Well said!

Originally posted by zaxtor99

We see it all the time.

A hot new mmorpg launches. And you grab it at your local department store or game store a day or two after its launch day. You've been anxious to try this game forever it seems!

You install it, it updates...

You log into a character creation screen and spend some good time creating your virtual hero. It's "fun" to make his/her stats just as you desire, to make him/her look just like you imagine.

And you lean back relaxing in your desk chair as you log into this new and vast open world.

You don't even move your character for several long seconds as you just take in the graphical beauty that you see. You see NPC dogs and cats scattering about. Amazingly life-like birds flying off of nearby tree branches, and the clouds off in the distance look so real, make you feel as if a real storm is coming in. You have been logged in for just a couple of moments and are already getting sucked in. Wow, just wow.

It isn't until that moment that something else can take you OUT of this virtual masterpiece. It's the sight of seeing other people also logging into this world where you stand in awe. You watch them. All of them. Do they take even a few seconds as you have to look at their new world? To maybe read the help windows showing them how to play the game? Do they even notice that storm on the horizon or the birds realistic manners? The answer to all these questions for every new avatar you see logging in is an almost rudely screaming "HELL NO!".

They all do it. They IMMEDIATELY run for the edge of town. For the first quest in town. They hack away at the level 1 mobs and too quickly try to take down that level 3 mob. They are in a HURRY! RUSH! RUSH! ..get that quest and GO! Get that mob and loot it without even noticing what the heck it is you just looted!! LOOT ALL! SELL! ATTACK! TURN in QUEST!! RUSH! RUSH!

This facet of mmo games today is what truly can kill the mood in my opinion, no matter how much attention to detail the company put into the game. Nobody wants to just 'relax' and have fun anymore. And I don't really understand it. Why do people want to go buy a game like this and spend hours just trying so hard trying to RACE to max level or to RACE to max out their crafting skills? - Doesn't ANYONE out there still want to have FUN and ENJOY this mmo that was in development for the past six years!??

I've been in groups before where people care less about the chat and talk within. They complain that they are leveling up too slowly. But you're having fun! Who cares if we don't the perfect group compilation as you've already figured out. No we shouldn't kick that second mage out rudely just to get a Paladin in here! But nobody listens. The group breaks up because nobody else is happy unless they are gaining at least 67,000 experience per hour. They are gonna skip real life dinner and eat pizza at their computer so that they can be level 13 before 8pm. They've all got it figured out!

{{ Sigh... }}

Perhaps this is one reason why nobody can seem to find that "perfect mmo" any more. Perhaps we ALL have forgotten how to actually take whatever world it is, and actually have "fun". So what if the game doesn't have your idea of the perfect PvP or skill sets. It can still be a heck of a lot of 'fun' if we just allow our mindsets to change a little. Perhaps we don't all need to figure the game out so much that we feel like we have the most perfect avatar with the most perfect choices for advancement and gear. Couldn't we all just learn to kick back, relax, and take in the masterful beauty that we might see within one of these worlds without getting mad at the game because the level advancement is too slow for our taste?

Are we all really becoming mmo power levelers somewhere inside and making these games work instead of a place to enjoy and have fun?

I know people want their style of game. I get that. But it doesn't matter what game I play anymore. Every mmo from Darkfall to Rift is exactly the same. There is a lot of fun to be had in both of these games and all 300 mmo games between them. I really think that most of us have forgotten that aspect. Maybe, just maybe we should change US and how we act/play these games before worrying about how these games need to be more how we want them to be.

That's all I am saying. And I'm talking as much to myself here as anyone else.

Breathe. Look at the detail in those blades of grass blowing in the wind and those rugged snow capped mountains in the distance. WoW. Take it in, slow down, you don't need to be max level by this weekend for crying out loud. Let's learn to PLAY and have something called FUN again in all these amazing new worlds we have available today huh?

Just a random thought.

- Zaxx

 Dear Sir -

I 100%, whole-heartedly, without-a-doubt agree with what you are saying here.  You are the type of player I wish to group with.  Will you be playing SWTOR?  If so, we need to hook up on the same server.  By the way, do you play RIFT?  I have a guild called <Days Of Yore> http://doy.guildlaunch.com which appears to fit right up your alley.  Our motto is "WE DO NOT RUSH".

