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UO-TSO-Wow-Eve- What else is out there?
Callisandria
Member Posts: 5
Hi folks,
I need something new, and I have a feeling you folks can help me out.(you did before). Let me explain my MMO journey so you can see where I am coming from. I am a female gamer. I have been married for 13 years(we were babies and married very young). Early in our marriage my husband introduced me to pen and paper roleplaying (mainly Shadowrun, but also Marvel, L5R, and the white wolf stuff). I started playing The Sims when it came out, and made a name for myself in the sims community. I was asked to be a beta tester for TSO *shudder/twitch*. The online version of the game was awful. I still can't believe they went ahead and launched the game with all the bugs. I never subscribed to TSO, but I did enjoy the MMO aspect.So I started looking at other MMO's.
I found this website(*much* smaller place back then) and posted asking what game to try next. The overall consensus was that Ultima Online would be a good choice(there wasn't much else out at the time. I fell in love with UO, and my husband joined me. I became a reporter for Stratics, and later the GM of a large guild. We had a blast. Several of our guildies were invited to the beta of Wow, and it was a group decision to go to Wow. We played Wow from launch til March of this year, quitting once to go back to UO for a few weeks(It's dying, and you cant go back to 2d after Wow).
In March our Wow characters(myself, my husband and his rl best friend always jump games together) all hit 70, and the thought of grinding factions and engame garbage again spelled the end of Wow for us. Wow is a great game, game mechanic wise. However, it lacks any sort of community aspect, and there is no way that you can ever be truly unique. You can't show off your individuality in any way. There isn't a way to buy a house or get anything that others cant also achieve. Your 70 priestess is just like all the other 70 priests.. Getting there was fun, but now what's the point?
So we tried a few trials and settled on Eve Online for a change of pace. It's a good game, there is a lot of complexity, and it has a great roleplaying community.. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to ever compete as a new player it seems. The skill game is based soley on time alone, and it takes about 6 months of skills to be effective beyond basic group pvp. The pve isn't enough to keep me interested while I wait for skills. I wish I had known about it earlier.
So what is next? Is there a game out there that has decent graphics(doesn't have to be wow quality), good gameplay, roleplaying, complexity and individuality? If it isn't out yet, what is coming up that looks good?
Comments
How about EQ2? Or Ryzom.
One game that I am very much enjoying and have over the last 2 years has been CoX (City of Heroes/Villains). It's not a game for everyone, and quite a few people don't like it. It's easy enough for me to get in and solo when I want, I can group easily when I want to and with the last 2 Issues (content updates), it really looks like Cryptic cares about making the game better. The invasions alone are a blast to partake in. I have yet to see a game that even comes close on character customization. You can literally spend hours creating the first look for your Hero or Villain, then as you progress through the game you can earn up to 4 more additional costume slots you can spend even more time developing.
A couple of downsides: PvP isn't very good. There are a few zones, but it's heavily imbalanced. There is quite a bit of a grind to it, but if you group up and play with other people it alleviates a lot of the grind feel. Hero side has much more content than Villainside, but I prefer Villainside more. It's not a perfect game, but it's one that I've enjoyed so much I am about to pick up the 27 month Veteran Badge. It's the only MMO that I truly return to each time.
I do want to point out that if you really want to get into PVP join a good corporation and they'll have you effectively tackling in about 2 months. Six months might be necessary for some high end ships, but as I come to a close on my 2nd month in EVE my character is flying a Drake Battle Cruiser that is geared out to the nines and sporting Tech Two Shield skills, which are more than adequate.
I expect to be fully prepared to fight in a nicely geared Battleship within the next two months....so only 4 months till the real fun....
But EVE is a game of longevity, and you have to be somewhat patient when you start off.... its really not a game for those looking to play for a 6 months and get out.... its a multi-year comittment.....
Now, as for skill based MMORPG's coming out (along the lines of UO) your choices are slim... Darkfall might be the only (slim) hope. But you said you enjoyed WOW, so I recommend you consider either Age of Conan this fall or Warhammer online in the Spring...
