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Looking for a new MMORPG to play... Can anyone help?
Treblesum81
Member Posts: 19
The specific qualities I'm looking for are:
- A compelling and regularly advanced main story with lasting appeal (If this can be influenced by the player base, then so much the better). By regularly, I'm hoping for a least every other month, though I would settle for often enough that I don't run out of the new content a long time before the next update happens.
- New enough so that there are plenty of people to engage with along the leveling path or structured in such a way as to eliminate the need to power level just to participate with everyone else.
- Primarily PvE but with the option for PvP beyond one or two instanced arenas which end up having hour long ques just to participate.
- A community that isn't completely sectioned off into guilds / alliances that make the game seem like a high school with all of its cliques.
- A lack of grinding at end game. If I reach a point where the story / adventure quests die off and I'm left doing "daily missions" to grind one form or another of currency / faction reputation, I'm going to get bored and quit within a few days.
Basically, I'm concerned with the lasting appeal of the game, as I've found many games I've played recently get old pretty quick once you've reached a certain point and there just isn't anything new to do anymore. I also don't really like relying on the player community to provide something to do as in EVE, sure its fun for a while, but a lot of the time, if you're not a part of one group or another, you don't get to participate, and even then its usually just a constant regurgitation of the same wars over and over again.
I'm open to either pay to play or freemium games, but I'm only willing to pay a monthly subscription if there really is regular and involved content updates. Also, if the game is freemium, but you have to buy content (DDO style), I'm not super interested unless that content is available through a monthly subscription as well and is also regularly updated.
Anyway, I'm hoping someone knows of something out there that fits my criteria, though I'm not holding my breath, since it seems like that style of MMO doesn't really exist anymore, possibly because of the rise of free to play games and the damper that might be putting on the amount of money that developers can pour into content generation, but whether or not thats the case, it certainly has cut into my overall interest in MMO's lately. And on a last note, I did try to go back to AC a few times, but each time, the player base just got higher in level and the general idea became to power-level through 98% of the content just to get to the last 2%, which just wasn't worth my money anymore.
Thanks.
PS: Just thought I'd throw a list of the games I've tried and why I left so they aren't thrown out as options
- EVE - No real story, repetetive high level activities
- Rift - Ran through most of the storyline content in less than a month, left with grinding... lots of grinding
- Star Trek Online - Reached level 50 and then nothing left to do but daily missions
- Dungons & Dragons Online - Was never updated for content during the months that I played
- Lord of the Rings Online - Most of the player base is high level, leaving few to quest with and a need of power-leveling
Comments
Personally, I can only suggest to give GW2 a shot, coming soon.
Every race has different personal background stories based on the answers you give when creating the character. I felt it has good, balanced and interesting PVE with cool and diverse classes and a plethora of fresh ideas. No game is for everyone, sure, but after years of letdowns, beta testing GW2 has really fired me up. Since you only pay the box and no monthly fee, I'd say give it a try. ^^
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I have to agree with El, try GW2.
It is at least so close to AC you can get today (which isn´t very close but the games do at least have more in common than AC have with Wow and TOR).
Oh come on, you are recommending a MMO that is not even out yet!
I am sorry OP, but what you want no longer exsists, that’s the sad truth. You either have to put up with easymode and no end game or find another hobby.
It does look interesting from the little I've seen about it, though its not due out for a while, and, unless it makes a major departure from whats been common lately, I'll probably not enjoy it very much. I admit I have high standards, but considering the fact that Asheron's Call is still going after all these years, I'm endlessly dissappointed that I can't find anything modern that even comes close.
I hope this isn't true, but even if it is, I can still hope that someone in the game dev world will realize that giving a game a proper end game, or giving it no end game and continuously supplying content can make for a tidy income. After all, this is basically what CCP does with EVE, since the whole game is basically the end game. Unfortunately, there is no story, so if you don't pvp there is nothing interesting to do, and the community, while fun in its own way, is not known for its nicer side...
Games like AC don't exist anymore unless you are lucky to find some obscure indie MMO that no one has heard of before.
Befor you quit the genre you should try Vindictus. It has a a pretty good story line that has been updated ten times in the last year or so and some fun game play.
Pre-purchase now and you'll have early access on the 25th of this month, so only a week and a handful of hours to go. I've been in multiple BWEs and stress tests and in my personal opinion the only thing this game fails at is in disappointing. This'll easily be my only MMO for quite some time.
Oderint, dum metuant.
AC is no different than any other game of its type. Its the old been there and done that syndrome that is plaguing you.
Sorry we haven't found the cure yet.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
Unfortunately, I don't buy any game unless there is a demo for me to try. This stems from some expensive bad experiences I've had in the past (though to be fair, before the concept of the video review caught on) where I bought a game and then it turned out to be junk, but I was locked into it because there was no way to return it. I can only hope that GW2 will have some sort of demo, since I'm guessing I'm way to late to get a chance to play the beta.
