All Posts by nethervoid

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Originally posted by Thorongil

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Originally posted by nethervoid
SOE never started as Verant. Sony was around long before Verant. Verant sold EQ to Sony.

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This is not factually correct. SOE bought Verant, lock, stock, and barrel not just EQ. Verant as a corporation no longer exists for this reason.

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Originally posted by pinkdaisy

There are many on these forums that feel like you do Korax.  ...  It's the indies who will lead the way.

PD

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I'm speechless.  THAT is insight, people!

Also, you can forgo human DMing with good AI.  I don't mean the lame stuff we have seen, I mean true AI.  As a automation developer, I can tell you that AI could do everything needed if they would spend time on the code.  Course time = money, so we are back to random indie devs who don't really have the resources to devote their (and their staff's) entire lives to.  They spend but they have no revenue.  Not many people can keep that kind of budget up for long without having a regular paying job, which would then mean they don't have enough time to build the game.  The current start to market window isn't long enough to facilitate that kind of dev environment.

What's the acronym stand for?

The sci-fi side of MMORPGs hasn't been perfected.  Have you tried SWG?  You might like it.  Personally, I think it's severely lacking, but that's just my opinion (I've played SWG, EVE, and PS).

Have you figured out more precisely what you're looking for?

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Originally posted by Swafdawg23
UO sucks now, unless its DFI

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"CoH was pretty close to doing it."

No.  CoH was a shell.  It had about 2 months worth of content.  That's why it died.

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Originally posted by BaronJuJu
SWG has th best use of housing by far IMHO. They let you choose from several styles and sizes. You can furnish it with multiple styles of furniture and what-nots. Some of the furniture (Armoires, chests, etc) actually store items for you as well.

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UO housing and decoration dwarfs SWG...and it was made on half the technology over 5 years before SWG.

Horizons had some good ideas, but they spent so much time on those ideas that the rest of the game is grossly underdeveloped.  Actually, even their good ideas are underdeveloped.

To be brutally honest, I can't recommend any of them.  All the big titles suck.  All the little titles suck mainly because they either don't spend enough time developing their game (featurless), or they don't have enough money to devote enough time.

Eve is ok, but it has very little content.

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Originally posted by ste2000

A classical example is SOE, they started as Verant, by producing the milestone which is EQ, and slowly, as they got bigger they lost the plot, producing a bland product like EQ2 and messing up SWG.

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SOE never started as Verant.  Sony was around long before Verant.  Verant sold EQ to Sony.

Game companies react to the trends of consumer consumption.  Don't buy the crap they try and sell to you.  Be picky.  Find a freeshard that runs an old version of Ultima Online.  After you've mastered that game (although freeshards can never duplicate the old days), you will know just what a game can be.  Just add in all the new advancements, and new ideas:  Shadowbane's city building and seige system, SWG's resource gathering system, Planetsides fast paced combat, EQ's deep quests (minus spoilers by using random questing engines), etc.

I think the main reason that MMORPGs seem to be stuck in a rut is that they have moved away from trying to create a persistant world, and moved toward the instanced, D2 style of gameplay.  An MMORPG world has to be able to live on it's own, and be dynamic just like the real world.  Immersion is the key to a strong MMORPG, and you can't have immersion when you have NPCs and mobs who stand in one spot for the entire life of the game, players who have their names floating above their heads, and players who speak in leet jargon "D3wd, omg check this she3z!  Lee7 ubar sword!1!!!1111", etc.

I haven't bought an MMORPG since Horizons.  The last MMORPG I bought that I didn't regret purchasing was EQ.  Well I don't regret buying Shadowbane all that much, but it was the first time I realized that the industry was definitely going south, without a doubt.

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Originally posted by Koddo

here is the biggest problem, PnP has a HUMAN behind it, which can be unpredictable. While MMO's have computers, which need to be programmed, and that makes it predictable.

 

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It's not very hard to code in differences.  Even randomness.  But, more time must be spent on developing the world.   An MMO world should be one in which the player is not needed for it to function in a believable way.  One in which NPCs have full lives and mobs are not just statics standing in one place their whole lives.

The problem isn't that it's not possible; it's that it is risky.  For the same reason people powergrind on a specific "easy" camp, game producers churn out the same exact games:  less risk, more reward.

The only way to stop it is to stop buying the garbage they spit out.  WoW, EQ2, GW, CoH = All garbage.  Steps back in the MMORPG industry.

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Originally posted by Erillion

SWG ... run your own cantina ... with robo bartenders and a player band and dance group (Phat Wookiee Gangsta Rap anyone ?). With a jukebox featuring rare original SW soundtracks as an alternative. With many different drinks and food on the table (which give buffs). Players have a reason to go there ... heal battle fatigue, get a buff on XP gain etc.

