I believe the reason so many people read and post to this forums is because they're hoping for some mysterious mmo that they've never heard of that's incredibly fun to play. Unfortunately, if you've played EQ1/2, WoW, and dabbled with Eve, you've pretty much seen the extent of this genre. Every game is pretty much the same with plus or minus the expected features and little to no fun factor because it has been totally erased by having played these games over and over.

The only game that I can think of that added a little refreshment in this genre has been Atlantica Online for its turn-based implementation. Other that, maybe Planetside. But that's about it.

This genre needs a major overhaul and it's really in need of something groundbreaking. I don't care what game you decide to play right now, it's going to be the same thing with a different skin.

I'm at the point where I can't even play these games anymore. As soon as I meet the first NPC and they say "Go talk to so-n-so and return to me when you're finished", I just get this instant feeling of disappointment and boredom.

This genre really needs new game mechanics and needs to utilize the hundreds of players on the server in a completely different way.

Sorry for the rant, but I once loved this genre and I'm feeling like I can't even enjoy it anymore. Where's the innovation?

I'm not sure you even know what the term "jumped the shark" means...

I know exactly what it means. It means the beginning of the end of a great tv show. I used the metaphor to signify the beginning of the end of a great game genre.

Tonights forcast. Doom and Gloom. Followed by: Tony the adorable dancing puppy!

Jumping sharks.

You have been enlightened

Obviously you're not very passionate about this genre, yet you're perusing the "I'm bored stiff and don't know what to play anymore" forum.

i am bored. Im also doing everything i can to not ever WANT to comeback to the genre but there's always a new hope around the corner. Of course my problems will probably be solved when modern warfare 2 comes out.

Judging by his signature, i see this as a pvp person who hates pve elements.

PvP fans i believe are the most difficult to appease on any level.

In my opinion pvp has no business in mmo's because it breaks pve servers and forces rule changes.

If you want to pvp, go play cod or cs or something.

Agreed. What can you do? What ive done is stopped playing them, even ignoring the new ones that come out unless I hear something spectacular. It doesnt help that wow clones are all chargin a monthly fee which isnt justified in this day an age anymore. Im not paying $50 for a 30 day trial. If Guild Wars, one of the better mmo's out there can put out that much content with a flat rate one time fee so can the others. Good bye monthly fee mmo, not even gonna look at you.

I thought that using the phrase "jumped the shark" had jumped the shark...

It's a copy cat league, one does it a certain way and has success and they all have to copy except for a certain few out there.

Originally posted by joeballs

Unfortunately, if you've played EQ1/2, WoW, and dabbled with Eve, you've pretty much seen the extent of this genre.

Can't this be said about just about just about every genre...
One FPS isn't much different then another... same with RTS games.
They are all basically the same... with their own twists.

Originally posted by lornphoenix

Originally posted by joeballs

Unfortunately, if you've played EQ1/2, WoW, and dabbled with Eve, you've pretty much seen the extent of this genre.

 

Can't this be said about just about just about every genre...
One FPS isn't much different then another... same with RTS games.
They are all basically the same... with their own twists.

 

You're not playing the right FPS and RTS games obviously :P

I totally agree with the OP... either that or I'm not playing the right MMOs.

Innovation is hard to find, but it's out there.  Lunia and Dragonica Online are good examples of games where combat isn't as traditional (both play out more like an arcade style beat-um-up than a RPG) and AoC has some innovation as well.  They just suffer from poor implementation at the moment, but the innovation is there.  Also don't forget some of the older games that people tend to forget like Puzzle Pirates.  Puzzle Pirates is a completely different take on the MMO genre.

While I don't think you'll see much innovation this year (maybe Huxley), I think next year and the year afterwards you'll see MMOs trying to adopt some more unique (ie: twitch based) combat styles.  I think game companies are starting to realize if you want a large number of subscribers trying to compete with WoW (by making a game with similar mechanics) just isn't a good bet.

Originally posted by Kungaloosh1

Judging by his signature, i see this as a pvp person who hates pve elements.

PvP fans i believe are the most difficult to appease on any level.

In my opinion pvp has no business in mmo's because it breaks pve servers and forces rule changes.

If you want to pvp, go play cod or cs or something.

That's pretty naive thing for you to say considering that some of the first mmos ever created were designed with PvP (i.e. MUDS). Maybe YOU shouldn't be playing mmos and should be playing single-player RPGs?

Originally posted by joeballs

Originally posted by Kungaloosh1

Judging by his signature, i see this as a pvp person who hates pve elements.

