MMOs for dummies - Page 2

Jagos · 02-14-2011, 11:18 PM

Quote:

As to RO, I played on the pay server for several months but gave up due to the all the bots taking all the kills. I couldn't get anywhere with them but I had a bit of a rep as a Wandering/Ranger Swordie who went from the very top of the world to the bottom of it and everywhere in between.

Me and being a Sader are some of the best memories. I still remember writing stories based on the people there, but eventually had to give it up due to school... Curses, I wanted to finish it. Regardless, it was great to have other people that helped you figure out what was the best thing for Sader despite only a few were guildies. Though they loved having a meatshield... At least until Ice Caverns made us unnecessary.

Krylo, I remember when we played RO together. I'm mainly a meatshield. :P

I dunno, I never got around the concept of a spell = instant win that seems to be the thing with wizards.

phil_ · 02-14-2011, 11:24 PM

If you want a time sink to play online, just play Monster Hunter. Bam, problem solved.

rpgdemon · 02-15-2011, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by synkr0nized

WoW is easier then ever now. You can get your phat lewts* and cheevos without ever being in a hardcore raiding guild.

It used to be this way, last expansion, but heroics and stuff now actually require time, skill, and gear. They're like miniraids.

synkr0nized · 02-15-2011, 07:05 AM

Man, what? Queue for dungeons at 85, get your iLvl 333 or whatever gear, queue for heroics, press buttons. I realize that not yet having an 85 means I can't make any firsthand claims, but I haven't seen much that says the new heroics are any more complicated than previously.

That's a good point up there, Krylo. I definitely see the downsides to being forced to pop 31 of your talent points in one tree before you can even put a single point in the others. I think that'll be one of the reasons I maintain a separate WoW install for on my former server -- to get back to that kind of character play (and the fun PvP).

mudah.swf · 02-15-2011, 11:22 AM

Beyond anything I could ever have expected of myself, and probably most of you expect of me, I actually started playing WoW, mostly due to a friend's constant talking about the game. I'd say that it's probably the "best" MMO to start on, if only for the huge community and lack of extensive cashshop business that "free" MMOs like to sting you with. It does, though, have its problems. One of the biggest reasons I play is down to IRL friends playing, and being in a guild of personable people. If you don't have that, you're going to find it hard to play past level 10.

As mentioned before in this thread, yes, it IS extremely streamlined and casual, and this works as much for as it does against it. The upshot is that nothing is really a pain in the arse to do, yet the downside is that it destroys any sense of being in a "world", any immersion that you could build up, and makes you realise that it is, in fact, a game and not a world.

As for the addicion factor, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm in no way an addict, I haven't forsaken all my other games for WoW. It's entirely possible to play it, have fun yet not be an addict. The key thing, Jagos, is to not give two goddamned shits about raids and the endgame in general. That's the stuff that gets people addicted, people feeling like they HAVE to hit the level cap asap so they can raid, yet there's no need to raid to have fun.

Personally I draw my fun from just chilling out, chatting to my friends and guildies, running dungeons since I've always wanted to do that sort of thing in a game and not have it be totally boring, and taking in the big, colourful, pretty world (because it is pretty). I like making different race/class combinations and seeing what each has to offer me as a player, some of which are somewhat fun!

If this has changed your mind on WoW a little, there is a 10-day free trial available with a streaming client that lets you download as you play.

As for Rift, I have yet to try that, but the word is that it's an awful lot like WoW with a couple of neat different features. Guild Wars 2 is looking really promising, making a shift to more action-based gameplay, practically eliminating true healer classes and offering new and interesting ways to play, such as dodging enemies via rolling.

Azisien · 02-15-2011, 12:17 PM

Oh that's something I forgot to mention about WoW actually. I can't blame it too bad because it is 6 years old, but the instances are and feel 6 years old. I don't think the Cata patch upgraded instances much. Honestly, they really suck. Launch version DDO instances were way more fun.

So when I said they improved 1-60, I guess I just mean the overworld.

bluestarultor · 02-15-2011, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by synkr0nized

lolololololololol

In all fairness, while that example is humorous, he's back to planning his life around raids, still talking about how "casually" he plays it. His newest account, which is specifically the one he "didn't waste half his life on" already has 15+ days on it and he's bitching things aren't dropping anything his guild can use anymore and he has only nine purples and how his blue main-hander is holding back his purple off-hander and limiting him to a DPS of only about 12k and making him look bad when he started as their best DPS.

Mind you, he's also in Villains, which is ranked 7th on the server and is the #1 Horde (would be higher, but they lost three guys and had to take another week to plan) and oh, God, I'm starting to sound just like him now.

This is why I really don't trust myself with WoW.

mudah.swf · 02-15-2011, 03:53 PM

I'd go as far as to say that raids are the reason behind why he's like that. If you went into the game without considering raids then you'll be fine, since as far as I can see, raids are the only point where you have to start caring about that stuff. It seems to me that for non-endgame content you merely have to not be totally stupid and you'll be fine. Just don't consider raids 100% of the game and you won't have to worry.

The WoW community has decided that raids are literally the entire game, which is something that I personally don't buy and is probably a big reason why WoW gets so much shit from everyone who doesn't play it.

bluestarultor · 02-15-2011, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudah.swf

I'd go as far as to say that raids are the reason behind why he's like that. If you went into the game without considering raids then you'll be fine, since as far as I can see, raids are the only point where you have to start caring about that stuff. It seems to me that for non-endgame content you merely have to not be totally stupid and you'll be fine. Just don't consider raids 100% of the game and you won't have to worry.

The WoW community has decided that raids are literally the entire game, which is something that I personally don't buy and is probably a big reason why WoW gets so much shit from everyone who doesn't play it.

That seems to fit pretty well, actually.

