I am currently looking for a fantasy MMORPG to commit to. I'm going to give you a list of games that I have bought and will be willing to play again if they fit within my parameters. I am asking you, the readers, to lend me your expertise on whether or not these games fall into my parameters. I am not asking for your personal opinion of the game, just factual information concerning my parameters for playing it. I am looking for a fantasy game that allows me to play all content in that game with my play style. My play style doesn't allow me to commit more than 3 hours in a row to a game. If I am going to pay a company $15/mo for their game, I better be able to play ALL of their content with my play style. So out of the games below, please tell me which I can play their longest content in under 3 hours. Thank you.

CoH

DDO

EQ2

FFXI

LoTRO

Vanguard

WoW

Now if there is a fantasy MMORPG that I did not list, that falls within my parameters, please let me know. Chances are, I probably left it off the list due to it being too old to start in fresh. I consider games in DAoC's generation to be too old, since that is the game that brought me into the genre in 2002.

Thanks for the help people.

COH: city of heros is a game that fits your parameters, a little too easy at times, but the difficulty increases with more people in your team.

DDO: does not meet parameters

eq2: can level easy, however doesnt allow all the content in only three hours a day

FFXI: one of the best MMOs out there, best ui i have ever played with, but leveling is hard and it doesnt meet what you are asking for

LoTRO: meets parameters

Vanguard: if it lags every two frames it doesnt let you get anywhere in three hours

WoW: best bet for a n00b like yourself.

"personal opinion"

I believe that if you are looking for a game that requires only three hours of play time in a row, then you are looking at the wrong brand of games. Fighting games might be more your forte, not MMOs. MMOs require lots of time and effort to get the best items and experience all the content.

Originally posted by reetin

COH: city of heros is a game that fits your parameters, a little too easy at times, but the difficulty increases with more people in your team.

DDO: does not meet parameters

eq2: can level easy, however doesnt allow all the content in only three hours a day

FFXI: one of the best MMOs out there, best ui i have ever played with, but leveling is hard and it doesnt meet what you are asking for

LoTRO: meets parameters

Vanguard: if it lags every two frames it doesnt let you get anywhere in three hours

WoW: best bet for a n00b like yourself.

"personal opinion"

I believe that if you are looking for a game that requires only three hours of play time in a row, then you are looking at the wrong brand of games. Fighting games might be more your forte, not MMOs. MMOs require lots of time and effort to get the best items and experience all the content.

 

 

I've played all of the games I have listed above, just not until the end. Some of your comments weren't needed and really discredited your entire post. I don't know who you think I am, but I am not one of your kid gamer buddies. I've played MMO's since 2002, have over 12 MMOs under my belt and have probably spent more time in an MMO than you can imagine. So giving me advice on what games I should play is irrelevant and without any merit. MMORPGs are the types of games I like to play.

So you are saying a raid in DDO requires more than 3 hours to do? People from the LoTRO forums have stated that some content in that game takes 6 hours to do. Did you even play that game? You call me a noob after I already told you I've been playing MMOs since 2002? That was the part that really discredited you. Using the term noob only classifies yourself as a 1337 speaking teenager. Try to use terms actually in the English Dictionary next time, thank you.

Get with the times man. People are starting to realize more and more that spending your life inside a game is not needed. The only people that really do that anymore are the Raiders, and not all Raiders are required to do so. Some games actually cater to the people who can only do raids that take 3 hours or less. I hope for your sake and all of those that think like you get some real help. It is really unhealthy to spend your life in a game. Take it from a person who spent the majority of his life in a game for 2 years and don't do it. The time will pass and you will be several years older, having nothing to show for that time but a bunch of pixels that will be taken off-line one of these days.

CoH - Casual
DDO - Casual
EQ2 - Semi, more hardcore though.
FFXI - Hardcore
LoTRO - Casual
Vanguard - Hardcore
WoW - Semi, noone really figured that out..

