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Any decent "social" MMOs?

Are there any enjoyable and well-made MMOs where the main focus is socialization rather than combat?  I guess there's Second Life, but that's considered pretty poor, right?

Thanks for any info!
AmatheAlBQuirky
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Comments

  • NyteWytchNyteWytch Member UncommonPosts: 53
    edited December 2020
    Depends on your idea of poor. You can do almost literally anything in Second Life. Most people have a bad impression due to a lot of factors (poor pc, wrong impressions, etc). I've done pretty much everything you can in SL and I'm still pretty much a noob (started SL in 2004, been in on/off since). A very big activity is shopping for your avatar...some people will do that nonstop the entire time they play as customization is unlike anything you will encounter elsewhere. Most of the people I know tend to hang in their social circles at clubs or other activities. There is a lot to explore or you can even make stuff and become a real merchant. There is no doubt a seedier side in SL but you could play for years and never see it.

    If you want pointers or whatev let me know...there are a ton of SL communities...
    KyleranAlBQuirkyUngood[Deleted User]
  • MightyUncleanMightyUnclean Member EpicPosts: 3,531
    NyteWytch said:
    Depends on your idea of poor. You can do almost literally anything in Second Life. Most people have a bad impression due to a lot of factors (poor pc, wrong impressions, etc). I've done pretty much everything you can in SL and I'm still pretty much a noob (started SL in 2004, been in on/off since). A very big activity is shopping for your avatar...some people will do that nonstop the entire time they play as customization is unlike anything you will encounter elsewhere. Most of the people I know tend to hang in their social circles at clubs or other activities. There is a lot to explore or you can even make stuff and become a real merchant. There is no doubt a seedier side in SL but you could play for years and never see it.

    If you want pointers or whatev let me know...there are a ton of SL communities...
    OK, thanks.  Are the graphics badly dated, or have they been updated over time?  How does it run on a current, mid-range gaming PC?  I seem to remember reading that it had horrible lag or FPS problems for most people, years ago.
    AlBQuirky
  • NyteWytchNyteWytch Member UncommonPosts: 53
    OK, thanks.  Are the graphics badly dated, or have they been updated over time?  How does it run on a current, mid-range gaming PC?  I seem to remember reading that it had horrible lag or FPS problems for most people, years ago.
    Graphics will depend a bit on your machine/settings and also a lot of content in SL is user made. So some stuff will be fugly lol. Yeah FPS can be a problem depending on a lot of possible things. I would guess the majority of SL users are on mid to low pcs and get plenty of use out of it. Bottomline is it is free so doesn't hurt to try! The official client for the game should be fine but most people would suggest using the Firestorm client as that does help with some finicky stuff. 

    Depending on what you are into, I can def recommend some activities to try. I'm a bit of an oddball so one of my favorite things is to drive semi trucks using the GTFO system. :P But there are a ton of clubs for live music, etc.
    Po_ggAlBQuirky[Deleted User]
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,028
    I guess we just need more MMOs where you talk the mobs to death. :)
    [Deleted User]AlBQuirkyUngoodsumdumguy1
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    Scot said:
    I guess we just need more MMOs where you talk the mobs to death. :)
    The aforementioned Ever, Jane is something like that though? You gossip them 'till they faint :) 

    OK, thanks.  Are the graphics badly dated, or have they been updated over time?  How does it run on a current, mid-range gaming PC?  I seem to remember reading that it had horrible lag or FPS problems for most people, years ago.
    As Nyte said it varies heavily. On general it can run on almost anything, but then you can wander into places where you'll get just a slideshow even on good PC - all depends on how the creators have built their stuff, texture sizes and details, etc.

    Though it might not fit for what you seek, it ain't an MMO, at least not in the traditional sense. It's more like a framework, like Roblox or Crayta just with much more freedom to do whatever you want.
    With that in mind, SL does have a few MMORPGs in said framework, that's what I went in for the last time, a few years ago. Sadly both the two I've tried were pretty weak.
    Found an adventure/puzzler game though, which was fun.

