What an intertaining thread. Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW.
I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer.
Simutronics is a private company.
So why has HJ been in developement for so long. Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product. Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed.
Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s). Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game.
Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product. Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what?
Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away.
David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.
What an intertaining thread. Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW. I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer. Simutronics is a private company. So why has HJ been in developement for so long. Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product. Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed. www.play.net/corporate/
Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s). Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game. Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product. Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what? Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away. David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.
If you think Simu doesnt have money, then you are sadly mistaken. From your link:
"Development partners over the years include most of the leaders in the online, media, and computer game industry including Universal Studios, Sony, Viacom, Time Warner, and Microprose."
Other game companies have bought the HJ engine which means $$ for Simu, but that doesnt equate to "better" for the customers. I have no clue what you mean by "to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game." because its not a lack of money thats hurting Simu's games.
Now, how can our expectations of a product NOT be related to a similar product from from the same company? Its like buying car model A that frequently breaks down, is costly to repair, and the dealer service is lousy, but completely overlooking that fact when buying a new car.
You should try to learn from mistakes, not repeat them.
What an intertaining thread. Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW. I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer. Simutronics is a private company. So why has HJ been in developement for so long. Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product. Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed. www.play.net/corporate/
Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s). Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game. Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product. Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what? Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away. David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.
Any chance you can summarise in one or two lines what you are really getting at here because, your point is so unclear "to me" not sure if you are trying to be smart and anti Simu or Pro Simu I guess it's the latter but if you could summarise.
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
If you think Simu doesnt have money, then you are sadly mistaken. From your link: "Development partners over the years include most of the leaders in the online, media, and computer game industry including Universal Studios, Sony, Viacom, Time Warner, and Microprose." Other game companies have bought the HJ engine which means $$ for Simu, but that doesnt equate to "better" for the customers. I have no clue what you mean by "to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game." because its not a lack of money thats hurting Simu's games. Now, how can our expectations of a product NOT be related to a similar product from from the same company? Its like buying car model A that frequently breaks down, is costly to repair, and the dealer service is lousy, but completely overlooking that fact when buying a new car. You should try to learn from mistakes, not repeat them.
A couple things wrong with this post...
One.. How well do you know the process of making an MMORPG? What kind of costs do you think go into it? It's actually millions... Not only are you paying for the technology, the upgrades, the replacing..but you're also having to pay a bunch of tired programmers, worn out animators, and cranky designers. Yeah. Turns out all those people don't work for free for years at a time. No, initial disc sales do NOT cover it all. It takes high numbers really to make an mmorpg pay off since these millions in debt work up and then never stop working up as the game needs fixes and new content. Sure, a MUD is cheaper to upkeep now of days, but income from their MUDS still can't pay off an entire place. Engine sales can't pay off an entire place. These aren't going for 10 mill each.
Two... Where did you get the idea that Simu has been dissapointing with it's past products? Or, at least, more so than other things? People are still playing a MUD for heaven's sake. It is not a horrible company that continually fails leaving only a pit of despair. All I've seen(and I've had it pushed in my face several times now) is something about a couple classes that never came to be. That, my friends, is just how games are. Some things DON'T come to be. Like Champions in WoW or houses in Conan. It does happen. I agree that it might be bad not to tidy up the crime scene as well as these two, but I don't agree that it's something to equate to a junky car. Some junkers can take a lot of punishment and are great for the derby if not for the road.
I never played any of Simutronics games but last night i was just reading the game list on the site and I came across HJ. From the vids I saw on youtube they look really nice. That HeroEngine sure makes games look alot better. I hope we get to hear more about the game. It looks quite interesting.
long time player of Gemstone, long time waiter for this game to bust out. The one question i do have is anyone know of an estimated release date for this thing. imo Gemstone and most other simu games from reading and experiencing it first hand is the environment the games and the role playing that use to be is that they have just disappeared. I can't wait just like i am sure any other long time Simu player is to see this game emerge but it just seems like the news on this game is more and more scarce no news on there site ever it seems just one post every few months. no one seems to know anything about release dates or what have you. information is needed so if anyone knows lets hear it
_--_--_--_Game History_--_--_--_ Gemstone III/IV, Raju Denjik - RETIRED! Gemstone III/IV, Nefaru D'Aeothi -RETIRED! Word of Warcraft, Wapizi 70 Warlock - RETIRED! Word of Warcraft, Nefar 65 Hunter - RETIRED!
