There have been some attempts at a more difficult and group oriented MMO, VG being one, and the latest being Wildstar, most of the people that claim to want hardcore are really just paying lip service and when it comes time to pay the actual bill, they end up coming up with some lame excuse as to why this particular hardcore game doesn't suit their style.
So until 'hardcore' MMO players spend money and not just exhaled gas on their beliefs, you're not going to see any. (but honestly if you're a young game designer reading this... don't waste your time. You'll just end up on the pile of wasted effort MMOs (like Wildstar will soon) or changing your game's level of difficulty and PITA gameplay. (like Vanguard did)
One side
effect of the speedy ready-to-go EQ1 was that groups didn't have time
between pulls, and the socializing part (talking) faded away.
There are plenty of chat rooms out there.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire: Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
So it has been an awful long time since I last visited this site and it has likewise been an awfully long time since I played an MMO properly. I'd like to get back into the genre but since I've been out of the scene for so long I have no idea what the good current and future games are.
I'd like to play an MMO which has more of a hardcore element to it. I've played games like Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft and while they were well put together I found them somewhat boring. EVE Online was another game I enjoyed but I prefer a fantasy setting to be honest. My two favourite MMO games of all time though were EverQuest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.
Does anyone know of any current or upcoming MMOs that may appeal to my taste at all? Ever since World of Warcraft came out I get the feeling that the MMO market has just destroyed itself with games that appeal to the masses rather than games that appeal to players who want more of a challenge. So yeah any advice is very much appreciated . Thanks.
Project 1999 which is purists EQ1 and Project Gorgon.
Any mmo worth its salt should be like a good prostitute when it comes to its game world- One hell of a faker, and a damn good shaker!
"EVE Online was another game I enjoyed but I prefer a fantasy setting to be honest"
Wurm Online
Its pretty much fantasy EVE or as close as your gonna get. Its the only game I can sink thousands of hour and still enjoy as a real sandbox mmo, nothing made in the past 5 years is gonna scratch that itch your looking for your only other bet is to hold out for pantheon.
Ryzom is a better sandbox than Wurm anyday.
Any mmo worth its salt should be like a good prostitute when it comes to its game world- One hell of a faker, and a damn good shaker!
There have been some attempts at a more difficult and group oriented MMO, VG being one, and the latest being Wildstar,
VG had great potential but SoE killed it when they became the publisher shortly before release. They screwed it up and left so many holes in it rushing it out the door. Players aren't interested in a half finished game being released and needing to wait a year before major issues are addressed with reasonable fixes. Also VG having difficulty? For whom? A bard could solo almost every named in the game from release even at level 50... which also killed it for a number of others also. And difficulty for the rest? You couldn't even think of anything difficult in the least until top level. What came 6-12 months after release doesn't matter when most of the base has quit within 3-6 months.
Wildstar was NOT group orientated on release and far worse now. Many of us saw what was coming with the direction they started going towards the end of beta.
When we say group orientated and difficult we are thinking along the lines of eq1 and eq2 at release along with wow classic. Sure, a few could solo very well but for most soloing was slow and unrewarding. Grouping in dungeons had difficulty requiring a proper group makeup and people who knew what their class was about.
There have been some attempts at a more difficult and group oriented MMO, VG being one, and the latest being Wildstar,
VG had great potential but SoE killed it when they became the publisher shortly before release. They screwed it up and left so many holes in it rushing it out the door. Players aren't interested in a half finished game being released and needing to wait a year before major issues are addressed with reasonable fixes. Also VG having difficulty? For whom? A bard could solo almost every named in the game from release even at level 50... which also killed it for a number of others also. And difficulty for the rest? You couldn't even think of anything difficult in the least until top level. What came 6-12 months after release doesn't matter when most of the base has quit within 3-6 months.
Wildstar was NOT group orientated on release and far worse now. Many of us saw what was coming with the direction they started going towards the end of beta.
When we say group orientated and difficult we are thinking along the lines of eq1 and eq2 at release along with wow classic. Sure, a few could solo very well but for most soloing was slow and unrewarding. Grouping in dungeons had difficulty requiring a proper group makeup and people who knew what their class was about.
Without SOE Vanguard would have never released. SOE didn't kill VG they saved it for 7 years. You should be thanking SOE that you even had a chance to play the game.
