Originally posted by CastorHoS

$10,000,000 China Yuan Renminbi =  $1,453,911.07 USD

 

$10,000,000.00 Taiwan New Dollars = $298,373.87 USD

 

Sounds like a lot of investment to you put it into terms of USD. Pounds or even Eruo's. Bottom line is they got investments and are able to charge the English speaking world more money for less quality and less cupport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, no. I think they mean 10 mil worth of USD in Tai dollars.

Well hey, maybe they can make a good game now (Apart from VCO) :)

I'm getting the trial for DDO right now, I'll probably give it a one month shot.

As for your other game, give LOTRO a shot, you might like it, I don't know what you like though :P

Okay, you may see my earlier post asking for sandbox games. This has been answered, although I see my choices are limited. So, I am broadening what I'm looking at. I want something in the vain of D&D. Something with a lot of skill choices, yet still having levels and gear numbers. Something to think about.

Just not D&D Online, I heard it's pretty much ONLY dungeons. If not, enlighten me.

I would like a high population as well.

LOTRO may fit your needs. There's a good bit of group required quests and soloable ones. There's a great story, And Monster Play PvP. Which is really quite deep just for some minigame type PvP.

It's somewhat challenging, I have ran through one instance with a 50 (level cap at the time) and we both died (it was 22 instance) not because he sucked, it's just a hard instance. Yes, I would say it is challenging. The community is really quite mature.

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Originally posted by Phaiden

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Originally posted by nickelpat

 

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Originally posted by Phaiden
 
Id  keep my eyes on Darkfall.
What makes this a casual game is you can hop on for a few hours a week
and still be able to play with your friends who play 8 hours a day.
You never have to worry about being left behind in levels and  quests.

 

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Darkfall is NOT for a casual player. You won't be able to hop on a few hours a week and have fun. You will end up getting ganked left and right if you go out just trying to relax and quest.
 
That's about the same as saying a 32 man UT'99 deathmatch would be a great place for a FPS newbie to start.

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Darkfall is alot more than you seem to think it is.
Plus the OP played planetside and loved it so he will do fine.

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Originally posted by Phaiden

Id  keep my eyes on Darkfall.
What makes this a casual game is you can hop on for a few hours a week
and still be able to play with your friends who play 8 hours a day.
You never have to worry about being left behind in levels and  quests.

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That's about the same as saying a 32 man UT'99 deathmatch would be a great place for a FPS newbie to start.

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Originally posted by Raztor

 Hmm EvE is the definition of Sandbox imo. If you don't like it then you aren't really looking for a true sandbox game. You can become anything you want from an expert  trader,  the most wanted pirate in the universe or a commander of a fleet 200 ships large. If you are expecting a game that guides you along then I suggest WoW.

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EVE may be a sandbox, but there's nothing to do in the sandbox. I want a game that not only let's me be a character I choose (not a ship) but let's me do many things with that character. Something like EQII. I consider that as close to a sandbox as you can get nowadays, but I don't know about the playerbase.

By sandbox I mean something with many things to do, lots to explore, and doesn't guide you along what to do.

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Originally posted by Sidereus

I was Gonna say  WAR because it is very casual but since u alrdy tried it.... I would say try LOTRO since it's the only game I can think of...that would fit the void u have right now....
*tell me if I am wrong* but is not  TCOS out yet ?...perhaps u could try that game it looks fun

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I would recommend Runes of Magic for a FTP game though, out Dec. 15th.

LOTRO doesn't have that many collecting or "FedEx" quests, at least not as many as some other *coughwowcough*. There is a horrible delivery quest in the beginning for Elves that has you go back and forth between 3 towns (and they're a good bit away) picking crap up and delivering crap. The reward is crap too. The EXP is good though (over 2k after you finish all the little quests inside the chain).

LOTRO really gets good around 21 though.

Originally posted by kolek

 Runescape lol! Seriously though, it's as about as "sandbox" as you can get.

 

Try EvE too, it's also a sandbox.

Yes, Runescape is, sadly, probably the best MMORPG out today in terms of freedom.

