A wonderful article written by Richard Bartle back in 2004 is still very much true for today:

www.gamasutra.com/features/20041103/bartle_pfv.htm

Thoughts?

I agree with the OP.

I've completely turned my back on MMOs. Uninstalled them all - ATITD (paid), AO (paid), Second Life, stopped paying for stupid Runescape.

Except for ATITD4 free beta, I'm not planning to play any more MMOs.

I want games that are intelligent, truly immersive, and free.

I've found them in MUDs and I'm not going back. I think most MMOs are a joke and an insult to intelligence.

Take care.

Originally posted by Teala

Originally posted by poopypants

Not such a great revelation...but I congratulate him for his courage.

 

Only an american moron would believe that we're alone in the universe!

 

I think there must be lots of life out there.   I just don't think they have visited us - ever.

Why discount the thousands of reports from sane people who had all seen the same thing at the same time? Just because you haven't seen them, is not a good enough excuse to think they haven't visited us.

Originally posted by Cedd

Originally posted by Violette

I heard a safer way to pay for stuff online is by using cards you buy at a place like, umm Target?? . You put a certain amount of cash into it and when you're done, throw it away or refill it again. Anyone know much about this, or where I can get one? Thanks

While using these prepaid cards are "nifty", there is a better solution for your online shopping/business needs. You are not obligated to have only one bank account. And (here in the USA anyway) alot of banks offer free checking accounts with no balance, to a min $25 balance requirement. Presto you have a secure card to take online with you inwhich you only need to add enough money to cover internet expenses. To top it off most of these free accounts allow you to check your transactions online to spot fraud. This is the consumers best friend with dealing with online transactions as it keeps the family's bank account safe by not being online in the first place.

 

Cedd

The best answer and the one I might just go with. Thanks Cedd :)

I heard a safer way to pay for stuff online is by using cards you buy at a place like, umm Target?? . You put a certain amount of cash into it and when you're done, throw it away or refill it again. Anyone know much about this, or where I can get one? Thanks!

Originally posted by Tykero

Though marijuana is generally benign, any smoking will cause changes to your throat.

 

When I'm around my friends who smoke, I usually end up going home with a sore throat. I don't mind it too much, even though I'm not tempered to it like they are, but for somebody who takes pride in their voice, I wouldn't recommend it.

Darn. Ok.... Thanks Tykero!

Originally posted by gillvane1

Originally posted by leshtricity

For example, one of the most disappointing examples of failed immersion comes from loading screens, particularly in scenarios of travel. When I owned my first spaceship in Star Wars Galaxies, I fully expected (perhaps unrealistically) to have to pilot my ship through the atmosphere into space. Instead, I clicked a button and appeared there after a loading screen. Even though I expected that, I would've still been completely blown away by that level of immersion.

Alternatively, allow me to give you an example of great immersion. The most recent example is also one of the most impressive. While Vanguard might be considered a 'flop', it did a few select things right. I contend that there is not a single MMO on the market today that can compete with Vanguard's environments. Few would argue that the game doesn't have impressive graphics, especially in regard to the landscapes. The first time I walked down a road on a mountain, looked over the side and saw the entire landscape for miles, I was floored. The architecture of cities in general was also very impressive.

 

I would just point out that what gives players a sense of immersion is different for different Players. For example, I don't mind loading screens in the least and they don't break my immersion.

I played the Vanguard beta. I thought the game design was terrible, and just threw the grind right in your face. So, instead of grinding, I walked across the whole landscape at about level 7. That was a challenge, to avoid MObs at that level, and still walk from one side of the world to the other. I didn't find the landscape particularly immersive, but it was nice to look at.

I get a sense of immersion when I"m playing with a group, and we are deep into a dungeon that is very challenging and requires a lot of team work to go any deeper.

Leshtricity, I agree with Gillvane1...

In MUDs there are no graphics and frequently no sound at all. Yet most that play them all agree that text-based multiplayer games provide the best immersion - immersion that puts MMOs to shame. Therefore graphics and sound probably have little to do with it.

Originally posted by NagelFire

Diet coke, Ramen, and Chef boyardee Spagetti and meatballs.

And weed does effect your voice, and your face, and your lungs, and your brain.  I wouldnt try it if I were you ;D.

I'm not a junkie or anything - my only addiction is gaming. I don't smoke and drink in moderation. Marijuana is known for its medicinal uses, and that's the only reason I'm interested in it. It supposedly helps curb anxiety. Also it's interesting that Europeans are more relaxed about this subject than Americans. And... Carl Sagan and his wife were big supporters of this herb. And his brain and face were fine.

Wow, a sack of potatoes, which at most might be worth 20 coins, sells for 800 on Ge...

Those of you that mentioned marijuana... Does it affect one's singing voice? I'm tempted to try it but scared it might be detrimental to my soprano-ess...

*reads some of the replies*

Umm, you people need help, lol

I like something salty, like sauerkraut... or something extremely sweet like chocolate cake. And I like to drink wine at the puter... I stop when I get a little tipsy. If I get very tipsy I get the urge to use leetspeak and then I lose all respect for myself...

Originally posted by eccoton

Originally posted by zaxxon23

My biggest pet peeve is people who have retarded pet peeves, sort of like the OP.  Don't get me wrong.  Leet speak is retarded and grown people who talk like that should be ashamed of themselves for both acting like an idiot as well as polluting the gene pool.  But to quit a game because of them?  Well, that's a whole new level of retardedness.

Other pet peeves:

People who whine about RMT and create ignorant opinions of why it is bad for the game economy.  You people don't know squat about economics and I lose IQ every time I see you bitch and moan.  Not to mention that you worry so much about things that have zero effect on you that I want to strangle babies.

People who think raiding is the be all end all of mmos.  If the box on your head that you can't think out of was any smaller you'd be dead.

Ninjas, dupers, and true cheaters.

 

Why so much anger? This was a fun thread light hearted not a serious topic. You might need a hug. Maybe go out and buy a kitty cat or a bunny.

...or a Hedgehog. They make great pets.

Hello Kitty Online or Neopets.

*rolls eyes*

Is it usually coffee? Beer? Umm, steak?

What are you in the habit of eating or drinking while you're playing? :-)

Originally posted by Waterlily

Originally posted by Violette

People on these forums whine way too much.

 

Honestly, some people have a right to do so.

 

Look at Everquest and Lineage 2.

They still promote it and tell people it's an MMO where you can do this and that.

 

When people buy the game for the full price, buy 1 month sub on top of that,  log in, and see nothing but empty zones and a few multiboxers and a few hackers, do you feel they "whine"?

When they pay for AoC and the game does nothing but give an error and doesn't even run for some? They "whine"?

 

It's normal some people have a pessimistic outlook in regards to MMO.

Some people have a right to whine, in moderation. But everywhere I look there are whiny posts - this update was bad, that update ruined the game, blah blah blah. Sometimes it's ok to step back and be thankful you've got MMOs, a broadband connection, and a puter to start with.

Haha. Hexxeity is, as they say, pwned.

My first was ImagiNation. It was sold to either AOL or AT&T, and then the project was duped, so I can't go back to it even if I was dying to.

Because of most people's primitive, deep-seated belief that bigger is better.

People on these forums whine way too much.

I know this is going to sound lame, but I am fascinated by the Grand Exchange in *sigh* Runescape. It is modeled after the real-life stock market. I find it incredible.

Prices are based on demand. It's a dynamic economy, because prices rise and fall almost every day. A placed order is filled from everything available across all the servers, from oldest to newest.

Do any other MMOs have something like this?