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The Most Immersive Zones in MMORPG's

EronakisEronakis Member UncommonPosts: 2,248
edited March 2016 in The Pub at MMORPG.COM
I just recently started to play Lotro and I have to say that early zones of Lotro are absolutely amazing. As I experienced these zones it made me ponder back to other mmo's I have played and made me wonder what made these zones in Lotro so special? 

The Trollshaws, Forochel, North Downs and Eregion have a sense of wilderness to them and it makes you feel that  you're experiencing a world. The Trollshaws have that tiaga biome feel with rivers, elevation and woodland groves. Forochel has an openness to it that immerses you into a boreal winterland. The North Downs has a unique feel as it also has a tiaga feel with other various environments that make it interesting, such as Fornost Fields. Eregion is an interesting place as well as it is also open but some what hilly as well. It reminds you of an epic frontier. 

What makes these zones set apart from other mmo's I've played is simply the amount of detail with vegetation, rocks, ground textures and atmospheric lighting. It truly makes you feel you could get lost in the wilderness and I love that feeling. It enhances exploration and overall immersion. The forests actually look like a forest with the capacity of trees. That is something that I find rare in most mmo's today. If you've played Lotro I am sure we can share the same sentiments.

While Guild Wars 2 has some pretty fantastic zones, I so far much prefer the look and feel of Lotro's zones. I also thought Everquest had some great zones but it lacked in detail as at that time the environmental artists had graphical limitations. Vanguard's world was also good as well. What helped the immersion for Vanguard is that it was open and you can travel anywhere. I would say that Vanguard felt too open and too flat at times. Sometimes that can work and sometimes it doesn't. I truly believe if Vanguard was a finished game, Telon would be the best of the best.

What is your list of your most immersive zones or places in mmo's you've played? List them! Or Screen Shot them! I am basing my immersive experience aesthetically. - By the way I am talking about exterior zones not interior zones like dungeons or instances.

Lord of the Rings Online
Trollshaws
Forochel
North Downs
Eregion
Rivendell
Evendim
so far...

Everquest
Old East & West Commonlands
North Ro
Dreadlands
The Great Divide
Kithacor Forest
The Karana Plains
Greater/Lesser Faydark
Everfrost Peaks
The Overthere
Emerald Jungle

Guild Wars 2
Timberline Falls
Mount Maelstrom
Frostgorge Sound
Snowden Drifts
Sparkfly Fen
Harathi Hinterlands

Vanguard
Three Rivers Village
Koan's Rush
Thelaseen
The Swamps of Ramug
Halgarad
Khal
River Valley
«1

Comments

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435
    Plains of Gwyddneau which was released for Albion in the SI expansion was one of my all time favorites in DAOC, especially the Cliffton area along the river.

    Used to love jumping from the high cat walks, where if you hit the water you lived, else.....

    That game still had the most immersive overall world, playing on Mordred let me roam all 3 realms freely, and there was magic in Tir Na Nog, the cold frigid realms in Midgard, I could go on for hours, so many great memories, with most locations burned into my memory, including the great dungeon, Darkness Falls.

    I so wish my favorite private server would come back to life (they keep promising...soon)


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  • AmatheAmathe Member LegendaryPosts: 7,630
    WoW

    Duskwood/Darkshire

    EQ

    Kelethin
    Plane of Hate
    Maiden's Eye
    Paludal Caverns

    Those are some of my favorites.

    But there are so many games, and so many zones. I'm not being fair I feel. 

    EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests

  • cameltosiscameltosis Member LegendaryPosts: 3,703
    LotRO certainly has an awful lot of really well crafted zones, basically everything released before Moria (1-50) was really damn good. I think the biggest thing for me about LotROs zones is that they are all quite large and open. It was very rare that I felt like I was on a linear trek. You could go off the beaten track to explore and usually find something interesting (there were always some ruins or encampments that weren't part of any quests). 

    Another thing that I think helped with immersion in LotRO was lack of fast travel / horses in early levels. When the game launched, you couldn't get a horse until lvl 35 and having to run everywhere really made you appreciate the size of the zones. Being quite open, I'd always be tempted to go cross-country to try and save some time, helping with the feeling of being in the frontier. 

    My favourite zones:

    • North Downs - Just so much variety. Standard orc camps, group-focused areas, some wide open green fields, forests, also has Fornost surrounded by fields of the undead. 
    • Misty Mountains - I'm generally not a fan of snowy zones, but MM was great. Again, absolutely massive with a lot of group-focused content. Loved exploring the giant's stronghold, risking a run to try and farm Hoartusk for rare crafting mats etc. Also, MM as goblin town which, whilst it is an interior location, its "open" and massive. 
    • Evendim - I initially hated the zone but I eventually grew to love the lake! Some really pretty scenic views, plus the city of Annuminas was great. 


