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Jaded MMO Veteran Hoping He Missed One.
Alrighty, like the title says I consider myself a veteran. Started with UO and moved to EQ til the WoW launch and played right before Burning Crusade came out (and never looked back). I've played CoH/V and had a lot of fun but unfortunately my friend quit and I lost the motivation to play. I tried FFXI, back on the PS2, with the same friend but I couldn't get into it. I also tried LotRO but it felt painfully slow (to me) like FFXI so I dropped that.
Other Titles Include:
SWG,Tabula Rasa ( I enjoyed Immensly and Thought there were some great ideas there), DDO, EQ2, DAoC, GW, ShadowBane.
My most recent mmo encounter was with Warhammer at launch. This game dissapointed the Warhammer Fanboy part of me royally and the game felt unfinished.
So now I am here. I was hoping the community here could help me to find some gem I've missed. I used to be hardcore in my UO-to-WoW days but now I only have a few hours a day. I'd really like to find something to tide me over until titles like DCUO, Darkfall, and The Agency are released.
Recently, I have picked up TF2 and enjoy that very much but I miss the open world and community mmo's bring.
Some things I enjoy in mmos: Decent Graphics, Skill Basis ( I know this isn't very common), Afluent Communities, PvP, Humor, Customizable Characters and interface, Interesting Story, Player Driven Crafting
Some things I don't enjoy in mmos: Korean/JRPG art and graphic styles, Rude and Idiotic community, Rigid Classes (Example: When I played WoW to be an effective tank you needed to specialize in the Protection tree, This may have changed I don't know) , Confusing or Overblown Story/Lore, Time sinks,
I know this is alot to ask for but I also know this is a great place to look with a lot of knowledgable people. Thanks for your help.
To Each His Own.
Comments
You probably won't find what you are looking for until 2011-2012
That's what I am fearing will probably be the case. I guess I will stick with just multi games till then.
To Each His Own.
Earthrise is set to come out this year
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
You could give AoC a try. About the only mmo that kept my interest for awhile when it came out. I get jaded pretty quickly with games.
See that is somethng that caught my eye. Though no quite enough info to pull me in just yet.
I've heard terrible things about AOC. I would normally try it but I am too much of a Robert E. Howard fan to have my boyish dreams crushed
.
To Each His Own.
I just left AoC... I just couldn't stand the community on Tyranny which is the only main PvP server, it just got bland. The graphics are almost TOO good and make the game seem serious, but it just doesn't work.
You and I are in the same boat and right now I'm playing Runes of Magic to see what it is, heard it was one of the most westernized eastern game out there.
Hopefully we did miss something and there is a game worth some time.
I just left AoC... I just couldn't stand the community on Tyranny which is the only main PvP server, it just got bland. The graphics are almost TOO good and make the game seem serious, but it just doesn't work.
You and I are in the same boat and right now I'm playing Runes of Magic to see what it is, heard it was one of the most westernized eastern game out there.
Hopefully we did miss something and there is a game worth some time.
It feels good to find another shipmate in the sea of meh. Now I am resorting to playing the trial game and playing anything that isn't browser based or asked for my credit to try. Seems like all of my options are eastern F2P or browser games and those don't interest me.
To Each His Own.
You have some requirements that can hardly be met in F2P these days :P
I'd give a try to Wakfu, graphics are...not childish but they're not Call Of Duty 5 either . Wakfu is a Turn-Based game (similar to Final Fantasy Advance Tactic)with a skill based system. The community is active and maturity level is average. The game is P2P with a Free Zone (a zone allowing you to try most aspect of the game for free in a limited area). The subs fees are $8 per month and price reduces as you pay for a longer sub. The game is currently in Open Beta (so for now it's free). Classes have many trees of specialisation and are complete each other. About 70% of the attack spells in the game cause 1 of many effects that can easily change the tide of the battle. Classes are not rigid though as you can level up every skill you want from your skill list (based on your class though).
