starting a MMORPG

[skace]

An MMORPG is only as fun as it is active and the most active mmorpg right now is WoW.

 

[jdport]

Number of subscribers doesn't make a game more active. Number of subscribers is just people... it doesn't give you much of an indication of how the community and the game interact or how the players interact with each other or how the world is evolving. More people just means more servers, but you are still playing with roughly the same number of people. I think EQII has a pretty good following, and it's community is *definately* more mature than WoW's. IMHO, EQII is a better game as well... simply because it has more depth. It's biggest downfall to me is the huge system resources required to play it resonably. I played WoW for a while too though.. both are good games.. I quit WoW to play EQII for a while and haven't played EQII all that much due to lack of time

My suggestion to try EQII wasn't based on not liking WoW.. WoW is a good choice as well, I only recommended EQII because he's already playing an SOE MMO and if he wanted to try another one it'd be very cost effective to use the Sony account that gives you access to all the different SOE MMO's.

 

[Nerva]

Originally posted by: jdport
Number of subscribers doesn't make a game more active. Number of subscribers is just people... it doesn't give you much of an indication of how the community and the game interact or how the players interact with each other or how the world is evolving. More people just means more servers, but you are still playing with roughly the same number of people. I think EQII has a pretty good following, and it's community is *definately* more mature than WoW's. IMHO, EQII is a better game as well... simply because it has more depth. It's biggest downfall to me is the huge system resources required to play it resonably. I played WoW for a while too though.. both are good games.. I quit WoW to play EQII for a while and haven't played EQII all that much due to lack of time

My suggestion to try EQII wasn't based on not liking WoW.. WoW is a good choice as well, I only recommended EQII because he's already playing an SOE MMO and if he wanted to try another one it'd be very cost effective to use the Sony account that gives you access to all the different SOE MMO's.

i stopped matrix online like a year ago, but you still make a great point.

 

[Megadeth]

mercadia.net
It's 2D, free and gets nice and addictive after you know whats going on...

 

[zodder]

I'd have to say WoW. If you are looking for a fairly simple, quest driven game that's fun to play, it's hard to beat WoW. To me, that game is just damn fun to play.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I've played pretty much every mmorpg out there and can't recommend one more highly than WoW. People call it simple. I call it the game that finally got rid of most of the tedium and that does nothing but increase the fun factor.

I'm pretty sure you can get a trial pass for WoW. Look around.

 

[hooflung]

To be honest I think the OP would like CoH/CoV more. However, I wouldn't recommend it if one was going for a more balanced game since the DEVs from cryptic are morons. EVE Online is by far the most fun I have ever had online. It has a steep learning curve that pays off in spades. It is entirely risk vs reward and there is no grind especially if you get in with some people. However, if someone is interested in a epic questing game then WoW really can't be touched in terms of playability from beginning to end. However, knowing people in WoW and choosing classes you might not really want to play are the best ways to get into guilds and enjoy the end game.

So in the end, CoH/CoV is the more tollerant MMOG on the market for something more than Guild Wars but something less than EVE/WoW. The new entries this year hold nothing spectacular in terms of gameplay or content but that is my oppinion.

 

[hooflung]

Originally posted by: zodder
I'd have to say WoW. If you are looking for a fairly simple, quest driven game that's fun to play, it's hard to beat WoW. To me, that game is just damn fun to play.

Until you hit 60 and don't have a large guild. Then the game looses funfactor fast. Even Rogues with good kit can be a tough pill to swallow solo in the end game.

 

[sciwizam]

Eve-online?

 

[slatr]

DAOC trial

http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/downloads/

The game is getting older, but what a lot of people still have fun doing is playing in THID a lower level battleground.

If you want to do the trial, roll a hib on guinevere and Ill help you with armor and spellcrafting so you can fight there.

I play DAOC and WOW currently as far as MMPORPGs.

 

[Maetryx]

I find that World of Warcraft is a lot of fun. I started in November 2005, so I'm not one of those guys with a 60 lvl anything, so I don't care how boring it will get sometime in the future. For now it is amazing.

The perspective of someone that already reached 60th levl and for some reason kept playing that character until they didn't like the game anymore... well that isn't the perspective you're going to have when you make your first character, make your first bandange, get your first magic item, get your first mail in the mailbox, get training in your class abilities for the first time, catch and cook your first fish....

I suggest you play World of Warcraft and when it's not fun, stop. I think that will take many months.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: Runes911

Originally posted by: RBachman
The last good MMORPG died in October, 2002. I'd say try WoW, it's palatable for the vast majority of people.

I can probably guess, but what is it?

This was when EverQuest's Planes of Power expansion was released, thus killing the game.

 

[Hersh]

Originally posted by: sciwizam
Eve-online?

http://www.eve-online.com/

 

[makken]

Originally posted by: dugweb
The WoW world is HUGE though. Absolutely amazing how big it is, and it looks amazing on a nice computer.

