Well, if you're looking for a game where you can just be a complete jackass,  thankfully, not many exist.

Silkroad Online has very little moderation, but you'd only be able to cuss at a lot of bots.

A lot of free MMOs are pretty low on moderation and you'd find a great environment for jackassiness. World of Warcraft also seems to be rather easy on how rude players are to each other.

In the end though, I'd ask you skip on actually playing a game until you learn to behave yourself.  If you actually have to worry about the chat rules when choosing a game, you obviously have no manners and I would rather you stay out of my MMOs. If you mean voicing your opinion on how bad the game is, I recommend not doing that IN GAME but rather on the forums. The people in game don't give a hoot because they're in game, enjoying it.

TL;DR, no one likes dealing with two asses, and they already have one.

Neume, will all optioins for customization be available while creating then? The ability to make a 10 layer decal for your jacket will be possible then, but only then unless you become a premium subscriber?

Props for not selling layers or individual decals. Will we see packets of decals (like a Simple Shapes package) for sale, or will that be acquired through levels still?

I really only have one question, having the played the beta of RTW's APB and enjoying it quite a bit.

How much has customization been monetized?

You don't build laptops. I really advise against using a laptop for gaming (same thing I tell every customer that walks in my door), there's limitations on upgrades, heat issues, they're overly pricy, and usually when you use them you'll be at an outlet since the battery will last about 5 minutes when gaming. And I want to know how many of you game on the move.

If you are deadset on getting a custom laptop though, I recommed http://www.digitalstormonline.com/

DDO is very group based, and it's a 'buy what you want' model. So you just buy dungeons as you want, but you can make it to the level cap without doing so... I think. It also has a different form of combat, with aiming and clicking, like an action game. It's also very strongly based of groups.

LOTRO uses the same model, but it's quite easy to solo and getting to the cap without buying anything is very difficult. I love LOTRO, but for you and your friend, I'd recommend DDO. It's group content is much stronger. 

Allods has the worst cash shop known to man, and RoM isn't bad, but not nearly as good as DDO or LOTRO.

Hi, I'm someone who doesn't Anime at all. I am a straight male.

Thank you for attempting to psychoanalyze me, but you didn't do too well. I do not like anime, I like very, very few games with anime graphics. Not because I need manly men and macho characters in my game, I just don't like anime or magna. I find it pretty annoying. I'm fine with cartoons, and cartoony graphics. Just not anime. I don't like my characters having pointy chins, I don't like them having 'D's for mouthes nor do I like them having big upside-down 'U's for eyes. I just find it bothersome.

I thank you for the long post about people not liking anime, but I think it's completely wrong.

You kind of didn't think of the fact some people just don't like anime, they find the style somewhat stupid. Like me. Not EVERYTHING has to go three miles deep into the mind and reveal things about sexuality and insecurities. Sometimes, you just don't like something.

SWTOR is now fully finished and nearly-bug free and will be released for Open Beta tomorrow, starting tomorrow and ending one week before release.

I would mind some Neverwinter information, screens, gameplay videos, beta dates, more specific release dates, etc. But that's not dream news. That's just "It'd be really cool" news.

In fact, I would be happy to see "SWTOR enters a horribly buggy open beta". That would make my year. :P

Of course I don't mean IP only. But it will need an IP or some sort of backing like that to achieve a large fanbase, while still being an accessible, frankly, good, game. 

Skuz, as for the clarification on the theory of evolution, I thank you. I didn't quite know that little tidbit, although I was just using that as a little comparison.

Originally posted by corpusc

i don't think anything will kill WoW.

as big of an explosion as WoW turned out to be, it didn't kill off its inspirations/predecessors.

but if there WAS a WoW killer (or something that surpassed its # of subs), i think it could only be done by something significantly different enough to draw alot of DIFFERENT people into MMOs.  and people who have become disillusioned with current MMOs that aren't currently playing any.  all gameplay genres other than RPGs are virtually untapped.  virtually no competition in those spaces.

i don't see anyone beating WoW at its own game with minor refinements.  cuz they just could not put out 5 Blizzard years of content creation.  EXTREMELY WELL FUNDED content creation.

I haven't really thought about it like that. You make a ton of good points, I do agree that it will need to draw lots of new people into MMOs, although I was thinking more of an IP than anything else.

