Disabled Woman Looking for Immersive Game

Crescenda

Circumstances:

1. Have multiple sclerosis with serious hand tremors at times

2. Some loss of vision (small text difficult)

3. Stress is a component of my disease so random squads are a problem

4. I'm more finesse than wham-bam, more methodical than running around with my hair on fire

5. Horrible at PvP for the above reasons

 

Looking for a game that:

1. Offers meaningful alternatives to continual PvE/PvP combat

2. Has excellent, non-cartoonish or non-anime graphics

3. Possesses rich, meaningful lore

4. Has a good crafting/gathering/farming function

5. Possesses a solid, player-driven economy uninfluenced by external gold/resource buying

6. Preferably a mostly open-world/sandbox environment

7. Game mechanics should lend themselves to mouse/keyboard macros and voice command (i.e., Tazti)

8. A battle pet and mature, helpful player community are huge plusses

 

Games I have tried:

1. WoW -- played for a long time and did well with economy -- left because of changing player population and expansions

2. SWtOR -- sucky economy and little to do but combat

3. TSW -- bad economy (when I played) and the environment bummed me too much

4. PWI -- totally P2W, found a good private server, but end game is all about PvP and crafting is meaningless

5. GW -- played for a long time -- weak economy and little to do aside from combat

6. LoTRO -- hated the player animations

7. EVE -- played briefly -- there was no *me* in the game

8. PoTBS -- great game theoretically -- ship fighting, crafting great, land-based fighting was too hard for me

9. ESO -- weird economy and the fighting mechanic was difficult for me. Quit one month after game launch, may try again

 

Bit more background:

1. I'm 32, medically retired professional woman

2. Other than my disabilities, I'm quite hardcore, often playing as much as 16 hours a day

3. I'm very goal driven and will put in the time/effort when there's a meaningful goal

4. My character(s) become an extension of me, so I hate dying in game

5. I place greater value on politeness than on being first to the prize

6. I know all the dirty words (some in multiple languages), but I'd rather not hear F*** in every sentence

 

I realize, given the current player/gaming environment, I may be asking for the moon, but I'm hoping someone can offer something I've overlooked.

 

Thank you in advance!

Tatercake

well sounds like you would enjoy eso voiced npcs no need to read if you do not wish to pvp no problem you dont have to pvp great grfx and its all at your pace if you need to stop stop crafting is a lot of fun and great gear but to master it will take a long long time timed research for crafting 

Tolmos

Go check out some information on Elder Scrolls online. Minus 1 thing, it pretty much fits the bill for what you want. The company went out of their way to make the game as immersive as possible, sometimes at the cost of standard MMO social norms. Gameplay wise, it is one of the best I've played and the fully voice acted story really draws you in. Even side quests get voice acting.

The only issue that ESO might cause you is that it is an active combat system. It is very active, borderline FPS style. The system helps a lot, especially with aiming, but your hand tremors could cause you issues. That said, I believe that if you look at the builds and classes you could find a combination that would fit what you are physically capable of and can still enjoy, whether that is up close with a wide sweeping weapon or far away with spells and a pet.

EDIT: Above poster beat me to it!

EDIT 2: The game has a pretty hefty grind for some pretty major rewards. It's actually a complaint for many players in the game, but it really rewards someone in your position who can play as much as you state. In your shoes, you could build a character that absolutely demolishes everyone at everything with that amount of time played. Even if you are horrible at PvP normally, the stat bonus you will get from the new Champion System (a near infinite progression of stats that requires a pretty hefty grind) would make your character a beast, and give you the leeway you need to have some real fun.

FomaldehydeJim

ESO is a good choice. Rolling a magicka sorcerer may limit the amount of active combat required as you can kill off most mobs from a distance with a simple rotation.   

hallucigenocide

FFXIV maybe it was called the most handicap friendly MMO at some point i think.. probably lacks in a few of the things you want but maybe worth looking into.

Crescenda

Thank you for your ESO suggestions -- I went back and added ESO to the games I have already tried -- I played for a month after initial launch. Having played all the ES standalones I was VERY excited about ESO, but found several things (at the time) quite a let down.

 

1. Botting was a serious issue then; which may have been addressed since

2. The combat mechanic was indeed a problem for me, though I managed somewhat

3. I'm not huge on surprises and mobs popping up from nowhere is kind a no-can-do for me (it's the disease)

4. I found the economy/trade system very off-putting. The *economic* component of the game is very important to me; therefore, I simply could not get a hook into ESO

 

That said, I may go back and give ESO another go, hoping changes in the past year are more conducive to my capabilities and limitations.