Not because they are "just like WOW".... but they are level based, fantasy RPG games but with their own unique 'twists" on the genre.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'm currently enjoying LOTRO. the community is still developing and the content is expanding. If your into quests and story then you should give it a try. The graphics are top-notch, the land is large, the community is very friendly. Player housing is being added within the next month along with various new small party and end game instances. I myself hit the instance grind wall in WoW and did not want to commit to the demand of time to create a 10 man kara team and run it over x1000 for gear only to repeat with the 25 man's. LOTRO is a nice breath of fresh air, a game full of graphical beauty and a deep rich story. A game I can click the quit button at any point and continue the next day, week, month.
I'd say wait on Age of Conan(october) or Warhammer(2008) if you liked WoW's mechanics, which i do as well. In fact, I agree with you wholeheartedly on your opinion of Wow.
You could TRY lord of the rings online, but personally I found it boring and tedious. The mechanics just didn't have that feel of ease that I expect, or the visceral feel of combat. Graphically its incredible...but that's about it.
Unfortunately, I myself am just playing an alt on WoW since alot of my friends have recently started the game. But I will be playing Conan and then Warhammer when they launch. Can't wait for WAR personally.
What is Ryzom? I don't think I have heard of it. I am downloading the EQ2 trial as we speak(type). I tried a trial a year or so ago and it was so laggy I couldn't play it. I hope it will be better this time.
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Is CoH still an active game? I heard that it was steadily dropping in subscriptions, so I didn't look at it too closely. Not that that matters too much, but I dont want to get all involved in a game only to have it canceled.
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Eve does have potential, and we are currently still subscribed. I know I could jump in a frigate and be a tackler, which could be fun for a week or so, but not for *months*. I love the one world idea, and the people I met there have been very nice(my character was in Eve University). I liked the fact that it was completely open skillwise. I would rather have a game like that than a level based game like Wow. But Eve is a game that's 90% pvp and as a new player you will never catch up to the people playing since launch *in any way*. There is no cap to skills so there will never be any semblance of an even playing field. But I have only been playing a month or so and I could be completely wrong.
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I went to the LOTRO website, but they don't have a free trial. It looks great, but I dont want to drop 30 bucks on something that may or may not work out.
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Thanks for the help and advice so far folks. I really appreciate it!
Personally, I am sitting tight and waiting for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR). I have been a big fan of the wargame and PnP rpg (WHFRPG) for close to two decades now, so that is going to be my next foray into the online gaming genre.
IMO, in eve "catching up" can't be done, however, that's not really the point. The eve end game is simply boring. You get into a big pvp fight with your alliance, then you go grind isk for a new battleship, or whatever. I'd say the grind to action ratio is about 75:1. It's just too much work to have a good time and be useful to your alliance. The PvE is always mind numbingly boring as well. This game just wasn't for me. It took me 2 years to figure that out. I stuck with it for as long as I did because my friends are playing it. Even that couldn't keep me there LOL.
You aren't missing much 8)
I'm looking forward to AoC which is due to be out October 30, currently. It's a very hormone driven milieu though and it may not be for everyone's taste. I'm itching to play it for the combat system and excellent graphics. I could care less about gratuitous nudity. The role playing aspect may be pretty good. It will be a gamer's mmorpg. Nearly twitch based etc. I think it's going to revolutionize the genre as far as combat systems go.
SWG has a 14 day trial. I play this and it's fun for me. It's a little rough if you aren't in a guild but it's fun overcoming obstacles to reach your goals. The PvE can be a little tedious with the kill missions. The real fun is pvp in the end game. It has some warts but overall it's a fun game. There's a lot of roleplaying... The interface is completely customizable and there's 2 targeting systems to choose from. If you guys love star wars (and can deal with the game not being canon) you might have fun playing this.
