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Missing the old days...
I'm not sure if it's a psychological effect that the first MMORPG one plays will be the one with the best memories. You know what I mean, the first moment you step into a persistent virtual world and you were awed by everything you saw and how the dynamics of the game made the world actually happen. Of course, along with all the other players around you...
That first MMORPG for me was Lineage II back in February 2005 when started on a private server, and that I started to play on the official this weekend 7 years ago now (damn, it really was May 2006..?). Lineage II really made me awe and I enjoyed every step I took there. Sadly though, through time the game's story progressed, and when the Goddess of Destruction came along late 2011 it was my time to quit my adventures in Aden.
Ever since I've been hopping from one MMORPG to an other, spending money on new MMORPGs buying the boxes and pay a couple of months of subscription. But every MMORPG that I played after Lineage II just couldn't substitute the original experience I've had with Lineage II
Earlier this week I've visited the old Dragon Network site again, and I saw that it was still around. I downloaded the old High Five client (that took almost 2 days ) only to find that the server was kinda dead. Yeah, there were two heroes yelling in chat and I saw 3 players run around in Rune, but that's about all there's been happening. Not to mention, the guy I gave my passwords to kinda stripped my characters. All there's left are 2 A-grade sets and that kick-ass pole. My C-duals +15 are gone, my Tallum-DLE is gone. And I have no clue where to restart playing again on that old server. Not to mention, the economy there was broken due to hacks & exploits and it still is broken...
So back to the NCSoft servers then? I'm not sure... The Goddess of Destruciton is still roaming the lands. But at least there are changes coming soon. The one thing that I thought was so great about Lineage II was the huge diversity of the classes, and with the upcoming expansion (which comes with a new land-dragon as well), those are somewhat re-introduced again.
So yeah, right now I'm actually downloading the official Lineage II client and I'm hoping that the upcoming changes will give back that original Lineage II feeling that I had when I started playing back in 2005.
Now I hear you wonder... What about Neverwinter..? Well, I'll still be playing that one but on a less regular basis. Same goes for the upcoming expansion of Star Trek online, I have bought that $20 pack and I certainly will play it. But if I really start to like Lineage II again, I'll make it my main MMORPG again
blog-post I made for today...
Comments
First MMORPG's are the most precious because everything is new and unique. You play without judgement and simply enjoy the game for what it is. The second MMORPG that we play is going to be constantly compared to the first. It could be a good thing if your first MMORPG was pretty terrible, but the second usually ends in disappointment. Fast forward years later and we're constantly judging a game based on our knowledge and previous experiences. The problem is that our memories degrade and people tend to glorify distant memories. I think this happens subconsciously whether we realize it or not.
That's my theory on the subject. I also enjoyed reading your blog post.
I don't know if it's necessarily true in all cases that the "new experience" effect can't be repeated beyond your first MMO.
It really has everything to do with how you approach each new game.
My favorite and longest-played MMO of all time is FFXI. However, it wasn't my first. It was actually my 3rd, and so by the time I started it, I was already pretty familiar with MMOs, what they were, etc. It was the first MMO that really grabbed me, though.
After that, I discovered Lineage 2. It gave me that "all new experience" all over again and became my second favorite and longest-played MMO.
After that, I picked up EQ2, and it - again - gave me that "all new feeling".
Same with Matrix Online. Same with Anarchy Online. Same with just about every other MMO I've played that actually kept me interested.
The reason I think that's worked for me is because I basically enter each new MMO with a kind of "self-inflicted amnesia" for the MMOs I played before it. I don't make comparisons between them. When I started playing Lineage 2, I wasn't playing it with expectations of "how it compared to FFXI", or trying to capture that same feeling. How could I? It's a different world, different lore, different races and creatures and such. To try and relate my experience in that new MMO based on how it compared to my previous one would only undermine the experience of being in that new world. This would be completely counter-intuitive.
If I'm going into a new MMO looking for comparisons or similarities to what I've already played, then why even bother playing? I'm playing a different MMO for a new experience. Not for one I've already had.
I approach every new MMO as a brand-new experience. Or at least really try to. With the "me-too" approach so many devs have taken in the last 8 or so years, it's more difficult to do, because even when you try to approach it with a clean slate, there's still that sense of "I've played this before, only it didn't look the same".
So, I can honestly say that - at least for me - my ability to be drawn in and immersed in a new MMO world - whether it's my 1st or my 100th, is almost entirely based on the game itself.
Now, that's how I approach the games for myself.
When it comes to describing those games, or discussing them with others, I'll certainly make references or comparisons. But then it's because the best way to describe something someone may not be familiar with, is often to draw comparisons to other things that they likely are. This is the approach often used and promoted when pitching a new game idea to a Publisher, for example. If it conveys the idea, then it's effective.
But anyway, I guess that's why I always find it odd when people say "you only really enjoyed that MMO because it was your first". My answer to that is always, "No, I really liked that MMO because I really liked it..."