Sounds like he had a mental breakdown over how pathetic his life is. He belongs in a mental institute.

Maybe those players should get a slice of the pie seeing as they're doing SOE's job now too.

Second Life definitely has changed a lot over the years I've been playing it. The thing that makes Second Life so dynamic is that the many zones are built and designed by players themselves. So things are constantly changing, improving, there are unique themes for the holidays, etc etc. But it's not as structured as something like Wurm Online or Eve Online.

Hopefully STO can incorporate some more sandbox elements (like the Genesis feature that automatically generates new star systems and planets to explore and presumably do missions at).

 Just.... awesome. Now I really hope we can do combat from bridge view, or atleast let  players have additional roles, like possibly take the place of one of the bridge crew. Maybe one player is in charge of the shield systems while the player who owns the ship can still control the weapons and thrusters

 proportions are strangely off in LOTRO. Especially the horses... they are just too small and thin.

Originally posted by NovaKayne

You guys are putting too much into it.

 

Flat world = no defined size of the world = plenty of room for expansion.

 

Round world = finite space = expansion has to take place in alternate world/reality/realm/space

Not entirely true. Expansion could consist of renovated/remade old territory. Like Cataclysm :D 

 It's ridiculous that the MMO industry is doing so poorly yet the gaming industry as a whole is more profitable than ever. There are some really great games this year and next.

 I can't think of anything. Maybe you should wait for Star Trek Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, etc.....

 deja vu... I feel like I've seen this thread before.

Infinity: The Quest for Earth is the only MMO I know of that will have true spherical worlds. It's more of a space combat simulator though. Eve Online also has spherical worlds, moons, stars as well but you can't enter their atmosphere or interact with them.

 And if Star Trek Online tanks(I'm hoping it doesn't, I need an alternative to Eve Online) just think of how foolish Cryptic will look. 

Originally posted by Predator160

I played EQ1 when I was in 4th grade (im in college now)...thinking back to that game reminds me so much of my childhood, like the music, sports, and clothes i was into (i stopped playing baseball because of my EQ addiction, sad but true)...i miss it like crazy and I wish i could go back AND have the same feel as I first did. However, even if I could go back to the original EQ (or any other old MMO) it would be the same. I would percieve the world different now than when i was 11. OP your right when you say it's like returning to your home town, a game may give bring you back fond memories but it's never going to be the same as when you first played it.

I think that's very true when it comes to things in our past that were very social. Our expectations change and we forget that as children or teens we perceived things in a different way. It's like how old people like to rant about their glory days or how 20-30 year olds like to reminisce about high school years.

Oddly enough, I can play games from my childhood (NES games like Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Sonic) and have a lot of fun, but playing with friends on Diablo 2 or going to LAN parties wouldn't be nearly as fun now.

Originally posted by fyerwall

The people who really loved old SWG loved it for the game, not the unfinished state and its bugs.

They loved it because it was a virtual world set in a Star Wars universe. It was pretty much UO: Star Wars. It was an open game with multiple things to do and multiple paths to choose from. When LA has SOE 'WoWify' the game (making it appeal to the most basic of customers) the game lost that feeling and gained a whole new set of issues.

I myself never liked SWG for the simple fact I cant stand Star Wars. But I can see why people liked it (aside from the whole 'OMG its Star Wars!' thing). I can also see why people were really pissed when they pulled a 180 on the game design.

Pretty much those who are relativley new to the genre (those who started playing MMOs at the/after the launch of WoW) wont really understand. These days no matter how big an MMO world is claimed to be (Our map is the size of Texas!) the worlds are smaller and more linear than they used to be. The games are made less complex with a more raid and loot focus (pretty much all the subtle layers of old school MMOs have been stripped away; Social layer being stripped away is the biggest with economy being next - AH's while convienent have pretty much killed the local economies in games). In old school MMOs you had a reason for leaving Town A and making that trek to Town Z. Today you need not leave the main city in pretty much any MMO, because everthing you will possible ever need is right there.

Pretty much this.

My friends and I enjoyed SWG mostly for the amount of freedom and socialization that was involved in such a 'virtual world'. I made a lot of friends with people from all around the world and it was just a lot of fun building cities and hanging out. It really could have been any other IP and it would have been just as enjoyable. 

After the NGE though the game lost a lot of its non-combat and social aspects and the community essentially fell apart and SOE paved the way for a newer, more mindless and immature community only interested in epic raiding & lootz.

My friends and I all moved to Second Life and I recommend it to anyone looking for a more social, sandboxy/creation type MMO.

Originally posted by Ghostmind

Originally posted by Persephassa

The simple solution for me is to never spend money on something with the intention of relying on the company to follow through on nothing more than a promise. Advertised premiums or discounts are usually nothing more than a swindle. A good product can be sold soley on its merits of quality.

 

Champion's Online must not be succeeding like they would have wished for them to have to resort to swindling an entire different demographic (Star Trekkies) into propping up Cryptic's other game by purchasing lifetime subs(oh my) & 6-month subs for a game they have no interest in.

 

Not a valid theory here, as the offer was available before Champions even went live. So there's no chance the STO beta was offered in an attempt to "prop up" CO's "perceived failure."

Or maybe they knew CO wouldn't keep enough subscribers past the first month so they con people into purchasing 6-month, lifetime subscriptions? Makes sense to me.

Originally posted by Robsolf

How'd I know you were gonna be talking about SWG?  :P

Every time I retry SWG(about every 6 months), it's a horribly sad experience.  NO ONE I knew is still playing.

I do the same thing every now and then when SOE sends out the free play time to entice veterans to return. The most enjoyable part is the nostalgia from installing the game again with the original discs. Once I get ingame and see what the dwindling community is like (if you can call a dozen or so players a community), I usually give up.

The simple solution for me is to never spend money on something with the intention of relying on the company to follow through on nothing more than a promise. Advertised premiums or discounts are usually nothing more than a swindle. A good product can be sold soley on its merits of quality.

Champion's Online must not be succeeding like they would have wished for them to have to resort to swindling an entire different demographic (Star Trekkies) into propping up Cryptic's other game by purchasing lifetime subs(oh my) & 6-month subs for a game they have no interest in.

 It didn't help that they added instant travel which destroyed the 'huge seamless feel' of the game world.

 Sandbox? Half the game consisting of 'desert continents' doesn't make the game a sandbox. There's nothing sandbox about Vanguard. It was just supposed to be the spiritual successor to Everquest 1 and it failed badly at that.

 I completely understand the OP's frustration. Bioware games have become 'interactive movies' in a way. Plenty of people do enjoy being strung along through a linear story but there are those that don't. 

capital punishment