I know what you mean. Lately I've had serious MMO burnout. I've tried most of them, and with each successive one, I end up playing for a shorter and shorter time. First was EQ, and I played that for 6 years. Then, EQ2 was 2 yrs, with AO, SWG, DAOC, CoH, etc. in the meantime. Lately I messed with Vanguard (memory hog) and then tried LOTRO. But I log on to LOTRO now only for about 20 mins, then am off again. It's pretty, but I have the nagging suspicion I won't want to keep it for long. The reason is that I've yet to recreate the excitement and the feeling of endless possibility that I had in my first MMO, EQ. You log on to a game, and immediately someone is spamming you with duel requests, or gold selling ads. Or you invite someone to a group, and he doesn't so much as say hello, then swipes a drop everyone wanted without rolling for it. You get burned out. And I find myself going back to offline favorites like Oblivion, NWN, NWN2, KOTOR 2. Even considering buying an XBOX 360 for Force Unleashed. It's getting tedious to be social. I find that I'd rather pick up the phone and call someone than attempt to play an MMO. And when you get to the point that when someone invites you to a group, you say, "No, thanks," and log off, that you're really not into online gaming as much as you used to be. So, what would make the difference? Is it really that we're tired of games being too similar, or that we're getting weary of MMORPGs? For me, when an online game starts to feel like work or an obligation, I've had it. Guilds seem to be essential to large-scale exploration, and yet they impose upon your time to a large degree. Some require that you're there for every raid. Raiding is intense. You find yourself completely absorbed in the moment of doing your job, whether it be healing, tanking, or crowd control. And it's fun. It keeps your interest like nothing else when you're in it. But still, you probably have one or two characters that nobody in your guild knows about so that sometimes you can feel like no one pesters you. Then it dawns on you again that maybe what you want is a good, meaty offline game instead of the one where people depend on you. Hey, MMORPGs are a great time. But eventually, burnout got me. I'm still interested in seeing what changes come out in up and coming MMORPGs, but maybe the best thing for now is to stick around in LOTRO and not join any guilds. That way I can putter around to my heart's content without feeling like someone's twisting my arm. And when I get the quests that I can't solo, I'll get a pickup group.
If you are bored with the run of the mill dross at the moment, spend a few dollars and try Dragonrealms or Gemnstone from SImutronics they are MUDS text only but just try one of the two I have mentioned out and you will relaise what had gone wrong with all of the junior MMORPGs'....
You will get all the things you miss as you stated above
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I know what you mean. Lately I've had serious MMO burnout. I've tried most of them, and with each successive one, I end up playing for a shorter and shorter time. First was EQ, and I played that for 6 years. Then, EQ2 was 2 yrs, with AO, SWG, DAOC, CoH, etc. in the meantime. Lately I messed with Vanguard (memory hog) and then tried LOTRO. But I log on to LOTRO now only for about 20 mins, then am off again. It's pretty, but I have the nagging suspicion I won't want to keep it for long. The reason is that I've yet to recreate the excitement and the feeling of endless possibility that I had in my first MMO, EQ. You log on to a game, and immediately someone is spamming you with duel requests, or gold selling ads. Or you invite someone to a group, and he doesn't so much as say hello, then swipes a drop everyone wanted without rolling for it. You get burned out. And I find myself going back to offline favorites like Oblivion, NWN, NWN2, KOTOR 2. Even considering buying an XBOX 360 for Force Unleashed. It's getting tedious to be social. I find that I'd rather pick up the phone and call someone than attempt to play an MMO. And when you get to the point that when someone invites you to a group, you say, "No, thanks," and log off, that you're really not into online gaming as much as you used to be. So, what would make the difference? Is it really that we're tired of games being too similar, or that we're getting weary of MMORPGs? For me, when an online game starts to feel like work or an obligation, I've had it. Guilds seem to be essential to large-scale exploration, and yet they impose upon your time to a large degree. Some require that you're there for every raid. Raiding is intense. You find yourself completely absorbed in the moment of doing your job, whether it be healing, tanking, or crowd control. And it's fun. It keeps your interest like nothing else when you're in it. But still, you probably have one or two characters that nobody in your guild knows about so that sometimes you can feel like no one pesters you. Then it dawns on you again that maybe what you want is a good, meaty offline game instead of the one where people depend on you. Hey, MMORPGs are a great time. But eventually, burnout got me. I'm still interested in seeing what changes come out in up and coming MMORPGs, but maybe the best thing for now is to stick around in LOTRO and not join any guilds. That way I can putter around to my heart's content without feeling like someone's twisting my arm. And when I get the quests that I can't solo, I'll get a pickup group.
KLPinAZ- you said 100% what I am feeling. Wow was all that you described for me, but then I just couldn't commit the time or enthusiasm to the Guild. Spawned a few new unguilded char's then played it as a non mmorpg- thus avoiding some of the stranger and clearly under age restriction players. (Just my opinion)! I think I do indeed have "Burn Out" as not much on the MMORPG scene seems to hold my attention.
Is this a gamers diagnosis- or does it really exist! I will start a post asking that q I think. But thanks for your comments
I think the most fun in all the mmorpgs i have played has been when im learning and discovering new things with many other people. Then, you have people to relate to and are just as excited about their experience playing the game as you are. For me, mmorpg burnout has happened in the past when people refuse to help me because im a "stupid nub" or i "ask to many obvious questions". However i mostly got those responses in wow, no idea why. EQ2 was a lot more forgiving and the community generally loved new comers.
