Ingame mail was in a few games earlier than WoW. Final Fantasy 11 being one of them, as well as Anarchy Online I believe. Rest states were in a few other mmo's just not put the same. I believe it was in Final Fantasy as well. I could be wrong on the rest state in Final Fantasy, been a few years.
WoW did alot of things well, I played it for 2+ years and for the most part had alot of fun. EQ was a grind, but isn't that what WoW is becoming? Maybe a different form of grind, but still a grind. You still have to kill a certain amount of mobs, to get a certain thing. The only difference is now instead of holding onto the loot, you turn some of it in, thankfully for a nice quest reward.
Being newbie friendly is a great addition to the mmo genre and no one has done it better than Blizzard. However, there's a difference in being newbie friendly and at later levels pretty much giving gear away so that more of the WoW population can see what the developers worked on.
I just think that instead of saying oh, well people can't beat this particular boss or complete a series of access quests, so let's just take those requirements away and make this boss easier, they should have looked at other options. I would rather be a level 1 bard in Freeport having to figure out where I had to go to move along then have it handed to me. Making it to easy is like putting in a cheat code, no challenge, no fun.
As far as ease, WoW you can get to 70 in under a month or two depending on time. Of course it had to be fun to do over, it was too easy to get the max level the first time around.
Ingame mail was in a few games earlier than WoW. Final Fantasy 11 being one of them, as well as Anarchy Online I believe. Rest states were in a few other mmo's just not put the same. I believe it was in Final Fantasy as well. I could be wrong on the rest state in Final Fantasy, been a few years. WoW did alot of things well, I played it for 2+ years and for the most part had alot of fun. EQ was a grind, but isn't that what WoW is becoming? Maybe a different form of grind, but still a grind. You still have to kill a certain amount of mobs, to get a certain thing. The only difference is now instead of holding onto the loot, you turn some of it in, thankfully for a nice quest reward. Being newbie friendly is a great addition to the mmo genre and no one has done it better than Blizzard. However, there's a difference in being newbie friendly and at later levels pretty much giving gear away so that more of the WoW population can see what the developers worked on. I just think that instead of saying oh, well people can't beat this particular boss or complete a series of access quests, so let's just take those requirements away and make this boss easier, they should have looked at other options. I would rather be a level 1 bard in Freeport having to figure out where I had to go to move along then have it handed to me. Making it to easy is like putting in a cheat code, no challenge, no fun. As far as ease, WoW you can get to 70 in under a month or two depending on time. Of course it had to be fun to do over, it was too easy to get the max level the first time around.
I shouldn't have even mentioned Everquest. All it did was show game developers how not to make a MMO. I'm surprised it took as long as it did for a developer with half a brain to take the ball and run with it.
Star Wars Galaxies, FFXI, and EvE Online had ingame mail before WoW released, though you can't send items or ISKs via EvE's system. AO hasn't had ingame mail at least up until earlier this year, which was the last time I played.
A lot of people don't like WoW's quest UI because they believe it handholds too much. Some gamers prefer the EQ system where you had to figure things out for yourself. DAoC's original quest system was in between WoW's and EQ's where directions were simpler usually but you didn't know there were quests anywhere unless you went and spoke to the NPCs in a town, village, whatever first. There were NPCs that told you that there were quests around your level in such and such an area. In some ways, I like that system the most: doesn't handhold too much but also doesn't spell everything out to you. DAoC now has a WoW-like system unfortunately. WoW's system is pretty good since I can't get the original DAoC's system in any game I know of currently.
One thing though to keep in mind is that the earliest days of graphical MMOs were still very much an experimental time for the industry. Therefore a lot of the unpolished nature of the games was a consequence of the developers not really knowing just yet what they were doing. I mean, for example, collision detection was not really incorporated into MMOs until much later and that was partly due to technological advances in streamlining 3d engines. Graphics have come a long way as well as have animations of characters.
Blizz does give a lot of free content but so do CCP and so do Turbine in LotRO.
Back in EvE. Started with BatMUD. Main MMOs have been EvE and DAoC.
