So is there any game ever made that you have liked? Also I still don't get your problem with people under 18 I am suprised some times when I find out ages of people and thinking that they were over 18 and weren't or under 18 and weren't I just play to play age doesn't matter its how they act.
Yea there are lots of games I like , I was very impressed with guild wars. The reason I prefer not to play with the kiddies is that as a responsible adult, when children are present I make sure the content discussed is "child appropriate" as all responsible adults should do. See .. when I come home from clubbing and am still a bit wound up, I like to go on one of the many games I play and kill everyone I see and just relax and have fun, and being around children I don't really feel like it is relaxing, I feel that I still have to worry about the subject matter, whether it is discussing a controversial song, or talking about the party last night, I choose not to discuss those things with the kiddies and it should be my choice to do so. How they act has absolutly nothing to do with why i do not wish to play with them, talk to them or hang out with them. Adults have more life expierance, My adult friends go to parties with me, I actually meet and hang out with people I have met in games, in person, and online.. that is something I would never do with kids. I do not think that children have any business talking to adults online, and vice versa. Kids go play with kids and let the adults hang out together.. That is just how it should be, so why would it be any different in games?
And as for your ramblings about change .. I like change too, and I want the ability to change alot on my character whenever i feel like it rather than have the devs limit me to death.
The game became un-fun to play. Funcom totally screwed it up. They sucked the fun out of it. Right now I am playing pretty much nothing. ::sigh:: It doesn't look like I'll be playing any MMORPG's for a long time to come unfortunately...nothing looks good. Tired of instances, tired of level based grind fest, sick of lack of character customization options, poorly designed game play...the whole genre is just going down into the gamers abyss of hell.
The game became un-fun to play. Funcom totally screwed it up. They sucked the fun out of it. Right now I am playing pretty much nothing. ::sigh:: It doesn't look like I'll be playing any MMORPG's for a long time to come unfortunately...nothing looks good. Tired of instances, tired of level based grind fest, sick of lack of character customization options, poorly designed game play...the whole genre is just going down into the gamers abyss of hell.
Sounds like Fallen Earth be someting for you If you can stand not having a elf or Orc
Its in its first public Alfa stage now. release early 2009
Let's see...the last game I quit that I had a subscription to was Tabula Rasa...
I quit that after three months of casual play because my main drive in it was to play one of the hybrid races. Even as low as the level requirement for access to the first hybrid is, I knew I wouldn't get there any time soon, and I wanted to get a second subscription to Istaria. So, bai TR.
Last game I deleted was Mabinogi. I was impressed that it had a skill system, but having quests forced down my throat constantly was a huge turn-off. I didn't play far in it, and lapsed from it completely for several months, during which time I heard about its cash shop being too necessary. So as soon as I needed to free up some hard drive space, bai Mabinogi.
----------- In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on August 13, 2008.
I quit WoW because after several years of hoping for meaningful AVH PVP I realized they were not going to deliver. I got sick of gross class imbalances. TBC screwed up casual raiding. Arena's sucked balls and BG's were boring as hell. They they screwed up Hero Class with Blizzcon 2 and are upping the level cap again and I realized WoW will never be the game I hoped and they promised back in Beta.
I have tried a few since then, but not been able to get into them. I even tried to go back to old games like Eve and DAOC. Maybe I am getting too old for MMORPG's now
I quit WoW because after several years of hoping for meaningful AVH PVP I realized they were not going to deliver. I got sick of gross class imbalances. TBC screwed up casual raiding. Arena's sucked balls and BG's were boring as hell. They they screwed up Hero Class with Blizzcon 2 and are upping the level cap again and I realized WoW will never be the game I hoped and they promised back in Beta.
I have tried a few since then, but not been able to get into them. I even tried to go back to old games like Eve and DAOC. Maybe I am getting too old for MMORPG's now
Read my quote on the left hand side!
MMOs Played: I can no longer list them all in the 500 character limit.
I quit all games for the same reason. I get bored with them. No evil intent on the publisher's part and not because suddenly after playing for years I realize, "Hey! this game sucks and I hate everything about it". It's ok to get bored and grow disenchanted with a game. NO game will ever be made that can sustain your interest day after day indefinitely. I find it strange and a bit irritating when everyone seems to place the blame on the games themselves or the designers and publishers, or the "other" players that they always seem to classify as either assholes or children or both.