As a former long time player of Gemstone I would give Simu an A+ on game content. Being able to have or purchase weapons and armor that no one else has or that is rare is something that almost all games lack. I would however have to give them a F- on their programing and Gamemasters. Two major downfalls that I see about this HJ or Simu in general: First if their stance on PVP is as it was then this game will not get the numbers it will need to survive and second if they continue to charge $25+ for a basic subscription and $80+ for premium accounts they will be senidng people away also. As old as WoW is getting I'd rather play that for $15 a month then over pay for that isn't proven yet.
Get those GM's on some Paxil lower the prices and make sure that PVP is possible.
As a former long time player of Gemstone I would give Simu an A+ on game content. Being able to have or purchase weapons and armor that no one else has or that is rare is something that almost all games lack. I would however have to give them a F- on their programing and Gamemasters. Two major downfalls that I see about this HJ or Simu in general: First if their stance on PVP is as it was then this game will not get the numbers it will need to survive and second if they continue to charge $25+ for a basic subscription and $80+ for premium accounts they will be senidng people away also. As old as WoW is getting I'd rather play that for $15 a month then over pay for that isn't proven yet. Get those GM's on some Paxil lower the prices and make sure that PVP is possible.
The GMs just actually enforce the rules in their games. I think that's a good thing. Other mmorpgs now of days have rules, but rarely enforce them. Sort of defeats the purpose of having rules.
PvP IS possible in Gemstone and DragonRealms from what I understand. It's just also punishable on certain servers, just like it might be in real life. You go to jail for murder or assault, right? What good is being a thief if you can't go to jail for stealing from someone? It takes away all the excitement and reason for thieving! Since everyone who has ever played a thief in an mmorpg knows that the games tend to balance things out so you're not the richest person in the pixelated world. This way of doing things allows for more from an rp stance and gameplay stance. Free for all pvp, but a reason for people not to go around killing others for no reason.
They also have "Fallen" servers which are free for all pvp without punishment. These are, admittedly, another 5 dollars on top of the basic subscription, though.
The prices are 14.95 for all games at a basic subscription. A Premium subscription is another 25 dollars. A Platinum subscription is 49.95. At no time is it 80. If you are going to argue prices, make sure to look them over first.
Originally posted by Ikenn if they continue to charge $25+ for a basic subscription and $80+ for premium accounts they will be senidng people away also. As old as WoW is getting I'd rather play that for $15 a month then over pay for that isn't proven yet.
I'll happily pay $25 for a subscription if it has 24/7 active GM's that enforce RP on RP servers and can weed out the few idiots that ruin the session for everyone else. The difference between playing this until something better comes out and a fully immersive experience is limited to(not necessarily defined by) the quality of the community. Entertainment's bottleneck is the environment its contained in.
As a former long time player of Gemstone I would give Simu an A+ on game content. Being able to have or purchase weapons and armor that no one else has or that is rare is something that almost all games lack. I would however have to give them a F- on their programing and Gamemasters. Two major downfalls that I see about this HJ or Simu in general: First if their stance on PVP is as it was then this game will not get the numbers it will need to survive and second if they continue to charge $25+ for a basic subscription and $80+ for premium accounts they will be senidng people away also. As old as WoW is getting I'd rather play that for $15 a month then over pay for that isn't proven yet. Get those GM's on some Paxil lower the prices and make sure that PVP is possible.
The GMs just actually enforce the rules in their games. I think that's a good thing. Other mmorpgs now of days have rules, but rarely enforce them. Sort of defeats the purpose of having rules.
PvP IS possible in Gemstone and DragonRealms from what I understand. It's just also punishable on certain servers, just like it might be in real life. You go to jail for murder or assault, right? What good is being a thief if you can't go to jail for stealing from someone? It takes away all the excitement and reason for thieving! Since everyone who has ever played a thief in an mmorpg knows that the games tend to balance things out so you're not the richest person in the pixelated world. This way of doing things allows for more from an rp stance and gameplay stance. Free for all pvp, but a reason for people not to go around killing others for no reason.
