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Reflecting on my 06 MMO Experience
CaesarsGhost
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 2,136
Let me first state this:
I'm leaving my professional experiences out of this completely and just going by games I purchased at retail. No Beta's will be included, cause I generally stay away from Betas in general. (this is in order of how they come to my mind)
Auto Assault -
PreRelease: I had high hopes for this title. It looked mad fun and I kept drooling at the idea of the possible crafting of... well... everything. The gameplay appeared fast and furious!!!
Release: HAHAHA! I just ran that dude over! Great effects, the game looks awesome. Hey look... a ramp. ZOOM!
1 Week Later: What do you mean I can't craft a level 1 vehicle? Ok ok ok... I'll craft some of these engines first. Wait... I have to choose what kind of crafting I can do? Bummer. Lemme go collect some resources.
2 weeks after Release: Run over more other cars, collect loot. Run over more cars, collect loot. Wait in line to kill named.
3 Weeks: *roll new character type* hey, new area. The Mutant's area looks mad funky. I like it.
4 weeks: ...looks different... same game...
5 weeks: ARG! I forgot to cancel... oh well.
PostMortem: I'll try this title again in a year. It was a stable game and a beautiful title... but it was kinda boring after abit.
Dark and Light -
PreRelease: there's alot of hate out there by people who got burned by SoG. I'd rather make my own opinion.
1 Week Later: ...this stupid "official" bit torrent thing better finish.
2 weeks: What do you mean the server's down? Why is it down? *goes on Forums but quickly leaves* urg, nevermind.
Post Mortem: I finally got that game canceled... yeow... what were they doing for the last 3 or 4 years???
Dungeons and Dragons Online -
PreRelease: I went into playing DDO with little expectations... so anything would impress me.
1 Week: Eh... it's ok.
2 Weeks: Eh, it's a pay version of Guild Wars.
PostMortem: I really expected more from Turbine.
Guild Wars Prophecies/Factions/Nightfall:
PreRelease (Factions): I'm a huge GW fan! I enjoy the gameplay and own PreOrder and Collectors for it.
1 Week: Neat story... love the "city" gameworld... looks really interesting.
2 weeks: Almost done... there can't be much more of this game, I'm already 20.
3 weeks: I wonder if I can bring my Mo/N here instead of this char.
4 weeks: I hate assassins... THEY'RE NOT ROGUES FROM WoW PEOPLE! You can't tank, get over it. You're a strike tool, not a tank.
PostMortem: That was fun.
PreRelease (Nightfall): I'm a huge GW fan! I enjoy the gameplay and own PreOrder and Collectors for it.
1 week: Wow... Rangers look awesome in this Build.
2 week: getting a little boring... the Hero system isn't what I expected.
Post Mortem: I never finished it... but at least I can go back at any time with no fees.
World of Warcraft -
UUURRRGGG... why do I let people talk me into this? Stupid Cienna...
1 Week: grind grind grind
2 Weeks: craft grind craft grind
3 weeks: Switch server to play with different friend. Cancel sub.
4 weeks: renew sub, fish for a day, cancel sub
5 weeks: renew sub, new server, grind and fish, cancel sub
Post Mortem: Fishing is kinda fun... this was splitup over different timeframes. I might be able to settle into this game if every time I played I didn't hear "Oh yeah, I'll team with you after you get to 60."
City of Villians -
PreRelease: I enjoyed City of Heroes... played it for 3 months, lets see how this fares.
1 Week: it's City of Heroes
PostMortem: I totally would've stuck out this game if I could've found a non-flakey guild.
Everquest 2 -
I've read alot of good things they changed about this game. Lets see how it goes.
1 Week: Oh ya, runs way better now. Good job Sony.
2 Weeks: I like the solo instances... I'm a soloer, and this helps me.
3 Weeks: Time to start that betrayal quest.
4 Weeks: more rodents trying to betray.
5 weeks: more rodents trying to betray...
6 weeks: quit for WoW... wish WoW had a betrayal quest.
PostMortem: This turned out to be a bad decision to quit to WoW for... I kinda wish I had stuck it out.
Archlord -
Should be interesting... I'll never be Archlord.
Week 1: *scream*
PostMortem: *scream*
...this goes for RFOnline too...