    Only other game where I've really enjoyed the zones is SWG. They were generally quite sparse and not particularly well crafted, but some of them were great. The emptiness worked in Tattooine's favour and it really felt right. I also loved Endor, basically just endless forest but the devs had built a few decent Ewok villages to explore. Again, it felt right. 

    Finally, special mention of Praag in WAR. PvP in MMORPGs generally seems to happen in wide open fields and the occasional keep. Praag was PvP in a city and I loved the street-to-street fighting, laying ambushes in alley ways etc. 
  • kjempffkjempff Member RarePosts: 1,759
    Certainly size of maps/areas plays a huge role in immersion. Size alone does not do it, it has to contain something .. a huge landscape without mobs or life is not enough (You know which mmorpgs I refer to).
    Adding to that is how the game works, how it gives you reasons (not orders) to explore into these places, and of course the design and art style - For example if you stripped gw2 of all its gameplay, there are pretty awesome zones that without all the themepark crap are some of the best ever made.
      
    Without vastness, without getting completely embraced into the area and biome for a longer period of time, there is no immersion. This is exactly where themeparks fail, by cramping rides close together they are not giving the player a chance to immerse themselves because the setting changes constantly. Born from the assumption players should be guided through the content and not experience any moments of being lost, not knowing what to do, not doubting, no boredom, no challenge.

    The problem is crating huge zones themepark style also requires the developer to fill these with content, so in my opinion you only get immersive zones by dropping the idea of themepark content and make content like for example Eq did. So again I return to the mantra >> make worlds not stories <<
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  • ceratop001ceratop001 Member RarePosts: 1,594
    Lotro was really a masterpiece and not talked about enough.
     
  • pingopingo Member UncommonPosts: 608
    WoWs biggest strength was always the world. It really was the world of warcraft and they slayed their world design. WoWs art was very very strong when it came out. There where many zones that stood out to me.

    Redridge Mountains was a very strong zone. I was somewhat emotional when I saw what had happened after the Cataclysm. 


    I can't hate on Cataclysm too much because I think it was brave what they did with the core world. That expansion is hated for what it did to the end game, but really, progressing the world was not a bad thing. The fact that Elwynn Forest is just still that. That it hasn't changed in all these years. That's sad. 

    Besides day and night cycles, weather and season cycles would be nice. Playing with 3 months of snowy terrain in a zone. 
  • ceratop001ceratop001 Member RarePosts: 1,594
    Rift:
    Moonshade Highlands


    Good ol moonshade :), nice place to farm epic artifacts. If you need my macro just leave me a message...
     
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    LotRO for me as well, love the world layout. AoC has some cool zones too.
    Another thing that I think helped with immersion in LotRO was lack of fast travel / horses in early levels. When the game launched, you couldn't get a horse until lvl 35 and having to run everywhere really made you appreciate the size of the zones. 
    Don't mention it, or the fast-travel addicts, who derailed the narrative thread too, will teleport in and trolling away the thread :waving:
    I agree, I still used to walk (not run) around on foot when I'm in the mood. On a couple characters I still have the Bree starter steed (I think it's not in game anymore?) which has the "speed" of a slightly boosted running, so served mostly just cosmetic purposes when the "true" riding was a level 35 boon.
    Don't forget the good ol' Nenuial, a.k.a . the lake Everswim :lol:  now it has an instant boat fare...
  • DKLondDKLond Member RarePosts: 2,273
    edited March 2016
    Nice thread ;)

    To me, LotRO and WoW are tied for the most beautiful worlds. WoW because of sheer variety and amazing use of colors - but it's obviously extremely high fantasy. LotRO for an amazing take on the Tolkien world with a ton of care poured into it.

    Darkshire - WoW
    Azshara - WoW
    Ironforge - WoW

    Conall's Valley - AoC

    The Shire - LotRO
    The Old Forest - LotRO
    Moria - LotRO

    Antonica - EQ2 (I didn't play EQ2 much, but for some reason I was really taken with this zone)

    Capitals - GW2 (I never felt GW2 zones were that immersive, but the main cities were pretty amazing)

    Kingsmouth - TSW (amazing atmosphere, really)

    New York - Division

    Into the Deep - DDO



  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    I would have to think very hard to come up with any zone i considered to be very immersive from any game.

    I gave it about 5 minutes of thought,i figured if a zone was really that good i would remember it for sure even with my shotty memory.

    I would say from a mmorpg standpoint ,i believe it was the opening of Vanguard,with the ongoing war and you were a captured prisoner on a ship.Most games simply have VERY poor immersion,one of the bigger problems with game design.