They also have "Fallen" servers which are free for all pvp without punishment. These are, admittedly, another 5 dollars on top of the basic subscription, though.
The prices are 14.95 for all games at a basic subscription. A Premium subscription is another 25 dollars. A Platinum subscription is 49.95. At no time is it 80. If you are going to argue prices, make sure to look them over first.
To be fair to Ikenn, The prices used to be more like 12.95 for basic, 29.95 for premium, and 89.95 for Platinum. That was when Plat first came out - The prices have changed drastically as the playerbase has gone from 1000+ in game at once to it's current level of 250-350 (in GS at least).
Only Dragon Realms has a fallen server at the moment. Killing somebody, for the most part as long as you have a reason and make an attempt to make it CvC instead of PvP (Character vs Character, instead of Player vs Player - so if there's some IC reason for it). Inside towns there's an automatic justice system to prevent people from AOE killing everybody in town because they are upset.
Simutronics games are very much RPGs that require IC everything. OOC is not tolerated. So you can't just go kill a level 3 over and over again for no reason.
In grammer school my friends had a saying, "Dude, if you have to ask, you'll never know" I think that applies here. You just have to experience it. But if you are asking, and I am trying to explain it... Ok well I tried to write it out 4 different ways, and I can't. Gemstone can be very boring - it's not the end-all and be-all of a game - and Simutronics is, at times, so frustrating it is difficult to remember why I pay each month to be treated the way I am. But that being said, the game is just immersive. There's no two ways around it: It is complex, it is detailed, and it is immersive in every aspect. My sorcerer has 5 or 6 ways he can hunt, some of them are downright cool and can take a bit of time to prepare for (necromancy for example). Hunts don't last too long because you don't earn direct XP, you are forced back to town every couple hours to get boxes picked or drop of loot & silver. You can't hold a million items without concequences. You actually have a feeling of going out into the wilds to go on a HUNT, you're not just farming XP. You have concequences to every action - You can kill that noob that's pissing you off, but you may have to answer to local law, GMs, or even their 'big sister' capped rogue that doesn't think you deserve your left leg anymore.
Show me another game that you can have a critter you animated after its death, pick up the leg of its brother and beat it to death with its own leg. That's just flippin cool. There are no other games that are that detailed that I've seen.
To add to that and why I liked GS3 better than WOW. Last character I had was a Wizards who was a small-bow-arrow archer. At the time I was able to shoot an arrow every second (wth magic of course) and with just as much force as any other race. This would freak out rogues on hunts and you could enchant items too! It was the best of both worlds. The other thing I notice is that in WOW, i dont even have to be paying attention to what I'm farming, while in GS3 you have to pay attention at all times. Previous poster is correct that when you went for a hunt you had to prepare for it - I was around when there were 2000ppl online at once , you would go to the townsquare and get spelled up then form a party and go for a hunt knowing full well you may not make it back. Each character had their unique skills, its not like WoW where you can assume that because she's a mage she can only do magic (for example my charachter an Archer-Mage). Yes EQ was not in depth , but what i meant was the impact it had in the gaming genre. WoW is popular because it built on-top of what EQ did and kudos to them - but we're all waiting for the next big game. Simutronics had the fundamentals that is an incredibley in-depth game that made you feel like you were really in the game - EQ2 has the graphics but lacks the gameplay. Combine the two and maybe you have the next big MMORPG. Unfortunately the graphics as of this date are starting to look outdated, they'll need an update and increase the system req's if they plan on releasing this game in 2009 or 2010. If this game doesnt get released by 2010 - its vaporware. Simutronics will have to start from scratch again on a new MMORPG. Personally I say release the BETA version and keep it in Beta for like 3years if they plan on hiring volunteers for years to come - atleast we'll be able to input some advice.
<< If this game doesnt get released by 2010 - its vaporware. Simutronics will have to start from scratch again on a new MMORPG. >>
HJ was announced when, in 2000? Earlier? If you aren't convinced that it's vapor now, you never will be. Simu may very well throw out what they have now and start over again with the hype in a few years. They may not. At this point I think most people will be surprised if they come out with something. I'm not saying Simu won't come out with something some day, but it may well take another few years so what's the point?