When I quit a game, it's because I'm tired of it or I decide I'd rather try something else. They aren't my games. I'm just playing them for a while.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR Playing: WAR Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
Originally posted by Dreadlich When I quit a game, it's because I'm tired of it or I decide I'd rather try something else. They aren't my games. I'm just playing them for a while.
Most people play MMOs for persistence and permanency. If we wanted to play a "for a while" game we'd play strategy or single-player RPGs, or even LAN RPGs for the social aspect. It's reasonable for people to feel annoyed if their game has let them down in that respect. Don't let your passive-aggressive subtle elitism and hollow indignance blind you to the fact that not everyone plays the way you do. We should expect a world, not a theme park.
I quit MMORPGS always for the same reason. The developers change the game so much it isn't the game I once loved to log into. I don't like constant content added just for the sake of more content. I don't like changes to a game in the name of convenience without thought what it does to the immersive world. Why developers ruin the original ideas of a successful game I will never know. This does not usaully happen in single player games, they stay the same over the years because they are not constantly molded into some garbage. In MMORPGs you can never go back.
I quit EQ when they ruined it (Luclin) and I quit WoW as they ruined it (Honor system, battlegrounds).
It's a good game but its just far to incomplete and SOE is just taking to damn long getting it up to speed. IMHO it could compete to be one of the top PvE games on the market if they could get it where it should be.
On a positive note, I returned to L2 and the game in nothing like it was a few years ago, the grind has been neutered to WoW scale in most respects. In L2 thats a good thing. It doesn't really show its teeth again until the level 70's from what I can tell.
When I quit a game, it's because I'm tired of it or I decide I'd rather try something else. They aren't my games. I'm just playing them for a while.
Most people play MMOs for persistence and permanency. If we wanted to play a "for a while" game we'd play strategy or single-player RPGs, or even LAN RPGs for the social aspect. It's reasonable for people to feel annoyed if their game has let them down in that respect. Don't let your passive-aggressive subtle elitism and hollow indignance blind you to the fact that not everyone plays the way you do. We should expect a world, not a theme park.
This was mainly in response to people listing practically every facet of a game, that they've obviously played for a long time, as something that pisses them off and a reason for leaving. Either they liked it to begin with then grew bored and irritated with it over time and have now decided it all sucks, or they never liked it but played it anyway because they're insane. The game isn't the problem. The person just got tired of it and now feels justified in taking a crap on it.
EDIT: By a "while" I mean years, but I still come and go and value the time I spent and effort I put forth. I value the persistence of MMOs and look at other games as just diversions. I value MMOs greatly and have enjoyed every single one I've played.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR Playing: WAR Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
Illius - Even though I'm more PvE oriented than PvP, I've run into that problem of "self" over "collective" too. Even in situations like raiding where people have to work together to accomplish a goal, there's still usually an "out for yourself" mindset. Do you think this is an innate problem with people in general, or do you think a game could actually find a way around this? Venger - Why did you get tired of raiding? Was it like Illius's scenario, where it started to feel more like a job than fun? Or did it just start getting monotonous doing the same things over and over again? (ie, not enough content.) Psymon - How come you just walked around towns and such? What were the things you liked to do when you were actually "playing" the game that you couldn't do anymore, or got bored with? daarco - I'm pretty unfamiliar with SWG - What was it about the NGE that ruined the game for you?
I see that first point cropping up in pretty much every mmo I have played. I keep leaving these games because they just dont allow you to do anything that makes you feel involved in what they pass off as a gameworld. I'm usually quite interested when I first start playing but then after a while I want to get off the treadmill and find that there is nothing else to do. You either progress through the levels or you loiter around and chat to people. I have never stayed in WoW long enough to get a character to a high level because I just cant see any point in bothering. What about having a purpose in the game? What does my character actually do? Whats the actual reason for gaining levels when all you do is repeat the same things over and over again just to gain more damn levels. It also seems to me that all of this so-called amazing content is actually just the same stuff dressed up in different graphics. I think I managed to get a WoW character up to level 50 once and I was doing exactly the same chores that I was doing at the beginning of the game.
Basicly the problem that I have with mmos is that the only thing you can really change is yourself. You can make your character tougher and thats pretty much it. The rest of the gameworld is just a static singleplayer themepark where you can have a go on all the rides for fun but there is no real consequence for doing so.