Originally posted by randomt

The whole "must kill wow" argument is retarded and quite stupid at the same time.

The reason mmos are failing left right and center is because they've stopped trying to target specific audiences and are trying to please everyone. That is silly.

Where are the EvE's and UO's and and AO's and original swg's of our day? Why are we always getting more of the same crap over and over and over and over and over?

Darkfall maybe.. MO if that's still alive perhaps.. maybe some up and coming titles perhaps.. We'll see.

But devs are idiotic for constantly making more of a completely over saturated genre all the time.

An MMO doesn't need millions of subscribers to be successful.

 

 

The point of my post wasn't "Must Kill WoW" it's more of "WoW Must Die Someday". Nothing lasts forever. And the EVE is the EVE of our day :P

We get the same crap, because jarring changes don't work when it comes to the market. They want to access the same wave of gamers World of Warcraft got. I'm not saying I want this polished World of Warcraft, I'm not saying that it must come soon to kill WoW. I'm saying that it will come, unless WoW reigns supreme forever, in which case I'll be damned, and what I think it will be like. I think it will be a polished World of Warcraft, not a Ultima Online or anything.

The studios want this money, they want that game to topple WoW. Gaming is as much an art as a business. They have seen WoW, and there's no money in niches anymore for them. They want that general audience.

Again, this whole thread is not "WoW MUST DIE NAO!" It's, "WoW, like everything else, will die at some point. What do you think it will take to topple it?". As I said, I believe it will a very polished WoW with a large IP backing or made by Blizzard, so it can reach a large non-gamer audience.

With every new MMO game we, as gamers, always dig for innovation, huge sweeping changes to the genre. We thrive on the evolution of the genre and love games that change it up.

It doesn't work though.

To begin I would like to look at what is unarguably the most popular MMORPG thus far. World of Warcraft. When playing it, a few things come out and hit you. The combat uses skills activated by pressing a hotkey and you target and opponent by clicking on it, or hitting the "Tab" key. Crafting takes a simple approach, it is quick and the game doesn't rely on it at all. It focuses heavily on the end of the game, with raids and high-level PvP gameplay, with questing taking the bulk of the playtime in the middle. The UI is customizable and offers a nearly endless variety of configurations. Lastly, it is accessible, the graphics don't require much more than a common laptop and the gameplay is inviting to anyone willing to sit down and give it a try.

To continue, I would like to present what was one of the very popular MMORPGs of it's day, EverQuest. It too had combat where you clicked an enemy and used skills with hotkeys. It too had many raids and much content at the end of the game, although not quite as focused on it as World of Warcraft tends to be. It also had a lot of quests and was simple and accessible to approach.

When playing the two games, you can easily draw the connections between them. There is not any major innovation from EverQuest in World of Warcraft. Yet, it is wildly popular. I believe that this lies in the evolution of a genre. Evolution happens in small steps. I think the easiest example (barring any actual beliefs you may hold) is that of Darwin's theory of evolution. A species evolves slowly. If it is a bird that eats nuts, it may develop a wider, thicker, stronger beak to crack a nut with. The bird does not just decide it's beak is too weak and immediately spawn a better beak the next time it procreates. It slowly changes and evolves through the process of natural selection.

I believe the concept can be applied to MMORPGs. We, as a species, cannot evolve from World of Warcraft with it's "Tab Targeting" and non-evasive crafting to a game with very active FPS-like combat and very interactive crafting and fewer quests. That is a jarring change, jarring changes are not good for anyone. Small changes ease people into a new product.

And to look at a few of the recent examples of games with some of these changes.

First of, we have Tabula Rasa. Personally, I absolutely loved it. I was apparently part of a minority here. Tabula Rasa maintained a more quest based game, but it had some more active combat. It used a "sticky-targeting" system instead of a full fledged shooter system. Skills were mapped to the Right Mouse Button rather then depending on hotkeys. The main downfalls were not so much the systems as the lack of content and buggy release. Tabula Rasa was quite messy at release and I think that was really responsible for the game's failing.

Second up, Darkfall. I never really played Darkfall, as it was no more than a passing interest. It opened with a pretty messed up purchasing set up with limited copies. After that it had issues of gameplay being grindy and full of exploits and bugs. I give the credit for the game's downfall to these shortcomings.

