I got bored.

Teala

Originally posted by Disdena

No matter what, unless you're playing an MMO that is drastically different than the default, you're going to encounter repetition within the game. This is a basic truth, derived from the fact that there is an expectation that you will spend thousands of hours—and for the most diehard fans, thousands of days—logged into the game. If you are participating in pre-scripted content, it's going to involve doing the same things you've done before.

The repetition is nigh unavoidable, so it's not enough to say that Rift's quest system is repetitive and leave it at that. Even the sandboxiest games give you a way to advance your character in some way (whether through skill usage, gear, or conventional levels), and in order to make those advancements feel like accomplishments, they're designed so that it takes time to do them.

The repetitive actions just form a skeleton to fit the rest of the game around, and that is what I feel is lacking. The feeling of a living world just isn't there. So much attention has been paid to the skeleton that they forgot to give it flesh, blood, skin and soul. It's not that doing something over and over is fun, it's the feeling of doing something important, feeling that your toils are good and worthwhile in some way, whether it's good for you, good for your in-game friends, or good for the people of the game world.

I rolled on the Guardian side, and after character creation I was greeted by a clapping NPC addressing me. I had to go AFK for several minutes, and when I returned my chat log showed that NPC addressing each new character that had just started the game. It immediately made me feel like my character was less special, less of an individual in a believable world. It's a minor forgivable offense of course, but it was a strong sign of things to come. Over the course of the next several quest hubs, the feeling just intensified.

"We are under attack. The enemy's forces are great and their principles are so misguided that they would unmake the world rather than help us save it. Go kill 6 of them, that ought to be enough." Even before I've killed all 6, which isn't even 2 minutes work, the first one has already respawned. As I'm told to go collect 4 Whatevers and deliver them to the next hub, it's clear that I'm leaving the area the same way that I found it. Nothing that I have done has made any difference. I was told that we're in desperate need of help, and told to go away after 2 minutes of "helping".  At the next hub, "Thank you for the Whatevers. Now kill 5 of this other type of guy." 2 minutes work. "Excellent. Go destroy 3 of their torture machines." The 5 guys I killed are, of course, back. The torture machines spawn a little freed citizen to echo a hallow "Thank you" after they're destroyed, and by the time I'm doing the final quest of that hub, they're all back and electrocuting innocents at full power again. I can't destroy more of them, of course, because I'm no longer on that quest. "Go destroy 4 of these glowing orbs 30 feet away, even though they will respawn before you make it back up the hill to turn in the quest." ESC, Quit Game, uninstall.

If you're a fan of the game then this is going to seem like I'm pointlessly nitpicking, especially since I'm complaining about the throwaway noob area that you're only supposed to play for 2 hours and then leave without ever looking back. But for me, it was indicative of how the rest of the game was going to play out. NO attempt was made to disguise the pointlessness of hopping from one quest hub to another, performing futile tasks that obviously do nothing to affect the world at the request of stock immobile NPCs. No attempt was made to disguise the blatant "move on to the next hub" delivery quests. No attempt was made to fill the world with NPCs that simply talk instead of vending goods or vomiting quests, nor mobs that fill a function other than that of a quest objective. No attempt was made to disguise the point-based achievement system as anything other than just another progress bar to fill. I felt as though I was playing a game developed by an autistic person who could see what people enjoyed (or at least tolerated) in other MMOs but could not grasp why they would want to do them.

 Wow...just wow...you are so right and said it so well.   Unfortunately the zealous fans will disregard the truth of your words and flame you for telling others the reality that is Rift.   ::applaud::

The whole game is like this BTW.

Seffren

Originally posted by Disdena

No matter what, unless you're playing an MMO that is drastically different than the default, you're going to encounter repetition within the game. This is a basic truth, derived from the fact that there is an expectation that you will spend thousands of hours—and for the most diehard fans, thousands of days—logged into the game. If you are participating in pre-scripted content, it's going to involve doing the same things you've done before.

The repetition is nigh unavoidable, so it's not enough to say that Rift's quest system is repetitive and leave it at that. Even the sandboxiest games give you a way to advance your character in some way (whether through skill usage, gear, or conventional levels), and in order to make those advancements feel like accomplishments, they're designed so that it takes time to do them.