I'm playing EVE at the moment as it seems like its the only decent game where you can choose to do your own thing and perform actions that change things. Its certainly not perfect of course but its the best I've seen so far. I think games will get better. I just hope they build on the ideas used in EVE rather than the other single themepark games.
Yeah, content for me is probably the primary reason I leave a game. I played WOW for about 3 years with 2 accounts, had 3 level 70s, and like 5 other characters 60 or higher. I had done Outlands, run most Azeroth instances, skilled up to max or near it in all the profession types, did BGs, and most quests. One day in a BG working on honor I saw a dwarf run straight up a hill and thought to myself, 'Whats the point of doing this when other players are cheating like that?' I guess for that game that was the breaking point that made me decide to quit it. I know that was just one incident but that made me also realize that there really wasn't much left for me to do in that game. I had 'replayed' content (making new characters and grinding thru the early quests/mobs/etc. ) many times in leveling characters so although at times that was actually a nice break from the level 70 stuff, that got to be annoying. When expansions come out thats the best thing cause then we get new content, at least for a while till we use that all too. For me WOW is a great game, graphics, gameplay, everything is just about as good as it gets-it just lacks content after a certain point. My suggestion I guess would be for the game to have 'evolving world content' - like the world wasn't just static and unchanging. Lets take the Crossroads in the Barrens as an example. One month it would start like it currently is. Then the next month Blizzard introduces a new world questline that totally changes what quests are available there-maybe even what npcs exist there and what mobs roam about near there, etc. Maybe places like the crossroads could be even abandoned for some reason or another at times. Ever changing situations like this would seriously spice things up, improve content, and make the game much more interesting and make it more desireable to keep playing. If I know that the same quest I did 2 years ago is still there in exactly the same incarnation, why would I really care about doing it again now with a new character other than the fact that I know doing it gives good experience. Give me something new everytime I return. Thats the challenge for the MMORPG creators that would make life in that world really worth living. Then maybe I could really lose myself in them and forget real life for good, lol.
I've quit each MMO I've played (FFXI, WoW, LotRO) for the same reason: at some point, the grind for loot, reputation, or whatever nominal reward becomes more work than fun. When it starts feeling like a job or obligation, I pull the plug. And what leads to this, IMO, is that developers can only invest so much time and resources into creating PvE/scripted content. Avid players like me will burn through it quickly and be left with nothing but dull faction grinds or endless raids for rare drops. I grew sick of WoW's 40-man, bureaucratic nightmare, drama clusterfuck raids, just as I grew sick of LotRO's relatively carebear, mindless 24- and 12-man raids. And FFXI...we don't talk about FFXI anymore. See current stories about the 18-hour raid boss for a clue as to why.
What I'm looking for is an MMO endgame that is dynamic and constantly rewarding. It has to be based around PvP to some extent, because scripted encounters can only entertain you so long before becoming mindless chores and grindfests. And the consequences and rewards of engaging in the endgame have to be significant enough to motivate people of various player types to participate - both diehard PvPers and PvEers, and all types in between. While I love PvPing, I don't want to play a pure PvP game, or I'd be playing DotA. I want a good mix of dedicated PvP and PvE players, and the ability to focus on either PvP or PvE gameplay at will, without feeling like one of those aspects of the game has been shafted.
I want a game with a solid sense of RPG-like character progression, where I can feel like I built someone from the ground up and have come to fully achieve my potential, but also a game with a dynamic endgame and lack of time investment required to remain competitive. I want my skill to give me the upper hand in battle, not my gear. I want to be able to jump in and have fun at will, instead of plan out my gear acquisition schedule up to the point where I can finally start having fun. I want to feel like I'm a part of a massive community of people of all levels of dedication, with widely varied interests, and I want all of these diverse people to come together in a spontaneous way to accomplish something epic. I also want the freedom to solo in a satisfying way, and do small group activities, without feeling beholden to raid schedules, gold farming, or a group of idiot strangers who have to help me finish some quest. I want to spend a day off work or school playing because it's just too damn addictively fun, not because I'm trying to hit level X, get item Y, or get into uber guild Z. I don't want a second job or a second life from my MMO, I want a fun friggin' game, period.
So far Warhammer looks like it fits much of the bill, in theory. Whether it succeeds in reality remains to be seen. At the very least I'm optimistic that WAR is taking many steps in the right direction, which is a huge relief. The insane success of WoW (which is a great, albeit flawed, game) was somewhat depressing, as it looked like the future of MMOs would entail a "he who has the most time has the most toys" scenario. WAR seems to be neatly avoiding the time = success trap. We'll see.
