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Dark Age of Camelot Column: Five Under the Radar MMOs
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood takes over this list this week, taking a look at five MMOs that have, for whatever reasons, fallen off the radar of both journalists and the playing public.
By Jon Wood on November 03, 2009
In the world of video game journalism, it's all about the next big thing. When you're trying to bring your readers the freshest and most up-to-date information on what's going on in the world of MMORPGs, not to mention drive traffic to the site, the bulk of your focus has to be on what's coming up. Such is the way of MMORPG sites and of the MMO consuming public as well.
In the rush for the next thing, it's inevitable that some games fall through the cracks and don't get talked about as much in the public eye, not because they've been canceled or because no one is playing them, or even because they're bad games, they just, for whatever reason, fell off the radar.
In this week's list, we take a look at five games that have slipped off of the collective radars of media and community alike:
#5 Runescape
Last week, I had the privilege of being invited to a local middle school to speak with some of the students about what exactly it is that I do for a living. While I was there, I was surprised to learn just how many of the students that I had spoken to have played or currently do play Runescape. I mean, it's not on the level of, say, World of Warraft, which remains the most visible emissary of MMOs to pretty much every age group, but it was the second most recognized game in the room. It's perfect fodder for this week's list.
Launched in 2001, the game has gone through numerous updates and changes, but still looks notably dated when compared to the games available today. So, if it doesn't look stunning, what is it about this game that makes it stand out and command the attention of so many ninth graders, and presumably many others as well.
My first thought was to look to the fact that the game doesn't require a subscription fee in order to play it, but there are plenty of games out there with flashier graphics and glitzier marketing campaigns, so that can't be it entirely.
What it really comes down to is the experience that is offered to players, paying or not. Runescape is a game that carries an impressive list of features that many of today's MMOers are desperate for, including a skill system, the option for full loot PvP, random events, and more.
It might also surprise readers who would dismiss this game as irrelevant to learn that it is actually available in German, French and Brazilian Portuguese.
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#4 Ryzom
Ryzom is a great example of a game that broke many barriers in the world of MMORPGs, and really never seemed to get the credit or attention that it deserved. The game, launched in 2004, took the traditional fantasy MMORPG and really turned it on its ear by not representing any of the races and other conventions that make fantasy games so recognizable. More importantly than that though, the French developed game also stood out in terms of gameplay.
Ryzom was designed to use the classless skill system that seems to resonate with players as a desirable feature in an MMO instead favoring a skill system and level combo that allowed more flexibility with characters.
On top of that, while City of Heroes caused a great deal of stir around the industry by releasing their Mission Architect system, they were by far not the first company to put mission or scenario design in the hands of a game's players. Ryzom actually beat them to it by a few years with the game's expansion, The Ryzom Ring.
Ryzom Ring provided players with a number of easy to use development tools that let them shape events, create scenarios and upload them for others to play.
Unfortunately, the game itself has always seemed to slip past the attention of both players and journalists except where it highlights failures along the way. In November of 2006, Nevrax (the development company) announced that it would be entering receivership. From there, ownership of the game bounced around until the game was closed down in 2008, only to defy the odds and be resurrected once again.
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#3 MapleStory
It's easy to look at a company like Nexon and dismiss it out of hand as a non-factor in the western MMORPG landscape. After all, they are producing free to play games, a genre which, at least until recently, has been ignored or ridiculed by most of the mainstream press and vocal community.
The thing is though, that Maplestory has been a huge draw both in terms of revenue for the company and for players overall. In the North American market since 2005 the game has served as a cornerstone for Nexon's Western strategy and has been joined by Combat Arms and Mabinogi.
During the current economic crisis, when reports of layoffs and poor game performance have at times dominated the MMORPG news headlines, Nexon has managed to see their overall revenues jump 36 % in Q3 2009. Not too shabby.
Yet, MapleStory, as a 2D, side-scrolling MMORPG, has managed to slip through the cracks and doesn't always get the attention and possible praise that its position and success would indicate that it should.
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Nah they all suck and arn't played anymore for a reason.
Dark Age was a great game but lightning rarely strikes twice so would just as well hope they not do a sequel. Ryzom has been in my mind for a while and going to DL the trial now and give it a whirl. FFXI isnt off the radar though its just so grindtastic that no one has time for it and the fact play online sucks my monkey testicles.
Ironically FFXI is the game that a friend and I are picking back up as we speak. I don't understand the hate for Play Online, I've never had any issues with it and love the program. The game itself has made many strides to increase the flow and playability for more casual players, whether it be level synching, increased experience gains or the like. Do a bit of research before you bash a game based on an outdated view.
Interesting mix of titles there ... would add Istaria(Horizons) to that mix as well ... truly amazed me that the game is still around and kicking after all these years (and all the issues that it has had ... but as someone stated elsewhere "It truly is a labor of love.) They have a free account option, still updating and adding to it ... Considering its the only game to truly be a Dragon ... the game is one to try if you like crafting and a great small community
Well I can honestly say most kids when i was in junior high up even till highschool played runescape. Then a cuple buddies and I moved on to world of warcraft and to other games. Such as DAoC, FFXI, EQ, etc. I find i always go back to runescape every once in a while because its just neat to see all the changes they make over time. If you are one of the people who played in 2001 and look at it now you should be amazed.
Meh...
They slipped off the radar, not under it.
