MMORPG's?

[Crizzle]

I was wondering if you guys play any MMORPG's? I've been looking to get into one for quite some time now but never got around to it. I will say that I played the WoW trial version like a crack addict. I spent every waking moment of those 14 days on WoW. I suppose that's why I'm tried to restrain myself when it comes to MMORPG's...I know that they'll destroy my life.

I've been looking at Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (which is coming out Q2 of 2008) and I think I might finally bite the bullet and get into that one when it comes out. Any suggestions, stories, or opinions on MMORPG's? Post 'em here!

[Zen]

I played wow for a long time. then i quit. but my friends, they are still playing and thats all they do. =( we dont hang out anymore 

[Zeno]

I used to play WoW, then I got tired of shelling out $15/month to grind for hours on end.

Tried playing some of those free Korean MMORPGs for a while, but they all end up in grinding too.

Honestly, the only MMORPG I've ever really enjoyed was Planetside, which I played back when they were having that free trial thing.  Though, it's more of a blend of RPG and FPS than solid RPG.  If it weren't for the monthly fee, I'd be playing it nonstop.  That game is the model of what a MMO game should be like, in my opinion.

I am seriously considering Age of Conan, though.

[Crizzle]

Yeah, I'm hoping to avoid grinding. I just want to get an MMO that I can play through (hopefully not get super addicted to) with a friend or two. I almost want to think of it as an instant messaging app with an awesome game attached. Hopefully I can find something where I can play casually and chat with friend. But knowing MMO's I know it will be difficult. I haven't seen much on Age of Conan though, any particular reasons you find it more interesting than other upcoming MMO's, Zeno?

[Zeno]

Well, first off, it's Conan, which is just awesome on its own.

As far as gameplay goes, it has a different combat system than most RPGs, and though I'm not entirely certain on how it works, it looks to be far more interactive than just mashing the attack button.  Also, a main feature of the game will be player-constructed buildings, towns, castles, etc., and wars/sieges between them.  It'll be a player-driven persistent world, which I really felt that WoW was lacking.

Also, the class system has multiple tiers, and one of the end-game classes is a Lich.  And that's awesome.

[tiamax]

Being a cheap person, I'm not sure if I can help much But just to let you know anyways about a few that I have tried:

Silkroad Online Is free! But there's so much complication in the levelling system that makes it frustrating, and the quests cause so much grinding that it causes more than a handful of players to grow violent in rage.

DragonFable Is free too, but you can upgrade your account so you get all the buttons and bells (one time charge) fairly fun, right in a flash window so that you can multitask, and if your internet/graphics suck, it's still very nice, a better version of the company's earlier MMO AdventureQuest.

Dungeon Runners is a hysterical MMO that's more of a parody of all the other midieval MMO's, but it's still good nonetheless. It's easy to get into, and fun to play with the bonuses. It starts out free (If you want a code, message me  ) but like several others, if you want to use all the jewels, you have to pay--not much, either. It's still very new, so there are lots of patches yet to come out, but it's still a really good play.

[SimoniS]

I used to do WoW but the expansion just didnt really do it for me, something on the horizon im looking forward to is AION which is being done by ncsoft, this game looks very appealing.
Otherwise AoR is already tainted by EA imo.

[Quemaqua]

I did used to play WoW a good bit, and I had a great time with it.  It was really fun to play with friends, lots of cool things to see, and the world itself was interesting and beautiful.  Right now I'm sort of playing Dungeon Runners with a buddy, and it's surprisingly competent.  Total WoW clone in a lot of ways, but unique to itself in certain ways and very, very funny.

For me, Warhammer Online is dead because of EA's involvement also.  I stopped paying attention to it not long after they acquired it.

[Battlerager]

MMORPGs are basically chatrooms with fantasy themed 3d graphics.

I don't enjoy those games. At all.

[Crizzle]

Do you enjoy RPG's? Personally I like MMO's way more than standard RPG's. To me RPG's are really...quiet and boring...I suppose it's just not the type of single player experience I like. Their are a few exceptions of course, but for the most part: MMORPG's > RPG's.