Strange, one of my biggest compaints, and my 2nd main reason for quiting WoW was that the world was not big enough.

To me, it completely lost the epic feel from warcraft 3. Remember when thall and buddies marched through the barrens for days fighting heat and exhaustion? yeah. I make the same trip in 10 minutes at most. Remember how grand Theramore Isle was from Old Hatreds, with streets full of cilivian houses, rivers running through the city, etc.? yeah it's a castle + an inn in WoW.

within 2 months of WoW, i had every part of every zone discovered (except mount hyjal, never figued out the trick to get into there). I really felt there was nothing left to do in the game by the end of the 3rd month. I was just sitting in IF either waiting for AV queue, forming a UBRS run for the upteenth time (darn finkle's skinner never drops), or in a guild ZG run.

I also found that i had no interest in doing quests anymore since I didn't get xp from it. The only quest i found worth doing for an item was the fordring series. I tried creating a new character with a new race / class, but i lost interest in leveling it up since I knew which places to go, which quests to take, after level 20 or so.

In the end, the only thing i found fun in WoW were the 40 vs 40 AV battles. those were always intense and fun, but ultimately, not worth $15/month.

 

[BooGiMaN]

Originally posted by: makken

Originally posted by: dugweb
The WoW world is HUGE though. Absolutely amazing how big it is, and it looks amazing on a nice computer.

Strange, one of my biggest compaints, and my 2nd main reason for quiting WoW was that the world was not big enough.

To me, it completely lost the epic feel from warcraft 3. Remember when thall and buddies marched through the barrens for days fighting heat and exhaustion? yeah. I make the same trip in 10 minutes at most. Remember how grand Theramore Isle was from Old Hatreds, with streets full of cilivian houses, rivers running through the city, etc.? yeah it's a castle + an inn in WoW.

within 2 months of WoW, i had every part of every zone discovered (except mount hyjal, never figued out the trick to get into there). I really felt there was nothing left to do in the game by the end of the 3rd month. I was just sitting in IF either waiting for AV queue, forming a UBRS run for the upteenth time (darn finkle's skinner never drops), or in a guild ZG run.

I also found that i had no interest in doing quests anymore since I didn't get xp from it. The only quest i found worth doing for an item was the fordring series. I tried creating a new character with a new race / class, but i lost interest in leveling it up since I knew which places to go, which quests to take, after level 20 or so.

In the end, the only thing i found fun in WoW were the 40 vs 40 AV battles. those were always intense and fun, but ultimately, not worth $15/month.

if you leveled a toon in two months to 60 you were playing that game nonstop everyday....so it must have been damn fun for you to be on for so much time each day.


to the OP WoW is the first game of this type i have everyplayed and frankly i like it a lot, it would be worth it to you just to try it out with their 10 day free trial...

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: BooGiMaN

Originally posted by: makken

Originally posted by: dugweb
The WoW world is HUGE though. Absolutely amazing how big it is, and it looks amazing on a nice computer.

Strange, one of my biggest compaints, and my 2nd main reason for quiting WoW was that the world was not big enough.

To me, it completely lost the epic feel from warcraft 3. Remember when thall and buddies marched through the barrens for days fighting heat and exhaustion? yeah. I make the same trip in 10 minutes at most. Remember how grand Theramore Isle was from Old Hatreds, with streets full of cilivian houses, rivers running through the city, etc.? yeah it's a castle + an inn in WoW.

within 2 months of WoW, i had every part of every zone discovered (except mount hyjal, never figued out the trick to get into there). I really felt there was nothing left to do in the game by the end of the 3rd month. I was just sitting in IF either waiting for AV queue, forming a UBRS run for the upteenth time (darn finkle's skinner never drops), or in a guild ZG run.

I also found that i had no interest in doing quests anymore since I didn't get xp from it. The only quest i found worth doing for an item was the fordring series. I tried creating a new character with a new race / class, but i lost interest in leveling it up since I knew which places to go, which quests to take, after level 20 or so.

In the end, the only thing i found fun in WoW were the 40 vs 40 AV battles. those were always intense and fun, but ultimately, not worth $15/month.

if you leveled a toon in two months to 60 you were playing that game nonstop everyday....so it must have been damn fun for you to be on for so much time each day.


to the OP WoW is the first game of this type i have everyplayed and frankly i like it a lot, it would be worth it to you just to try it out with their 10 day free trial...

"nonstop everyday" is a great exaggeration, but you make a solid point. WoW is a fine game if you play an hour a day tops, or a few hours a few times a week. This is the type of player it was made for and this is who will enjoy it most. If you want a more immersive experience from a more complex and involving game, WoW leaves a lot to be desired.

