Unhappy with Gamespot and game trends
 

Has anyone played Spellforce, yet? I got the game over the weekend and have really just been too busy with too many other things to get all the way into it. It's kind of a weird mix of RPG and a strategy war game. It didn't really seem like it was enough of either to be effective.

I'm kind of frustrated with the computer games that are out right now and that continue to come out. I'm turned off by MMORPG's, Galaxies being the latest thing I've quit playing because it just seems to be a "grind your way to glory" sort of thing, just like EQ. Gamespot is also starting to frustrate me. I don't really have the time to follow games all that closely from pre-release hype all the way through release. I used to glance at Gamespot's top 10 list and pick a game that looked like "me" and go buy it. Now, more than half the games that are on the list aren't even out and won't be out for months, if not more than a year. What good is that to me? How can you really accurately rate a game against others when it's not even available to play, yet? If they're not whoring themselves out to the big game manufacturers then they're doing a great impression of it.

What's a game that you guys are looking forward to and why? What's out now that you like and think is worth buying?

Personally I really like MMORPG's being that FF11 is the only one I play. FGame IS frustrating when it comes to getting a party and it's fees but these are things to look past. ^_^ I dunno I happy with EVERY game I buy, good or bad. ( Except Devil May Cry 2. Die Capcom...Die.. )

Ff11
 

Tell me a little bit about FF11. What do you do? Don't get me wrong, I've been into MMORPG's since EQ first launched. I've played it, the Sims Online, and Galaxies. The thing I liked about EQ was that it was so similiar to a MUD. But, that began to lose its charm around level 30 or so. I mean, camping and killing just started to get old. I liked Galaxies because I love Star Wars. I like the graphics and the fact that it doesn't take you two years to master something. The drawback is, you run out of things to do on Galaxies pretty quickly, which I have. The Sims Online was just bad. Nothing about it was good. It's the only MMORPG where PC's can really interact well via emotes with cool social actions. But, outside of that, it's just awful. An MMORPG that pays as much attention to social interaction as TSO does/did would be great. It just can't be the core of the game.

So, FF11... What makes it different? I'm really curious. I'd like to find something to play that doesn't leave me feeling like I'm wasting my time or not doing anything new.

To tell you the truth you have to play the game yourself. There are Quests for ANY level, when you choose your home counrty, at later levels, you can begin the conquest of other neiboring countries lands. The Conquest: A never ending quest of adventure, lets you help your country for the good of lower level adventerers. HUGE gaming world and Great Graphics. The game is a bit difficult and requires some time. ( Damn you lvl 100 Paladins, damn you... ) But all in all the Games only gonna get better for PCers when it comes out for the PS2, then they'll be more people!

FF11 is primarly a pve grind. But it doesn't have nearly the exploits SWG has( i didn't find any in the 3 months I played it), most of whats advertised on the cheat site are for making money.
It's a sad time for MMORPG's, there really aren't any I've played that i'd recommend starting on.

If you already had a level 50 character in DAoC, i recommend you go back there since the PvP can be enjoyable, but a grind at times. There are times you can have a blast though. a pic of me and my brother(3 accounts between us) that ripped through several people

http://www.boomspeed.com/xeno14/sshot010.jpg

Blarg!
 

Yeah, something is going to have to change with MMORPG's. I'm not exactly sure what, though. The trend seems to be to make them more and more lifelike, but I think that's the wrong direction to go.

The way I see it, all MMORPG's offer the same things: 1) Killing things to get XP. 2) Making things to get XP. 3) Running errands to get XP. 4) Getting XP to level. 5) Fighting with other players. 6) Owning property in the game environment. 7) Making/finding items that create synergies with your characters existing skills/stats.

7 things, that's pretty much it. I need more variety. If you ask me, too much emphasis has been put on landscape and terrain graphics and not enough has been placed on character detail. You see your character more than anything else in the game. It should be wonderfully detailed, animated, attractive, and highly customizeable. Star Wars: Galaxies has probably done the best job of this so far.

Making things stinks. Crafter classes/professions should be totally done away with. All it boils down to is a lot of pointing and clicking or macro construction and that's not fun. Making things isn't heroic. People want to escape from their 9 to 5 grind and become a hero, not just another working stiff in a computer generated reality. Crafting would be more bareable if your character actually did something while crafting that would be interesting for you to watch. The Sims Online has done the best job with this. Instead of clicking and dragging on a dozen different components in your inventory, click on one button that says "Craft Sword" and watch your character actually make it.

Social animations! MMORPG's just don't have enough of them. Any company that wants to make a successful MMORPG should really take a look at The Sims Online. The only thing fun about that game is interacting with other players and that's because the animations are just excellent, very realistic, and a span a variety of social responses. Don't get me wrong, TSO stinks. There's nothing to do outside of interacting with other players. You take that same emphasis on social animations and place it in a game like EQ or Galaxies and you've got solid gold. Wouldn't it be cool to have your master bounty hunter walk over to the TKA master, shake his hand and the two have an animated conversation as opposed to just standing there, looking idly about, stretching and yawning as if the world is passing them by and the devil be damned.

