Originally posted by Kilmar

The lifeless crafting is true. Why copying the stupid mindless wow system, when the EQ2 or VG systems are so great?

 

This is the mindset that is so awful, both of those systems are dull, generic, and checklists with a pretty coat of paint, but an MMO player is so easily appeased, try Free Realms, which has by far the best "crafting" I've ever experienced.

"All are looking to shake things up in how these games are played and experienced."

They really aren't, the most innovative thing I've heard about is CCP's World of Darkness MMO, a social progression based MMO, every single MMO I've seen thus far has the same bland combat, the same bland questing design, the same lack of interactivity, the same generic story, translated into any number of settings.

We're at a point where you can just churn out another very generic MMO, polish it, and get an 8.0-9.0 across the spectrum in Rift, you know what happens when you put out a Halo clone? No one cares, a Command & Conquer clone? You can't MAKE anyone care, a Diablo clone(DarkSpore)? Most of my gaming friends have never heard of it.

But MMOs? You get awards, recognition, money, devoted fans for churning out something generic and well polished.

And I quote IGN "Quality compensates for a lack of originality."

True everywhere I go for this reviews of this game.

This is a standard MMO, there's nothing new or innovative at work in this game, and you expect the community to be different from any other MMORPG? Why would it be?

Unique games bring unique communities, generic games bring generic communities.

Oh boy, someone jumps on top of me all buffed and in amazingly overpowering PvP gear and I have no chance of killing them.

Yay world PvP.

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Originally posted by Chivante
I'll respect those opinions, I think I was supposed to put a 6.5 there. I'll take the fall for it though =P; {{{given fantasy parameters}}} if I would choose my 10, I'd pull a scaling system like PWI's in, the gear design quality of WoW, and a gear customization that you find in (insert most free MMOs here)... gear dyeing, glowing enchants, scaling... that sort of thing. I can't remember which games it is, but I recently played one that had the ability to pull stats from one piece of gear and transfer it another so that you could wear your favorite outfit without dampering your character.

I have heard wondrous things about Champions online customization (although I've heard that is its real selling point, which seems lackluster to me). Then again, I'm more of a fantasy guy personally.

EDIT: I'd like to pose another question, if you could add to/change some of the customization features in WoW what would you do?

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Lord of the Rings Online is what you're thinking of, to answer your question.

Simply expanding the amount of options would be all I'd need, there are too few as is, coloring gear, gear coloration for guilds, more faces, more horns, more hanging undead skin arrangements.

Generally just a lot more of what is currently available and the aforementioned coloration options would please me perfectly.

Champions Online has a lot going for it, and a lot of flaws, the main draw for me are the engaging, interactive combat and expansive customization.

The combat allows you to actually block by holding the shift key, and it's very important since things like Knockback are available before you're even level 10, and there are a diverse array of effects applied with other abilities you can avoid with it.

There are even additions to block which greatly increase it's power in only a frontal cone, it's a great dynamic that factors well into a system where "swing swing miss swing block swing" are the norm.

I also take issue with your leveling rating and argument, there is no level grinding in WoW, you grind if you choose to and no other time. You can do your quests and have fun with them(As they get better the deeper you get), or you can stand there blasting Wildkin and grinding instances, but the fact is the middle option is not forced on you. You choose to grind in WoW, in most other MMOs you have absolutely no choice in the matter.

I have to agree, you're on crack if you consider this to be a high level of customization.

Granted, it's shades above something like Everquest II, but even compared to some free MMOs it isn't anything special. Where it shines is customization after the fact, which is a recent invention, there are very few MMOs which give you a "barbershop" and the like to change your features, and none promise the faction and race changes we'll see in the future.

You should expose yourself to City Of Heroes/Villains or Champions Online to grasp just how astonishingly deep and rewarding character customization can be.