MMORPG's : What are you playing?

Well, being a fan of the MMORPG's, but currently not playing anything, I am curious about whether anyone here is playing any of MMORPG's on the market.

So, what are you playing? What keeps you playing? Pros/cons to certain titles?

The last MMORPG I played (for any length of time) was Anarchy Online. I'm looking forward to SW: Galaxies, and possibly City of Heroes...

I went back to DAOC on Monday, not sure why. I guess because a good friend of mine at work was still playing and was going to help me out. Not to mention, the SI expansion adds some cool things.

I guess I can officially say I''m not playing one right now. I was playing, and quite happy with, Asheron''s Call 2, but then I got pretty involved with working on some stupid website, and that''s taken up a lot of my free time. I still recommend AC2, but I have to admit, it might be a while before I find myself in Dereth again.

- Elysium

I will be switching from DAOC to KOTOR next month (if it is released on the 25th). My hours will only support one game of any decent length. I am still skeptical on how long KOTOR will be from start to finish so I might have to go back and forth.

"Flux" wrote:

I will be switching from DAOC to KOTOR next month (if it is released on the 25th). My hours will only support one game of any decent length. I am still skeptical on how long KOTOR will be from start to finish so I might have to go back and forth.

You''re aware that KOTOR isn''t an MMORPG, right? It doesn''t have any sort of multiplayer... Are you thinking of Galaxies?

I''m playing AC2 just now but already looking forward to a change. I had actually decided not to get AC2 but then about half our guild did so I decided to hop in more for the camaraderie then anything else. It''s been an ""ok"" experience but I''m pretty frustrated with a lot of aspects of the game that just don''t make the cut, lack of customization of look both at start and in game(why does dyeing cost so much? What are they afraid of?), Dungeons pretty much suck, vaults not being single group instances, lag, lots of lag, screen lag, lots of sound bugs, BSOD at least once a night if you have pixel shader on... it goes on and on, which frankly is pretty sad. Oh and the network negotiation direct play BULLsh*t, god I hate that stuff, sure go ahead open random UDP ports any corporate fire wall will be more then happy to accommodate that, sure *argh*... AO, DOAC both have much better connection schemes. We actualy just had a member quit because of all the bugs, but granted he does have an older system and is on dial-up never the less it''s a sad state when that happens.
Next one our guild is looking at getting into is Shadow Bane but then none of us are in beta so we don''t have clear idea if it will be different in game play significantly. I somehow doubt it will be less buggy but perhaps it will bring other things to the table

"MA17" wrote:
"Flux" wrote:

I will be switching from DAOC to KOTOR next month (if it is released on the 25th). My hours will only support one game of any decent length. I am still skeptical on how long KOTOR will be from start to finish so I might have to go back and forth.

You''re aware that KOTOR isn''t an MMORPG, right? It doesn''t have any sort of multiplayer... Are you thinking of Galaxies?

That and it''s been delayed until Fall 2003 :p.

Yes, I am aware that KOTOR is single player only (and slipped to May, arghhh) I just threw in a game I wanted to play , not necessarily a MMORPG, to fill my gaming time which has gotten very small nowadays :o/ I can''t even really do raids any more. And since raids are my favorite part of DAOC I am stuck being unsatisfied.

The only MMORPG I''m playing, and the only onw I''ll play for some time, is Jumpgate.

I played Asheron''s Call and EQ for about a month each. I didn''t really like either one. The games themselves were ok, I just got tired of dealing with every asshat in the world. Being low level in those games is like having to spend all day with your grandmother. It''s awkward, you don''t get to use the good plates and you just want to get it over with.

I had some good DAOC action last night. The KOTOR game delay will allow me 3 months to concentrate on getting 50 !!

I''d be playing FFXI come March, but it seems like it''s just me.

Not playing any, but I do plan to get Worlds of Warcraft.

I was looking forward to SWG but I''m no longer doing so. The next two games I''m looking forward to most are Horizons and City of Heroes.

Ulairi : Out of curiosity, what has turned you off of galaxies?

Maybe it''s mainly just the star wars geek in me that wants to try this so much. Of course, it (like everything) has the potential to not live up to what I would like to play.

But the imperial symbol on me pretty much forces me to sign up and at least put a little time into it.

City of Heroes looks interesting as well, but I''m really on the fence about it. Maybe it''s the ''good guys'' only stance that''s keeping me there (and I realize why they would go with that only at first). Oh well, I guess we''ll just wait and see.

