Eve doesn't feel alive to me at all. The X games, Evochron, Freelancer,yes, but not Eve.
To be fair though I play it as a single player game, seeing other players only when at a gate.
Classic EQ would be my top mmo world, with Xsyon in second place. EQ2 would be a distant third place, primarily due to their gigantic flora and well crafted fauna.
Vanguard had a great open world feel to it, it was a real shame the game tanked. I threw some money at them here and there but in the end it was just so poorly optimized.
EVE never felt like an open world to me. Yes it was possible to fly anywhere, but typically people were only found inside specific points in the system. Missions, asteroid belts, etc, which even though they arent, always just felt like public instances to me, don't know why.
Archeage isn't bad at all for open world feel.
Age of Wushu had a pretty good open world feel, just a mess of a game otherwise.
Repopulation has, so far, had a great open world feel to it, its just very rough around the edges and will likely scare people away with its dated graphics.
Ultimate open world feel, though... DayZ. Seriously, just try it sometime, you will be suprised.
Please visit my youtube channel for some H1Z1/DayZ casual roleplay videos!
You'll have to wait 2 years (2016) until Star Citizen comes out. Each system will be filled with a fixed number of characters. As live humans pop in, a matching number of NPCs will find a convenient way to exit the system, thereby maintaining the total population. The developers aim to make the AI lifelike enough that you can't immediately tell just by looking if another ship is piloted by a person or a program. They'll have multiple goals and desires of their own to fulfill.
The last time I saw a zone that actually felt "alive" with its own ecosystem was EQ1. I have to recommend against it now just for its horrible (painful, really) graphics, but the world really was immersive at the time.
In order of most to least, my top games for an "alive open world fee" are"
EvE - because the entire universe is a giant game of cat and mouse, your role depending on what you are up to.
ESO - for its mastery of phasing to make an online world still feel as open and alive as the offline elder scrolls games.
LoTRO - for its lack of load screens, and for its incredible atmosphere - the wind sweeps across the grass in waves you can watch, you can listen to other players make music together, the weather makes me want to find shelter (you can see the rain splashing off your character)
Rift - for its lack of load screens and titular rifts. The very low friendly npc population makes a very off-putting feeling, though.
I think it is worth mentioning GW2 for their events - you can just wander around and there are things to do. It isn't so "open" feeling, though - every zone is an unnatural mountain surrounded rectangle with load screens on the doors out. I had great fun doing events, but how artificial everything felt really pushed me away.
I haven't played archeage yet, but from videos it seems to have a very open world feel due to no load zones and travel methods (boat, glider, climbing trees). Other things I have heard about it here have been.. not so good.
Cyrodiil is special. 9 months and hundreds of hours played, I still see new things. Without a guide addon I don't think you would ever find everything.
This is the first I've seen ESO mentioned. How open does the world feel?
I enjoy it. I like all the little NPC conversations when I pass by, and the comments they make about my recent accomplishments (either to my character, or when you hear them gossiping to each other) and the conversations they have in general.
The cities are pretty big, with plenty of NPCs going around doing their thing, and of course with players running around like busy little bees. The areas are pretty vast, and you can spend a long time riding over rolling hills or along beaches. Yes, there are load screens between each large area, so if you're the kind that despises those, it's probably not for you. But if you don't mind them, I'd say give the game a shot.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
This is the first I've seen ESO mentioned. How open does the world feel?
I think it is great personally. There are zones but each one is very large and open with tons of exploration. It is right there with vanilla EQ1 / WoW / DAoC as far as feeling like a world for me.
I thought I hated load screens, but then I remembered that skyrim and oblivion and morrowind had them, too. Since playing ESO I am now realizing that what I hate is giant immersion breaking swirly things to indicate a zone transition. A door/gate will do nicely, thank you.
