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Is there a MMORPG that is 100% skill based?
BuckeyeInFL
Member Posts: 3
Lost my ID and password and been a while so I started a new account.
Anyway, I was talking with some friends about Darkfall. We were initially excited about it because we were under the understanding initially that it was going to be very much centered on skill with little to no emphasis on grinding. but it didn't turn out that way. Likely, those who think they must be rewarded for time invested demanded enough for the game to be made their way.
I have no problems with there being games that require, or even reward grinders, but the fact is, many of us don't have 10 hours or more a day to invest in a game. We want to log in a few hours a week, maybe several hours on a weekend and do not want to be penalized by playing against people who are being rewarded for logging in many many hours a day every day of the week. The only games I know that don't penalize those of us who have a life are FPS games. WWIIOL is one that does get you to the top equipment very quickly and thus it is skill and team work only that allow you to get a kill. But, what I am talking about is a Darkfall type game that is similar, that does not penalize you for having a life outside the game.
Frankly, I am surprised there are not more games like that. Who wants to join a game that is two or three years old if you are relegated to the rank of target. Like WoW did, where high level Palidins could hold off a hundred newer players.
I made that point on another board where we were discussing Darkfall. I said that I have no interest in joining older games that reward grinding and where my skill is not the #1 determining factor in my success or failure.
As I said, I know there are some players who want a game where ther time is rewarded with advantages over other players, but IMHO these MMP games have a short life as players WILL leave over time and new players check in, get quickly tired of getting nowhere against the day one players, and so check out. In fact, on guy talked about that with Darkfall. He gave it about 15 days, then deleted it from his hard drive because he didn't think they had properly addressed the grinding issues.
So again, I ask, are there any very good Fantasy type games that center the game around skill 100% or nearly so to the point that casual players can compete equally with those who have no life outside of the game.
Skill > Grind
Comments
well... you will be defeated by other casuals and call them no lifers so no.
what are you looking for is a balanced RTS or a Shooter,most mmos aint casual by default game design.
closest thing i know for casual market is Guild Wars.(other games may offend you if i mention them)
GW1 pvp is completely skill based all pvp characters are on pretty much an even footing with no grind. The problem with what your asking for is that the mere fact that people have played it so long means they're far superior to you by mere skill alone and noone in their right mind would play with a noob is far less skillful than he is unless they are friends. if you choose to goin the pvp scene of that game.
I recommend you join a good pvp guild or attempt to play HA as much as possible regardless of however many times you lose because higher level teams will only play with you if you've acquired a decent amount of pvp experience.
Well, until I got to that I was gonna suggest EVE.. Umm.. I guess now I suggest waiting.
"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
LOL, you don't know me. I love a challenge. In WWIIOL I tend to play the side that is outgunned. I can recognize skill on the battlefield and have no problem tipping my hat to those who are skilled.
So sue me if I don't want to play a game where I can shoot at a guy and hit him 100 times and he turns around and snuffs me with some spell you have to be a level 100 wizard to get.
There is nothing wrong with skill based only games. In fact, many FPS players want a game to play in the fantasy world that is skill based. Nothing wrong with that. Will soem still whine? Sure...so what. Doesn't chage the fact that there is a large whole in the market out there because those who make FPS game basically make skill only games while Fantasy game makers think every game must have a grind element/time reward.
The idea would be to have a game where you battle over territory. But at the same time, have some neutral territories for the RPG elements. Find ways of rewarding time without giving an advantage over other players. It can be done you know. Many FPS games do just this. You do go up in level, you do earn medals, milestones, etc... but they don't give you an advantage over other players.
This is good for the game if it is a subscription MMP game because fresh meat don't feel like ground meat after a week of playing. Sure, they will need to practice to get up to speed, but that is different from 1 day 1 player holding off 100 new players who have no shot because the game is hard coded in favor of the player who has 5,000 hours logged in game.
