I never tried these older mmos. I would like to try out ultima online but it seems to dl the free trial you need to pay subscription to a website which sort of defeats the purpose of a free trial. ><
Honestly, you can't play the modern UO and get the full experience of the older style MMOs. They made some significant changes to the game several years back and kept running with them. A lot of players left because of those changes, but I think more joined. Just as the other posters have been saying, MMOs have been watered down to reach a broader market. UO vets have been hoping for EA to bring back a classic server with the old rulesets and game design but it doesn't seem like its going to happen. I'd say still go ahead and give it a shot as it is, in my opinion anyway, still a decent game. I believe you can download the updated client for free from the UO website, but I'm not sure since I haven't been keeping up with the game since I left. Check out www.uo.com or uo.stratics.com for more info.
UO was pretty much the only MMO I really got into. I tried several other MMOs but I never could play any long enough to really get into them. I kept going back to UO for one month at a time after I got tired of the other MMOs but UO was just not the same and I could never get back into it.
man, if they put up a server with rules from 97-98, that would be the greatest thing ever.
Rules from pre AoS but the only problem with hybrid servers is the lack of a large playerbase. And I really doubt there will ever be a LARGE player base ever again on EA or player run servers.
"There are player run servers that are free and I believe that you can download the game and correct version that will apply to the server from the host's website. Different servers have a variety of different content from different versions of the game. The link below is to a good "time" IMO in the history of the game.
Check out the forums on the site if you have questions. The people are friendly and helpful. You might even get some help or gold if you meet the right people and let them know you are new to the game. Also, you can check the "guides" forum for info on templates and stuff like that. Good luck!"
The online game industry is becoming more and more like the movie industry. Their goal is money, and their target is the mass-market.
Luckily there are still a few independant companies who produce quality and fun games.
But for how long?
Well shoot me in the foot i thaught thats what companys were out to do ...make money
They are out to make money. Or else they would provide their products for free.
But what we're saying is that we wish there were more companies that looked not just at trying to be number 1 but at also being a unique quality product. You can still make money and not sell your soul.
yeah the old MMOs do rock well at least UO does. I dont see how EQ can be considered apart of that category seeing as how all the current western MMOs we play are based on EQ.
EVE is really good tho if you're looking for depth thats it. I play UO a bit along with EVE. Starport took some bits from UO and revised it a bit too
would like to try AC1 darktide one day tho when i get time
I'm tired of the new MMO's. They're all pretty much the same and it seems they're following that cookie cutter plan intentionally. So, I decided to go retro and try out some of the older games for the last couple of months. Here's what I discovered. The old MMO's are awesome!!!! I'm talking about the ones like Everquest, DAoC, Asheron's Call, and Ultima Online. Yeah, you log in and the first thing you notice is that the graphics are outdated. But then upon closer inspection you realize that this is a gem of a game. It doesn't take long to get over the fact that those graphics are old when you find you're having a good time regardless. And besides all that, there's something I noticed about those graphics. They set your imagination on fire. Especially Everquest. what I found with Everquest is that the graphics are at a perfect balance to make them just good enough. That is lost on the newer games. But what I really want to focus on is the game play in the older MMO's. It's unique. It was something that the older developers put pride in making. They focused on creating something new that set them apart. That is very much gone today. I am also a fan of the complex character development options in the older games. Games today like WoW and their ilk decided to forfeit that for ease of game play. I don't want that ease. I am really liking the complexity of my character. I even like having to (eeeeeek) research his characteristics. Everquest has a bazillion skills per character. I still don't know what half of them do and I love that. It's a mystery and a sense of discovery. Why can't we get back to those types of games? What happened? I'm asking because I wasn't much into the older MMO's when they first came out, but I'm now realizing how much I've missed out on. How did we get away from that creative and fun model?
And I want to add one other thing. To all of you people who are my age or younger, give them a shot. I think you'll be just as surprised as I was. I haven't touched a newer game in months. Don't miss them either. I'm having a blast with EQ.