On the topic of Horizons, I signed up for the beta, but really don''t know all that much about the title.

"cuebert" wrote:

Ulairi : Out of curiosity, what has turned you off of galaxies?

Maybe it''s mainly just the star wars geek in me that wants to try this so much. Of course, it (like everything) has the potential to not live up to what I would like to play.

But the imperial symbol on me pretty much forces me to sign up and at least put a little time into it.

I''m a Star Wars geek too. The game just isn''t that much fun for me and know it''s in beta but I can get a good sense of the game this early and it''s not very much fun. Maybe if it launched with the Space Expansion I would feel different.

City of Heroes looks interesting as well, but I''m really on the fence about it. Maybe it''s the ''good guys'' only stance that''s keeping me there (and I realize why they would go with that only at first). Oh well, I guess we''ll just wait and see.

I''ve played the game at E3 and it was good fun. They did a good job of really making the world comic book like. If they continue to add new NPC factions for us to fight it will be great.

On the topic of Horizons, I signed up for the beta, but really don''t know all that much about the title.

www.istaria.com has a new FAQ but waiting for beta will give you the best sense on the title. So much of Horizons depends on what the developers do.

I''m a Star Wars geek too. The game just isn''t that much fun for me and know it''s in beta but I can get a good sense of the game this early and it''s not very much fun.

That is kind of whatt I''ve been afraid of for awhile now. I am a complete MMORPG virgin! I have never tried one, and at one time had thought Galaxies would be the one to pop my cherry. But the more I''ve read about it over the last year or so, my interest has really declined. Don''t know what it is but something seems to be turning me off. Oh well maybe Worlds of Warcraft will be the one.

I''m a Star Wars geek too. The game just isn''t that much fun for me and know it''s in beta...

You got in the beta then?

Well, i have to at least try it, not getting in the beta is both a good and a bad thing. I didn''t get in, so they''ll get my purchase money at very least when it hits the shelves. And if I were in the beta, it would give me a glimpse of the game before it hits shelves letting me find out beforehand if I''d slap the money down on it.

As much as I would have liked to get in the beta, I guess it''s kinda good too, so that I wouldn''t have to go through the motions of a beta MMORPG..

I''ll check out that FAQ now for Horizons as well.. thanks for the link

I really want to like Galaxies, but I just can''t get teh image of hundreds of little punks running around with names like ""1337-j3d1"" running around being complete cockmongers. Something similar has happened in every game I''ve ever played online, MMOG or normal death-match type thing.

Kriegshund, I know what you mean, but unfortunately it''s something the rest of us are going to have to put up with.

I can deal with those names when I''m playing an FPS online, because I just don''t care. But in MMORPG''s you luckily don''t see that happen quite as much.

And when you do see it, you just have to ignore it.

Ulairi, I read up more on Horizons (thanks again for the link) and have a much better stance on it. I''d really like to try it. It has a few mechanics I''ve never dealt with in an MMORPG (like land ownership) and am curious about.

but I just can''t get teh image of hundreds of little punks running around with names like ""1337-j3d1"" running around being complete cockmongers.

I have to agree,I hate those Pk''ing, cheating, scummy, lowlife b**tards Jedi death grips too good for them! I seriuosly hope that none of that crowd show up thats why I try to avoid PvP servers and only go in for organized clan/realm type stuff, thers nothing more satisfying than having your clan wipe out a bunch of PK''ers preying on newbies. PK''ing newbies or inexperienced players just puts people (me included) off getting into many MMORPG''s!

Ulairi, I read up more on Horizons (thanks again for the link) and have a much better stance on it. I''d really like to try it. It has a few mechanics I''ve never dealt with in an MMORPG (like land ownership) and am curious about.

I think that land ownership will really add to these games. It will make the players feel attached to the world which is good. Hopefully it moves us away from the ""I''m just here for the loot"" and ""I''m kicking ass to save my city."" Since undead can take over towns.

Haven''t touched any MMOGs in over a year. I went through two seperate phases of Evercrack addiction before the hassle-vs-fun factor just went overboard into hassle. It really seemed to me that EQ ended up being dominated by folks who can spend 10+ hours a day banging away on it....essentially dominating the game enivronment to the detriment of nearly everyone else. I hate rehashing the old casual vs hardcore audience argument, but damnit, I should be able to fully enjoy a game without having to chain myself to it like a second job! I ended feeling very bitter and let down by the whole experience, which hasn''t exactly prompted me to try anything new in this area. Has there been any real innovation among the newer generation of MMOGs? Do any of them actually allow you ''play'' while still having that ''life'' thing (you know, the one that involves ''work'' to pay off the rent, food, bills, and stuff like that...)