Comments
last one was EQ2, they removed shards and group xp penalties.
game is way too easy. death means nothing.
they should have left a few servers as was, but no all went easy mode, well F u SOE.
cheers
Yea there are lots of games I like , I was very impressed with guild wars. The reason I prefer not to play with the kiddies is that as a responsible adult, when children are present I make sure the content discussed is "child appropriate" as all responsible adults should do. See .. when I come home from clubbing and am still a bit wound up, I like to go on one of the many games I play and kill everyone I see and just relax and have fun, and being around children I don't really feel like it is relaxing, I feel that I still have to worry about the subject matter, whether it is discussing a controversial song, or talking about the party last night, I choose not to discuss those things with the kiddies and it should be my choice to do so. How they act has absolutly nothing to do with why i do not wish to play with them, talk to them or hang out with them. Adults have more life expierance, My adult friends go to parties with me, I actually meet and hang out with people I have met in games, in person, and online.. that is something I would never do with kids. I do not think that children have any business talking to adults online, and vice versa. Kids go play with kids and let the adults hang out together.. That is just how it should be, so why would it be any different in games?
And as for your ramblings about change .. I like change too, and I want the ability to change alot on my character whenever i feel like it rather than have the devs limit me to death.
The game became un-fun to play. Funcom totally screwed it up. They sucked the fun out of it. Right now I am playing pretty much nothing. ::sigh:: It doesn't look like I'll be playing any MMORPG's for a long time to come unfortunately...nothing looks good. Tired of instances, tired of level based grind fest, sick of lack of character customization options, poorly designed game play...the whole genre is just going down into the gamers abyss of hell.
Sounds like Fallen Earth be someting for you If you can stand not having a elf or Orc
Its in its first public Alfa stage now. release early 2009
http://forums.fallenearth.com/fallenearth/forumdisplay.php?f=18
Let's see...the last game I quit that I had a subscription to was Tabula Rasa...
I quit that after three months of casual play because my main drive in it was to play one of the hybrid races. Even as low as the level requirement for access to the first hybrid is, I knew I wouldn't get there any time soon, and I wanted to get a second subscription to Istaria. So, bai TR.
Last game I deleted was Mabinogi. I was impressed that it had a skill system, but having quests forced down my throat constantly was a huge turn-off. I didn't play far in it, and lapsed from it completely for several months, during which time I heard about its cash shop being too necessary. So as soon as I needed to free up some hard drive space, bai Mabinogi.
-----------
In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on August 13, 2008.
I quit WoW because after several years of hoping for meaningful AVH PVP I realized they were not going to deliver. I got sick of gross class imbalances. TBC screwed up casual raiding. Arena's sucked balls and BG's were boring as hell. They they screwed up Hero Class with Blizzcon 2 and are upping the level cap again and I realized WoW will never be the game I hoped and they promised back in Beta.
I have tried a few since then, but not been able to get into them. I even tried to go back to old games like Eve and DAOC. Maybe I am getting too old for MMORPG's now
No political movement, no real freedom, lack of simulation of remote reality, unfounded asinine explanations for magic.
Read my quote on the left hand side!
MMOs Played: I can no longer list them all in the 500 character limit.
Last game I left was EQII, due to underpopulated PvP servers.
AC (retired); EQ (retired); DAoC (retired); Horizons (retired); EQII (retired); CoH (retired); AC II (tested); Lineage II (beta); Neocron (tested); Saga of Ryzom (beta); SWG (retired)...
I quit all games for the same reason. I get bored with them. No evil intent on the publisher's part and not because suddenly after playing for years I realize, "Hey! this game sucks and I hate everything about it". It's ok to get bored and grow disenchanted with a game. NO game will ever be made that can sustain your interest day after day indefinitely. I find it strange and a bit irritating when everyone seems to place the blame on the games themselves or the designers and publishers, or the "other" players that they always seem to classify as either assholes or children or both.
When I quit a game, it's because I'm tired of it or I decide I'd rather try something else. They aren't my games. I'm just playing them for a while.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR
Playing: WAR
Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
I left Rohan Blood Fued just last week because of guild bots, lack of support and very rude community and hacks left and right.