And I forgot EVE on my list. I've done 2 two week trials, I really dislike the game. It's a sandbox yes, but it's a sandbox where you're trapped in a ship in the middle space. Sandbox loses it's fun when there's no bucket or shovel in the sandbox. There's a rock to mine, things to kill, then you trade.

Give LOTRO a try. It should fit the bill for you. Great free updates.

Yeah, it does suck TR is closing. :/

Originally posted by x_rast_x

You know, given how long this genre has been around now, it surprises me there's no games out there that have different difficulty servers, which would have different quest mechanics, death penalties, etc.  Easy fix for a big chunk of what's complained about a lot.

Shaiya by Aeria Games has difficult modes per choosing.

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Originally posted by zymurgeist

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Originally posted by nickelpat

 

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Originally posted by FTPMMO
 
- To me it would be the game that after I, among others, have hunted down all evil in an area, piece is restored, civilization blossoms again and later new threats come to haunt. In short a game that changes with the gameplay. All games up until present are static, I want a dynamic game with evolving gameplay and environment.
   

 

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 *insert klaxon* Wrong Tabula Rasa's environment changed with the story. They destroyed a large town to go with the story actually. And Lord of the Rings Online's environment changes subtly as you progress through the story. In TR many quests and NPCs were removed as well for the story.
 
For me a next gen MMO is an MMO that actually has a new idea or goes back to REAL sandbox style, although it's not throwing you in at the deep end. And it doesn't force open EVERYWHERE everything PvP (see: Darkfall) I'm thinking like SWG gameplay. I feel I'll be waiting a long while though.
Thank You,

-Eric

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Yeah but those are just scripted changes. Player driven change is a whole other animal.

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Actually, I heard of an MMO that was planning on letting players shape the world around them. Although after this hype of "Using a big spell will make a crater" everyone will come to find that the crater lasts 24 hours and the only everlasting way to shape the universe is making a house.

Same here. Quests shouldn't be about run, kill, repeat. They should make you adventure a bit. One reason I like LOTRO's quests the quest's directions will just say:
 
"You can find Frostmantle by the old obelisk, North of Gondamon."
 
A totally in-universe explanation which is sufficient. What they didn't mention, was the obelisk was quite a bit North-East and I was lost for a while. I've actually heard people on the LOTRO forums asking for arrows on the minimap because they're too lazy to follow directions.

EverQuest for sure. If all the modern MMOs copied a lot from from Ultima Online we'd have awesome MMOs. We do not.

EQ was fun, the crappy knockoffs with a little bit changed are not.

Since my beloved Tabula Rasa is closing I'm looking for a game to replace it. I've decided to go sandbox.

Any genre will do (sci-fi, fantasy prefered).

I want something that is pretty well populated.

Titles NOT to recommend:

- Darkfall (Not released)

- Mortal Online (Not released)

-WoW (If you thought of this just get back to making your night elf dance in Stormwind fanboi. I said sandbox, not crap)

- Star Wars Galaxies (too few players)

- SWGemu (already got it)

I would also like to know the state of the playerbase of EverQuest II. Is it somewhat highly saturated and consistent on some servers?

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Originally posted by FTPMMO

- To me it would be the game that after I, among others, have hunted down all evil in an area, piece is restored, civilization blossoms again and later new threats come to haunt. In short a game that changes with the gameplay. All games up until present are static, I want a dynamic game with evolving gameplay and environment.
   

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For me a next gen MMO is an MMO that actually has a new idea or goes back to REAL sandbox style, although it's not throwing you in at the deep end. And it doesn't force open EVERYWHERE everything PvP (see: Darkfall) I'm thinking like SWG gameplay. I feel I'll be waiting a long while though.

Thank You,

-Eric

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Originally posted by jimmyman99

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Originally posted by nickelpat
 
To myself, Moria is the only expansion up there worth money at all (I know EVE is free). WotLK introduced one new class (which you had to 55 to play anyways) and one small (compared to others) landmass (that you also had to be a high level to play). I never really heard anything big about the two EQ expansions. And I'm sure the EVE one didn't double the playable space and add a bunch of items and what not.
 
Mines of Moria doubled LOTROs playspace with Eregion, Lorethias and Moria, introduced two completely new classes from the start. Both classes with very unique playstyles. New items for all levels of the classes. And the legendary item system. Not only is the quantity huge, but the quality of the expansion in bar none.
 