PM me!

Originally posted by kuhronusu

now i'm fearing for Vanguard.

 

RIP SWG, i never played it but i read very interesting things about it... i hope someday another company creates a game as great as SWG once was.

(mod edit)

 Notice, that if you read all the "fine print" on the official site about the free trials they are offering on all their other games, NOWHERE is Vanguard mentioned.  I too fear for Vanguard's future.

Check it out:

http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/playerinfo/

Originally posted by T67U89

I purchased this game on Thurs and have already cancelled my account and requesting a full refund through paypal.

This game is the saddest excuse for a "Next-Gen" MMO i've ever seen. In fact, Trion should be sued for false advertisement for even daring to market this thing as Next-Gen. It is about as next-gen as putting wheels on a Bike.

There is nothing going for this game. It's as generic as generic can possibly be. One might argue and say "But they have Rifts!"... right. A spot on the map where a bunch of monsters get spammed out of. Gee, I wonder how many seconds that took to think up and implement.

The combat system is just your generic button mashing.... graphics are mediocre at best.... At the end of the day it's nothing more than a bad version of WoW.

Save your money for something like Guild Wars 2... stay away.

 I can haz yor stuff?

Originally posted by oakthornn

Originally posted by arenasb

I think a lot of people, especially on this forum, just want something different. From what I gathered Rift is pretty much more of the same with a twist (the Rifts).

The one design decision that has some complaints, which are valid imo, is that the game should have been designed with rifts as the core of the game. People have said it is a questing game with rifts as a side event, it should be the other way around.

 

 

       Ok, I'll play along.......   I'd like to know what you and or anyone else would do different in making a next best thing MMORPG..

       I've been playing MMO's ever since Ultima Online came out..  There are just two types of MMO's.. Ones that focus on PVP and ones that focus on PVE... There's really no in between.. The only MMO that you can sasy has somewhat balanced pve and pvp is Dark Age of Camelot, but that's just my opinion...

        In Rifts, the game is set up like any traditional sandbox MMORPG like EQ, WoW, EQ2, Vanguard, etc. However, the game features Rifts which are pretty similar to WAR's PQ's, just with a little twist..  Also, there will be PvP, the Guardians vs the Defiant..  I'm still yet to see how this system is set up even after participating in all 3 beta events.. I didn't play much this week due to work, and you can only get to level 20.. So, we really don't know how the upper levels will be like in terms of PvP and PVE gameplay..  We can make educated guesses based on the first 20 levels, and we'd probably be pretty accurate on our assessment..

       Anyway, I'm not trying to sound like a fanboy or anything.. I look at Rifts and enjoy what the game has to offer from level 1-20.. It plays similar to all of my favorite MMO's I've enjoyed in the past like Everquest, EQ2, WoW, Vanguard, and DAOC "without the rvr"  I purposely left off AOC and WAR simply because those two games did NOT have good PVE which I enjoy... With that said, there are features about Rifts which I think are awesome.. I love the different soul systems set up. You could literally multiclass "within the same archtype sphere up to 3 different combinations of classes.. I absolutely love this. It kind of reminds me of classic D&D, without being able to multiclass from opposite archtypes.. It's almost like choosing 3 distinctive classes and molding them into one awesome class..  What isn't cool about that??  For example, the 3 characters I created, I used the warrior tree, rogue tree, and the priest tree.. In the rogue tree I chose to play as a nightblade and ranger. I combined the bad arse melee abilities of the nightblade and mixed them with the awesome ranged abilities of the ranger to make pretty much a cross between the two.. How awesome is that?  This is one feature that many will enjoy to tinker with for months and years to come.. No one person will be exactly the same, talk about insane diversity!

I also enjoy the graphics of the player models and environments. I have yet to see player models and environments in any other mmorpg as awesome as Rifts. To me, this truly feels next gen..  Of course, I have a 24 inch lcd 1920-1080 monitor with a 8800 GTS graphics card.. Imagine how it would look on the latest and greatest graphics card.. Simply breathtaking..