The repetitive actions just form a skeleton to fit the rest of the game around, and that is what I feel is lacking. The feeling of a living world just isn't there. So much attention has been paid to the skeleton that they forgot to give it flesh, blood, skin and soul. It's not that doing something over and over is fun, it's the feeling of doing something important, feeling that your toils are good and worthwhile in some way, whether it's good for you, good for your in-game friends, or good for the people of the game world.

I rolled on the Guardian side, and after character creation I was greeted by a clapping NPC addressing me. I had to go AFK for several minutes, and when I returned my chat log showed that NPC addressing each new character that had just started the game. It immediately made me feel like my character was less special, less of an individual in a believable world. It's a minor forgivable offense of course, but it was a strong sign of things to come. Over the course of the next several quest hubs, the feeling just intensified.

"We are under attack. The enemy's forces are great and their principles are so misguided that they would unmake the world rather than help us save it. Go kill 6 of them, that ought to be enough." Even before I've killed all 6, which isn't even 2 minutes work, the first one has already respawned. As I'm told to go collect 4 Whatevers and deliver them to the next hub, it's clear that I'm leaving the area the same way that I found it. Nothing that I have done has made any difference. I was told that we're in desperate need of help, and told to go away after 2 minutes of "helping".  At the next hub, "Thank you for the Whatevers. Now kill 5 of this other type of guy." 2 minutes work. "Excellent. Go destroy 3 of their torture machines." The 5 guys I killed are, of course, back. The torture machines spawn a little freed citizen to echo a hallow "Thank you" after they're destroyed, and by the time I'm doing the final quest of that hub, they're all back and electrocuting innocents at full power again. I can't destroy more of them, of course, because I'm no longer on that quest. "Go destroy 4 of these glowing orbs 30 feet away, even though they will respawn before you make it back up the hill to turn in the quest." ESC, Quit Game, uninstall.

If you're a fan of the game then this is going to seem like I'm pointlessly nitpicking, especially since I'm complaining about the throwaway noob area that you're only supposed to play for 2 hours and then leave without ever looking back. But for me, it was indicative of how the rest of the game was going to play out. NO attempt was made to disguise the pointlessness of hopping from one quest hub to another, performing futile tasks that obviously do nothing to affect the world at the request of stock immobile NPCs. No attempt was made to disguise the blatant "move on to the next hub" delivery quests. No attempt was made to fill the world with NPCs that simply talk instead of vending goods or vomiting quests, nor mobs that fill a function other than that of a quest objective. No attempt was made to disguise the point-based achievement system as anything other than just another progress bar to fill. I felt as though I was playing a game developed by an autistic person who could see what people enjoyed (or at least tolerated) in other MMOs but could not grasp why they would want to do them.

This is where hopefully GW2 will slam the ball out of the park and make a homerun.

Otomox

The funny thing is if the developer goes for a more sanbox style with barely quests and mostly huge mobs camp the ppl cry no quests boring grinder. If they have there beloved quest system through all levels they cry all quests are the same. PPl are seriously dumb try to play more different mmorpgs. Its normal that you get bored if you play for 10 years EQ Clones.

Xasapis

There is a thread like this one in every game. 

I suppose that boredom and death are two things unavoidable in our lives.

Vesavius

Originally posted by Xasapis

There is a thread like this one in every game. 

I suppose that boredom and death are two things unavoidable in our lives.

 

god no. I am never bored, and I would never play a game that bores me.

Anyhpw, my nan says only boring people get bored. A wise woman my nan.

Xasapis

Originally posted by vesavius

Originally posted by Xasapis

There is a thread like this one in every game. 

I suppose that boredom and death are two things unavoidable in our lives.

 

god no. I am never bored, and I would never play a game that bores me.

Anyhpw, my nan says only boring people get bored. A wise woman my nan.

There is a similar thread running in parallel it seems. "I'm on EVE trial and is super boring" or something similar.