There have been some attempts at a more difficult and group oriented MMO, VG being one, and the latest being Wildstar,
VG had great potential but SoE killed it when they became the publisher shortly before release. They screwed it up and left so many holes in it rushing it out the door. Players aren't interested in a half finished game being released and needing to wait a year before major issues are addressed with reasonable fixes. Also VG having difficulty? For whom? A bard could solo almost every named in the game from release even at level 50... which also killed it for a number of others also. And difficulty for the rest? You couldn't even think of anything difficult in the least until top level. What came 6-12 months after release doesn't matter when most of the base has quit within 3-6 months.
Wildstar was NOT group orientated on release and far worse now. Many of us saw what was coming with the direction they started going towards the end of beta.
When we say group orientated and difficult we are thinking along the lines of eq1 and eq2 at release along with wow classic. Sure, a few could solo very well but for most soloing was slow and unrewarding. Grouping in dungeons had difficulty requiring a proper group makeup and people who knew what their class was about.
SOE didn't kill Vanguard becoming the publisher. The thing wouldn't have gotten out of early beta without them.
Microsoft saw the shit state it was in and pulled funding from it well before launch.
If you want to play something with an old school feel that doesn't lead you around by the hand you could try out Project Gorgon. They are still working on it but the game is really well done for what it is. Hell you can even play as a cow. It does have a huge learning curve unless you do research before you play. You even level up dying as a trait. There are penalties for dying to some boss monsters to like having a large head, turning into a cow, etc....
You already know the answer, there are none at the moment. Everything is story driven themepark or/and pvp gankfest, and that makes them as far from Eq/Vanguard as you can get. But if you were to play one of them railroaded themparks, I would go with gw2 and just enjoy it as a single player game till you get bored. Future: Pantheon, maybe CU depending on how pvp focused it will be, EqNext if it ever comes and delivers a fraction of its original intentions. Gorgon ? yeah it can be played right now but it is very unfinished, and with 2 people working on it, it isn't really progressing to a full game any year soon. Now: play something else, a single player rpg like Pillars of Eternity, arpg like Path of Exile, one of the many survival games, a good rts like hmm? or builder game like Banished or Cities Skylines, or a 3d shooter with rpg/mmo mix like Firefall.
Thanks for the response everyone. Sorry it has taken me a little while to respond .
I think I'll be waiting for Pantheon to release since it sounds like exactly the kind of game that I am looking for. Plus I loved Brad's two previous games so I don't see why this one should be any different. Now I just need to find something to keep my occupied until it actually launches.
Comments
So until 'hardcore' MMO players spend money and not just exhaled gas on their beliefs, you're not going to see any. (but honestly if you're a young game designer reading this... don't waste your time. You'll just end up on the pile of wasted effort MMOs (like Wildstar will soon) or changing your game's level of difficulty and PITA gameplay. (like Vanguard did)
There are plenty of chat rooms out there.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire:
Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
Any mmo worth its salt should be like a good prostitute when it comes to its game world- One hell of a faker, and a damn good shaker!
Any mmo worth its salt should be like a good prostitute when it comes to its game world- One hell of a faker, and a damn good shaker!
Trove is the most popular MMO ;-)
Wildstar was NOT group orientated on release and far worse now. Many of us saw what was coming with the direction they started going towards the end of beta.
When we say group orientated and difficult we are thinking along the lines of eq1 and eq2 at release along with wow classic. Sure, a few could solo very well but for most soloing was slow and unrewarding. Grouping in dungeons had difficulty requiring a proper group makeup and people who knew what their class was about.
SOE didn't kill Vanguard becoming the publisher. The thing wouldn't have gotten out of early beta without them.
Microsoft saw the shit state it was in and pulled funding from it well before launch.
Witty & Wicked
Future: Pantheon, maybe CU depending on how pvp focused it will be, EqNext if it ever comes and delivers a fraction of its original intentions. Gorgon ? yeah it can be played right now but it is very unfinished, and with 2 people working on it, it isn't really progressing to a full game any year soon.
Now: play something else, a single player rpg like Pillars of Eternity, arpg like Path of Exile, one of the many survival games, a good rts like hmm? or builder game like Banished or Cities Skylines, or a 3d shooter with rpg/mmo mix like Firefall.
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
Playing: Secret World: Legends
Waiting for: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
I think I'll be waiting for Pantheon to release since it sounds like exactly the kind of game that I am looking for. Plus I loved Brad's two previous games so I don't see why this one should be any different. Now I just need to find something to keep my occupied until it actually launches.