I do not like VO in mmorpgs. It may add to the atmosphere for some folks... maybe even most folks, don't know and don't really care. For me it greatly decreases the atmosphere. Just a personal preference. It's the same reason why I do not go to the movies or watch TV... I read books, I love books. It's the reason that i still play MUDs and prefer old mmorpgs over newer ones. I like slower experiences in my games, where I can read every little tidbit and make the world come alive in my own imagination.

If a game ever comes out that i am interested in, that incorporates VO and I can honestly sit back and say that everyone sounds exactly as I would have heard them sounding in my mind, then i will reconsider my opinion on the subject. As of now, there has not been a single case of that.

I do not wish these devs to stop adding VO work though. I simply want a toggle to turn it all off for myself. I don't view the development expense as wasted or anything, I know a lot of folks love it... for me though, it kills a game dead in it's tracks.

I am fresh back after playing at launch for a month or so.

The game has improved by leaps and bounds and it appears as if it will continue to do so.

I'd be very likely to sub up, if they announced today that they would be charging again. Very soon, with what they say is coming in the next few patches, it won't even be a concern.

Originally posted by WSIMike

Okay...

I just gotta say that while there are some fair points made in this updated impressions piece... there's a lot of very unfair, and rather misleading hyperbole as well.

Here's just one quote for example regarding the UI:

"While ever this interface remains, the game is carrying around dead weight, and clubbing to death the hopes of anyone that wishes to get near to loving the game. It is just that bad."

For one, the statement is completely presumptuous in that the author assumes to know how anyone will respond to the interface. There are people, believe it or not, who do not suffer nearly the degree of frustration this article asserts. I don't think anyone will say "it's fine as is and doesn't need any improvement" (save for the hopelessly defensive folks who will defend anything about the game), but there are plenty who feel it's perfectly usable and functional for the game at this point. I am among them.

There are people I speak to every single day in game who do, in fact, love the game even with its current interface.

So, share your own opinion, by all means. But please stop presuming to speak for others. You don't.

As far as describing the questing in game... Very very very dishonestly presented aspect for this round in how the article seems to give missions/quests a "gloss over" and focuses instead squarely on Leves and Behests, seemingly because they're easy targets.

Yoshi-P stated a while ago now that they were moving away from having Leves and Behests as the core form of content... 1.18 and 1.19 have gone a long way toward that end already... something the article downplays very conspicuously.

Let me put it this way. I HATE levequests. Hate them. Can not stand doing them. This is one thing that kept me from seriously sticking with FFXIV throughout its earlier months.

However, last Friday evening, several hours on Saturday, almost all day Sunday (was under the weather and had nothing better to do) and most of last night, I played FFXIV. I put on several levels and completed a number of personal goals... I got from level 18 to level 24, I got through all the Grand Company quests and joined Twin Adders and worked toward a few other personal goals... I didn't do a single leve quest, nor behest. Not a one.

When I log in tonight, I already have further goals set that I want to accomplish... not a single one will involve me doing a leve quest or behest. Not a one.

Where before they were basically "all there was to do" aside from crafting, for me, Leve Quests are officially at the level of "an odd activity to do when I feel like doing something a little different" for me.

There are plenty of quests to do as side-activities, as well as job-specific quests, GC quests, main storyline quests... and yes, levequests/behests.

And the content I'm doing is available to everyone.

So, in light of that it is extremely disingenuous for the author of this article to skip over the missions and side-quests as though they don't factor.

They most certainly do.

To the author of this article/series.. If you're going to give the impression of genuinely following the game's updates and giving a comprehensive update on each one.. At least do it the justice of reporting on it accurately. Don't cherry-pick certain things while all but completely ignoring others.

There are those of us playing it who can and will call you out when you're being unfair or inaccurate. By all means, express as negative a personal opinion as you feel it warrants... But at least be thorough and accurate about the details while doing so.

 

 

Well said, Mike. I'm back to this game and agree wholeheartedly with your post. I'm really enjoying the game. I am one of the very few who enjoyed the game at launch as well, despite it's glaring flaws. Some of those flaws remain today, but SE has moved the game in a great direction in my opinion, and the game still strays enough from the stuff that I hate about current mmorpgs, that I seem to be able to kick back and thoroughly enjoy it.

The only escort quests I can tolerate are in UO.

