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LF New MMO experience
Hi
I've gone through multiple threads on this forum through the stickied link on the top and while I got a lot of good ideas, I really still don't feel comfortable with an MMO that will suit me well.
For starters, I've been playing EvE online for the last 3 years and though I absolutely love the game and find it to be awesome, I'm about ready for something new these days.
What I'm looking for:
- Character Development (not the look of the character, but it's actual statistics, skills, etc)
- A game that doesn't necessarily have an "end game" the way WoW does, where you just go raiding for equipment. I don't care about getting elite equipment, I just want to continue to develop my character and continue to face new and interesting challenges.
- A game that isn't a super grind fest.
- I'd like a good intuitive crafting system - I care more that this is fun and useful than being the best around.
- A game with a level of complexity (like EvE) that it will keep me intrigued for a long time. I don't mind a steep learning curve.
- A solid mix of PvP and PvE.
I don't mind F2P or P2P. I also don't care about what style it is - Sci Fi or Fantasy. While I generally prefer SciFi, I'm definitely open to Fantasy.
Probably the last thing I should mention is that I like games with a sense of epicness about it. At some point during the experience I want to think "damn this is awesome".
I've played WoW and EQ2 previously, and was a former MUD player too. WoW left me entirely unimpressed, and EQ2 was ok (I liked the crafting in it) but still left me feeling wanting.
Any help anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your suggestions. 
Comments
Here are some games that seem to bring something different to the table. They're not all new, but they are different and some are obscured:
* Face of Mankind
* Rise: The Vieneo Province
* Faunasphere
* Dawntide
* Craft of Gods
* Mytheon
* Ensemble
* Dark Solstice
* Ryzom
Check out the MUD I'm making!
EVE is about as complex as they get but i will give you my suggestions
EQ2: It has improved and its quite fun. Can be a tad complex with all the different zones and character options. Crafting is still better than most games. Easily it's biggest draw card is the epic journey to cap in the rich lore filled lands.
Vanguard: like EQ2 but better. Vanguard had a really shocking launch but over the past 2 years has come leaps and bounds. At it's core it is a very solid and fun game that trumps most games today (open world, epic dungeons, very fun classes). I would highly suggest Vanguard as one of your options. Easily the biggest problem with it is the population but if you join a decent guild you will always have someone to talk to and the LFG system is pretty active almost 24 hours of the day.
Saga of Ryzom: A sandbox and epic game. Weather, migrating mobs and a changing world make this a truely unique experiance. As far as character customisation goes...you can even make your own spells, i don't think i need to say much more than that as the options are almost limitless. Ryzom has en epic community that is a blast to play with and crafting is better than most MMO's. Ultimately it's up to you how much you get from the game as there is nothing that guides you along aside from striving to improve your character. Population issues are there but not as bad as some games.
Fallen Earth: Just come out so there are some issues with silly bugs and whatnot but it's another awesome sandbox game. Post appocolyptic setting is a breath of fresh air (as far as MMO's are concerned) and crafting is alright (nothing special...just alright). The real draw card of the game is character customisation (it is a sandbox game after all) and the world.
That's all i can really think of atm but i do have 1 suggestion for you (provided you can afford it). Pick one of these that you think you might like but also keep your EVE sub running. Put aside a gaming session or two each week for EVE and just keep your skills going, play the trading markets or set up production lines. Spend the rest of the time in your chosen game having fun. That way your EVE character still grows and you can easily switch between either game when you get bored/excited.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
Thanks for the answers so far!
Vanguard and Ryzom are two games I'm definitely looking at. I'm also researching some of the games listed earlier that I hadn't heard of previously.
Mortal Online sounds about right, although it's still in development and has a ways to go.
It's crafting system is ridiculous, although it's not in yet. It should be in in one of the next few patches(the game is in beta). You choose what to make each piece of your armor/weapon out of, how much of the materials to use and where to place each material.
I.E. You create a sword. You have to decide:
- What to make the handle out of.