They are no longer primary objectives nor are they targets of opportunity. Runescape is a great free, web based MMO that is losing attention. Maplestory hits the same audience.
Ryzom crashed, radar blipped it out and people don't much care for a ressurected MMO. Zombies are cool IN game. They don't want the game itself to be undead.
DAOC is just aged. People will play it, but it will never regain its old status. And FF XI failed. It just dropped out off the radar because its a niche game.
This article kinda missed with saying they are "Under the Radar" as under the radar means they arn't being noticed. Quite different than "Once in the radar but fallen off the radar" due to lack of interest.
Many people were hoping beyond hope that WAR would in effect be DAOC 2 and were disappointed. If Mythic did make DAOC 2 and made it in a way that the veterans would want it to be made then nothing would kill off WAR faster; For this reason alone I don't think we will see DAOC 2 anytime soon, at least not until WAR has finally run it's course and is no longer making a profit.
Out of all the games DAoC was the best. I would love for that game to go F2p or if we were lucky to get a DAoC2. All the other games were just meh.
Vanguard Saga of Heroes.
Great post.
Of course, I would disagree about FFXI, but I can't say anything about the game, I can only say I purchase it at release, was never able to play it and my account was erased after the 3 months thing, which I heard they don't do anymore. Since I am nowhere any game inclined as I used to be (eh, life goes on for me as well as everyone else, believe it or not)...the fact I consider I waste $80 back then (must be worth more than $100 now), it seems extremely unlikely I would ever even dare to try any SquareEnix product again in my life...plenty of games for what time I have left to grant them, without me reconsidering games company who somehow manage to draw my ire...as negative feelings are extremely harsh to get rid off.
Ryzom was a great game, had a lot of fun there on the English server (screw it, I'm so not playing with these scranny little french speakers...geez, "wedoitmonthslaters" players...niak niak niak...sorry, not my type!). Ryzom was too hardcore for me, and coming from me, at that moment when I used to have a LOT of free time...geez....that's quite a sentence, yet, at the same time, if you have bazillions free time and look for a great game, gotta agree.
DAoC...my memories of this game are...dwindling. They where kinda positives, yet...I play it what? 2 weeks? How long ago? 8 years ago? More? Geez...didn't hold me back then, wouldn't today.
The other 2 where not granted a try.
Saying I have a different opinion than the poster doesn't invalide his opinion nor mine, in fact, I appreciate his...maybe I will try 1 of the other 2 game eventually...althought I have to play Aion and Champion online and I don't have the free time right now...perhaps later...or in a decade! :P
Bout damn time FFXI got some recognition on one of these lists!
Its an amazing game and anyone that scoffs at it for its appearance in being inferior needs to look again at its population and popularity. It has retained more subs over its lifespan than almost all newer MMOs and has remained in the top 3-5 best MMOs since its launch also beating out all these newer MMOs most claim are better!
Give it a chance and don't just run away crying after 10mins cause you had to use your noggin for once to learn the controls...
I have to agree with this. Most of these games are all "under" the radar now, but they used to be pretty big games. Most gamers I know played Maplestory and Runescape in middle/high school. FFXI was huge when it came out, advertisements were everywhere...i mean its final fantasy.
A game that is truly under the radar is one that you name and half the people reading have never even heard of it before. you can't get a good argument going on whether its good or not because there are too many asking what it is in the first place.
You want games that were once big and now are still going just no one really knows, there are tons...how about Terra: Battle for the Outlands - One of the FIRST mmo's, created in 1996 (before ultima) and still alive and kicking because of the fans that run it now...there is NO other mmo that can beat that.
Now you want real under the radar games, look for stuff that isnt common knowlegde, that most reading have never even played, but still have a large player-base.
-Fiesta - although its gotten a good amount of notice recently, the game was officially opened years ago...wasnt well known at all for its first couple years out of beta, but had a large number of loyal players.
-SUN
-Neosteam
-Eudemons
-Dragonica Online - though it literally was just released and seems to be getting a bit of notice, so may or may not be.
--most of these dont even have ranks on mmorpg.com
I love arcticles where i discover new things, rather than complain about things.
This is a great arcticle.
One game thats under radar that i know of is Bounty Bay online as well as other geographically based mmorpg's.
Well I had some friends convince me to play FFXI. I did not last long in the game. It is not a bad game, but it is one you have to devote a huge amount of time to. Time is not something most of us have. Hence it will forever be strictly a niche game for that reason.
I think Vanguard should have made the list. I think it is a better fit those on your list.
What criteria was used to define them as under the radar mmos? Some of those games are among the most played mmorpgs in the world.
This list just seems totally random. Obviously it's not, but I would suspect that these are games the author played for one to six months, enjoyed some but not enough to stay hooked, and moved on.
In particular I didn't like the double allusion to FF XI's combat system. One of those allusions could have been used to, you know, explain it.
Asheron's Call Jon, Asheron's Call.
I think it'd do the genre well to invigorate some of the older titles like AC, DAoC and UO. If true sequels and not a frankenstein effort to make them into the current trend in design seen today, they'd have serious draw on those of us who played their originals. I think new stories and new landscapes would go along way as well.
All solid titles in some ways, good read. Im not so sure i would call any of this games "under the radar" however, while its true they may not be stirring much in the way of excitement in the MMO world, theyre all well known and oft cited as familiar references. All five also have have more than their fair share of sympathy and suporters, and mostly well deserved i may add, which i think does leave out more than a handful of MMOs with interesting offers whose obscurity prevents them from ever being a subject of discussion.
