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It's sad but true, we have lost the sparkle.

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  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,001
    Originally posted by Kyleran

    I don't buy the "first kiss theory", mine was with a drunk 15 year old girl (to be fair I was a drunk 15 year old boy) and there wasn't all that much magical about it.

     

     

    I think there is a lot to be said by this.

    My first kiss was awesome and she was my first love ...

    But she wasn't my best or greatest love!

    My first mmo was lineage 2 and it really was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. But that's because of what it was. Open world, an actual "world" where the game was the players not what the developers gave to the players.

    Not a lot of mmo's like that as the theme park revolution hit shortly after that.

    But in the end, I always thought mmo's were actual "worlds" (that's what news media kept saying they were whenever some odd everquest story broke) and that they would play much like morrowind. that I would just be put in a place and explore and find my own fun.

    subsequent theme parks made that difficult.

    That's why, after I discovered Vanguard, I felt like I had found something of what I thought mmo's were supposed to be.

    I'm still hopeful that I'll get what I want. I might not get everything I want but I believe I will get some of the thing I want. hmmmm, much like "life" I suppose.

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  • JosherJosher Member Posts: 2,818

    People who started playing with UO, EQ,,DAOC or even WOW have aged quite a bit.   Once single, now married with kids.  Its mostly impossible to play a game like EQ started out as, with a job and a family...sorry.   Maybe if you're still single in your late 30s or 40+ you could dedicate the time and effort to play with such a rule set, but things don't stay the same...or at least you would hope.

    Perhaps uber nerds who got married, then dedicate every waking moment after the kids go to sleep to logging in can perhaps stick to a MMO schedule, but "normal" people simply can't do it anymore.  I'll always cherish those first times in DAOC, AO, E&B, WOW and a few others, but I'll never recapture that feeling, because it can't be duplicated again.  The concept of a MMO was new.   PvP or RvR is old hat.  You can only rewrap it.  The first time running over a hill and seeing a siege in DAOC was awesome.  Seeing it now only with better graphics is NOT going to duplicate what I felt back then.  Teaming up and raiding a dungeon now is never going to have the same feeling as it did 10+ yrs ago.   Wandering through a new world is NEVER going to feel the same as doing it back then.

     

    Watching StarWars when I was a kid is NOT going to feel the same as watching whatever Disney cooks up the 3rd time around.

  • kjempffkjempff Member RarePosts: 1,759

    Wrong. I am sick and tiered of the same void statements about first mmorpg. Wearing the yes-hat as a lifestyle makes people blind to criticism, and the first time argument comes in handy.

    To a devourer of games who just grind through every new game as fast as possible to play the next, sparkle might just mean new stuff. To a mmorpg player who are looking for a long term mmorpg relationship, the sparkle is whether the game presents deep mechanics and a promise of continous character evolution. The sparkle is not there because no games are offering it, and not because of the false premise that sparkle can only happen one time for one person.

  • AzothAzoth Member UncommonPosts: 840
    Originally posted by kjempff

    Wrong. I am sick and tiered of the same void statements about first mmorpg. Wearing the yes-hat as a lifestyle makes people blind to criticism, and the first time argument comes in handy.

    To a devourer of games who just grind through every new game as fast as possible to play the next, sparkle might just mean new stuff. To a mmorpg player who are looking for a long term mmorpg relationship, the sparkle is whether the game presents deep mechanics and a promise of continous character evolution. The sparkle is not there because no games are offering it, and not because of the false premise that sparkle can only happen one time for one person.

    totally agree

  • GeezerGamerGeezerGamer Member EpicPosts: 8,855
    Originally posted by delete5230

    Wrong,

    Many of us here would love to continue.  But now we have :

     

     

    Lobby games to que for random groups

    Carrot on a stick games, where the developers control your game play. Do step 1,2,3 in order

    MMOs are too easy, everyone solos

    Less than 30 days of content

    F2P crap

    Dynamic Events, where you don't know anyone. Kill stuff and leave.

     

    So people are trying to hang in there as hard as they can !

