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Another LFGame Thread
As the title suggests, I am looking for a new MMO to play. The following is criteria that I look for in a game:
Deep crafting system: meaningful crafting. WoW is not deep, meaningful crafting.
PVE oriented. I don't mind if the game has PVP, but it should be primarily PVE focused.
Primarily group/raid oriented and CHALLENGING. I would like to be able to do a bit of soloing, but grouping should be the primary focus.
"Mature" community.
Healthy population
Decent leveling curve. By decent I mean something around the middle of the following two extremes to reach level cap: Guildwars & MapleStory
P2P preferred. F2P games are generally less than stellar, but I am open F2P suggestions.
Genre: I'm pretty open to this. Fantasy, sci-fi, etc.
Good game play/game mechanics. Great graphics are not a great concern to me.
Relevant System Specs:
3.2ghz dual core
4 GB DDR2 ram
Geforce 8800 GTS
I realize such a game probably doesn't exist that meets all of the criteria I listed, but any suggestions would be appreciated 
Games I have played: WoW, Runescape, SilkRoad, FFXI, CO, MapleStory, AoC, EQ2, Planetside, SOTNW, LOTRO, Rose Online, etc.
Comments
Vanguard seems to fit well, as does LOTRO although I see you tried that.
I'd give Vanguard a spin if I were you.
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Telthalion Rohircil - Guardian - Elemandir - Lord of The Rings Online
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== RIP == Torey - Commando - Orion - Tabula Rasa == RIP ==
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Jordaniel Torey - Navy Megathron, Active Armor Tank - Tranquility - EVE Online
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Torey Scott - Rifleman - Fallen Earth
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"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but I know World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
Ha vanguard is an EXACT fit for you, it meets every requirement you listed. Great game. You should download the trial and play that until the 22 when Darkfall is SUPPOSED to be released, that should also be another good fit for you.
playing: darkfall
waiting: earthrise
Downloading the trial right now
What's the population like in VG?
I'd suggest you give Ryzom a try too.
It's currently "free to play" under the end of this month, as it was recently acquired by a new company who was sorting out a few things. So basically you can play it as an unlimited trial for a few more days.
Why I think you'll like it:
* It has a very deep crafting system. You can mix your own mixtures of materials to create items. There is also the ability to create your own spells.
* The game has PvP, but it is largely PvE focussed.
* Being a sandbox, it is what you make of it, and that includes solo-ing or grouping.
* The community is literally the best I've ever seen. It consists of very very friendly people who go as far as showering you with gifts. Guilds make the experience even better.
* Leveling is not too tedious. The perfect balance in my opinion.
* As I said, it is a P2P game currently F2P until the end of the month. It has been like that for a few months.
* The genre is fantasy-sci-fi. Excellent setting and even better art style.
* The graphics, despite being from 2004, are excellent. The game should have no problem running on maximum settings on a mid-range machine and insipring awe. You'll have no problem running it on your machine. The mechanics are hard to go into but as I mentioned it's sandbox and you can create your own spells, meaning customization options are excellent.
Considering there are only a couple of servers the population is very solid. At early levels people are very spread out because the world is so big and starting areas arent close to eachother. It may seem empty at first but once you hit the mid teens you will see tons of people and your general chat will always be full. Most everybody is very helpful and always willing to group up. Play on Seradon, its the most populated server.
playing: darkfall
waiting: earthrise
Looking at your suggestion I'd have to suggest Dofus.
Why Dofus?
1: The game is about 80% PvE, 20% PvP (19% Realm vs. Realm (Good vs.Evil) 1% PvP)
2::It is P2P (but with a Free Zone, allowing you to try pretty much everything the game has to offer but still limited. Free Zone means that you don't have to pay to play yet.
3:Cheap: $8 per month and the price drops depending on how many months you pay.
4:It's not a grindfest
5:Meaningfull crafting: depends on how meaningfull but there's many jobs for crafting. If you want to be a farmer for exemple, you must visit a farm and cut the wheats. Miner: visit a mine etc.
6:Challenging Raid: The only big raid you can do is the Realm vs. Realm to gain control over a territory (Good vs. Evil)
7: When I say Good vs. Evil, there is no class/race that are good or evil exclusive. You can become good or evil when you want and also change your alignement if you feel like it.
8: Graphics fits the game. Take a look at a few screenshots and you'll know what I mean.
9:Dofus is a turn-based MMORPG (similar to Final Fantasy Tactic).
I would also recommend Wakfu (which is a more realistic version of Dofus and a bs version of Darkfall but the game is still in beta and has a long way to go yet)