I would rate WOW 10/10 today. I recently went back and started an all new character and there are TONS of people everywhere running around. This game is old and it is still very populated and going strong. I just got into a nice guild with helpful, friendly guildmates. I randomly group up with people I meet on my adventures and it's fun.
Ofcourse, there are some negatives. For instance, the economy is a little wacked. There is no housing. Character creation is limited. Can't have everything I guess...
The social aspect of this game is still going strong though, while other mmo's feel largely abandoned and lonely, especially if you start a new character.
Comments
Ingame mail was in a few games earlier than WoW. Final Fantasy 11 being one of them, as well as Anarchy Online I believe. Rest states were in a few other mmo's just not put the same. I believe it was in Final Fantasy as well. I could be wrong on the rest state in Final Fantasy, been a few years.
WoW did alot of things well, I played it for 2+ years and for the most part had alot of fun. EQ was a grind, but isn't that what WoW is becoming? Maybe a different form of grind, but still a grind. You still have to kill a certain amount of mobs, to get a certain thing. The only difference is now instead of holding onto the loot, you turn some of it in, thankfully for a nice quest reward.
Being newbie friendly is a great addition to the mmo genre and no one has done it better than Blizzard. However, there's a difference in being newbie friendly and at later levels pretty much giving gear away so that more of the WoW population can see what the developers worked on.
I just think that instead of saying oh, well people can't beat this particular boss or complete a series of access quests, so let's just take those requirements away and make this boss easier, they should have looked at other options. I would rather be a level 1 bard in Freeport having to figure out where I had to go to move along then have it handed to me. Making it to easy is like putting in a cheat code, no challenge, no fun.
As far as ease, WoW you can get to 70 in under a month or two depending on time. Of course it had to be fun to do over, it was too easy to get the max level the first time around.
I shouldn't have even mentioned Everquest. All it did was show game developers how not to make a MMO. I'm surprised it took as long as it did for a developer with half a brain to take the ball and run with it.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
More is not always better, best years I spend playing Wow were before the release of bgs, which you can say was a looonngg time agoo.
I give the game a seven since it's stood the test of time......let's see what the addition of WotlK will bring.
Star Wars Galaxies, FFXI, and EvE Online had ingame mail before WoW released, though you can't send items or ISKs via EvE's system. AO hasn't had ingame mail at least up until earlier this year, which was the last time I played.
A lot of people don't like WoW's quest UI because they believe it handholds too much. Some gamers prefer the EQ system where you had to figure things out for yourself. DAoC's original quest system was in between WoW's and EQ's where directions were simpler usually but you didn't know there were quests anywhere unless you went and spoke to the NPCs in a town, village, whatever first. There were NPCs that told you that there were quests around your level in such and such an area. In some ways, I like that system the most: doesn't handhold too much but also doesn't spell everything out to you. DAoC now has a WoW-like system unfortunately. WoW's system is pretty good since I can't get the original DAoC's system in any game I know of currently.
One thing though to keep in mind is that the earliest days of graphical MMOs were still very much an experimental time for the industry. Therefore a lot of the unpolished nature of the games was a consequence of the developers not really knowing just yet what they were doing. I mean, for example, collision detection was not really incorporated into MMOs until much later and that was partly due to technological advances in streamlining 3d engines. Graphics have come a long way as well as have animations of characters.
Blizz does give a lot of free content but so do CCP and so do Turbine in LotRO.
Back in EvE. Started with BatMUD. Main MMOs have been EvE and DAoC.
With GuildCities and housing 10/10
Without 7/10
Over 50% gives the game an 8+
I would rate WOW 10/10 today. I recently went back and started an all new character and there are TONS of people everywhere running around. This game is old and it is still very populated and going strong. I just got into a nice guild with helpful, friendly guildmates. I randomly group up with people I meet on my adventures and it's fun.
Ofcourse, there are some negatives. For instance, the economy is a little wacked. There is no housing. Character creation is limited. Can't have everything I guess...
The social aspect of this game is still going strong though, while other mmo's feel largely abandoned and lonely, especially if you start a new character.