Just my humble opinion
Skill > Grind
Anything like that is going to be a shooter, or Mount and BLade: Warband, which is not an MMO but does play online. The only MMOs that come to mind are Planetside and Face of Mankind. While I never played the former, the latter's combat really is based on skill (though there are aimbot users about). I find FoM a fascination game, but the crafting and community is painful. Still worth a try since it's free though, just make sure you pick the right faction for your tastes, the factions in that game have roles associated with them.
Also, try APB when it comes out or try to get into the current beta somehow.
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I guess you could try Planetside if you give up the Fantasy requirement.
Unfortunately there is no other game out there as fun as Darkfall but it does have that grind and that is why you see their forums full of QQs about the grind (people leave the game and end up coming back all the time because there really isnt much out there for the PVPer). The closest thing that I have found is Mortal Online which is free to play and in beta atm now but I know that no matter how much they polish the game, I prefer the feel of Darkfall much more. I have been trying all sorts of games and looking to find something better but there really isnt anything that will give a bigger rush because of the full-loot ffa pvp with the more realistic combat aspect.
Have you tried Global Agenda? I play that while I am harvesting in Darkfall and it is pretty enjoyable. There is a grind unfortunately with limited maps that I got sick of during my 2nd day . .. but it is getting funner the more that I play and I do not feel too set back by being low level.
To be honest, I have never really grind in Darkfall and do good in PVP because I have gone with the archery/melee focus. The grind is too big for me to be a mage right now but eventually I will get there but I can only play 10-20 hours a week at tops so it will take some time. The major set back for new players is the HP formula but that is supposed to be fixed fairly soon along with prestige classes which will hopefully help me to be able to compete with surging nuke vets when I ditched my melee/archery specs to work on magic. As it is now, I pretty much need invulnerability to kill fully developed characters (luckily the grind to get that far is not bad at all). You can play the game casually but you will have to accept that the character development will be slow. I do think that the game is primarily player-skill based despite what people say because I have been playing it for 14 months and sometimes enjoy logging onto my alt for more difficult and cautionary PVP and even on my main toon I am usually facing larger numbers and those with more skills. It is also funner on my lowbie alt in the sense that I can kill other noobs who have more stats/skills than I do without feeling bad because they are newer. The game gets a lot funner when your character is developed enough . ... a fully developed Darkfall account is worth thousands of US dollars . .. anyways, there should be more things introduced to make it funner for the casual players as I had to leave my computer on and swim for a couple months while AFK harvesting while I clean the house or do dishes and stuff to get that HP to be the monster tank that I am today . ... HP forumla will take my advantage from swimming away so the game may be worth checking out for you in a couple months (weeks?).
Good luck!
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You could try MAG on the PS3, it's 100% skill-based...oh crap except for the imbalance of map advantages depending on which faction you are, and the fact that you level and gain access to better weapons and equipment that you can fit into your loadouts, and the fact that even if you're uber-face PWN-tard, if you get in a crappy squad you'll have a hard time winning even in the smallest 32 vs 32 maps...
Alright, scrap that.
100% skill based....you could try....CounterStrike? What is your skill at bunny-hopping?
Nah, in seriousness, other people on here have nailed it. You're going to have a hard time finding a game you can jump into and always win simply because you have better skill than others. Your rate of wins might go up in some because of superior skill or tactics, but you're never going to get a game that is 100% skill-based unless it's "Battle Royale of the Steven Seagal Clones." **
Yep, you guessed it. Everyone is Steven Seagal, with the same Seagal Stats and the same Seagal Gear.
In any game that offers differentiation, skill is only going to be part of the equation.
**Not a real game....yet....
Currently playing: LOTRO, Guild Wars 2.
Have played: EVE Online; Champions Online; Age of Conan; City of Heroes/Villains; Star Wars Galaxies (pre-CU, pre-NGE); World of Warcraft (Vanilla to Cataclysm); Hellgate: London; Warhammer Online; Lord of the Rings Online; Vanguard: Saga of Heroes; Star Wars: The Old Republic
Wishlist: Mass Effect Online
Look up player run Ultima Online shards. They are free and although the game is old it is entirely skill based. If you find the right shard a new player should be on par with a vet, after raising your skills of course. Here's a link to the top 200 player run shards http://www.gamesites200.com/ultimaonline/