What is the top 3 best true MMORPG currently existing?

Eluwien

If you would have to name your top 3 true MMORPG's currently existing, what would they be, in what order, and why?

To make it comparable, I'm going to give you the definition for MMORPG, so we dont have to argue about that.

RULES & DEFINITION READ CAREFULLY

- Massive: Seamless massive open world is best, open world is better, tunnel run is average, instanced is bad, only instances is worst.
  Also consider the feel of "large world".

- Multiplayer: All players on same server no limitations on numbers is best, multiple servers & some limitations is good, only number limited content is average, small group content only is bad, mostly soloable/solo-centric is worst
  Also consider the "community-centric" & "teamwork-centric" versus "solo-centric" 

- Online: Much interaction/trade is required and healthy community is good, communication is optional but there are communities is average, can be played without interacting with anyone/anything is worst
  Also consider how active and interactive the overall game experience is versus "afkness"

- Role Playing: Ability to create any character of you choose is best, outlook options with customizable classes is good, pool of unchangeable characters and face editor is average, small pool of unchangeable classes is bad, everyone is Master Chief is worst.
 Also consider the ability to play RP scenarios in the game, and ability to progress meaningfully as RP player

- Game: Being developed, has very few bugs, has a good story and setting, and still actively played is good, not being developed but still playable and played by many with somewhat relevant story & setting is average, not developed & is totally broken & not played is worst
  Consider the quality of the game as a product

PVE/PVP doesn't matter.
High fantasy / modern day doens't matter.
Combat style doesn't matter.

holdenhamlet

Based on those rules, I'd say... WoW?

Can't really think of any others that fulfill all those requirements.

huihuhuhu

by today's standards wow is a shit game. it may have a lot of the elements in this post but the game itself is a shell of what it used to be.no depth,character custimation sucks,world feels empty,dated graphics,yeah,not a game for me

Morfo2

1º PlanetSide 2
2º Tera
3º The Secret World
Honorable Mention: Guild Wars 2

PlanetSide 2 is the only F2P MMOFPS Open World with RP in the world and it deserves the first place.
Tera is Tera lol...
TSW and GW2 have much in common, it's true that TSW is P2P and GW2 it's F2P but we have much more content and updates in The Secret World by paying than in Guild Wars 2.
A good game deserves to be bought.

Eluwien

I personally believe these games are closest to the true MMORPG. 

1.) EVE Online
2.) Lord Of The Rings Online
3.) Guild Wars 2

EVE online allows so many different stories, it holds your hand (these days) to a degree, but you have to iron out your own path. It requires quite some communication, but it's optional to a degree and mostly the game doesn't get boring even after years because it slowly changes in significant ways that create more and more plans you can have in it.

Lord of the rings is (or was) a true MMORPG with a massive world, quite lively communities and the game development direction promoted team play over soloing. You didn't have to be LOTR fan to like the world, it had the feeling that you were indeed a meaningful part of it from the get go. The amount of instancing and tunnelrun feeling was so limited, that it didn't hurt the overall greatness and vastness feeling of the game.

GuildWars is quite small game world after all, compared. The classes and character creation also are somewhat limited. I still feel that it's worth a 3rd seat on the list when it comes to being a good MMORPG. The amount of RP elements in the game is so nice, than even if you dont identify as roleplayer, you still partook into the world's story in the living missions. 

I would like to put on the list Warhammer Online, but it was simply broken, and the world in the end turned out to be quite "dead" and grindy. While I played a lot, it didn't really promote communities, or in anyway needed them, so it simply died. 

WoW rode the wave when MMORPG's got to be the hot topic, but it's recent (past 5 years) development has also killed it's RP side, any vastness of the world or the feeling of being in anyway part of anything in it. It used to be on this list, but sadly nowdays it's a game for 5 people to grind meaningless content, it's not even really a MMO anymore imo.

Horusra

WoW, ESO, SWTOR

Jakobmiller

EVE is up there...
Darkfall still tops my list. It just lacks players
3rd game for me...hrmpf... Probably WoW, although I would never play it again. Guild Wars 1 is pretty far up.

Eluwien

Jakobmiller said:

EVE is up there...
Darkfall still tops my list. It just lacks players
3rd game for me...hrmpf... Probably WoW, although I would never play it again. Guild Wars 1 is pretty far up.

