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I'm looking for a MMO (like always).
Magiknight
Member CommonPosts: 782
Every now and then, when I am ranting about MMOs, people will suggest I play this game or that game. I never jump right to trying a game. Sometimes I doubt the game will be right for me or I don't want to boot to windows or I don't understand why the game is different than most of the other MMOs.
So if anyone knows of a niche (it would have to be) MMO that has the qualities I am looking for in an MMO please do tell.
- PVE Focused
-Few to No Instances
-Forced Grouping and dependency on other players (preferably because others are different and make up for your weaknesses)
-Isn't endgame focused
-Takes a LONG time to get to endgame
-Choosing a race has consequences (it's not just aesthetics).
-Good Story
-Harsh Death Penalty
Things that are in most MMOs that I wont do: soloing to end game. solo quest grind. bad stories. quest markers. running around killing everything in a zone for 5 minutes and repeating without having to stop.
If you know of a game that's along those lines I'd be interested in trying it out. Someone mentioned Atlantica Online but I don't know a thing about it.
Comments
I find myself suggesting wurm online on most of these LFG topics, and I'll go ahead and do it again.
- PVE Focused - yes, there are entire servers for PvE only.
- Few to No Instances - Entire world is a big island with no instances, it can also be terraformed freely and you can build houses and shit anywhere.
- Forced Grouping and dependency on other players (preferably because others are different and make up for your weaknesses) - you can team up with people to build a bigger city. Building large settlements takes a long time and lots of resources, so it will be faster with multiple people. Also, you need different religion priests for enchants (one player can only have 1 religion), you also need specialist crafters for specific tools, because it's very hard to focus on all skills yourself, they just take too long.
- Isn't endgame focused - no endgame
- Takes a LONG time to get to endgame - no such thing as endgame here.
- Choosing a race has consequences - there are no races in this game. Choosing a religion has consequences though.
- Good Story - it's a sandbox, so no.
- Harsh Death Penalty - when you die, you drop all your items (can be retrieved if you remember where you died) and you lose 25% progression to the next level in 4 skills.
You basically listed everything atlantica has, ignore the cash shop unless you want quick money! Other than that, enjoy leveling all the variety of mercenaries you can obtain, run guild/nation dungeons. The game heavily relies on the community so join the most populated server -> Argos Server.
Join a guild as soon as you can and you'll meet a lot of nice folks, its a very mature community.
No AAA games for that anymore. All you'll be offered is Asian FTP titles... and Wurm Online (which would be a decent game if it didn't look so terrible.. it looks so bad that even people who don't care about graphics won't play it).
Vanguard would have been the closest thing but that's shutting down soon.
Anarchy Online (with shadowlands, not the ftp version) and Asheron's Call 1 fit the bill.. but they are very old school, dunno if you've already played them.
DAOC has a massive PVE section and a massive learning curve. Old school again though... and you might have played it already. Good stories when you get into the expansion stuff. It fits everything on your list.. it's just a little old. Definitely worth a trial if you've never tried it.. the learning curve will blow your mind though so you gotta be patient.
Because, your so very specific. I don't think it's fair to outright any MMORPG as exactly right for you. However, I can tell you how my MMORPG of Choice ( Runescape )compares:
- PVE Focused
Though there is PvP present in the game. It's simply not as popular as it used to be. And even about half the forms of PvP are safe PvP and so in effect are PvE.
-Few to No Instances
The only true instancing in the game is done within some of the highest level boss fights and Deamonhiem (an area off to the side of the main game in which you practice dungeoneering, which is practically it's own game within the game).
-Forced Grouping and dependency on other players (preferably because others are different and make up for your weaknesses)
While there are activities players can do as a group, or are encouraged to do as a group. Aside from some of the toughest bosses in the game. And, maybe 3 quests total. You are capable of making your way solo (though I wouldn't recommend doing so).
-Isn't endgame focused
While there is a strong end game. When Jagex updates and patches they do so unilaterally. It's a game that can very much be as entertaining at level cap as it as on the first day of playing.
