I have noticed that most MMORPG players seem to have a strong affinity to their first serious MMORPG.

UO, EQ, Asheron's Call, DAOC, SWG, ect.. original players are having a tough time sticking to the newer games.

I played Asheron's Call:Darktide server(ffa pvp) and other than WoW and SWG, I am having trouble sticking to a game for more than 1-2 months. I absolutely love the character skill creation freedom of Asheron's Call and I haven't really came across a new game I like. Loot is so random, unique armor/weapons drop every kill. Twitch based combat, player housing, tons of dungeons. ect...

Everyone seems to be waiting for that new game alot like their old one.

Forever? Yeah, I suppose so, speaking for myself. If someone made a game with Asheron's Call's character progression (skill focused, applying xp to increase skills) and married it with Pre-NGE SWG's crafting system (Large variety of craftables, with subcomponents that aid in determining finished products overall quality, dynamic/random spawning resources), well, I'd be in heaven. If they added in a responisble player housing/city mechanic and monthly storyline content updates (like in AC), man, I'd subscribe two accounts (though I'd most likely not play the second one) just to give the company an extra slap on the back for a job well done.

I think there's some truth to the old adage that its never as good as the first time.  That's magnified by the current crop of games that are all very similar in their attempts to emulate WoW to one degree or another.

Those older games you mentioned (DaoC, UO, SWG, AC, etc) were all fairly unique titles, and you just don't have as much diversity in today's mmo lineup.  That's the main reason I game-hop so much and have such a short attention span when it comes to these post-2004 titles.  Each new game feels like I've already played it, because I basically have.

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

Forever? Yeah, I suppose so, speaking for myself. If someone made a game with Asheron's Call's character progression (skill focused, applying xp to increase skills) and married it with Pre-NGE SWG's crafting system (Large variety of craftables, with subcomponents that aid in determining finished products overall quality, dynamic/random spawning resources), well, I'd be in heaven. If they added in a responisble player housing/city mechanic and monthly storyline content updates (like in AC), man, I'd subscribe two accounts (though I'd most likely not play the second one) just to give the company an extra slap on the back for a job well done.

AMEN BROTHER!! and I love your avatar.

I suppose it's possible... but maybe not.  WoW was my first mmo, but i have played CoX for about 6 months, and WAR since befor elaunch and have since quit wow and cox... really enjoying WAR... no thoughts of going back to either.  Although i AM looking forward to SW, and Alganon (I know, it looks like wow)

I first played DAoC, it was alright but the first game I really liked was CoH, as such I can't tolerate having to chase down gear much and get iratated when I have to or when I lack character customization options.

But I am not sue if CoH made me that why or that I liked CoH because I didn't want to do that in the first place.

Originally posted by Mysticshaman

I suppose it's possible... but maybe not.  WoW was my first mmo, but i have played CoX for about 6 months, and WAR since befor elaunch and have since quit wow and cox... really enjoying WAR... no thoughts of going back to either.  Although i AM looking forward to SW, and Alganon (I know, it looks like wow)

CoX = City of Heroes/Villians right?

I forgot about that game, it does have very nice skill customization.  It was alittle too monotenous for me, but fun while I played.

I don't believe this statement is true.

My first MMO was UO, LOVED it, its very sandbox.

I also really enjoyed WoW for a long time, and EQ, and DAOC, and a few others too.

The reason we like MMOs is different from person to person, I really enjoy the social aspect of the genre, so the ruleset isn't as important to me.

Other people really really want a game that is a certian style.  These folks will agree with your question.

Hm.

My first MMO was the The 4th Coming beta, which I was playing several months prior to the release of EverQuest (which I had failed to get into the beta of), and while I have fond memories of it, I can't think of any manner in which it permanently affected my tastes.

The same goes for EverQuest, although it had one feature that I miss in today's MMOs: dark forests. There has never been anything like the Greater Faydark, Nektulos or Toxxulia again, and I don't understand why not.

Asheron's Call introduced me to classless, skill-based gameplay, and I appreciated that, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. The setting never grabbed me.

The only game I can recall that perhaps affected my tastes forever is Shadowbane, but it had nothing to do with the PvP focus or sandbox design that most fans praised it for. It was the lore. Sam Johnson's writing captured and enraptured me as I had never expected from any game's lore and probably forever changed how I preferred my fantasy. Ever since Shadowbane, if the dwarves aren't sexless stone golems, the humans don't center around a pyromaniacal pseudo-Catholic religion, and the elves aren't the eerie 6'9" imperialistic former slavemasters of humanity, something is missing.