 

Thank you again.

Phry

Think the best game, imo at least, for you would be FFXIV;ARR, its PVE, what little pvp is in the game is largely ignored and is completely separate from the rest of the game anyway. I have found the community there is very friendly, and i am sure you would fit in alright particularly if you are a keen crafter, its not all that complicated either. One character can learn all the skills in the game if you are of a mind to, although the shear amount of grinding to do that would be a bit intense i think, but there is a lot of lore and its a game with a good story line. I think the fact that all the players in the game are effectively on the same side helps, its more of a cooperative game, and one where social skills are a definite asset.

Mensur

Originally posted by Phry
Think the best game, imo at least, for you would be FFXIV;ARR, its PVE, what little pvp is in the game is largely ignored and is completely separate from the rest of the game anyway. I have found the community there is very friendly, and i am sure you would fit in alright particularly if you are a keen crafter, its not all that complicated either. One character can learn all the skills in the game if you are of a mind to, although the shear amount of grinding to do that would be a bit intense i think, but there is a lot of lore and its a game with a good story line. I think the fact that all the players in the game are effectively on the same side helps, its more of a cooperative game, and one where social skills are a definite asset.

I agree with this dude! 

mmoluva

You sound like a perfect addition to any mmo community. 

Try giving Darkfall Online a shot.

lunalovebad

If you love PVE and PVP a lot I highly recommend Rohan Blood Feud. Players here are active and competitive. They also have this vengeance system wherein you can track the last person that killed you and you'll be able to teleport on their spot if you want to exact revenge

Grimula

i would Tell you to Check out Everquest 2 .....if you actually play solo it has a Very rich world with tons of Lore to read about the world ect

 

it is actually fairly difficult also if you Play by yourself and do not get power leveled  but it is all doable  huge world to visit

almost unlimited amount of content if you are New player  and do not go the Power leveling route

 

Gnome Bruiser Oasis Server Everquest 2

ceratop001

Originally posted by Crescenda

Circumstances:

1. Have multiple sclerosis with serious hand tremors at times

2. Some loss of vision (small text difficult)

3. Stress is a component of my disease so random squads are a problem

4. I'm more finesse than wham-bam, more methodical than running around with my hair on fire

5. Horrible at PvP for the above reasons

 

Looking for a game that:

1. Offers meaningful alternatives to continual PvE/PvP combat

2. Has excellent, non-cartoonish or non-anime graphics

3. Possesses rich, meaningful lore

4. Has a good crafting/gathering/farming function

5. Possesses a solid, player-driven economy uninfluenced by external gold/resource buying

6. Preferably a mostly open-world/sandbox environment

7. Game mechanics should lend themselves to mouse/keyboard macros and voice command (i.e., Tazti)

8. A battle pet and mature, helpful player community are huge plusses

 

Games I have tried:

1. WoW -- played for a long time and did well with economy -- left because of changing player population and expansions

2. SWtOR -- sucky economy and little to do but combat

3. TSW -- bad economy (when I played) and the environment bummed me too much

4. PWI -- totally P2W, found a good private server, but end game is all about PvP and crafting is meaningless

5. GW -- played for a long time -- weak economy and little to do aside from combat

6. LoTRO -- hated the player animations

7. EVE -- played briefly -- there was no *me* in the game

8. PoTBS -- great game theoretically -- ship fighting, crafting great, land-based fighting was too hard for me

9. ESO -- weird economy and the fighting mechanic was difficult for me. Quit one month after game launch, may try again

 

Bit more background:

1. I'm 32, medically retired professional woman

2. Other than my disabilities, I'm quite hardcore, often playing as much as 16 hours a day

3. I'm very goal driven and will put in the time/effort when there's a meaningful goal

4. My character(s) become an extension of me, so I hate dying in game

5. I place greater value on politeness than on being first to the prize

6. I know all the dirty words (some in multiple languages), but I'd rather not hear F*** in every sentence

 

I realize, given the current player/gaming environment, I may be asking for the moon, but I'm hoping someone can offer something I've overlooked.

 

Thank you in advance!