Saga of Ryzom -
Oh my love. This has been my on and off game for a few years now. I love this game.
Week 1: yay! They didn't change the spawn spots for resources.
Week 2: *kills and crafts*
Week 3: Killin killin killin... craftin craftin craftin
Week 4: more killin, more craftin
Week 5: harvesting harvesting harvesting
I quit and went back to Ryzom twice this year...
Week 1: new starting area... I don't like it. I don't like freeloaders.
Week 2: I'm sick of this starting area but I can't hit 20.
PostMortem: I'm sorry that I keep quitting Ryzom... it's really a phenominal game. I wish I could get a good guild in there, maybe I'd stick around longer.
What did I learn from 2006?
That I've never once been in a guild that I really enjoyed. It seems every time I get into a guild they won't group with me cause of level or just bad timing... I'm a morning person, I get up early and go to bed early... it's how I am. I know this conflicts with just about every other gamer in the world, but I can't win em all.
There's alot of good MMOs out there... but the 1 that's truely for me is just not out yet. (tell you after I find it)
"Feature Lists" should be taken with a grain of salt until release day.
Never trust "newbie areas". They're made to be more fun then the rest of the game till you get to "endgame"...
"Endgame" is a bad excuse to make the rest of the content crappy.
Fanboi's can turn to Trolls on a dime, and vice versa.
Already in 07... Vanguard -
PreRelease: better upgrade my computer *buys whole new computer* This is going to be great, found a guild we're going to get in there and have some great fun!
Week 1: Hey neat, got a mount. I'm gonna go to Thestra and climb that huge mountain. *crash*
Week 2: Crafting is interesting... at least it's almost as fun as EQ2. *crash*
Week 3: ...how did that guy run up to me at 500MPH... cast 4 spells at the same time??? ...did he just use a /teabag command?
Post Mortem: I should not have to type /flush every 30 minutes. This is a complete joke. Check back in 6 months to a year...
So what do I think I can do to help?
Give constructive critizism. If a Dev gives open calls for you to give reports, fill them out and send them in. I've writen several letters to each of the games I played for more then 2 weeks to attempt to get my situation across to the Developers. Of that, I only once got a non-automated response (Thanks NetDevil). Kudo's to Sigil for building it directly into the game... although I debate how much they actually followed the reports.
What did you learn from 06?
I'm leaving my professional experiences out of this completely and just going by games I purchased at retail. No Beta's will be included, cause I generally stay away from Betas in general. (this is in order of how they come to my mind)
Auto Assault -
PreRelease: I had high hopes for this title. It looked mad fun and I kept drooling at the idea of the possible crafting of... well... everything. The gameplay appeared fast and furious!!!
Release: HAHAHA! I just ran that dude over! Great effects, the game looks awesome. Hey look... a ramp. ZOOM!
1 Week Later: What do you mean I can't craft a level 1 vehicle? Ok ok ok... I'll craft some of these engines first. Wait... I have to choose what kind of crafting I can do? Bummer. Lemme go collect some resources.
2 weeks after Release: Run over more other cars, collect loot. Run over more cars, collect loot. Wait in line to kill named.
3 Weeks: *roll new character type* hey, new area. The Mutant's area looks mad funky. I like it.
4 weeks: ...looks different... same game...
5 weeks: ARG! I forgot to cancel... oh well.
PostMortem: I'll try this title again in a year. It was a stable game and a beautiful title... but it was kinda boring after abit.
Dark and Light -
PreRelease: there's alot of hate out there by people who got burned by SoG. I'd rather make my own opinion.
1 Week Later: ...this stupid "official" bit torrent thing better finish.
2 weeks: What do you mean the server's down? Why is it down? *goes on Forums but quickly leaves* urg, nevermind.
Post Mortem: I finally got that game canceled... yeow... what were they doing for the last 3 or 4 years???
Dungeons and Dragons Online -
PreRelease: I went into playing DDO with little expectations... so anything would impress me.
1 Week: Eh... it's ok.
2 Weeks: Eh, it's a pay version of Guild Wars.
PostMortem: I really expected more from Turbine.
Guild Wars Prophecies/Factions/Nightfall:
PreRelease (Factions): I'm a huge GW fan! I enjoy the gameplay and own PreOrder and Collectors for it.