Hardcore games = Buggy grind games with elitest communities.

Casual games = Dumbed down.

i was just saying that MMos require time and effort to get to the maximum level. Oh i am not a teenager, thank you very much.

Originally posted by reetin

i was just saying that MMos require time and effort to get to the maximum level. Oh i am not a teenager, thank you very much.

1. Shame mmorpgs have a max level/end game.
2. Shame that the effort and required time just involved grinding or doing the same boring quests.
3. Don't tell people your age or Smedley will be sad.

Originally posted by reetin

i was just saying that MMos require time and effort to get to the maximum level. Oh i am not a teenager, thank you very much.

Your profile says you are 19, but I didn't look at that when I made that comment. I just wagered a guess by your use of the term nOOb. I am quite aware as I have already said of a MMORPGs demands. I am not bothered by how long it takes to get to max level, or how much effort it takes to get somewhere in a game. I am concerned with spending more than 3 hours in a game at one time. Hell, my play style is more hardcore than most peoples, but the difference is that I split my time up, instead of spending many hours in a row gaming. I play 1 hour here, 2 hours there maybe, and if I am in a good group or doing some good content...3 hours max. After about 3 hours, I feel like I am wasting my time and should be doing something else, such as cleaning the house, studying, making myself a better person etc.

Hell, I am the type that is okay with max level taking several years and a game with the perma-death penalty. So don't tell me about how long it takes to get to max level, because I frankly could care less how long it takes. Can I do their longest raid in the game in under 3 hours is what I am more concerned with. Not whether a game is casual friendly or hardcore. Maybe my subject line was misleading, but I figured my post content would have cleared that up.

Oh well.

Originally posted by moostown

Originally posted by reetin

i was just saying that MMos require time and effort to get to the maximum level. Oh i am not a teenager, thank you very much.

1. Shame mmorpgs have a max level/end game.
2. Shame that the effort and required time just involved grinding or doing the same boring quests.
3. Don't tell people your age or Smedley will be sad.

RPG's are supposed to be level based. That is what makes them what they are...RPGs. Even UO was level based...just skill levels, instead of class levels. I agree that most MMORPGs have boring quests, but some actually have entertaining quests if you take the time to read them. LoTRO is one of those games. But it is a shame that it is so freakin linear. But I can deal with that if I only play it in small doses.

Smedley has nothing to do with this. The humor wasn't lost on me either, I just don't find that funny.

CoH - Casual, you could play this but even at 3 hours a day you would find yourself bored of it soon enough.

DDO - I havnt played this but im not a fan of  games with 100% instances. If you don't mind instances and you like their world seting you could try  this. I wouldn't but whatever.

EQ2 - You could make progress with EQ2 with 3 hours a day, assuming you played more on your days off. I think the game is trash but to each their own.

FFXI - Hardcore x2, I think 40 hours a week in this game is considered "casual". Stay far away.

LoTRO -  This one could work well for you, but you know this.

Vanguard - I feel bad that you paid money for this.

WoW - I don't see how anyone could call WoW casual, at least not the endgame. If  you could find a guild with raid times that you could make then I would say yes.

Guild Wars - Mixed feelings but its the most casual friendly. Tied with CoH on the boring scale.

Based on the maximum 3 hours per session requirement I'd rule out DDO, EQII and WoW right away, and possibly also Vanguard though I never played end game content there. And I really have no clue about FFXI or mid to end game content in LotRO.

However, I think there are two other factors to consider too:
1. Do you have any requirements on how many such 3 hour sessions you are willing to play? I'm sure you know that you can't play all of an MMOG's content with one 3 hour session per week over 3 months. Do you wish to see all the content within a year? Or are you happy just to know you can complete all content at some point in time after an unknown number of 3 hour sessions?
2. Do you have any requirements regarding the number of other players needing to be involved in the sessions, and the amount of planning and coordination? I.e. can you schedule your play time so that if your guild requires you to show up between 8 and 11 every Thursday, Friday and Tuesday for 3 weeks that's doable for you? That is sometimes a key factor for completing end game content in some games.