     

    yep

  • AlBQuirkyAlBQuirky Member EpicPosts: 7,432


    Originally posted by Torgrim
    I only speak for myself here but I bet plenty of others feels the same way.I made a topic awhile back that plenty of MMOs are around but you/we havent found a home, well my point with this thread are, sadly is we cant find a home for the simple reason  we cant and will never find that first feeling, you can argue how much you like how good DAOC were, or vanilla WoW, or AO, or AC, the list can go on, the point is we played those games back then, not now, back when most of us were still in school or early 20s, a new world of gaming dragged us in and we delved deep into it.Today many of us have played and tried plenty of MMOs over the years and that little special spark hasent been there, sure the games were good nothing special really just fine good ol gameplay with some odd choices here and there and some bugs but overall they were ok, but the spark wasent there, the feeling damn this game is for me, I will play this for years and you STICK it for years hasent been there, the sparkle are gone and you still looking for that special snowflake.So the point with this rambling are, we have played it all, done that, been there, what is it for us to look foward to besides the holodecks?So tough luck finding your rainbow.
    That may ring true for you, but not me. I am not "questing" for that first time feeling. Never have, never will. In fact, I had MORE fun in City of Heroes (my 3rd MMORPG) than I did in EQ, my first MMORPG.

    What I seek is an MMORPG where I can spend time with my avatar interacting with the world in ways other than clicking through pre-fab texts or killing them. It really does not seem all that difficult to me, but apparently, I am asking not only the world, but the universe from developers.

    The old games were nothing near "perfect", in my opinion. Lots of flaws were to be had. Some imperfections were more "fun" than others, but they existed. However, I had much more fun in them for a lot longer than this "ultra easy mode" crap were are inundated with today that takes all of 4-8 weeks to "beat."

    No, that "first time feeling" is long gone. No need to revisit them exactly as they were. But there sure were a lot of features that have been dropped that would be nice to see again.

    - Al

    Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.
    - FARGIN_WAR


  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722

    i have one home mmo that i can take breakes whenever i want and not waste subscription money since it doesnt have one (GW2).

    Other than that, mmorpgs in general are becoming too dull or stale. Ive been having a blast lately playing some classic console games i never played before. Gotta play them on an emulator on PC because my monitor doesnt have audio/video connectors for older consoles.

     

    Here hoping mmos take a different path from what we have today.





  • bokac91bokac91 Member UncommonPosts: 2

    1st time is the 1st time - simple as that...

     

    It feels like I am IN LOVE with WoW, even though I played it only on private servers most of the time. It's really hard to choose anything better or "better" then it...

  • TinkerballerTinkerballer Member Posts: 8
    Originally posted by daeandor

    I agree with the loss of the sparkle, in a sense.  I will never again feel fear in a game like I did in EQ1 trying to get somewhere as a level 15ish alone.  I will never feel the excitement of the first time I got jumped by a shadowblade in DAOC RvR solo.  I will never see anything like my first experience with pre-CU SWG again.  But the same thing holds true for nearly all games.  I can't have my first competitive FPS kill (Rainbow 6 on Mplayer.com in 1999).  It all loses luster.

     

    However, the games have also changed with us.  The gates to entry have been removed and the need for cooperation have been reduced.  The nature of online gaming is no longer new to anyone involved as even the youngest player has been exposed to minecraft servers at a young age.  In the end, I don't think it is fair to compare anymore.  Just like we no longer compare radio to TV or Pandora.  They are different mediums altogether now, serving different audiences for different purposes.  Same has become true of mmorpgs, they serve a different purpose than they did 15 years ago.

     

    I'll leave it at:  There are still fun games out there and fun people, but it will never be 1997-2004 again.

    I have an idea to get that "Fear" back you so badly missed. I am starting a kickstarter. I want to add a USB connection to a shock collar. Anytime you die, you get a healthy jolt.

     

    Are you interested? What do you think?

     

    P.S. The Spakle died when SOE killed SWG with the NGE.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by DMKano

    There is no we on forums.

    Whenever you want to write "we" (unless you really are an official speaker for some group) just drop the pretense and say I

     

    Pretty much this ..