DDO might be what you are looking for... the community is decent, there's a lot of role play, the graphics are excellent, characters very customizable and the skill system is very complex, based on d20 for D&D. It's a lot more fun if you have your friends playing it with you from the beginning. Leveling in pickup groups gets very tiring. Multiclassing for the win here... It's also got instanced dungeons so no competition for npcs... If you know the 3.5 D&D rules you already know how to build a character in this game.
these are my impressions of what I have played this year and the interesting stuff, to me, that is coming out. I'm currently playing swg and have given up the rest. I'll be playing AoC when it comes out.
-Viz
I wouldn't worry about CoX being canceled any time soon. While it doesn't have a massive amount of subscriptions, it is doing very well. Villainside is not as populated as Heroside is, but there is a very solid community. Some of the servers are a bit empty, but with the paid transfers happening in a few weeks, I expect to see a lot of people jumping ship from the Freedom server and moving to the less populated servers.
From what I've seen, I can't see CoX being closed down anytime soon.
Ryzom is what I currently play and its pretty fun. Its a skill based system and completely open ended. There is a free trial so try it and see what you think.
It seems to me that MMOs are flattening out recently. I've been in the water since EQ and played it, EQ2, DAoC, AO, WoW, EvE, and many others. It seems that the only two real hard-hitters out there are EvE and WoW.
There are a LOT out there, though. I know there are companies out there who use optional pay-systems where you pay only for the stuff you want (like gPotato with Flyff, Space Cowboy, and Rapellz) or to otherwise access pieces of the game that aren't accessable to the non-paying players (Dunegon Runners: where the upper-tier items are subscriber-only, as well the banking system). The problem is, since they are free-to-play games, is that the community pretty much.. well.. sucks. People who don't have a job, kids, and others make chat a whine/flame/spam-fest.
Ryzom is Saga of Ryzom. Here we go: Saga of Ryzom
I have to admit I've never gone much on it but it seems to attract a number of mature players who love the game.
Lotro I have recently seen they are doing a 3 day free trial. (Sorry, can't remember where I saw it)
The three of us are each going to try a different trial over the enxt few days and decide. I'm trying EQ2, my husband Ryzom, and his best friend SWG. I couldnt find a free trial for COH, but if none of these three work out well we may go for that one(They've both been wanting to try it forever, but it looked bleak there for awhile). LOTRO's system requirments look a little iffy for our friends laptop, so for now it's out..
Thank you so much for the help. This is a great site. I need to visit more often.
Try Dark Age of Camelot. It by far has the best pvp (rvr) system ever created. It's an old game but a good game.
www.camelotherald.com or www.darkageofcamelot.com
Hello Callisandria and friends,
Hi all ,
Call I will give a list of MMORPG I think are still available, that I have played enough to dare to give an opinion on. Will give what I *personally* consider strong and weaker points. Take 'weaker points' as my personal impression *only* please, and not as criticism of the game or its players. I have not and will not ever flame anyone, and I will not contribute to making a 'pro' and 'contra' thread. I just tell you what I think I experienced
. I will not go into games like Horizons and The Matrix and Star Wars Galaxies that in my view are 'dynamically passe'.
Older to newer, approximately.
Asheron's Call started a bit later than UO and EQ1. It is horribly dated in graphics It has no level cap. Mix of bad (corpse retrieval, unless that has changed) and excellent (vitae penalty) penalty systems. Very easy to rise in. Unbelievably rich in dungeons, stories, areas, and a level of item and person enchantment that you will just find astonishing at first (later, you find much is a bit repetitive, but still for a game this old - it's interesting). PvP hopelessly immature *when I was there* which was a long time ago (returned twice though). Very easy to make a totally gimped char (my first char did 6 months to 20, my second 2 weeks to 37 - I hear you can take 2 days to 80 now)).
Everquest1: If you EQ it, I would go Everquest 2, plain and simple, because it has a lot of content added and everything is improved, or nearly everything. Much less static than EQ1. It has the name 'Evercamp' for a reason, I fear. Still - I would always suggest you try *everything* that has a good world and community, so if you can get a free trial: have a look?