My best bet would be CoH, or possibly LotRO.

Originally posted by JK-Kanosi

 

Originally posted by moostown

Originally posted by reetin

i was just saying that MMos require time and effort to get to the maximum level. Oh i am not a teenager, thank you very much.

1. Shame mmorpgs have a max level/end game.
2. Shame that the effort and required time just involved grinding or doing the same boring quests.
3. Don't tell people your age or Smedley will be sad.

 

RPG's are supposed to be level based. That is what makes them what they are...RPGs. Even UO was level based...just skill levels, instead of class levels. I agree that most MMORPGs have boring quests, but some actually have entertaining quests if you take the time to read them. LoTRO is one of those games. But it is a shame that it is so freakin linear. But I can deal with that if I only play it in small doses.

Smedley has nothing to do with this. The humor wasn't lost on me either, I just don't find that funny.

Skills and levels are 2 different things...

Also since when has levels got anything to do with roleplay? All it does is restricts the gameplay and makes everything linear and boring down one set path. If your shagging some girl doing roleplay for a example you don't level up your character, you just play the role you want.

I want to own my own virtual life experience like something that SWG had to offer but less grinding and more options.

guildwars could be a good match, it feels more like a game, than the issues you have with normall MMO's.  I have no clue about the expansion though, I don't ever plan on playing it either due to the fact they plan on stopping to develop for guildwars... basically them saying "this is IT, but we'll give you a totem to unlock bonuses in the game we're really focusing on(GW2)"

some content could take more than 3 hours if you go against it casually instead of with power builds though, but it's completely unnecessary to do if you don't want to.

Originally posted by Dreamagram

Based on the maximum 3 hours per session requirement I'd rule out DDO, EQII and WoW right away, and possibly also Vanguard though I never played end game content there. And I really have no clue about FFXI or mid to end game content in LotRO.

However, I think there are two other factors to consider too:
1. Do you have any requirements on how many such 3 hour sessions you are willing to play? I'm sure you know that you can't play all of an MMOG's content with one 3 hour session per week over 3 months. Do you wish to see all the content within a year? Or are you happy just to know you can complete all content at some point in time after an unknown number of 3 hour sessions?
2. Do you have any requirements regarding the number of other players needing to be involved in the sessions, and the amount of planning and coordination? I.e. can you schedule your play time so that if your guild requires you to show up between 8 and 11 every Thursday, Friday and Tuesday for 3 weeks that's doable for you? That is sometimes a key factor for completing end game content in some games.

My best bet would be CoH, or possibly LotRO.

1. No requirements on the number of 3 hour sessions I play. I play well over 3 hours per week. There is no yearly requirement for me to see their content. I'm happy as long as I can complete all content in the game eventually.

2. There is no requirement regarding the number of other players needed. However, I prefer a group game. I am flexible, so yes I am able to schedule 3 hour sessions whenever I am needed. I was under the impression that DDO could be played in 3 hour sessions. This is why their quests were split into steps. But I haven't played that game past lvl 5, so I wouldn't know for sure.

CoH sounds like a good choice, I've played that one till around lvl 17 and I never felt I would have to spend more than 3 hours at a time to experience all content in the game. However, like I have said before, I heard that LoTRO has some content that takes 6 hours to complete. Can you confirm or deny this?

Thank you

I think the instance in question in LoTRo is just like one of the endgame instances in WoW: takes a long time but isn't really nessesary to the overall game. I think both WoW+EQ2 are semi-casual at higher levels but I don't think LoTRo is quite like that at least I don't get the impression. Oh the thing with DDO is that I hear people complaining about not being able to find groups easily and such. There was a recent server merge so that may be different now. Also Guild Wars' instances don't take to long and if you stop playing for a bit is rather nice that you won't keep getting charged. Good luck, I'd guess that LoTRo, CoH/V, and Guildwars are your best bets.