That said, it's not why I can't get into the latest generations of MMOs. The reasons they disappoint me I blame entirely on the influence of World of WarCraft on the market, not simply being different from what I loved in the past. Stagnation isn't what I want, I just don't want progress in this direction. It seems to me like regress.

I agree partially  with your assessment.

Some may have an affinity to their first game, but I think , well ,  maybe just my opinion.  It's like back in the day when there was limited amount of Internet Providers, AOL, Earthlink etc, I knew some  people, myself included couldn't stand AOL. I quit AOL and found a different provider while others stayed mainly because it was familiar and change was to scary for them, even though they continued to complain about them.

I have played a variety of mmo's from EQ, Earth and Beyond, Motorcity online, EVE, Tabulas Rasa and the list goes on. Others that I know still stay with the same game reluctant to try something new and have just settled in to the comfy zone of their current game. While others continue their search for the ultimate mmo.

I've been a gamer since Pong and will continue to play and try different games that pique my interest, regardless of genre.

Yes absolutely!

Its the same with single player games. My first was PONG.

So I am forever under impression that PONG is the pinnacle of game design.

No man...

Its just the fact that the old games were better than new ones in almost every way.

But more importantly they were harder and more complex.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Yes absolutely!

Its the same with single player games. My first was PONG.

So I am forever under impression that PONG is the pinnacle of game design.

No man...

Its just the fact that the old games were better than new ones in almost every way.

But more importantly they were harder and more complex.

 

 

Pong was multiplayer!

Actually, it had both single and mutiplayer modes, at least the one my family had.

1st mmo for , was lineage 2 . And yes , possibly influences me on the fact that , i can't play a game with poor graphisms . And the 2 games that appeal me are Aion and Tera . Aion is a Ncsoft game and Tera from the old lineage2 team .

Originally posted by Lobotomist

Yes absolutely!

Its the same with single player games. My first was PONG.

So I am forever under impression that PONG is the pinnacle of game design.

No man...

Its just the fact that the old games were better than new ones in almost every way.

But more importantly they were harder and more complex.

 

 

I agree with this completely. BIg name companies seem afraid to make a MMO that is "too hard" or in which task "take too long", unless you're talking about raiding. Even raiding is seeing a decreased time value. For me that was a large part of the enjoyment. It made it seem like I wasn't playing a game in which I could win. It made it seem like I was a part of a world. It also made it more conducive to socializing in a more than trivial "drop the group when quest done" manner. I remember grouping with a guy in AC for 3 hours. We got to talking and became friends in that short span. So much so he asked to be my vassle. He remained my vassle for pretty much the entire time I/we played AC. He was from Denmark and I from Texas. I'd never met anyone from Denmark at that point in my life. It was kinda cool.

Games today aren't planned for such socialization beyond quest grouping. Any other none questing/non-combat mechanics that require people to get together is considered not "fun" and the dirty word "downtime".

Absolutely not.  However, the reason why people have the impresison that the first serious mmo a person play influence them greately is because that game must have many feature and gameplay design that apeal to that gamer.  I mean, why else would they even stick around for so long?

Originally posted by Saerain

Asheron's Call introduced me to classless, skill-based gameplay, and I appreciated that, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. The setting never grabbed me.

When did you try AC?  If you tried in 99's you would fall in love for long time.

It depends on the person. My first mmorpg was FFXI I still do like and casually play FFXI quite a bit as my main mmorpg. However, for 3 years I spent playing WoW & Guild wars mix I also had a lot of fun. 3 years away from FFXI. Now im basically playing FFXI and GW.

I very much agree, my first MMO was Lineage (no not Lineage 2), and right after that Ultima Online, and ever since then I have been very VERY inclined to games with hardcore MMO aspects (like in Lineage) and upgradable skills (like Ultima), so naturally I play just about everything NCSoft poops out, except for Tabula Rasa (because it looked terrible), and Exteel and whatnot.

My first MMO was WoW, and I want a sandbox twitch base  highly competitive high skill cap FFA PvP game!

The only things I look forward to that was featured in WoW is a seamless world without the battlegrounds....and ummm...??...that's it!

I find ppl with little imagination the ones stuck playing the same game over and over again, those that want variety and have open minds will always favor trying newer things.

So does that answer your question?