So,

I have no "need" for a F2P MMO. I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off, with pay, and lots and lots of time to feed my MMO addiction.

I have an active WoW sub that has been active since the day WoW hit retail back in 2004. Prior to that I played FFXI and UO.

RoM is just awesome. I am so engrossed.

It's like ... The took all of the positive aspects of grinding and put them together in a very formulaic and calculating way. They took inspiration from FFXI and created a very fun dual-class system. They took the quest-grind idea from WoW and EQ and built a leveling curve around it. They peppered it with daily quests, housing, significant role of guilds, and a lot of extras that make the game feel complete.

On the downside, it lacks the polish that you find in a game like WoW with their huge budget and 7+ years of ongoing development.

For the record, I'm just a lowbie L23Knight/Priest, but I have not spent a cent yet. Unless you feel the overwhelming need to have ALL THE BEST STUFF RIGHT NOW you don't need to put out much money. Just about everything that you could pay for, you can get for free if you don't mind working at it. You can buy a lot of items with gold (the currency you DONT pay RL money for). I'm in a guild with a lot of experienced players. There are people who have been playing since launch who have not spent a cent and are really enjoying the game. There are also players who enjoy things like customizing the color of their mounts and having EVERYTHING NOW!!! and they have spent over $200.

Personally, I am probably going to drop $80 at the diamond shop eventually. That's enough to get a permanent mount (about $7) and have a ton of diamonds left to make things slightly smoother. To me, that's a reasonable amount to spend on a game that you enjoy that provides hundreds of hours of quality entertainment. There are people on this board and others who complain that to have all of the best gear RIGHT NOW they would have to spend over $200 ... That's nice. But it's not necessary. I enjoy the process of developing my character, and the grind in this game is always rewarding and fun. Daily quests are easy (in fact you can buy the items you need from the auction house!) and the reward tokens can get you things that would otherwise cost RL $.

For all it's worth, I give this game 8/10. There are some quirks in the UI, the occasional glitch and a few rough translations, but it hasn't taken away from the fun! If you're bored and looking for something new, I would recommend ignoring all the whiners and just give it a try. I mean ... forums attract whiners, and sometimes people have valid complaints ... but with no cost of entry, it's worth downloading and dedicating a few nights to see if it's a game for you :)
 

Originally posted by _Jord_

So,

I have no "need" for a F2P MMO. I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off, with pay, and lots and lots of time to feed my MMO addiction.

I have an active WoW sub that has been active since the day WoW hit retail back in 2004. Prior to that I played FFXI and UO.

RoM is just awesome. I am so engrossed.

It's like ... The took all of the positive aspects of grinding and put them together in a very formulaic and calculating way. They took inspiration from FFXI and created a very fun dual-class system. They took the quest-grind idea from WoW and EQ and built a leveling curve around it. They peppered it with daily quests, housing, significant role of guilds, and a lot of extras that make the game feel complete.

On the downside, it lacks the polish that you find in a game like WoW with their huge budget and 7+ years of ongoing development.

For the record, I'm just a lowbie L23Knight/Priest, but I have not spent a cent yet. Unless you feel the overwhelming need to have ALL THE BEST STUFF RIGHT NOW you don't need to put out much money. Just about everything that you could pay for, you can get for free if you don't mind working at it. You can buy a lot of items with gold (the currency you DONT pay RL money for). I'm in a guild with a lot of experienced players. There are people who have been playing since launch who have not spent a cent and are really enjoying the game. There are also players who enjoy things like customizing the color of their mounts and having EVERYTHING NOW!!! and they have spent over $200.

Personally, I am probably going to drop $80 at the diamond shop eventually. That's enough to get a permanent mount (about $7) and have a ton of diamonds left to make things slightly smoother. To me, that's a reasonable amount to spend on a game that you enjoy that provides hundreds of hours of quality entertainment. There are people on this board and others who complain that to have all of the best gear RIGHT NOW they would have to spend over $200 ... That's nice. But it's not necessary. I enjoy the process of developing my character, and the grind in this game is always rewarding and fun. Daily quests are easy (in fact you can buy the items you need from the auction house!) and the reward tokens can get you things that would otherwise cost RL $.