Anarchy Online: I have seen many travel systems for long distances and while CoX is a close runner-up, AO has the most outrageous system of them all (you turn into virtual cones in a 3-d virtual miniworld, where you must find exits). PvP might make some PvE hard to do but normally should be do-able. Still previous-generation in graphics. Free to play (without expansion maybe?). Remarkably interesting and detailed system for Implants (basically, a way to alter your character's abilities, highly interesting but much work). Plasmagirl, if you are still out there, you can do my implants any day!
Dark Age of Camelot: it was very new and good at the time but I fear it is outdated (might still have good fun with a free trial though!) in that the quests are simple, the PvP is repetitive (very interesting notions behind it though, and *darn* good fun the first few times!), and there is too much 'stand and wait and pull' going on in my view. Decent enough community, good lore, many zones. But previous-generation, in my view.
Ryzom: generally considered I think the game with the very best community. Ok so noobs from all types of games that roam around virtual playgrounds and never find anything they like anywhere might be in the free trial - that is true for most titles. They hardly ever get to 'mature levels'. Ignore them there are very few in Ryzom. Ryzom is mix fantasy-SF themes. Very international. Bit of a sandbox game, like EVE is, but the first MMORPG that I know of with *player made content*. That is coming of age as we write these posts. The trial is in fact in a quest-rich new area. Shows you which way they are going. Decent graphics - not the best, I would say middle-quality. I always consider gameplay more important than graphics. Ryzom creates a nice atmosphere. Great story behind it. Deep systems for crafting (it took me 3 months of fun before I could make my first round of ammo and start playing a Ranged char
). If you test, give the Riders of the Storm a holler tell them Zinger asks them to show your around a bit 
. Oh ah - you can make your own attacks etc. (use more mana for this spell, I want more range on that one....).
City of Heroes/Villains. You have to decide for yourself if you think I am correct when I say that from a 'neutral' point of view it is currently the best out there. CoX has the best Enemy AI and diversity (not merely in graphics - but in *behavior*) by far I think. It has a ridiculously high amount of content, like AC and EQ2. A very little of it boring, very much of it excellent. It gets better all the time. Two months ago: free expansion (these are big ones!) I9 introduced the Invention system (crafting, and with a *big* twist). No loot in game (but powers you change and alter and after level 7 or so, no 2 chars are identical I dare say, unless you use builds from the forums). Yesterday, I10 was released - and the Rikti (new models made for this baddy group) are now invading Earth. This allows Villains to team with Heroes in the Rikti War Zone. 2 week world event. Graphics above average (defo not the best; terrain not as good as char models) but mostly a very atmospheric world (people walk, talk, cars drive - people talk about *you*!). Fantastic story arcs by dedicated (some bought from P&P AD&D design 8-) ) writers. Could tell much more. Find me as Xin Yue or Eruptic or Snaca on the Liberty server. The game has seen busier days (after release) but it is currently growing rather fast again I think, so it is getting busier once more (many come from other games, plus all the new content really is making people notice). I never ever once had a problem finding a team and I organize *everything* (Task Forces, Trials, etc.- now some of those are *hard*). Check your PM for a chance of a trial if you did not find it on this (MMORPG.COM) site please. I disagree with those who say CoX has bad PvP it has the best in my view (in design that is) *but* they may have a point when they say 'unbalanced' - at least insofar as there are usually more heroes on than villains. Still - every area has a twist, and sub-content, and sub-rules etc. Game allows you to play any char with any other level char. Game allows you set your own difficulty level. Game adjusts content in missions to your party-size. Etc. ad infinitum? Or perhaps ad nauseam
.
