Atlantica, Mabinogi, Runescape and Navy Field are better and more original than those on that list. Anarchy & DDO were P2P that became F2P's. Allods, RoM & Free Realm are just copycats of some successful P2P's.
Seriously, Bill, go play more F2P's before making a list. Even HelloKitty online has more originality than those on your list.
QFT. I fully agree with what you said although id add spellborn and darkspace to that list too, its like Navy Field just with dreadnoughts instead of battelships
It's only a top 3 because I do not consider Wizard101 or DDO "F2P". It's a trial zone where you must buy content or sub monthly in order to access higher levels (even though some people claim DDO is the "ideal" F2P/RMT model and claims that other MMOs allows you to buy your way to the top....eh)
Guild Wars is Buy To Play, as mentionned by another user.
okay i have played every game on this list, read most of the comments on this thread, and i now feel the need to support DDO. first off Allods and RoM are WoW clones. no two ways about it. i have played WoW too so yes, i know what i'm talking about. you level and the game says "this is what your skills are." almost no customization besides weapon choice. AO was decent except for the fact that it just dumped you into the world without an intro to game mechanics. i played as long as i could before i gave up from not having a clue how to do anything whatsoever. Free Realms is a kids game. nuff said. DDO on the other hand has deep, deep character customization, lots of interesting content, fantastic combat, good graphics, and a good community. i went back to WoW and RoM from DDO last week just to mess around and it was terrible. i could read a book while waiting for combat to work itself out, my only input being my finger on the number buttons. my one reservation about DDO is that the higher level content needs to be bought. of course if you get to level 12 without wasting the store points you earn by just playing the game you can buy some of that content, complete it, and buy yourself some more. admittedly this isn't perfect as you have to complete all of the free stuff on the elite difficulty setting to get the store points but it's a darn sight better than paying $15 a month to grind monster X to level Y and have everything spoon fed to you while you do it.
AO was decent except for the fact that it just dumped you into the world without an intro to game mechanics. i played as long as i could before i gave up from not having a clue how to do anything whatsoever. Free Realms is a kids game. nuff said.
So you're by your very own words ignorant about the game, it's vast content, and its mechanics (or just too plain daft to understand them), and somehow that's the GAME'S fault?
*scratches his head*
Anarchy Online has more content in it and more customization and more loot whoring and more everything in it than all these other MMOs combined. It may not be for all (what game is?), but it sure as hell is fun to me.
It's true that activating expansions in Anarchy Online will lock your account into pay-or-nothing forever, and yes it's stupid. What makes this different from other "unlimited trial" schemes, though, is that they didn't just select 5 zones or create an arbitrary level cap as a teaser. The free part is the entire game as it existed for the first year of its life. I spent about 1100 hours on that content - mostly after the expansions came out. One of those expansions is pretty wonderful, and I'm happy to subscribe, but I am in the minority. The free part is the bulk of the game. If I want to group, that's where I go.
The other thing is that even players who subscribe have second accounts full of free characters. These are useful for two reasons. First, PvP is divided into level brackets, and the objectives benefit everyone. The guild I'm in has made a point of shutting off XP at level 150 in order to maintain strength in that bracket, so we can keep control of a level 150 territory. Everyone in the guild receives a benefit from that regardless of their own character's level, and it also contributes to bonuses received by our entire faction. The second reason is that redoing your stats is costly and eventually becomes impossible, so people make alts just so they can do a particular kind of crafting.
The point being that canceling your pay account isn't as destructive as it sounds. It is actually very beneficial to have people do this now and then, because they devote more time to their lower level characters.
And yes, the game is complicated, and they've done a poor job adding modern tutorial content & documentation. This is probably because the community-authored guides are excellent and extensive, and helping one another ingame with the intricacies of the game is one thing that keeps the community tight.
AO is unlike every other MMO I've played in that "help" doesn't just mean information & advice but actually doing things for one another. Asking questions in chat is just a gateway to the direct interaction which is one of the best parts of the game. For example, you might wonder how someone your level has a pet that cons red to you. You would find your answer in an IGN guide if you looked, but to actually do it will require the assistance of other players. For you to ask in chat "how do I do this?" is an invitation to play the game together.
einexile the meek Vacuos, Winterlong, Vaciante, Eicosapenta Atlantean, Tyranny, Malton
Altough I agree that F2P games have gone a long way I still feel the difference in quality when playing such games compared to one with a subscription model. Gfx and sound is one of the aspects that F2P games still have a long way to go. Runes of Magic for example is a solid MMOG but I just couldnt get past the lackluster and outdated visuals.