    Immersion is not created by generating a zone,jotting down some assets and tying in a quest or three,that is just lazy simple design.You have to design scripted sequences and Ai and props etc etc.
    Most zones are just built extremely sloppy where nothing makes sense,like some fire is happening but the wildlife is still standing around like nothing is happening.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • SaelemSaelem Member UncommonPosts: 31
    I just recently tried LOTRO and I agree the few zones I've experienced so far are gorgeous. I was surprised people complained about that game's graphics. The character models are one thing, but the world is one of the best I've seen on high settings. It may just be that I'm a sucker for the high fantasy forestal setting.

    I also really like Gridania and the shrouds in FFXIV, a cool blend of traditional and whimsical. 
  • Flyte27Flyte27 Member RarePosts: 4,574
    I would bring up music again as an immersing factor.  Here is the EQ soundtrack and if you read the youtube comments many people would navigate to certain areas of the game just to hear a specific track play.  Music can setup the atmosphere of an area and tell a story about it without actual words.



  • tamlantamlan Member UncommonPosts: 1
    edited March 2016
    Started playing ESO a while ago and I love roaming the detailed landscapes. Explored only a few maps yet but off the road you stumble upon ruins, dungeons, camps and npcs and their stories, resources and treasures. It's really immersive.
  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    Starting are in Age of Conan was great.  The rest of the zones were.just ok.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • EronakisEronakis Member UncommonPosts: 2,248
    Flyte27 said:
    I would bring up music again as an immersing factor.  Here is the EQ soundtrack and if you read the youtube comments many people would navigate to certain areas of the game just to hear a specific track play.  Music can setup the atmosphere of an area and tell a story about it without actual words.



    I absolutely agree. Everquest had great music to set the tone for the zone. What EQ also did as use a lot of ambient nature music as well that really helped the wilderness feel of the zone.
  • cronius77cronius77 Member UncommonPosts: 1,652
    Kyleran said:
    Plains of Gwyddneau which was released for Albion in the SI expansion was one of my all time favorites in DAOC, especially the Cliffton area along the river.

    Used to love jumping from the high cat walks, where if you hit the water you lived, else.....

    That game still had the most immersive overall world, playing on Mordred let me roam all 3 realms freely, and there was magic in Tir Na Nog, the cold frigid realms in Midgard, I could go on for hours, so many great memories, with most locations burned into my memory, including the great dungeon, Darkness Falls.

    I so wish my favorite private server would come back to life (they keep promising...soon)


    remember the water bettle camps in DAOC vanilla near tir na nog? lol...

    I also remember the best zones as being in DAOC the most memorable zones to date. I always remember back to the first time being in the Salisbury Plains fighting those annoying chickens or the water beetles near the starting village mag mel in hybernia. Also darkness falls your first time down deep leaves a lasting impression as my favorite dungeon of all time in a game.
  • Flyte27Flyte27 Member RarePosts: 4,574
    Eronakis said:
    Flyte27 said:
    I would bring up music again as an immersing factor.  Here is the EQ soundtrack and if you read the youtube comments many people would navigate to certain areas of the game just to hear a specific track play.  Music can setup the atmosphere of an area and tell a story about it without actual words.



    I absolutely agree. Everquest had great music to set the tone for the zone. What EQ also did as use a lot of ambient nature music as well that really helped the wilderness feel of the zone.
    Very true.  I also enjoyed the city music.  They Kelethin, Qeynos, and Freeport music fit them fairly well.  I expected Freeport to sound a little darker though.  It had a lot of shady characters.  I didn't remember the music for ocean travel at all.  When I went back to listen to it I enjoyed it a lot.  The main theme is also fairly enjoyable to me.  Sometimes I think people said there were no stories in old MMOs, but there were if you looked.  Each area had a lot of character.
  • EronakisEronakis Member UncommonPosts: 2,248
    I do have to say that WoW did have a few decent zones as well. I just couldn't take the world serious for other reasons. But here are my list of my favorite WoW zones..I wouldn't say they were immersive but just that they were well done aesthetically to potentially look like a wilderness... 

    World of Warcraft
    Dustwallow Marsh
    Tirisfall Glades
    Arathi Highlands
    Hillsbrad Foothills
    Duskwood
    The Hinterlands
    Western Plaguelands
    Swamp of Sarrows
    Deadwind Pass
    Mulgore
    Winterspring
    Nagrand (BC version)
    Howling Fjord
    Grizzly Hills
    Talador 
    Spires of Arak
  • Flyte27Flyte27 Member RarePosts: 4,574
    Eronakis said:
    I do have to say that WoW did have a few decent zones as well. I just couldn't take the world serious for other reasons. But here are my list of my favorite WoW zones..I wouldn't say they were immersive but just that they were well done aesthetically to potentially look like a wilderness... 

