Hi there

My taste in games is probably fairly similar to yours so here's a list of games which you might want to consider or wait for:

FREE (with item shop, etc)

> Dungeons & Dragons Online (I'm playing this and enjoying it immensely, but it's heavily instanced)

> The Chronicles of Spellborn (not playing this coz the art style creeped me out, aside from this though it was really good)

SUBSCRIPTION

> Fallen Earth (not tried this due to very mixed reviews, buts looks interesting)

> Age of Conan (a beautiful game which I enjoyed but found a bit too gritty for me, i.e. depressing to play)

> Planetside (not tried this, mainly because it's very dated)

> Darkfall (hmm, either love it or hate it I guess, but I haven't given it a shot)

UNRELEASED

> Global Agenda (I will definitely be playing this, although I'm concerned it may lack depth)

> Earthrise (looks good and will probably try this too)

> Jumpgate Evolution (not played a spaceship game for ages and this looks very slick, so will try this)

> Black Prophecy (as with JGE but with more grit, will try this too unless they really screw it up)

> Mortal Online (not sure about this one tbh so will watch closely)

I'm mainly playing DDO and another free game called Earth Eternal (open beta) at the moment, both of which I'm really enjoying. EE is very much like WOW and very much aimed at 'innocent' players so you may not like it, but I really enjoy it. DDO is very hands-on so it may well meet your needs. I've also been playing GA since alpha and have to say I love this game to bits. It's very fresh and I'll probably sub it alongside a more 'traditional' MMO like EE or GW2 when they're released.

If you're young and concerned about upsetting your parents, I'd go with any of the games I've highlighted in green. This is based on what I currently know about these games. Some of the unreleased ones may get a bit more violent, who knows.

Although I like DDO, I'm probably gonna can it when some of the unreleased games come out as they look very promising to me and look a bit more interesting.

Aryas

Originally posted by Hardanger

Okie dokie, so here's the deal.  I've been trying out Champions Online - and many parts of it are very good.  For example: character customization is phenomenal, the combat system and class system (or lack thereof) are great, the graphics style is new and refreshing, etc.  There are of course many things that aren't so good about it as well (I won't go into detail about this because the game has gotten enough bad rep already).  Anyways, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I got tired of it and am moving on.  This is where the trouble starts...

Almost all popular/well-done MMOs on the market right now have the same old lame click-and-watch-tv style of combat.  WoW does (hell, WoW pioneered it!), WAR does, Guild Wars does, I've heard that Aion does, Champions Online does not. 

Champions has been very sucessful in making a more involved and action-packed kind of combat style.  And I fear I can never go back after playing such a superior game (superior in that certain category, that is). 

My question is thus - what other (if any) games are there that employ a combat system similar to this.  Even if it is just a bit more involved than normal, I need to know.  For in my hunt for the next MMO, that is where I will begin - with the combat system.

 

Thanks in advance to all those who take the time to answer my question,

~Jack

Try the Call of Duty or Battlefield games.

I think you may be looking for a First Person Shooter, not so much a Computer Role Playing Game.

Global Agenda may be just the ticket.

http://www.globalagendagame.com/TheGame_Description.html

You will notice they don't describe it as an mmoRPG, but rather an MMOG. The "role playing" part, is replaced with more FPS controls which sounds like what you are looking for.

Originally posted by Axehilt

Originally posted by corpusc

if you are looking for an immersive world, scratch Planetside off the list.  its basically just a Battlefield type game with more players.  while technically it does have a virtual world with multiple public zones you can freely travel between, its really kind of pointless, because you wanna go wherever people are currently fighting.  there's NO reason to explore its unimmersive zones with what seems like randomly generated terrain and bases that all look pretty much alike.  there's no NPCs, quests, towns, or really anything associated with the term MMO, other than the fact that it can have more players fighting in an area than the Battlefield type of games.

How is Planetside not a Massively Multiplayer Online FPS?

You don't play Planetside seeking a world to explore.  You play it seeking the game with the most epic battles you've ever experienced.  Possibly not enough players for that to be the case nowadays, but I've played games ~25 years now and haven't found a more epic gaming experience.

Personally I felt PS's continents reflected real-world terrain quite a bit better than most games I've played with open worlds.  In the past whenever I decried PS's base design as unimaginative and terrible I would always make a point of mentioning the fact that at least the world level design was solid.

how did you think i was saying its not?