Atlantica is better than any of those, and is different from any other MMO currently, p2p or f2p. Actually i haven't tried every game on that list, so i'll change it to, Atlantica is better than DDO, Runes of Magic and Anarchy Online, as that is no longer any fun. It's dead.
“Good grief... Have they been hanging with Aioshi or something?”
They need something to talk about over the water cooler.
'F2P is the new wave' articles have been around for about two years, they have just been getting more frequent. We could create a conspiracy theory but I put it down to journalists looking for the next big thing and wanting to get on the bandwagon and talk about it. This in turn creates its own buzz even when like the proverbial emperor’s clothes there is nothing to see.
Guild Wars is another game that F2P players like to claim for their own, even though it does not to my knowledge have a cash shop. It is certainly an alterative to P2P, but F2P players seem to only be able to think of two options, P2P or F2P, anything else and it is getting too complicated.
For those thinking they might, maybe, could be, sorta interested in playing Anarchy Online check out this thread here. Tell 'em Shmender sent you. The organisation is run be long time players and they welcome froobs.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
for those who say guild wars is free , google the word free ...
guild wars is free if you find the box with all expansions and cd keys in your garden !
for the price of gw and all expansions you can buy 11 times better mmo with atleast 2 months of gameplay , coz guild wars aint gonna last you more than 2 months tbh , that game is just terrible , i would better find myself paying for items from that stupid cash shop instead ...
All I can say is I was happy to see that lotro had not made it way into that list. Make me sad to see ddo at the front of the list but I guess lots of folks are playing it.
I agree with others who say that Guild Wars is not F2P. Although you dont have to pay for the sub, you still have to buy the box. Which isnt the case with the listed F2P MMO's in the article.
So I rather make a top 5 list called : Most bang for the buck!
1. Guild Wars
I always come back there and feel right at home when Im in between playing other MMO's.
2. Anarchy Online (both the F2P version and if it still exists the 5$ sub version).
3. Chronicles of Spellborn
4. Runes of Magic. I was really surprised what it offers for a F2P game. If I would like WoWesque MMO's, I wouldve played it longer.
5. All other F2P and P2P games
MMO's that are P2P AND have Item mall will never reach my top 5.
I havent tried Allods online yet, but I definately will as soon as Im without MMO again (playing EVE atm). Ive tried Free Realms and I think its a solid game, just really not that fun for me.
to be honest, i never really got into atlantica. the "turn based" aspect of the game was done wrong IMO. i was fully expecting a true trun based combat(think FF7) where you can plan strategies and combos, but then i found out there is a count down clock you have to worry about so eventually you just use the same moves on each toon from round to round...:(
RoM and Allod both have SERIOUS inventory issues for it to be enjoyable for me. RoM you have to "rent" your inventory space, and Allod wont sell you a bag big enough to enjoy the game.(even at outragous prices)
AO was fun while I played it. but all together WAAAAAYYYY too laggy at times. I'd go back and play it if i can remember my login and pass:D
D&DO was ok when i tried it during it's P2P days. havent really gone back to it since F2P. maybe one day i'll have to download it again and give it another shot.
the game i'm currently trying is soul of the ultimation nation. so far(level 15) there arent too many major "red flags". inventory seems to be sufficent that you dont have to run back to town every 15 kills(due to generous stack sizes). and gameplay seems ok for "low levels". travel/teleport system seems pricy for low level, but i'm assuming it would balance out at higher levels. would be interested in some opinions from people with extensive experiance with this game. maybe something to look for that can be a long term annoyance.
Comments
What about Guild Wars? Best F2P game imo.
http://www.freerealms.com/article/detail.action?articleId=572
Sounds like a subscription only game to me.
QFT. I fully agree with what you said although id add spellborn and darkspace to that list too, its like Navy Field just with dreadnoughts instead of battelships
Personally, my top 3 F2P would be:
1: Mabinogi
2: Dungeon Fighter Online
3: Atlantica Online
It's only a top 3 because I do not consider Wizard101 or DDO "F2P". It's a trial zone where you must buy content or sub monthly in order to access higher levels (even though some people claim DDO is the "ideal" F2P/RMT model and claims that other MMOs allows you to buy your way to the top....eh)
Guild Wars is Buy To Play, as mentionned by another user.