Regardless of the game's style, if you want to log in and play, WoW might not be the game for you. Blizzard's dirty little secret is that the servers are just awful. Many have login queues (yes, you wait in line to play a game with a monthly fee), and even if they don't, medium population & higher servers (which is most of them - and those which aren't will become so as more people join the game or transfer to those servers) have lag which is nigh-unbearable during primetime. Even if you play on a low-pop realm, the login server seems like a 486, so logging in is usually problematic regardless.

Oh, and WoW is heavily PvP-focused. If you don't love PvP, prepare to feel alienated by a playerbase which can't get enough of it, day & night. Class balance is based on it entirely, and many of the PvP rewards are better thain raid loot.

 

[Mishkav]

i be played WoW, D2, D2x, planetside, EvE, Camelot, RS, and sum others. BUt, out of all dem, i be thinkin that D2x was the greatest MMORPG OF ALL TIME.. even tho it was 8 players on each server ive never had so much fun, grinding in da end or starting a new character.... i dont undastand why the d2 team dont get together.. look at dem charts of ppl still playing and making a truly mmorpg Excatly like d2x same graphics and everything but with 5 million WoW players.. maybe a few more classes and a vast land... I just dont understand! man im still waitin for diablo 3!! !COME ON BLIZ

 

[Fingolfin269]

Why do people say that other massives are much more 'complex and involving' than WoW? Does that mean they're more tedious? Winner.

I played all the other crap and it all annoyed the hell out of me. Before WoW I always wanted to go back to my muds. If I have carpal tunnel someday because of Mythic's 'in-depth' crafting system...

Don't listen to them OP. WoW is no different than any other massive other than the fact that it's easier to play. Why is it easier? Because it cut most of the BS/annoyances out from older mmorpg's and improved upon them where possible while keeping the same game model as everything. It isn't 'new' it's just fun. And Blizzard is good at fun.

 

[Tangerines]

Wait for Blizzard to sort out their server troubles before getting WoW, if you plan on going that route. Because right now it takes 30+ mins to login and the lag is godawful.

 

[RadioHead84]

I didnt really read the entier thing..but if your looking for a MMO to start with...wait for Vanguard...it will own

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Why do people say that other massives are much more 'complex and involving' than WoW? Does that mean they're more tedious? Winner.

I played all the other crap and it all annoyed the hell out of me. Before WoW I always wanted to go back to my muds. If I have carpal tunnel someday because of Mythic's 'in-depth' crafting system...

Don't listen to them OP. WoW is no different than any other massive other than the fact that it's easier to play. Why is it easier? Because it cut most of the BS/annoyances out from older mmorpg's and improved upon them where possible while keeping the same game model as everything. It isn't 'new' it's just fun. And Blizzard is good at fun.

K

 

[Seeruk]

Eve Online - 14 day free trial and the best MMORPG there ever was/is

 

[caz67]

I used to really like Guild wars, now im trying out Everquest II. It's ok so far, not any further than 6th level right now.

 

[Kaeishiwaza]

Wow no votes for Anarchy Online?

This is the MMORPG I always end up back on. The graphics are dated (it came out after Asheron's Call) but are constantly being improved. New content is added regularly as well as having seasonal changes.

From a gameplay point-of-view, AO is easily the most complicated MMORPG out there. Where other games I've played have struck for parity among those about equal in level, AO will have none of that. Figuring out how to set up your characters is the major challenge in the game because there are seemlingly limitless ways to do it. AO has very active PvP and because you only PvP with those near your level, if you can really twink yourself out. Couple that with territory defense which requires you to be in a certain level range to take control of certain areas of land, there is more to the game than reaching Level 220/30. For example I have a character who will never go over L75/8 because I need her at that level to defend my org's territory. But that doesn't mean I don't play her. I'm constantly trying to improve her setup (with the handicap that I'm not going to improve my stats any more!)

AO's community is smaller, but rock stable. In fact the numbers are going up because the basic content of the game is completely free (free client, no subscription cost). Of course, the fr00bs don't get access to the content in the expansions and miss out on the top level equipment and skills. Classes range from melee fighters, gun fighters, tech combat, healers, pet classes, tradeskillers and mixes of the above. Not all the classes are equal or intended to be. It can be a lot of fun to pick an 'underpowered' class and see what you can get out of it. I still remember watching an OMGWTFBBQ PvP video of a tweaked out bureacrat going to town.

Anyhow, I could go on. Give the free AO a try.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: BooGiMaN
if you leveled a toon in two months to 60 you were playing that game nonstop everyday....so it must have been damn fun for you to be on for so much time each day

Originally posted by: RBachman
"nonstop everyday" is a great exaggeration, but you make a solid point. WoW is a fine game if you play an hour a day tops, or a few hours a few times a week. This is the type of player it was made for and this is who will enjoy it most. If you want a more immersive experience from a more complex and involving game, WoW leaves a lot to be desired.

15 days played is a safe average time requirement for level 60. That means 25% of your life over the course of 2 months. At least 4 hours every single day.