All Posts by Amaranthar

UOKR is a strange mixture of great and very ugly. It works good as far as controls and all that, and most of the static art is fantastic, the buidlings and architecture, the trees and ground, etc.

But the characters are extremely ugly and unattractive. Their legs are way too long, the grayness of the avatars and undefined shadowy look just looks terrible. Pictures I see of avatars riding llamas make me laugh with their feet on the ground like a little kid on a horsey on wheels. Many of the items placed on the ground are overly large and ugly too. Some of it looks worse than cartoony in effect. Did they add backpacks in the gump art yet? They seem to be trying to loose the fantastic feel that was UO, what, for the Chinese market? (Yeah, I know they say they are trying to keep that UO feel, but if so they are failing miserably)

The movements too leave allot to be desired. They aren't trying to make the game better, they are trying to slide sideways to a different form. Screw that.

I agree that if UO had allot of people playing, it would still be better than any other current game being offered up on a satin pillow.

But I also think that pre-AoS was much much better. And Pre Trammel was much better than even that because of the life and emotions, the dedications and alliances, the realism in that  political regard, that it gave the game. But that's not for everyone, of course I understand that.

I have gone back to UO after several times quiting. I'm still playing it, because it's simply the only fantasy based sandbox/worldly game, even in the sad state it's in. I just can't stand to be herded around by a ring in my nose like these other games do to you.

People are always crying and complaining. Lets face it, no game makes everybody happy all of the time. It's just not possible. What's really wrong with it all is that every game tries to make as many players as possible happy. In doing so, they mix and mash various play styles to the effect of messing up the game for all play styles.

It's hard to blame the companies for doing it, though. There's allot of money involved. But I think we're more than ready for some open PvP/sandbox games. Just to round out the table, so to speak.

At least I know I'm ready (have been all along). I'm tired of these games with all their fake feeling rules.

*You can attack this but not that,

*you won't suffer loss on death,

*you can't take that,

*you can't touch that,

*you can't do this,

*nor that,

*nor the other thing,

*you can't feel anything like emotions,

*you can't know the thrill of victory, nor the agony of defeat,

*and no, this game can't have a life of it's own.

Mortal Online is first person view, isn't it? That's going to make it feel quite a bit different in the PvP. It's going to function like a FPS, if I understand it right.

One of the problems is that new players, who form the vast majority, never played anything except single player games with multiplayer options, or more and more the small multiplayer games.

They don't know or expect any different.

I think eventually they will start to want for more, because "worlds" just cry out for it. They get bored with the grind, and start thinking about how it could be.

What most likely to happen is that the game industry will see the falling sales and just drop out of it, instead of being bold and innovative.

Me too. Except I'm not much into games that don't have the massive multiplayer. So that leaves me with nothing.

I played, and still do after quitting several times, as Trebr Drab.

I remember some of you and the guilds. Hatcher, B*G!! I was in The Eldar, then in the Yew Militia.

I hated you PKers. Ya screwed the pooch, guys. But those were the best days of MMOs anyways. UO had a life like no other, and set in the "worldly" game, it just made it so much more of a gaming world and experience.

Todays UO has gone way too soft, and items based to give it that grind that only the powergamers can compete in. The fantastic trade skills system is now a ritual of manhood, which wouldn't be bad except that at the top you need special tools, which again means that only the powergamers can compete. Anything else is pretty much useless.

The rare items have become mostly commonplace, so the fantastic collections and trade of these is almost gone.

Cheats and dupes have screwed the game so bad it's got no economic game play value.

PvP is item based now, little skill required and timing is pretty much at the lowest common denominator.

On and on, I guess.

Still, the private servers lack the "massive", which is something important too.

Actually, I'm waiting for Age of Warquest, Benign Brains. That's the first expansion with new levels because we didn't get enough of the grind with the first release.

I never stayed long enough to max out in any of those games that I played, so I may be wrong. But I think it's the strategy and timing required to defeat the "end game" content. Cast certain spells and do other things in the correct order, and at the right times, to be able to win in the end. I've only seen movies though, so I'm not absolutely sure.

My question is, if that's the excitement, why even bother with the leveling up first? Why not just get to the excitement?

Originally posted by markyturnip

Originally posted by Amaranthar

I agree. But I'm so tired of it that I don't even want to talk about it much anymore. I've waited for years, the future looks very dim. There are a few possibilities (Darkfall, Earthrise, Earth Eternal maybe, probably one or two more), but we'll have to wait and see. But the big money isn't going to give us anything different. I'm about tapped out on the whole thing.

 

Oh, I haven't bought a new game since City of Heroes. Beta'd LoTR, too much instancing and grind. Keep watching, keep waiting. But I'm not buying another one of the same lousy experience.

if you don't want to talk about it anymore, why are you on this forum talking about it?

 

"I don't even want to talk about it much anymore."

If I wanted to really talk about it, you'd still be reading.

I agree. But I'm so tired of it that I don't even want to talk about it much anymore. I've waited for years, the future looks very dim. There are a few possibilities (Darkfall, Earthrise, Earth Eternal maybe, probably one or two more), but we'll have to wait and see. But the big money isn't going to give us anything different. I'm about tapped out on the whole thing.