Damn, Amazon are still trying to charge nine bucks for Guild Wars, can you point me towards where I can pick it up for free?
I know! All these people talking about Guild Wars being F2P... I'm beginning to wonder if I was ripped off paying for it and the expansions!
I checked their site.. can't find anything about it being free. Everywhere I find anything to do with obtaining it, there's a price tag involved.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
okay i have played every game on this list, read most of the comments on this thread, and i now feel the need to support DDO. first off Allods and RoM are WoW clones. no two ways about it. i have played WoW too so yes, i know what i'm talking about. you level and the game says "this is what your skills are." almost no customization besides weapon choice. AO was decent except for the fact that it just dumped you into the world without an intro to game mechanics. i played as long as i could before i gave up from not having a clue how to do anything whatsoever. Free Realms is a kids game. nuff said. DDO on the other hand has deep, deep character customization, lots of interesting content, fantastic combat, good graphics, and a good community. i went back to WoW and RoM from DDO last week just to mess around and it was terrible. i could read a book while waiting for combat to work itself out, my only input being my finger on the number buttons. my one reservation about DDO is that the higher level content needs to be bought. of course if you get to level 12 without wasting the store points you earn by just playing the game you can buy some of that content, complete it, and buy yourself some more. admittedly this isn't perfect as you have to complete all of the free stuff on the elite difficulty setting to get the store points but it's a darn sight better than paying $15 a month to grind monster X to level Y and have everything spoon fed to you while you do it.
So you're by your very own words ignorant about the game, it's vast content, and its mechanics (or just too plain daft to understand them), and somehow that's the GAME'S fault?
*scratches his head*
Anarchy Online has more content in it and more customization and more loot whoring and more everything in it than all these other MMOs combined. It may not be for all (what game is?), but it sure as hell is fun to me.
It's true that activating expansions in Anarchy Online will lock your account into pay-or-nothing forever, and yes it's stupid. What makes this different from other "unlimited trial" schemes, though, is that they didn't just select 5 zones or create an arbitrary level cap as a teaser. The free part is the entire game as it existed for the first year of its life. I spent about 1100 hours on that content - mostly after the expansions came out. One of those expansions is pretty wonderful, and I'm happy to subscribe, but I am in the minority. The free part is the bulk of the game. If I want to group, that's where I go.
The other thing is that even players who subscribe have second accounts full of free characters. These are useful for two reasons. First, PvP is divided into level brackets, and the objectives benefit everyone. The guild I'm in has made a point of shutting off XP at level 150 in order to maintain strength in that bracket, so we can keep control of a level 150 territory. Everyone in the guild receives a benefit from that regardless of their own character's level, and it also contributes to bonuses received by our entire faction. The second reason is that redoing your stats is costly and eventually becomes impossible, so people make alts just so they can do a particular kind of crafting.
The point being that canceling your pay account isn't as destructive as it sounds. It is actually very beneficial to have people do this now and then, because they devote more time to their lower level characters.
And yes, the game is complicated, and they've done a poor job adding modern tutorial content & documentation. This is probably because the community-authored guides are excellent and extensive, and helping one another ingame with the intricacies of the game is one thing that keeps the community tight.
AO is unlike every other MMO I've played in that "help" doesn't just mean information & advice but actually doing things for one another. Asking questions in chat is just a gateway to the direct interaction which is one of the best parts of the game. For example, you might wonder how someone your level has a pet that cons red to you. You would find your answer in an IGN guide if you looked, but to actually do it will require the assistance of other players. For you to ask in chat "how do I do this?" is an invitation to play the game together.
einexile the meek
Vacuos, Winterlong, Vaciante, Eicosapenta
Atlantean, Tyranny, Malton
Altough I agree that F2P games have gone a long way I still feel the difference in quality when playing such games compared to one with a subscription model. Gfx and sound is one of the aspects that F2P games still have a long way to go. Runes of Magic for example is a solid MMOG but I just couldnt get past the lackluster and outdated visuals.
My gaming blog
Not a bad list all in all, but FreeRealms c'mon... Altough i played it for a
short time about 30min's it really got on my nerves that evry chat screen you opened,
had somthing about subscribe now bla bla in it.