Everquest 2. I think at least 3000+ quests by now. Used to be riddled with bugs. I think it is better. Used to be very hard to do many quests (I mean hard, not merely time-intensive). Seems to be better now (no more 3-day waits for a spawn
). Best graphics I have ever seen in any MMORPG. You want to have it all on max, you *still* need to buy a really good PC. I mean: lighting, shadows, models, textures, all is beyond excellent and downright impressive. I had not believed MMORPG could have this kind of detail at this time but since it's mostly local - they proved me wrong 
. Good communities (if some rather....one-track-minded 
) and many zones. Very intricate crafting system. Many speaking NPC's. Guilds have levels. There are 2 free trials currently I think. Take an RP Server I respectfully suggest. Try Antonia Bayle if you want a server that is busy (which is good at high levels, to keep the ability to form groups). Oh *if* you buy, I would say get the one that includes all Adventure Packs and Expansions.
EVE: very good graphics, I urge you (everyone!) to download the videos EVE Never Fades XL and No Other Destiny from their website. Oh wait you are playing it....ah right. My notions (my own, please do not start arguments in the thread I will *not* respond to them). I think it has a very good help channel. I think it has excellent graphics. Good world. Many good concepts, many nice players. It also has two of the most faulty dynamics I have seen in any MMORPG. First of all: a person who never flies a ship, only needs to log in for 3 years and (s)he is master of the ship/world. Silly beyind compare. What a pity - since it also means you really can disregard the option to play up to 3 chars - it is hard enough to train one. Now it is a sandbox game and I cannot but conclude that EVE is a game that, rather than adding PvE content to *really* put all the fantastic and original and sometimes intricate ideas to the test and to blossom, really just is sandbox with PvE as afterthought (like PvP is afterthought in EQ2) and I am of the opinion that just letting people kill one another is a cheap trick to keep getting money without adding value. I love to fly a ship but even when you do the hard-enough-to-find (good fun when you find!) PvE (Worlds Collide had me and friends really going there...) you may be forced into a low-security zone and the *very first time* I had to enter one and had this great battle and wanted to go home afterwards?- 2 griefers (not pirates, they are flying Battleships and are *far* too cowardly to attack anything even half their size) shot my ship to pieces in 10 seconds. I gave up in disgust. This is not PvP but slaughter, and I *categorically refuse* to pay for a game that teaches kids to be even more obnoxious than many of them there (too many - a low percentage still but too darn many) already are. I would love to see a social, everyone-against-the-baddies co-operative server for EVE but it is not in the plans I think. I think it would attract millions and become WoW's greatest rival. I would be there on day 1, even if I had to fly to Iceland (where it's made) to get my copy.
Dungeons And Dragons Online: fantastic character creation, unlike Vanguard which I shall not even mention, because *that* is all about graphics choices (and no playing choice at *all* at creation, except pick race and class). DDO has the (AD&D) NeverWinter Nights system. Very interesting dungeons, but still not much solo content. The 3 biggest problems? 1) Turbine decided no housing no crafting no hunting zones (first hunting zone is in since recently, but still instanced I think?) and no mounts - everyone complained, they did not listen (as in AC2 alas, which is no longer in existence as a result), and we now hear DDO about 'server merge' which is really 'server consolidation'. 2) not enough content (very little in fact, although what is there is very good) 3) too many peeps who just want to 'level' and run through what precious little content is there without stopping to let new players even see what it is all about. I would wait a year and see if it has learned from the critics. Still - if there is a free trial, have a look?
World of Warcraft. You have been there, so I will just say this: WoW I credit for bringing people *from* Diablo (1 and 2) to an MMORPG which let us face it, is much more complex and interesting and diverse than those action games. And also for growing the MMORPG market exponentially. WoW flamers here might stop to think a moment about the simple fact that even *this* site (MMORPG.COM) would probably be much less active and much smaller if WoW did not exist 8-) . Blizzard *do* have good ideas (like the exploration of the world, that gives you xp, and the 'capture the flag' and other fun PvP notions) and they have a big world but in my view the texture detail is too low, the models are not very diverse, and if I get a new 'power' I do not want 'Fireball 18' but a *new* power. Also not much RP and wahaaaaay too loot minded in my personal view. Still - had good fun for about 4-6 months.
