General Discussion

Something thats really been taking the steam outta my MMO love has been linear questing. I just cant seem to get into the "reporting to NPCs thing.

I was just wondering if anyone else misses the AC and UO type of game where you just go look around and kill things. AC had quests but it was mostly to get certain items, and it was done much differently. I guess im eluding to wanting a more "sandbox" experience.

Im not trying to put down anyone elses style of play or what they like, I just miss certain things about older MMOs.

I liked how in AC and UO both, that there was dungeons that didnt have a specific purpose. They were just there and you went in thinking "I wonder what the hells down here?" Then youd go down, down, down, fighting whatever it had to throw at you and then some badass guy comes up and your like "I bet if I kill this dude he'll drop some awsome loot." and you dont even necessarily know if you can. But you try because you want to see that sucker fall. No quest reason, no raid loot you know SHOULD drop. Just to see.

I really miss this kind of experience and i guess im just hoping someone out there relates. It was the best of times for me. All that mystery and wonder. I remember AC having some dungeons in the middle of no where and just so stoked to have a place to hunt im not even sure anyone has ever seen.

Hope you guys are all having fun.

-Rumour

bump

Sounds like your looking for more of a sandbox kind of MMO. Unfortunatly these are few and seems to be getting fewer (with the downfall of Ryzom...is it still in limbo?).

Consider EvE online? 
Perhaps SWG, although it has gone mainstream linear as well it still holds some shadows of its sandbox past

Good Luck

I enjoy different parts in MMO's on any given day.  Thus, I like having all the experiences in the game.  Do as you want to an extent.  Sometimes I quest, sometimes I just grind.

In particular I have taken hours just to run around WOW, etc. and look at the world, just seems entertaining to me.  That is why I play MMO's to have fun, so I do what is going to make me happy at the end of the day.

one last bump to find like minded people.

I have this same problem.  I hate reporting to an NPC and having him say, "Go kill 10x/collect 10x/report to x/bring me x."  I played AC for a long, long time, and I loved the approach that it took to progression.  There was no linear direction; from the time you first entered the game world, where you went, what you hunted, the quests you did, etc., was entirely case-specific.  Sure, there were some places that were popular spots for certain level ranges, but there was also a nearly infinite number of other options.  One of the joys of the game was to find a place to level that was relatively unknown.

Since I left AC, I've found that the MMOs I play are based on linear questing and a "quest system."  It seems like an easy way to develop games and an easy way to give the games more mass appeal.  But for me, it takes away the freedom of the sandbox experience.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have the perspective of Asheron's Call, so I wouldn't be so bored by other games.

I guess I'm out of the same mold.  In my case it's kind of a double whammy because not only had I played AC for years but it was my first MMORPG as well.  The unfortunate reality is that a game with linear progression and questing is considered easier and is prefered by casual gamers.  One ironic part to that for me is that in a "sandbox" type game, players end up taking more time to explore content rather then just running down the designated path.  But ever since WoW showed companies that MMORPGs could be more then just niche games, but real money makers, they have (logically so from a business standpoint) gone for the the widest possible audience.  Unfortunately that is also usually the lowest common denominator.  But that is reality in more then just gaming.

Originally posted by Maxl

Since I left AC, I've found that the MMOs I play are based on linear questing and a "quest system."  It seems like an easy way to develop games and an easy way to give the games more mass appeal.  But for me, it takes away the freedom of the sandbox experience.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have the perspective of Asheron's Call, so I wouldn't be so bored by other games.

The problem being, this is supposed to be a roleplaying game and one of the hallmarks of roleplaying games is that you make your own story, you don't follow someone else's.  The only thing the WoW model has done is made online gaming attractive to the lazy and uncreative, which is about as stupid as trying to make playing sports attractive to the fat and lazy.  Once you take away that element of creativity, you lose the whole concept of roleplaying.

Bah, I'm a sandbox gamer and I loved SWG. I've played so many MMOs I'm sick of em. I've played many P2P, F2P, beta tested ect nothing has had "it". I've pretty much given up on MMOs all together tbh. I've been messing around with making stuff in SL but that's pretty boring and there isn't any combat, just allot of chatting. Lately I've been doing mostly console gaming but even that is losing it's luster again. SWG was the perfect game and now it's not, so really there isn't anything for sandbox gamers. You can either just conform or deal with it.