I guess recommending twister would be kinda rude Just kidding. Your criteria of what you want in a game is what were all looking and waiting for. Have you tried a browser game? Their not like a full fledged mmorpg, but they do let you play at your own pace. I can recommend you Hearthstone. It's not an mmo or mmorpg type game but it is quite fun and I don't think it would interfere with your medical problems. Other then that I don't think there is a game out there that fits your criteria.

KyutaSyuko

If you're open to early access -- almost alphaish but very playable -- MOG I'd suggest Ark: Combat Evolved on a PvE server.  No lore since it's a sandbox but there's plenty to do other than combat since pretty much anything you do will net you at least a little XP.

siuko_uk

The only ones I can think of are either old school or a bit clunky.

SWG Emu

DAoC

The Repopulation (although I'm a little loath to recommend it at the moment due to the clunky movement / animation)

SWG and The Repopulation have crafting and levelling of classes that are none combat skills that you can learn - such as entertainer etc

LacedOpium

 

I'm surprised you haven't tried FFXIV.  It checks off on all of the criteria on your list.  It is immersive with lots of content, deep crafting and gathering professions, dungeons, lore, story, pleasing environment, vibrant economy, slower paced combat, friendly community, etc.  Give it a shot.  I think you will like it.

 

moonbound

Ms is rough im really sorry to hear your dealing with that:( I cannot really recommend any mmorpgs your looking for there really isnt truly an open world mmorpg out anymore that isnt anime, the secret world is in some ways but you said you did not like the environment.

 

Have you ever considered champians online? Give it a shot its open world, has allot of depth and you can create anything even has a classless system if you sub.

 

SgtOx

I know you said its hard to read small font,  but I suggest you try a MUD.  You can change the size of the text.  Try Gemstone IV and use the UI program called Stormfront.  So much you can do in a MUD, especially if you like roleplaying.

Blueliner

Originally posted by Crescenda

Circumstances:

1. Have multiple sclerosis with serious hand tremors at times

2. Some loss of vision (small text difficult)

3. Stress is a component of my disease so random squads are a problem

4. I'm more finesse than wham-bam, more methodical than running around with my hair on fire

5. Horrible at PvP for the above reasons

 

Looking for a game that:

1. Offers meaningful alternatives to continual PvE/PvP combat

2. Has excellent, non-cartoonish or non-anime graphics

3. Possesses rich, meaningful lore

4. Has a good crafting/gathering/farming function

5. Possesses a solid, player-driven economy uninfluenced by external gold/resource buying

6. Preferably a mostly open-world/sandbox environment

7. Game mechanics should lend themselves to mouse/keyboard macros and voice command (i.e., Tazti)

8. A battle pet and mature, helpful player community are huge plusses

 

Games I have tried:

1. WoW -- played for a long time and did well with economy -- left because of changing player population and expansions

2. SWtOR -- sucky economy and little to do but combat

3. TSW -- bad economy (when I played) and the environment bummed me too much

4. PWI -- totally P2W, found a good private server, but end game is all about PvP and crafting is meaningless

5. GW -- played for a long time -- weak economy and little to do aside from combat

6. LoTRO -- hated the player animations

7. EVE -- played briefly -- there was no *me* in the game

8. PoTBS -- great game theoretically -- ship fighting, crafting great, land-based fighting was too hard for me

9. ESO -- weird economy and the fighting mechanic was difficult for me. Quit one month after game launch, may try again

 

Bit more background:

1. I'm 32, medically retired professional woman

2. Other than my disabilities, I'm quite hardcore, often playing as much as 16 hours a day

3. I'm very goal driven and will put in the time/effort when there's a meaningful goal

4. My character(s) become an extension of me, so I hate dying in game

5. I place greater value on politeness than on being first to the prize

6. I know all the dirty words (some in multiple languages), but I'd rather not hear F*** in every sentence

 

I realize, given the current player/gaming environment, I may be asking for the moon, but I'm hoping someone can offer something I've overlooked.

 

Thank you in advance!

I've played most MMOs out there and while it may not fit every criteria you list (likely none would) I would recomend EQ or EQ2 those games have SO much lore and history, as well as a fairly mature player base.

I was recently diagnosed with MS myself, though my symptoms are in remission, I guess you'd call it, atm.

immodium

Originally posted by LacedOpium

 

I'm surprised you haven't tried FFXIV.  It checks off on all of the criteria on your list.  It is immersive with lots of content, deep crafting and gathering professions, dungeons, lore, story, pleasing environment, vibrant economy, slower paced combat, friendly community, etc.  Give it a shot.  I think you will like it.