Lord of the Rings Online: only did beta I would say WoW with much better graphics but that is just a look at level 1-10 cannot say much more - to me it seemed it was too much 'steered' for me, I prefer to make choices rather than follow orders.
Coming up: Hero's Journey I would look at, also Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Age of Conan. Not sure on many others (Gods and Heroes, Tabula Rasa and Star Trek onlne *might* all be good?). Not sure on the Jumpgate major remake. Later on, hopefully a good Marvel Universe, and whatever the hell Bioware is up to in Austin
.
Good luck wherever you go, and may the light shine forever bright on your path.
Lucas
PS Edits by me normally never on content (just style and typo's) but I just added DAoC, I missed it
.
* I say, there is no
* darkness but ignorance.
-
* Twelfth-night; or, What You Will
It says Issue 9, but as far as I know, it still is good.
Yeah.. perhaps I should have mentioned that I was a blonde in my post. I just didn't want you to only recommend Hello Kitty Online..It says Issue 9, but as far as I know, it still is good.
*very chagrined*
Lucas! Thank you for your very well thought out and well written Post. Your thoughts on the games we have played mirrored ours exactly, so I have a feeling I would agree with you on the others. I finally got the EQ2 trial downloaded(it took 6 hours gah!). I got all excited with the character customization. Sent my new character in, and it was sooo laggy. My computer just isn't going to run it well I dont think. It ran Wow perfectly, but it is several years old. I can't imagine it on a laptop. So one down... Heroes is downloading now.
Thanks again folks,
Callisandria
I haven't played CoH since beta, decided to wait until they added more features. I just started a trial today as a Villain on Virtue server and so far am enjoying it a lot.
World Builder GM
Hero's Journey
Idk if your into the cutesy anime style games like I personally am, but im gonna toss at you ROSE online and Maplestory as far as those goes.
You probably wont play those lol, i wouldnt either, what I really want to recommend is Matrix online..the game did not make as much money or have a large playerbase like EQ2 and WoW did, but its definently a unique game that in my opinion, is worth giving a shot at if you have money to throw around.
Yes CoX is doing fine Callisandria, certainately not millions of subs like That Other Game, but it's doing well. They have even begun testing character transfers to help people move off the highly populated servers if they choose to. With Issue 10 now live, there is an active world event going on (Rikti Alien Invasion) that everyone level 1-50 can partake of. I doubt it's going to be cancelled anytime soon, it is the only game of its kind out right now so all the comic-fans are in one spot basically. When the Marvel and DC MMOG's come out that could change but they won't be coming out for quite a while.
LOTRO is ok, it doesn't really do anything groundbreaking different than other fantasy-themed games out there. If you were a big Tolkien fan, you'd probably have a blast playing it but I found it to be rather average when I beta tested it. Give it several months or a year and I may check back with it to see how it's evolved.
Hi Callisandria; all,
Call you mention in your PM back (thank you..., and ty for that kind compliment) that you are downloading the CoX trial. I will give a few tips, if I may.
First though: I have never seen a game with more settings sliders than EQ2. Try to kill all shadows, then reduce lighting etc. Maybe you can get a decent performance on lower settings? And then post #7 here might be of some interest:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/1536536/thread/141103#1536536
Now then, CoX. The most heard complaint is that it is 'all about action'. Call I have no real affinity for Superheroes but - the stories are often good. And here, they are too. So if you come in do pick-up teams or xp-hunting 'sewer teams' only, you will see only 10% of the content, never get in the real 'story groove' and may be sorely disappointed. I respectfully suggest you make some different chars because they are *wildly* different (while I am a Monk-at-heart and have a 50 Martial Arts Regen Scrapper on Liberty (Xin Yue), I made a Defender - usually a healer - with 'radiation across the board' and he turned out to be a type of Necromancer) and you can have 12 on any given server.
