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It's clear now, the torch has been passed, but has the flame of the mmo genre been extinguished?
adam_nox
Member UncommonPosts: 2,148
Having played only about 30 minutes, I am no authority on this game, I can only speak to first impressions. I've been playing Skyrim the last month.
First login and opening scene of shuttle landing was an eyeshock. It looked so bad and bland coming from Skyrim, I thought there was something wrong with my graphics options, but no they were all set to high. The ship and character movement animations were clunky and awkward, and the general style was too close to clone wars cartoons with severely reduced quality, for me to be at all impressed.
Having played the majority of MMO offerings dating back to DAoC, I don't accept WoW as being the only way to make an mmo, but like Rift, SWTOR is at first glance a WoW style mmo.
Don't get me wrong, I loved WoW for a while. But I'm not someone who can be amused by it for 5 years running along a loot treadmill. Hopefully SWTOR will diverge, but it doesn't look promising.
Looking at how the hundred or so servers are filled to the brim, it's clear that the torch is being passed. No, WoW won't die, but it will take a beating and I believe SWTOR will likely have more subs than WoW at some point. Not that it will top WoW's highest marks, simply that eventually it will have more. At least in the US.
But it's dissapointing that it couldn't have been a more sandboxy creative endeavor that takes it's place. And for the second big mmo hit to be such a similar game is likely a death knell for any non-themepark mmos more than 2 years out from release, and it means if you want a high budget investor backed publisher-ready mmo, it will have to look and play a lot like these two games.
With phasing, themepark design, and the ability to solo all but the end game, are these even MMOs anymore? I feel like as great of a day for bioware as it is, it's likely another if not the final nail in the coffin of what mmorpg's could have been.
Comments
Dude First off You only played 30 minutes... just a warning...
Stopped reading right there.
Well said. The thing that I still don't get is, why does peoples wants MMOs to be this way? Cause, you said it, the servers are flooded.
Asking for a more sandboxy (inventing words) Star Wars game? Sorry that one just shut down about an hour and a half ago.
The majrty of gamers are wanting to have fun, and relax, bnot have to feel like they are oining another job to play a game. Sandbox games take much more on the part of the player to create an enjoyable time in them. Where as a themepark game you log in and enjoy yoru time in game with little need to prep, and devout large amount of time to the game. Theyy are also expecting to be able to group up with friends and do afew thigns with a feeling of getting somewhere even if it is only an hour of play.
OP hits the nail in the head. And no, it doesn't take more than 30 minutes into the game to realize all that. I did the same observation by playing one of the later betas for one hour.
But I wouldn't draw any conclusions yet. Check back in two months when people will have to start paying subs to play.
Personally, I'll pass. I just played WoW 8 months straight from the launch of Cataclysm and am filled to the brim with this themepark stuff. I'm playing single player games and EVE now, until a new MMO with a bit of something different (GW2, TSW and ArcheAge appear as big blots on my radar currently) comes along.
Thank you. This is spot-on.
"Yeah, our game is about loot. "
I would kind of expect a treadmill in this game after hearing that lol.
Enter a whole new realm of challenge and adventure.
yes, the OP is right. the game is nothing new. its just in starwars setting. it is even missing some big key features which other mmogs have.
these clones are kiling the mmo genre. we wont ever see anything original if this keeps up.
wait a few months when people have to start paying a monthly sub and are bored to death of the cut-sences. then lets see what happens to the game.
its just like what happened to Rift, they boomed at launch, people where all hyped up, now you can get the game almost free.
RIP.. mmorpgs
30minutes? ...
Ok thing i can advise is it to keep playing, for me it is the best MMO after wow started his downfall.
1-30 mins
2- U based your opinions in how many ppl are playing , thats when u start to go the wrong way
if you cant figure out what this game is going to be like after playing 30mins, you havent played the last batch of AAA mmorpgs or just out of the loop at the current direction of mmorpgs these days. they are all the same. if you like one your going to like the next. just pick what setting you like best. if you like Starwars play SW:TOR if you like warcraft play WoW. they all play the same. they are the same game in differnt setting. so just pick whatever lore/story you like best.