I agree about Ryzom - this is a real underrated mmo, i really enyoed the time before the "first shutdown" (the community saved this game from being switched off). The real iussue is the the pvp system that just simply sux, the rest ist great.
I completely agree. If Microsoft had actually put a little money towards this game, I do believe the mmorpg genre as a whole would be a lot different. Ironically, when many players talk about what they think would be innovations in the mmorpg genre (skill based, open world) many forgot that a game of that nature already exists.
Unfortunately the game is now 10 years old, and is extremely outdated. Turbine really needs to get their stuff together and make a proper sequel to this.
I completely agree. If Microsoft had actually put a little money towards this game, I do believe the mmorpg genre as a whole would be a lot different. Ironically, when many players talk about what they think would be innovations in the mmorpg genre (skill based, open world) many forgot that a game of that nature already exists.
Unfortunately the game is now 10 years old, and is extremely outdated. Turbine really needs to get their stuff together and make a proper sequel to this.
I think some type of questing system similer to what WoW has would give this game a good shot in the arm. I addmit it does have "quests" you can do but it was kind of a pain to remember who you got it from and where to turn it in. The majority of your earned xp came from grinding....and grinding...and grinding. Hell I lost track of how much time I spent in BCD killing those damn apes for more then a few levels.
FF XI was one of the most innovative MMORPGs I have ever played. The combat system where several classes could work together to create powerful combos was awesome, so was the dual class system where you leveled another profession as your secondary class. And the advanced classes like the Summoner were awesome.
Unfourtanetely it lacked PvP and soloing was next to impossible after a certain level and the grind was extreme so it never really catered to a western audience.
FF XI with up to date gfx, solo content and PvP would probably be one of the best MMORPGs ever.
Strange post, it contains three of the biggest MMOs ever launched.
They've only slipped under the radar because they are all old. I expected this article to be about some upcoming indie MMOs that aren't getting much press, like Alganon, Earth Eternal and Mortal Online.
Good read but I think one important aspect was left out when talking about Runescape. It's browser based! It's accessable to a great many people because of this and I've even heard of some people having access at work. There is no download required, the graphics are decent considering it's over a web-browser and the only barrier to entry is creating an account. I think that's a huge draw to people.
FFXI is the best MMO I've ever played...unfortunately its a time sync, for which I can not appease. One thing about it (which could be well noted) is that it is one of few big MMOs that continues very valuable dev content - making the game easier & more enjoyable over the years (level sync, etc).
But I am also sad to not see Asheron's Call on the list. I met very few folks that played back in its hay-day, and for the amount of interesting features it had (which you did not see again in most other mmos) I think its worth at the least an honorable mention :)
Other mention -> Warrior Epic
DAoC and FFXI under the radar?? Only under the radar because you guys would rather cover crap like Aion and AoC.
Good to see Ryzom on the list.
Great game even if the community is small.
Definitely agree with your list, especially FFXI. The game is barely ever spoken about and it has a good 500k subs, and with it's age (2002 release, so it is over 7 years old actually) it is still going strong.
Despite the huge time commitment you have to make with the game, you really can't find a better community in an MMO than that of the FFXI group. Luckily, FFXIV won't have a hype factor to it as it isn't really being discussed very much either here in the states.
I'm also going to tentatively suggest Asheron's Call. AC was my first MMO and while I did not play it as much as I have more current mmos (due to untimely hardware failure, no fault of AC whatsoever).
I remember being completely enthralled with it. I know part of that has to do with the fact that it was my first game, but I do think there is something to be said for it. It's also one of those games that not too many MMO players seem to know about, and that's a shame. I am not sure if AC belongs on this list though, due to the fact that I don't think many people today would log in and get that same feeling. AC was awesome for it's time, but it's due for a new breath of life, one that is done better than the failed AC2.
I would love to see a new game in this setting, but I realize this is not likely to happen. It would also probably need to have quite a few tweaks to be successful today. Such as a more coherent questing system. I do think though, with the common knowledge of what (most) MMO gamers like, that they could make a good run of it.
Also going to add my support for Ryzom. That game is amazing for it's age, and really feels different from many games out now. If you haven't tried it, and enjoy sandbox games you owe it to yourself to at least do a trial.
Really disappointed with this list. As others have said, almost none of these games are "under the radar." Four out of the five of these come up all the time, especially when talking about games that are doing things different from the cookie-cutter style that's constantly popping up (RuneScape and MapleStory for grabbing a younger audience and proving that a different format/less emphasis on heavy graphics can be a good thing; DAoC for its three-way RvR; and FFXI for it's group-or-die mentality). RS, MS and FFXI have very strong and steady numbers, and are pretty good about releasing new content on a regular basis.
Ryzom is probably the only one that I would say belongs here, but the rest? Not even close. I was hoping to read over a list of lesser-known MMOs that are a lot of fun or are trying new things, not the granddaddies who are still, many years later, proving how revolutionary they are.
I know
I thought this article was going to be about Indie games under the radar as well, as in "in development" but very few whispers about it....guess I was wrong....all the games on the list are pretty good though I've played all of them except for FFXI but my neighbor's kid plays it to death and has for years so I know there's people playing it...just not me...course I didn't like any of there other games either, just not my type of game...