Still, I think I prefer Allods. "WoW Lite," it certainly is, but the community is also different and I have yet to run into those kinds of issues with them.

I also have yet to see as deep a division between players on opposite factions minus the occasional high-level troll from the other side coming in and wiping out people unfortunate enough to be standing near enough to the dueling pit to have their PvP flag forced on. I'm not sure if you can jump the faction fence in WoW, but you can in Allods and I've already made characters on both sides.

Bells · 02-15-2011, 04:44 PM

Well, the essence of a Raid is to be a way to force a large group of players to assume roles and act out strategies right? So, in a place like WoW it's pretty much the top of Social Interaction withing the game.

It's not a flawed idea... personally i just think there are better ways to do it today than there was back in the day the concept came out on WoW.

Just this week i remember the Atlantica Online account i had back in 2008, i tried to share the account with the people here, in a "everyone gets to play it" way, it died off eventually, but just uesterday i found out my account still exists... i had a lvl 41 character with 1 million in the bank just sitting there. So i went back to check it out and point is... there is nothing to do in the game except PvP and Grind... sad, cause it's a fun game

02-14-2011, 11:24 PM	#12
phil_ Just sleeping Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: At home, probably in bed. Posts: 6,482	If you want a time sink to play online, just play Monster Hunter. Bam, problem solved. __________________ Be T-Rexcellent to each other, tako.

02-15-2011, 07:05 AM	#14
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,861	Are they any more complex than "don't stand in the bad areas" now? Man, what? Queue for dungeons at 85, get your iLvl 333 or whatever gear, queue for heroics, press buttons. I realize that not yet having an 85 means I can't make any firsthand claims, but I haven't seen much that says the new heroics are any more complicated than previously. That's a good point up there, Krylo. I definitely see the downsides to being forced to pop 31 of your talent points in one tree before you can even put a single point in the others. I think that'll be one of the reasons I maintain a separate WoW install for on my former server -- to get back to that kind of character play (and the fun PvP). __________________ Find love. Last edited by synkr0nized; 02-15-2011 at 07:08 AM.

02-15-2011, 04:44 PM	#20
Bells That's so PC of you Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Server-sided Dimension where time is meaningless Posts: 10,490	Well, the essence of a Raid is to be a way to force a large group of players to assume roles and act out strategies right? So, in a place like WoW it's pretty much the top of Social Interaction withing the game. It's not a flawed idea... personally i just think there are better ways to do it today than there was back in the day the concept came out on WoW. Just this week i remember the Atlantica Online account i had back in 2008, i tried to share the account with the people here, in a "everyone gets to play it" way, it died off eventually, but just uesterday i found out my account still exists... i had a lvl 41 character with 1 million in the bank just sitting there. So i went back to check it out and point is... there is nothing to do in the game except PvP and Grind... sad, cause it's a fun game __________________ *BELLS STORE : Clothes! You wear* them! Free US Shipping Subscription System? WTF?! Zazzle Black!**

02-15-2011, 11:22 AM	#15
mudah.swf Rocky Wrench Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: England Posts: 1,294	Beyond anything I could ever have expected of myself, and probably most of you expect of me, I actually started playing WoW, mostly due to a friend's constant talking about the game. I'd say that it's probably the "best" MMO to start on, if only for the huge community and lack of extensive cashshop business that "free" MMOs like to sting you with. It does, though, have its problems. One of the biggest reasons I play is down to IRL friends playing, and being in a guild of personable people. If you don't have that, you're going to find it hard to play past level 10. As mentioned before in this thread, yes, it IS extremely streamlined and casual, and this works as much for as it does against it. The upshot is that nothing is really a pain in the arse to do, yet the downside is that it destroys any sense of being in a "world", any immersion that you could build up, and makes you realise that it is, in fact, a game and not a world. As for the addicion factor, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm in no way an addict, I haven't forsaken all my other games for WoW. It's entirely possible to play it, have fun yet not be an addict. The key thing, Jagos, is to not give two goddamned shits about raids and the endgame in general. That's the stuff that gets people addicted, people feeling like they HAVE to hit the level cap asap so they can raid, yet there's no need to raid to have fun. Personally I draw my fun from just chilling out, chatting to my friends and guildies, running dungeons since I've always wanted to do that sort of thing in a game and not have it be totally boring, and taking in the big, colourful, pretty world (because it is pretty). I like making different race/class combinations and seeing what each has to offer me as a player, some of which are somewhat fun! If this has changed your mind on WoW a little, there is a 10-day free trial available with a streaming client that lets you download as you play. As for Rift, I have yet to try that, but the word is that it's an awful lot like WoW with a couple of neat different features. Guild Wars 2 is looking really promising, making a shift to more action-based gameplay, practically eliminating true healer classes and offering new and interesting ways to play, such as dodging enemies via rolling.

02-15-2011, 12:17 PM	#16
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	Oh that's something I forgot to mention about WoW actually. I can't blame it too bad because it is 6 years old, but the instances are and feel 6 years old. I don't think the Cata patch upgraded instances much. Honestly, they really suck. Launch version DDO instances were way more fun. So when I said they improved 1-60, I guess I just mean the overworld.

02-15-2011, 03:53 PM	#18
mudah.swf Rocky Wrench Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: England Posts: 1,294	I'd go as far as to say that raids are the reason behind why he's like that. If you went into the game without considering raids then you'll be fine, since as far as I can see, raids are the only point where you have to start caring about that stuff. It seems to me that for non-endgame content you merely have to not be totally stupid and you'll be fine. Just don't consider raids 100% of the game and you won't have to worry. The WoW community has decided that raids are literally the entire game, which is something that I personally don't buy and is probably a big reason why WoW gets so much shit from everyone who doesn't play it.