This is really standard practice with any company on the internet though. Always use paypal/credit card when possible. You need to protect yourself, and if they won't deliver the goods, you can get your money back AND make them look bad.

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Getalife

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Aganazer

Is NOT providing a map creating depth or tedium?

Some folks consider it a challenge to learn how to orient themselves in a game world (with the proper tools).  I prefer a map, but it does add depth to a game to have to learn to use a compass to navigate the world.

Is downtime, delays, and long queues creating depth?

Downtime definitely adds depth, because almost all MMO's that employ it provide tools which players must learn or acquire to allow them to minimize them to their most efficient level. (its part of the gameplay).  EVE woudn't be the same game with instant travel, and DAOC had a certain magic in their downtime between fight system and the balance it created when certain classes were available to help keep it down.  Groups learned to fight effciently, preserving health and mana in order to keep downtimes low.  It was an artform and a skill, and good groups learned to do it well.  There was also the added bonus of increased time for socialization which adds depth to any MMO IMO.

Is forced grouping creating depth?

Of course it does.  It makes being able to properly build a good team another important skill players have to develop and grow, and makes one become far more social in order to obtain a good group.  I'm pretty much a loner, but in DAOC I had to learn to become everyone's friend because my Infiltratror brought little to any groups utility so I got in based on how well I interacted in the game world.

What you saw as timesinks in earlier games (which perhaps they were) served a very useful purpose and I don't think it was an accident on the part of the developers.  For me it made the older games much more challenging and engaging and these are some of the features that have been largely eliminated from modern games.

Time sinks were just that time sinks. There is nothing challenging about doing something which requires a long time to accomplish or complete. The challenge is in activity itself not the time of amount required to do that activity. if that is what you consider challenge i am glad the MMOS have moved away from that philosphy. But a lot of asian F2P MMOS still use that design i am sure you would love it.

Missed my point completely eh?  The challenge is in learning how to efficiently manage and minimize the downtime, it actually takes skill and brains to learn how to do it well.

FTP's put grind in for grinds sake and its not the same thing at all.  Fortunately there is still EVE in which it is still important to practice these skills.

Totally agree. Those "time sinks" often were not time sinks but actually strategic elements of the MMO. Now, some games were designed to have a lot less down time than others, but notice the key point there: DESIGNED. Having down time in your game is fine, but it should serve a purpose. Likewise, having little to no downtime is also fine, as long as you implement another way for the character to achieve the goals downtime was used for, such as socialization.

I find most modern games miss the point and are more worried about graphics and mass appeal than they are about proper pacing and meaningful actions.

And that's another big one... your actions in-game - especially in PVP - need to be meaningful. Pirates of the Burning Sea, Dark Age of Camelot, EVE, Wurm Online, Shores of Hazeron, even Ultima Online seem to get it. Other games just throw you into arena matches. Now, for games where that is the entire point (Guild Wars) that's fine, but don't promise people "MEANINGFUL PVP!!!!11!11!ONEELEVEN" and then give us WoW Battlegrounds.

Bad news:

http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm/Rumor-SOE-Layoffs-Studio-Closings.html#20101

SOE closures and layoffs. Think this might affect PS Next?

We keep hearing Planetside Next is supposed to be announced this month. Not only is it the last day of the month, we get THIS news? This does not bode well for my favourite MMO.

Mount & Blade Warband is probably right up your alley. Think of it as a mix of Oblivion with something from the Total War series and Sid Meier's Pirates!

It wasn't just the BFRs though, it was the idea of them. A 2 or 3-man battle tank couldn't take on a 1-man solopwnmobile. Same with the reavers. Why was something with a single pilot so damn powerful? That was stupid.

I hope they have changed things around a bit to encourage more teamwork again. BFRs actually changed the way the game was played, and it wasn't for the better.

Wow I was thinking of trying this game out, but there is no way in hell it could be good enough to justify $18 a month. No game is. I wouldn't even pay that for Planetside if they somehow got the pops back up and got rid of BFRs, and Planetside was one of the best games I ever played.

Smedley said at some point that BFRs won't be coming back. Considering a 2 man MBT couldn't realistically take on a single-pilot BFR FV, I totally understand the hate.

Though it seems complicated, EVE is deceivingly simple. The issue is the sheer amount of variables one has to account for. But as you do more things in game your understanding will increase dramatically. For that reason I suggest entering EVE University upon joining the game. They will literally teach you everything you need to know. Most corporations are quite happy to scoop up EVEUni's "graduates" as these people have a great base to build upon.

