Many good points written already.

I agree with many, but let me cast my opinion.

What I am really looking for nowadays is something that is apart from the "Human, Elven, Dwarves" Mainstream.

I don't care about who makes it. I see CCP (EVE) doing a good job while still being rather tiny company. I saw Aventurine (Darkfall) fail epic because they did not care about rules in their community. Not in the forum, nor in the game.

I prefer fantasy on a high level like Horizons (Istaria) has, but there has to be a populated world, not only a crafting simulator with a bunch of people in a really huge world. However I am playing EVE atm, because ist wide and open and full of possibilities.

What I miss in all the recent gams is one: Variety.

If you leave stats unrecognized, you always get humans in diefferent shapes, although the are named Orcs, Elven, Fangran or whatever. If you wanna have a look on that try Earth eternal beta. There are 22 beast races, but all are going on 2 legs, using their hands to wield human weapons, wearing human armors. If you change the shape they would go as koreans, chinese, germans, frenchman, dutchman, americans or whatever humans without anything to wonder about. Why dont the wolf use his fang? Why dont the deer uses his antlers? Why there is no snowball avalanche for the yeti? 

I remember dragons in Horizons having a fire breath, tail whip, and other special abilities that might be natural for dragons. THAT was fun!

Why all other games only feature costumed humans? Don't they dare to go an other way than WoW?

I am looking for real fantasy, mind challenging quests for a mature audience. I believe the more difficult the quests are, the better the community is. Because help is really needed.

Remember what RP came from: It came from pen & paper sessions and they challanged your brain. Not only your right forefinger for spamming the left mouse button. In recent MMOs brain seems to be not needed.

For all those reasons there is only one thing i chose my MMO from:

Do I get the chance to have a free look? No trial? Than I won't play. I would not buy a car without a test drive either.

Oh no. No more Vampires please!

On the other hand... If there where other parties like werewolfs, dragons, tree-spirits, giant water snakes (all playable of course) or whatever has been invented in years of high fantasy it would be a nice thing apart form all this "Human, Elven, Dwarven vs. Villians" grind and yawn games.

Thats a wolf? Looks like a fat furred WoW Elf with stick legs...

/sign Dana, period!

This is all very inconviniend.

I become pretty shure we will not see a launch on the 25th. ;-/

Unfortunately may EvE testaccount ends in some days...

Hope dies at last...

Thanks Milton! (for the explanation)

I do not see the problem in not having hands or using traditional weapons. Of course a horse could not hold a sword. Not a horse of course. (Is that worse or coarse?)

However you just need someone who is capable of thinking in fantastic dimensions.

For example, dragons are very easy, as they could use their forehands like human hands. In Horizons there were "claws and scales" as weapon and armor for dragons.

Horses could have horseshoes with spikes, similar helmets or in mor SciFi based surroundings...missile launcher and lasercannons on their back.

Snail might have glue like slime, stunning the foe to the ground, then damaging the foes armor with their teeth, spiked almost invulnerable housings as well.

Have you ever touches a husky or wolf in winter, when the air is dry? You will ause sparks within the fur and maybe get a ittle electric shock. In fantastic realm that shock might blow you away and leave laying inconscious on the ground. Maybe it melts your weapon, or burns you to ash.

And that are only "real" creatures. I bet I would be able to turn almost every creature into a mighty beast if i get time to think about it. Others already did it. You think a worm ist weak? Think of "Worms" or the sandworms from "Dune".

You are right Ascencion. Despites that Dwarves are small stinky humans not more. In Horizons most players chose to be a dragon. They are really cool. I think there are many possibilities for non-biped races that are cool aswell. Even a spider race could be cool if equipped with unique features. I think no one ever thought about being ugly while playing an alien in alien vs predator. You are right, its a load of work to develop such things, but it might be neccessary to have something unique to come out of the loads of MMOs all looking the same while claiming to be the "next generation MMO".

I am not shure I you understand my words. I am not native english, and this is getting quite complicated to write. I am sorry for any inconvenience that might cause.

Ahm...whats OP?

Again: There are many possibilities. It would also be possible to be reborn in an animal body, being a rat for the n00bs... But you have to reach a certain goal to be able to get back into your chosen shape, so you become a living and somewhat nasty BOSS-RAT for the n00bs.

