OT: Does anyone play MMORPGs?

[Nydlari]

Way off topic, but I think this is a good group to get advice from. I'd really like to find a fun MMORPG to start playing. I've tried Everquest, Anarchy Online, and DAoC but they all got very boring, very fast.
I'd like a game where there is more of a challenge than: How long can you stay online killing things.

So, Does anyone around here play any MMORPGs, and if so what and how do you like it?

[aun1]

Hello
i have been playing everquest a lot , its infact the only mmorpg i have ever played , but after getting one toon to lvl 60 , it has become horribly boring , ive heard really good things bout DAoC .. and also bout a game called LINEAGE ... its reviewer said it sucks though but i have heard it has a huuuuge player base.
anyhow , i would say you try ultima online if you havnt tried it already..hell those guys quit making its 2nd part because they saw good old ultima still flourishing ! try it if you havnt
good luck.
ButcH

[Rokenn]

Played EQ for over 3 years and finally kicked the habit last year [img]tongue.gif[/img]

If you want a break from fantasy based MMORPGs try Jumpgate. I played it for a few months and had a good time. It is a space based game that is heavy on PvP, but also has trading and exploration elements. If you are not into PvP join a neutral squad and most people will leave you alone, except the pirates of course

[Oberon]

I'm rather a fan of MMORPGs, I played UO when it first came out, since then, I've played most of the other ones, in beta if not retail (other than Anarchy online, where the beta was too buggy to play even)

Eq is ver slow paced, DAOC is faster paced, but it really starts slowing back down around level 10 or so. On the other hand, the realm warfare is a nice way to keep the upper levels interesting. Both of these games are similar, but you can see where Camelot really learned a lot of how to build its game based on what people disliked about EQ.

On the other hand, you may want to try your hand at Asheron's Call. In my opinion its the best MMORPG out there. Every time I try something new, I eventually wander back to AC. Large areas to explore, and its very different and more fast paced than EQ or Camelot. A combat in AC is determined by a lot of things, and quick reactions to a situation, and careful maneuvering are important. Movement is real, one of my biggest problems with EQ and Camelot is that the average character moves very slow, and outrunning monsters is hard. In AC, the whole pace of movement is quite a bit quicker. Another favorable point for AC is that wilderness hunting is viable, camping is very rare except on brand new quests (and the timers are usually very short, 15 minutes or less anyhow). And finally, solo questing is possible and viable on all but the hardest of quests. On the downside, getting a group together on the fly is tougher to do unless you get in with a group of people that tend to adventure together (A guild, except they are called allegences in AC and theres quite a bit more to them than normal guilds).

Advancement isn't very hard for a new player, and they recently redid all the beginner areas so as to make them more interesting (they really sucked before around september). A dedicated player can make level 20-30 fairly quickly, and even at higher levels, it isn't impossible to make a level with a bit of solid effort. The minus side here is that the game is growing more high-level all the time. Level 20 was the bar for a decent level at one point, now its probably more like 30-40, and growing.

Character creation is also more interactive than in EQ or Camelot. When you make your character, you dont pick a class, you get 50 'skill points' to spend how you want, with a weapon skill costing between 4 (dagger) and 8 (sword), to 10 (for melee) to 12 (for magic) in defense skills. And magic skills costing between 8 (item) and 16 (war). You also get 330 stat points to spend on your attributes (of which there are 6). This system allows for incredible diversity, and lets you make any character you want. On the other hand, if you aren't careful, its easy to make a really crappy character, they give you templates to work with, and a new player shouldnt deviate far from them to start. You also dont really have any real race choices, since all three races available are more of heritage groups than real races and are all human, just with different starting skills.

When you kill things you get experience points, you can put them freely into any skill you have (and every few levels you get skill points to train new abilitys that help you round out your character or correct mistakes in creation)

New content comes out, at no extra charge, every month, keeping the story interesting, housing is available, and grief play tends to seem more limited than other games, somewhat due to the way the game plays.

I guess, in all AC is the fastest paced MMORPG, and for me thats enough to keep me coming back [img]smile.gif[/img]

Give it a try, you ~$20 you should be able to find the 'Dark Majesty' expansion, which contains the whole original game, and comes with the standard one month free play. If you dont like it, your not out much, but I think you will like it.