Why Darkfall?

josko9

1. ESO
2. FFXIV
3. GW2, SWTOR, LOTRO

Deathenger

1. WoW
2. EvE
3. Everquest Franchise....

holdenhamlet

huihuhuhu said:

by today's standards wow is a shit game. it may have a lot of the elements in this post but the game itself is a shell of what it used to be.no depth,character custimation sucks,world feels empty,dated graphics,yeah,not a game for me

I tend to agree.  Nonetheless it's the only one I can think of that fulfills all the requirements.

I personally believe these games are closest to the true MMORPG. 

1.) EVE Online
2.) Lord Of The Rings Online
3.) Guild Wars 2

EVE online allows so many different stories, it holds your hand (these days) to a degree, but you have to iron out your own path. It requires quite some communication, but it's optional to a degree and mostly the game doesn't get boring even after years because it slowly changes in significant ways that create more and more plans you can have in it.

Lord of the rings is (or was) a true MMORPG with a massive world, quite lively communities and the game development direction promoted team play over soloing. You didn't have to be LOTR fan to like the world, it had the feeling that you were indeed a meaningful part of it from the get go. The amount of instancing and tunnelrun feeling was so limited, that it didn't hurt the overall greatness and vastness feeling of the game.

GuildWars is quite small game world after all, compared. The classes and character creation also are somewhat limited. I still feel that it's worth a 3rd seat on the list when it comes to being a good MMORPG. The amount of RP elements in the game is so nice, than even if you dont identify as roleplayer, you still partook into the world's story in the living missions. 

I would like to put on the list Warhammer Online, but it was simply broken, and the world in the end turned out to be quite "dead" and grindy. While I played a lot, it didn't really promote communities, or in anyway needed them, so it simply died. 

WoW rode the wave when MMORPG's got to be the hot topic, but it's recent (past 5 years) development has also killed it's RP side, any vastness of the world or the feeling of being in anyway part of anything in it. It used to be on this list, but sadly nowdays it's a game for 5 people to grind meaningless content, it's not even really a MMO anymore imo.

Those seem like really odd choices given your requirements.

Are you sure you read your own thread?

Akulas

FFXIV is the only one left

holdenhamlet

Akulas said:

FFXIV is the only one left

I was thinking that one, since it fills a lot of them.  But he seemed to want open world pretty badly, and ffxiv is about as instanced as it gets.

Eluwien

holdenhamlet said:

huihuhuhu said:

by today's standards wow is a shit game. it may have a lot of the elements in this post but the game itself is a shell of what it used to be.no depth,character custimation sucks,world feels empty,dated graphics,yeah,not a game for me

I tend to agree.  Nonetheless it's the only one I can think of that fulfills all the requirements.

Those seem like really odd choices given your requirements.

Are you sure you read your own thread?

Heh Any reasoning behind your question? 

saurus123

Morfo2 said:

1º PlanetSide 2
2º Tera
3º The Secret World
Honorable Mention: Guild Wars 2

PlanetSide 2 is the only F2P MMOFPS Open World with RP in the world and it deserves the first place.
Tera is Tera lol...
TSW and GW2 have much in common, it's true that TSW is P2P and GW2 it's F2P but we have much more content and updates in The Secret World by paying than in Guild Wars 2.
A good game deserves to be bought.

GW2 is not F2P its more of a trial
and no Secret World dont get more updates becouse its p2p

Kopogero

#1 WOW: Legion
#2 SWG: Emu (when server launches)
#3 Path of Exile
#4 Tree of Savior
#5 Marvel Heroes Online

holdenhamlet

Eluwien said:

holdenhamlet said:

huihuhuhu said:

by today's standards wow is a shit game. it may have a lot of the elements in this post but the game itself is a shell of what it used to be.no depth,character custimation sucks,world feels empty,dated graphics,yeah,not a game for me

I tend to agree.  Nonetheless it's the only one I can think of that fulfills all the requirements.

Those seem like really odd choices given your requirements.

Are you sure you read your own thread?

Heh Any reasoning behind your question? 

Don't see much role-playing/custimization opportunities in Eve.  I know someone is going to come in and say, "But you can be a spy!"  I'd answer saying that's part of the intended gameplay and equivilant to role-playing "an adventurer" in a regular MMO, i.e. you're not role-playing, you're actually doing it.  Compared to another game you mentioned- LOTRO- where you can roleplay as a traveling musician plagued with some vague Tolkien referenced curse.  Also, for all intents and purposes in Eve, aren't you basically just a ship to other people, or more accurately a dot on the screen?  Not much room for customization to have an impact.

