I agree w/John, this is a non-issue for me. Having said that, I've played WoW since 1 month after it's release but if they EVER charge for needed in game items, I'm gone for good.

OP, you're well written and passionate posting can't change the fact that, for me, AoC was the most boring MMO (not including those Korean crappola MMOs which own their own corner of hell) I've ever played. Beautiful? Yes, it is. But graphics alone can't carry me through hours of grinding point-to-point play with lvl 7 opponents dropping lvl 18 equipment and layered instances with the same quests I've done a thousand times before in other games. If AoC was a player's very first MMO then I can see how that player could fall in love with it. But for many of us who have logged hundreds (or in my case a couple of thousand) of MMO hours, AoC is a major disappointment...maybe we expected too much.

FPS: DOOM, haven't played any since, don't really care for them

RPG: Is Diablo II an rpg? If so, Diablo II, if not, then...how about the last Wizardry game, VII or VIII - I don't remember which. It was the best tactical combat rpg I ever played.

MMORPG: WoW, nothing else compares and I've tried them all. I do like LoTRO but it's a distant second. CoH/CoV are a very distant 3rd.

RTS: Warcraft II, I enjoyed AoE but not nearly as much.

Fighting: None, nada, don't like them

Strategy (fading & forgotten category): Civilization IV

It's one month and done for me with WAR. I like it more than AoC, but ultimately I again wasted $50. I kick myself for wasting $100 this year on those two games. I'm done with MMOs this calander year. Stopped my WoW subscription and won't buy WotLK either. Hello Pokerstars.net; playing freebies.

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Originally posted by Soraellion
EVE isn't about PVE (although it's getting better), focussing fully on PVE will (probably) get you burnt out rather fast.

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Sure, clearly EVE is primarily a PvP MMO. BUT...if you're going to allow a max rep with an agent of 10, and it takes dozens of missions to achieve this max, then for god sakes, vary the missions. Even if the missions are of the same type...go kill rebels, or go rescue diplomats, or go destroy enemy assets...at least change the names of the missions and the types/quantities of the objectives. It's a huge galaxy...how can there be so few unique missions? Just makes no sense to me. Either increase the variety of missions or reduce the max rep with an agent to that rep which can be achieved by fulfilling all of that agent's unique missions.

Thanks!

Excellent; funny and original. I'm gonna have some of my friends and family read this. Thanks!

I had played EVE a couple of years ago for a couple of months and thought I'd take advantage of the 2 week free trial again. I hadn't remembered alot about the game except that I had liked the real time based advancement system and all of the ship building options.

So, as I entered the EVE galaxy for the second time I did some research on the game and decided to focus on discovery and manufacturing. I learned salvage quickly and set my advancement goals up toward manufacturing first. I also decided that I would try to increase my reputation with agents by doing lots of missions. This is where my experience fell apart.

I chose an agent to focus most of my efforts on, thinking it would be cool to reach a 10 total rep with one agent. Wrong! After a dozen or so missions, the agent began repeating missions. Not similar missions, the EXACT same missions...again...and again. Within a 7 mission series I was sent to recover the same bird feathers 4 times! Bird feathers! 4 times. And, each time, amazingly, I was only able to recover one feather.

Now, to me, immersion in an MMO is a key element. A lack of distinct playable missions just ruins the experience. Not only that, this agent, after my rep with them was already 5+ would greet me with, "who are you?", or "nice to meet you" (para)phrases as though I'd never had a mission from them.

Look, I have to be very careful how I spend my gaming money these days. With our cruel economic situation and one son in college and another headed there in 2 years I can't waste a dime of my small gaming budget. I'm thankful that I got the 2 free weeks, but I'm not spending $15-20 a month on this game.

Regarding the circles; you forgot to mention that a blue circle over a Rally Master's head means that you have influence rewards available.

bb...you played WoW for four (4) years. And you've played WAR for how long? It's probably a little early to say that WAR's the best MMO to date. Once you've reached lvl 40 in WAR and played it for a few months check back in and tell us if you feel the same way.

Having said that - I bought WAR yesterday and played it for about 3 hours. I love my lvl 4 Dwarven Engineer. A gattling gun pet - lol - what a great concept! I really look forward to playing this game over the next month to see if I'll subscribe, but based on my initial impressions, WAR could turn out to be a great game.

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Originally posted by TheHumannBee
I think it's more interesting how the ratings of all of the other games go down when there's a new release - anyone noticed that?

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I did notice that. To me it implies that there is some sort of correlation between all the ratings. I find that unexpected and somewhat disturbing because I had thought that the scoring was all based upon raw mean averages.

WoW is, by far, the most popular MMORPG in the world. It's rated 18th on this site. 18th. It's rated behind Sword of the New World. Seriously. As much as I like this site and am impressed by the way they display all their ratings, it's impossible to attach any meaning to the results when the community voting here is so far askew of the mainstream. I'm not saying WoW should be the top rated game, but 18th?

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Originally posted by jason_webb

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Originally posted by sturmfalke
Point taken.  IQ test probably isn't the best example out there, but I still say some sort of reading comprehension and general knowledge test should be administered beforehand.  And it's not meant to be a joke.
Bright and adept assholes over incompetent ones (almost) any day.   Assuming character flaws are the only thing in question.  A 12 year old kid who's got the best tank on the server and a shitty personality to match still won't pass an IQ test with flying colors.  And if he's that one bright preteen at MIT with a superiority complex, well, deal with it.  Chances are you won't ever party with him again unless you're guilded with him.
Much rather have a 30 minute H.MGT run and bear with the party chat than a 3 hour run with...well you get my point.  Get in, get out, spend more quality time with friends and guild mates.  Especially now with the grindable epic gear, you can't do gear checks anymore to see how good the player is. (Not complaining about 'welfare epics' per se, just one of the side effects.)
One issue to resolve at a time.  Though I do agree that some players need to tone down their ego abit.  I get carried away sometimes too when in a semi-pug with a few veteran players and that one newbie pug.
 