<<Previous poster is correct that when you went for a hunt you had to prepare for it - I was around when there were 2000ppl online at once , you would go to the townsquare and get spelled up then form a party and go for a hunt knowing full well you may not make it back.">>
Sure, you can grind on auto-pilot in WoW, the graphical game, but there are tons of places you can and will go to where your party will be wiping until you get the hang of it. If a text-based version of WoW was created, it would be Huge and it would be better than GS/DR. Think of it - questing, instances, fully developed and varied crafting, cooking and fishing systems, lots of lore, and quite a few involving quests... and those crazy gnomes! Compared to GS/DR, WoW is very well developed. I think that the graphics hinder the immersion factor quite a bit (as would DR/GS be hindered a lot if they were graphical).
And one problem that I had with DR was that it abolutely was about grinding on auto-pilot (grinding non-combat skills with scripts and grinding combat with scripts). I like the combat system for the most part - it's less absurd than any MMO's that tend to be full of sparkly effects - and I like the no-health-bar, the limited combat healing, the fewer "buffs", etc.. But getting anywhere in terms of levels is a big grind and there's nothing special to do when you get to the near-top other than grind some more... no quests open up and there are very limited arenas, no battlegrounds and pvp is all about a small handful of abilities/skills (stealth/ranged-dps) and little else.
Text based should be able to do tons of things that graphical games choke on (player/guild-owned castles and areas, NPC hirelings/henchmen/armies, politics, landscape changes due to player actions, crafting everything, player shops, flight, mounted combat, economies, etc). It just feels like Simu gave up on developing anything along those lines eight or nine years ago. And now, in many ways, the text-based games are either catching up to what is being done in the graphical games or they're trying to say it was a limitation built into text-based which I think is nonsense.
Comments
What an intertaining thread. Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW.
I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer.
Simutronics is a private company.
So why has HJ been in developement for so long. Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product. Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed.
www.play.net/corporate/
Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s). Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game.
Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product. Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what?
Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away.
David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.
If you think Simu doesnt have money, then you are sadly mistaken. From your link:
"Development partners over the years include most of the leaders in the online, media, and computer game industry including Universal Studios, Sony, Viacom, Time Warner, and Microprose."
Other game companies have bought the HJ engine which means $$ for Simu, but that doesnt equate to "better" for the customers. I have no clue what you mean by "to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game." because its not a lack of money thats hurting Simu's games.
Now, how can our expectations of a product NOT be related to a similar product from from the same company? Its like buying car model A that frequently breaks down, is costly to repair, and the dealer service is lousy, but completely overlooking that fact when buying a new car.
You should try to learn from mistakes, not repeat them.
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I think it is implying that Simu is bigger than we say.
HOWEVER the NDA states that OFF-SITE GMS are considered PRIVATE CONTRACTORS and are so then definitely included in that number.
One.. How well do you know the process of making an MMORPG? What kind of costs do you think go into it? It's actually millions... Not only are you paying for the technology, the upgrades, the replacing..but you're also having to pay a bunch of tired programmers, worn out animators, and cranky designers. Yeah. Turns out all those people don't work for free for years at a time. No, initial disc sales do NOT cover it all. It takes high numbers really to make an mmorpg pay off since these millions in debt work up and then never stop working up as the game needs fixes and new content. Sure, a MUD is cheaper to upkeep now of days, but income from their MUDS still can't pay off an entire place. Engine sales can't pay off an entire place. These aren't going for 10 mill each.
Two... Where did you get the idea that Simu has been dissapointing with it's past products? Or, at least, more so than other things? People are still playing a MUD for heaven's sake. It is not a horrible company that continually fails leaving only a pit of despair. All I've seen(and I've had it pushed in my face several times now) is something about a couple classes that never came to be. That, my friends, is just how games are. Some things DON'T come to be. Like Champions in WoW or houses in Conan. It does happen. I agree that it might be bad not to tidy up the crime scene as well as these two, but I don't agree that it's something to equate to a junky car. Some junkers can take a lot of punishment and are great for the derby if not for the road.
