All Posts by BlackWatch

So, if WAR is this 'frankenstein' of WoW and DAoC...

And I'm currently 'bored' (for lack of better term) with WoW...

And I did not like DAoC...

Should I assume that I will not like WAR?

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I'll play the game and judge for myself, of course.  But some of the debates about the game seem to be very logical and well stated.  While I haven't exactly seen much fact strung along with these posts, they do make some great points and bring some 'unknowns' to the surface that I hadn't previously considered.

2nd Life needs... more than what it is to become a possible 'game', imho.  2nd Life is more like someone took AOL chatrooms and put skins and a virtual world around them, threw in advertisements, and a heavy dose of the SIM's.

I'm not saying that to flame 2nd Life as a product.  I'm just saying that I would never recommend 2nd Life to anyone looking for 'a game'. 

I know 2nd Life has a lot of customers.  I know it has a role and it's a product that is capable of performing several functions.  I just don't see it as 'a game', really. 

Pardon me.

You are correct.

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The NGE:  Supplying wannabe Sith Lord's with real 'go power!' since 2005!

If all of my friends were to come back to play... sure, I'd show up. 

The community, the system, and the setting... that's what helped make preNGE/preCU SWG so great.  Was it flawless?  No, it wasn't.  But give the choice between the NGE and 'what was', I'll take 'what was'.

Glad you like the game.

Trying to tell everyone the game they hate is better than the game they loved isn't the way to do it though.

Enjoy the NGE.

I was once a nice guy, a people guy.  Since the NGE, I'm straight dark side... the hate for the NGE is a powerful tool and it provides me with 'UN-LIIIMMMIITTTEEDD PPOOOOOOWWWEEERRR!!!!!'

Polygamy... lol. 

Now the fed's are watching this thread.

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Now battlegrounds need babysitters.

I mean, most online dating sites are 'legit'.  You meet, you date, etc.,..

If you meet in an MMO... RAIDING = DATING?

I can imagine the fights:

I saw you looking at that Night Elf vendor.  No buff for you tonight.

You selfish sonuvabeotch!  Are you seriously going to conjure yourself some water and not give any to me?

Why would you even want to roll on that robe?  You know my favorite color is red!  It doesn't matter that I'm a plate wearing warrior!  I wanted that ROBE!!!!!!!

I NEED A NEW MOUNT!

You need to get a bigger, more practical mount!  Think of our future family!

You're spending way too much time logged off or at work!  Are you grinding with other people?

Do these leggings make my butt look big?

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Forget a bunch of that noise.

I play games to get away from drama, not make more.

I can see dating in game if your toon is hotter than you are/or hers is hotter than she is real life.  Insecurity issues or whatever.  But count me out of that.

Besides, what if your hearth is set to Ironforge and hers is set to Thunder Bluff.  Sure, Tauren chicks have less body hair than Dwarf fem's do, but long distance relationships NEVER WORK!!!!!!

I've never been able to see the 'draw' of ingame marriage... not for me, personally, at least.  But I'm guessing that for others, it's a way to 'enhance' their RP experience while ingame. 

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I wonder how many RL couples have split due to ingame issues?

There is a lot to like about EQ2, though.  I'm not a fanboi, so I won't write a book about it, though.

My biggest issues with EQ2:

It's not really 'fun'.  Better to say, it's not really as fun as it could/should be.  I dunno, but it feels like someone 'sucked out the feeling' (Superdrag reference 1). 

I've been in and out of the game since launch, and it's really a tough game for me to try to get into or really feel like I want to invest in it for the long-haul.  Perhaps it's the 'end-game' of EQ2 that really does't create that 'drive' or any type of sense of urgency. 

Maybe it's the fact that there is really no true PvP system in EQ2.  Not that I've seen or heard from.  Let me rephrase... not one that generates that 'love/hate' spin on the game between the two factions.   Not one that gets the competitive juices flowing, so to speak. 

Playing EQ2 reminds me of plaing WoW on a PVE server.  'Blah'.  It made me feel like I should've just gone and picked up a good stand-a-lone RPG and tried to multi-player it a few times a week.  While I could 'take time to appreciate the lore without worrying about being ganked', the lore begins to get tiresome and watered down after about the 8,000,000th quest. 

Like i said, EQ2 does a lot right... but it doesn't really give 'me' anything to look forward to 'end-game' AND It doesn't really do much to get me excited about/looking forward to logging in to play the game.  

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I realize that EQ2 does provide a game to 'casual' players, however.  There lies the value and/or market, imho. 