I've tried quite a few games in an almost 3 year span and finally went back to FFXI. It's amazing after playing 5 years how much some things change and some stay the same. I have enjoyed my time back and recommend people trying it out if they haven't. Playonline is a little goofy and they seem to have more security than your bank or your mom's bank but once you get on the excitement is there.
Your 1st 10 levels you are pretty much alone. As you venture further and further out, you learn more about your surroundings. So many exciting things happen and you feel good about your achievements. It is not a press 1,2, 3 I win game. It takes skill and strategy and sometimes a little luck.
I only get about 16-20 hours a week with a game(wife, job, etc) The key is if you don't have much time, set little goals for each playing session. Make sure they are attainable, don't be afraid to ask for help or shout for assistance. Some people are afraid to do so. As long as you act with respect and ask, you will find many people who are looking to do the same thing.
With both of these titles technically or literally "Under Development" it's no wonder they aren't listed under the Game Forums section yet.
Shin Megami Tensei fans might be interested to hear that there is a Shin Megami Tensei MMO out there on the Free to Play market (made to survive on a micro-transaction system). Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE is definitely a more unique approach to an MMO with some of the old MMO touches thrown in. There are three or more difficulties to dungeons based on the "plate" you use to enter them. So, yes, there are instances. PvP is an event only type thing and events do happen quite regularly. Keep in mind that this MMO is based in Anime, has kids that play on it and whatnot, but the events will tend to cater to them a bit. The site address is http://www.megaten.aeriagames.com MegaTen being short for Megami Tensei, of course. Characters all start out the same way. There are no pre-defined classes, but that's not necessarily a new thing either. Developed by Cave and Atlus and bought by Aeria Games, MegaTen might hit some sort of spot somewhere.
Another game that doesn't have a game forum on MMORPG would be a Brasilian made title that is most definitely still in development, even the mining rules have yet to be implemented. This title is pretty much in open beta at this time, there are missions already and you can craft and gather resources (though there is a good chance that there is seriously more to come and rules to be implemented) as well as shoot the living daylights out of your fellow pilots on quite a few different PvP enabled maps. This game is not your standard fantasy game, nor will you have to pay incredulous rates a month to play. What is it? It's a free to play (with optional micro-transaction support) Sci-fi game from Hoplon Infotainment! Hoplon, such a strange name, right? Well, it's not only their name but it's the name of their micro-transaction currency too!
Well, let's see, oh I haven't said the title of the game yet. It's Taikodom! Sounds silly, I know, but you haven't heard it explained yet. Taiko means Space in chinese and Dom for kingdom from old english, put them together and you get (basically) spacekindgom or Taikodom. Which one sounds more streamlined to you? If I got my information straight at this hour, (I've been up for over 24 hours now) this game was originally created as an interactive Sci-fi story. There are even books slated to come out about the lore of Taikodom if a few haven't already been published. Well, have a look for yourself at http://taikodom.com and use the quick links at the top of the page to find out more about the universe. Oh, and fair warning, right now most of the community are Portuguese speaking but that doesn't mean they aren't nice. If you're looking for English speakers, they are out there, I fly for a Corporation called The Syndicate which is comprised of all English speaking people and wish nothing more than to be able to help newcomers sort things out and get to enjoying the game.
Asheron's Call is the original under the radar game and has stayed that way, should be number 1 on the list.
Played them all, all horrible.
They dont need to make a DAoC2 - only a DAoC 1.5 ;)
Just improve the game - streamline some parts and revamp the envrroiment graphics (character graphics are good enough with the "cata"-Models).
Then let WAR Players play it for really low money (or for free) and they will have 2 well populated games (as accounts counts for both ;)) - yes its a trick to raise numbers, but its better than the "we have 10 Mio customers" of other companies, counting every asia account with some rest of gametime on it.
With some advertising in the scene and media that could help enough to populate both game's servers.
I never played 1-3 and can't say much about them except for the fact the graphics are dated. Dark Age of Camelot had its time back in the days but when it reached its peak for subs it quickly went down hill fast. FFXI is one of the best mmos ever. I ti isn;t everyone's cup of team but it sure defines what a mmo should be. Great community and it focuses on group play as a mmo should. Its 5 years old now but still hanging in there and FFXIV is on the way.
Oh, a bit similar to Ryzom, in that it's French-based, th MMOG Dofus is pretty huge in French-speaking countries (+10 milions accounts)but I rarely ssee it mention on English-speaking forums.
Likewise, galaXseeds is Quebec-based and I think it is quite nice in the "niche" genre of kids MMOs.
Add a fresh interface and some fresh quests to DAoC and I'd sign up in a minute.
agree with the gfx but main FF titles have never been about PvP or doing things alone, Party are involved in FF. So IMO an FF MMO that is soloable and PvP oriented would be the worst MMO ever.
Edit and if I wanted that style of game I would play EVERY new mmo thats released. This genre needs diversity, not more of the exact same crap with different gfx.
Not shocked FFXI made this list, went back to lotro for some Pvmp (lifetime account ftw) and i said FFXI...i got alot of "huh1?" and "Firefoot?" (One of the server names) i lawled.
FFXI has the best PvE out there hands down imo, fyi still has 500k accounts for many years now because it's a solid mmorpg with many things to do with my friends.
Playonline fails, thank god SE will NOT be using it for FFXIV!! :D
I would say your article is misleading because these games were never really on the radar. They are more games that are underrated because they were not widely massively popular.
