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Looking For an MMORPG with Depth, Crafting, and the Possibility to Duo/Trio
Let me start off with a quick explanation of what precisely I'm looking for...
My first brush with online RPGs was Phantasy Star Online back in 2001. I absolutely loved that game and played it until there was nothing left to do. My first brush with MMORPGs didn't come until early '04 when I played SWG--and loved it. After the CU came out, I quit and moved on to EQ2 but didn't like the lack of PvP, so I ended up with WoW. Along the way, I've also played other MMOs as well... a lot of them to be blunt.
WoW isn't bad, but since I don't like raiding and typically only play with two people that I know IRL (I was in a huge guild for a while, but decided to switch to playing with people I mainly know IRL), WoW is just growing old; the game world isn't nearly as expansive or detailed as games such as FFXI and EQ2 are.
Here is the catch, however--I would like a game that offers a lot of exploration value, yet a game that offers some incentive for a small group (a duo or trio). I don't solo; I would get too bored. But a duo/trio can be a great deal of fun if it's with people you trust.
I'm not opposed to F2P games if they meet the criteria; however, I feel that P2P games offer more content updates and better service over all.
I've tried the following games, none of which worked out too well due to the reasons listed beside each one:
EQ2 -- This didn't work out because my gaming partners wanted a bit of PvP, but didn't want to be on a full PvP server.
FFXI -- I loved this game personally, but my friends didn't because they said that there was little motivation to level in a game that "offers nothing for small groups." If I could choose one game myself, this would be the one. The changing seasons, the expansive world, and the amazing detail all work together to draw a player in, I feel. It's the closest thing to a living, breathing world I've seen so far. I was willing to tolerate the lack of PvP since the PvE side of things more than compensates.
WoW -- I've been playing this game so long that I want to yank out my hair at times. It's just gotten old, and the lack of character customization, lack of depth to the world, and small leveling areas leave a lot to be desired. Sadly, this is about the only game my friends seem to want to play other than a pre-CU version of SWG. The PvP is the only thing that keeps me playing.
RF Online -- This game wasn't horrible if you like a PvP-only game... I actually really enjoyed the Chip Wars, but I like some PvE tossed into the pot as well.
Phantasy Star Universe-- The character customization in this game is unbelievably good, but the game took a few steps backward from PSO when it comes to content. Too shallow overall.
LOTRO-- Not a bad game, but the PvP is pretty shallow. Also, it feels like a watered-down version of WoW to me. I wasn't impressed with the fact that all characters have nearly identical faces, either. The housing was a nice addition, however. My friends actually liked this game more than most, but it still wasn't enough to drag them off WoW.
Tabula Rasa--Despite a lot of its issues, I liked this game a lot. Good character customization, a sci-fi world, and the ability to be effective in the game as a duo/trio earned two thumbs up in my book. My friends didn't like the game due to the lack of a decent PvP system and the lack of vehicles to drive at the moment.
Sword of the New World-- Unless something has changed since beta, then I will not play this game, period. Pointing and clicking isn't fun...
Last Chaos--Not bad. Reminded me of EQ1 a bit, but I felt that it could have been much better in terms of content... or it's lack of content I should say.
Archlord-- Total crap, IMO.
Guild Wars--Beautiful game; large areas for an instanced game; however, it felt too shallow without a crafting system or a decent array of armor visuals.
I've played others (Saga of Ryzom, Silkroad, Hellgate London, Anarchy Online, and DDO), but this should give you an idea. I did try Vanguard in beta as well, but it was sooo buggy...
In any case, I know that it may be impossible to find a game that all three of us love, but if we can find one that we each LIKE to an extent, then I'll be satisfied. I've blown enough cash on trying games that no one wants to play with me. So if there's a game not on this list that anyone thinks would work, please offer your suggestion here. I'm not delusional though... This may be an impossible task. Still, I thought I'd give this forum a shot as a last ditch effort before I give up.
Comments
i want a game that lets you solo or duo and get good stuff without all that big grouping gay men stuff. I just cannot stand playing with a lot of players or waiting on them or having some jerk in the group get the good item we all just wasted 3-6 hours of our life fighting to get also. CoH/V is awsome got solo and duo but I need another game and I just can't find one.
Tried Hellgate and while you can solo the game feels so amateur and the community is trash with kiddies all over the forums and really bad forum moderators that have about as much heart as a dog pile. Lack of getting a good name cause some person took it and all the people at flagship seem to care about its items and repetition ... then again they made diablows so that's probably why hellgate development lacks a really good story or character development. It just is pushing you to the next best item and really ugly dual sword animations.
I just want a game like I said I can solo or duo and get good items but have a sense of adventure too and good character customization. I tried Tabla Rasu but not sure on that one. I wanted Vanguard to be a solo or duo friendly game with realistic rewards but I don't really know if it is. It felt forced like you had to play with all these male fruits on teamspeak or ventrillo (like WoW) and big raids to get great items otherwise you had stuff people normally throw away or sell off.
If you know of any good solo/duo games with good access to most of the content aside from CoH/V let me know please.
I agree with you on Last Chaos. It has a lot of potential that will sadly not be realized. The PvP system is rubbish. If it was better that game would rock hardcore. I digress, though.