Mortal online, seamless world, you can roam as a bandit and find merchants transporting goods between different towns (banks/auction house are localized)
I just remembered another thing that helps me with ESO; NPCs that come seek you out when they've learned something new and want your help, or someone needs to see you and they've been sent to find you.
Another thing I absolutely love is the phasing someone mentioned, and how people you've met in earlier parts of the game sometimes move with you, instead of forever remaining that static NPC standing in the begin area. You experience their joys and pains through the storyline (especially when playing Ebonheart Pact it seems :P).
Edit: Ohhh! I almost forgot the bards playing in Tamriel's taverns, singing their songs. The only MMO to ever do that if I recall correctly. (At least with actual voices and real instruments) I often find myself pausing to listen for a bit. Here's an actual list of the songs; http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Bardic_Performances which can be used to Youtube them.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
Actually LOTRO feels very open world to me... Its huge, and does not have questhubs beyound every other corner..
it even has open world dungeons, just ride trough the shire and see all those hobbits doing hobbity things..
Well, it has "some" open world dungeons (and I only remember small caves). I can't remember being in one that was sizeable. You'll have to remind me.
I've spent a better part of my early Lord of the Rings Online career running up to doors/caves only to get "you need to have the appropriate quest" appear. Or whatever the verbiage is.
oh wait, I'll give you moria.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
As the title asks, which MMOs are the best at creating a world that feels open and alive? There are far too many "lobby"-like MMOs where the world feels empty and dead, or other MMOs where the zones all feel disconnected.
Which do you find are the best at feeling like an actual world?
I found Dark Age of Camelots pvp both in their battlegrounds and realm vs realm battles to feel very open and engaging. It always felt open yet surreal and meaningful. To me that's what an "alive" feeling is.
This is the first I've seen ESO mentioned. How open does the world feel?
When I put that in I wanted to add 'sometimes' next to it. Some areas look perfect especially at night. Right before you run into the invisible wall. Some parts of the world are really immersive, feel extremely alive with creature life and like others said NPCs talking about their problems and sharing gossip.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Cyrodiil is special. 9 months and hundreds of hours played, I still see new things. Without a guide addon I don't think you would ever find everything.
I always thought of Cyrodill as a pvp zone so I never really went there and explored. After watching these videos I look foward to checking it out.
Comments
It sucks what happened to Vanguard.
-Computer specs no one cares about: check.
-MMOs played no one cares about: check.
-Xfire stats no one cares about: check.
-Signature no one cares about: check.
------------------------------------------------------------
-Narcissism: check.
Eve doesn't feel alive to me at all. The X games, Evochron, Freelancer,yes, but not Eve.
To be fair though I play it as a single player game, seeing other players only when at a gate.
Classic EQ would be my top mmo world, with Xsyon in second place. EQ2 would be a distant third place, primarily due to their gigantic flora and well crafted fauna.
edit: Totally forgot about Dre, I mean Vanguard.
Vanguard had a great open world feel to it, it was a real shame the game tanked. I threw some money at them here and there but in the end it was just so poorly optimized.
EVE never felt like an open world to me. Yes it was possible to fly anywhere, but typically people were only found inside specific points in the system. Missions, asteroid belts, etc, which even though they arent, always just felt like public instances to me, don't know why.
Archeage isn't bad at all for open world feel.
Age of Wushu had a pretty good open world feel, just a mess of a game otherwise.
Repopulation has, so far, had a great open world feel to it, its just very rough around the edges and will likely scare people away with its dated graphics.
Ultimate open world feel, though... DayZ. Seriously, just try it sometime, you will be suprised.
Please visit my youtube channel for some H1Z1/DayZ casual roleplay videos!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQoK5VZlwBBzpsksmXtjMQ
You'll have to wait 2 years (2016) until Star Citizen comes out. Each system will be filled with a fixed number of characters. As live humans pop in, a matching number of NPCs will find a convenient way to exit the system, thereby maintaining the total population. The developers aim to make the AI lifelike enough that you can't immediately tell just by looking if another ship is piloted by a person or a program. They'll have multiple goals and desires of their own to fulfill.