    Then of course there's everything else, from music to nightclubs and tons of adult content...
    Dunno if that's still the case, so just in case you'll dive into it: don't join to vampires, and don't accept easy jobs at adult clubs :) 
    AlBQuirkyScotNyteWytch[Deleted User]
  • DibdabsDibdabs Member RarePosts: 3,238
    SL was a lamentably dated game the day it was released.  I tried it because of the hype and found it full of abandoned junk and resounding silence.  I've tried a couple of VR programs of a similar nature and they're pretty average to be honest.
    KyleranAlBQuirkyNyteWytch
  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    A Tale in the Desert

     is a Crafting/ Socialization MMO


  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,882
    Scot said:
    I guess we just need more MMOs where you talk the mobs to death. :)
    Clearly you've missed out on the Corporate meta gaming in EVE Online, plenty of folks there trying to shit talk others to death.
    AlBQuirkyScot[Deleted User]Ungood

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,926
    Kyleran said:
    Scot said:
    I guess we just need more MMOs where you talk the mobs to death. :)
    Clearly you've missed out on the Corporate meta gaming in EVE Online, plenty of folks there trying to shit talk others to death.

    I remember my last day in Eve when I knew I wasnt going to play anymore...i told everyone in chat where I was and to go ahead and kill me and take what little I had....Whats funny is every single one of them thought it was a trap and not one person came after me even though I just sat there in my little noob ship waiting to die.
    [Deleted User]UngoodAlBQuirkysumdumguy1
  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,926
    "You can do almost literally anything in Second Life."

    I searched for SL on Steam and they dont have it apparently.
    AlBQuirky
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    "You can do almost literally anything in Second Life."

    I searched for SL on Steam and they dont have it apparently.
    Since it ain't a game, but a framework so to speak... with their own ecosystem, marketplace, etc. 
    UngoodAlBQuirky
  • TillerTiller Member LegendaryPosts: 11,404
    Po_gg said:
    "You can do almost literally anything in Second Life."

    I searched for SL on Steam and they dont have it apparently.
    Since it ain't a game, but a framework so to speak... with their own ecosystem, marketplace, etc. 

    I was gonna post the same thing as a joke, but you went all serious about it lol. SL is a great place to troll people if you need a good laugh btw. Some of those folks that inhabit that world take their second lives too serious sometimes.

    On a serious note It is a good place for DJs, since most clubs are closed down in the real world, if you enjoy playing for people beyond some of the normal streaming platforms, you can do the same in SL. Also If you are creative you can create and sell your digital assets to the boring folks on their market place or in world.

    I've actually been in and out of it since 2006, and while there is some crazy people, it's not all that bad. Exploring some of the creative builds and sims is interesting I guess, and they have some cool holiday sims as well as a few exploration/story based games I would say that is about the only redeeming quality, just not some of the people; fuck those people.
    AlBQuirky
    SWG Bloodfin vet
    Elder Jedi/Elder Bounty Hunter
     
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    Tiller said:
    I was gonna post the same thing as a joke, but you went all serious about it lol. 
    Not entirely, at first in the post there were smirks about try the opposite and find Steam on SL instead, and also building a sarcasm detector, but just deleted it at the end, and went with simply factual... more helpful that way.
    AlBQuirky
  • cheyanecheyane Member LegendaryPosts: 9,354
    I've always been fascinated by second life but I have never tried it. Wonder what it is like. Interesting what you have written about it, has made me curious.
    UngoodAlBQuirkyAbimor
    Garrus Signature
  • UngoodUngood Member LegendaryPosts: 7,534
    cheyane said:
    I've always been fascinated by second life but I have never tried it. Wonder what it is like. Interesting what you have written about it, has made me curious.
    I played it for a bit, and IMHO, it gets boring fast for an MMO player, as while it is a social game and there is a whole dynamic of being able to build, make, and sell stuff, it feels very, IMHO, Bland, because there is nothing to "Go and Do"

    Just to explain that, there is no pre-established entertainment in Second Life. You know when you go into a game like DDO. You can go do a dungeon, where you can be entertained by the mindless slaughter and quest for loot and money.

    This does not exist in Second Life.

