Originally posted by ericbelser

I wouldn't mind the games requiring top end systems if the games performance justified it. I think a lot of it these days is simply that coders have gotten lazy and/or poorly educated over the last generation. It shouldn't take a top end machine to deliver a game that looks, plays and feels like it could have been cutting edge 10 yrs ago.

I agree wholeheartedly with the blog and this. The problem with a lot of newer MMORPGs on the market is that it's mostly looks and not so much content and gameplay. I want to play a game, not stare at pretty graphics all the live-long day.

The way developers go about making their games nowadays follows the Apple syndrome: everyone's so quick to go with the latest trend in technology that things become obsolete in a matter of months. I don't want to have to save up to buy a new system to play a particular game only for it to be obsolete when I want to try out another new game that comes out later. Not a lot of people have the kind of money to go buy system after system just because developers can't be arsed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. If Blizzard can optimize World of Warcraft to be playable on computers with generic graphic cards and such, why doesn't everyone else? It all comes down to laziness. Developers want WoW numbers, but aren't willing to put in the work to rake them in.

If you're rich enough to buy upgrades for your PC (or buy multiple PCs and/or gaming systems) in order to try out the newest games, good for you. You're the Paris Hilton of the gaming world. But for people like me and the blogger, if I'm going to be spending a lot of money on a hobby such as gaming, I'd much rather invest in something that'll last me at least a few years.

I've recently tried playing Vindictus and I've encountered the very first boss that's actually challenging for me and will most likely shoot his way to notoriety very quickly as soon as the game goes live.

Gnoll Chieftain.

And silly little stupid me, I tried doing that Warrior's Challenge Oath of Honor for Decisive Battle as a level 10 Fiona and it was INSANE. Took me well over 40 minutes to beat him in the final battle and that was because I had to really use my environment to my advantage. If you go in without a battle plan, his hammer will pound your brain into oblivion, I kid you not.

The elves of Final Fantasy XI also deviates from the typical norm of elves. Granted, they're very similar to Tolkien's proud race, but in the context of tree-hugging, goody-goody elves of many fantasy MMOs, they're quite unique in their own regards. The race is imperialistic ("hometown" is dubbed the Kingdom of San d'Oria) and are more into militaristic ambitions than being Mother Nature's designated protectors. They're not interested in crafting unless it has something to do with weaponry and armory. And unlike popular renditions of elves, they're not magic-hungry or dependent on it to make a living.

With Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, life skills are a must. I like making my own gear as it is much cheaper than buying them (of course you do get the occassional gear drop, but all the same, it's FREE). Life skills add more depth to a character and I can't imagine playing an MMORPG without them. (Sure, you're a big strong warrior who can knock out dozens of enemies in one sitting, but can you cook a mean set of barbecue ribs? Or sew your own gloves? Or craft your own weapon that beats out the competition?) There's something to be said when your character can make its own provisions instead of relying on shop NPCs like most people.

My favorite life skill to do is fishing in Final Fantasy XI. The developers made fishing into an actual mini-game so I never get tired of it. Plus, I get loads of free fish I can cook up and munch on to keep my character going.

Silkroad Online has a lot of potential to be among the best MMORPGs out there. Unfortunately, due to the free-to-play aspect of the game, botters can easily overrun the servers and preventing real players from enjoying the game fully. I wouldn't mind if SRO went pay-to-play and offered free trials, as restrictions can be put on the free trials to prevent botters from doing their thing. (I myself stopped playing ages ago because of the bots.) However, despite potentially creating a much better gaming environment, too many gamers prefer to endure the bots rather than accept pay-to-play in favor of not paying at all. :(

If Joymax were to offer pay-to-play servers, I'd definitely come back to the game.

RO2 is getting put back on the drawing board due to responses from beta players. Gravity is currently working on renewing RO so we won't be seeing RO2 for a while.

I still play from time to time. I mainly stick around to complete my collections of plushies and birthstones.

So, whatever happened to the Aurora Blade controversy? Did they still release it despite all the sprite rips?

Any gaming company should learn that quality is always better than quantity.

This should help: http://iro.ragnarokonline.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=26982&posts=4&start=1

I first played RO on 56k dial-up and it worked fine for me. It lags like crazy when you're near populated areas, but it's not bad enough to freeze your computer (unless you have a 10-year-old computer).

This is the song that never ends
And it goes on and on again

No. The NPC won't let you change your class until you've used up all your skill points.

Originally posted by Melamine_Man

Hmmm, ragnarok is a good game.

what makes it a bad game are the bad players and

bad critiques. Its just time passes, and the game

cant coupe at it. well, my rating there is 8/10.

kudos to all!

 

Bad players make any MMORPG bad. That and bots.

I like RO because I like to play a cute little character that punches monsters in the face. Just because an MMORPG doesn't have "OMG 3D GRAPHICS!!!!" doesn't mean it's bad.

I've heard rumors floating around about a Renewal Project that Gravity is planning for RO. It's supposed to be an overhaul of the game's programming which is going to change how players level as well as some other stuff. Has anyone heard anything about this? What's your take on it?