- What to make the grip out of.
- What to make the blade out of.
- What kind of handle to use.
- What kind of blade to use.
These affect the weight, required strength, damage output/reduction, durability, stamina use, range and which way of attacking is best (slash vs. lunge(stab))
Armor works the same way. These affect your movement speed, attack speed and a number of other things. This is just the placeholder system they have in right now. The full system will be even more complex and awesome, with over 1.4 million possible items to be crafted, each better suited for a certain play style.
You also gain stats/skills by using them. The stats/skills go up pretty fast (at least for now in beta) and build off each other in realistic ways (i.e. the higher your archery, the higher your mounted archery will be. The higher a certain stat, like dex, the more capable you are with skills that require dex. Meaning you may have 50 sword fighting skill, but because you have 80 dex and 80 str, you may have the equivalent of 55 sword fighting, for example.)
The only thing it lacks at the moment is a solid mix of PvP vs PvE. The PvE is currently piss poor, but can easily be improved once they add in more mobs. They have loads of mobs made, but only actually have like 7 in the game for beta testing purposes. The mobs are badass, too. They can pick you up and crush you, charge you and slam you to the ground while stunning you, and loads of other cool things that make the PvE much more interesting and dangerous. It's also a full-loot full-pvp game. Everything is skill based as well, first person view control with active aiming/blocking/dodging.
Not to mention that everyone I know thinks it's the most immersive game they've played. If you're into exploring game worlds this game is the right choice. There's no in game map so you have to learn the landmarks as you play or find/create a map to look at on the side, which obviously won't show you where you are.
Like I said, it's not completely ready right now, release is scheduled for later this month so far, but it's definitely something to keep your eye on. If they get the PvE in good shape by release and implement the full crafting system (even if not) then the game might be just what you're looking for.
You could check out Darkfall. It's got the same concept as Mortal Online, but it's released. It's skill based, rather than level based, which removes that artificial end-game level cap. It's open world PvP. It's also got PvE elements, which the devs are improving. The world does feel like it's evolving, as the lore is fairly actively controlled by the players.
Try Mortal Online. I play in the beta. It has good PvP and will also be a PvE. Of about a week they will have a hugh patch and add lots more content.
See what MO is about here ...
www.youtube.com/watch
Mounted Combat (axe and bow) two patches ago.
www.youtube.com/watch
Huergar cave ... first version of it patched in one week ago
www.youtube.com/watch
Personally I think MO is already more entertaining than DF is.
Some are going to be repeated from my last post, but I've decided to work on a comprehensive list of underrated games that give a sort of breath of fresh air into the MMO genre.
You can find it here: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/261945/A-few-underrated-games-that-provide-a-whole-new-experience.html
Check out the MUD I'm making!
Dead Uprising Online Created by the 'International Apocalyptic Games' Is
a FPSMMORPG (First Person Shooter Massive Multiplayer Online Role
Playing Game!) In which players work togeather in a massive community
created to withstand this Bio-Hazard, This game will have many features
such as, So many guns I cant name all of them, Many diffrent
customization aspects, (Eyes, Nose, Mouth, Face, Muscle, Body, Clothing,
Accesseries and so forth) Along with full fledged customization you will
also be aloud to Buy recon points for the black market, Which is like an in
game shop in which to get secret and powerful items, You may only get
recon points by paying for them with real money! With many helpful community members and staff, your sure to recieve help if needed!
DeadUprisingOnline.freeforums.org
I suggest Darkfall.
It's a sandbox game with a huge handcrafted, non-instanced world, ffa full loot pvp, everything craftable, superior PvE AI, Player made cities, hamlets, villages and housing, boats, sieges, siege equipment, skill based, accountablility through one character, limited restrictions, specializations, racial traits, sea monsters, player politics and intrigue and a really good community.
Don't listen to someone telling you what Darkfall used to be. Unless they are playing now, they really can't comment because the Darkfall at release is a shadow of what it is now.