Couldn't of said it any better dude. Todays MMO's are total crap, They all follow the same patterns and they only do it to market quick cash, They don't give a rats a** If it is good or not. Money hungry a**hats.
Cookie Cutting FTL.
mmorpg's flop faster then mcdonalds cheese burgers these days.
I completely agree. The only mmo I played for a long time was UO(3 years). I also enjoyed DAoC and SB as well but since then I've jumped from mmo to mmo forever. I've recently found myself playing lots of Oblivion and wondering why I even play mmo's since they dont offer even 25% the depth of that game. Of course though, there comes the time when I want to play with other people... but theres nothing out there I want to play.
yeah the old MMOs do rock well at least UO does. I dont see how EQ can be considered apart of that category seeing as how all the current western MMOs we play are based on EQ. EVE is really good tho if you're looking for depth thats it. I play UO a bit along with EVE. Starport took some bits from UO and revised it a bit too
would like to try AC1 darktide one day tho when i get time
There are many differences between classic EQ1 and the newer MMOGs. One of the main differences is that classic EQ1 focused on combat for experience while WoW, LOTRO, GnH etc. are all task(quest) driven for experience. That alone changes the whole outlook and socialization of the game. I find the task(quest) driven games to be very boring and simple, they really treat their players like dummies with the NPC icons and minimaps with arrows highlighting where to go and who to see. I feel like I am being led around by my nose on a linear path.
Thanks to OP for great and much needed thread....I hear more and more people saying how they are sick of the crap on offer nowadays, how old time MMO complexity has been lost and watered down cookie cutter crap is being churned out in its place.
But, I think the tide will turn, players are trying some of the new titles and becoming bored within the hour, they are looking for longevity and games that will hold their attention. It will just take some bravery and imagination from developers and investors.
I for one am SICK of knowing everything about a game within half and hour of playing it. I know how the UI will work, I know how my character will move, and how to attack and kill anything. Games are so PREDICTABLE now they have lost something fundamental. Developers are becoming lazy and for that they will reach a point where players just turn off.
-I should have to discover how to play the game it shouldn't be so similar to everything else available that no thought is required.
-I should have to learn things and that learning process should continue throughout the life of the game in one way or another.
-I should have a sandbox environment with the tools to play out aspects of my characters life and interaction with others in any way I see fit.
-Objects should be what they are. I see a chair I should be able to sit in it. If I see a door it should open.
-Learning curve is a good thing not a hindrance. Actually having to use your brain to understand or solve a situation within a game adds a sense of achievement and interest.
So lets see some imagination from developers its not hard to think about new concepts for MMOs, I for one am prepared to wait for the longer development cycles of better games but I fear game investors aren't and that is what is responsible for the current lack of decent MMOs.
wow( no pun intended)......alot of you guys have stated EXACTLY how i feel about games that have 'graced' our screens for upwards of 3+ years.
I miss old daoc and old eq1 especially.
Not wanting to sound like some yingyang spewing drivel about 'ye olden days' and how it will never be the same as 'back then', blah blah , yadda yadda......but i do INDEED miss the idea of seeing a thousand skills i have no idea about..no website to look-up everything from beta-er's......back then, when you died....it MEANT =OMG!.
I dunno..alot of people hated it...but i didnt mind CR's(corpse runs) and other small set backs in the 'olden days"....heck, iwas on dial-up for a while there in eq1, try playing with that on AoL when you would time-out of the game every 12 minutes!...lol...then you had the LD's.
thru all of that..i still found myself attached to my toon. I mean "really" interested in what he will be and/or become. also the zones added a sense of danger that would leave a player cowaring at a zone-Ent wondering if he will make it thru the Kithikor Forest (Sp) at midnight.( a zone where undead would come out at night..basically...you couldn't outrun them and you died in less than 1 shot)....frikken awesome.