Can't say LOTRO has a very active community.  GW2 has loading screens between zones and cites.

WoW on the other hand scores pretty high in all of the listed categories.  Only thing it's lacking from the requirements listed is a lot of reqruired player interaction- yet compared to many MMOs it does have quite a bit of group content and avenues for player interaction.

Personally I wouldn't have stated many of the categories as necessary for a good MMO, but it is kind of sad that MMOs don't really seem very MMOy anymore.

Phaserlight

In my exhaustively researched and totally unbiased opinion, the top 3 best true MMORPGs *are*:

Vendetta Online
Eve Online
World of Warcraft

Same answer I would have given you four years ago, reasons being the criteria you listed.

holdenhamlet

oops double post!

Was up all night researching video cards lol.

MikePt

1.ESO
2.WOW < maybe 1st but wow is so old it awakes vomiting reflex when I think about wow
2.GW2 but community doesn't make it feel like a MMORPG its more like a hamster wheel for loot I know the correct title MMO hamster wheel for loot  .Faster faster for loot for loot meta build for faster loot  Ascended gear for faster loot food untility for faster loot ... Gw2 truly fells like a hamster wheel nowadays

Deathenger

holdenhamlet said:

Eluwien said:

holdenhamlet said:

huihuhuhu said:

.

Heh Any reasoning behind your question? 

Don't see much role-playing/custimization opportunities in Eve. .

Can't say I agree with that. There are no Pirate, or Mercenary titles, or builds yet there are folks out there playing the game filling thoes roles. Some go beyond the douche baggery and will actually play then out. Shoot my last alliance had an entire Corp of EvE role players. It may not be as prevalent as RP in a high fantasy mmo, but there is definitely a decent sized community of role players in EvE

The only think you really need for role-playing is a good imagination :-)

Viper482

Enjoying the hell out of Black Desert.....I care not for your parameters. AFK fishing while I am at work is fine with me.

Agent_Joseph

Eve Online

Axehilt

huihuhuhu said:

by today's standards wow is a shit game. it may have a lot of the elements in this post but the game itself is a shell of what it used to be.no depth,character custimation sucks,world feels empty,dated graphics,yeah,not a game for me

Eh WOW is objectively deep.  That's the source of its longevity, the fact that it continually makes its core mechanic (combat, with elaborate rotations like this one) difficult for players to master and therefore highly rewarding of continual practice (relative to the other MMORPGs out there.)  If you feel like you can present solid evidence of not one but many games with superior depth to their core mechanic (ie guides which are more complicated than the WOW one linked) then by all means attempt to do so -- but you'll soon realize there is almost no evidence of a deeper game (every time I challenge players to provide this evidence, they fail -- except once (the Lancer class in FFXIV actually has a rotation as deep as WOW rotations.))

The character customization is limited, but it's also distilled down to the decisions which actually mattered.  But sure, players appear to value the fact that they personally clicked all the 25+ boxes that added up to the exact same +20% fire damage, +2.5 crit damage, and +5% crit chance that all the other mages had.

The world is plenty full.  Capital cities are always filled with players, and I see plenty of players every time I venture out into the world (not that that matters since world content tends to be solo content...except when you want to group in which case you go out and grind demons or other monsters in Tanaan with a group.)

But yeah, the graphics are dated and this is the one legit anchor to what you're saying -- but are you seriously only avoiding WOW because it has dated graphics?  Why would you avoid the deepest MMORPG on the market purely to seek a game with better graphics?  That seems like doubling down on the shallowness.

Sirmatthias

It is so amazing how much hated Warcraft has. I'm sorry it raised the bar and cast a shadow over everything in the MMORPG hemisphere. Everyone should be grateful this game did that and help created a market where the games you can play now. I currently don't play it anymore but I had a blast playing it for 6 years and left with no regrets. Can't devote myself to serious raiding guilds anymore.

1. Wow

2. Eve Online

3. FF 11 >>which FF 15 is its predecessor

Sovrath

Deathenger said:

The only think you really need for role-playing is a good imagination :-)

I'm going to have to agree with that. Though I don't "role play" I have done enough improvisatory theater to know that you can create scenarios/characters with anything.

I've said this before but I strongly feel that "role players" would benefit from taking a few classes in improv.