-Takes a LONG time to get to endgame
26 skills (soon to be 27) all of which go to level 99 (accept dung which for some odd reason goes to 120). Many of these skills can take as much time to cap any one of them as it does to cap a character in a lot of other MMORPG.
-Choosing a race has consequences (it's not just aesthetics).
There is 1 race. although...you do end up sort of becoming other races throughout the game during questing temporarily. This one is yellow because with the dawn of the 6th age. Player choice of alignment is starting to matter a lot more. We are starting to see the emergence of opt-in factions.
-Good Story
You would be hard pressed to find deeper or richer multi-faceted lore then is present in runescape. And the way quests are done that tell you that story...You will be spoiled on questing in other games after (to the point where you may not consider most other games to even contain quests).
-Harsh Death Penalty
If your smart. if you stay on your game. If you are well prepared. And, act quickly when you die. The death penalty really isn't that harsh in PvE. It is more of an inconvenience. At least at low levels...at higher levels though it very much can be. It can be absolutely soul crushingly, rage quit for a month, brutal.
I would recommend the best RPG of all. Imagination. Millions of people play it daily.
-PVE Focused
All you have to do is choose PVE mode.
-Few to No Instances
None if you don't want them.
-Forced Grouping and dependency on other players (preferably because others are different and make up for your weaknesses)
You can make as many friends as you want and force them to do what you want.
-Isn't endgame focused
This isn't about endgame at all.
-Takes a LONG time to get to endgame
Oh, let me just say it could take your entire life.
-Choosing a race has consequences (it's not just aesthetics).
It sure can. Pick the wrong race and everyone will hate you.
-Good Story
The best part about the story here, is you can take it wherever you want.
-Harsh Death Penalty
Well if you die that's it buddy. Games over forever.
I'm not sure if this is serious or a joke. If this isn't being completely sarcastic and your talking about a game that exists. You haven't made a solid argument for it. If your coming on the MMORPG.com forums and flaming a poster about needing to 'pick a book' or 'get a life'...that is a really bad move here.
Sadly you're basically describing MMORPGs as they originally existed (with some variations so not exactly) and even more sadly since WoW ruined the design of MMORPGs (great as it might be, it did forever change how MMORPGs are created, or at least forever up til now), no "real" MMORPGs are made these days.
I keep hoping that since WoW clones have pushed being dumbed down, loser-oriented, and generic about as far as they can that some major dev will decide to make a GOOD MMORPG instead of going for flashy numbers.
Right now there is no hope. ESO is pure crap. WildStar is as clone as it gets and mixes a sub with pay 2 win cash for gold (CREDD) so it's beyond crap, F2P is pure crap so EQN's slap in the face of EverQuest is going to be crap in so many ways.
There never was anything wrong with the original formula for MMORPGs. It worked. Well. It just was never going to generate huge numbers of players because real MMORPGs are niche games - not everybody wants to group, or deal with challenge, or exist in danger. And that's ok. Or it would be ok if developers weren't backed by greedy corporations who only care about profits and care nothing for quality of game.
What passes for MMORPGs may involve more players now overall but most of those players don't even like real core MMORPG gameplay (grouping/challenge) and are such fail that they lead to crap like F2P making the genre even worse.
So, there is no such game unless you go back and play the classics (some of which are still going and still sub-based, unlike the wow clone failures that can't retain players enough to stay sub-based and sell out to F2P to whore money from low quality scrubs who either want stuff free or want to pay 2 win).
Maybe some day but it won't be anytime soon since all we have in the immediate future that matters is WildStar (sub-based clone with built-in RMT), EQN (mostly talk and hot air and will be more single player ez-mode F2P crap), archage (more crap), and fringe titles that you wouldn't even know were going to exist without this site.
Premium MMORPGs do not feature built-in cheating via cash for gold pay 2 win. PLAY to win or don't play.