IMO, you might want to try DAoC. Duo/trio is the best I've ever seen. You can really get a ton accomplished with only 2 or 3 people. Here is the best thing; that include RvR(PvP). Another good thing is that RvR is purely consensual, yet gives great rewards in the form of character customization. Now, I even think you can buy abilities (ToA) with the realm points you earn in RvR, but I could be wrong. The crafting is wonderful. Alchemy is very useful, and you can make a little cash doing it.
The bad thing is DAoC is a dying game, and very top heavy(experienced players). Less than 7k users are online at peak hours, and that means RvR is only active during peak times. WIth such a low population, even during peak times, finding any RvR action is a chore in and of itself. If you're not playing from 7pm EST - 12AM EST, its really tedious to find any action.
I think you might want to give it a try if you plan on playing during those hours.
Your title says depth, crafting and duo/trio... not PvP
That actually sounds like the most important criteria given your post. If you all have nice computers I would definitely give Vanguard a look, although from what I understand the PvP is very limited. It does however have a ton of depth, a significant crafting system and is great to solo, duo, trio or full group in. I would say the exploration aspect is better than any other MMO out there at the moment.
You will hear a lot of Vanguard bashing around here, but it has its share of fans too. Mostly people who seem to like what you are looking for
Other than the PvP that is hehe.
Well, for me PvP is not a necessity, but I suppose that my friends do require some form of PvP, even if it's only dueling. If the game was good enough, they just might give up PvP in favor of a stellar PvE experience.
I've thought about Vanguard several times since I've heard that SOE is trying to improve it; however, given SOE's track record (as I said, they ruined my beloved SWG), I'm a bit hesitant to spend more cash without trying it first, so I'll probably wait for the free trial to come out.
DAoC... Well, I really like the game's concept (I really can't wait to try WAR), but due to the fact that it is a dying game, I really haven't tried it for more than fifteen minutes.
I'm trying a couple of more F2P games while I'm waiting to find something better. At least they won't cost me anything.
Well, for me PvP is not a necessity, but I suppose that my friends do require some form of PvP, even if it's only dueling. If the game was good enough, they just might give up PvP in favor of a stellar PvE experience.
I've thought about Vanguard several times since I've heard that SOE is trying to improve it; however, given SOE's track record (as I said, they ruined my beloved SWG), I'm a bit hesitant to spend more cash without trying it first, so I'll probably wait for the free trial to come out.
DAoC... Well, I really like the game's concept (I really can't wait to try WAR), but due to the fact that it is a dying game, I really haven't tried it for more than fifteen minutes.
I'm trying a couple of more F2P games while I'm waiting to find something better. At least they won't cost me anything.
Would you like my last 10 day free trial buddy key?
I would greatly appreciate it if you can spare it. If I come up with a key to give you in return, I'll be certain to send it your way.
I would greatly appreciate it if you can spare it. If I come up with a key to give you in return, I'll be certain to send it your way.
Sent to the email listed in your profile, hope it runs better for ya now
I would greatly appreciate it if you can spare it. If I come up with a key to give you in return, I'll be certain to send it your way.
Sent to the email listed in your profile, hope it runs better for ya now
Again, I really appreciate it. I also sent you a spare key I managed to come up with.
OP request SCREAMS Vanguard.
There are so many incredibel features in Vanguard I couldn't even list them all.
But duo/trio makes harvesting things so much better. The land is huge and beautiful. Crafting is repetitive after a while to some degree but requires skill and thought. You cannot craft blindly and do well.
You will really like Vanguard short of PVP. There is FFA PVP and PVE those are your only options right now. And yes SOE scares us all. I for one firmly believe I will like what already exists or I will leave, becuase SOE never makes anything better.
as said, vanguard would be a great option for you. pvp ffa is fun. if you are not a carebear . . .
Geez, don't use that term; it makes me cringe. Plus, while I certainly enjoy PvP myself, I respect those who don't, and I think that term is just as offensive as labeling all PvPers as being "griefers," which is just plain wrong too.
Anyway, it's a shame that there isn't a blended PvP/PvE server more along the lines of WoW. I like to get a feel for a game (learning my class, etc.) before I seriously start engaging in PvP, but instead I'll probably have a character on each server type so that I can experience both sides of the game.
To those who recommended this game: you were right. I've been playing Vanguard for a couple of hours now, and it's awesome. It really reminds me of several games I've played rolled into one, and so much has changed since beta in a good way. I just hope that I can talk my friends into playing it, but I think that they'll probably like it, especially if we make characters on a PvP server as well. I don't think that they're even aware of the fact that Vanguard has any PvP.
ONly thing that sucks about vanguard is not being able to play at work. My work laptop can run wow but not Vanguard. So I can only play at home.
What the hell am I going to do at work?......work.......no
Cypt, ever thought about Eve-Online? Its totally different and not everybodys game, but definitly worth a try. (Its heavy on PvP-content though. Even crafting is PvP on another Level..)
But the entire concept of Eve-Online is really intriguing, and other than the fact that you're playing as a ship, I can't see why my friends would complain. Being a fan of SWG and sci-fi in general, I've decided it's worth trying.