Generally though, I hate all quests. I'd much prefer a game like Wurm or Xsyon or anything else with no quests at all, or very few quests that are easily bypassed.

40 for a few more months.

Ascending. After that I could not force myself to log in. I'm one of the few who really did not like the game.

I returned to UO 3 months ago, hence my sig, and despite it having changed drastically over the years (first played it in 1997), it's still the best sand box out there at the moment in my opinion. I'm loving it after 3 months back and will remain here for now.

Hopefully someday a worthy successor to UO shall grace us with it's presence.

I don't know but Aion is also listed there

To the 2nd poster, that makes sense.

As long as there remains a few mmorpgs without companions, then I am happy and don't care where the rest of the industry moves towards. I can't stand the concept of companions in mmorpgs, unless they are extremely superficial and are there strictly as hirelings or henchmen to aid on a tough quest or something... and have no storylines associated with them, no artifical emotions or romances, etc...

But I realize that I am in the minority on this, and therefore voted "yes". I do believe the industry is moving in this direction and will likely continue to. I think it's a great thing for those who enjoy that sort of thing, and am happy to see the industry broaden to accompany all types of gamers. 

I just hope there are at least a few studios out there who will leave out the companions... leave out the voice acting and the cutscenes, etc... because there are still a handful of us old timers out here who would much rather play a game the old fashion way, with other like minded people.

To each, his own.

Originally posted by someforumguy

My old account has been reactivated, but I couldnt find any of my toons. The visuals have aged well I noticed or maybe they upgraded the graphics engine over the years.

 

They did

Originally posted by Loktofeit

I now have a new sig.

LOL!!

Been playing since alpha and agree with you, OP, I can't get enough of it  :)

I liked Rift a lot. I got slightly burnt out after played a lot in beta and then post launch. I will likely return for this update though, it looks great.

My first choice would be UO, but I do not believe it's possible. They'd have to sacrifice a lot of what makes UO great for me, in order to do premium graphics.

So my choice would go to something I think is possible, which is AC1.

I love open world housing.

I can't stand instanced housing in mmo's.

If I must have instanced housing, I prefer it to at least be housing developments within instanced zones and not individual instances of the house itself. Camelot and DAoC housing weren't horrible, but I prefer open world housing like UO and AC1.

Minions of Mirth

I'm 40 and have been gaming since the 2600 and then when Infocom launched Zork in 1980, I was hooked and have never looked back.

I don't do cash shops or item malls. I'd much prefer to pay a monthly subscription fee over anything else.

I prefer a game where "maxing out" a character takes a long time, and where the adventure is non-quest based and very open ended. I enjoy camping an open world spawn for days on end.

The slower and more drawn out the adventure, the better for me.

I have never and will never buy my way through a game quicker. To me, that would only be cheating myself, since it's the polar opposite of what i love about gaming.

Originally posted by Waddy

I just wanted to hear a fellow mmo vet tell me that the good ol days really were the good ol days. I feel like I'm 60 and bitching about all the kids and their music, and I'm only in my 20's!

LOL

Well... pass the geritol, ya old fogey! Here's a Depends. :)

(I gummed that smile cause my teeth are soaking atm)

You pretty much said it all. There has not been a great mmorpg released in the past 12 years in my opinion, and nothing interesting (to me) is in the works either.

That's why my sig says what it says. been back almost 2 months now despite what a lot of people say about the game changing for the worse and the game being dead, etc... I am loving it and on a few of the shards it's doing pretty well population-wise too.,

Asfar as current/future mmorpgs go, I will have to wait until the next lineup gets announced, because nothing recent has even remotely sparked my inerest :(

I had zero hope/hype for Earthrise, after seeing the crap they were releasing every 3 months as press releases/sneak peeks...  so that one didn't let me down because I never expected anything much, and avoided the purchase.

Fallen Earth had huge potential for me, but failed on so many levels it was a sad joke. Although, the clan I was in was awesome and the RP thursday nights was excellent and kept me there for many months.

I like Darkfall. I wish it had a skill cap and some other things, but all in all I think they did a great jobon their first attempt and am looking forward to reading about their 2nd pass coming up.

I never had much hope for Mortal either, so not let down by that one, just not for me in it's current state.

I do not like EVE or Perpetuum, but wasn't expecting to.

UO remains my sandbox game of choice :)

So all in all, Fallen Earth gets my vote as the biggest let down, since that was the one that I was expecting the most from.