I never played any of Simutronics games but last night i was just reading the game list on the site and I came across HJ. From the vids I saw on youtube they look really nice. That HeroEngine sure makes games look alot better. I hope we get to hear more about the game. It looks quite interesting.
long time player of Gemstone, long time waiter for this game to bust out. The one question i do have is anyone know of an estimated release date for this thing. imo Gemstone and most other simu games from reading and experiencing it first hand is the environment the games and the role playing that use to be is that they have just disappeared. I can't wait just like i am sure any other long time Simu player is to see this game emerge but it just seems like the news on this game is more and more scarce no news on there site ever it seems just one post every few months. no one seems to know anything about release dates or what have you. information is needed so if anyone knows lets hear it
_--_--_--_Game History_--_--_--_
Gemstone III/IV, Raju Denjik - RETIRED!
Gemstone III/IV, Nefaru D'Aeothi -RETIRED!
Word of Warcraft, Wapizi 70 Warlock - RETIRED!
Word of Warcraft, Nefar 65 Hunter - RETIRED!
As a former long time player of Gemstone I would give Simu an A+ on game content. Being able to have or purchase weapons and armor that no one else has or that is rare is something that almost all games lack. I would however have to give them a F- on their programing and Gamemasters. Two major downfalls that I see about this HJ or Simu in general: First if their stance on PVP is as it was then this game will not get the numbers it will need to survive and second if they continue to charge $25+ for a basic subscription and $80+ for premium accounts they will be senidng people away also. As old as WoW is getting I'd rather play that for $15 a month then over pay for that isn't proven yet.
Get those GM's on some Paxil lower the prices and make sure that PVP is possible.
The GMs just actually enforce the rules in their games. I think that's a good thing. Other mmorpgs now of days have rules, but rarely enforce them. Sort of defeats the purpose of having rules.PvP IS possible in Gemstone and DragonRealms from what I understand. It's just also punishable on certain servers, just like it might be in real life. You go to jail for murder or assault, right? What good is being a thief if you can't go to jail for stealing from someone? It takes away all the excitement and reason for thieving! Since everyone who has ever played a thief in an mmorpg knows that the games tend to balance things out so you're not the richest person in the pixelated world. This way of doing things allows for more from an rp stance and gameplay stance. Free for all pvp, but a reason for people not to go around killing others for no reason.
They also have "Fallen" servers which are free for all pvp without punishment. These are, admittedly, another 5 dollars on top of the basic subscription, though.
The prices are 14.95 for all games at a basic subscription. A Premium subscription is another 25 dollars. A Platinum subscription is 49.95. At no time is it 80. If you are going to argue prices, make sure to look them over first.
I'll happily pay $25 for a subscription if it has 24/7 active GM's that enforce RP on RP servers and can weed out the few idiots that ruin the session for everyone else. The difference between playing this until something better comes out and a fully immersive experience is limited to(not necessarily defined by) the quality of the community. Entertainment's bottleneck is the environment its contained in.
PvP IS possible in Gemstone and DragonRealms from what I understand. It's just also punishable on certain servers, just like it might be in real life. You go to jail for murder or assault, right? What good is being a thief if you can't go to jail for stealing from someone? It takes away all the excitement and reason for thieving! Since everyone who has ever played a thief in an mmorpg knows that the games tend to balance things out so you're not the richest person in the pixelated world. This way of doing things allows for more from an rp stance and gameplay stance. Free for all pvp, but a reason for people not to go around killing others for no reason.
They also have "Fallen" servers which are free for all pvp without punishment. These are, admittedly, another 5 dollars on top of the basic subscription, though.
The prices are 14.95 for all games at a basic subscription. A Premium subscription is another 25 dollars. A Platinum subscription is 49.95. At no time is it 80. If you are going to argue prices, make sure to look them over first.
To be fair to Ikenn, The prices used to be more like 12.95 for basic, 29.95 for premium, and 89.95 for Platinum. That was when Plat first came out - The prices have changed drastically as the playerbase has gone from 1000+ in game at once to it's current level of 250-350 (in GS at least).