You're never bored? Hehe, then you must be the best liar in the world if you can fool yourself like this. We all have our boredom moments, whether its some boring work that needs doing, some social event that needs attending or some boring person that we don't want to offend and we keep company. Or of course, some boring game that we recently sampled its beta.

MMO.Maverick

Originally posted by vesavius

god no. I am never bored, and I would never play a game that bores me.

Anyhpw, my nan says only boring people get bored. A wise woman my nan.

There's a difference between never being bored because you just avoid everything in your life that manages to make you the slightest bit of bored, or never being bored because you can find excitement and fun wherever you go and whatever you do.

In the first case you could have a narrow taste and still be someone who finds most things in life boring, games included and just manages to avoid them. In the second case someone has a mindset that no matter in what situation he ends up or no matter what he does, he/she still can find fun and enjoyment in it where others manage to fail in that.

The second category I personally think is better than the first, next to that people who bore easily of things are often considered a bore to other people, generally speaking.

Aethaeryn

Originally posted by vesavius

Originally posted by Xasapis

There is a thread like this one in every game. 

I suppose that boredom and death are two things unavoidable in our lives.

 

god no. I am never bored, and I would never play a game that bores me.

Anyhpw, my nan says only boring people get bored. A wise woman my nan.

Heh. . she would likely rub butter on a bullet wound, throw salt over her shoulder and didn't grow up on the internet! I would say that saying applies to things that are not virtual entertainment.  Sure you can entertain yourself but when something is designed to entertain. .and you have to be in front of it to be entertained. . and it is boring. . that is not your fault.  If you keep playing it then yes.. . .you may be a boring person    I agree and disagree at the same time. . the world ends.

Gobstopper3D

I like the PVE aspect of the game, but you can have the PVP.  It's not very well done and leaves much to be desired.  Maybe it will improve over time, but as it stands now, less than a month before release, it's just not cutting it for me.

I think we will see the PVPer's flock to this just like they did with Aion and we all know what happened after that.  I think Rfit will be successful, but not as a PVP game unless they make some serious changes.

I will most likely buy the game a few months after it's out, but not for the PVP.

Vicari0usly

not sure why people think the closed beta is the finished product really. if you still feel the same way after open beta and after reviews after the true release. then so be it. actual conclusive judgements before that is just wild specualtion and sillines.

heartless

Originally posted by Vicari0usly

not sure why people think the closed beta is the finished product really. if you still feel the same way after open beta and after reviews after the true release. then so be it. actual conclusive judgements before that is just wild specualtion and sillines.

Two weeks before release, the closed beta is pretty much the finished product. Really. Whether you like Rift or hate it, you have to accept the fact that at this point, what you see is what you get.

Vicari0usly

Originally posted by heartless

Originally posted by Vicari0usly

not sure why people think the closed beta is the finished product really. if you still feel the same way after open beta and after reviews after the true release. then so be it. actual conclusive judgements before that is just wild specualtion and sillines.

Two weeks before release, the closed beta is pretty much the finished product. Really. Whether you like Rift or hate it, you have to accept the fact that at this point, what you see is what you get.

the best example i have of this is vanguard. I was in closed beta for about 2 months give or take i was running a guild in another game. but i played it up to 2 weeks before the game was released.  from beta to live, a large of amount of things drastically changed. im not a fanboi. i enjoy the game i think its good, its a good filler until star wars is released. But all the hate for this game is just absolutely crazy.

Xasapis

Originally posted by Kre01

I am convinced this game will have the biggest drop in players of 2011.

Motivation: of all the Wow copies this is the most lame one.

I think bored is not the correct word.

People are playing this game because they hate their beloved Wow.

This has  always been a bad motiviator as we see the same public in Beta that showed up and left AOC/ War within 2 months.

Your second blonde never replaces the first one.

Actually I think quite the opposite will happen. If nothing else, this game has the strongest foundation from all the previous MMOs mentioned. AoC and WAR started great but crumbled under their own weight. Rift won't start as good (in my opinion), but it won't crumble under its own weight either.