Thats it guys. I am talking about possibilities! I'd like to play my dragon again much more than anything else, thats a fact. But i'd be glad to only hav the choice to play e.g. that spiderwoman. Its something really different, not 10 times almost the same race, with another shape and stats but not really different.

And yes... maybe i'd like to play a blob. Maybe the sexiest blob ever...LOL

Your are right. I am really waiting for Darkfall. Its not much, but it seems to have a wide range of possibilities and although the mahirim are bipeds aswell it might be possible to play the wolf like behaviour aswell.

I really hope they have a good concept for the rest of the game. Its not, what I dream of, but seems to be somewhat different from all this grinding and slaying stuff BECAUSE of open PvP. You will need to build relationsships exceeding that "looking for dungeon party" stuff.

Its not realism I am after. Its fantasy! Realistic fantasy though. And as marty said: Who says a fourlegged being could not have magic? Its shown in several games already. e.g. Winterwolves in AD&D based baldurs gate had a mighty icebreath. Ans i am shure you all know monsters with strong defenses or attacks. Why not play them? Not much different from city of heroes/city of villians, but just fantasy not super hero genre.

I do not restrict Marti. I widen my experience. Why do you think walking on 2 legs would give more possibilities? Maybe you should not deny brain nor wisdom for 4 or evene more legged creatures? Remember, I am talking about fantastic realms, not about the real world. And for dragons, you should take into account that their wisdom and intelligence is several times greater than that of any human being.

You got it, Hidden!

There are many possibilities already written in legends and tales or manifested in religions. So why always the same humanalikes killing everything that is not like them? We have this in reality right? I am tired of this.

Neither Snail nor horse are quite fantastic, huh?

Being a flying horse, populating flying cities, casting strong wind and/or weather magic to protect their realms, would possibly a thing I'd like to play. If able to carry another (elven?) fighter on "my" back would give such an idea much more life.

Yes, it DOES matter, as I am a roleplay gamer and not interested in killing 10 rats, then 20 rats and then 100 rats and so on. For me there is more in a game than leveling and questing. And that depends on what you are. When iam playing a dragon, i do not behave as human. It is a difference, because being a elf acting like a Unicorn would not make any sense.

I tried EVE, but as I am a pilot in real life that kind of steering is absolutely inacceptable.

Eh... non-human... ok... but still only bipeds. Nothing with wings, running on 4 legs or something similar fantastic. Only humans in another shape, though.

Since left Istaria (Horizons) due to a lack of players, I tried several free or trial MMOs. But everywhere its the same:

Only HUMANS, Elves, Dwarves, Orks, maybe godd and bad one though, but thats it!

In Horizons we had Dragons, Sslik (reptile creatures), Dryads (butterflylikes), fiends (blue devils), gnomes, half-giants, Saris (catlikes), Satyr and of course dragons, elves and dwarves.

Why arent there other games with player creatures like, unicorns, pegasi, wolves, griffins or other really fantastic stuff. There are more than enough humens on earth, why let them rule even fantastic realms?

Good luck! I am on the same server. Maybe we'll meet sometimes.

You are right green.

I really miss this things you list and I am still seraching for something similar. I tried all the big games and many F2Ps meanwhile but never found something like Horizons again. Alas... istaria is far to huge for some handfulls of people digging in their lairs and plots.

Ages ago the blight spread and brought the threat of undeads onto the living races. Nowadays the whole game is undead. Neither dead nor alive. The only place to see players frequently is Bristugo, because of its portals. That is everything else than enough, to make a word looking alive.

I hope there will be a sequel or another game with at least a Horizons-like crafting system and other races than only the always seen humans, elves and dwarves.

Hail to thee, dragons of Istaria.

Eisdrache, helian windlord of chiconis

Thanks Lethal!

Did not found it so far, but I'll have a second look.

I do not know something like spamming any keys, except Diablo maybe. If you like this kind of fight its ok. I dont mind. But although I do not like that high speed games like counterstrike, I like certain movement and some more realism. Thats just my opinion, not a dogma for the rest of the world.