The plus side of EQ2:  seems to be less 'kiddie's' playing.  That is a good thing, imho.  When I say 'kiddie', i don't mean any particular age-group.  I mean the type of person that actually enjoys 'Barren's Chat' and the finer qualities of Chuck Norris, Dirge, Your Mom, and d00d, j00 r teh sux0r, I r teh 1337. 

EQ2 offers an alterantive way of leveling, too.  The collection system is nice.  It's EQ's way of saying 'hey, we know you're gonna have to kill a ton of 'typeX' mobs on your way to cap, so let's give you some 'mini-content' while you're doing it.  Exploration XP is nice, as well (other games offer this, but EQ2 seems to give more... from what I've seen).

Anyway, this wasn't intended to be a 'flame EQ2 post'.  But I do think I was disappointed like the OP was. 

AutoAttack (target+set it=forget it) vs think+click=attack.

In a game where I will have to grind at all, I would rather have an auto-attack feature.  After killing your 10th or 11th of any one thing, you might as well be able to macro the interaction (which is what an auto-attack more or less is)  It will get old and repetitive... once you figure out the quickest way to kill something, you'll just keep doing it.

My point:  Take grinding out of games altogether OR leave the auto attack in. 

If (giant 'IF') this game ends up being too much like DAoC, then I won't play it. 

I've tried DAoC twice now and I just can't stand the game.  So, hopefully, the only thing WAR is pulling form DAoC will be some aspects of RvR.

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Again, I preOrdered WAR and I have very high hopes for the game.  Its seems that the AoC PvP weekend just isn't  going over that well or doing much for that game... WAR may be gaining some fans.

As much as I don't want to see a WoW clone (and I'm not saying WAR is), but I really don't wanna see a DAoC clone.

That would be my major reason for not playing or quitting, I would say.  But, I will give the game an honest try for sure.

Originally posted by Iselin

After more than 2 decades of playing RPG games--single player and MMOs--I've come to the conclusion that less is more and simple is best and more fun.

What exactly is so good about 20 set classes that only have 1/20th of the abilities and skills open to them? I'd much rather have the freedom of 3 or 4 straight-forward "skill trees" to choose from and not even confined to "classes." Then I'll decide what to mix and match to make my character play the way I want to. Who knows, after I'm done redesigning my Loremaster I might decide to call him a "Battle Mage" or "Druid" or "Sorcerer"

I think what most people really want and what they really mean when they call for more classes is more options for individualizing your character into something different and unique. Sure, one way to achieve that is to go from 7 cookie-cutter templates to 14, but a much better way is to create a system with branching skill systems that would let us come up with 14,000 variations.

 

But... in some systems, having so few classes could hurt the game.  This happens when the don't offer deep-dive character advancement systems that allow you to, as you said, individualize your character. 

If you offer few starting classes yet many, many options to really turn your character into something that 1) suits your play style, 2) you'll enjoy playing, and 3) doesn't generate an 'I WIN' template in PvP/PvE... then that's something else entirely. 

Levelling in EQ2 has come a long, long way, imho.  I started EQ2 at launch and have come/gone several times.  Each time I've been back, the game seems to have improved.   I made it from 18-35 in about 5 days, playing 3 hours a night.  That's about a level an hour or so.  And I could've/should've gone faster. 

To the troll...

Having an option to take part in group/raid-centric activities is great.  But having the freedom to play the game in a solo capacity is great, too. 

Having the choice to do either is what everyone should enjoy. 

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Learning the extent and fullest potential of your character in a solo capacity is great.  It's going to help you if/when you do decide to group... knowing what each of your spells/actions do, the mechanics of your character, and how much you can take without failure (knowing your bounds/limits). 

Playing an MMORPG solo is like having a standalone RPG that has content updated constantly... mob's with better (or worse) AI to face. 

Perhaps you are a character class that (from an RP perspective) would be a 'lone-wolf' type... solo playstyle feeds into that mentality. 

It's also great to say that you can do certain things on your own.  Maybe you have found a way to solo something that is normally a 'group' task?  Elite mobs, portions of dungeons, or a quests that you were able to take on by yourself and now have 'bragging rights' or a sense of accomplishment (personal content, I like to call that type of stuff).

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I think there are a lot of benefits to having a great guild or group of players that you run with though.  In the long run, all games can/do get 'old'.  But if you are surrounded by friends and people you enjoy spending time around, then you'll probably continue to have fun long after the 'honeymoon is over'.  A game community can really provide that 2nd wind for us in some games.

Many classes don't come into their own unless they are in a group (oxymoron?).  But they really don't unlock their full potential or realize how powerful or functional their character class might be unless they are surrounded by a group.  It's always nice to see how classes benefit from one another and the dynamic's there. 

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I do think the game will be great.  Looking forward to it.

I'd take either a CU or preCU server any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  Thank you, thank you, 3 bags full.