What will probably happen is that the upcoming MMOs in 6+ months from now, will crash it if they are as good as some people want to believe. That leaves Trion very responsive developers about 6 months time to improve all aspects of the gameplay that need improving so as to compete with the new offerings.

Adiaris

OP lasted more than I did, i was bored by level 20... really, really bored. Can't really explain why I just find it a really boring game for some reason, and I usually am all go go go when i first try something, no matter how bad!

VirusDancer

Originally posted by Kre01

I am convinced this game will have the biggest drop in players of 2011.

Motivation: of all the Wow copies this is the most lame one.

I think bored is not the correct word.

People are playing this game because they hate their beloved Wow.

This has  always been a bad motiviator as we see the same public in Beta that showed up and left AOC/ War within 2 months.

Your second blonde never replaces the first one.

It is not a case of playing RIFT or wanting to play RIFT because of hate of WoW, but rather that quirky feeling that the Trion developers listened to the changes that people wanted in WoW.  While WoW has continued on some twisted path since Kotick got involved where they are catering to God knows who... RIFT is offering better graphics, it is offering a more complex class system, it is offering better mob AI, etc, etc, etc.  It is not a case of playing RIFT because of hate of WoW in the least.  The same goes for those that are playing RIFT who may have played LotRO, WAR, AoC, or a handful of other games out there.  They enjoyed aspects of their games, but they wanted aspects from other games.  In many cases, they were not willing to give up what they did have to get what they wanted in other games either because the other games were missing what they had or they had some other feature that was atrocious.

So it is not a case that your second blonde never replaces the first one... it is a case of finally getting that blonde to replace the brunette.  Are we to the redhead yet?  No, but we are moving in the right direction.  It is evolution instead of stagnation.

There are going to be people that obviously do not like RIFT.  The differences between RIFT and their current game are not the differences that they want.  That is fine though.  Honestly, that is fine.  No game is going to cater to all players.  We do not need a single game that tries to do that.

RIFT is not going to be your next generation sandbox.  It is not going to be your next generation action MMO.  it is not furthering the sci-fi/superhero/western/zombie/etc subgenres.  But as an evolution of the fantasy themepark, it does a great job.  Is RIFT a revolutionary game?  Much like WoW was evolutionary (not revolutionary, but evolutionary) when initially released, RIFT is a step further along the evolutionary path of the themepark MMORPG.

People are not treating RIFT as the WoW-Killer.  We all know that no game is going to kill WoW.  WoW will be killed by Activision/Blizzard as they continue along their cataclysmic path.  RIFT is simply fun for a lot of folks that have found the fun to be missing in the games they are currently playing.  Some are finding it to be a fun addition as they continue to play their main games as well.  Heck, there are even people talking about playing RIFT between waiting on raids in WoW.

You named two games, AoC and WAR in your post.  The games had design issues which was reflected both in poor reception and continued support by the community.  WAR also suffered at the hands of the multitudes of WoW fanbois trolling the internet.  It still makes me laugh when people say that Warhammer ripped of WoW when the original Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was literally designed as a computer version of the Warhammer tabletop gaming system - they did not get the license though.  RIFT is being called a WoW clone by the ignorant and the uninformed - or by simple trolls that are trying to persuade those that may be new to the MMORPG genre of the farce that calling something a WoW clone involves.

But people do not care.  You either enjoy RIFT or you do not.  It is fun for many, either as their new main game, a game they will play while waiting on what they hope will be their main game, or even a game they will play while playing another game.

Leucent

Originally posted by Kre01

I am convinced this game will have the biggest drop in players of 2011.

Motivation: of all the Wow copies this is the most lame one.

I think bored is not the correct word.

People are playing this game because they hate their beloved Wow.

This has  always been a bad motiviator as we see the same public in Beta that showed up and left AOC/ War within 2 months.

Your second blonde never replaces the first one.

 I have a feeling this will happen as well to a point. I think Rift will hold players a month or 2 more then WAR and AOC did, but, the repetitive nature and well lets face it, so called newness will wear off and people will head back to their older games which will prove to be better games. Then when a few games come out this year, AOC/WAR all over again. If Rift was a different game then the standard nowadays, maybe it won t happen, but too many people realize, it s just another game and want to try something new. It will happen with any game that copies the standard themepark borefest, for a long time coming.

sloeber

i sayd this in other posts too.....its trions own fault.....they gave too much in beta.

they should have stuck with 1 to 20 content and some pvp.....if you want to see more just buy the game.