Also, I absolutely loved the Iron Tombs dungeon. For a "BEGINNER" dungeon, it felt truly epic for me. I honestly haven't had this much fun since my days in EQ.. I remember playing EQ so many years ago and the first dungeon I ventured to was BlackBurrow,, the dungeon of the gnolls.. Now, this was like a level 10-15 dungeon, however it was the first dungeon you could go to if you started in Quenos area.. Blackburrow doesn't even compare to Iron Tombs in terms of breathtaking awesomeness..  If Iron Tombs was this cool, imagine how the other dungeons are going to be.. 

 

Topic change....

I look at many negative posts and it's pretty much the same ridiculous argument.. The negative people want MMORPG's to literally evolve into something completely different than what they really are.. Fantasy MMORPG's are just that.. Players living in a virtual reality fantasy world where they set out and go on adventures to become a legendary figure in their world by basically defeating all the evil in the land,,,, the end...  If you ever read fantasy novels, it's ALL THE SAME.. Each particular story is different, but all are the same in terms of the concept.. You can't just change the concept in fantasy novels just like you can't change the concept in fantasy MMORPG's...

So I ask one more time, what would you people change in MMO's to help make it a legendary awesome player experience? I would love to know the secrets hidden in your brains, since you minds must be more evolved than mine... 

 

 

 This.

Perhaps it's just sheer disappointment, but I...JUST....CANNOT....GET....INTO....THIS....GAME?  I purchased this title, intentionally waiting about a year, allowing Cryptic time to smooth things out and give it some more polish.  I create an account last night, install the software, and then I log in for an hour.  I'm ready to hit the cancel button.

I'm a huge fan of Star Trek, and have been for about 30 years.  I'm also a huge fan of MMORPG's, and have been playing them for approx 6 years.  I won't bore you with a list of games I've played, but suffice it to say I've tried all of the AAA titles and some of the smaller, lesser known titles.  I am very familiar with MMO mechanics and gameplay, and thoroughly enjoy the living, breathing, virtual world that they provide.

However, STO I just don't feel comfortable with.  It seems very clunky, yet at the same time, way over-complicated.  From the minute you are thrust into the game, you barely feel comfortable with what's going on and how to do basic things.  I really dislike the interaction system between you and the NPC's.   In some ways, I feel that Interplay's (remember them?) Star Trek 25th Anniversary PC game runs better...and that game ran on DOS and is about 20 years old!  The interiors of the Starbase, hell even the interiors of your own ship seem WAY disproportionate to your character.  And the loading screens...really?  We are in the 2nd coming of the MMORPG genre, as far as advancing gaming technology, and we can't get seamless gameplay on a AAA IP such as Star Trek...a futuristic game?

I also think that the way the "crews" work is simply, wrong.  The fact that the system treats crew like loot, you don't feel any real attachment to them.  And if I'm already a Science Officer, why the hell do I need another senior Science Officer?  I'm the Science Officer, dammit!

The UI is overly-complicated and too busy.  It takes some traditional MMO aspects, and then confuses them.  The space combat UI is the worst I think.  And I HATE the space combat.  BORING!  I want to be on the bridge of my ship and fight that way...shouting commands to my crew (by way of mashing buttons I guess), but I want to watch the battle through my viewscreen and respond to reports from my crew...just like you see on the show.  Instead, we get a tactical display, which completely removes the TREK from the game as far as I'm concerned.  I do however, enjoy the LOOK of space, and think Crypic did a good job making it look cool.

If there is someone out there that wants to take me under their wing and convert me to drink the STO Kool-Aid, and explains to me that this game is worth my time and effort, I'm all Vulcan ears.  I have 29 days left on my sub.

/flamesuit on

This and my TRS-80 were my first foyer into electronic gaming.

Hello!

This thread got me to re-sub - and I'd love to join ya guys.

Beginning the download now (Wed 5/12), so I anticipate being in-game sometime tomorrow (Thursday 5/13) since the download is so small :)

I have a 42 Ranger, Somanthia and a 21 Fighter, Bladewir. 

Been playing since the beginning of the game (actually beta tested the game before launch) and still think this is one of the THE BEST old school MMO's available.  I took a long break and am ready to get back in.

I look forward to joining the guild here and joining the /mmorpg chat channel when I get in game.

See ya soon!

Fallen Earth is very unique: 

Post Apocolyptic setting

No Dwarfs

Mounted combat (mounts are horses, dune-buggies, ATV's, and motorcycles - all of which you can craft!)