  • da9elsolum2da9elsolum2 Member Posts: 1
    Landmark put the spark back for me, even if the ''spark'' wasnt there for atleast 3 years now..
  • Instigator-JonesInstigator-Jones Member UncommonPosts: 530
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by DMKano

    There is no we on forums.

    Whenever you want to write "we" (unless you really are an official speaker for some group) just drop the pretense and say I

     

    Pretty much this ..

    +1

    Hell, reading Mtibbs1989's reply made me curious to check out Wakfu. That old sparkle never dies for me, it just evolves.

  • The user and all related content has been deleted.

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    Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
  • BoneserinoBoneserino Member UncommonPosts: 1,768
    Originally posted by Torgrim

    I only speak for myself here but I bet plenty of others feels the same way.

    I made a topic awhile back that plenty of MMOs are around but you/we havent found a home, well my point with this thread are, sadly is we cant find a home for the simple reason  we cant and will never find that first feeling, you can argue how much you like how good DAOC were, or vanilla WoW, or AO, or AC, the list can go on, the point is we played those games back then, not now, back when most of us were still in school or early 20s, a new world of gaming dragged us in and we delved deep into it.

    Today many of us have played and tried plenty of MMOs over the years and that little special spark hasent been there, sure the games were good nothing special really just fine good ol gameplay with some odd choices here and there and some bugs but overall they were ok, but the spark wasent there, the feeling damn this game is for me, I will play this for years and you STICK it for years hasent been there, the sparkle are gone and you still looking for that special snowflake.

    So the point with this rambling are, we have played it all, done that, been there, what is it for us to look foward to besides the holodecks?

    So tough luck finding your rainbow.

    I can't wait to hear you bitching about how the holodecks aren't " sandboxy " enough!

    FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!

  • KissThaRingKissThaRing Member UncommonPosts: 78

    Things change man, but things have improved; if you choose to see it. I remember playing games on a 56k modem and getting pissed when 10 meg patch was released. lol. It was just a different era, those late 90's - early 2000's was a very budding and special era for games. Most of us built our own computers, ran 3dfx cards, and did fresh installs of windows 98 every month to make sure our FPS didn't suffer. Quake, UT, HL, Tribes, the beginning of cable/dsl internet, eventually CS (imo the pinnacle of PC gaming, preWoW)... everything was so fresh and new, shit that was just blowing us away, but nowadays? Not so much. It's like when radio was first invented, then TV, then the color TV, etc. People are blown away by novelty but eventually it fades. Movie FX, remember when terminator came out? The FX blew everyones mind, jurrasic park, etc. Now people can make that shit on there home PC, lol.

    MMO, the gaming industry in general, is not immune to these things, it changed. Gaming has changed. It's different now, we're all older, system are different, console gamers and PC gamers playing together, causals and hardcores, etc. Theres alot going on now, we are no longer a small group of nerds exploring a world from a 3rd party map, everything is money and it needs to make sense and be profitable. OG EQ can never be profitable in this market.. Most of that market (myself included, now in my 30's) have changed. The idea of playing a game like OG EQ today is just totally unrealistic - not only will I not have the patience, but just simply not have the time for that. Thats why Archage cracks me up, 10 years ago I would've loved that game but today? No thanks, just don't have patience for stuff like that anymore. I enjoy themeparks, group finder, etc. I can login and play - I am that market now, 10 years ago I would've scolded anyone that liked these features but not anymore, I got old and need my hand held alittle, lol. 

    The magic is gone but you can still have fun in MMO's if you just find one that suits you - don't worry about popularity, just find one that is fun for you and stick with it.

    I enjoy undercutting people in the market place - it's the only PvP a crafter gets.

  • GeezerGamerGeezerGamer Member EpicPosts: 8,855
    Originally posted by DMKano

    There is no we on forums.