Now people played half the game and lets face it......you kids get bored realy fast these days, you cant concentrate on ANYTHING for more then an hour or two. You get bored by doing something more then 5 times.

I would suggest to you "bored" people to find something that you can spend your time on.

BTW: i would get bored too if i played 8 hours a day.....but i only play for 1 or 2 hours tops and i never get bored in any of the games i play.

hmmmm to sum it up.....i realy dont care that you are bored anyways.....go read a book or something

Marcus-

Originally posted by sloeber

i sayd this in other posts too.....its trions own fault.....they gave too much in beta.

they should have stuck with 1 to 20 content and some pvp.....if you want to see more just buy the game.

Now people played half the game and lets face it......you kids get bored realy fast these days, you cant concentrate on ANYTHING for more then an hour or two. You get bored by doing something more then 5 times.

I would suggest to you "bored" people to find something that you can spend your time on.

BTW: i would get bored too if i played 8 hours a day.....but i only play for 1 or 2 hours tops and i never get bored in any of the games i play.

hmmmm to sum it up.....i realy dont care that you are bored anyways.....go read a book or something

I think they're bored because its really no different than most other MMOs out there, not because they are kids, or play 8 hours a day, or did Rifts version of go kill x 5 times...

Benthon

Originally posted by Leucent

Originally posted by Kre01

I am convinced this game will have the biggest drop in players of 2011.

Motivation: of all the Wow copies this is the most lame one.

I think bored is not the correct word.

People are playing this game because they hate their beloved Wow.

This has  always been a bad motiviator as we see the same public in Beta that showed up and left AOC/ War within 2 months.

Your second blonde never replaces the first one.

 I have a feeling this will happen as well to a point. I think Rift will hold players a month or 2 more then WAR and AOC did, but, the repetitive nature and well lets face it, so called newness will wear off and people will head back to their older games which will prove to be better games. Then when a few games come out this year, AOC/WAR all over again. If Rift was a different game then the standard nowadays, maybe it won t happen, but too many people realize, it s just another game and want to try something new. It will happen with any game that copies the standard themepark borefest, for a long time coming.

 While this might be true and I offer no armchair expert analysis on Rift's success, I'd like to point out that those other games mentioned also had lots of bugs, zero content beyond the newbie levels and a much higher "hype" expectation. Anyone who wanted to try out RIFT pretty much has by now and it hasn't recieved horrible marks. It didn't hide behind a NDA until release, much like its WAR and AOC brothers. Lots of people honestly believed these two games would bring a new generation of mmo's and break the WoW mold and be huge successes. Kind of a hard expectation to live up to when your product is rushed and is plagued with amateurs.

If Rift has done only one thing different than the previous 6 years of games it's that it will release generally bug free, content ridden and feature complete, while also delivering a pleasant graphical experience that is available to a wide range of computers. I followed WAR and AoC religiously (among other titles) and it seems like those games had these exact problems and everyone (loud people on forums) said that the game would be amazing if only it was that way.

MMO.Maverick

Originally posted by Marcus-

I think they're bored because its no different than most other MMOs out there, not because they are kids, or play 8 hours a day, or did Rifts version of go kill x 5 times...

This'd imply that those people aren't playing any of those other themepark MMO's either (unless they're the kind of people that plays an MMO even if it bores them, just because their friends are in it).

 

- If people are bored with themepark gameplay in Rift, they're probably bored with all themepark MMO's and not playing any of them or not really enjoying any of them. This seems to be people not finding any fun in Rift.

- If people aren't chronically bored with themepark gameplay, they probably still have been playing themepark MMO's and enjoying them up till now and are more apt to also enjoy the gameplay in Rift. This seems to be people that post they're having fun in Rift.

 

At least, this seems to be the observation from watching these threads.