    It is more akin to playing something like Minecraft, with non-voxel graphics, where you can build and design stuff, and peacefully interact with other players.

    But that is pretty much all you can do.

    You log in, chat, interact, build, buy, sell, and that's about it.

    Some people love that.. I am too much a gamer, when I log-in, I wanna play something, so, to me, it feels boring.

    But at the same time, if, say I swapped all the time I spent on these forums, or face book, with playing secondlife, it would be the same thing, just doing online social stuff, in a 3d format.
    [Deleted User]TillercheyaneAlBQuirky
    Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.

  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    cheyane said:
    I've always been fascinated by second life but I have never tried it. Wonder what it is like. Interesting what you have written about it, has made me curious.
    Funny thing is, after all these posts, now I too feel like going back and look around...


    "Wonder what it is like."
    A good analog is the web - not really a far-fetched example, at start they've brought the same, and the goal was to kinda "replace" the web with SL. (Real world agencies and firms have built their offices within, etc.)

    When you fire up SL, it's like firing up your browser, on its own it doesn't do much. (just in SL you don't have an empty page but your avatar, and you can walk around, etc.)
    What makes it work is to either visit/use what others created (e.g. visiting websites), or make what you want (building sites of your own).

    If you've seen (or read) Ready, Player One, SL is a clunkier version of that. You walk around with your avatar in a framework filled with thousands of places, offering almost anything possible, from schools to businesses, entertainment, games, movies, music, social hangouts, etc.

    Creation/building ain't like crafting or building in games (with the use of available "in-game" blocks), it's actual programming and scripting, that's how you can do anything with it - again, kinda the web.
    cheyane[Deleted User]UngoodAlBQuirkyNyteWytchKyleran
  • NyteWytchNyteWytch Member UncommonPosts: 53
    Ungood said:
    But that is pretty much all you can do.

    You log in, chat, interact, build, buy, sell, and that's about it.

    Some people love that.. I am too much a gamer, when I log-in, I wanna play something, so, to me, it feels boring.

    But at the same time, if, say I swapped all the time I spent on these forums, or face book, with playing secondlife, it would be the same thing, just doing online social stuff, in a 3d format.
    Just means you probably didn't find your niche. There is combat in SL, usually with some RP involved tho. There has been medieval fights (swords, joust, whatev) to modern day gun sims. There are combat meters for structured fights (point systems if you will) or more griefer like tools that will push nonconsenual players around. There are sim games (farming, animal breeding, etc). There are rpg like systems tho I wasn't really fond of the one I tried. There has been harry potter like sims, star wars, star trek...you name it.

    The hard part in SL is knowing what you want to do and then finding that community. And of course the biggest engagement is gonna be finding others like you that makes you want to continue logging in. Without the engagement of course you will be bored and look for something else to do.
    AlBQuirkyKyleran
  • SnowdonSnowdon Newbie CommonPosts: 2
    Second Life...what to say about it?

    Most of SL is garbage. The overall presentation is poor. Their website screenshots look like a virtual LL Bean catalog, and about as exciting.



     You log in and the UI is basic, not very well designed but serviceable. The same can be said for the graphics in the starter areas. Nothing exciting or impressive. No music. Almost no sound effects at all. The developers do not go out of their way to sell you on sticking around. You'll probably want to ditch the official SL "viewer" as soon as possible. A community developed viewer named "Firestorm" is the popular alternative. It is better, but still leaves a lot to be desired.

    Once you get past the new user welcome areas and out into the wild, most of SL won't look any better than this:





    That is to say, most of it will look much, much worse. The important thing to remember is that nearly everything in SL is made or at least uploaded by the userbase. You can create whatever you like, whether it's your avatar or the world around you, and you're only limited by your imagination, skill, and (in terms of creating environments) your wallet.

     Unfortunately this means most of SL is both ugly, and so unoptimized that it runs poorly even on top of the line hardware. It's common to see individual avatars in Second Life using half a gig or more of your VRAM, and the environments aren't any better.

     That said, in the hands of skilled people with game design experience, you can get some pretty cool stuff in Second Life. It's still not going to compete with modern AAA games but it's neat to see what people can do in SL.