    Whenever you want to write "we" (unless you really are an official speaker for some group) just drop the pretense and say I

     

    English does have a context for the implied "we". And unless someone is actually expressing an opinion that is so outrageous, it's highly unlikely that person is expressing their opinion for the 1st time. And it's generally pretty easy to find others who have posted similar opinions. So, given that it's a safe assumption that the poster isn't expressing ANY opinions for the very 1st time and that there won't be others to reflect it, than it's most definitely "we". Someone isn't wrong for saying "we"  When ever I see someone use that "we" I read it as "For me and those who agree with me" If you don't agree, then you weren't part of the implied "we". In fact, if you want to carry it out a step further, for you to tell someone not to express their opinion as "we" and telling them to say "I" you are now speaking incorrectly for those who do agree with the opinion. It's kinda hypocritical.

    I don't agree with OP's position. At least for me. I think it's the games that have changed, not me. But that doesn't mean there aren't those who do.

  • NadiaNadia Member UncommonPosts: 11,798
    Originally posted by KissThaRing

    Things change man, but things have improved; if you choose to see it. I remember playing games on a 56k modem and getting pissed when 10 meg patch was released. lol. It was just a different era, those late 90's - early 2000's was a very budding and special era for games. u just find one that suits you - don't worry about popularity, just find one that is fun for you and stick with it.

    i played EQ on a 56k modem for 5 years,  from 1999 to 2004

    -- took forever for internet Cable to be available to my New Hampshire town

     

    EQ raiding with 70 players on a 56k modem was not fun with all the player spell effects,

    needless to say i had all visual effects OFF

  • RusqueRusque Member RarePosts: 2,785
    I found that spark in ESO, but that VR grind is bad and is preventing me from playing it.
  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393
    My original sparkle was barely visible to begin with and now it's gone. However the possibilities of what an morph can be make this a genre to keep an eye on, I recognize that so I do keep an eye on it and try out every new free game or beta along the way, I don't spend any money though because no one has delivered anything worth value. The possibilities are there though, just have to wait and see if anything comes to fruition. In the meantime, I will hang my hat on days like today where a tried and true development team launches a triple A game that I have heavily invested in already, it's uncommon for me to open my wallet for video games, but with the case of Destiny, I am all in.
  • Ender4Ender4 Member UncommonPosts: 2,247

    Yeah I'm not gonna agree either. The issue is more the shoddy games they are making. Players want the genre to evolve and it just isn't. The only really good MMORPG to be released in recent years was TSW and they failed on the combat model so sadly it is hard to stick with the game when the combat just isn't fun.

    Games like Albion Online and EQN at least show there is some hope for the future. We don't just have to be led around in linear quests like all these games are doing now. Even if those games fail they hopefully show enough that other future games will go in that direction. A lot of game designers realize how horribly flawed the current MMORPG model is.

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,498
    Originally posted by DMKano
    Originally posted by GeezerGamer
    Originally posted by DMKano

    There is no we on forums.

    Whenever you want to write "we" (unless you really are an official speaker for some group) just drop the pretense and say I

     

    English does have a context for the implied "we". And unless someone is actually expressing an opinion that is so outrageous, it's highly unlikely that person is expressing their opinion for the 1st time. And it's generally pretty easy to find others who have posted similar opinions. So, given that it's a safe assumption that the poster isn't expressing ANY opinions for the very 1st time and that there won't be others to reflect it, than it's most definitely "we". Someone isn't wrong for saying "we"  When ever I see someone use that "we" I read it as "For me and those who agree with me" If you don't agree, then you weren't part of the implied "we". In fact, if you want to carry it out a step further, for you to tell someone not to express their opinion as "we" and telling them to say "I" you are now speaking incorrectly for those who do agree with the opinion. It's kinda hypocritical.

    I don't agree with OP's position. At least for me. I think it's the games that have changed, not me. But that doesn't mean there aren't those who do.

    Excellent points - thanks for pointing this out.

     

    I assumed he meant the royal "We"   image

    I agree with Geezer, most opinions on these forums appear to represent a view point held by some subset of the posters (even if it's only a few) and I certainly am not offended when someone "speaks" for me when they say they prefer some old school design or whatever.