All i gotta say is wait for a new game to come out where the vast majority of players are new. THEN the feeling you first felt with your first mmorpg will return.
Oh, and also, i played LOTRO for about 4 days and while i thought the game was made nicely, i knew after the first day i would not be paying a monthly subscription for the game. Some games just fit and others dont.
I played LOTRO in the beta only. At first I was happy with how "casualfriendly" it was.. But as days passed by, I found the game more and more like a "singleplayer game with human NPC's helping me get through a singleplayer "you are the hero behind the curtain" storyline... Basicly, as I reached up in levels, 20-30... I didn't feel immersed in the world of tolien... I felt like visiting a Tolkien themepark, where everythingwas aimed at me doing the rides...and then..done. I could ofcourse do the rides again with another character... but by then, I allreayd knew the rides, I knew the way the game went, the story..everything.
So in beta, I went from "This is cool"(like when you watch a cool movie) to "I've done this" (like when you watch that movie for the 5'th time). And ended up never buying the game. It was too static and "Themepark" for me. Not a tolkien world that I could "live" in, explore and make fantasies about... It was a one time read book.
Exactly, I was in LOTRO beta as well and stated these exact points on the beta forums, I got booed away.
But as days passed by, I found the game more and more like a "singleplayer game with human NPC's helping me get through a singleplayer "you are the hero behind the curtain" storyline... Basicly, as I reached up in levels, 20-30... I didn't feel immersed in the world of tolien... I felt like visiting a Tolkien themepark, where everythingwas aimed at me doing the rides...and then..done. I could ofcourse do the rides again with another character... but by then, I allreayd knew the rides, I knew the way the game went, the story..everything.
I think that is the best description I have seen about my feelings on it also. Thinking about it, the "Theme Park" syndrome is probably my problem with this game.
I have yet to get any feeling at all that I am actually doing anything but doing yet another roller coaster ride rather than actually being a part of the game. Add to that the generic itemization that means that at level xx almost every character will look the same, have the same items, have done all the same quests, and have all the same stats - a world of clones.
And I don't want to be a clone riding yet another merry-go-round.
I was with it up uintil the first patch, seemed like they nerfed a few classes and took the fun out of it for me. Also turned into a grind after 40 or so. It was fun while it lasted.
I got a buddy pass and quit this game before it was even over. I am so sick of every mmo being just like the one before it can't anyone be creative anymore.
Who the hell cares? It's all subjective: hype, enjoyment, etc.
I love Planetside, but it has only about 20,000 subscribers.
I think LOTRO is a dream-come-true MMORPG, but many people brush it off as too-similar-to-WOW.
I think WOW is a great example of a well-polished MMORPG, but I find it boring as hell.
Don't follow the hype.
MMO games played or tested: EQ, DAoC, Archlord, Auto Assault, CoH, CoV, EQ2, EVE, Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Linneage II, LOTRO, MxO, Planetside, SWG, Sword of the New World, Tabula Rasa, Vanguard, WWIIOL, WOW, Age of Conan
Comments
If you are bored with the run of the mill dross at the moment, spend a few dollars and try Dragonrealms or Gemnstone from SImutronics they are MUDS text only but just try one of the two I have mentioned out and you will relaise what had gone wrong with all of the junior MMORPGs'....
You will get all the things you miss as you stated above
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
KLPinAZ- you said 100% what I am feeling. Wow was all that you described for me, but then I just couldn't commit the time or enthusiasm to the Guild. Spawned a few new unguilded char's then played it as a non mmorpg- thus avoiding some of the stranger and clearly under age restriction players. (Just my opinion)! I think I do indeed have "Burn Out" as not much on the MMORPG scene seems to hold my attention.
Is this a gamers diagnosis- or does it really exist! I will start a post asking that q I think. But thanks for your comments
I think the most fun in all the mmorpgs i have played has been when im learning and discovering new things with many other people. Then, you have people to relate to and are just as excited about their experience playing the game as you are. For me, mmorpg burnout has happened in the past when people refuse to help me because im a "stupid nub" or i "ask to many obvious questions". However i mostly got those responses in wow, no idea why. EQ2 was a lot more forgiving and the community generally loved new comers.
All i gotta say is wait for a new game to come out where the vast majority of players are new. THEN the feeling you first felt with your first mmorpg will return.
I think that is the best description I have seen about my feelings on it also. Thinking about it, the "Theme Park" syndrome is probably my problem with this game.
I have yet to get any feeling at all that I am actually doing anything but doing yet another roller coaster ride rather than actually being a part of the game. Add to that the generic itemization that means that at level xx almost every character will look the same, have the same items, have done all the same quests, and have all the same stats - a world of clones.
And I don't want to be a clone riding yet another merry-go-round.
I play for the fun of it.
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Who the hell cares? It's all subjective: hype, enjoyment, etc.
I love Planetside, but it has only about 20,000 subscribers.
I think LOTRO is a dream-come-true MMORPG, but many people brush it off as too-similar-to-WOW.
I think WOW is a great example of a well-polished MMORPG, but I find it boring as hell.
Don't follow the hype.
MMO games played or tested: EQ, DAoC, Archlord, Auto Assault, CoH, CoV, EQ2, EVE, Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Linneage II, LOTRO, MxO, Planetside, SWG, Sword of the New World, Tabula Rasa, Vanguard, WWIIOL, WOW, Age of Conan