Minions of Mirth Forum » General Discussion » Why play this game?

After seeing the ratings for this game and reading the posts on the forums, I decided to try the "free" version of the game.  I read people saying things about the game mechanics being excellent, and the gameplay is fun.  I have to say I am having a hard time seeing where this opinion is coming from.  What is so good about the game mechanics?

1.  The attacks and skills are delayed.  You click something, and it doesn't happen for a second or two.

2.  The animations are horrible and have a delay.  You start running, but you float on the ground for a few seconds before you actually run.

3.  The graphics are horrible, just aweful.  Near or worse than pre-SoL EQ.

4.  There's no way to know whether or not an NPC has a quest for you other than talking to every single one.

5.  Aggro ranges and skill ranges seem to make little sense.

6.  The market is really screwed up.  One piece of bronze armor may cost 40 copper, while another may be 30 silver (And it has nothing to do with the size of the item).

So, where is the fun in this game?  The mechanics are horribly outdated, along with the graphics, animations, and particle effects.  What kind of enjoyment are people getting out of this game?

Some people have their own opinions when playing MMORPGs.

Originally posted by brihtwulf

After seeing the ratings for this game and reading the posts on the forums, I decided to try the "free" version of the game.  I read people saying things about the game mechanics being excellent, and the gameplay is fun.  I have to say I am having a hard time seeing where this opinion is coming from.  What is so good about the game mechanics?

1.  The attacks and skills are delayed.  You click something, and it doesn't happen for a second or two.

2.  The animations are horrible and have a delay.  You start running, but you float on the ground for a few seconds before you actually run.

3.  The graphics are horrible, just aweful.  Near or worse than pre-SoL EQ.

4.  There's no way to know whether or not an NPC has a quest for you other than talking to every single one.

5.  Aggro ranges and skill ranges seem to make little sense.

6.  The market is really screwed up.  One piece of bronze armor may cost 40 copper, while another may be 30 silver (And it has nothing to do with the size of the item).

So, where is the fun in this game?  The mechanics are horribly outdated, along with the graphics, animations, and particle effects.  What kind of enjoyment are people getting out of this game?

I hear ya, I tried the game around a year ago when bored and basically had the same reaction.  Graphics aren't everything to me by any means but the game does have some really bad visuals.  I hated that you could customize your avatar but the face and other features weren't reflected on your actually toon(prolly changed by now).  Seemed to dated over all for me to really get into it, just my opinion.

Originally posted by Chonboy

Some people have their own opinions when playing MMORPGs.

The reasons to play the game I commonly see cited are largely community based, it seems. Many like the idea of multi-classing such as it is and that it feels more "open" to them than other games. Those are the testimonials I've seen, personally, in response to the topic subject.

That said, for myself...

This is a tough topic for me as on one hand I'm a big fan and enthusiast of Indie game design, which MoM is most certainly a product of. Designed and maintained by a small but dedicated group of people who have managed to create a MMO that has some apparent depth, get it online and have people play it, passionately even in some cases. I admire that.

However, where that admiration ends is when I start actually playing it.

For one, the graphics are very bland and inconsistent. It is very possible to get much more detailed and vibrant environments out of the engine they're using (Torque Game Engine from Garage Games). I'm a licensee of that engine and in my own tests and "what if" experiments, I've managed to get more detailed settings. That's not me bragging on myself... it's just a testimonial that the engine *can* do better than what I've seen in MoM and without much effort.

The inconsistency of the style drives me batty. If nothing else, please keep a consistent graphics style and establish a look and personality for the game. When I'm looking at one NPC that has a photo-sourced person's face while another NPC nearby has a hand-painted one with a completely different look/style altogether, it really breaks immersion.

Okay.. graphics can be forgivable if the gameplay is at least solid and fun. In my multiple attempts at playing this, the only conclusion I can come to is... if this game ever becomes truly fun, you sure have to fight it through alot of very un-fun content before it does.

As has been mentioned, there's a delay in movement, in attack - most of the time I wouldn't be able to even tell I'm attacking at all if not for the creature's HP going down. Navigation feels quirky... feels very "loose" and uncontrolled.

Mobs appear out of thin air and, especially when first starting, do so in what I consider a ridiculous manner... You start out near this guard tower, building, thing. There are two guards there and a couple NPCs nearby. Here's the kicker... the building is infested with spiders and undead. Why are they guarding a spider/undead infested tower? I have no idea. All I know is they send you in to deal with it. And on occasion, I didn't even have to step inside the building... all I did was stood *near* it, and suddenly out of nowhere a skeleton and spider are attacking me, while the guard 10' away stands there, oblivious.

There's a town near-by that seems to serve no apparent function. I ran around and tried to talk to every NPC I could find... Nothing seems to be going on in that town at all.

I decided to go out and explore a bit, avoiding aggro and ended up in a desert area. Again, nothing really intriguing about the place... it's the most basic of what you'd expect to see in a desert... sand and Egyptian like structures.

Now.. were this a game that was done entirely as a community project that would be one thing... The thing that gets me is, there is purchase required if you want to unlock the full game. This is where the above-mentioned inconsistencies and lack of attention to detail become a problem.

I can accept all that if it's purely a labor of love, and again I applaud anyone who delves into indie game design. However, if you're asking me to open my wallet, you better be giving me something worth paying for. In my opinion, MoM needs a lot of work before it reaches that point.

You guys can knock the game all you want but there is plenty of reasons i play the game and others as well. first of there is no monthly fee which if you ask the majority of the players will say that is the reason they play. secondly the community is much more helpful then other games. also once you buy the game all the expansions are free as well so there is no 20 dollars every three months like other games when they pump theres out. I also prefer the fact that the dev'sactuall play the game and are very personable.

Its a indie company and there first game with little to no problems. the lag is bad at sometimes but they only have 4 servers and they are universal by which i mean you can jump and talk to players on all servers. the graphics may not be great but they are a work in progress.

You guys really should stop. This is a great game ot only for its graphics but for its community. Also, you dont have to pay 20dollers every 3 months, you only have to pay once. the game is almos dying and we need admins and game desiners, anyone out there please help this game!!!! i know i already paid and i am still going to donate more. so can someone plz help the game out for a change?