DDO seems optimal for what you are asking, I no longer play but I do not think there is anything in the game that takes longer then 3 hours, as you said most large quest archs are made up of steps, you can get of at anytime between these.

You can jump in and just do a quick quest.

Problem with DDO is not the game but rather the fact that you need company for almost anything you do, short of shopping.

There is nothing else BUT quests, no crafting, housing or whatever.

It is probably the only game on your list were you have access to the entire game as a casual player, I do not think there are raids over 12 people and even as none guilded I had access to everything, I have not played since they raised the lvl cap from 12 to 14 though.

With a good group of people I would recomend DDO.

Have you considered EQ2 by the way, ( was that on your list? cant see that while I am making a post ).

There are a lot of casual guilds there that have access to pretty much everything in the game and there is not much that takes more then 3 hours either, it also has the added bonus that is has a LOT to do outside of questing/figthing, myself was totally hooked on collections, my house, exploration and whatnot.

And of course there is the heritage quests wich in my book are the bests quests in this genre, especially if you read trough them, as you said.

You will probably need a guild though to have access to everything, but the upside is that most people playing still are comitted and mostly mature, it will not be hard to find one that suits you.

Ok, that was nothing BUT my own personal opinions, exactly what you did not ask for, but hey.

Originally posted by Umbrood

DDO seems optimal for what you are asking, I no longer play but I do not think there is anything in the game that takes longer then 3 hours, as you said most large quest archs are made up of steps, you can get of at anytime between these.

You can jump in and just do a quick quest.

Problem with DDO is not the game but rather the fact that you need company for almost anything you do, short of shopping.

There is nothing else BUT quests, no crafting, housing or whatever.

It is probably the only game on your list were you have access to the entire game as a casual player, I do not think there are raids over 12 people and even as none guilded I had access to everything, I have not played since they raised the lvl cap from 12 to 14 though.

With a good group of people I would recomend DDO.

Have you considered EQ2 by the way, ( was that on your list? cant see that while I am making a post ).

There are a lot of casual guilds there that have access to pretty much everything in the game and there is not much that takes more then 3 hours either, it also has the added bonus that is has a LOT to do outside of questing/figthing, myself was totally hooked on collections, my house, exploration and whatnot.

And of course there is the heritage quests wich in my book are the bests quests in this genre, especially if you read trough them, as you said.

You will probably need a guild though to have access to everything, but the upside is that most people playing still are comitted and mostly mature, it will not be hard to find one that suits you.

Ok, that was nothing BUT my own personal opinions, exactly what you did not ask for, but hey.

I am subscribed to more than one MMORPG, so if I can't find a group or something to do in one, I just log into the other. I'm not too concerned about how quickly I make progress, but more if I am having fun or not.  Your description of DDO is more like what I know and have heard about it. I love grouping games and wish every game offered a pure grouping option. If I can't find a group, I will just play another game or do something in real life. No biggie.

I have considered EQ2 and have the Station Pass currently. I play SWG for the RP, which is my Sci-Fi game and I also have Vanguard, EQ2, and currently I am subscribed to LoTRO for 60 days. I am a bit unmotivated to level in EQ2 and LoTRO for different reasons. EQ2 because the quests are flat out kill x of these and come back or delivery quests. Out of 15 levels in that game, I haven't experienced anything different. I am not so "in need" of a game that I am willing to do such mundane quests. LoTRO's quests are much more involved an engaging, but I have heard that a lot of high end content takes 6+ hours to do w/ a group. That is what demotivated me from leveling there.

This is why I am asking you all about this. I felt I wasn't getting a very objective opinion from people, so I recently created a similar post in each of these games individual forums and I rephrased the question. I am not looking for a casual game perse, just a game where I won't have to spend over 3 hours to do the best content in the game. Usually, the best content is the raids. I remember in WoW that the instances had really interesting stories and quests tied to them. I can only imagine that the Raids are even better. But I always assumed that it would take many hours to do a raid in WOW.