I can't help but think that the vast majority of MMORPG supporters out there would be thrilled with environments, objects, and players they could also physically interact with. If you're going for realism, that's what you need to go for.

That's just my 2 coppers or credits or simeleans or whatever...

Games like EQ and FF11 scare and frustrate me. Why on earth would I want to pay REAL money to play a game I just paid fifty bucks for? So I can interact with the cockmongers that populate the internet? Where's the fun in that? Maybe I just don't get it.

I buy games I know I'm going to like. As a result I have a lot of RPGs and platformers. I knows what I like and I like what I knows.

Your not the only one. I don't buy these MMOGs for the same reason. If I'm going to play an online game, why pay to play when there are plenty that let you pay once to buy the game, then you can do what you want without paying them again every month...

As for games I'm looking forward to, ironically I was looking forward to Spellforce, but I may look into getting a demo now. The only other one I'm really looking forward to is Soldner, an awsome looking FPS that includes a system for driving all sorts of real life vehicles, from helicopters to tanks, and allows a wide variaty of weapons to fight with, and you can blow up everything in the environment (I can't wait to use a tank to level a town...) and all sorts of stuff. I have been keeping an eye on it, and if it turns out like I hope it will, it's going to be an awsome multiplayer experience.

Also, for any strategy/fantasy fans, look for Dominions II. Bad graphics, but I played the demo, and the lack of graphics are made up for ten times over by the incredible gaming experience. Create your own god, customize your nation, then take over the world. What's not to like? I plan on getting it as soon as possible.

Bleh!
 

Those are vaild points. You can go to Sears or Circuit City or your electronics retailor of choice and drop anywhere from $100 to $3000 on a television. You bring it home, you plug it up, and you start watching it. Depending on where you live, you're going to have access to anywhere between 1 and 13 broadcast channels. And their quality is going to suck. However, if you're willing to shell out an additional $25 to $50 a month, you get a buttload of channels from your local cable provider, all with really nice quality to them. Shell out another $100 or so at Sears and get yourself a DVD player. Spend some more money at Blockbuster and view a few movies you want when you want for a period of 24 hours to 5 days. Or, go to Suncoast and view the movie you want forever for around $20.

The point I'm trying to make is that subscription fees for a game aren't really that big of a deal. You pay to use most of things you already own more often than you realize. Own a car? You can't drive it without gas and oil, both of which you have to buy over and over again. Own a house? You're not really going to enjoy it that much without electricity and water, both of which you have to pay for over and over again.

Like the movies? A trip to the movies is going to run you roughly $15 by the time you drive down there, buy the ticket, and get something to drink and eat. You get 3 hours of entertainment, tops. You're roughly paying $5 an hour to enjoy a movie.

Like computer games? Buy Knights of the Old Republic for $50. It'll take you about 40 hours or less to beat it. That's more than $1 an hour for that slice of fun. Definitely a better deal than going to the movies, though.

Drop $50 on Star Wars: Galaxies. Drop another $30 on the 60 day play card. You get 30 days free. You got an $80 investment there at start up. If you played Galaxies for an average of 3 hours a day over the course of the 90 days you paid for, you got 270 hours of entertainment for $80. That's not quite $0.30 an hour. That's looking like the best deal so far to me.

So, the "pay to play" thing shouldn't be an issue. If you're a cheapo and you're looking for value, the MMORPG is defintely the place to get it.

However, your point about the numerous stooges and tools that abound on the internet and interacting with them is very valid. But, you are participating on an internet forum, thereby interacting and effecting every stooge and tool who decides to read this thread. And I'm guessing that you (or someone who likes you a lot) bought your computer and are paying for internet access. So, technically you're already paying to interact with "cockmongers". It's just not happening in a game. And it seems that playing a game would be more fun than just reading and responding to posts. Thus, you're not having as much fun interacting with cockmongers as you could be and you're already paying for it.

I can see why you don't get it. :D

It ain't bad, it's just...
 

Spellforce isn't a bad game. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably just burned out on that TYPE of game. I've played Stronghold and Age of Empires about to death and elements of Spellforce are so similiar to that it just kind of... I don't know.

The graphics aren't all that great either. You zoom in on the action and it looks very similiar to the first generation of EQ avatars or Dungeon Siege, just take your pick. But, there is a story to it, it's just not random battles and leveling.

The more I play it, the more I may get to like it. We'll see. But yeah, go with the demo first. I tend to be the type of person that goes "Ooo... That looks cool" and run right down to Gamestop and buy it. I don't think I've ever played a demo of anything.