"   other than the fact that it can have more players fighting in an area than the Battlefield type of games.  "

yeah, it can have more players, so its (potentially if there's enough people left) massive.  

that's the ONLY aspect of an "MMO" that it has going for it.  unless you wanna count its experience points and unlocks, but there are a crapload of single player and small scale multiplayer games that have those features too.

how is the world "level design" solid when there are practically no unique landmarks/towns/points-of-interest?  its just trees, water, ground.   even if the contour of the terrain seemed natural there's nothing of interest on it.

 Dragonica is pretty good for that kind of system. It's fun and has combos and stuff (:

Originally posted by corpusc

Originally posted by Axehilt

Originally posted by corpusc

if you are looking for an immersive world, scratch Planetside off the list.  its basically just a Battlefield type game with more players.  while technically it does have a virtual world with multiple public zones you can freely travel between, its really kind of pointless, because you wanna go wherever people are currently fighting.  there's NO reason to explore its unimmersive zones with what seems like randomly generated terrain and bases that all look pretty much alike.  there's no NPCs, quests, towns, or really anything associated with the term MMO, other than the fact that it can have more players fighting in an area than the Battlefield type of games.

How is Planetside not a Massively Multiplayer Online FPS?

 how did you think i was saying its not?

 "   other than the fact that it can have more players fighting in an area than the Battlefield type of games.  "

yeah, it can have more players, so its (potentially if there's enough people left) massive.  

that's the ONLY aspect of an "MMO" that it has going for it.  unless you wanna count its experience points and unlocks, but there are a crapload of single player and small scale multiplayer games that have those features too.

 how is the world "level design" solid when there are practically no unique landmarks/towns/points-of-interest?  its just trees, water, ground.   even if the contour of the terrain seemed natural there's nothing of interest on it.

Having lots of players online is the only criteria for being an "MMO".  In fact, if you nitpick about details Planetside is more of an MMO than the vast majority of MMORPGs:

• Planetside almost constantly has 200vs200 fights. Sometimes 200v200v200.
• MMORPGs almost never have more than 50-60 people in an area; and even less of them have game mechanics which causes it to happen on a regular basis as part of gameplay.

Any argument against Planetside's MMO-ness is a losing battle by far.

If you want to argue against whether it's an RPG, sure.  It only has weak RPG elements.  But at that point we're not talking about "MMO".

More actionivolved combat systems....

-Spellborn (sadly i did not like their world development and quest system)

So i can only advise you  DDO, best combat system sofar, verry deep character development, more then just hack and slash combat, smart mobs that will actually attack you when they see you.  If you can live with instanced gameplay only this is an awesome game and a must try for everyone, the only MMO that comes close to a single player RPG.

And whta both these games have in common, they are not WoW/EQ clones... they both play totally different.

This is really annoying - after quite a few recommendations, I tried installing Spellborn again. The same thing happened.  I downloaded, installed, patched, tried to open the game.... and my computer crashed.  Whatever I guess. 

I'm just really pissed right now.  My friends play WoW - but so much of it is just sooooo boring and tedius.  Why do something for entertainment when it plays like a chore?  I just wish there was a decent, well done game - with a good combat system that keeps you involved in not only point B, but the way you are getting there.  *sigh*...

(allthough I guess the fact that I'm sick, sore, and nauseated doesn't help my mood)

By the way Aryas, thanks for that very thoughtfull post.  Out of the released ones that you mentioned - I've tried DDO, didn't like it at all (not because of the game's systems or interface, but because of graphics and style).  Chronicles of spellborn... well... yeah.  AoC and Fallen Earth - the reason I can't play either of thos should be obvious to those who have read any of my posts other than the original one:  I'm not old enough.  That leaves planetside (which I know nothing about except what you told me - that its dated), and Darkfall - which has gotten reviews worse than any other MMO I've ever heard of (not that I don't really like the sound of a lot of it).

One more thing, could anybody educate me on LotRO?  That is one game that we've all heard great things about (MMORPG.com review - 8.5), but I don't really know much about it.  Hows the combat?  I've heard it's pretty boring... How true is this?  I'm a huge Tolkein fanboy, so of course I've been considering it.  I've just heard so many good and bad things about it.  Opinions?  Advice?  Thanks.

Originally posted by Blindchance

Originally posted by mrcalhou

Well, you could always ask them to let you play Darkfall if you want to. It is actiony, but there are a lot of players that use programs that let them move faster, auto-loot, or go through terrain. If that doesn't bother you then you can give it a shot.

How many exactly means "a lot of players" ? Please support your opinion with numbers and evidence or it will stay just an opinion.