    Sometimes I feel we get a bit carried away on these forums splitting hairs over semantics, which I think might be a debating tactic to help deflect, or redirect the conversation from it's original viewpoint. (I'm sure I'm guilty of this myself)

     

     

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  • Viper482Viper482 Member LegendaryPosts: 4,064
    Originally posted by Torgrim

    I only speak for myself here but I bet plenty of others feels the same way.

    I made a topic awhile back that plenty of MMOs are around but you/we havent found a home, well my point with this thread are, sadly is we cant find a home for the simple reason  we cant and will never find that first feeling, you can argue how much you like how good DAOC were, or vanilla WoW, or AO, or AC, the list can go on, the point is we played those games back then, not now, back when most of us were still in school or early 20s, a new world of gaming dragged us in and we delved deep into it.

    Today many of us have played and tried plenty of MMOs over the years and that little special spark hasent been there, sure the games were good nothing special really just fine good ol gameplay with some odd choices here and there and some bugs but overall they were ok, but the spark wasent there, the feeling damn this game is for me, I will play this for years and you STICK it for years hasent been there, the sparkle are gone and you still looking for that special snowflake.

    So the point with this rambling are, we have played it all, done that, been there, what is it for us to look foward to besides the holodecks?

    So tough luck finding your rainbow.

    Sorry but I disagree, it is not us.

    I have yet to find that game which promotes true community, true reliance on others for your success to promote people working together in harmony, and basically an MMO that is not a single player game with a chat room. Daoc created realm pride in a persistent war. What did other games do? They created games where you could roll on both sides or transfer on a whim, and week long tournament style wars. Never came close to the same feeling. Old style games were about community, you felt part of it. In today's games even when you do group content 90% of the people don't even mutter a word. It is anti-social. 

    The constant here has been us, it is the games that have changed. I know what I want, I have yet to find it. When I find what I want and the same result happens then we can go with your theory.

    Make MMORPG's Great Again!
  • ArchlyteArchlyte Member RarePosts: 1,405
    Originally posted by Nadia

    i still like mmos

    but i've gone back to old loves of pen and paper RPGs and boardgaming

    Yeah me too. It feels more free, more creative, and the time with friends is better.

    MMORPG players are often like Hobbits: They don't like Adventures
  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Torgrim

    I only speak for myself here but I bet plenty of others feels the same way.

    I made a topic awhile back that plenty of MMOs are around but you/we havent found a home, well my point with this thread are, sadly is we cant find a home for the simple reason  we cant and will never find that first feeling, you can argue how much you like how good DAOC were, or vanilla WoW, or AO, or AC, the list can go on, the point is we played those games back then, not now, back when most of us were still in school or early 20s, a new world of gaming dragged us in and we delved deep into it.

    Today many of us have played and tried plenty of MMOs over the years and that little special spark hasent been there, sure the games were good nothing special really just fine good ol gameplay with some odd choices here and there and some bugs but overall they were ok, but the spark wasent there, the feeling damn this game is for me, I will play this for years and you STICK it for years hasent been there, the sparkle are gone and you still looking for that special snowflake.

    So the point with this rambling are, we have played it all, done that, been there, what is it for us to look foward to besides the holodecks?

    So tough luck finding your rainbow.

    Either you have a split personality or a strange definition of "myself".

    I've been playing MMOs for a good while now. 

    • - I'm not looking to 'rekindle that old feeling'
    • - I'm not looking for a dressed up version of my first MMO
    • - I am finding good gameplay in several of the MMOs
    • - Despite having spent a few years in several MMOs, I have never before nor do I ever have 'play this for years to come' as a focus or criteria for choosing an MMO
    • - I am having a lot of fun in several MMOs. 

    And it's a safe bet there are millions others like me. 

     

    Remember John Cusack in Better Off Dead? His pining for his lost love and his inability to move on? The self-inflicted misery? That's YOU. But it's worse, because it isn't even over a hot girl... it's over a video game, man. 

     

     

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  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by KissThaRing

    Things change man, but things have improved; if you choose to see it.

    Yeh, MMOs are much better games now, for me.

     

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