Atlantica is better than any of those, and is different from any other MMO currently, p2p or f2p. Actually i haven't tried every game on that list, so i'll change it to, Atlantica is better than DDO, Runes of Magic and Anarchy Online, as that is no longer any fun. It's dead.
“Good grief... Have they been hanging with Aioshi or something?”
They need something to talk about over the water cooler.
'F2P is the new wave' articles have been around for about two years, they have just been getting more frequent. We could create a conspiracy theory but I put it down to journalists looking for the next big thing and wanting to get on the bandwagon and talk about it. This in turn creates its own buzz even when like the proverbial emperor’s clothes there is nothing to see.
Guild Wars is another game that F2P players like to claim for their own, even though it does not to my knowledge have a cash shop. It is certainly an alterative to P2P, but F2P players seem to only be able to think of two options, P2P or F2P, anything else and it is getting too complicated.
I like this list much more then original.
Few of these post's can be so funny. It's like a couple of you are 14 years old, and still don't know the meaning of opinion.
I
mmorpg.com so much sometimes >.>
For those thinking they might, maybe, could be, sorta interested in playing Anarchy Online check out this thread here. Tell 'em Shmender sent you. The organisation is run be long time players and they welcome froobs.
for those who say guild wars is free , google the word free ...
guild wars is free if you find the box with all expansions and cd keys in your garden !
for the price of gw and all expansions you can buy 11 times better mmo with atleast 2 months of gameplay , coz guild wars aint gonna last you more than 2 months tbh , that game is just terrible , i would better find myself paying for items from that stupid cash shop instead ...
Free-2-Play games are too expensive if you want to see their end game.
What about Spellborn?.. I played it when it wasn't F2P but the lack of end-game content sort of killed it for me .. But it had great potential tbh ..
Does anyone know if they've fixed it since they went F2P?.. Or what ever happends on that front?
Kid, we shared our opinion too, so stfu.
All I can say is I was happy to see that lotro had not made it way into that list. Make me sad to see ddo at the front of the list but I guess lots of folks are playing it.
Well, here's the ting about SB...the website says "F2P while in development" so I 'm guessing it will go back to P2P one the re-design is complete.
I agree with others who say that Guild Wars is not F2P. Although you dont have to pay for the sub, you still have to buy the box. Which isnt the case with the listed F2P MMO's in the article.
So I rather make a top 5 list called : Most bang for the buck!
1. Guild Wars
I always come back there and feel right at home when Im in between playing other MMO's.
2. Anarchy Online (both the F2P version and if it still exists the 5$ sub version).
3. Chronicles of Spellborn
4. Runes of Magic. I was really surprised what it offers for a F2P game. If I would like WoWesque MMO's, I wouldve played it longer.
5. All other F2P and P2P games
MMO's that are P2P AND have Item mall will never reach my top 5.
I havent tried Allods online yet, but I definately will as soon as Im without MMO again (playing EVE atm). Ive tried Free Realms and I think its a solid game, just really not that fun for me.
The omission of Atlantica pretty much kills credibility for this list completely
to be honest, i never really got into atlantica. the "turn based" aspect of the game was done wrong IMO. i was fully expecting a true trun based combat(think FF7) where you can plan strategies and combos, but then i found out there is a count down clock you have to worry about so eventually you just use the same moves on each toon from round to round...:(
RoM and Allod both have SERIOUS inventory issues for it to be enjoyable for me. RoM you have to "rent" your inventory space, and Allod wont sell you a bag big enough to enjoy the game.(even at outragous prices)
AO was fun while I played it. but all together WAAAAAYYYY too laggy at times. I'd go back and play it if i can remember my login and pass:D
D&DO was ok when i tried it during it's P2P days. havent really gone back to it since F2P. maybe one day i'll have to download it again and give it another shot.
the game i'm currently trying is soul of the ultimation nation. so far(level 15) there arent too many major "red flags". inventory seems to be sufficent that you dont have to run back to town every 15 kills(due to generous stack sizes). and gameplay seems ok for "low levels". travel/teleport system seems pricy for low level, but i'm assuming it would balance out at higher levels. would be interested in some opinions from people with extensive experiance with this game. maybe something to look for that can be a long term annoyance.