Age of Conan is something that should be on this list. A game with a ton of pre hype and "radar" but now is on life support and not talked about much anymore.
I think I'd have to agree with most that these arent really much the "under the radar" type of games. When I started reading I was hoping for a list of games I'd never heard of , niche type games out of the eye of mainstream gamers, not a list of games almost everyone has tried. I'll second all the praise of Ashrans Call, truly a great game, and to me one great game currently under the radar is Istaria Cronicles of the Gifted, this game released to great hype and fell on hard times quickly for releasing before ready. Suffered through multiple ownership changes into near collapse. BUT here it still is today with proper development from VI (new content regularly), a small but great online community, a game like AC where you roam at will( hate being told by any portal im to low to go through) I'll figure that out for myself thank you, Dragons and the ability of flight.
If your truly looking for an under the radar type of game check out Istaria Chronicles of the Gifted, formerly known as Horizons, If you've never heard of it check it out its good, if your slanted against it because of release and all the bad press it got switching owners, put that behind you and give it a fresh try, its healthy and better than its ever been, just waiting to be found. You won't be disappointed giving this game a try or even a second try if youve tried already and left, its much improved.
This Jon Wood guy always make me laugh -- I'm not sure it is about is articles but all his articles are either out to date -- like did he right this article 5 years and just post it now? Also I wish his articles told me something I didn't already know. Five Under the Radar MMOs, come on now Jon use your imagination, surely you can find more obscure MMO's to right about *shakes his head* Jon's a good writer, just his articles make me laugh.
All these posts about FF Online and no reference to its combat? Really? None of you remember those wonderful 10ish seconds between swings? Or did people actually enjoy that? Turned based combat speed, just without the turns. No thanks. I actually dont have a problem with the graphics, grind, etc. But come on, the combat, really?
I played Runescape a bit after it came out. All of my closest friends and I played.(This was in 4th grade btw I also played EQ at this time) We would go the the computer lab after school and play for a couple hours together before we got picked up. Man the game has always been so much fun. It is unfortunate that like many older games it has transitioned into the UBER gear kinda game instead of the good old grinding in Varrock on guards fun it used to be. Dont get me wrong, Runescape is a great game(though I dont play it anymore only EQ and LoTRO)
Every game on this list is terrible with the exception of FFXI, Maplestory is ew. If your looking for a cute game go play Ragnarok Online or Mabinogi, or even that new similar one Dragonica. Unless you enjoy spending all your time with 10 - 12 year olds.
Final Fantasy XI is wonderful! I loved it when I played it, the payment system though. I hate it. I wish they would let you just paypal for the month and not have to worry about canceling your subscription if your not going to pay the next month. So many times I forgot the day to cancel it and was charged for another month >_>. That class action lawsuit has some good points, and I wouldn't mind if it forced them to redo their payment methods.
Combat was one of my favorite things in FFXI. It's unique and not just point and click like other games. I found myself having a lot more fun in battles.
I dont mean to be rude however the fact remains this article was not put together well, none of the games you listed was under the radar in my honest opinion.
Runescape is like an MMO with training wheels most people on here played it before they rode the bike. I can guarentee a good amount of every forum goer on here has atleast tried the game out, while i personally have not been on in a while I used to be a very avid fan of the game however it has began to reach the end of its slope.
However I would like to quote you on this fact "but it was the second most recognized game in the room" if you go to most middle schools, high schools, or maybe even a bit higher any one who has an intrest in MMOS has most likely atleast heard of the game please inform me how is this under the radar?
Ryzom I have heard of but never put much research into it so I will be skipping this just due to lack of experience on the subject.
Maplestory.... Not to be rude if any one here is a fan but this game is not under the radar; it is a pile of crap filled with 12 year olds I find the game boring, dull, and not any thing special at all. And I dont think anything can be considered under the radar with the amount of adds that they throw out.
DaOC is also once again a game that was not under the radar, by todays standards the amount of subscribers it had in its pinnacle was quite low however back in its prime it was a decently populated stable MMO back before WoW all games subscriptions were lower and thus the bar for sucssess was also much lower. The game is almost empty now but thats due to age and lack of inovation not initial attention.
FFXI has next to WoW most likely the largest international population around; I dont think this can be called under the radar and it has grown its own infamous reputation those who avoid it arn't due to a lack of knowing about it but because of the horrendous idea of spending 7 hours fighting one boss mob.
Hooray for disinforming posts.
You don't see any references to "10ish seconds between swings" because it's a blatant exaggeration.
Also... FFXI has delay-based combat... It's not turn based in any way.
The slowest delays are from 2-handed weapons and even then they're not approaching 10-ish seconds... *Maybe* if you have Slow cast on you and are paralyzed and so can't swing every time... but even then that's pushing it.
With lower delay weapons, the right gear and the right buffs, you can approach near non-stop attack speed in FFXI - just that trick of understanding the game and how the stats work. There are vids on YouTube demonstrating exactly that.
So Runescape does not need a subscription, that makes it a microtransaction game or as they like to say F2P. You are giving the impression it is a subscription quality game without the subscription.
For the western audience the fact that FFXI has no servers over here is a real issue. To top that they do not have proper support for Nvida graphics cards. It was a stuttering hell that I had to drop, real shame, if you live out east and don’t have a Nvidia card go for it.
Well thats' a blatant BS lie, I've used nVidia since forever, and put close to 4 solid years of subscription into FFXI and never once had an issue!