"Ulairi" wrote:
Ulairi, I read up more on Horizons (thanks again for the link) and have a much better stance on it. I''d really like to try it. It has a few mechanics I''ve never dealt with in an MMORPG (like land ownership) and am curious about.

I think that land ownership will really add to these games. It will make the players feel attached to the world which is good. Hopefully it moves us away from the ""I''m just here for the loot"" and ""I''m kicking ass to save my city."" Since undead can take over towns.

Yes, nothing like the ravaging hordes coming to burn YOUR house to help inspire defense :). I suspect similar thinking is why only land owners to could vote in the days of yor''. Horizons should be interesting though some of the stuff in the avi they released recently raised some hairy quistions... that and a lot of the vision that was originally driving it doesn''t seem to be there now, but then that is also true of easy answers and rendered shots :).

"Gorey" wrote:

Haven''t touched any MMOGs in over a year. I went through two seperate phases of Evercrack addiction before the hassle-vs-fun factor just went overboard into hassle. It really seemed to me that EQ ended up being dominated by folks who can spend 10+ hours a day banging away on it....essentially dominating the game enivronment to the detriment of nearly everyone else. I hate rehashing the old casual vs hardcore audience argument, but damnit, I should be able to fully enjoy a game without having to chain myself to it like a second job! I ended feeling very bitter and let down by the whole experience, which hasn''t exactly prompted me to try anything new in this area. Has there been any real innovation among the newer generation of MMOGs? Do any of them actually allow you ''play'' while still having that ''life'' thing (you know, the one that involves ''work'' to pay off the rent, food, bills, and stuff like that...)

AC2 tries, but he answer to all your questions are basically ""No"". Really it''s a question of why to play, I play to go off and do things with my real world friends who are tied to home with family or far away, it''s a social thing and some times a good bit of adventure, unfortunately due to poor game design that doesn''t seem to want to take this sort of play into account it can often be a bitter and annoying hassle of different steps of the never ending level treadmill of MMP life, hug gathering time sinks, fatal accidents creating even bigger time sinks, crowded areas or anoying other peopel infringing.... (deep breaths, calm thoughts) anyway yeah, like I said the answer is ""no""

I just got done with a four-day stint in EverQuest Online Adventures for PS2 and I realized that I can''t/won''t go back into that lifestyle.

Several friends of mine decided to get into that game and so I decided to grab it and give it a shot, thinking that playing with real life friends that have real life responsibilities would be different than the largely virtual experience I had with the PC version. I played the PC version for 13 months and logged a little over 3,300 hours, leaving my real life friends in the dust and putting me into the EverQuest elite/real life obssessed category. It was fun while it lasted, but I feel bitter much the same as an earlier poster and eventually even the high-end game was not able to justify the time I dedicated to it.

I was in for a shocker with the PS2 version. First of all, let me say that I think they did the best possible job porting the PC version to a console that could be done; that said, EQ is just not a console game. The graphics were horrible, the interface was clunky, and while sitting in a chair/couch is more comfortable than at a computer, having a controller and keyboard in your lap is not.

I missed the enlarged chat window and graphical prowess of the PC version. I also missed all of the simple features I took for granted in the PC version: inspecting other players, having hits and spells show up in the chat window, and an extremely easy-to-use spell/skill interface.

In the end, two factors killed it for me. First, my friends shocked me and cracked out on the game, leaving me in the absolute dust as I had done to them 2 years ago. With two jobs, I can''t afford the time needed to keep up, and they were gaining 2 levels on me a day, with no end in sight. That robbed me of my primary reason for playing. Secondly, in a drab dungeon killing orc after orc and working on level 13, I realized how sick I am of the leveling treadmill in general and how I''m not sure I ever want to repeat it. I really enjoyed my EQ PC experience, but now I know there is no way I can go back to that in my current lifestyle, and frankly I''m not sure I would want to.

Luda, great post. I had this game in my hands today at EB and was tempted to see what all the hype was about.

I ended up putting it back, mostly because I got my free Zelda Ocarina of Time disk (GREAT job by Nintendo on this one, 2 games on one disc AND in a dvd case W00t! all for a free game), but I was still curious. Thanks for reaffirming my initial thought.

Well I have been playing DAOC again lately. I have a 39 Theurgist named Eraen on Guinevere if anyone else plays on that server.