For all it's worth, I give this game 8/10. There are some quirks in the UI, the occasional glitch and a few rough translations, but it hasn't taken away from the fun! If you're bored and looking for something new, I would recommend ignoring all the whiners and just give it a try. I mean ... forums attract whiners, and sometimes people have valid complaints ... but with no cost of entry, it's worth downloading and dedicating a few nights to see if it's a game for you :)
 

 

hm tastes are so different.

this one got me addicted for about 1 hour bevore uninstalling. as i posted on some other thread regarding microtransaction games:

if this is one of the better regarded of them i spare me the time to check out the rest!

it lacks in overall quality, the graphics were the most disappointing as i expected at least they would be compareble to subscription based game :(

the microtransaction model is something i particularly do not like i even consider it problematic if minors/kids participate in such games without thinking of the finan cial impact!

tastes ar so different.

Seems a bit premature to be singing the praises of this game at lvl 23. Many have said the most disappointment comes at higher levels.

First of all, people are welcome to their own "tastes" but if you had the game installed for an hour, you probably shouldn't say much about it. There is no way you learned any of the game's unique traits in that time. In the first hour, I was still saying "wow this is just like WoW!" to myself. Also, having played the game on both a proper gaming rig and a decent-but-not-gaming-machine new MacBook, I can tell you that the difference between playing the game at full graphics and medium settings is huge. The game does not do a great job scaling down for lower end computers, but still looks okay and plays smoothly.

As for most complaining being at the end-game... my understanding is that the biggest complaint is that you can't BE UBER RIGHT NOW without spending a lot of money. That might be true. But there are a ton of ways to upgrade your gear without spending a cent. I'm in a rather large guild with a number of L40-50 players, and they are all enjoying themselves.

I find that there is a large group of people who are NEVER happy with any end-game. They always compare it to EQ or FFXI or SWG, or whatever their first MMO was, and how it just doesn't measure up. The truth is when you reach your very first end-game in an MMO, you are naive and everythign seems so cool. Eventually, people start finding that the end-game doesn't really satiate them. call me crazy, but I think they are trying to satisfy social and emotional needs with a game, failing, and thus endlessly complaining.

Originally posted by _Jord_

First of all, people are welcome to their own "tastes" but if you had the game installed for an hour, you probably shouldn't say much about it. There is no way you learned any of the game's unique traits in that time. In the first hour, I was still saying "wow this is just like WoW!" to myself. Also, having played the game on both a proper gaming rig and a decent-but-not-gaming-machine new MacBook, I can tell you that the difference between playing the game at full graphics and medium settings is huge. The game does not do a great job scaling down for lower end computers, but still looks okay and plays smoothly.

 

As for most complaining being at the end-game... my understanding is that the biggest complaint is that you can't BE UBER RIGHT NOW without spending a lot of money. That might be true. But there are a ton of ways to upgrade your gear without spending a cent. I'm in a rather large guild with a number of L40-50 players, and they are all enjoying themselves.

I find that there is a large group of people who are NEVER happy with any end-game. They always compare it to EQ or FFXI or SWG, or whatever their first MMO was, and how it just doesn't measure up. The truth is when you reach your very first end-game in an MMO, you are naive and everythign seems so cool. Eventually, people start finding that the end-game doesn't really satiate them. call me crazy, but I think they are trying to satisfy social and emotional needs with a game, failing, and thus endlessly complaining.

Endgame is about how much cash you spend. I myself, have a level 50 warrior/rogue and it's really dependent on how much cash your willing to give up to upgrade. You will notice once you spend a lot of time at the "endgame", that you will need cash to upgrade pass a certain level. They once got people to play by stating you would be able to receive any item from the cash shop in-game, but it never really happened like that. Most of the good cash shop items are pretty rare if at all in-game, and the auction house has turned into the diamond house. The delay on trading is also a pain, but I believe they fixed it a little.