Only Dragon Realms has a fallen server at the moment. Killing somebody, for the most part as long as you have a reason and make an attempt to make it CvC instead of PvP (Character vs Character, instead of Player vs Player - so if there's some IC reason for it). Inside towns there's an automatic justice system to prevent people from AOE killing everybody in town because they are upset.
Simutronics games are very much RPGs that require IC everything. OOC is not tolerated. So you can't just go kill a level 3 over and over again for no reason.
To add to that and why I liked GS3 better than WOW. Last character I had was a Wizards who was a small-bow-arrow archer. At the time I was able to shoot an arrow every second (wth magic of course) and with just as much force as any other race. This would freak out rogues on hunts and you could enchant items too! It was the best of both worlds. The other thing I notice is that in WOW, i dont even have to be paying attention to what I'm farming, while in GS3 you have to pay attention at all times. Previous poster is correct that when you went for a hunt you had to prepare for it - I was around when there were 2000ppl online at once , you would go to the townsquare and get spelled up then form a party and go for a hunt knowing full well you may not make it back. Each character had their unique skills, its not like WoW where you can assume that because she's a mage she can only do magic (for example my charachter an Archer-Mage). Yes EQ was not in depth , but what i meant was the impact it had in the gaming genre. WoW is popular because it built on-top of what EQ did and kudos to them - but we're all waiting for the next big game. Simutronics had the fundamentals that is an incredibley in-depth game that made you feel like you were really in the game - EQ2 has the graphics but lacks the gameplay. Combine the two and maybe you have the next big MMORPG. Unfortunately the graphics as of this date are starting to look outdated, they'll need an update and increase the system req's if they plan on releasing this game in 2009 or 2010. If this game doesnt get released by 2010 - its vaporware. Simutronics will have to start from scratch again on a new MMORPG. Personally I say release the BETA version and keep it in Beta for like 3years if they plan on hiring volunteers for years to come - atleast we'll be able to input some advice.
<< If this game doesnt get released by 2010 - its vaporware. Simutronics will have to start from scratch again on a new MMORPG. >>
HJ was announced when, in 2000? Earlier? If you aren't convinced that it's vapor now, you never will be. Simu may very well throw out what they have now and start over again with the hype in a few years. They may not. At this point I think most people will be surprised if they come out with something. I'm not saying Simu won't come out with something some day, but it may well take another few years so what's the point?
<<Previous poster is correct that when you went for a hunt you had to prepare for it - I was around when there were 2000ppl online at once , you would go to the townsquare and get spelled up then form a party and go for a hunt knowing full well you may not make it back.">>
Sure, you can grind on auto-pilot in WoW, the graphical game, but there are tons of places you can and will go to where your party will be wiping until you get the hang of it. If a text-based version of WoW was created, it would be Huge and it would be better than GS/DR. Think of it - questing, instances, fully developed and varied crafting, cooking and fishing systems, lots of lore, and quite a few involving quests... and those crazy gnomes! Compared to GS/DR, WoW is very well developed. I think that the graphics hinder the immersion factor quite a bit (as would DR/GS be hindered a lot if they were graphical).
And one problem that I had with DR was that it abolutely was about grinding on auto-pilot (grinding non-combat skills with scripts and grinding combat with scripts). I like the combat system for the most part - it's less absurd than any MMO's that tend to be full of sparkly effects - and I like the no-health-bar, the limited combat healing, the fewer "buffs", etc.. But getting anywhere in terms of levels is a big grind and there's nothing special to do when you get to the near-top other than grind some more... no quests open up and there are very limited arenas, no battlegrounds and pvp is all about a small handful of abilities/skills (stealth/ranged-dps) and little else.
Text based should be able to do tons of things that graphical games choke on (player/guild-owned castles and areas, NPC hirelings/henchmen/armies, politics, landscape changes due to player actions, crafting everything, player shops, flight, mounted combat, economies, etc). It just feels like Simu gave up on developing anything along those lines eight or nine years ago. And now, in many ways, the text-based games are either catching up to what is being done in the graphical games or they're trying to say it was a limitation built into text-based which I think is nonsense.