I know it doesn't do too much good to say "I'm looking for a new game" and then not give specifics as to what you're looking for, so here's a list of what I like and don't like, some of the games I've tried, and I'm hoping someone can make some suggestions. I'm willing to look at free or pay to play.

One of the main things I'm interested in is crafting…so I'm not interested in any game that doesn't have it in some form. I would prefer to have crafting that is actually useful…so that I can make things for myself and/or sell what I make. I don't have to get rich, but I'd like it to be a useful endeavor.

I would also love to find an "open" or skill based crafting system where I don't have to make a decision that I'm locked into which precludes me from other skills. For instance, if I decide I want to do some mining, I think it's completely retarded that I can't chop down a tree, because I "selected" mining instead of forestry.

Because I've mentioned crafting as a main interest, you might be tempted to suggest games like A Tale in the Desert, or Wurm Online, but I'd really like to find something with better graphics. Although I'm not one of those people that insists on the very best graphics available, I'd like something at least partially realistic.

Although crafting is a serious interest, that doesn't mean I want to avoid battles by any means. But I need a game where I can solo. Not because I never group, or don't like to group, but because I spend so much time looking for harvesting resources, that I would drive people crazy that I'm grouped with. They're not going to want to stop and wait for me every time I spot another "copper node" or "rare purple flower" to harvest.

Also, I can't stand games with tiny inventories. I want a lot of bag space, and I'd prefer a game that has either vaults, or better yet, housing.

I very rarely do ant PvP, so that's not a concern at all.

Some games I've tried, and thoughts about them:

LotRO: I loved the graphics, and although I didn't spend a lot of time crafting, the harvesting was decent enough. I like the story line, and the community. The main thing that bugged me about it (and I know this sounds goofy) is that I always seemed to be running around looking in vain for my quest target. There's no marker on the radar that shows you where you're supposed to go, and I got frustrated running in circles. There's a marker on the map, but I just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. And to me, it completely breaks the immersion when you have to log on to some web site to figure out where to go next.

Vanguard: I like Vanguard. I'm willing to look past the glitches that occasionally pop up because the game is fun. I like the fighting/crafting/diplomacy thing. The problem is they've taken the "select your skill" route, so you can either chop down trees along with one other skill, which means you miss out on others. The only way around this if you want to do it all is to have alts specializing in different areas, and it takes forever to level up all your alts. So it's not skill based.

Eve Online: Probably one of the deepest crafting systems, it's easy to see why a lot of people like this game. My problem is that I want to be part of an environment, and although space is technically an environment, I get tired of staring out of a spaceship all the time. I want to swim across rivers, climb paths, enter dungeons, etc.

EQ2: One of the best markets I've seen. I made a good amount of money with my different alts (except for the one that made food) and the crafting was pretty good too. Again, it's not skill based, you have to decide on a specific path, and use alts to do different things. I liked the housing also. Population seemed to be getting a bit thin however unless you're in the upper end of the game.

WoW: Played for a while and can't seem to get back into it, but wouldn't rule it out. I was annoyed by being at forges where everyone seemed to be making the same thing. It also seemed like every time I approached a node, someone else was already there collecting it. Kind of funky community as well.

CoX: Best character customization, but not a "real" inventory as I recall, and the crafting was well, strange by comparison. The warehouse missions start to get way too monotonous.

Ryzom: Pretty good overall. I wish the graphics were just a bit updated, especially for characters, but I like the skill based system. Will probably check this out again as it's been a while.

Guild Wars: Interesting, but it kind of bugs me that it doesn't feel like a real world. The zoning out of the towns thing is kind of well, annoying. I would take another look though if someone said it had good harvesting/crafting. I don't remember if it does or not.

Atlantica: Not bad, but I'm not crazy about the turn-based play.

Mabinogi: Checking it out, I think I could get past the graphics if the game is fun. It's obvious though that with the limited inventory for free players, the only way I would play on a regular basis would be to subscribe to at least the expanded inventory, so it's not really free any more…not a big deal though. But if I'm paying a monthly fee, wouldn't I be better off with one of the larger pay to plays?

Games I haven't tried yet:
Chronicles of Spellborn
Free Realms
Sword of the New World
Lots of Korean grindfests
Etc.

Okay, I'm getting tired of typing, so to wrap this up:

+Crafting
+Good community
+Sandbox vs. locked-in decisions
+Soloing

-Group only (no soloing)
-PVP
-Tiny inventories (and tiny weight limits)

Thanks for any suggestions!
 

Horizons had fine crafting too. But... I don´t know if this game is still alive at all.^^

Edit: they renamed it to "Istaria".

Anarchy Online maybe.

Originally posted by BlueProteus

Mabinogi: Checking it out, I think I could get past the graphics if the game is fun. It's obvious though that with the limited inventory for free players, the only way I would play on a regular basis would be to subscribe to at least the expanded inventory, so it's not really free any more…not a big deal though. But if I'm paying a monthly fee, wouldn't I be better off with one of the larger pay to plays?

Mabinogi is, unfortunately, the only F2P with a good crafting system or anything like sandbox play  I know of.  For your issues with inventory space, I will note that purchasing services is probably NOT the best way to expand it.  The two best ways are to create multiple accounts and just trade items between them (which is mildly annoying) or purchasing pets which, in addition to being useful in combat and having their own inventory space, are pemanent.

If crafting is that important, probably want to cross out pretty much everything on your "To try" list there.  Maybe look into Runes of Magic or Anarchy Online?

Originally posted by Herodes

Horizons had fine crafting too. But... I don´t know if this game is still alive at all.^^

Edit: they renamed it to "Istaria".

I actually tried Istaria about a month ago because I'd heard about the crafting...but I couldn't deal with the graphics and I seem to remember the control scheme being pretty whacky.

Originally posted by skuly

Anarchy Online maybe.

It's been ages since I checked that out...I'll take another look.

Originally posted by A.Dantes

Originally posted by BlueProteus

Mabinogi: Checking it out, I think I could get past the graphics if the game is fun. It's obvious though that with the limited inventory for free players, the only way I would play on a regular basis would be to subscribe to at least the expanded inventory, so it's not really free any more…not a big deal though. But if I'm paying a monthly fee, wouldn't I be better off with one of the larger pay to plays?

 

Mabinogi is, unfortunately, the only F2P with a good crafting system or anything like sandbox play  I know of.  For your issues with inventory space, I will note that purchasing services is probably NOT the best way to expand it.  The two best ways are to create multiple accounts and just trade items between them (which is mildly annoying) or purchasing pets which, in addition to being useful in combat and having their own inventory space, are pemanent.

If crafting is that important, probably want to cross out pretty much everything on your "To try" list there.  Maybe look into Runes of Magic or Anarchy Online?

But don't you only get access to larger bags with the paying sub? I would probably get a pet for sure...how many can you own at once? I'm assuming you can only have one pet "active" at a time. Can you keep other pets in your inventory to use when the timer expires on the one you're currently using?

I'm downloading Anarchy Online now, will also take another look at RoM, because I only tried it out very briefly. Will have to read up on its crafting.