Originally posted by _Jord_

First of all, people are welcome to their own "tastes" but if you had the game installed for an hour, you probably shouldn't say much about it. There is no way you learned any of the game's unique traits in that time. In the first hour, I was still saying "wow this is just like WoW!" to myself. Also, having played the game on both a proper gaming rig and a decent-but-not-gaming-machine new MacBook, I can tell you that the difference between playing the game at full graphics and medium settings is huge. The game does not do a great job scaling down for lower end computers, but still looks okay and plays smoothly.

 

As for most complaining being at the end-game... my understanding is that the biggest complaint is that you can't BE UBER RIGHT NOW without spending a lot of money. That might be true. But there are a ton of ways to upgrade your gear without spending a cent. I'm in a rather large guild with a number of L40-50 players, and they are all enjoying themselves.

I find that there is a large group of people who are NEVER happy with any end-game. They always compare it to EQ or FFXI or SWG, or whatever their first MMO was, and how it just doesn't measure up. The truth is when you reach your very first end-game in an MMO, you are naive and everythign seems so cool. Eventually, people start finding that the end-game doesn't really satiate them. call me crazy, but I think they are trying to satisfy social and emotional needs with a game, failing, and thus endlessly complaining.

ah fellow mac owner *smiles*

currently i play wow and ryzom on  my 15" macbook pro 4 gb ram  (wow under mac osx and ryzom under windows) with max details in both games.

the same i did with runes of magic and the graphics alone were so bad and ugly (in my opinion!) that i could not stand it for an extended period of time. in no way is this title even comparable to the two games i play now and the many i played before and quit!

there is a reason i pay a monthly fee for a game, that is quality!  i get a  real *smiles* entertainment value for my euros so that  i have no complaints paying for this. runes of magic might be one of the better regarded microtransaction games but it definitely put me off and brought me back to reality:

there is nothing "for free" (ah how i hate this term :) )

Originally posted by caelach

Seems a bit premature to be singing the praises of this game at lvl 23. Many have said the most disappointment comes at higher levels.

So that means people have enjoyed the game all the way to the end.  Seems fine to me...

~Ripper

I just started RoM and i'm level 13 mage (haven't dual classed yet) . . .

it's pretty decent to be honest, well-run, not broken, WoWish, but pretty decent. I'm surprised i'm more into that than SWG but I guess it's an intuitive feeling.

I am not experienced with RMT games but I prefer the p2p. Anyway, i'd say try it out, it seems okay. But it is very similar. But then again, you need to experience the full game.

Cryomatrix

I'll keep this short.

So far it seems people are disappointed about the End-game of a brand new game.... ???STFU

Second, a wow player is trashing the graphics.... LOL

Lastly, I can understand the RTM criticism. It's a big jump for a lot of western players. Still this game is a business, it was never meant to be free. Can you play for free?  yes!  Will you? NO!    Thats the whole fing point.

Again at least this way you get to decide how much financially your willing to pay. $5 a month, maybe ten, hell $50, if you can/want to.

     I'm kind of in the same boat as Jord.  I am oldish and have the means to play a p2p game if I wish.  In fact I have a couple subs running right now with LoTRO and Chronicles of spellborne.  The fact is that this Runes of Magic game is very well executed.  I wasn't expecting it to be and to be honest the only reason I installed it was so my wife and I could get on and play together for a while(she's computer illiterate lol).  As we sat there for a couple hours I was amazed at how smoothly I was getting into this game.  It's just simple plain well thought out fun.  It's now my top choice game to play in my spare time and I'm letting my subs collect dust 8 )  Can't wait for the new content to be introduced over time, I'm sure this game will blossom into something spectacular.

Originally posted by Rilzik

I'll keep this short.

