General Discussion

I'm currently playing WAR and I have to say, there are some things about it that I really like.  It has managed to keep me interested longer than most other MMO's I have played recently.  But, even so, I have noticed a trend that seems to be all too common in just about every one regardless of which company makes them.

There is vary little variation outside of combat in today's games.  I don't know if this is a result of the success of WoW or not.  I never played WoW so I can't pinpoint it to that.  But it seems like, the sole purpose now is to travel to a location on the map that is your character's appropriate level, fight like crazy to level up and acquire new gear, then move on the the next location and do the very same thing.

All of my character's skill and abilites are focused on combat skills and nothing else.  The dungeons are very basic because there is nothing to do other than enter, kill mobs and move on again.  The rogue class has virtually been eliminated or stripped of any thieving skills because they are no longer necessary.  I remember in EQ, there were tons of spells that were tailor made for non-combat situations.  SoW, levitate, teleport, etc.  It appears those days are gone.

/sigh

I have to agree with you on some of these points. Combat systems when you put it out like that will always be that way. Games do very in how combat works though. If you look at Tabula Rasa (which i havent played) it has a combat system similiar to FPS games in a way. But I bet even in that game you travel from one area to another killing mobs.

I have to disagree about the abilities only being for combat. Even in WoW i think Warlocks have an ability similiar to teleporting. Some games like GW don't really need spells like that because you can pretty much move around the world freely. I think it comes down to the fact that everyone wants traveling abilties no matter what class you are. I do however like the fact that some games have classes that get special abilties or spells that can be used outside of combat like the ones you mentioned.

..And this is why i am not playing fantasy mainstream..

I don't know they have pretty much always been that way more or less.  Even EQ you found an area with mobs your level and started grinding to get XP.  Skill games are the same except you grind a specific skill.  Even with the addition of crafting you are doing pretty much the same thing.  It comes with the territory of having a hierarchical system I am afraid.

I whole heartly agree with you.  MMOs have focused so much on combat everything outside of the combat bubble has gone to complete crap.  UO spoiled me on what a online world should be.

/signed

"Vanilla" is an accurate description, IMO.  The extremely linear design and the single minded focus on combat are two points that I agree with 100%.  They may be good games, they may be polished, but they are very bland...

I'll sign off on this too then.  Pretty much what Tatum said.  I wouldn't mind if the games became borader in the sense that there's more to do then just fight.

A MMORPG could be so much more than just Combat....

UO and SWG showed this, by having lots of non combat stuff to do that actually had a meaning and role in the game...

But, if you tried suggesting adding something non combat related into a game today, you would get lynched by the "new" crowd that overtook the market when WoW appeared, and their slogan for lynching me would be "We don't want to play the Sims Online doh, dumbar$e!"

Vanilla. Yes, very apropos. It's good word to describe the bleh of today's MMOs

ya i agree that alot or most new mmo's are following the eq and wow style and are therefore "vanilla". but at the same time i am having alot of fun of war and i am glad i picked it up.  it would be nice if companies would look outside the fantasy realm for information and make a different kind of mmo (coh/cov, eve, huxely if it comes out and delivers, etc.).  maybe even make a modern day mmo somehow. who knows.  also maybe trying to spice up the combat system somehow