You want a number? Then I would have to say around 7 people in the goblin camp outside town on one occasion, but every time I tried to fight in a camp that had other people in it I couldn't get any loot from any of my kills, because people could loot them insanely fast. Faster than I would I think a normal person would be capable of, but back to my experiance: There were two people in the walls of the house where the goblins spawn, then there were another 4 that kept looting all the kills quicker than I could move the mouse, much quicker. Then there was the guy that seemed to just teleport across the terrain. Didn't bother to take screenshots since I decided I was going to unsub indefinitly until the problems were fixed. So you'll just have to take my word on it, which you won't, and that is fine. I have nothing to gain from people playing or not playing Darkfall. I'm not a programmer with a competeing company, because I'm going to school to be a high school science teacher. I do have numbers and evidence to support that though, but that's superfluous. 

Originally posted by mrcalhou

Originally posted by Blindchance

Originally posted by mrcalhou

Well, you could always ask them to let you play Darkfall if you want to. It is actiony, but there are a lot of players that use programs that let them move faster, auto-loot, or go through terrain. If that doesn't bother you then you can give it a shot.

How many exactly means "a lot of players" ? Please support your opinion with numbers and evidence or it will stay just an opinion.

 

You want a number? Then I would have to say around 7 people in the goblin camp outside town on one occasion, but every time I tried to fight in a camp that had other people in it I couldn't get any loot from any of my kills, because people could loot them insanely fast. Faster than I would I think a normal person would be capable of, but back to my experiance: There were two people in the walls of the house where the goblins spawn, then there were another 4 that kept looting all the kills quicker than I could move the mouse, much quicker. Then there was the guy that seemed to just teleport across the terrain. Didn't bother to take screenshots since I decided I was going to unsub indefinitly until the problems were fixed. So you'll just have to take my word on it, which you won't, and that is fine. I have nothing to gain from people playing or not playing Darkfall. I'm not a programmer with a competeing company, because I'm going to school to be a high school science teacher. I do have numbers and evidence to support that though, but that's superfluous. 

This doesn't really pertain to this thread at all.  Please stay on topic.

On a different note, thats an interesting experience there..  I figured that with the limitations and freedoms given to players in Darkfall, there would be some problems...  But not that even little things like that would blow up to such an extent.  Sounds pretty bad.

But seriously, any thoughts on LotRO or my predicament in general...?

 Actiony MMOs:

(Red - pay, Green - free, Blue - unreleased)

*Chronicles of Spellborn
*Blade and Soul
*Dragonica
*Dungeon Fighter Online
*Face of Mankind
*Roma Victor
*Neocron 2
*Global Agenda
*Earthrise
*Fallen Earth
*LOVE
*Project Visitor
*a new Nexon game I can't remember the name of

Originally posted by johnmatthais

 Actiony MMOs:

(Red - pay, Green - free, Blue - unreleased)

*Chronicles of Spellborn
*Blade and Soul
*Dragonica
*Dungeon Fighter Online
*Face of Mankind
*Roma Victor
*Neocron 2
*Global Agenda
*Earthrise
*Fallen Earth
*LOVE
*Project Visitor
*a new Nexon game I can't remember the name of

Many of these have already been ruled out in previous pages, but I'll look into some of the other ones, thanks.
 

Keep the suggestions coming, if there are no more ideas - I'll figure it out on my own.  I've decided that I have to play whatever has the highest "fun factor" for me.  If that means quitting WoW and maybe going back to an old game or starting a new one... so be it.  The two most enjoyable games I've played are WAR and Champions Online, I'll start by looking back at those. 

Originally posted by Hardanger

Originally posted by johnmatthais

 Actiony MMOs:

(Red - pay, Green - free, Blue - unreleased)

*Chronicles of Spellborn
*Blade and Soul
*Dragonica
*Dungeon Fighter Online
*Face of Mankind
*Roma Victor
*Neocron 2
*Global Agenda
*Earthrise
*Fallen Earth
*LOVE
*Project Visitor
*a new Nexon game I can't remember the name of

Many of these have already been ruled out in previous pages, but I'll look into some of the other ones, thanks.
 

Keep the suggestions coming, if there are no more ideas - I'll figure it out on my own.  I've decided that I have to play whatever has the highest "fun factor" for me.  If that means quitting WoW and maybe going back to an old game or starting a new one... so be it.  The two most enjoyable games I've played are WAR and Champions Online, I'll start by looking back at those. 

Look into the ones that weren't listed. Maybe you'll find something you like.

Personally, I'm having a blast in FoM, RV is kind of interesting and LOVE is a great secondary MMO. =]