In a very Darwinistic sense, I guess that is the case.
In my opinion an MMO that was totally forgotten, since I have never seen an article about it here, is Ragnarok Online. It still has a lot of players, especially jRO which have 45,000~70,000 online players at any time. What is more, there are currently many different things going on, Ragnarok Renewal update (totally changed mechanics so they can fit in the current MMO's reality) or implementation of 3rd jobs (Ranger, Warlock, Sorcerer, Royal Guard, Arch Bishop. etc.). And surely, we can't forget about recently added instances or new world called Jutenheim. Many, many things have changed in RO so maybe it's a good idea to look into them and write some articles, this game is really good, especially when you compare it to those new MMOs that are coming out. They aren't as unique as RO and they neither have such a wide content nor great features. If anybody here is interested in new things in RO, you should visit kRO (www.ragnarok.co.kr) or iROwiki (http://forums.irowiki.org/).
I'll add one, Haven and Hearth, a 2 man developed indy mmo. Alpha stage but not too many bugs and the gameplay is so, unique, that it's instantly took me away from my Ragnarok and Atlantica addiction for days since I found it. Complicated, intense crafting and settlement game, very nice and a very relaxing and unique change of pace.
FF11 ?!?!!
you must be kidding!
this is worlds most crappy mmorpg.
must be masochistic to waste your life with this game...
Maple Story needs freaking joystick/gamepad support. I have to used a third party emulator to make it work with my SFIV madcatz gamepad. It's a great little game though and once you're well lazied up in your couch or bed with a glass of wine and just hacking and slashing away, it's a pretty fun game :P
I disagree with the authors opinion that DAOC has been overlooked.
When it was in beta it was eagerly anticipated by the large majority of people still playing Everquest. I recall a great many positive messages on the EQ forums I visited daily from people going on and on about DAOC and all the things it offered that EQ didn't. When DAOC came out it prompted EQ to change the way they showed the populations of their servers. They no longer showed the actual numbers because subscriptions were falling from everyone going to DAOC.
I played DAOC for around 3 years from its release. The game was very fun but in my opinion the meddling and mismanagement by Mythic lead to the games slow demise. The way they reacted to issues turned a great many people off. The worst of which and its a problem that still affects them in Warhammer;
1. Populating Imbalance
Mythic would try to alleviate this by offering free /level 20 & 30 characters to anyone that had a 50th on underpopulated realms. The underpopulated realms also received levelling bonuses to exp and drop rates. This never worked. It just made the lower level bg's packed with twinks but the people mostly didn't bother to level up and stay with the server. They would later drop this entirely.
also,
When the game is based on pvp and one side makes up 50% or more of the population allowing them to raid your frontier daily with 300-500 people while you can barely get 20 people to fight back it makes pvp non too enticing.
2. Constant Nerfs
Mythics method of balancing was to nerf one class into oblivion while making its counterparts better. This made people either quit the game entirely (myself included) or they just quit playing that particular class and joined whichever realm currently was winning with a FOTM class.
Secondly, FFXI wasn't overlooked the game just plain sucks. Thats why people don't play it.
Why does it suck ? Allow me to elaborate;
1. You obtain a fancy suit of armor at level 10 that looks the same as the fancy suit of armor with much better stats that you get at 20th. Everyone looks the same. In MMO's where most people strive to look unique everyone is a carbon copy of the other.
2. The economy was ruined from the get go. It was out for a year in japan before coming to North America. New players enter a game where the farmers have perma camped newb zones so they can put newb items at ridiculous prices. In some cases a level 4 item was listed at 10 x the amount as level 50 items that were considerably better.
3. Trying to play with people who didn't speak the language can prove to be quite tedious, and in some cases when the japanese players knew you weren't japanese they automatically excluded you.
4. The graphics looked like playstation era quality and the game content required that you follow a storyline to progress. As for progression levelling was extremely slow and you couldn't solo post 30th, well you could but it was even worse, and since you almost required a group to progress see point 3.
Whoah wait. Horizons is still around? I thought that collapsed after they closed up Horizons and then some scam company had taken over and started ripping people off and then closed up again.
Kordesh not only still alive but thriving under new ownership and lots of current new content and a huge client upgrade. If its a game you once liked I'd give it another look, its not quite the same game that launched but its still a great time. Have redone the whole strter setup and testing to release T2 revamp, could be worth checking out.
Guess I should add its called Istaria Chronicles of the Gifted now not Horizons anymore.
Sorry Khrymson but why should I lie, I wanted to play FF and was very disappointed? Maybe the cause of the dreadful lag I got In FF was not what I thought but they do only have servers out east and the Nvida card issue is well known. I did a google on this after it happened to me. I have a very up to date rig btw and a 8meg broadband connection.
You may not have any problems but that does not mean no one else has.
DAoC died because Mythic started ignoring thier customers and introducing patches that made huge changes in gameplay.
Like needing way more players to play the game and complete objectives than were available.
If you got to play DAoC before Shrouded Isles you would know what I mean. Even the classic servers don't touch on what DAoC was originally like.
No EQ?
Anyway, I don't see how some of the games on the list are there.
Is maple story supposed to be good or something? I've played it before, it's one of the worst games ever made. It's one of those games for kids I think, because the amount of grinding in that game is insane. It's not even the fact that theres a grind, but the fact that the grind is so trivial. I mean, you just run up to random NPCs and mash your attack button, and there is little variability in NPC combat.