Last, Mortal Online. What to say about Mortal. It was a great concept, but not so great execution. With a full box price but it was so darned buggy. Getting characters deleted, server connection issues. I do think it's too early in the life of Mortal to say it has failed. I will leave this one hanging.

None of these are good examples saying these types of changes fail, as each one can be attributed to content or bugs, not simple the systems themselves.

So then, what do I think will usurp the 800 pound gorilla that is World of Warcraft?

A game that maintains the same base systems of World of Warcraft but polishing it and improving upon it slightly. Better crafting, smoother, more entertaining combat, but with the same setup. A major contender could be Star Wars: The Old Republic, although it has yet to be seen what BioWare will do with the title. Rift: Planes of Telra is also a possible contender, more still needs to be seen though.

A serious, jarring innovation won't work though. It restricts the game to a niche, while not opening it to the same group of World of Warcraft players, people who want a more casual title.

I think the game that has the best chance of beating World of Warcraft will need to be made by Blizzard, or use a very well known IP, like Star Wars. The game will need to access many non-gamers, or those that only play World of Warcraft. This means that if it is advertised by Blizzard they will see it, or if it uses an IP that many know and love and it advertised well. It will need to be an awesome game of course.

Please, weigh in on my little bit of writing. Do you think a jarring, new, innovative title could overthrow World of Warcraft? Or do you agree with me that the new king-of-MMORPGs will need to be like World of Warcraft, albeit with polish and changes to separate itself from a World of Warcraft clone? Or did my article make no sense at all?

Thank you,

 - Eric

Phishing email. Look at the link in the bottom left when you hover over it. Also look for typos, like missed caps, missed periods, bad grammar, or misspelled words. The one here is that you paid with a Vista credit card, as opposed to a Visa. Generally, support emails will never include links telling you to log-in here. If it does, and you really think it's real, DO NOT CLICK the link. Go to the site yourself by typing in the URL on your address bar. In fact, I recommend doing this for ANY email.

I can beat that. I got one saying my European Blizzard account was hacked. I live in the States and don't even HAVE a Euro account :P

I also got a "Your Account's Been Compromised" email on an email that is not even linked to an account :D

My favorite thought had the subject line "[spam] [scam] Account Compromise". Definitely my favorite. I have nothing that adds those tags by the way :P They were part of the subject line itself.

Sebali, someone in Blizz might be selling them off, a different site may have sold it off, there's a billion different ways. By which I mean like 5 :P

The same thing I like to tell everyone who starts playing Fallen Earth, it's not a game where it all starts at the top level. Take your time, enjoy the journey and don't just try to speed to the destination. You'll enjoy the game much more.

I always saw quite a few people (at least 2 full instances of each zone, usually 4 near full zones of MC) on whenever I was on when I was resubbed. Always buzzing in MC and the desert, Canada had players, and a good amount, but not as many as MC or the dessert. The game actually felt really healthy, population wise to me. It just got boring for me again.

You must have never used Xbox Live. Ever. It is full of the worst, most despicable, rudest, least civilized people I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with. Call my "Old School" if you must, but if I beat you in a video game, I do not need to hear what you have/will do to my mother in the most excruciating detail you can muster. I also do not need all of the racist comments or profane language, which sadly, seem to make up two thirds of the average Xbox gamer's vocabulary. This is not helped by the fact that if I am not being cussed at or having my mother disgraced, I am being yelled about by children far too young to be playing the game, and definitely way too young to be given a microphone. I want to know what parents decided "Yes, let me give my unsupervised 12 year old a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a subscription to play online with other people, none of whom know what 'etiquette' is and then give him a microphone to tell them where he lives and practice the atrocious phrases he learns".

I know children play on the PC, I know they have a keyboard in the place of a microphone. The difference, is that they are just not nearly as rude. Personally, I attribute this to the fact that a good gaming PC cost much more than a console and requires more upkeep and knowledge to use. It is simply not as attractive to a younger buyer (14-25) since it is more difficult. Followed by the fact MMORPGs cost 15 dollars a month as opposed to Xbox Live's 8 dollars a month. I am just very happy I don't have to deal with such rude people in most PC gaming communities. The PS3 gaming community is far, far, far better than the Xbox community too. The PC one wins though. They are the most helpful bunch and the nicest. Sure you have Trade Chat in World of Warcraft, but you also have the games that are just packed with awesome players like LOTRO and Fallen Earth.