 

So far it seems people are disappointed about the End-game of a brand new game.... ???STFU

 

Second, a wow player is trashing the graphics.... LOL

Lastly, I can understand the RTM criticism. It's a big jump for a lot of western players. Still this game is a business, it was never meant to be free. Can you play for free?  yes!  Will you? NO!    Thats the whole fing point.

Again at least this way you get to decide how much financially your willing to pay. $5 a month, maybe ten, hell $50, if you can/want to.

 

 

 

 

50 bucks eh?  Yeah, you'll spend at least 50 bucks, average level 50 set costs about 150-250.  But who wants to be average?

The best items are boosted way up and PureEvil is reported to have spent over $4K on his set alone...so far.

You don't have to pay for any of this of course, but you'd better be very patient and unsurprised in a couple of level 25's take you down.

Its a decent enough game, but know this, the PVP model really isn't very good.  If raiding end game instances and tiering up you gear is your goal, have at it.

I wearied after I realized what the end game was going to be and went back to EVE.

Originally posted by _Jord_

So,

I have no "need" for a F2P MMO. I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off, with pay, and lots and lots of time to feed my MMO addiction.

I have an active WoW sub that has been active since the day WoW hit retail back in 2004. Prior to that I played FFXI and UO.

RoM is just awesome. I am so engrossed.

It's like ... The took all of the positive aspects of grinding and put them together in a very formulaic and calculating way. They took inspiration from FFXI and created a very fun dual-class system. They took the quest-grind idea from WoW and EQ and built a leveling curve around it. They peppered it with daily quests, housing, significant role of guilds, and a lot of extras that make the game feel complete.

On the downside, it lacks the polish that you find in a game like WoW with their huge budget and 7+ years of ongoing development.

For the record, I'm just a lowbie L23Knight/Priest, but I have not spent a cent yet. Unless you feel the overwhelming need to have ALL THE BEST STUFF RIGHT NOW you don't need to put out much money. Just about everything that you could pay for, you can get for free if you don't mind working at it. You can buy a lot of items with gold (the currency you DONT pay RL money for). I'm in a guild with a lot of experienced players. There are people who have been playing since launch who have not spent a cent and are really enjoying the game. There are also players who enjoy things like customizing the color of their mounts and having EVERYTHING NOW!!! and they have spent over $200.

Personally, I am probably going to drop $80 at the diamond shop eventually. That's enough to get a permanent mount (about $7) and have a ton of diamonds left to make things slightly smoother. To me, that's a reasonable amount to spend on a game that you enjoy that provides hundreds of hours of quality entertainment. There are people on this board and others who complain that to have all of the best gear RIGHT NOW they would have to spend over $200 ... That's nice. But it's not necessary. I enjoy the process of developing my character, and the grind in this game is always rewarding and fun. Daily quests are easy (in fact you can buy the items you need from the auction house!) and the reward tokens can get you things that would otherwise cost RL $.

For all it's worth, I give this game 8/10. There are some quirks in the UI, the occasional glitch and a few rough translations, but it hasn't taken away from the fun! If you're bored and looking for something new, I would recommend ignoring all the whiners and just give it a try. I mean ... forums attract whiners, and sometimes people have valid complaints ... but with no cost of entry, it's worth downloading and dedicating a few nights to see if it's a game for you :)
 

 

i totaly agree with you.

Games aren't free to develop. The bandwidth it uses isn't free. Nor are the servers. If you aren't spending at least $15 a month on the game, and a nominal $30-$50 to get started, you aren't really supporting the game, and therefore maybe shouldn't even be competitive. This holds true for all RMT games. In actuality, RMT games are no different than non-RMT games where you are competing against gold buyers.

I recently read a post from a player who is considered fairly good (pvp server). His total investment? 3000d or $100. That's not much to support a game you like.

RoM and Atlantica are currently my two favorite MMOs and they are both F2P.

