure about TOR or Tera yet..
Well...aside from cementing what I already knew - that I preferred Fantasy type games, not really. My games have run the gamut - starting in IOK/GS3 to NWN to DAOC to WoW, LOTRO and WAR. I've tried pretty much every game there is. The only thing I can say is that I definately prefer 'western' type games. I'd be perfectly willing to grind my way through 'Eastern' type games, but their art direction borders on ridiculous (female elves in L2 anyone?)
I've played exactly 3 non-"fantasy" type games for more than the free trial (Federation, HYW and Eve - though that only lasted 1 month) UO never appealed to me - I can't really say why - I did play U1-6 and they were decent, but Online just didn't grab me. Same can be said for EQ. Absolutely loved Camelot (7 years worth - and would have played again if they had let Origins see the light of day).
I quess my rambling is just saying that really, my choice was made for me before I even started gaming. I did try all the games that were available on GEnie (and only ended up sticking with GS) and Ci$ (and only stuck with IOK) Just prefer the Fantasy genre.
GREAT topic!!! I've often wondered this myself.
I totally think it does, for me at least.
UO was my first MMO and thanks to its open PVP, I went straight to EQ. That's what made EQ successful at launch, alot of disgusted UO players who loved the genre but knew the PVP ganking was horrible gameplay.
But EQ's faults were an influence too. PVP wasn't an issue in it but grouping was. You really couldn't do anything worthwhile without a group and it could take hours to get one. Even the solo capable classes had ridiculous downtime and had to choose their battles carefully.
WoW was a revalation when it allowed all classes to solo and with minimal downtime. Being able to quest and acquire gear upgrades without camping was another breakthrough.
It could be quite awhile before another MMO comes along that's enough of a leap in gameplay to surpass WoW.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
World of Warcraft was my first but I have been gaming since hitting the arcades in the late 70's, so really I was just late to the online world. Now It did influence me in that it made me aware of what I don't want in an MMO and through playing other MMO's and contrasting them with each other I've formed a quite clear view on what I really do want in an MMO and what that boils down to is more of a world simulation than a game, I want to feel part of a growing world and not on a treadmill to the next tier, but really a MMO just has to feel right with the cohesion of ideas it presents and that really can be awfully subjective.
Cal.
This doom and gloom thread was brought to you by Chin Up the new ultra high caffeine soft drink for gamers who just need that boost of happiness after a long forum session.
Uh, no WoW wasn't a revelation. You could solo in every other MMO quite easily. In AC, AO, DAoC. Why do EQ players always act as though EQ was the only MMO that mattered?
No. Asheron's Call was also my first MMO, but over the years I have tried and played all different kinds of MMO's. I do prefer more open world MMO's with skill based setups as opposed to class setups, but in the end I play what it fun and immersive (as an MMO can be) for me. A variety of different game systems is also a plus, such as the character based and space ship based mix from SWG. But my first MMO just gave me a preference for the genre in general.
Did my first MMO influence later choices? yes. My first MMO was "City of Heroes." I don't play Coh right now, but i enjoyed the product enough that I was interested in NCSoft's products. From there i found Guild Wars, and Dungeon Runners. Both are good games, and led me to a new hobby.
I played AO and DAOC. They shared some features but they were nowhere near on the same level as WoW. They were moderately successful as alternatives to EQ and that's it.
My youtube MMO gaming channel