The one thing that is important to know is that EVE is a giant sandbox game. Though there is structure and there are rules, the end result is a lot of freedom in gameplay. If you don't like the "Theme park" sense of MMO's, EVE will be quite refreshing. But if you prefer not to fuss around with figuring out what is best to do and how to get it all done every time you log in, EVE is likely not for you. EVE requires quite a bit of independence and thought and not everyone will find this relaxing or enjoyable.

Those who are competitve and highly motivated will find EVE likely suits their tastes well.

Originally posted by Acehigh13

I just got the beta for this game today and was wondering how many other people had checked it out?

It's a space flight mmo in it's early stages with destructible environments.

http://www.minerwars.com/

It also has a single/co-op multiplayer component to it that will be released as well.  This part (NOT the MMO portion) is currently being sold at a 70% discount because it is in early stages of development and you get into the alpha/beta right away.

Quick Update:

After some confusion over the pre-orders the Devs have changed it so that if you order before December 1st you will get a copy of the MMO as well when it comes out!

Check here for more info:

http://www.minerwars.com/ForumTopic.aspx?id=1382

Protip OP: When posting a link to the site that counts as "references", it would be wise to say so. Otherwise, people tend to get quite angry with you for being decieving.

For those of you who don't know, the first link actually goes to: http://www.minerwars.com/?aid=5003

This is a reference link which can gain the OP free access to the game if he gets enough attention. See why he should have disclosed that in the first place?

Originally posted by batolemaeus

ALL LEARNING SKILLS WILL DISAPPEAR

Seems like what I predicted will become true: This expansion will be interesting not for the main features, but for the small stuff.

Now where to spend the accumulated sp..

Where is this information posted? I would love to see this.

If this is true... shit, I've got millions of SP in learning skills.

Planetside and Starsiege: Tribes are my two favourite games, and now you're telling me they're making a game inspired by both of them?

brb cleaning my keyboard

If they do make PS2 a sub game, the least they can do is give the content away free. No expansion packs, no DLC... if you're paying a monthly subscription, I expect content updates.

Originally posted by gilgamesh9

It's just a prettier version of Rebel Assault.  Unless there's some super secret innovation that Bioware isn't showcasing in that video, it plays EXACTLY like RA.  And RA sucked.

 

Pretty much exactly what I was going to post. This space combat plays exactly like Rebel Assault and if that's the case, I can easily say with 100% certainty it is not worth playing. Thanks but no thanks Bioware.

I would say Wurm Online is the saviour but... its management leaves a lot to be desired and the game lacks a LOT of polish. I still suggest you guys try it though, it's definitely going the old school sandbox direction...

You could try Wurm Online on the wild server. The combat isn't OMG MIND BLOWN exciting but it is very detailed. The crafting system however, puts combat to SHAME. Just to give you an example, here's how you make a hammer:

-You mine out some iron ore (you are given a pickaxe at start but if you don't have one... you have to make one)

-You bring said ore to a firepit, stone oven, or stone furnace (start the fire with kindling then throw some wood on... logs, planks, even some wooden items will do)

-Let the ore heat until it melts. (At this stage, you can walk away and do something else, like cut a shaft out of a log, which you will need later...)

-Come back to glowing metal. Take it out of the furnace, and hammer it on an anvil until it turns into a hammerhead or it turns to scrap, which you must let cool, and then heat up again (or have more metal ready)

-If you haven't already, you must use a carving knife to cut a shaft from a log, and then attach the hammerhead to it. If all goes well, you now have a hammer

-Improve the hammer: you must keep the hammer hot by cycling it in and out of the fire/furnace while hammering it, tempering it, and filing it, to improve its quality.

Now if that doesn't sound like an advanced crafting system, I don't know what is. Seriously, if you want to do some crafting (without going to the OMFG RIDICULOUS depths of A Tale in the Desert) Wurm Online is your game. Note that Wurm Online has player owned housing, boats, and terraforming... (the homes/boats are built by players, and the homes can be heavily customized)

The Wild server is open PVP between 3 factions. PVE is not traditional at all. There are no quests, no missions. Just animals and a handful of monsters to kill, and aside from fight skill on the wild server, hunting is typically only done for the resources, like leather and meat.

I used to play City of Heroes/Villians with my girlfriend. She NEVER played games, but absolutely loved the idea of playing as a superhuman and took to the game quite quickly. We found out pretty fast that there were actually a decent amount of women playing CoH.

We both ended up loving the Mastermind class and using it religiously.

Originally posted by DragonShark

Originally posted by Adardowen

It's pretty much one, MAYBE two battles per server now. Nothing like the old days.

I believe there is actually only one server left.

Good point.

It's pretty much one, MAYBE two battles per server now. Nothing like the old days.

Yeah, pretty glad I waited to resub until after the announcement. Black ops? Boring. I'll pass.