-GUILDMASTER OF WICKED RED-
Most people play MMOs for persistence and permanency. If we wanted to play a "for a while" game we'd play strategy or single-player RPGs, or even LAN RPGs for the social aspect. It's reasonable for people to feel annoyed if their game has let them down in that respect. Don't let your passive-aggressive subtle elitism and hollow indignance blind you to the fact that not everyone plays the way you do. We should expect a world, not a theme park.
I quit MMORPGS always for the same reason. The developers change the game so much it isn't the game I once loved to log into. I don't like constant content added just for the sake of more content. I don't like changes to a game in the name of convenience without thought what it does to the immersive world. Why developers ruin the original ideas of a successful game I will never know. This does not usaully happen in single player games, they stay the same over the years because they are not constantly molded into some garbage. In MMORPGs you can never go back.
I quit EQ when they ruined it (Luclin) and I quit WoW as they ruined it (Honor system, battlegrounds).
I left Vanguard recently (June?)
It's a good game but its just far to incomplete and SOE is just taking to damn long getting it up to speed. IMHO it could compete to be one of the top PvE games on the market if they could get it where it should be.
On a positive note, I returned to L2 and the game in nothing like it was a few years ago, the grind has been neutered to WoW scale in most respects. In L2 thats a good thing. It doesn't really show its teeth again until the level 70's from what I can tell.
Sometimes change is good.
The last MMORPG that I quit was Age of Conan. Do I really have to answer "why?"
Hedonismbot: Your latest performance was as delectable as dipping my bottom over and over into a bath of the silkiest oils and creams.
Most people play MMOs for persistence and permanency. If we wanted to play a "for a while" game we'd play strategy or single-player RPGs, or even LAN RPGs for the social aspect. It's reasonable for people to feel annoyed if their game has let them down in that respect. Don't let your passive-aggressive subtle elitism and hollow indignance blind you to the fact that not everyone plays the way you do. We should expect a world, not a theme park.
This was mainly in response to people listing practically every facet of a game, that they've obviously played for a long time, as something that pisses them off and a reason for leaving. Either they liked it to begin with then grew bored and irritated with it over time and have now decided it all sucks, or they never liked it but played it anyway because they're insane. The game isn't the problem. The person just got tired of it and now feels justified in taking a crap on it.
EDIT: By a "while" I mean years, but I still come and go and value the time I spent and effort I put forth. I value the persistence of MMOs and look at other games as just diversions. I value MMOs greatly and have enjoyed every single one I've played.
MMOs Played: EQ 1&2, DAoC, SWG, Planetside, WoW, GW, CoX, DDO, EVE, Vanguard, TR
Playing: WAR
Awaiting 40k Online and wishing for Battletech Online
the last mmo i quit is CoH, and i did so because AoC has taken over my play time
but i still like CoH
The following statement is false
The previous statement is true
I see that first point cropping up in pretty much every mmo I have played. I keep leaving these games because they just dont allow you to do anything that makes you feel involved in what they pass off as a gameworld. I'm usually quite interested when I first start playing but then after a while I want to get off the treadmill and find that there is nothing else to do. You either progress through the levels or you loiter around and chat to people. I have never stayed in WoW long enough to get a character to a high level because I just cant see any point in bothering. What about having a purpose in the game? What does my character actually do? Whats the actual reason for gaining levels when all you do is repeat the same things over and over again just to gain more damn levels. It also seems to me that all of this so-called amazing content is actually just the same stuff dressed up in different graphics. I think I managed to get a WoW character up to level 50 once and I was doing exactly the same chores that I was doing at the beginning of the game.
Basicly the problem that I have with mmos is that the only thing you can really change is yourself. You can make your character tougher and thats pretty much it. The rest of the gameworld is just a static singleplayer themepark where you can have a go on all the rides for fun but there is no real consequence for doing so.
I'm playing EVE at the moment as it seems like its the only decent game where you can choose to do your own thing and perform actions that change things. Its certainly not perfect of course but its the best I've seen so far. I think games will get better. I just hope they build on the ideas used in EVE rather than the other single themepark games.