You call your 'joke game' Imagination. As if that is the thing the OP is missing. And, as if they can't have that regardless of what game they play. If your 'joke' wasn't mocking the OP's pursuit of a new title to play. If it wasn't coming on a games forum and being suggestive of gaming being futile. Then what was it? Honestly, I felt it was also mocking my choice of format for that response. As if the way I chose to put it was needless (when it actually a very common way people handle replying here, addressing things in a 1-to-1 manner).
This can be analogized like so:
An American on Vacation in Italy walks into an association football (soccer) outfitter and says loudly to no one in specific "Hey where can I buy a real football?"
Do you see what I am getting at here?
Take A Flash To The Past , Revisit Old MMOs ,
.
Last Chaos Is Still Up And Running ,
.
Fiesta Online Still Has A Good Sized Player Base
,
Aikia Online , Not As Old As Some But Still Open World Not Instance Play
.
Cabal Online , I Always Liked This Game , For 1 Month At A Time
I don't believe MMORPGs need to have a niche. You mentioned the games being dumbed down, which I agree with. It reminds me of resident evil. If you look at 1-3, compared to 4-6. they are extremely dumbed down and barely resemble the originals to appeal to the masses. Streamlined so that more people will try the title. So morons and people that dont care for puzzles and challenges will try it, and the ones who loved the originals still feel the need to try it.
However when it comes to MMORPGs. You have people who want to gear up, who want guilds/groups. Those who want challenge, and those who want ease. You have those who want to solo and have a lots of side stuff to do. Those who want to have a story, those who want to make money, those who want to do crafting. Basically you have people that would enjoy all different aspects in a game. Why not put them all in a single title, and make them work side by side.
Almost all of the things people want or enjoy doing within an MMORPG, can be contained within a single game. It's when you focus on niches that things get complicated. Then it becomes hard to change things, and make the game appeal more to other people, or hold that appeal over existing players as they become tired of a single aspect.
When you make a niche title, a game with a specific focus, that's all it should be. Most MMORPGs have their main niche/focus, but are filling the games with all other types.. well, filler content that hardly has purpose and heart to it.
@Helleri - I understand what you're saying. I'm a joker, and my sense of humor and sarcasm is boundless. Sometimes my jokes and such can come by as an insult or mocking, etc. It was not my intention to insult you or the poster. I found it funny, and I was laughing my ass off as I was making the post. It was intended for a laugh. Although it seems i'm the only one laughing.
Thanks for the input everyone. Even if you were making jokes!
It looks like I will be trying Wurm Online or Atlantica Online (as soon as I get the nerve to boot up Windows).
I'm concerned that Dark Age of Camelot and Anarchy Online have changed (like FFXI and Everquest did) to be more comparable to WoW. If that's not the case then maybe I'll give them a try too. I heard great things about Anarchy Online and DAOC when I was playing Everquest and FFXI.
If You Like The Feel Of The Game Wurm , You Might Also Want To Look At Runescape , Sherwood Online , War Of Thrones , And Eldevin Online
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
Edgar Allan Poe
I tried going back to DAoC just last month to try it out. It's... different. To start with, being a low level is a very lonely experience, which is sad in a game that rewards grouping (an I enjoyed playing a Cleric). They've also changed most of the GUI layout to be more WoWish; lots of skills, buttons, settings, etc. spammed all over the place in front of your face instead of the basic layout they originally had. There are also a lot more quests than I remembered - when I first played I recall a quest here or there, but nothing that really held your hand like they do now.
Wurm is a very... um... harsh game to look at. I mean, I grew up in the 8-bit era and still go back to play some good old classic 8/16 bit games for fun, but Wurm is just plain butt ugly. Sorry, there's no icing for me to put on that one, or silver lining to look for. It's a game that fell from the top of the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, then tumbled face-first down the Grand Canyon, got sucked into the Hoover Dam and launched so hard against a brick wall, the last thing that went through its head was its ass.
If the ugliness isn't bad enough, you could easily spend hours building one item only to end up staring at an amorphous blob of pixels in the screen and need someone to tell you "Oh, congrats! You built a house!" to realize what this life-sized amoeba-corpse-looking thing you built is supposed to be.
"As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days those are now the only two states youll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2