GW2 is comming out very soon.
Also, keep in mind both WoW and Rift are releasing expansions this year as well.
And while you might be on a Power level to get to cap initially, once the expansion is released, if you are ready to roll with it, it does re level the playing field and puts the playerbase on even footing again.
In some ways I agree with you, since most games today still follow the same formula of go kill / collect and return, but in a lot of other ways newer games fall very short. The simple reality is that AC, for me at least, didn't get old because there was always a new block of content every month, most of which was related to the story and often had worldwide impact. These days, I often find myself repeating quests or grinding something because the story has finished, yet there isn't anything new to do. It may be that I filter everything I play now through the lense of my first game, and as a result, don't have the draw to the newer ones because they can't live up to my expectations created by the original, but at the same time, I don't think its too much of a stretch to expect that the devs should put out enough content for my $15/mo (plus all of the other thousands of $15/mo) that the end game shouldn't be about doing 20-50 different daily quests every day.
Everquest 2 perhaps..it doesn't have a single main story line, but a lot of mini stories that span can span several areas in the game. If i'm recalling right anyways.
The free to play/Freeport server had a good amount of low - mid level characters last I played. The game has been made significantly easier than it use to be though. A lot of content that required groups previously is fairly easy to solo now if you know what you're doing. There is a bit more grouping at higher levels though.
edit: Derp. And of course Vanguard is free now.
I am currently playing The Secret World, which is a horror MMO. No elves, dwarves, irritating hobbit guardians, wizards, etc. For me, I tried it out because it was outside my usual high fantasy "comfort zone." It meets most of what you seek and makes for a genuinely unique experience. Also, there are no classes. Pick up a couple of weapons and go.
As to new content updates, August 28 wil be the second update in 2 months, and this one will have a raid set in New York.
P.S. There is a shameful thrill I feel when I stick my shotgun in a zombie's face and pull the trigger. It almost always kills them. Almost.
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I do understand that, and have already decided to give Rift another try after the expansion hits, but I'm not that hopeful that Trion will be changing the things I have problems with. Sure the world will triple in size and there will be an extra 10 levels, but considering the fact that I was able to make it through 90% of its non-repetitive content in a month, I'm guessing that the expansion will buy me at most another 2-3 months of play. I did read somewhere though that originally Rift had a monthly content release schedule, so I'm kinda wondering where this has gone?
Also, I should point out that the issue I'm having with these games has nothing to do with reaching max level and then having no more advancement. I like the idea of everyone being on a fairly even footing with a low enough level cap that it doesn't take you years to reach. The problem seems to be that once you hit the level cap, the concept of adventure seems to fly out the window... Quest lines exist, but are far outweighed in the rewards they give by the stuff you have to grind out, and even then, they aren't exactly compelling, leaving most players I've talked to with the general sentiment of not really caring about doing the quests, since the rewards aren't that great and the story doesn't mean anything within the context of the game.
You will never find another game that will give you that feeling you are recalling from the past.
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Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
I know that no game will ever "Be AC" for me, I'm just hoping to find a game that can hold my attention for more than a couple of months like AC did. It just seems like the concept of the "continuing experience" just falls on deaf ears at the dev level.
I'd actually go against the grain and say GW2 would not fit your desires based on this list. The storyline is static with your characters able to make a few branching decisions to alter some quests (the main choice is which of 3 factions you want to join, which will likely give you 3 storylines, likely consisting of between 15-30 instanced quests each). PvP is all instanced and for the big PvP zone (known as World vs World vs World), there is a cap of 400 players per server, which may be hard to get into if you choose an overpopulated server. The community is heavily sectioned off by guilds, even though you can join as many as you like, there is no evidence of a "server-wide" community, especially given the limited in-game chat tools. Finally, end-game PvE is based around repeating dynamic events in the high-end zones and running dungeons for tokens to trade in for cosmetic gear. I fully intend to play Guild Wars 2 and I sunk over 1,000 hours into the first one, but I also bought it with the intention of it being a game to keep me entertained for 1-2 months before moving on.