Yeah, content for me is probably the primary reason I leave a game. I played WOW for about 3 years with 2 accounts, had 3 level 70s, and like 5 other characters 60 or higher. I had done Outlands, run most Azeroth instances, skilled up to max or near it in all the profession types, did BGs, and most quests. One day in a BG working on honor I saw a dwarf run straight up a hill and thought to myself, 'Whats the point of doing this when other players are cheating like that?' I guess for that game that was the breaking point that made me decide to quit it. I know that was just one incident but that made me also realize that there really wasn't much left for me to do in that game. I had 'replayed' content (making new characters and grinding thru the early quests/mobs/etc. ) many times in leveling characters so although at times that was actually a nice break from the level 70 stuff, that got to be annoying. When expansions come out thats the best thing cause then we get new content, at least for a while till we use that all too. For me WOW is a great game, graphics, gameplay, everything is just about as good as it gets-it just lacks content after a certain point. My suggestion I guess would be for the game to have 'evolving world content' - like the world wasn't just static and unchanging. Lets take the Crossroads in the Barrens as an example. One month it would start like it currently is. Then the next month Blizzard introduces a new world questline that totally changes what quests are available there-maybe even what npcs exist there and what mobs roam about near there, etc. Maybe places like the crossroads could be even abandoned for some reason or another at times. Ever changing situations like this would seriously spice things up, improve content, and make the game much more interesting and make it more desireable to keep playing. If I know that the same quest I did 2 years ago is still there in exactly the same incarnation, why would I really care about doing it again now with a new character other than the fact that I know doing it gives good experience. Give me something new everytime I return. Thats the challenge for the MMORPG creators that would make life in that world really worth living. Then maybe I could really lose myself in them and forget real life for good, lol.
Quit AoC because got sick of constant lags and server crashes.
Back to WoW now, casually leveling new char till WoTLK out
I've left every MMO since UO for the same two reasons...
Ran out of meaningful things to do alone or continuing to advance was too much work or just not fun anymore.
When expansion packs come out I return if I left because of 1, I rarely return if it was 2.
AOC because it was terrible other than graphics and sound.
I've quit each MMO I've played (FFXI, WoW, LotRO) for the same reason: at some point, the grind for loot, reputation, or whatever nominal reward becomes more work than fun. When it starts feeling like a job or obligation, I pull the plug. And what leads to this, IMO, is that developers can only invest so much time and resources into creating PvE/scripted content. Avid players like me will burn through it quickly and be left with nothing but dull faction grinds or endless raids for rare drops. I grew sick of WoW's 40-man, bureaucratic nightmare, drama clusterfuck raids, just as I grew sick of LotRO's relatively carebear, mindless 24- and 12-man raids. And FFXI...we don't talk about FFXI anymore. See current stories about the 18-hour raid boss for a clue as to why.
What I'm looking for is an MMO endgame that is dynamic and constantly rewarding. It has to be based around PvP to some extent, because scripted encounters can only entertain you so long before becoming mindless chores and grindfests. And the consequences and rewards of engaging in the endgame have to be significant enough to motivate people of various player types to participate - both diehard PvPers and PvEers, and all types in between. While I love PvPing, I don't want to play a pure PvP game, or I'd be playing DotA. I want a good mix of dedicated PvP and PvE players, and the ability to focus on either PvP or PvE gameplay at will, without feeling like one of those aspects of the game has been shafted.
I want a game with a solid sense of RPG-like character progression, where I can feel like I built someone from the ground up and have come to fully achieve my potential, but also a game with a dynamic endgame and lack of time investment required to remain competitive. I want my skill to give me the upper hand in battle, not my gear. I want to be able to jump in and have fun at will, instead of plan out my gear acquisition schedule up to the point where I can finally start having fun. I want to feel like I'm a part of a massive community of people of all levels of dedication, with widely varied interests, and I want all of these diverse people to come together in a spontaneous way to accomplish something epic. I also want the freedom to solo in a satisfying way, and do small group activities, without feeling beholden to raid schedules, gold farming, or a group of idiot strangers who have to help me finish some quest. I want to spend a day off work or school playing because it's just too damn addictively fun, not because I'm trying to hit level X, get item Y, or get into uber guild Z. I don't want a second job or a second life from my MMO, I want a fun friggin' game, period.
So far Warhammer looks like it fits much of the bill, in theory. Whether it succeeds in reality remains to be seen. At the very least I'm optimistic that WAR is taking many steps in the right direction, which is a huge relief. The insane success of WoW (which is a great, albeit flawed, game) was somewhat depressing, as it looked like the future of MMOs would entail a "he who has the most time has the most toys" scenario. WAR seems to be neatly avoiding the time = success trap. We'll see.