Character Customization is a bit low though (skin color and hair color only) but the classes looks great right away so I never saw a problem here. There is PvP (probably at the end of the year RvR Good vs. Evil). The game does have a story but doesn't have any quest. To be more specific, the game doesn't have any NPC. The only characters you will meet are Players or Monster NPCs but that's it. (The story is a follow up of Dofus, so check it out). Because they are no NPC, the economy is 100% player driven and the crafint system is really in-dept (actually too deep.....when you harvest you must replant otherwise it won't grow again...etc :P). Also, it was not made in Korea, it was made in France by Ankama Games.
But seriously that's the only game that comes to my mind though I doubt you will like it.
Yeah as soon as I read turn based my hopes dropped. Sounds interesting regardless. I will keep an eye on it.
To Each His Own.
1st let me say this forum has given me more info/screen shot/video/peeps options on games i have found to date..
Thankyou
Please dont take this post as a side track from your post, i am out at sea too !! lookin for the next game to play.
I've spent a few weeks searching for my next game, and so far nothin hit's the sweet spot
My online gamming has been 4 years on Never Winter Nights ( O yeah an Oldie for sure) I like the AD&D class/feats/skills selction very much, i'm able to make all sorts of toon designs.
EQ 11 last week (trail, which i uninstalled after 4 days). too many quests for my liking.
OK, both online comunities were helpfull, kind and fun to interact with.
If you dont mind low graphics an OLD game maybe this might help till a new game grabs you.
NWN: server : Legends of chance (BOX, uk based)
This was the last server i played ( 6 months which i made a few toons testing the water, then a druid to god lvl 40 and another druid to god lvl 15) the dev team had re written the program lang so extra things were added. EG: god lvl's, so get to lvl 40 ( 8 hours ), then quest runs for god lvl's. (god lvls needed 3 days xp grind, and amount xp increased as god lvl's got higher)
The reason i left the game was no other server had high magic ( so hard to go back to just lvl 40) Populations on other servers were shrinking. LoC dev team changed things too many times for my likeing, so half way throu a toon design to mid/end game (well no real end game, there was no god lvl cap, just needed to grind xp, with a party can be done) toon god feat choices i had made, or spell dmg i was doining were differnet to what i had designed and cant be rerolled/change. So get to god lvl 15 and the toon was broken due to cant redo god lvl chioces. This was the heart breaker for me, other wize i would have stayed.
Most mmo games seem to not have the "use mouse at edge turn screen strategy" (looking down on toon useing wasd keys to move while bein able to turn screen to see all around toon) this is a must for me.
Aion looks interesting to me, and darkfall as well. Both are not happinin yet for me in Australia so got to wait ( yes there not F2P, But NwN is)
Hope i am not completely off the mark with this post.
Eshploder, I wouldn't dismiss Conan completey... its a game that really polarises opinions. As a newcomer you can come to the game and to some extent ignore the poor launch and look at it objectively...
IMHO, as an EU player (can't comment on US servers), you can break it down into the following...
