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Argh, a n00b's lament...
NordicBear
Member Posts: 19
Well, at least it's a catchy title... 
After a long exile away from MMORPGs, my last experience was years ago on good ol' Lineage, I've decided to return to the fold and start up again somewhere. However, I only really have the time, money and patience for one game, and I've come across several which I equally like the sound of. 
So, I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice on what the best MMORPG right now is, and why. 'Best' is a rather vague term, but that's fine as I really don't know what I'm looking for. I do have a few rough guidelines though:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
- I'd put myself in between a casual and obsessive player, so anything which requires a lot of grinding to get anywhere or anything which can be burned through in a few hours is out.
- If possible, I'd like a game with strong group/alliance/guild leanings.
- The freedom to go and do what you want is really important, and I want to play a game which I can really explore.
Any help would be appreciated. 
(Currently I'm pretty stuck between WoW, DaoC, GW and Ryzom)
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Really NordicBearskin, full name wouldn't fit...
Comments
Guild Wars has no monthly fees, which is good for a fairly new MMO player. However, it's not really a true MMO. It's better compared to Diablo. The cities serve as the lobby. Anyways I didn't care for it when I played the beta, as I found it got REAL repetative, REAL fast. Even with a great guild, you'll find yourself asking "what is there to do other than PvP?" Because that's all there is to do at the endgame. WoW on the other hand, has lots of end game, but the game gets worse every time it's patched. Known bugs get put in with the patch with the preface "we'll fix it with the next patch" which is flawed logic. However, the little b.net kiddies demanded monthly patches (as Blizzard promised before), and this is what they get in return. DAoC is a fairly solid game. There's crafting, PvP, raid content, and more. Graphcis aren't as sharp as WoW, but the gameplay and execution of the game as a whole is better. Ryzom is EXTREMELY open ended, as there's no classes. Levels are based on what you do. Exploring, crafting, magic and fighting. To be honest, I played the 14 day trial, and kinda didn't like it, as I personally don't have a great computer (Athlon 2000+, 256mb RAM, Radeon 9200SE 128mb vid card) so it didn't look impressive like WoW did on low settings. However, the expansion coming soon will add played driven content in the way of new areas, and from my understanding, the loot that's in there as well, but I might be wrong. In either case, I personally would recommend DAoC or Ryzom. Ryzom has a free trial (CC needed, but it's a small price to pay) for sure, and I believe DAoC does as well. Maybe try them both out, read up on them some, and see which suits your play style better?
Hmmm
Ok I'm going to suggest Star Wars Galaxies, you sound a lot like me... casual gamer timewise but want a truely immersive and challenging MMO to play.
It's very guild oriented though you can get by ok without one. It's factional PVP which means you'll have allies in combat regardless if you join a guild or not as well. And PVP is, of course, optional... if you don't want to engage in it you don't have to.
You won't ever really finish your character since yo can constantly re-make yourself, at the same time it doesn't take forever to finish a template either. I'd say it's rather light on the 'grind' as far as MMO's go. It's not as fast to level as GW or WOW but it's faster than say... EQ or Lineage... Takes about 2 months of steady play at 1-2 hours a day to create a fully templated character but you can always change your mind and change your character around at any time as well so you could literally remake yourself for years and never 'finish' playing with your character. And, if you decide you really want to grind you can always work on getting Jedi. Which is cool because once you unlock your Jedi slot you get an alt slot that you can level up as a normal char as well as your Jedi Character. I've finally 'finished' my template after tinkering with it for over a year and playing around with my secondary professions and skills till I have them where I want them so now I'm just having fun, enjoying the game and slowly putting away xp to unlock Jedi if that urge ever strikes. Even if it does I only plan to grab the healing line to replace my combat medic line
Once I have that I can create a crafter or whatever with my 2nd slot that will open up 
And I'll be one MEAN BH with force powers, and hey... if I get a wild hair I can always whip out the glowstick to play whack-a-mob with 
As far as things to explore and see there aren't any MMO's out that have more things to explore see do or try except maybe EverQuest and DAOC.... SWG is just overflowing with content. Spaceflight, multiple planets to explore, multiple space sectors to explore, etc. The crafting system is top notch, one of the best in the industry if not THE best. It's got player housing and player cities, usually run by a guild. Player owned vendors allow you to sell items even when you are offline and if you choose not to be a trader you can still sell items on the bazaar or have a friend sell them on their vendor.