It's an interesting MMORPG, but it's a horrible korean grinder.
Not to mention there is no immersion factor in a 2D game like Maple Story. It's too cartoony for you to feel it is real.
I guess those are the main reasons Maple Story shouldn't be listed as a good MMORPG.
outdated graphics....
hmm well yes that is true but the thing is:
many people dream of WOW being very detailed and having a douzen other things to see than quests and such.
it is true i think though i played WOW for a test for about 2 days and i couldnt really fit myself into that world.
i am not blaming WOW for being a bad game it is just that i don't really feel interest into that sort of gameworld.
okay that seems very offtopic so lets head back to the point:
i sadly agree with the list for the fact that FFXI gets not that much attention, but we don't need this i think.
in some ways i think it is very nice to play this game cause it is a little "treasure" for people who have a lot of time.
and spoken of the graphics: well
see attached picture i think that game doesnt look bad at all.
and for the world i think you should check out youtube and search for:
FF11 Scenery there are two videos that show the relaxing site of Vana'diel
the link below is for the screenshot. still gotta figure this kind of forums out.
oh and for the blurring of the names: i just don't want disrespect any other player.
I'm not reading through all the comments, so I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned...
You have a little bit of false info in there...Runescape - "...option for full loot pvp..." sorry but that is just not the case anymore. Dec 10, 2007 Jagex decided to remove the wilderness and free trades due to RWT problems, and in doing so got rid of the "option for full loot pvp". You can no longer loot everything that your victim was carrying (or everything but 1, 3 or 4 items). And it's rare that you get anything good from pking, during the days of the wilderness I had always made profit from going pking(even if I died, I would make back the money I lost + some later that day). However, BH craters/pvp worlds/BH worlds/etc., I have lost probably 15M-20M just in supplies, and another 20M+ in gear (mainly from getting picked off by ppl 10 lvls above me in pvp worlds ~stupid barrage + d claws..all that most ppl know how to use now adays~). But the point is, the reward for the majority of the PK's are things that mostly everyone leaves on the ground, such as low level armor/weapons/food. So your not getting tons of rune armor/weps, super pots, sharks etc. (those items made pvp profitable, pking items like dfs' and godswords were just great days).
FFXI...after reading comment here I thought I'd try the free trial.
PlayOnline. O...M...F...G...!!! What a complete disaster of a registration system/front end ROFLMFAO! I mean, really guys??? I've not felt a disturbance in the online mmo Force like this since...NEVER! *boggle*
Anyway, get past the craptacular console craziness...several extra downloads & restarts later...FFXI is finally about to start!...?
21438 (!!!) files to download to get the trial clent up to date. After 10 mins on my fairly fast dsl only 100 or so files d/led. I mean, WTF? ... WTF? .... WTFFFFFFFF??????
Do these marketing morons who pull this kinda shit just do it to piss potential customers off?
""Hey ya know what'd be real funny man? Let's make prospective paying customers download 2-2.5GB of client files...then let's jerk them around with the most unintuitive, convoluted online rego system we can devise & just when they think they're finally about to play the game...make them d/l another 2GB+ of files to get the client up to date!"
Do the total idiots who set up these trials stop to think for just 1 second that maybe, just maybe, this is costing them potential customers?
Why TF do they not keep their trial clients up to date FFS!!!??? (or at least in the same year as the release version!)
<utterly, totally bewildered & disgusted>
Honestly, these games aren;t under the radar. There's no interest in this story, I bet. I clicked to see what I was missing only to be whacked with dated products that we've played and moved on from for a reason.
Ashen Empires.
This is a game under the radar. Best skill system ever. I dont recall ever seeing a game with such a diverse set of tradeskills. (Lumberjacking, Carpentry, foraging, planting, harvesting, baking, mixing, weaving, skinning, leatherworking, mining, smithing,... etc.)
Grab a blueberry seed, plant the seed, cast nurish to help it grow faster and more plentiful, take your harvest of blueberries and bake them into blueberry muffins that increased your stats when eaten.
You know if they dropped the price on DAOC I would go back to it and so would many others. I think thats the problem the rush from warfailure would be like a hurricane hehe so they won't do it.
LOL, So I went to Haven and Hearth website and looked at the screenies...OMG, this game looks like it was developed in 1993. You gotta be kidding me.
LOL, So I went to Haven and Hearth website and looked at the screenies...OMG, this game looks like it was developed in 1993. You gotta be kidding me.
LOL! I finally got into the FFXI trial & lo & behold! VGA-style graphics & that's being generous!!!
THE worst consolitis craptacular keyboard driven menu interface I have EVER had the displeasure to waste my time on...EVA!!!
Don't even get me started on mouse control - that is even more borked. I honestly think EOB1/2 has a better early mouse driven interface... I...kid....you...not. Or that eardrum-destroying/brain-numbing PlayOnline music - ARRRGGGHHHHHhhhh!!!!@##$%$%%^*
Stuffed if I could find a menu or system option of any sort to change any of this rubbish.
How does this utter Jap-crap uber-turd keep 50-70K subs is a complete & utter mystery to me. I would rather play an Infocom text adventure any day of the week lol! Game over.
Is it even worth trying Ragnarok guys? :-/
The game that has surprised me the most has been Runes of Magic. I know it's a F2P game, but it's by far the best I've ever tried. It makes me think that this is what WoW would have been like if Blizzard had made it a F2P game.