I am new to RoM as well, i have a level 14 Mage/  level 1 Knight. I find this game really adictive i came from playing Perfect World to playing this even though i still enjoy playing PWI :) I am not really gonna stay on the WoW "subject" but i have played WoW, and i enjoyed it, but i have played so many MMORPG's now and in the past i really have to say that this game is fun, most people got to realize is that it is a pretty new game still, so we still gotta wait on progress, who knows they may have more cities to travel to. More features, it only could get better and better into the future, i am looking forward to seeing expansion packs and other things!!  But as of right now i am some what disapointed, because i can't play this game due to the fact that it has been patched and thousands of users cannot login at the moment!

When will Druid and Warden become character choices? I just installed and see no option for either. 

Originally posted by caelach

Seems a bit premature to be singing the praises of this game at lvl 23. Many have said the most disappointment comes at higher levels.

This.  It was fun at first, but as the realities of the games cash shop set in, combined with the clear focus on WOW-like end game raiding and I gave up at level 43.

Your results may vary.

Who plays for end game?? not me ,i play a game from level 1,if this guy is having fun NOW,great enjoy yourself.If the game fails at end game,great we enjoyed the game and now the end should be the "end".Time to reroll or move to another game,end game is usually drama,whining anyhow.

As far as cash shop goes,there is no weapons or armour in the item mall.If you are talking about cash shop for end game,i see no purpose as you dont need any more upgrades,you are basically done.Time to grind out the crafting or start another toon,this is what i do a lot in games.

The basic bonus to the cash shop is of course permanent mounts,not a big deal when you consider you can play for free.The other perks are furniture for your house,witch can give bonuses like XP and TP bonus time.You can also buy items to upgrade your gear,it is actually not over expensive and does help a bit.If this was PVP well then your fault for joining PVP anyhow,you don't need the bonuses on a PVE server.

Basically the way this game is designed is that you party,you can enjoy the game easily and never spend a cent.If you want to solo,then you "might' need the perks to help the soloing along,it only makes sense,it shoudl be about the group play.

So far i have found ROM to have a helpful community,but they are a little impatient.Just about everyone sends out /shout when doing boss fights or instances,problem is they might not wait much for you to show up.

100% Agree with fldash.

This is a very enjoyable game that allows you to choose if you are spending money or not. You can have a great time and not spend a dime. As for the graphics being "low quality" compared to WoW, seriously? You run WoW on high settings on your "Gaming Rig" and RoM looks poor compared to it. I think that maybe a biased opinion. If you expect to see WoW when playing RoM than of course it will not live up to your expectations. Also, lets keep in mind the orginial post - WoW has been in progress for +7 years and that's not to mention the Warcraft series before that. They do have a major bank roll supporting them. RoM gives you a very enjoyable game for ZERO money. When was the last time WoW even offered an expansion for free? 

RoM is a very fun game. I play not to be uber - but to get enjoyment - and that is why I dont need to spend $ for gear etc.

That said, yes at high levels things get more cash oriented. But perhaps someone needs to start a Non-Uber guild for the non-spenders and THEN raid with them! :) That might encounrage people not to spend for endgame gear etc.

Originally posted by ssnautilus

RoM is a very fun game. I play not to be uber - but to get enjoyment - and that is why I dont need to spend $ for gear etc.

That said, yes at high levels things get more cash oriented. But perhaps someone needs to start a Non-Uber guild for the non-spenders and THEN raid with them! :) That might encounrage people not to spend for endgame gear etc.

That's a perfectly viable approach, at least on the PvE servers (you know, where the vast majority of players are).  A lot of the naysayers will make you believe that you HAVE to spend money end-game to keep playing but it's all just lies.  You can do an end-game progression in this game just like the P2P games and spend way less (if any) money on the game.  Most people don't have the self control to pull it off though.  They drool over the decked out guy who spent several hundred dollars on his gear and because they're all jealous they think "this game is too cash shop heavy... I quit".  Good riddance.

I played this for awhile, unfortunately; it's just poorly executed in the long run. High emphasis on cash shop, tedious grinding (Leveling a sub job half heartedly is so much fun!) and boring quests... Not to mention how terrible the game engine itself runs.