Another good game to try out would be EVE. Since all your skills auto-train over Real World Time you have no grind whatsoever to deal with but it DOES take a very long time to 'finish' your character. This game is skill based as well but in a different way. It's main focus is PVP, however so if you're not into that this might not be for you.
Obviously I'm a bit biassed towards Sci-Fi MMO's right now because I'm a bit burned out on the Fantasy Genre...
Other than those two both WoW and EQ2 are nice games though I think, since you are looking for something less 'casual' you'd like EQ2 better. DAoC is always a good option though it's one hell of a grind to get to 50.
But SWG and EVE would be my first two suggestions followed by EQ2 and WoW (In that order)
Good luck!
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
It truly sounds like Saga of Ryzom would be good for you. It is all about exploration and you can get stuff done in a short period of time. The crafting is very well implemented and the look of the game is amazing. You won't blow through it in a couple months either. You can really explore and go places and discover till your hearts content, try the free trial I think it would be perfect for you.
www.ryzom.com
@ brian72282 - I'd heard that things were bad in WoW in that area, but not to the point where they're releasing rushed and buggy patches.
I may have to stop being a closet Blizzard fanboy (DII can buy a lot of devotion)...<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
DaoC is looking very enticing, though I'm a little wary of the expansion packs. They're probably nothing, but I'm shamefully computer illiterate, my answer to every computer error is to aim a swift kick and hope for the best.
I've begun branching out and researching these and other games, and only the fact that my computer's in the shop for repairs (Kicking didn't fix it...
) is stopping me from checking out some free trial goodness.
@ Elnator - Wow, unusual suggestions! At least, I wasn't expecting them...
(Your analysis of me is also pretty much spot on)
I'll be sure to check out both of your main suggestions, they both sound very interesting!
@ anarchyart - The Saga of Ryzom seems (From what I've read, which isn't much) to have some things which really appeal to me and other things which really don't. I love the sound of the character creation system and the 'living' eco system, I hope I haven't got my MMORPG's mixed up
. 'Tis be one I'll be keeping my eye squarely upon...
Thank you everyone for your replies!
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Really NordicBearskin, full name wouldn't fit...
I've been a fan of Blizzard since d2. However, I'm glad I've been broke since WoW came out. I'd have bought it on day one, sank months into it, only to hate the game for the rushed and buggy content. Now I'm sure some fanboy will run in and be like "OMG BLIZZARD DIDN'T ADD BUGGY CONTENT!!111oneoneexclamationpoint" but the fact is, the 1.5.0 patch almost completely broke hunters. I know because I have several friends who play hunters as a main. There's also other bugs that have gone in, and if I can find the post on their forums where Blizzard said "We know it's a bug, we'll fix it with the next patch" I will, but with the way their forums are, it's probably on page 39472397522362 by now. Again, I'd recommend trying out SoR first, and if you're not satisfied, test out DAoC. I believe if you want the game, they have a box set with all the expansions together for like $40 or something. I'm not DAoC expert though, so the price may be off.
Sorry to get off topic, and I don't mean to sound like a fanboy, but minor correction. The hunter bug did not make hunters worse in any way after the patch. It was an ongoing bug since beta that had to do with cast delay of certain hunter spells, and Blizzard was stating that they would get rid of this bug with NEXT patch. They weren't releasing newly created buggy content. (I don't really like WoW, just thought I'd get that clear. It's kind of too straight-forward, the crafting system is simple and boring.. I could go on but I'm sure most realize this already).
Anyways, back to the topic. SoR is pretty neat, I may just be partial to it because it has no classes/jobs, and you can choose from between a huge skill tree what you want your character to be good at... Out of the games you listed, this is probably the longest lasting (depending if you like it or not, noone can tell that besides you).
WoW and GW would be good for some quick fun. GW, you can switch back to whenever you want, even while playing another MMORPG...