PvP fans i believe are the most difficult to appease on any level.

In my opinion pvp has no business in mmo's because it breaks pve servers and forces rule changes.

If you want to pvp, go play cod or cs or something.

 

That's pretty naive thing for you to say considering that some of the first mmos ever created were designed with PvP (i.e. MUDS). Maybe YOU shouldn't be playing mmos and should be playing single-player RPGs?

Well PvPing ganker or not. the OP has somewhat of a point. I really don't blame any particular genre. I do however blame F2P games because while they might not all be WoW clones. they are carbon copies of each other. While cash shops seem to pull in tons of money for the company. Rarely is the hardware, software, graphics and over all gameplay added to. There are A FEW that might break this mould. Such as Atlanitca and Runes of Magic. But I severly doubt they will ever go as far as completly re working their graphics engines like some of the P2P games have done over the past year or so.

I say give it time. With the next gen of MMOs getting ready to come out Like Aion, Blade and Soul, Star Trek and Star Wars: Old Republic. Maybe we will finally see some new intovations with new technologies avalible. Only sad thing is here in the next 6 years this argurment will start all over again lol

Originally posted by Kungaloosh1

Judging by his signature, i see this as a pvp person who hates pve elements.

PvP fans i believe are the most difficult to appease on any level.

I disagree, PVP fans are easy to please.

Toss us on a map face us toward the other faction and we will kick the shit out of eachother for months if not years.

Toss in some territorial control and were happy as a pig in shit.

PVErs on the other hand require a stacked endgame, A game loaded with handholding quests and constant content updates since they seem to powerlevel and bitch that it takes more than 3 months to make more dungeons to run.

Originally posted by Arekaine

Originally posted by joeballs

Originally posted by Kungaloosh1

Judging by his signature, i see this as a pvp person who hates pve elements.

PvP fans i believe are the most difficult to appease on any level.

In my opinion pvp has no business in mmo's because it breaks pve servers and forces rule changes.

If you want to pvp, go play cod or cs or something.

 

That's pretty naive thing for you to say considering that some of the first mmos ever created were designed with PvP (i.e. MUDS). Maybe YOU shouldn't be playing mmos and should be playing single-player RPGs?

 

Well PvPing ganker or not. the OP has somewhat of a point. I really don't blame any particular genre. I do however blame F2P games because while they might not all be WoW clones. they are carbon copies of each other. While cash shops seem to pull in tons of money for the company. Rarely is the hardware, software, graphics and over all gameplay added to. There are A FEW that might break this mould. Such as Atlanitca and Runes of Magic. But I severly doubt they will ever go as far as completly re working their graphics engines like some of the P2P games have done over the past year or so.

I say give it time. With the next gen of MMOs getting ready to come out Like Aion, Blade and Soul, Star Trek and Star Wars: Old Republic. Maybe we will finally see some new intovations with new technologies avalible. Only sad thing is here in the next 6 years this argurment will start all over again lol

Not saying it isn't a clone of something else, but Ether Saga has at least raise itself above the others just a little by offering a graphical environment that is a step above some of the others.  Anime-style or not, if you've tried you would have to admit it is one of the better f2p's compared to those like it.  It's not much I know, but it is certainly worthy of being called a sub-clone. ^^

I have to agree with the OP, MMOs are sadly begining to blend together in my mind. Sure sometimes you'll see a new feature like special combat (Spellborn/Age of Conan) but really these just don't make up for the feeling of familiarity I feel everytime I get a quest or kill a mob or visit a NPC store.

When I first got involved in MMOs (a decade ago) it was like a breath of fresh air, here was a place I could do anything, be anything, but now it's like... Why would I want to be anything again, I've already been this and that. I had a great time doing it, but nothing you've got I haven't seen or done better already. Top of the world, everything else seems like a step down.

After you get that feeling and it passes...well then anything else is pretty bland. We've all been the heroes, been the villians, conquered the world and saved it hundreds of times. So any MMO developer has to look at everything done in the past and say, "What can I show you that will knock your socks off?"

I don't really think there is anything like that I've heard of upcoming. Only thing I'm interested in now is Star Trek Online, which I fear will probably suffer the same flaws.

I have heard simular terms been used and they are very accurate.

First game I actually played Multiplayer wise Was unfortunetly Runescape, I am back playing Mabinogi atm as it is fairly simular, but as one of my friends explained to me essentially WoW popped my MMO Cherry and not much else is capable of satisfying my expectations of a game.