PS. All that aside, I'm getting tired of people using rare exceptions to the rule as a valid argument in general.  Granted, there might be that one special (no pun intended) guy you know who's not too bright but extremely good at what he does.  But that's one guy.  And if he really is all you make him out to be and that important to you, just make an appeal process or something.  And yes, I know IQ tests have been questioned for their validity in functional society, but there is a reason that people still use them.

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First off, on your final paragraph, i didn't state a real example as an exception to the rule. I stated a theory based on your lack of any solid evidence to back up your ranting about intelligence and ability to play the game. I'm guessing that if you can state absolute crap as if it was real, i can at least throw a theory in there, seems only fair.

One thing i would like to clarify about your little rants here is that as far as you are concerned it is fine for someone to be an asshole in the game as long as they have a larger intellect to back it up, is that right?? So you would prefer a game full of intelligent assholes rather than having to put up with people that lack the intellect you think they should have??

As far as people needing to tone down their ego a little, it may be about time to take a long hard look in the mirror!

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Jason, pal, please lighten up a little. He's frustrated by some pretty crappy experiences and offered one possible solution. You've exposed it's flaws. Please give him a break.

Unfortunately IQ doesn't measure either maturity or character. While I agree that teammates making foolish mistakes in instances or not following simple directions in BGs is an aggravating problem, even the brightest and most adept players can be real assholes; and THAT'S my biggest problem with WoW.

OP, very well written and descriptive, thanks very much. I'm also a WoW player - taking time off and playing EVE at the moment. The more I read about WAR the better it sounds. After the AoC fiasco I'm still going to wait awhile, but your review is very helpful!

OP, very well written, good humor, and thanks for the review! I must say though that it's impossible for me to take a one day experience too seriously. The first day I played LoTRO I could have written a similar review (had I your skill/flair) because I was similarly entranced. However, a month later I was bored with it. Same with Ryzom, the first couple of days I played it I couldn't get enough, then it just fell apart for me. I truly hope your initial zeal for WAR maintains; please keep us informed!

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Originally posted by Lonesamurai1
He means its unfair that NA customers are getting another, unexpected preview weekend
 
it was only added yesterday to the NA herald news

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Ahh...appreciate the decryption, ty.

When I played both EQII and VG I really enjoyed the crafting. Though it was sometimes tedious and often frustrating, the idea of offering some randomness within the quality of the items really appealed to me. I think that both of those systems offer more compelling, engrossing and extensive crafting systems than WoW. Having said that....

Crafting in WoW is very important. My 70 Tankadin is a miner/enchanter and both professions have served me very well. As an enchanter I've been able to keep all my enchantable gear at max effeciency, make $$ by selling enchants (though advertising is a royal pain; they may allow enchants to be sold in AH with WotLK expansion), and as mentioned add nice enchants to rings. Four (4) of the best pre-Kara tanking items are all blacksmith created: Felsteel set + Bracers of the Green Fortress. One of the best cloaks - Cloak of Eternity - is a tailored item. The best belt in the game (Belt of the Guardian), and the best boots (Boots of the Protector) are both Blacksmith crafted. Jewelcrafters make some of the best rings (Delicate Eternium Ring) and trinkets (Dawnstone Crab) and are critical for socket stones. If you're an engineer you can make one of the best tank headgear - Tankatronic Goggles - and the Goblin Rocket Launcher and Gnomish Poltryizer trinkets. The three (3) best legging adds in the game (Nethercleft Leg Armor, Clefthide Leg Armor, and Vindicator's armor Kit) are available only through Leatherworkers who also make the best glove add, the Knothide Armor Kit. And this is just for tanks; Leatherworkers make some of the best late game mail gear for Shaman also, my next character (currently only lvl 20).

There are two things about WoW's crafting that I've always disliked, however. First of all, engineering made items are usually for engineer use only, ie. they can't be used by non-engineers. Secondly, weapon crafting is really underutilized. There are currently zero top flight weapons that can be crafted for Tanks.

I prefer the EQII approach, but crafting in WoW is important. Blizzard should, IMHO, take a harder look at its crafting and even out its importance so that there is always some top gear available through crafting to all characters.

O...k..., so, what's your point? Blizzard is smart and has made a crapload of money and Games was really...really foolish to 1) not accept Blizzard's offer and 2)wait so long to join the the MMO show? Sure, I'll buy that.

Potential

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Originally posted by tunabun
I pray that every single MMO of this generation fails, and every single one in the next generation does as well, until they finally decide it's time to but some actual effort into making something that deserves to be played.  The games coming out currently seem to be made by those who feel just the time, effort and money alone should guarantee a success.  That copying and thieving ideas from successful games WITHOUT actually understanding why those games were a success should work as well or be similarly beneficial.

Fail.  I seriously am angered by how talentless the majority of this industry is becoming.  Where those with talent line the bottom of the industry attempting to scrape their way to the middle, while talentless hacks who simply copy ideas thrive and make game after horrid and unfinished game.

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LOLOLOLOL, design your own game, dude. Business trys their best to appeal to the masses, and aren't interested in some heretofore undefined perfect MMO. Companies can't invest millions of dollars to design and distribute to some small segment's ideal. Please, please, please design this perfect MMO, then avoiding that "talentless majority", shop your plan and teach everyone EXACTLY how to do it. We'll all hold our collective breath.