 

Originally posted by Mensur

Originally posted by Phry
Think the best game, imo at least, for you would be FFXIV;ARR, its PVE, what little pvp is in the game is largely ignored and is completely separate from the rest of the game anyway. I have found the community there is very friendly, and i am sure you would fit in alright particularly if you are a keen crafter, its not all that complicated either. One character can learn all the skills in the game if you are of a mind to, although the shear amount of grinding to do that would be a bit intense i think, but there is a lot of lore and its a game with a good story line. I think the fact that all the players in the game are effectively on the same side helps, its more of a cooperative game, and one where social skills are a definite asset.

I agree with this dude! 

I'm gonna reiterate what these souls are saying.

Dullahan

Final Fantasy would probably be best among modern games. As far as meaningful lore and community, I'd probably consider EQ2 also. EQ2 is doing progression servers. The PvE progression server will probably be populated for months and there are a lot of benefits of having a guild there and many achievements that don't even require PvE. A good crafter for instance, is beloved in EQ2, especially when trying to level up a guild and unlock new guild abilities.

Myrdynn

Originally posted by mmoluva

You sound like a perfect addition to any mmo community. 

Try giving Darkfall Online a shot.

don't listen to this douchebag whatever you do

Final Fantasy is a good choice for you as the combat is slower, and not so "reactive"

If you enjoyed WOW, RIFT is very similar and lots of stuff to do

best of luck on your search

 

Crescenda

Wow (no pun intended), I did not expect so much feedback. I'm certainly familiar with Final Fantasy, but for some reason entirely unknown to me I never gave it a close look; a circumstance I shall remedy forthwith.

 

I've played a number of MOGs, but steeped in imagination as I may be, I've found it impossible to go back to mostly text based games. They simply bore me to ribbons.

 

Here's the deal -- I used to be quite athletic, running several 10Ks and half marathons a year; something I did until I couldn't. Nicely animated MMORPGs allow me to create characters and do "physical" things which are now beyond my grasp. Much as possible, I really do connect with my characters. That, and maintenance of what little hand-eye coordination I have is why I play video games. Social contact with nice people in MMOs is the other.

 

Again, thank you so very much for all your input, it is most gratefully received. Coincidently, voice commands and well thought out macros are a godsend -- I still play Perfect World (on a private server) and despite my boundless spasticity I'm still one of the more sought after clerics (healer) for dungeon runs, thanks to my aids and relatively few necessary skills. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to stress terribly at the thought of letting my squads down and these runs are becoming much less fun.

GameboyMarc

http://www.unstoppablegamer.com/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-2/

Final Fantasy XIV seems like a good bet.

NyteWytch

I agree that both FFXIV and ESO (it's been updated much since launch) would be worth trying out.  I also agree with Ark:Survival Evolved.  While it would present some issues (dinos want to eat you no matter what), I've got a private server and would have no trouble throwing you an invite if you'd like to try it out.  There's only a few of us that play on it so no PvP.  I found the crafting and gathering to be very rewarding.  Send me a pm if you'd like an invite.  

Asm0deus

Originally posted by Phry
Think the best game, imo at least, for you would be FFXIV;ARR, its PVE, what little pvp is in the game is largely ignored and is completely separate from the rest of the game anyway. I have found the community there is very friendly, and i am sure you would fit in alright particularly if you are a keen crafter, its not all that complicated either. One character can learn all the skills in the game if you are of a mind to, although the shear amount of grinding to do that would be a bit intense i think, but there is a lot of lore and its a game with a good story line. I think the fact that all the players in the game are effectively on the same side helps, its more of a cooperative game, and one where social skills are a definite asset.

Guys did you not read her post? Hand tremors...she is going to hate the combat especially in later levels  when hitting titan or any content where dodging is required.

The dodging is similar to Tera but very badly done. Not to mention she will stress out if when peeps start moaning she needs to open her eyes and dodge the red lines etc etc

Anyone saying the combat is none reactive is leading you wrong when it comes to boss fight in dungeons etc.  You need to know the boss patterns/attacks and need to react right away if not just before, not 1 or 2 seconds later or you will get hit even if not in the red lines anymore.

 

You can see this here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5g4TM1fkCg&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg33BjzwLWw

Thread in the FFXIV ARR forums:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/89828-Sorry-SE-but-endgame-won-t-work-if-you-don-t-fix-something

 

Myrdynn

I stand corrected, couldnt get past the boring combat for 10 levels to find out