If you have any more specific questions about it, or one of the other games I play or played, let me know [img]smile.gif[/img]

-Oberon

(look for corwin on the leafcull server if you want a helping hand)

[Nydlari]

Thanks Oberon,
I had looked at AC before, but thought it looked too much like EQ for me. I think I'll be giving it a try now though.

[Erydian]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nydlari:
Way off topic, but I think this is a good group to get advice from. I'd really like to find a fun MMORPG to start playing. I've tried Everquest, Anarchy Online, and DAoC but they all got very boring, very fast.
I'd like a game where there is more of a challenge than: How long can you stay online killing things.

So, Does anyone around here play any MMORPGs, and if so what and how do you like it?

---

IMHO, it's incredibly difficult to find a fun MMORPG. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I played Everquest for two years, though truthfully I was bored with it long before then. I generally enjoy more of a storyline, more actual role-playing, and like you say, more of a challenge than sitting online, "camping" spawns, and listening to guild gripes. The game's only redeeming factor was the interaction that you could have with other players, but eventually, everyone got bored, everyone quit, and well, there was quite honestly nothing left.

I was actually pretty excited about Anarchy Online, because of the active storyline that it promised, and I purchased it despite the complaints I'd heard from nearly everyone I knew that the game had serious technical issues. I still think, that in different hands, it could have been a far better game, but I grew disappointed with the various balance issues (as well as the unending technical issues), or perhaps more specifically, the lazy, hasty fixes devised for them. By the time my first months subscription expired, they still hadn't implemented the active storyline that had initially attracted me, and they'd made so many drastic changes to gameplay that the game almost didn't resemble the one they released.

I haven't played another MMORPG since. I guess you could say that I'm disenchanted with the genre, and not as eager as some for the next one to hit the market - but I will admit that I stumbled across a future project that looks incredibly appealing. If you're looking for a MMORPG that presents more of a challenge (and offers a goal other than getting the best items, and the highest level character), and aren't opposed to a futuristic setting, I strongly recommend checking out Citizen Zero.

The game is set on a planet known as Neo-Eden, which served at one time as a penal colony, but is now free. Your character is a citizen of this planet, whose memory has been erased, and throughout the course of your adventures, you gradually discover who you are - as well as who you were (your character will actually regain memories).

CZ is supposed to have an active storyline, as well as a sophisticated system for NPC interaction. There are organizations (factions, of a sort) that you can join, based on the skills your character possesses, or you can opt to be an independent operator, craftsman, or a hired gun. Players can opt to go on missions, much like in AO, but these missions are tailored based on your character, the interactions he/she has had with certain NPCs, affiliations or grudges he/she may have, and skills/preferences he/she possesses. You can also team up with other players, conduct raids, and hunt the wilderness.

There are trade skills (you can play as a pilot for instance), there has even been talk of allowing PC rentable shops. You can participate in races, etc, as well as specialize in mechanics to upgrade other players' 'rippers' (vehicles).

Skill distribution is point-based I believe, though whether or not you accomplish a task in-game is based on both your skill level, and you as a player. Higher skill in racing, for example, would certainly help you win a race, but you still would have to steer the vehicle. There is also talk of skills being far less repetitive (once you pick a certain type of lock, for instance, you ALWAYS know how to pick that type of lock). On the forums, the devs were even saying that a certain amount of skill points would be distributed to a single character per account on a monthly basis, so that people with less time could keep up with their friends that might play more often. Granted, the more time you put into the game, the faster your character advances, but I believe they are attempting to make the game more viable for people that want to play it, but may not have the time required to keep up with those that they regularly play with.

Overall, the game looks to be incredibly detailed - and there is definitely more information available than what I've posted here, but it's a start. [img]smile.gif[/img] I joined the official forum a little over a year ago, and if you're interested in additional information, I'd suggest checking out tthe forum; specifically dev (pMac) threads.

Unfortunately, I have no idea when this game is going to be released, the beta has been postponed (which sort of worries me), but I thought I'd pass along the info. As is, the game looks extremely promising, and if/when it hits the shelves, I will definitely be giving it a try.

[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Erydian ]