( if any of you remember when Resident Evil for Playstation first came out...remember that Sense of 'GASP! OMG" when you reentered the house, after the basement puzzles, not expecting anything to be in the Manor, because you killed all the zombies...then BAM, you turn a corner and a undead frog thing jumps at you!....fun scarey stuff!)
The 'fe-e-ear' and sense of 'adventure" that eq1 gave the player (pre-Velious...well...maybe pre-PoP) , plus the sheer amount of options in the game...........was astounding.
nothing...to this day...still......is not even 50% close.
at all..
------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ <insert gloat of ubar toon here> <insert random game here> <insert gloat of ubar toon here> <insert gloat of ubar toon here> <insert random game here> --------------------------- <insert witty anecdote here> <political/religious agenda here>
Comments
Well shoot me in the foot i thaught thats what companys were out to do ...make money
Honestly, you can't play the modern UO and get the full experience of the older style MMOs. They made some significant changes to the game several years back and kept running with them. A lot of players left because of those changes, but I think more joined. Just as the other posters have been saying, MMOs have been watered down to reach a broader market. UO vets have been hoping for EA to bring back a classic server with the old rulesets and game design but it doesn't seem like its going to happen. I'd say still go ahead and give it a shot as it is, in my opinion anyway, still a decent game. I believe you can download the updated client for free from the UO website, but I'm not sure since I haven't been keeping up with the game since I left. Check out www.uo.com or uo.stratics.com for more info.
UO was pretty much the only MMO I really got into. I tried several other MMOs but I never could play any long enough to really get into them. I kept going back to UO for one month at a time after I got tired of the other MMOs but UO was just not the same and I could never get back into it.
man, if they put up a server with rules from 97-98, that would be the greatest thing ever.
Rules from pre AoS but the only problem with hybrid servers is the lack of a large playerbase. And I really doubt there will ever be a LARGE player base ever again on EA or player run servers.
"There are player run servers that are free and I believe that you can download the game and correct version that will apply to the server from the host's website. Different servers have a variety of different content from different versions of the game. The link below is to a good "time" IMO in the history of the game.
http://www.uogamers.com/
Check out the forums on the site if you have questions. The people are friendly and helpful. You might even get some help or gold if you meet the right people and let them know you are new to the game. Also, you can check the "guides" forum for info on templates and stuff like that. Good luck!"
bert
They are out to make money. Or else they would provide their products for free.Well shoot me in the foot i thaught thats what companys were out to do ...make money
But what we're saying is that we wish there were more companies that looked not just at trying to be number 1 but at also being a unique quality product. You can still make money and not sell your soul.
===============================
yeah the old MMOs do rock well at least UO does. I dont see how EQ can be considered apart of that category seeing as how all the current western MMOs we play are based on EQ.
EVE is really good tho if you're looking for depth thats it. I play UO a bit along with EVE. Starport took some bits from UO and revised it a bit too
would like to try AC1 darktide one day tho when i get time
Couldn't of said it any better dude. Todays MMO's are total crap, They all follow the same patterns and they only do it to market quick cash, They don't give a rats a** If it is good or not. Money hungry a**hats.
Cookie Cutting FTL.
mmorpg's flop faster then mcdonalds cheese burgers these days.
I completely agree. The only mmo I played for a long time was UO(3 years). I also enjoyed DAoC and SB as well but since then I've jumped from mmo to mmo forever. I've recently found myself playing lots of Oblivion and wondering why I even play mmo's since they dont offer even 25% the depth of that game. Of course though, there comes the time when I want to play with other people... but theres nothing out there I want to play.
If someone made a game with EQ's gameplay with a few modications paired with WoW's graphics I think we might have the greatest game ever
"They essentially want to say 'Correlation proves Causation' when it's just not true." - Sovrath
-----------------------
</OBAMA>
There are many differences between classic EQ1 and the newer MMOGs. One of the main differences is that classic EQ1 focused on combat for experience while WoW, LOTRO, GnH etc. are all task(quest) driven for experience. That alone changes the whole outlook and socialization of the game. I find the task(quest) driven games to be very boring and simple, they really treat their players like dummies with the NPC icons and minimaps with arrows highlighting where to go and who to see. I feel like I am being led around by my nose on a linear path.