All that in player made cities on various planets. This is fact, not fiction ... check this site (especially the cantina reviews)

http://www.galacticgourmet.com/

Have fun

Erillion

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Preach on, brotha.  I started UO in 97 and quit in 99 for EQ.  Ping-ponged back and forth from UO to other, newer games about 5 times at least now.

Currently playing a free server.

I used to think a game that would live up to UO was just a matter of time.  With every new release, that dream moves even further into "vapor".

Wow, that's my new sig!!  Damn.

Ultima online hands down.  In EQ you can kinda, but there's no player housing, so you won't really own your own bar.  You could set up shop in some empty npc hut or whatever except that the only thing people care about doing in that game is monster bashing...because that's all there is to do.  lol

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Originally posted by boeskyle

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Originally posted by Kitsuiko

I'm looking for a MMORPG with a very heavy emphasis on those last three letters, and I'm kind of confused as to where to go to.

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Then look for persistent worlds of Neverwinter Nights.  They are monitored by senior players (roles as DMs) and in some of them a player must roleplay to advance at higher levels.

Another player mentioned Adellion at www.adellion.com, which is in development.

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I was just going to say NWN.  lol  Damn!

Best places to look for RP are in games that have worlds where the players have the most freedom.  UO - NWN - Hmm can't think of many more.  SWG?

A great example of freedom is in UO you can write in blank books.  There are player made librarys on UO that are full of player written stories and poetry.  THAT is friggin sweet!

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Originally posted by rwyan

The closest thing to UO atm is SWG. SWG is more of a lvl/skill based hybrid though. You can practically do whatever you please so long as it fits in the profession system. It is also not as loot based as UO is now, which is a positive thing imo. I almost forgot. There is ryzom. It doesn't have as many player options as UO but it has a lot of freedom as far as character development is concerned.

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I have to agree that SWG is really close, but almost every aspect of that game is garbage.  Don't buy it.

You're better off playing a free server.  That's what I'm doing, and it's great.

Darkfall does look good, but I also think it might be turning into vapor.

Shadowbane could be like UO if they would add crafting and dungeons.  Also if they added a few other things to do.  Make the player housing system more robust.  That game has sweet pvp and guild v guild pvp.  I like the player made cities thing.

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OriginaSOlly posted by KrimBlade

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Originally posted by nethervoid

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Originally posted by Bleeh
Guild Wars.  Eye candy.  Fun for everyone.  No monthly fee.  You can't go wrong.

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Guildwars is crap.  Another release goes by, and still no interest.  Boring in 2 months tops.  What's there to do besides duel and guild duel?  And for what?  There's no reason to duel.  At least in Shadowbane there's something to fight for.

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You are very wrong about that.  The lvl 20 cap is where the game starts.  75% of the quests are available when you reach lvl 20.  It will take several months to do all the quests and missions, and even longer with expansions.  The PvP is gold also.  Tactics more than equipment is the best kind of PvP out there IMO.

The roleplay is good because you feel like your part of the story.  But if you like to roleplay with other people other than your guild, this game isn't for you.

And the #1 reason to play is that GW is FUN!  That is the main reason to play any game and that is a fact.

GW for teh win!

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So here's the laundry list of things you can do in GW:

Quest

Meaningless Pvp

Crafting?

Exploring doesn't count.  You can explore in any online game.  Even planetside.  That's not a feature.

I'd say that's a pretty short list.  2 months tops.  I don't buy online games to play them for 2 months.

Uo:

Pvm (dungeons!  I'm amazed at how many games don't even have dungeons)

Meaningless pvp (factions, order/chaos, guild wars)

treasure hunting/maps

boats

fishing (fishing nets, sos bottles)

piracy (although rare nowdays)

community housing (not that instanced crap)

crafting

resource gathering (that has nothing to do with monster killing - besides leather for tailoring, which you can buy from npcs if you are so inclined)

running your own shop (not some lame server wide marketplace or even a town marketplace - you make a name for yourself and create a community location - you make a place in the world)

house decorating

rare hunting/collecting

pking

stealing

assassination

house looting

taming creatures

no questing!  =(

IMO, guild wars is a waste of money, but it's your fifty bucks.  I'm threw spending money on mediocre products.

Man, I rant too much.

Who cares if you can't post free shard info here?  Google it!

I play a free shard.  I do this because the pay shards suck.  I like the old ways.  Also, the new games blow.  If they were better, I'd be playing them instead.

I kinda miss the awesome seige pvp.  My warrior bladeweaver commander bounty hunter kicked so much *ss.

Oh well.  =(

I just got so bored.  I need something else to do besides pvp.

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Originally posted by dRedawg
It seems that all the newest games I play, it doesnt beat the best pvp game: EVE-ONLINE. I wish I didnt stop playing, I would start playing again but I am to to far behind in the economy of the game. O well...

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Originally posted by dragonemp
Let's get it straight.....Guild Wars is NOT MMO, it should go in Diablo genre - Action Online RPG with a big lobby......

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