     The biggest drawback by far, however, is like others have already pointed out, there's not really anything interesting to go out and do, like a game. Sure, there's combat, role-playing sims, even vehicles you can drive around, but it's all very clunky and basic. None of it holds a candle to a dedicated videogame. You have to be willing to forgive a lot to enjoy it.

     What you can do is socialize, dress up your avatar, explore, and create. Much of SecondLife is fairly dead in recent years. I've seen some amazing places in SL that go empty most of the time, so it can be difficult to socialize unless you stumble on an active location during it's busy hours.

     Also, be prepared for a LOT of adult content. People in SL typically have no sense of shame and SL itself has very few limits on what's permissible in the adult rated areas.

     I have a difficult time recommending SL to anyone but content creators. If you enjoy texture mapping, 3D modelling, and designing environments then SL can be a lot of fun, as long as you can look past its shortcomings.

    Some locations of interest I'd recommend to anyone checking out SecondLife:

    • Doomed Ship
    • Lekku Alley
    • AMH  (A mall, but a good location if you want to see about making an anime themed avatar.)
    If you're looking to socialize, join groups. SL has its own search engine, use that to find locations and communities that might interest you.
    Ungood[Deleted User]AlBQuirkyKyleranPo_ggScotcameltosisanothername
  • achesomaachesoma Member RarePosts: 1,762
    Play SWG: Legends. Make an entertainer and hang out in cantina. There’s quite a few people that just play entertainers and do nothing but hang out in cantinas buffing. It’s an active and social community. Join the discord too and chat away. 
    NyteWytch[Deleted User]AlBQuirkyKyleran
    Preaching Pantheon to People at PAX  PAX East 2018 Day 4 - YouTube
  • NyteWytchNyteWytch Member UncommonPosts: 53
    tzervo said:
    I don't think anyone would play SL for its combat
    Well no shit, Sherlock. The original post was about Social MMOs...pretty sure if combat is somebody's main drive...then of course SL wouldn't be offered. Obviously by the results in this post there are very few options for those looking for a social experience...other than trolling global chat in any mmo. But since these options are going to be very different than the normal mmo experience, some people are gonna look for familiar drives in the spaces they choose. 

    If you are objective driven (raids, first clears, competition) then of course a social mmo/game/experience isn't gonna be your jam. I wouldn't try to replicate WOW in SL and nor would I be looking for a SL experience in WOW. As gamers it is wonderful we can play more than one game! 


    "Knowing what you want to do" is not exactly it either. You also set your own objectives in a PVE/PVP sandbox. I think it is more about having a "win condition" and clear metrics for success, either set by the game, you or the competition, and maybe also a chance for failure constituting a challenge.

    My "Knowing what you want to do" comment is more oriented to within SL. Do you want to hang in a bar? Do you want to try flying or sailing? Is sex the social aspect you are hard up for? Once you know what you are looking for then you can find the community for that activity. If you need a win condition or clear metrics for success...then social isn't your priority, yeah?
    AlBQuirky
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,028
    edited December 2020
    Snowdon said:
    Second Life...what to say about it?

    Most of SL is garbage. The overall presentation is poor. Their website screenshots look like a virtual LL Bean catalog, and about as exciting.



     You log in and the UI is basic, not very well designed but serviceable. The same can be said for the graphics in the starter areas. Nothing exciting or impressive. No music. Almost no sound effects at all. The developers do not go out of their way to sell you on sticking around. You'll probably want to ditch the official SL "viewer" as soon as possible. A community developed viewer named "Firestorm" is the popular alternative. It is better, but still leaves a lot to be desired.

    Once you get past the new user welcome areas and out into the wild, most of SL won't look any better than this:





    That is to say, most of it will look much, much worse. The important thing to remember is that nearly everything in SL is made or at least uploaded by the userbase. You can create whatever you like, whether it's your avatar or the world around you, and you're only limited by your imagination, skill, and (in terms of creating environments) your wallet.

     Unfortunately this means most of SL is both ugly, and so unoptimized that it runs poorly even on top of the line hardware. It's common to see individual avatars in Second Life using half a gig or more of your VRAM, and the environments aren't any better.