Then make *darn* sure you have *at least one* that does the story arcs. Tip: if you all have the same mission (you and your 2 friends, for instance - might take up until level 5 or so for the Hollows Story Arc but you *will* get certain contacts for all of you and you *can* choose what contacts you each take at certain points in time) then you will get the option of 'all finishing the mission at once' when it is done. So you do not need to do it 3x. But you all *do* have to be on the same 'Story Arc Step' (exact same mission) for that to work. Keep in mind that every 5 levels you get new contacts and you will simply 'outlevel' your old ones. I have made a char (Eruptic) specifically to do *all* Arcs (can identify an Arc contact by the little book that shows up near the 'call' button) and *all* missions, TF's, Trials and I am, at 42 now, still managing but it means *very* little grouping with those who are doing other stuff (although the higher you come, the more time you can take to do other stuff since the levelling is slower and you will not so easily/quickly outgrow your contacts). Point is: a level 15-20 contact will no longer give you the missions you might be working on at 21. You have to have done by then...do not worry about this for a second though (no serious repercussions) but while my first char always called 3 contacts then worked on all three arcs, Eruptic now simply takes *one* Story Arc at a time - you become more engrossed and it is much more fun I think.
Make sure you do the Invention Tutorial at level 10 I would say. You will have many questions: feel free to pester me
.
Short tip: I would start with Heroes and then later add Villains once you are really 'into it', unless your affection really lies with baddies. CoH has more content, more players, is more 'established' and has in general an easier 'get into the game' environment I would say. Villains *might* be considered a bit more 'pro'.
You will have questions on the performance: put the Turning to 1000%, and experiment with graphics and sound (reduce world detail is a good one I think for lower end systems). The game is not very hard on your PC until you go into things like Trials where you simply reduce settings for a few hours - there *will* be over a hundred baddies in your screen at some times. Same during the current Rikti Invasion: I was fighting in a group of about 50 heroes yesterday. Not counting Rikti
.
Oh during invasions: no xp debt in entire zone (until ships withdraw). Under level 10: no xp debt. So don't feel bad if you enter the game get 20 Rikti on you and go 'Ummmm didn't have a chance'. It is war....this happens but the attacks are all being dealt with.
Final tip: if it looks like a bomb, it *will* do bad things if you stay close 8-).
Oh ah just to give you a notion? Most games have one type of healing (target your target and let spell rip). And some have potions. CoX had 4 methods: target, player-centered area pulse, kinetic (this is fun, can only heal off of your opponent so even if you are nearly dead you *must* stay close to your enemy, hope the healer gets it in time!), and static AOE (Tree of Life, Triage Beacon etc.). CoX also has Inspirations - you learn about those in the tutorial.
I have a small SG (SuperGroup) you will not lose *anything* if you leave so feel free to holler it has advantages to have a base (we have a functioning one, very small but quite useful).
May the light shine forever bright on your path,
Lucas
PS Chars on Liberty (US) server, not to show off just to make sure you can find me: global chat handle is @digitales, chars are Xin Yue, Gong Xin Yue, Eruptic, The Kinetic Gamut, Project 8, Tk'r, Yue Guang, Greyscales. Villains (have to change settings to talk to 'other side'!) are Snaca, Cubic, Skulleton, Releaf. Darnit us altoholics need more charslots in *every* game don't we?
* I say, there is no
* darkness but ignorance.
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* Twelfth-night; or, What You Will
EVE's a very good MMOG, and I think you'd be surprised at how fast you find yourself capable of competing. Not for everyone though. If you want a real change of pace, try A Tale In the Desert.
I never really liked EQ2, because it's the same leveling-raiding-grinding thing as WoW and I never really liked that. If you liked WoW you'll like EQ2. SWG was never a good game, but it went from being bad with potential to being bad without potential. Ryzom's a good game, also not for everyone.
Just avoid the flash/browser-based games and the item mall asian MMOG games like the plague and you'll find something.