SWTOR=RiFT=WOW=SWTOR
if you like WoW youll like SWTOR, they are one in the same.
Exactly well said, I dont have time to devote my life to a game but i still enjoy the sociel interaction of a MMO and i like to be competative as well, so as soon as a game turns into a huge time sink to be competative im pretty much out.
Well OP like you I appreciate what World of Warcraft was and did for the genre.
I'm also disappointed that developers only put any real effort into this ONE bland and over done style.
It's like beer. People think of fizzy yellow piss water in general as beer. Yeah Bud Light is pretty ubiquitous and yeah it's beer.
But why not try an IPA? Or a different style of stout? Why not just order a Guinness every once and a while. "Well it doesn't look like beer." It's beer too, just done in a different style.
SWTOR just changed the label and presented it in a clear glass bottle rather than a dark one.
What gets me, and makes me sad that most humans can breed, is the fact that there's fools who say "this iz so mech better dan WoWs" rather than saying "I enjoy WoW style game play in a Star Wars setting."
That I can handle. Admit it, and that's it.
I used to play MMOs like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
I have only played WOW for about 2 hours and i have not played SWTOR at all but to me SWTOR is already heaps better than WOW because the things i really dislike about WOW are gone, 1 is the Graphical styling 2 is Pandas im sure WOW is a great game but if you cant stand to look at it there is no point.
well said OP. basically reflects why I am not currently playing any MMOs atm, the genre for me is dead.
MMORPGS are not dead, we just dont have fast enough computers/servers to handle a Full 3D ultima online style game-play. If we did, you would see more of them.
I want to be able to stack boxes on top of other boxes, PK fools, mine for gold, n do all that good stuff we used to be able to do.
Customizing your house in-game is Awsome, and looting other players (or being looted) is exciting. Though all these aspects are hard to do in a 3D graphically advanced game.
Action RPGs, and 3rd Generation online RPGs are the future. Mortal online, Darkfall and UO of course are the few that got it right.. (almost
I really hope these game designers know what the ppl want tho
Happy gaming.
(*goes back to playing UO cus its Still the only Good online rpg out)
So let me guess if someone finds SWTOR to be different than WOW and better... he is a fool and shouldn't breed? that is borderline flaming there. But can't accept much from an individual who likes to associate himself with 'puke'.
your playing mmorpg from 1997 and your saying mmorpgs aren't dead?
Yes, they are not dead.
Only the people I murder in UO are dead
))
UO was my first MMO and i think MMO genre is doing great and is alive and kicking. I will enjoy every MMO that is to release 2012 and beyond.
same man, I like em all.
Even WoW. :P (tho i think they need more Real physics like Vindictus n such.)
It's not like that. There's a reason why he phrased it in noob lingo.
"I find SWTOR more enjoyable than WoW"
"I like SWTOR better than WoW"
"SWTOR is better than WoW"
"SWTOR is sooo much better than the crap that is WoW"
It's easier to accept the first three but the last one screams of foolishness/brainwashing. With the two games playing almost the same I couldn't understand the people who disses WoW so badly but praises SWTOR.
Two games playing the same necessarily doesn't mean they are the same. What i find foolish and brainwashing is that SWTOR has a lot of features to distance itself from WOW but people conveniently ignore that and only focus on what is similar.
However, thanks for coming to his defence even though his post was one giant flame bait.
There isn't much use for the 'other' people in an MMO anymore... other than to fill your Instance Queue or be window dressing bunny hopping around the town.
The main purpose of the MMO model is to be able to charge you an additional $15/mo.
Hopeful that the success of Minecraft and maybe a truly massive game like Planetside 2 claims to be, will lead some developers off in a new direction and actually try and innovate vs. just slapping a new coat of paint on the same game we've been playing since WoW arrived.