     That said, in the hands of skilled people with game design experience, you can get some pretty cool stuff in Second Life. It's still not going to compete with modern AAA games but it's neat to see what people can do in SL.









     The biggest drawback by far, however, is like others have already pointed out, there's not really anything interesting to go out and do, like a game. Sure, there's combat, role-playing sims, even vehicles you can drive around, but it's all very clunky and basic. None of it holds a candle to a dedicated videogame. You have to be willing to forgive a lot to enjoy it.

     What you can do is socialize, dress up your avatar, explore, and create. Much of SecondLife is fairly dead in recent years. I've seen some amazing places in SL that go empty most of the time, so it can be difficult to socialize unless you stumble on an active location during it's busy hours.

     Also, be prepared for a LOT of adult content. People in SL typically have no sense of shame and SL itself has very few limits on what's permissible in the adult rated areas.

     I have a difficult time recommending SL to anyone but content creators. If you enjoy texture mapping, 3D modelling, and designing environments then SL can be a lot of fun, as long as you can look past its shortcomings.

    Some locations of interest I'd recommend to anyone checking out SecondLife:

    • Doomed Ship
    • Lekku Alley
    • AMH  (A mall, but a good location if you want to see about making an anime themed avatar.)
    If you're looking to socialize, join groups. SL has its own search engine, use that to find locations and communities that might interest you.
    Welcome to the forums! :)

    This to me this is the other half of what MMORPG's could be, but neither MMORPG's or "online life" games lived up to their promise. Some of us have as players done the best we can for ages now, for me that's means guilds which make up for some of what MMORPGs are missing. For now I think SL is the best their is for the social side though it is years since I was on it...the same can be said for being in a good MMORPG.
    AlBQuirkyKyleranPo_gg
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    Snowdon said:
    Second Life...what to say about it?
    [....]
    Awesome summary/review!
    Detailed and thorough (unlike me, who forgot to mention the search function, which is almost a must-have), with good PoI suggestions.

    As Scot said, welcome to the forums, it was an impressive entry post.
    AlBQuirkyUngood[Deleted User]Scot
  • SnowdonSnowdon Newbie CommonPosts: 2
    Scot said:

    Welcome to the forums! :)

    Po_gg said:

    As Scot said, welcome to the forums, it was an impressive entry post.
    Thank you!

    And yeah, I kinda mentioned search as an after thought but it's very important to use it if you want to find anyone or anything to do.

    You can filter results by Places, Groups, People and Events. To meet people and find fun places you'll want to focus on "Places" and "Groups". ("People" is only really good for tracking down individuals and no one likes getting random IMs from strangers. "Events" has been gamed to the point of uselessness.)

     If you find a place that looks interesting but there doesn't seem to be a lot of active people, see if that place has a group you can join. Most places will have a group tossed at you by an automated greeter when you arrive, or have a foyer with signs you can click, so watch for those.

     Group Chat is the single best way to meet new people outside of running into them somewhere in-game. Say hello in group chat and everyone online in that group will get the message.

     Quickly finding some friends to help you figure SL out can make or break SL for most people. When I originally joined I rage quit within a few weeks. I only came back when I learned an old roommate of mine was into it and they showed me the ropes. A lot of SL is extremely unintuitive so it helps to have someone answering your questions and pointing you in the right direction.


    [Deleted User]UngoodPo_ggAlBQuirky
  • renstarensta Member RarePosts: 728
    Final fantasy is really fun. level up a bit and get into a guild, its a game mostly revolving social interactions and roleplay. 
    AlBQuirky

    image


    Basically clicking away text windows ruins every MMO, try to have fun instead of rushing things. Without story and lore all there is left is a bunch of mechanics.
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  • LarpushkaLarpushka Newbie CommonPosts: 2
    The NWN role-play community is all about that, running private servers, there are some with over 100+ players, they got their own rules and stuff. But they are about role-playing so if you're not into it, shucks...
    ScotAlBQuirky
    Larpushka on youtube - for topics on extreme immersion

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