No Elves

Must aim, no auto-assist targeting in this game (FPS style)

Crafting is extraordinary

No Classes - skill based system

No Dwarfs or Elves

One Server or Shard - giant big open world

And my favorite help tip that they put on the launcher: "There are NO Elves in Fallen Earth.  If you see one, kill it!"

 Right now, it is $19.99!  Half price! Includes first 30 days.  $14.99/month thereafter.

www.fallenearth.com

And no, I don't work for them, I just enjoy and recommend this game :)

I went ahead and purchased the game, and do find the game similar to Face of Mankind (for the mission structure) and PlanetSide (for the Sci-Fi shooter), and Warhammer (for the quick grouping and jumping right into the action) and the tactics of say, CODMW2.

I am actually enjoying the game.  I did sub, but the money won't be charged until the later part of this month if I read correctly.  I have progressed to a level 8 Robo in the span of a day, and am enjoying playing the "support guy" with my toys.

I eagerly await 1.2.

This game is fun, and is growing on me.  If you like Warhammer's pick up and join the action quickly this game is for you.

Excellent information, thanks!

From what I've read so far about this game, it sounds like a combination / hybrid of:

Face Of Mankind (Sci-Fi shooter and politics) +

Warhammer Online (RvR and Territory Control) +

Planetside (Sci-Fi Shooter) +

CODMW2 (Team-matched shooter with multiple maps)?

Am I close?  I have played all of these games, and having 1 game that incorporates all the different game styles seems intriguing.

Game sounds fun, and wondering what players of the game think it can be closely compared to?

I agree that an MMO would be great.  I wrote a blog entry here on this site back at the release of ME1 after I completed it. 

www.mmorpg.com/blogs/MMOPlaya/122007/803_Mass-Effect-Would-Make-A-Great-MMORPG-Candidate

Whatcha think?  Please keep in mind, I wrote this over 2 years ago :)  I think after playing a bit with ME2, it would still be quite possible.

To The OP:

You just made me laugh hysterically - good stuff.  You should write more reviews - in fact, this website should put you on staff!

I look forward to your next installment.

Ha Ha!

Fail.

By the way, if you are going through that much trouble for a laugh, why not run it through a grammar or spell-check program and make it more realistic?

You probably don't even know what a thesaurus is.  Or the Dewey-Decimal system.  Just YouTube and Wikipedia.  If you are over the age of 18, please re-enroll in high school.

Fail.

Excellent, thanks for the detailed responses, always appreciated.

Hi everyone -

I'm enjoying WAR and am now at 25/23 Bright Wiizard status on Iron Rock.  My question revolves around the bolster buff that everyone gets when entering an rvr area, in my case a bolster to level 28.  Here are my questions in random order:

• After visiting a "Renown Trainer" say in Altdorf, how do I verify that what I've put points into has been applied to my character?  Do these only show up while in an RvR area?  Is there a UI element that I'm not seeing?
• For everyone whose natural rank is below the BOLSTERED rank stats, what is the point of buying expensive gear with say INT stats if the BOLSTERED stats far overpower what you have purchased?
• Is there a hard / soft cap on stat levels, in other words can I hit the ceiling on say INTEL at any given level or is it whatever I can afford?
• Are the renown merchants in the guild hall in Altdorf the same as the renown merchants in the held keeps?  Cuz I'm not too impressed with what I've seen so far on renown merchants.  Am I missing something?
• Is there a real difference between renown gear stats and pve gear stats, and most importantly are stats on renown gear transferred on a 1:1 ratio to pve and vice versa?
• I notice that the higher I get in level the less emphasis on INTELLIGENCE stats are on equip...it seems to be inversely proportional...I thought as a BW that INTEL was MOST important stat.  For example my weapon as a BW is my staff.  At early levels the INT stats on available staffs were quite good - at one point I saw +85 INT, but as I gain ranks the staffs I see now are diminishing in INT stats and moving to say WILL.  The best staff I have seen so far is +45 WILL and + 54 INTEL 
• What INTEL level should I be hovering around at my level?
• Anyone notice that your tactics, such as +100 INTEL sometimes doesnt get applied until after removing it and replacing it again?

Thanks for reading!

What is VP?