If you wait, or have some quick fun now, there's some new MMOs coming out soon that may or not be really great (but don't pay too much attention to the hype or you'll get burned).
As an ex-Lineage player as well, I'd have to reccomend Lineage II. At first it'll feel somewhat familiar but a little awkward. After awhile, though, you'll be right back into the good ol' days of Lin1. :P
There's one big difference between Lineage 1 and Lineage 2, however. That's the equipment. In Lineage 1, it was fairly easy to equip yourself with decent safely enchanted equip. In Lineage 2, however, the goal is more focused on getting the gear first, then you can worry about overenchanting. Things will seem rediculously expensive at first, but once you start reaching those goals, it'll feel really good. Lin2 definately has a bigger sense of achievement than Lin1.
However, just like Lineage 1, this game isn't for everyone. But you, as an ex-Lineage player, I think would fit right in.
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"Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro;
Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore."
-Machiavelli
1. The guild system in EQ2 is one of the best of any MMO to date, and this is very true.
2. It aso from what I have heard and experienced it is also one the funnest games to explore in. It is a huge world with amazing graphics.
3. EQ2 does have a grind. But it is not a horrible grind. WoW you can bust through very quickly, so I would stay away from that. FFXI has a long grind that will only allow you to progress swiftly is if you invest huge anounts of time into it. EQ2 is right in between.
Though there is no PvP in EQ2 at the moment. It will be added through an expansion releasing this september if I am correct. It will be Arena based, similar to the City of Heroes style PvP. One final statement, the game has an incredible crafting system. Very in depth, but tough to get far in. I truely believe that this game will fit your need most from your post.
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Can someone please make me a sig. I would like it to have something to do with an eagle(the bird) Somewhere near the eagle can you put the words "Global Defense Initiative". Could you also have the line "If you can't buff up, don't step up!". Thanks!
Private Message me about it!
Do you people ever suggest There? He said he wanted to explore, and have freedom. See where the part of mentioning There might help him?
There
The only limitation in There is your own imagination!
Yea because he told he he wanted to sit around and talk to people all day :P Seriously, no one suggested it because it's NOT what he's looking for. SoR is probably be best fit for what he wants, unless he wants a class and level based system. IF that's the case, then EQ2 would be best for him. Otherwise SoR would be better. EVERYONE here has said that Joel. We know about your "There" and if we ever hear of someone looking for a "Virtual world" then we'll suggest it.
Well Joel, if you go back through the posts you will notice that most people have suggested games that they are partial to, which is only natural. Since you are the one that plays There, it is therefore up to you to suggest it to someone--don't expect anyone else to.
To the original poster: I would recommend Everquest 2, but then again I'm biased (it's what I'm currently into). The game has a massive amount of content, and it's a bit slower paced than say a game like WoW, so you won't reach end game as fast. However, it is more casual friendly than other games, still giving you a feeling of accomplishment during shorter playing sessions.
Just my opinion
*scribbles down notes*
My list of potential games is slowly growing, I'm not quite sure yet if that's a good thing though.
Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply so far, I'll be trying out all the free trials I can lay my hands on when (And if, my computer is currently in half a dozen pieces) my computer is returned to me. I hadn't considered EQ II, does it come with a free trial or will I have to badger a friend to get it and then camp out in their room for two weeks?
(I must say, there appears to be a lot of good MMORPG's out there)
I've never heard of There, but I can always suffer to learn a little about anything.
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Really NordicBearskin, full name wouldn't fit...
There should still be a free trial for EQ2. Check out the official site for the link, it should still be around.. It's the newbie island that you get to try out, you can do quests, try fighting stuff, or try crafting on it. You can go up to lvl 6, I believe.
EQ2 has a pretty great crafting system, good character customization (as in, how your character looks), and really nice gfx. If I could ignore my hate for the rest of the game, that's what I'd be playing atm :S
SoR has a free trial, 14 days I believe. DAOC has a trial too I believe.
WoW and GW do not. WoW is doing well enough, they don't really need to draw more customers with free trials. :S
Good luck, hope you find something you enjoy.