What I could really use is a list of how long it takes to do raids in each game, that way I can decide for myself if I am willing to put those kinds of hours all at once just to do the content. I am free to spend 8 hour or more doing a raid, I just prefer not to. After you finish a 8 hour raid, you just look around and wander where the day has gone.

I agree that the early levels in eq2 can be a bit dull, I found the break point to be around lvl 20 when you have the option of going into the high levels dungeons in the commonlands or antonica, or move on to Nektulos or Thundering Steppes.

Thats either Stormhold or Fallen gate, both are really realyl good dungeons, and yes they are based around quests and most of these are coockie cutter quests, but if you indulge yourself in the storyline of these quests they are a lot of fun, pickin up 10 zombie bones for no apparent reason is soulless, doing it for a reason you know and nderstand may not be extasy but it is a lot less dull.

EQ and subsequently EQ2 has by far the deepest and most intriguing background stories of any game I have played, with the possible exception of SWG.. ;)

In the early days there were, and still is but no on does them anymore, quests from books, these were almost always ultimate cookie cutter quests, kill x of these and y of that and not seldom were these things hard to find as well, the mobs that is, not the books.

But in the end you got a book to read and put in your house, I had an extensive library of hundreds of books, most of them well written and most of them giving you in depth knowledge of the world in wich you played, I liked that a LOT, my library was my pride, but I will not lie, it was utter hell to collect them.. ;)

Later on, say 25 or so you move onto the dungeons in Nektulos and Thundering Steppes, Nektropos castle, ( possibly the best made dungeon in any game ), and Temple of Varson and while not as aweseom as Nektropos it is very well done.

You now start to get access to the early heritage quests that are in the game, the first two is if I remeber correctly "Dwarfen work boots" and "Searching for the ligth" or something similar.

The heritage quests alone made EQ2 worth it to me, extremely well done, great story and very nice rewards, there is an abundance and personally I never managed to get them all done, mostly because I left just after echoes of Faydwer was released so I never found out about the new ones.

To me there was never a lack of content, quite the opposite, unless you turn of XP ( wich is an option ), and lvl purely from quest rewards you will outgrow the majority of the content, some like this fact, to be able to go back and just immerse yourelf in the story with little to no risk, others liked to lvl only on that reward XP, I am part of the former crowd with I think something like 800 quests done on my character.

Obviously others did not like quests att all but just rushed the fastest route to max, wich is not as long as some people would have you believe.

Hehe, I am starting to sound like a SOE salesman here, but none the less.

If you are of the later crowd, who thinks raids are what these games are all about ( wich I disagree with when it comes to this particular one ), then I will try to give you a time estimate.

If you are in a frontline guild then yes probably raids will take quite some time due to the fact that you are the one doing the exploration few have done before, so there is very little information available, anything from 2-6 hours is my estimate, rarely over that.

If you in a more casual guild, were you know what to expect and what to do then I would cut that in half. 1-3 hours for most raids in the game, up to Kingdom of skies, as I said I played very little in Echoes of faydwer.

However if you are in a dedicated guild ( hardcore, but I just hate that name ) that allready know what to do, then things will go even faster.

Allthough there are a lot of raid instances, differeng wildly in difficulty, giving a timeframe for each is near impossible.

I doubt however you will find it to time consuming, and meet your criteria.

There are more things to consider, most high lvl raid instances have access quests involved, most of them not so easy.

There are also great quest archs that are not heritage quests but still dwarfs anything else, the claymore quests line for example is made up of I think 30 quests, escalating in diffiiculty and ending in the toughest raid mobs in the game, or at least what used to the toughest.

If you can stand it try to move on past the 20 mark and see, it may still not be for you, but then you would know more surely that it wasnt.