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If SOE were to ever get a real handle on SWG, I would like them to give the graphics a real once over.  I think the way that terrain and other objects are layered and generated in the game really add to a good portion of the performance issues the game used to suffer from. 

If I were handed a PreCU or CU server, I think a graphics update would really be the single item I'd target. 

After that, worry about a few systems surrounding individual prof's... integrate some GCW action... and let 'er rip. 

WoW is the easiest MMORPG to level to cap, imho. 

Perhaps the reasons the others are listing are valid, but I'll go a bit off the beaten path here and list a few of my own reasons.

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1)  The game is well documented.   I'm not talking about the game mechanics (down to the smallest fraction of a measurement), but those are well documented... they aren't variables that you have to guess at (like they have been in other games). 

I'm talking about the fact that nearly every aspect of WoW has been gone over with a fine toothed comb and documented and catalogued so that it can be easily referenced.   There is so much raw data on WoW that it's not even funny. 

If you are just starting off in WoW... you really only need 2-3 things:

website resources:  WoWhead, wowwiki, thottbot, etc.,...

Go to the site, enter the mob, item, or quest name... and there you have everything you need to know about it + what other players thought about it/how they did it, etc.,...

mod's:  anything that gives you map coords, maybe an aggro meter (for grouping/dungeons), and a UI mod (if you're feeling frisky)

once you hit the website and got coords... pull up the map... mark the spot... OR there are mods with a lot of quest/mob information already built in.

Mute/ignore hotkey:  this is for your mental health

You're gonna wanna ignore n00bs, annoying kids, etc.,..

Seriously, only someone without those things will ask many questions.  Some noob that just loads the game and walks right in without reading anything or talking to anyone yet has those tools will learn the game in a very short time.  They will progress with blinding speed. 

If you are a rediculous, lazy child-like noob... one that just sits and spams for help with questions rather than using the fatty matter that resides inside their skull and hitting a few websites and attempting to help themselves... then WoW is hard.

2)  The game is solo-friendly.  Forget raids and dungeons/instances.  You can solo your way to some of the best gear in the game.  (I do consider BG's 'solo'... in that you don't need to group with anyone to hop into a BG.  And once you are in a BG, you can do anything you want in there.) 

You can solo quests/mobs in one area and move to the next.  If you discover that the next area is too high level, there are typically 2-3 other places that you can go do a few quests that will get you to the appropriate level for that 'next area'. 

If you are on a PvE server... the game is cruise-control, easy-mode. 

It's not much different if you are on a PvP server.  You just might get ganked by the higher level players who need to flex by one shotting or camping you.  If/when this happens... there are typically 2-3 other places that you can go to do quests.  Don't be a hard headed arse-hat and sit and spam about being camped (say it once and if nobody comes to help you out, move along... don't sit and spam about how bad this faction sucks cause they didn't help you/save you). 

Need gear as a solo player?  Craft, run BG's, do quests, grind mob's for random drops, and hit the AH.

Need gold as a solo player?  Daily quests, quests @ cap level (and up to cap), craft, etc.,...

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I'm not saying you can't solo in other games, because you can.  But WoW is very easy.  It's probably the easiest game to get into and progress in... and that's a good reason why it has 10,000,000 players.

I know this post may sound negative, but it's not really intended to be. 

I just think it's very odd that there are people that find WoW hard.  Perhaps the game seems more difficult for solo players that are trying to grind as certain spec's of certain classes?  Holy Priest, for example. 

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As a new 'solo' player (without any friends or a guild in the game ot help you out), the most frustrating thing in the game at early levels will be.... bag space.  Bag space was my biggest challenge, lol. 

I think the free-trial does require a credit card.  I can't confirm that though. 

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The game used to be better, imho.  But download the trial and check it out for yourself.  The game used to play more like a standard MMO, but now it plays like a FPS game (hybrid).

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There are expansions. 

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There are a fair amount of items in the game.  Yes, there are a lot of weapons and armor.

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You can craft, entertain, pvp, pve, etc.,...

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Personally, I would not recommend SWG to anyone.  But that's just me.  I played the game for 4+ years. 

Lol @ the comment that AMD had 98% share in the CPU market. 

The CPU is nice.  Can't keep it in stock?  That doesn't mean that the unit sells all that much, honestly.  It could be thtat they simply don't stock that many OR that they are trying to shift other products out the door. 

As for selling 8400 units per hour... yeah, 'IRONY', indeed.  I doubt that number is accurate.  OR, they sold that number in 1 hour and then rounded either the timeframe and/or the quantity sold. 

I think Scriar did a great job of summing it up.  Well said. 

I agree with the mindset of  launch with a great product rather than launch early with a so-so product.