Wraith of the Lich King compares to LOTRO's free updates, even with the addition of Northrend (which is really just an arctic wasteland, I wouldn't think it that interesting).
 
Game companies need to learn what an expansion really is. WotLK is NOT an expansion, it's a scam. MoM IS an expansion. An expansion pack should significantly add more to the game. One small landmass and a class that only high level players can use if not significant. Three areas, which combined double the playable area of LOTRO, and two new classes (with all items) and a new item system, legendary weapons, makes for something you could put money out for.
 
Comparable also is Star Wars: Galaxies. Trials of Obi-Wan was NOT a decent expansion. It added one planet, that was nearly all just dungeons. Not something I'd pay for. Jump to Lightspeed, on the other hand, was a great expansion. It added an entirely new dimension to gameplay.
 
MoM got my vote.
@ Frostbite55
You are very wrong. I don't like WoW, I have my reasons. Obviously WoW fanboys will vote for WotLK. Anyone who has experienced MoM knows it's better. Can you really justify yourself spending 40 bucks for a small island to play on and one class? I can surely justify my 85 bucks for what I got with MoM. It's higher quality, higher quantity. And all around better. I think you're just the 'hater' here, not I.
 
Thank You,
 
 - Eric
 
 

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I haven't tried MoM so I'll take your word for the info you posted. If MoM doubled its landmass, then yeah, its a huge benefit for the game. The other features also seem to be pretty big one: 2 classes, legendary item (i like the idea very much).
But just as I don't speak out of my ass pouring dirt on MoM, you shouldn't do so to WoW. WoW is not an arctic wasteland. It has lush forests and swamps and those "magic" type of areas where theres energy all around you. Sure there are lots of snow, but its not a desert. Also, if you check the map  
Northrend added about 1/4 or 1/3 of the landmass. Not as big as MoM but not that tiny either. One new class is OK too. Its not great IMO because DKs start at level  55 and are very much overpowered compared to other classes of the same level. But its a decent addition.
Lots of new crafting content rejuvenanted the whole crafting side of the game. Some crafting professions are actualy meaningfull and have a point. For example tailoring gets a recepie to make a flying carpet that acts like a mount. Cant wait to fly that!
I only touched WOTLK, but so far Im liking it. I wish it was a bit bigger, like MoM. But its not a bad expansion. Definitely worthy of a vote.
 
 

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I know WoW itself has many different areas of land (kudos to Blizzard for that by the way) types. But Northrend tends to be an arctic wasteland. Some areas of it are lush, although it doesn't seem much is.

I see the Death Knight is a fine class, being it's pretty much a jack or all trades, but I think it was a bad decision to make it so you had to be 55 to use it. And so that the landmass is only accessible to high levels.

I also simply HATE the fact you MUST have TBC to play WOTLK, it makes my gut churn that Blizzard would stoop to such a level to sell more product. This would be one of the reasons I didn't vote for it.

As for the numbers game, I don't care. Frankly, the majority of the United State's population (I know the 11million players aren't just from the US) is overweight and have below average IQs. Does this mean that being overweight and slightly stupid is better than not? Do you see where I'm getting? I'm also pretty sure a higher percentage of high school teens drink before 21 than those who don't. Does this mean it's better? Number mean squat. WoW has higher numbers because it is more accessible to those with sub-par rigs or those who aren't the smartest people ever (it's a rather simple game is it not?).

I have not personally dove into WOTLK but I have played WoW for two months (total play time of just over 100 hours) and have seen friends play a good bit of WOTLK. The Death Knights look pretty awesome, and Nothrend is a good looking place, at least I like the art style there better than the rest of the game. Although I quit because I got bored. It was the same thing forever. Quests at an early level (up to around 30-40) are mostly "Kill this", "Get this", or "Find this/him/her/it" and it's just not fun. They need more low level content.

For example, last night I just played through LOTROs intro/tutorial again. I found with the new expansion they actually introduced a new dungeon with it's own quest into the intro (a short 6 level semi-instanced area of the game). And made some changes to the map for the first fully instanced area you go for about one level, a total of 5 minutes. Although it's not much, I really enjoyed the new content they added for players coming right out of the gate, even before they can see a character level 10 or higher.

