Old EQ hand looking for an MMO

Kiersten

I've recently gotten rather sick of Aion.  Which was the lastest mmo I tried out.  I absolutly love the game, even though it's got a lot of bugs I don't like.  But i hate the fact it's korean owned, which just complicates things too much.  And i hate the bots...

• The world can not feel empty to me, that ruins my immersion.  I have to have the feeling I am not alone in the world.  And there are other people out and about.
• So I'm looking for an american/canadian owned and operated game
• Old or new.
• I like pvp but it dosn't have to have pvp for me to enjoy it.
• A friendly population, that enjoys socialization as well as play
• Anything that isn't warcraft    (ie dosn't pander to children and casual gamers so much it ruins the feeling of accomplishment and fun)

I've been thinking of going back to EQ, but I'm just worried that the server pops would be so low I wouldn't like it.  I also thought about giving Vanguard another try.  But i'm worried about the same thing with vanguard. 

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

 

 

Aralith

 I was very heavy into EQ for the first 5 years it was out, then the guild gradually dissolved. I have played pretty much every commercial MMO and many of the F2P MMOs. I have yet to find the same mix of excitement, community and sense of accomplishment I found in EQ. I think EQ had the advantage of being one of the earliest MMOs to get alot right.

Most of the games I have played since are too easy with little or now penalty for being stupid, anti social or just a jerk. Aside from guilds, you dont find much of a sense of community beyond PUGs in many of the games. I am actually playing WoW now but it is with a small group of friends on set game nights so it is pretty fun to level up and try things together. This model worked great for us with DDO as well and we are planning on returning to that game at some point now that the level cap is higher than when we left. If you can gather up a few friends you can make any game out there fun i think.

You might try a couple of the F2P games and see what you think. Some that i have enjoyed are DDO, Anarchy Online and Runes of Magic

I highly recommend DDO.

• The community is made up of more mature players I believe, although this may have changed since when i played it last.
• It is made up of mostly adventures instances though. Open world is only in shard city areas and there are some outdoor adventure zones for your party.
• The world is fairly attractive
• The classes are fun and you can find one to fit any playstyle preference. 

It is free to try so it can't hurt

Kiersten

I tried DDO out a while back.  And something about it I could never get into, it was just kind of odd controls and weird gameplay.  I might have to try it again though.  

Is the population on Vanguard and EQ as dismal as i hear?  Or is that just nay sayers doing their usual internet doom and gloom? 

heremypet

Originally posted by Kiersten


I tried DDO out a while back.  And something about it I could never get into, it was just kind of odd controls and weird gameplay.  I might have to try it again though.  
Is the population on Vanguard and EQ as dismal as i hear?  Or is that just nay sayers doing their usual internet doom and gloom? 

 

VG is OK but they have a F2P dev team and still charge $15 / month, they have RMT, some areas are completely deserted partially because low pop and travel system. Crafting is good though, one of the best.  The land is huge and one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in a game.  The world in VG is totally wide open, you can usually spin in any direction and just start running.  12 races each with 12 racial starting towns, only they are deserted thanks to the trial island, or rather the one main item you get from it.  But if you like playing different characters each with very different and rich culture and starting towns, and don't mind doing it solo, then it's pretty fun.  Alternatively you could start in the island and stick the coveted "popular path", otherwise the main feel of the world is 'empty'.  Either way the demo is free, so you should just try it yourself if you're interested.

EQ is unrecognizable. I would recommend against going back to EQ, as an old EQ player you would only be disappointed.

Pro-tip: The VG community is very nice and helpful, but avoid getting involved in arguments with them!