Thanks to OP for great and much needed thread....I hear more and more people saying how they are sick of the crap on offer nowadays, how old time MMO complexity has been lost and watered down cookie cutter crap is being churned out in its place.
But, I think the tide will turn, players are trying some of the new titles and becoming bored within the hour, they are looking for longevity and games that will hold their attention. It will just take some bravery and imagination from developers and investors.
I for one am SICK of knowing everything about a game within half and hour of playing it. I know how the UI will work, I know how my character will move, and how to attack and kill anything. Games are so PREDICTABLE now they have lost something fundamental. Developers are becoming lazy and for that they will reach a point where players just turn off.
-I should have to discover how to play the game it shouldn't be so similar to everything else available that no thought is required.
-I should have to learn things and that learning process should continue throughout the life of the game in one way or another.
-I should have a sandbox environment with the tools to play out aspects of my characters life and interaction with others in any way I see fit.
-Objects should be what they are. I see a chair I should be able to sit in it. If I see a door it should open.
-Learning curve is a good thing not a hindrance. Actually having to use your brain to understand or solve a situation within a game adds a sense of achievement and interest.
So lets see some imagination from developers its not hard to think about new concepts for MMOs, I for one am prepared to wait for the longer development cycles of better games but I fear game investors aren't and that is what is responsible for the current lack of decent MMOs.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
wow( no pun intended)......alot of you guys have stated EXACTLY how i feel about games that have 'graced' our screens for upwards of 3+ years.
I miss old daoc and old eq1 especially.
Not wanting to sound like some yingyang spewing drivel about 'ye olden days' and how it will never be the same as 'back then', blah blah , yadda yadda......but i do INDEED miss the idea of seeing a thousand skills i have no idea about..no website to look-up everything from beta-er's......back then, when you died....it MEANT =OMG!.
I dunno..alot of people hated it...but i didnt mind CR's(corpse runs) and other small set backs in the 'olden days"....heck, iwas on dial-up for a while there in eq1, try playing with that on AoL when you would time-out of the game every 12 minutes!...lol...then you had the LD's.
thru all of that..i still found myself attached to my toon. I mean "really" interested in what he will be and/or become. also the zones added a sense of danger that would leave a player cowaring at a zone-Ent wondering if he will make it thru the Kithikor Forest (Sp) at midnight.( a zone where undead would come out at night..basically...you couldn't outrun them and you died in less than 1 shot)....frikken awesome.
( if any of you remember when Resident Evil for Playstation first came out...remember that Sense of 'GASP! OMG" when you reentered the house, after the basement puzzles, not expecting anything to be in the Manor, because you killed all the zombies...then BAM, you turn a corner and a undead frog thing jumps at you!....fun scarey stuff!)
The 'fe-e-ear' and sense of 'adventure" that eq1 gave the player (pre-Velious...well...maybe pre-PoP) , plus the sheer amount of options in the game...........was astounding.
nothing...to this day...still......is not even 50% close.
at all..
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<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert random game here>
<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert random game here>
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<insert witty anecdote here>
<political/religious agenda here>
Old MMOs are still around. They need more subscribers. So instead of ranting, you should show them support by playing any.
Personnally, I can't care less if old EQ would die. It is an horrible raid-fest. I want nothing to do with it.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
i still play em all;)
its not much of a raid fest...its a shame too....its all small instances....
and teeny tiny quests..
some m-a-s-s-i-v-e- m-u-l-t-i-p-l-a-y-e-r huh...lol
and yes..they need aLOT MORE PEOPLE.!
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<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert random game here>
<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert gloat of ubar toon here>
<insert random game here>
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<insert witty anecdote here>
<political/religious agenda here>