The last time I saw a zone that actually felt "alive" with its own ecosystem was EQ1. I have to recommend against it now just for its horrible (painful, really) graphics, but the world really was immersive at the time.
In order of most to least, my top games for an "alive open world fee" are"
EvE - because the entire universe is a giant game of cat and mouse, your role depending on what you are up to.
ESO - for its mastery of phasing to make an online world still feel as open and alive as the offline elder scrolls games.
LoTRO - for its lack of load screens, and for its incredible atmosphere - the wind sweeps across the grass in waves you can watch, you can listen to other players make music together, the weather makes me want to find shelter (you can see the rain splashing off your character)
Rift - for its lack of load screens and titular rifts. The very low friendly npc population makes a very off-putting feeling, though.
I think it is worth mentioning GW2 for their events - you can just wander around and there are things to do. It isn't so "open" feeling, though - every zone is an unnatural mountain surrounded rectangle with load screens on the doors out. I had great fun doing events, but how artificial everything felt really pushed me away.
I haven't played archeage yet, but from videos it seems to have a very open world feel due to no load zones and travel methods (boat, glider, climbing trees). Other things I have heard about it here have been.. not so good.
Cyrodiil is special. 9 months and hundreds of hours played, I still see new things. Without a guide addon I don't think you would ever find everything.
If you counting really old games then Asherons call.
Modern games, probably Gw2 but it is nowhere near the MMOs of the 90s there.
I enjoy it. I like all the little NPC conversations when I pass by, and the comments they make about my recent accomplishments (either to my character, or when you hear them gossiping to each other) and the conversations they have in general.
The cities are pretty big, with plenty of NPCs going around doing their thing, and of course with players running around like busy little bees. The areas are pretty vast, and you can spend a long time riding over rolling hills or along beaches. Yes, there are load screens between each large area, so if you're the kind that despises those, it's probably not for you. But if you don't mind them, I'd say give the game a shot.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
I think it is great personally. There are zones but each one is very large and open with tons of exploration. It is right there with vanilla EQ1 / WoW / DAoC as far as feeling like a world for me.
I just remembered another thing that helps me with ESO; NPCs that come seek you out when they've learned something new and want your help, or someone needs to see you and they've been sent to find you.
Another thing I absolutely love is the phasing someone mentioned, and how people you've met in earlier parts of the game sometimes move with you, instead of forever remaining that static NPC standing in the begin area. You experience their joys and pains through the storyline (especially when playing Ebonheart Pact it seems :P).
Edit: Ohhh! I almost forgot the bards playing in Tamriel's taverns, singing their songs. The only MMO to ever do that if I recall correctly. (At least with actual voices and real instruments) I often find myself pausing to listen for a bit. Here's an actual list of the songs; http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Bardic_Performances which can be used to Youtube them.
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
Well, it has "some" open world dungeons (and I only remember small caves). I can't remember being in one that was sizeable. You'll have to remind me.
I've spent a better part of my early Lord of the Rings Online career running up to doors/caves only to get "you need to have the appropriate quest" appear. Or whatever the verbiage is.
oh wait, I'll give you moria.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I found Dark Age of Camelots pvp both in their battlegrounds and realm vs realm battles to feel very open and engaging. It always felt open yet surreal and meaningful. To me that's what an "alive" feeling is.
When I put that in I wanted to add 'sometimes' next to it. Some areas look perfect especially at night. Right before you run into the invisible wall. Some parts of the world are really immersive, feel extremely alive with creature life and like others said NPCs talking about their problems and sharing gossip.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
I always thought of Cyrodill as a pvp zone so I never really went there and explored. After watching these videos I look foward to checking it out.
http://youtu.be/xWfc6fm6bUA?list=PLlHPIxgE60jJjXj1OavKQr7bcoVzWXOqD