WoW might also want to look at adding a better tutorial, to reduce idiotic questions like "how do i attk?" which in my play time I heard more times than I should have. Something semi instanced (where you see only others doing the same tutorial) would work well. The quests could teach you how to do stuff and ease you into the game.
Bliz's next expansion should add low level content, so people don't get bored and quite before they reach the high level stuff.

In the end, MoM added so much to the game, it was and is quite amazing.
I wasn't that impressed by WOTLK apart from the fact there was a shoddy story with cinematics and Northrend looks pretty good considering the style.

Thank You,

- Eric
 
PS, May I add I don't want LOTRO as popular as WoW. I never will have a little idiot 10 year old start dancing as a naked Elf in the middle of Bree saying "53x me!" over and over while someone else spams "ur mom" over and over in OOC chat. If that day comes, I will leave. Immediately. And we all know, more players, more idiots. I have ran into one so far who PMed me "Shut the f**k up" because I correctly answered his question. It seems he didn't know how to read, although after I showed him what I typed he did find out what "Exit Game" meant.
 

Hate to say it, but yes it will probably be a gankfest. It's easy to tell a high level from a low one (gear) and just standing out exit points to cities. A high level character could just mangle any newb coming out.
 
This is where I see Darkfall failing, newbs will get very frustrated and irritated and not stay. It's no fun when you get a nice new piece of gear, then some high level idiot decides to one hit you. Skills will always matter, higher one skill the more damage that weapon does. As gear still matters, as the better gear the more damage it will do. In the end I see any new subscribers quitting unless they find a veteran with high skills to follow them around while they quest.
 
I'm all for open PvP, although semi-open PvP. Say, I can't be killed by anyone 3 levels higher than myself and I can't kill any 3 levels lower. At least this way it makes it so you can't be owned by every other asinine player who just wants to make people angry.
 
If the PvP is truly completely open like this, I doubt I'll play Darkfall more than a month. It takes all the fun from an MMORPG when you can't progress because of PvP. When you get a new piece of gear and immediately die each time. Also keep in mind, not only will these high skill players be camping exits from social hubs, they'll be camping quest mob locations and other quest locations (say a chest or an item you need to find). In the end, unless there is some kind of limit to PvP, I won't play long. I want to play without getting ganked every three seconds.

To myself, Moria is the only expansion up there worth money at all (I know EVE is free). WotLK introduced one new class (which you had to 55 to play anyways) and one small (compared to others) landmass (that you also had to be a high level to play). I never really heard anything big about the two EQ expansions. And I'm sure the EVE one didn't double the playable space and add a bunch of items and what not.
 
Mines of Moria doubled LOTROs playspace with Eregion, Lorethias and Moria, introduced two completely new classes from the start. Both classes with very unique playstyles. New items for all levels of the classes. And the legendary item system. Not only is the quantity huge, but the quality of the expansion in bar none.
 
Wraith of the Lich King compares to LOTRO's free updates, even with the addition of Northrend (which is really just an arctic wasteland, I wouldn't think it that interesting).
 
Game companies need to learn what an expansion really is. WotLK is NOT an expansion, it's a scam. MoM IS an expansion. An expansion pack should significantly add more to the game. One small landmass and a class that only high level players can use if not significant. Three areas, which combined double the playable area of LOTRO, and two new classes (with all items) and a new item system, legendary weapons, makes for something you could put money out for.
 
Comparable also is Star Wars: Galaxies. Trials of Obi-Wan was NOT a decent expansion. It added one planet, that was nearly all just dungeons. Not something I'd pay for. Jump to Lightspeed, on the other hand, was a great expansion. It added an entirely new dimension to gameplay.
 
MoM got my vote.

@ Frostbite55
You are very wrong. I don't like WoW, I have my reasons. Obviously WoW fanboys will vote for WotLK. Anyone who has experienced MoM knows it's better. Can you really justify yourself spending 40 bucks for a small island to play on and one class? I can surely justify my 85 bucks for what I got with MoM. It's higher quality, higher quantity. And all around better. I think you're just the 'hater' here, not I.
 
Thank You,
 
 - Eric