I think the game which may best suit you at this point is The Secret World. While I have zero interest in this game myself, the developers are promising monthly content and story updates (they've delivered so far, but they're only 2 months in), the game is still fresh and leveling is relatively non-linear (more gear based than XP based), so there should be a decent population to play with. The game is primarily PvE, but the PvP it does have is instanced and apparently not that enjoyable based on the forum feedback. The community is smaller, which may make it more intimate and friendly. End-game currently involves building out your "skill wheel" to allow you more variety in your builds, lore exploration, repeating quests/missions and dungeons and will include raids in the future. There's also a decent number of "investigation" quests which will test your puzzle and logic skills (assuming you don't cheat). Maybe not your perfect game, but it's on sale this week for $25 on Amazon. Be forewarned the game has a sub and a cash shop (mostly cosmetic items)
I'm currently downloading the trial of Secret World. I had originally ruled it out due to mixed reviews and the fact that its apparently pretty buggy. Reviews are subjective and bugs can be fixed, so I guess I'll see how things pan out. I'm not a huge fan of the idea that the only pvp availabe is through some areas which according to the reviews have long wait times and can be very unbalanced, but I'm hoping this won't prove to be a game killer, since I'm not only interested in pvp.
On a seperate note, if you're description of GW2 is accurate, I know I won't like it. I much prefer open world to instances and only just barely tolerate those instances when they are a part of a much larger world. I know they serve a purpose, but in my view they have always been a way for the devs to force a certain playstyle on the players while at the same time limiting the level of social play that can be used.
Just to point out, I didn't really discuss the actual gameplay of either GW2 or TSW. Personally, the reason I like GW2 is I find the combat mechanics are enjoyable and the dynamic event system allows for some great spontaneous group events. The majority of GW2 is open world but it is driven more by the dynamic events around you. If you're unlucky (or the system in later levels is poorly designed), you might be wandering for a long time before you see events and if you're lucky, you'll be running from crazy event to crazy event non-stop with all sorts of friends and strangers.
I also disliked TSW's gameplay because combat felt shallow and unresponsive and I couldn't get over my character being a mute that everyone manages to spend 5+ minutes talking to. That said, the story I saw was great (better than GW2 on average in the early levels) and they definitely got the spooky atmosphere downpat.
I guess the point of my posts is that you should keep your expectations for all games low and you may be pleasantly surprised. If you go into a game expecting the True Messiah, you're bound to feel disappointed, if not hurt and betrayed. Expect a number of current GW2 fanatics to pop up about 30-60 days from now talking about how awful the game is because the developers lied about player housing or how the game at max level has no content (I've been following MMOs way too long...)
I just can't do the low expectation thing. In a world where time = money and neither grows on trees (if you'll forgive the mixed metaphores), I have no desire to throw away both on a game that doesn't keep my attention for all that long. This is one of the resons I rarely play single player titles unless they are designed around infinite replayability (Civ series, Sim-X Series, Tyccon X Series)... All too often I find myself dropping $40-$50 on a game that I beat in a weekend and then am left with very little residual gameplay. Though MMO's will generally hold more content which takes longer to complete, wheny you combine the box price of the game with a few months of access, you're looking at $100+, and if you stick with it for any length of time, the total price of the game can really add up. I think for that kind of money, its fair to have high expectations. I know the modern answer to all of this has been the concept of free-to-play and/or freemium games where you trade expectations of content and updates for the option for complete non-investment of funds. I do think this is a good idea to keep you occupied while you're waiting for something better to come down the pipe, but my honest experience with these is that you reach a point due to the lack of content updates where the game becomes nothing more than an overglorified chat room that no amount of money spent would revitalize.
As I've said before, I know I have high standards, and I'm willing to accept the possibility that what I want just doesn't exist, but I also wholeheartedly believe that low quality, low content games exist because we as a player base have never really stood up and said "give us this stuff or we won't play your game at all". Instead, we drool over a game for months or years while they develop it, then buy it and play it for 30-60 days before getting fed up and moving on, which probably gives the developer enough money to justify the cost of development and move on. If we all upped our standards, we might get something worthwhile as a reward. That all being said though, I really doubt any of it will happen... Things are working too well the way they are, and, even though there are some notable precidents to look back on, the amount of input required from a development house to keep something like AC going for years on end is hard to justify in a business climate where the "next big thing" is always less than a year away so to remain competitive, you've got to have something in the works to counter it.
You know the honest question I have for everyone offering GW2 as the best option is will there be regular content updates? I've been looking for an answer to this one, but mostly I've only been able to find references in the comments sections of various articles to some content updates for the first version. As I've laid out before, if the game isn't going to have a compelling storyline and regular content updates, I'll tire of it very quickly, which then tells me I shouldn't bother with it in the first place.
On a side note, I did read something today that best exemplifies my desires. In a discussion of GW2 vs. SWTOR, the author mentioned that the ultimate goal of a lot of MMORPG's these days is to race to the level cap so you can join in all of the scheduled raids and events. This is the antithesis of my gaming style. Lower level caps are ok, but if the end game content is raids, I won't enjoy it. I am an adventurer in MMO's so if I run out of new stuff to explore I get bored, which is also the case if the main end game activities revolve around scheduled events / raids. Sure these might be fun once, but for me, once is enough.