    World of Warcraft
    Dustwallow Marsh
    Tirisfall Glades
    Arathi Highlands
    Hillsbrad Foothills
    Duskwood
    The Hinterlands
    Western Plaguelands
    Swamp of Sarrows
    Deadwind Pass
    Mulgore
    Winterspring
    Nagrand (BC version)
    Howling Fjord
    Grizzly Hills
    Talador 
    Spires of Arak
    I enjoyed exploring all the zones.  Especially in Vanilla before they added the GPS.  I enjoyed Ashenvale forest a lot.  Winterspring had something going as it made you feel cold kind of like Everfrost in EQ.  Duskwood had that atmosphere where you feel like something is going to jump out and attack.  I don't recall WoW having much music, but it did a good job via artwork.
  • flguy147flguy147 Member UncommonPosts: 507
    Tortage was done very well in AOC
  • EronakisEronakis Member UncommonPosts: 2,248
    edited March 2016
    Flyte27 said:
    Eronakis said:
    I do have to say that WoW did have a few decent zones as well. I just couldn't take the world serious for other reasons. But here are my list of my favorite WoW zones..I wouldn't say they were immersive but just that they were well done aesthetically to potentially look like a wilderness... 

    World of Warcraft
    Dustwallow Marsh
    Tirisfall Glades
    Arathi Highlands
    Hillsbrad Foothills
    Duskwood
    The Hinterlands
    Western Plaguelands
    Swamp of Sarrows
    Deadwind Pass
    Mulgore
    Winterspring
    Nagrand (BC version)
    Howling Fjord
    Grizzly Hills
    Talador 
    Spires of Arak
    I enjoyed exploring all the zones.  Especially in Vanilla before they added the GPS.  I enjoyed Ashenvale forest a lot.  Winterspring had something going as it made you feel cold kind of like Everfrost in EQ.  Duskwood had that atmosphere where you feel like something is going to jump out and attack.  I don't recall WoW having much music, but it did a good job via artwork.
    Yes, and noticed most of the zones that were well done were vanilla based. It was well done for the style of art direction they went with. I personally are not in favor of the cartoon stylized art, more of a realistic real tone art direction. WoW had a few zones that had decent music, but doesn't compare to EQ's score.
  • Flyte27Flyte27 Member RarePosts: 4,574
    Flyte27 said:
    Eronakis said:
    I do have to say that WoW did have a few decent zones as well. I just couldn't take the world serious for other reasons. But here are my list of my favorite WoW zones..I wouldn't say they were immersive but just that they were well done aesthetically to potentially look like a wilderness... 

    World of Warcraft
    Dustwallow Marsh
    Tirisfall Glades
    Arathi Highlands
    Hillsbrad Foothills
    Duskwood
    The Hinterlands
    Western Plaguelands
    Swamp of Sarrows
    Deadwind Pass
    Mulgore
    Winterspring
    Nagrand (BC version)
    Howling Fjord
    Grizzly Hills
    Talador 
    Spires of Arak
    I enjoyed exploring all the zones.  Especially in Vanilla before they added the GPS.  I enjoyed Ashenvale forest a lot.  Winterspring had something going as it made you feel cold kind of like Everfrost in EQ.  Duskwood had that atmosphere where you feel like something is going to jump out and attack.  I don't recall WoW having much music, but it did a good job via artwork.
    WoW has some amazing music. For instance, the entrance to Stormwind is epic.
    WotLK had some really atmospheric music, like Howling Fjord and Grizzly Hills. The "bom bom bom bom!" tune of Icecrown was very fitting too.
    The Pandaria soundtrack is awesome too, but hey... part of it is from Jeremy Soule, so no surprise there.
    Perhaps I just need to refresh my memory by listening to the soundtrack.
  • EronakisEronakis Member UncommonPosts: 2,248
    edited March 2016
    These ambient soundtracks from Everquest are timeless! The best of the best! This really helped immersion for me.


    Take sometime and listen. It will be by far worth your time! - Apologies! I posted the wrong video!
    Post edited by Eronakis on
  • RavingRabbidRavingRabbid Member UncommonPosts: 1,168
    I'm currently playing ESO and I have to say couple of these areas are gorgeous. Grahtwood and Greenshade  area in the Altmeri Dominion are detailed and fantastic, I cant wait to see the other factions. Believe it or not I used to love the "wrecked" spacestation areas in Eve Online along with some of the nice looking space dust and  mini asteroids would accumulate. I also have to agree with previous poster in LOTRO as many of those areas are MMO eye candy.


    **Queen Ayrenn about to sleep with the Raving Rabbid, but unfortunately is cock-blocked by Molag Bal when a Dark Anchor appears!. The Raving Rabbid has a special plunger to use on the Daedric Prince!***

    All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
    Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes

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