Besides of course people that are fans/advocate of 1 MMORPG who're finding flaws in any other MMORPG that's not that 1 MMO, but I assume this last group is a very small one.

Benthon

Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

Originally posted by Marcus-

I think they're bored because its no different than most other MMOs out there, not because they are kids, or play 8 hours a day, or did Rifts version of go kill x 5 times...

Besides of course people that are fans/advocate of 1 MMORPG who're finding flaws in any other MMORPG that's not that 1 MMO, but I assume this last group is a very small one.

 This group is small in the general MMO public. On these forums and many others, however, this is quite a large number. People who are enjoying their current MMO usually don't come to forums and complain about it/others.

Marcus-

Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

Originally posted by Marcus-

I think they're bored because its no different than most other MMOs out there, not because they are kids, or play 8 hours a day, or did Rifts version of go kill x 5 times...

This'd imply that those people aren't playing any of those other themepark MMO's either (unless they're the kind of people that plays an MMO even if it bores them, just because their friends are in it).

 

- If people are bored with themepark gameplay in Rift, they're probably bored with all themepark MMO's and not playing any of them or not really enjoying any of them. This seems to be people not finding any fun in Rift.

- If people aren't chronically bored with themepark gameplay, they probably still have been playing themepark MMO's and enjoying them up till now and are more apt to also enjoy the gameplay in Rift. This seems to be people that post they're having fun in Rift.

 

At least, this seems to be the observation from watching these threads.

Besides of course people that are fans/advocate of 1 MMORPG who're finding flaws in any other MMORPG that's not that 1 MMO, but I assume this last group is a very small one.

 I agree, and would add one more.... People who are currently playing a themepark, and figure why spend the $50 on something they essentially already have.

I agree with what you are saying, the post i quoted/replied to is basically saying they are bored with Rift because they have played it too much in apprx. 2 closed betas, which i find almost silly.

sloeber

Originally posted by Marcus-

Originally posted by sloeber

i sayd this in other posts too.....its trions own fault.....they gave too much in beta.

they should have stuck with 1 to 20 content and some pvp.....if you want to see more just buy the game.

Now people played half the game and lets face it......you kids get bored realy fast these days, you cant concentrate on ANYTHING for more then an hour or two. You get bored by doing something more then 5 times.

I would suggest to you "bored" people to find something that you can spend your time on.

BTW: i would get bored too if i played 8 hours a day.....but i only play for 1 or 2 hours tops and i never get bored in any of the games i play.

hmmmm to sum it up.....i realy dont care that you are bored anyways.....go read a book or something

I think they're bored because its really no different than most other MMOs out there, not because they are kids, or play 8 hours a day, or did Rifts version of go kill x 5 times...

 ok, i can understand that......realy.......i am not just trying to troll or something......maybe those people should go and play another genre of games.

I sometimes switch to racing games just to do something different you know or a good old RTS.

Lets face it.....mmorpg's will all be kinda the same....its the genre.......if bored with something you should try something that you can enjoy, hell sometimes i just install a good old diablo 2 and make a new char just to play something different.

like i sayd......some people are just bored too easy imo.......but thats just me.....but then again, i am never bored....i always find something to enjoy in life

Fusion

Originally posted by heartless

Originally posted by Vicari0usly

not sure why people think the closed beta is the finished product really. if you still feel the same way after open beta and after reviews after the true release. then so be it. actual conclusive judgements before that is just wild specualtion and sillines.

Two weeks before release, the closed beta is pretty much the finished product. Really. Whether you like Rift or hate it, you have to accept the fact that at this point, what you see is what you get.

And what you get is alot more than what "the game that shalln't be named" offered at launch.

VirusDancer

Originally posted by Marcus-

Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

...snip...

 I agree, and would add one more.... People who are currently playing a themepark, and figure why spend the $50 on something they essentially already have.

I agree with what you are saying, the post i quoted/replied to is basically saying they are bored with Rift because they have played it too much in apprx. 2 closed betas, which i find almost silly.

For the same reason that new FPS games still sell, that new RTS games still sell, that new sports game still sell, that expansions for games sell, etc...