I'm really surprised that it's so unpopular. With a larger community, it would be amazing.
Both Ryzom and DAoC might be worth playing with an extensive, and I mean a complete overhaul, of their graphics. As far as I can tell these games had terrible graphics on release day. That's probably why they are "under the radar" in the first place. Who wants to play a game that has screenshots that look like junk?
Not played? you do realize that Runescape and maple story have millions of players right?
I 100% agree with you on FFXi being one of the most unsung heroes of mmorpg's. I played it for 2 years and sometimes regret leaving it for (eeecchhhhh) wow. But looking back I enjoyed myself a lot. The leveling gets a bit grindy at parts and some of the higher level questlines are completely Linkshell dependent. I was looking at the latest release of the ultimate collection, but between life and other games in full swing I simply don't have the time to invest. FFXi requires dedication to progress.
Well i must say a fact here graphics is afactor i dotn think so look at WoW those gaem graphs suck and alot of lambs play it, gameplay nahh cause they have a different gameplay dosent mean they are bad and wath other o yes originality at least maple story is original not like that other 11 million lamb game that copied paste everithing from games before. Lest just say you found those runescape game guys on the school cause gamers and new players arent poisoned by the "pro gamers" of mmo so they can still appreciate a game for wath is meant to be for FUN not cause its famous
A game many people didnt know about and is currently out of business sadly was Shadowbane. When that game became free to play it was the best MMORPG out there hands down. Especially if you love pvp. Had a roleplaying server for those who wanted it and 2 normal servers each with a different map. To this day Diablo 2 and Shadowbane are the only games that could hold my attention for more than 1 month.
LOL! I finally got into the FFXI trial & lo & behold! VGA-style graphics & that's being generous!!!
THE worst consolitis craptacular keyboard driven menu interface I have EVER had the displeasure to waste my time on...EVA!!!
Don't even get me started on mouse control - that is even more borked. I honestly think EOB1/2 has a better early mouse driven interface... I...kid....you...not. Or that eardrum-destroying/brain-numbing PlayOnline music - ARRRGGGHHHHHhhhh!!!!@##$%$%%^*
Stuffed if I could find a menu or system option of any sort to change any of this rubbish.
How does this utter Jap-crap uber-turd keep 50-70K subs is a complete & utter mystery to me. I would rather play an Infocom text adventure any day of the week lol! Game over.
Is it even worth trying Ragnarok guys? :-/
Dont even try ragnarok if you dont like ffxi. Personally i likem both but i just dont wanna see you come up here and bash ragnarok as well so please dont play it.
LOL! I finally got into the FFXI trial & lo & behold! VGA-style graphics & that's being generous!!!
THE worst consolitis craptacular keyboard driven menu interface I have EVER had the displeasure to waste my time on...EVA!!!
Don't even get me started on mouse control - that is even more borked. I honestly think EOB1/2 has a better early mouse driven interface... I...kid....you...not. Or that eardrum-destroying/brain-numbing PlayOnline music - ARRRGGGHHHHHhhhh!!!!@##$%$%%^*
Stuffed if I could find a menu or system option of any sort to change any of this rubbish.
How does this utter Jap-crap uber-turd keep 50-70K subs is a complete & utter mystery to me. I would rather play an Infocom text adventure any day of the week lol! Game over.
Is it even worth trying Ragnarok guys? :-/
I would just like to put the record straight....I have not played FFXI. I was talking about that Haven and Hearth garbage that Russaria was trying to pass off as a game. Betcha he's one of the developers' although i don't believe there was alot of developing, looks more like a cut and paste game lol
Ryzom had awesome graphics on release day. But of course that's over 5 years ago, so now looks a bit dated.
Still, if you can appreciate its unique art style it still looks great, and with the game's long view range you can get an amazing sight from atop hilltops.
I've played Ryzom since before release (last open beta) and will continue to do so even though i don't have much time anymore.
This may sound stupid, But Lotro seems to have a relatively low pop for the reviews and resound love of the game by its players.Estimates put it at only 300k subscribers , which is great by standards.But Given how much everyone still enjoys it as an elite title , it seems to grow at a very slow pace.I fear that due to lack of advertising and such it may fade out faster than expected.If they would just advertise alil more mainstream i bet it would help alot.But we need more players per server .
Maplestory is nothing but hackers now anyways...hopefully Wonderking Online will keep the hackers and cheaters at bay, and leave the game to the people who want to relax and enjoy it.
I'm severely dissapointed by this article. I was hoping to get turned on to some new indie MMO's (or not new but small), and instead, other than Ryzom which I already knew about as well, all I get was some tired old big-name MMO's...
And Runescape IS a big name in the MMO world, a big crappy name but a big name none the less.
FF11 is a total joke to have at #1,,, it didn't fall off the radar, it was a HUGE deal when it came out, it just sucked donkey balls.
A: The game had already been out a year, so the economy was horribly fucked
B: FORCED grouping to do ANYTHING.
C: You could not escape mobs except by sacrificing your group mates, zoning out = zoning in dead... just retarded!
D: Did I mention not being able to solo AT ALL past level 12-15 or so?
E: Teired gear progression with boring character looks... EVERY warrior/redmage/people who can wear armor at X level has the exact same outfit, and when they all hit Y level they all trade it out for the NEXT exact same "best" outfit for that level... BOOOOORING!