So then, why are PC and MMO players ruder than console gamers? Well.... they're not. You just need to spend more time on consoles. You obviously have never played one. Ever. In your life. Go play one match of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and tell that to me again ;)

This yiffing stuff is NOT off topic.

"If you build it, they will come"

An extremely wise man once said. If you build a furry based MMORPG, it will bring in all kind of a furry fans and you know what, you'll have a bunch of animal cybersex. Yay.

I love Ratchet and Clank, but because it's an awesome game. I hate this whole idea of people dressing up like animals and doing sexual things. I'm fine with people dressing as animals, without the sexual bits. I have a Jedi costume on hand and am currently crafting a suit of Mandalorian armor. It's all the same thing. Except a lot of the "furry" community do like all of the sex stuff.

Which means no, I would not touch this game, the audience is tiny, and those that are, would just have cybersex.

Go play Second Life and you'll get the same thing.

Blue = Good, Friendly Player

Generally, you NEVER, EVER shoot a "Blue" or a friendly player. If they shoot at you, you put your defenses on and hightail it out of there. Individual corps have different rules, that tends to be the basic, unmodified rule.

Blues are marked, unless you have changed the UI settings, with a little blue box with a plus (or maybe a star?) in side of it. Corp members, green box with a star, and fleet members, purple box with a star, and alliance members which I think are blue boxes with stars, are also "Blue" or friendly.

Originally posted by Preponerance

Maybe wrong terminology......

 

www.onlive.com

Copy from site...

 

Powerful Gaming Made Easy

• Connect to OnLive with your TV, PC or Mac® or TV and play games instantly
• Games run over the Internet from state-of-the-art OnLive game data centers
• Controller action and game play are relayed up and down the Internet at blindingly fast speeds
• Enjoy instant game play on your PC, Mac® or TV. No high-end hardware required

Edit: Cloud Gaming.... they are doing the same for software bundles too

You are right, OnLive is a great example of cloud computing. It is, literally "Computing in the Cloud" as I've heard many professionals that work with it say. Essentially, everything is on a server that you access. Like the most kick-ass flash game ever.

I got into the founders program on OnLive, and it is stellar. The graphics are kind of fuzzy, but the control lag is just nothing. It's really great. Improvements need to be made though. And you DO pay for games on OnLive. You NEVER own a game. You, do not OWN one game. You may own a copy of the code and a physical disc. But you DO NOT OWN the game. You own a LICENSE to play the game. This is especially prevalent with Steam and digital services. I do not own these games, I own a license to play them when I want to. That's what OnLive sells, a license to play the game.

Cloud computing really does seem to be a big part of the future, but not the future. Games on the HDD are still quicker, more responsive, and easier to manage. It will take people a long time to warm up to cloud gaming. Longer than it has taken to warm up to digital distribution. I'm not onboard with cloud gaming yet, because I like my games here and now. Whenever I want, internet connection or not. The great thing with cloud gaming, is with the game being "In the Cloud" I can jump on my friend's junky Windows XP laptop and play some APB or EVE or... something. And with the internet so prevalent it's EVERYWHERE, I'm never without it. On the other hand, when I am, I'd be gameless.

You have a heck of a thought train though! It makes perfect sense MMOs are headed into the cloud gaming fray and it makes sense to be F2P once you get there.

Originally posted by Burntvet

Originally posted by nickelpat

I'm 90% positive they stated in the TOS that it may change at any time without notification to the user, which means, yes, it's completely legal. It's stupid, but legal to my knowledge. I have to ask too, what game?

Just because a game company says something is legal, does not make it so. If they changed the TOS to say, if you cancel your preorder, we get to send someone to your house and kick you in the nutz, would that be legal? Nope. A customer can not agree to have their rights violated. In legal terms, it is called an "Unenforceable contract".

The reason that game companies get away with the vast majority of shady behavior, especially using the excuse "It was in the EULA/TOS," is because that assertion is never challenged in court. Who is going to sue over a $50 computer game or a $15 sub fee taken illegally? Not many people.

EULAs/TOS agreements do not mean as much as people seem to think, and it is only because no one challenges them. On the few occasions this has happened, the companies typically "settle" and insist on an NDA from all parties.

There is only one case I know of where a customer directly challenged a software license agreement and had it go all the way to a court decision, and the software company lost, huge.

I didn't think of it. Good point, I lose :P