Good points most people currently agree on
It has very good graphics, even better sound and music and in its current state the client is quite stable (although a few issues have cropped up yesterday with the russian patch for the eu servers).. all good points although the good graphics demand a meaty pc to see them at decent framerates. The learner area (lvls 1-20) is among the most polished of any MMO game and makes a good first impression (later areas are less polished in terms of questlines and story telling but getting better imho)
Bad points people generally agree on
It lacks content for high level players (currently lvls mid 60s-80ish after recent patches) - end game is meant to be massive multiplayer pvp but it needs work (some would say lots of work). Massive hype / lies on funcoms part (about features later pulled from the game e.g. DX10) / high expectations for the game led to massive box sales (end of May), many servers being added in the first few weeks but then poor player retention due to the fast levelling rate / lack of endgame content and poorly handled bug fixing of client stability (Aug-Oct) . This of course led to a thinly spread population and a bit of a downward spiral which started to stabilise in Nov as bugs / balancing issues started to get fixed under the new game director, with a slow 'percieved' increase in population as people start to come back to see if its improved (Xmas onwards). Server merges have helped to bring the remaining population together so most servers feel much busier.. but estimates for the reduction in players range widely.. even as a conan fan I'd guess a loss of 70-90% of the initial players were lost in the first 4 months (good sources for player numbers are hard to find for this game beyond the initally publicised 'good' numbers from funcoms report). Finally, a murder point system was introduced for pvp to stop high level players ganking low level characters / add a bit of bite and atmosphere to pvp... the system is currently flawed and there are many ways for players to exploit or ignore the system (creating low level ganking of high level players for example :-)
and finally the difficult polarizing bits.... I'll try and present this as the two opposing viewpoints (for / against) rather than go into them in detail.. I'm 'for' on most of these* (I wouldn't be playing it still otherwise) but can see the the against as a valid opionion. I don't see my self as a fanboy, just someone who likes the game and wants it to continue (I might fall into the fanboy group when it comes to the music... Its some of the best original game music ever and I bought the tracks off itunes to listen to in the car ;-)
The combo system for melee is innovative, enjoyable and skill based / its a gimmick, adds nothing to the genre and many dislike it and spell casting is just WOW clicking anyway
The game is instanced to allow for the good graphics but the areas are still huge and interesting with a sense of wonder / the instancing spoils any sense of exploration and many hate loading screens as they destroy the atmosphere
The game is skill based rather than gear based but the gear looks good, is getting more varied with each patch and does effect the gameplay, just not dominate it / the gear all looks the same and has neglible effects as classes are imbalanced and under or overpowered, removing skill
The content is getting better with each patch and Funcom are now doing a good job at bug fixing and balancing the game whilst adding the promised features like DX10 / the patch rate is too slow and won't save the game and many of the new features should have been there at the start or create new balance problems or client issues
While it will never reach wow numbers, the game has a good hardcore mature community and will thrive for many years to come as a real alternative nice game and the pop is growing / the game will never recover and will die within the year like tabula risa and good riddance to funcom as it sends a message to other mmos about false promises and bad premature launches* (whilst I don't agree with the game / funcom dying bit, I do agree that there are real lessons for other companies here re the lauch and hype issues)
Based on the above, the first two categories are relatively clear cut (it has great graphics, end content is lacking) but the items in the last one are really personal opinions and tastes.. its a real try it and see game with regards the combo system, game mechanics and atmosphere. However, here in the UK its available for about 10 pounds with 1 months subscription and you can level a char to 30 / 40 in a week or so, allowing you to see if you like the game beyond tortage island for little cost other than your time. I love the atmosphere and community on my servers (RP PVP and RP PVE) and am not effected by the end game issue.. I know friends that also loved the game but just couldn't deal with the end game content / raids and have left until its fixed, possibly never to return if that doesn't happen or something better comes along.
For whats its worth, I'm not a hardcore mmo player but I do sometmes get sucked in for intense periods going back to DAOC... I liked TR (but for me the mid game content was lacking and soon lost interest), couldn't get into LOTRO at all and initially loved then hated Warhammer (in the same way some pople loved then hated Conan). Only three games have kept my money for more than 6 months... WoW from start, gap of a year or so then back for BC expansion, COH ( started at launch on US server, restarted on EU server at lauch there, stopped, got COV for another 3-6 months, really want to try Champions online) and Conan (started at launch, nearly left in Aug due to tech issues but had 6 month sub anyway, went to War, left War and came back to conan full time).
My 'which game next?' picks would be champions onlines (because of cryptic / the superhero genre). I want to like star trek online (Cryptic, like star trek but so far the info thats come out about the game doesn't encorage me) and am unsure about Star Wars the old republic (not a star wars fan but hey..its Bioware behind this (Baldurs gate, Mass effect) and I did like the original RPG despite the star wars / jedi vibes).
Hope that helps
Scott
First of thank you everyone for your help so far. I actually looked into AoC after someone suggested it and I was intriqued but unfortunately I don't think my PC can support it currently, I dunno I could be wrong.