1 Week: Neat story... love the "city" gameworld... looks really interesting.
2 weeks: Almost done... there can't be much more of this game, I'm already 20.
3 weeks: I wonder if I can bring my Mo/N here instead of this char.
4 weeks: I hate assassins... THEY'RE NOT ROGUES FROM WoW PEOPLE! You can't tank, get over it. You're a strike tool, not a tank.
PostMortem: That was fun.
PreRelease (Nightfall): I'm a huge GW fan! I enjoy the gameplay and own PreOrder and Collectors for it.
1 week: Wow... Rangers look awesome in this Build.
2 week: getting a little boring... the Hero system isn't what I expected.
Post Mortem: I never finished it... but at least I can go back at any time with no fees.
World of Warcraft -
UUURRRGGG... why do I let people talk me into this? Stupid Cienna...
1 Week: grind grind grind
2 Weeks: craft grind craft grind
3 weeks: Switch server to play with different friend. Cancel sub.
4 weeks: renew sub, fish for a day, cancel sub
5 weeks: renew sub, new server, grind and fish, cancel sub
Post Mortem: Fishing is kinda fun... this was splitup over different timeframes. I might be able to settle into this game if every time I played I didn't hear "Oh yeah, I'll team with you after you get to 60."
City of Villians -
PreRelease: I enjoyed City of Heroes... played it for 3 months, lets see how this fares.
1 Week: it's City of Heroes
PostMortem: I totally would've stuck out this game if I could've found a non-flakey guild.
Everquest 2 -
I've read alot of good things they changed about this game. Lets see how it goes.
1 Week: Oh ya, runs way better now. Good job Sony.
2 Weeks: I like the solo instances... I'm a soloer, and this helps me.
3 Weeks: Time to start that betrayal quest.
4 Weeks: more rodents trying to betray.
5 weeks: more rodents trying to betray...
6 weeks: quit for WoW... wish WoW had a betrayal quest.
PostMortem: This turned out to be a bad decision to quit to WoW for... I kinda wish I had stuck it out.
Archlord -
Should be interesting... I'll never be Archlord.
Week 1: *scream*
PostMortem: *scream*
...this goes for RFOnline too...
Saga of Ryzom -
Oh my love. This has been my on and off game for a few years now. I love this game.
Week 1: yay! They didn't change the spawn spots for resources.
Week 2: *kills and crafts*
Week 3: Killin killin killin... craftin craftin craftin
Week 4: more killin, more craftin
Week 5: harvesting harvesting harvesting
I quit and went back to Ryzom twice this year...
Week 1: new starting area... I don't like it. I don't like freeloaders.
Week 2: I'm sick of this starting area but I can't hit 20.
PostMortem: I'm sorry that I keep quitting Ryzom... it's really a phenominal game. I wish I could get a good guild in there, maybe I'd stick around longer.
What did I learn from 2006?
That I've never once been in a guild that I really enjoyed. It seems every time I get into a guild they won't group with me cause of level or just bad timing... I'm a morning person, I get up early and go to bed early... it's how I am. I know this conflicts with just about every other gamer in the world, but I can't win em all.
There's alot of good MMOs out there... but the 1 that's truely for me is just not out yet. (tell you after I find it)
"Feature Lists" should be taken with a grain of salt until release day.
Never trust "newbie areas". They're made to be more fun then the rest of the game till you get to "endgame"...
"Endgame" is a bad excuse to make the rest of the content crappy.
Fanboi's can turn to Trolls on a dime, and vice versa.
Already in 07... Vanguard -
PreRelease: better upgrade my computer *buys whole new computer* This is going to be great, found a guild we're going to get in there and have some great fun!
Week 1: Hey neat, got a mount. I'm gonna go to Thestra and climb that huge mountain. *crash*
Week 2: Crafting is interesting... at least it's almost as fun as EQ2. *crash*
Week 3: ...how did that guy run up to me at 500MPH... cast 4 spells at the same time??? ...did he just use a /teabag command?
Post Mortem: I should not have to type /flush every 30 minutes. This is a complete joke. Check back in 6 months to a year...
So what do I think I can do to help?