Oh, I haven't bought a new game since City of Heroes. Beta'd LoTR, too much instancing and grind. Keep watching, keep waiting. But I'm not buying another one of the same lousy experience.

Originally posted by Dristol

Similar ideas here, it's a long read but you might like it:

http://vnboards.ign.com/mmorpg_concepts_and_design_discussion_forum/b22584/105600183/p1/?16

 Keep in mind this is all Old Horizons no matter how you want to cut it.

Old Horizons was pretty good stuff....before they nerfed it to something all too familiar.

Suppose that an MMO had an ultimate evil that could destroy that game world, and it was up to the players to stop it. Not something that could happen easily, or in the first couple of years after release.

1) The ultimate evil wins and destroys the world, destroying all characters and assets, and the game continues as a new world where the players all have to start over.

2) The players defeat the ultimate evil, and save their world. Life goes on. New challenges soon to come.

How would you feel about it? Would you play it, skip it, be pissed if all your stuffs is destroyed and you have to start over, what?

Originally posted by CleffyII

Originally posted by Ozmodan

You forgot one option, None of the above.  That sums it up for a lot of us.  They all employ locked in class based systems which many of us abhor.  Rigid class based systems are a thing of the past and will not do well in the present marketplace, people will just play Wow if they want that kind of structure.  Also we are pretty tired of anime and limited character customization, although I am not familiar with what these games offer in that area, you can usually lump most Korean games with very poor character customization.

So this list of games is pretty ho hum for most of us.  They will all be strictly small niche games. 

It kinda gets me angry when people post on games they didn't even put the research or effort to read my first post.  Locked Class based system.  Yay you really read what I posted about RO2s unrestricted class system, or matera like system, or dynamic skill system.  Mindless grinding, you obviously didn't read what I posted about AIONs story driven leveling system where you don't gain levels by getting experience points, but rather by completing quests and defeating bosses.  Not to mention RO2 and Aion are poised to have a huge amount of clothing/armor options which many of the we have lots of customization games miss the mark on.

 

Remember, even the mighty WoW had some of its classes broken a month before its release.  Alot of stuff gets fixed before a game is released.

I'm afraid that you are in for a very big let down. Unless you like grinding through levels, or prefab quests with meaningless story as a substitute. Which is alright, some players do like that kind of game. It's just so easy to have everything pre-made for you so you don't have to spend any time looking for the path to success.

There's not one game from any of these big companies that I want to play. Not these Korean games, and not any from the West.

I'm tired of levels and the necessary grind that goes with them. Period.

I want to play in a game world, not through it.

How many developers do you think would understand that comment?

Perma-death. No thanks!

Originally posted by Leemeg

I would love a good and new sandbox game, we really do lack that in the genre.

 

I don't see open pvp or lack of content a part of a sandbox game. Many current and old sandbox games do have open pvp and a bit low of predefined contents. But, that's not a prerequerment for a sandbox game if you ask me .

That's true, but then again, a sandbox game would be better with every bit of added content, whether it's "content" or social intrigue that comes with a good justice system. Manhunts! Get the criminals! Make them pay! Where are they hiding?!

Originally posted by paulscott

nope I love sandboxes, I'm just in the view that most people do not like playing real sandboxes.  even though they want to play one.

whether systemic in the horriable designs, or needing guidance.  most people will not play a sand more than an hour after actually getting into one.  no matter how much they want to play in a sandbox, they don't get into it.

Well, if you took a sandbox game and added plenty to do so that players never felt lost, but could also explore the sandbox, I think most players would like that the best. There's so much more adventure in this kind of setting, and still has the capability to fall back to a routine if one wants. The only problem with UO was that players didn't always know what they could do until they played for a while. Had they had NPCs shouting out that they had jobs related to the players chosen skills, I don't think we'd be talking about this now.

Originally posted by paulscott

a full 16KM by 16KM(256 sq KM) to explore and get lost in for wurm online. so many untouched areas, and areas that only a few have ever been to.  and there's two servers this size to boot as well. what hooked me on wurm was the fact that I actually got lost in it, something that has never happened to me in a mmo.

A player should have tools, like compasses and basic map making, so that they don't have to deal with really being lost in a game world. Also, landmarks to help the player know roughly where he is, if he pays attention. These things, like real life explorers used, would add allot to exploration.

Originally posted by paulscott

most people are stretching the truth about how much they want to play a real sandbox game.  confusing it with a sandbox having to have open PvP, or a skill based system. or just thinking a sandbox is any game that offers you more than one choice at any one time.

either that people have stretched ideas about how much they want to be in a sandbox game, or this forum base is more scewed than anyone could have ever imagined it has been.

I assume by your post that you don't like sandbox games? I think you are selling people short a bit, especially here where so many played UO and know what sandbox is. But I also agree that some gamers who want a certain thing, and open PvP is the most likely, consider sandbox to be all about that. So I understand what you're saying to a degree. And I agree that sandbox doesn't really have much to do with wide open PvP, ala rampant PKing and looting. However, I think open PvP with a solid justice system to keep it from becoming rampant does enhance "sandbox".