I looked initially at Champions when it started popping up here on mmorpg.com (back when I was still lurking ) and I am just not interested in it. Something about the art style puts me off and I normally enjoy all forms of cell-shading. Also the look of the characters in that game doesn't look quite right to me.
Once again ty for your help, good luck to my fellow drifters, and I will continue my search.
To Each His Own.
Update! Turns out I can run AoC though on the med/low settings.
To Each His Own.
I wouldn't if I was you. I resubbed a couple weeks ago because I heard reports of how much better it had gotten. I have a level 60 herald of Xotli. The itemization is a joke, the server was dead, the game is still entirely unfinished, and not nearly enough has been done over the time they have had. I had fun when it launched, and got my moneys worth, but I would not suggest this game to someone in its current state.
Although just my opinion. The first 40 levels to me were a blast if you can find a server that has people playing. At launch with tons on it was great fun. Just plan to wait 2 years for a finished game at the rate they are going.
I wouldn't if I was you. I resubbed a couple weeks ago because I heard reports of how much better it had gotten. I have a level 60 herald of Xotli. The itemization is a joke, the server was dead, the game is still entirely unfinished, and not nearly enough has been done over the time they have had. I had fun when it launched, and got my moneys worth, but I would not suggest this game to someone in its current state.
Although just my opinion. The first 40 levels to me were a blast if you can find a server that has people playing. At launch with tons on it was great fun. Just plan to wait 2 years for a finished game at the rate they are going.
Well it's things like this that made me want to try a trial version first. If they release one or I can get a buddy key, I think I will be set.
Also, I am looking for something to tide me over until other titles release like Earthrise, Stargate Worlds, The Agency, DCUO, Darkfall and others become available. It seems like if I can try AOC (and if I like it) and get a bargain price for it then I will be in calm, happy waters.
To Each His Own.
....I'm home.
I too have been searching for the next new MMO I can set a few hours into. Every new MMO studio seems to be just copy/pasting WoW's formula, changing a few names and locations, claiming an unholy new crafting system and calling it "innovative". It saddens me to think that the MMO market is slowly dying, or will be stuck where it is: tons of F2P Korean grinders, high fantasy elf fests and the like.
Don't get me wrong, I've been playing MMOs since the beginning of Runescape. I might not be expereinced as some of the people here, but I know my fair share. There are a few refreshing MMOs out there, Pirates of the Burning Sea is a bit of a grinder, but it's certainly different. As is EVE, and even Atlantica. (even though I couldn't stand the last two for more than a week)
Keep an eye on Fallen Earth, it seems to be a MMO version of Fallout 3, and I'm really hoping it's not the next cookie cutter lack luster.
Oh, and say hi to Wilson for me, I forgot him when I set out to sea.
Ganking? Me!? That's absurd!! I leave THAT to the lawyers!
I was sailing, and sailing... And found y'all!...
I've been waiting for DF for 2 years.. Played a lil WoW during that time, and WAR. Both lost my attention quickly...
I've got a bit of an idea.. We could all start on a game, so we can already have a bit of friendship to start it out.. Makes the beginning a lot better...
Anyone thought of Lineage 2? What about DDO? That looked kinda cool.
I saw Fallen Earth a while a go but I wasn't sure if it was real or not. I am definitely watching it. Atlantica, Aion and the Lineage Series don't appeal to me because of the asian style art. I have tried DDO and it was very interesting but I couldn't find anyone to group with (grouping is pretty much required) and it was a little on the confusing side.
I am currently trying out AoC for the first time and it's not as terrible as people make it out to be. For me the problems I have faced so far (lvl 13 Assassin) are mostly newbie ones (things like controls, learing how to fight, stealth) and getting ganked. This may tide me over for a few months until more titles are put out to sea (or maybe the lava cools like an island? I dunno how the games themselves work in the sea metaphor.).
Good luck to everyone else who is looking and I'll update later on whether I am going to subscribe to AoC.
To Each His Own.