Give constructive critizism. If a Dev gives open calls for you to give reports, fill them out and send them in. I've writen several letters to each of the games I played for more then 2 weeks to attempt to get my situation across to the Developers. Of that, I only once got a non-automated response (Thanks NetDevil). Kudo's to Sigil for building it directly into the game... although I debate how much they actually followed the reports.
What did you learn from 06?
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."
Comments
Good post. It was funny and entertaining while being brutally honest lol.
That game developers really need to start being a bit more inventive if they want to make a good game.
We're now seeing the WoW clones coming forward, but lets face it, If I want to play generic MMO I'll just play WoW - what it does it does extremely well. It just doesn't do what I want from an MMO.
Conan and WAR look promising and both have dev teams behind them who could certainly make the games work - I just wish people would be a bit bolder with MMO design.
I've been trying many free to play and beta stage games and mmos, not going to list them but none appealed to me.
Sandboxes are severely underrated.
"End-game" is a lame way of giving the "hardcore" players everything they want, while excluding everyone else.
Developers are willing to say whatever it takes to get you to play their game, but they won't actually DO anything afterwards.
Just the first of many, I'm sure I could go on for days.
That if an MMO developer wants to be a huge success they need to create a game that is more like a Solo RPG. One that engages each character and makes each feel like they are the hero of the story. I have high hopes for Bioware and what ever game they make.
As far as what actually came out or was available in 06? Well I am back playing DAoC and waiting for the 30th of March to come so I can play LOTRO.
I quit every other game that I played or Beta tested throughout 06. Worst mistake I made was buying TBC, what a total piece of crap that game is.
I have high hopes for 07 though. LOTRO, AoC, WAR, and TCoS will hopefully be successes.
Currently playing:
LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too:
Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
I dont have much to reply with, except that im currently on EQ2 and i bet it would be a bit more fun if i actually had the time to get into some lengthy play-sessions.
You said that you wish you had stuck out playing EQ2, so perhaps that should be your next game of the month?
Otherwise thx for a great post. Lotta truth in there
---------
no sig
I agree, still havent found what Im looking for. Still, maybe oneday.
But EQ2 is certainly the best of the current breed and has kept me going for a while now. But then I am in a good guild with some great guys and girls, which as you point out, helps alot.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
But I've recently found that there's too much grinding in that game. Yes, farming/grinding/harvesting is a fun aspect of MMOs where you collect resources and craft depending on your profession. This should be a supplement to the game, i.e. when there's down time, get a break from storyline, etc.
I've only found that professions in WoW had become such a time consuming burden and that if you don't level up your professions, you can't afford to do anything in WoW. What's worse was that more and more people are just doing mindless farming, and you'll run into them everywhere you go, at any time (especially since WoW US server can be accessed globally).
I don't think I'll quit WoW just yet, since there are indeed a lot of new things to explore in TBC, but if it's continuing to be a reputation grind/profession farm game, I think I'll put it on hold for a little and try other games.
I've been reading on some games, but have not yet found anything that's good to try. I would like to ask for some recommendations.
I'm thinking about: DAoC, EQ2, Vanguard.
I like the idea of player housing, guild castle/town, realm wars, but I've heard some bad things about them where strong guilds can just plow through new guilds (in DAoC) and the weak guilds may never recover.
I have to say though, that MMOs will most likely not be balanced between hardcore players and casuals. I used to be hardcore, but due to things in life, I've become more casual, and cannot raid as much. Not that I'm against it, but I just prefer to have a life outside of PC games (ok, just WoW).
Maybe future MMOs will reward casuals in a different way than raiders (like those games that emphasize on player skill rather than gear).
Galactic Civilizations 2 -
What can I say, this was well designed and absolutely great in almost every way. I would've loved some Multiplayer, but you can't win them all.
Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators -
If you haven't played this game, than you wouldn't understand. This is phenominal, and if you haven't tried it you have to. You get get the ESD from Stardock or Direct2Drive (I reccomend StarDock though), or the box from the store.
Company of Heroes -
This is probably the 2nd or 3rd best RTS game I've ever played. Hands down.
Battlefield 2 and 2142 -
I was a huge fan of 1942 when it came out, these are both great titles. I don't recomend Vietnam...
fl0w -
Great little minigame. Google it, it's free.
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."