Wooa, this post grew and grew, have not considered EQ2 this much in a long time, I migth just reactivate my sub, wich I was going to anyhow when the new expansion hit the stores.

Anyhow, any more precise questions, just shoot.

In WoW, up to level 70 you'll do alot of progress in three hour sessions, and I mean alot.

However, once you hit 70 and have done some of the instances that can be done within hours, you will hit a brick wall.

That's the main flaw of the game. The first time you play through it you might have a blast, but unless you quit your job (or join a guild and adhere to a 6pm-midnight every weekday schedule), you won't ever see the raid/lore contents the elite few can see, well outside of videos on YouTube.

Originally posted by JK-Kanosi

 

Originally posted by Umbrood

DDO seems optimal for what you are asking, I no longer play but I do not think there is anything in the game that takes longer then 3 hours, as you said most large quest archs are made up of steps, you can get of at anytime between these.

You can jump in and just do a quick quest.

Problem with DDO is not the game but rather the fact that you need company for almost anything you do, short of shopping.

There is nothing else BUT quests, no crafting, housing or whatever.

It is probably the only game on your list were you have access to the entire game as a casual player, I do not think there are raids over 12 people and even as none guilded I had access to everything, I have not played since they raised the lvl cap from 12 to 14 though.

With a good group of people I would recomend DDO.

Have you considered EQ2 by the way, ( was that on your list? cant see that while I am making a post ).

There are a lot of casual guilds there that have access to pretty much everything in the game and there is not much that takes more then 3 hours either, it also has the added bonus that is has a LOT to do outside of questing/figthing, myself was totally hooked on collections, my house, exploration and whatnot.

And of course there is the heritage quests wich in my book are the bests quests in this genre, especially if you read trough them, as you said.

You will probably need a guild though to have access to everything, but the upside is that most people playing still are comitted and mostly mature, it will not be hard to find one that suits you.

Ok, that was nothing BUT my own personal opinions, exactly what you did not ask for, but hey.

 

I am subscribed to more than one MMORPG, so if I can't find a group or something to do in one, I just log into the other. I'm not too concerned about how quickly I make progress, but more if I am having fun or not.  Your description of DDO is more like what I know and have heard about it. I love grouping games and wish every game offered a pure grouping option. If I can't find a group, I will just play another game or do something in real life. No biggie.

I have considered EQ2 and have the Station Pass currently. I play SWG for the RP, which is my Sci-Fi game and I also have Vanguard, EQ2, and currently I am subscribed to LoTRO for 60 days. I am a bit unmotivated to level in EQ2 and LoTRO for different reasons. EQ2 because the quests are flat out kill x of these and come back or delivery quests. Out of 15 levels in that game, I haven't experienced anything different. I am not so "in need" of a game that I am willing to do such mundane quests. LoTRO's quests are much more involved an engaging, but I have heard that a lot of high end content takes 6+ hours to do w/ a group. That is what demotivated me from leveling there.

This is why I am asking you all about this. I felt I wasn't getting a very objective opinion from people, so I recently created a similar post in each of these games individual forums and I rephrased the question. I am not looking for a casual game perse, just a game where I won't have to spend over 3 hours to do the best content in the game. Usually, the best content is the raids. I remember in WoW that the instances had really interesting stories and quests tied to them. I can only imagine that the Raids are even better. But I always assumed that it would take many hours to do a raid in WOW.

What I could really use is a list of how long it takes to do raids in each game, that way I can decide for myself if I am willing to put those kinds of hours all at once just to do the content. I am free to spend 8 hour or more doing a raid, I just prefer not to. After you finish a 8 hour raid, you just look around and wander where the day has gone.

I think you would enjoy DDO.  All DDO's content is quality from the outset. You certainly don't have to wait for a raid. As mentioned, most of the larger dungeons are broken down into parts, the game I think was primarily designed for those who gather once or twice a week just as they may have playing pnp. It may not be the biggest mmo or have the most content but it is challenging and easily has the best dungeons out there.