[Quemaqua]

I actually almost agree with BR.  I really do enjoy MMOs now, since they've finally come a long way from what they were, but there are still fundamental problems with a lot of the business models that hinder the games.  Personally, I really don't enjoy them unless I'm actually playing with people I know.  But if I can manage that, then I find them great fun a lot of the time.  WoW with 2 of my really good friends, one of whom lives far away and I can't see much, was a great experience.

[Crizzle]

Oh I totally agree Quemaqua, MMORPG's are all about playing with friends. Sure you can make "friends" in-game but it is nowhere near the same. Without real life friends playing with you, the MMO world can feel pretty damn empty and lonely. That's why I'm waiting for a good MMO so be and one of my best friends can really get into it and have some fun. I don't see him that often these days so it'd be nice to at least meet up in-game more often.

[Battlerager]

I personally can play games like Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate for hours nonstop, and its huge fun for me.

Neverwinter Nights almost rules even more when played in Multiplayer, so its really not Singleplayer vs. Multiplayer being the issue here.


I think, MMORPGs just boil down to "look I'm so strong" and mindless grinding for me. In classic RPGs, your characters grows more and more powerful, and I sit there thinking "Wow, remember how fragile your character was in the beginning and what a long way he has come?".

When I played WoW for a while (Test account), I felt like: "Oh, great. I'm going to waste a shitload of time in order to reach max level. And that is not even special. Look at all those max level guys."

I really have the feeling that a "max level character" should be like... "OH MY GOD, THE LEGEND IS HERE!" and superstar-like status in the game's world.
If a game could somehow limit the number of those characters without feeling too restraining, that would probably drastically improve my view of those games. If somehow the story would be presented in a similarily breathtaking way as in the best Single Player RPGs and the quests wouldn't boil down to a ridiculous amount of grinding, maybe I could even give those games a shot.

Sorry. 

(About that limiting thing: Maybe a political/event driven thing could help there, like, "only people that are higher in the hierarchy than this/that level may get past level 50 or something along those lines, or I dunno what...)

[tiamax]

I agree with BR. In WoW and so many other MMO's, people who grind the most come off more like they have no life (sorry guys :p) There are a number of little roleplaying communities that have a 3D interface (I'm not talking about IMVU, but more like Furcadia). I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of Baldur's Gate, and am currently trying out Planescape: Torment (Which is just awesome). Neverwinter Nights was cool to look at, but I honestly wasn't too fond of it in comparison to it's older brothers and sisters. The only time I tried playing it multiplayer was at my friend's house and we all ended up nearly dying of laughter when her brother's mod went rampant. Just IMO

[DragonXVI]

MapleStory - I found immensely buggy, repetitive, and there was no logic to the difficulty curve.  One area has level 5 monsters, the next screen has level 45 monsters than one hit kill you, sending you with your tail between your legs back to the last city. Bleh!

WoW - Level 70. Easily one of the best MMORPG's out. Looks gorgeous, plenty to do, but still a bit of a grind fest and towards the end gameplay is heavily focused on groups of 20 and above. Not particularly a lot of fun playing on your own, but probably the best attempt at an MMO so far

Eve Online - Meh, haven't really played it. 

Tabula Rasa - Another Immense Grind-Fest.  Combat is identical to Mass Effect, with various Territory Control aspects floating around.  Quests are more or less "Go to A and Kill B" ordeals, with a bit of Exploration thrown in hunting for specific artifacts/Lore/Spell things/"LOGOS" and what not.  It's alright, but it suffers from a slightly dodgy UI and lack of "Where is a good place to go now?" direction

LOTR Online - It's Warcraft but more Brown, and it's also a bit like...

Guild Wars - Loved the Free Aspect, Loved the Instanced-Outside Areas, Loved the Graphics and Character Generation and Warp-To-Area things, Hated the whole "Learn a new skill every 12 seconds and you cna only take 8 of them", got ridiculously over complicated after 5 minutes.

Tales of Pirates was cute, but buggy and generally not that fun.

Dragonfable is good if you just want to have a character to level and improve, plus it doesn't take itself too seriously and is probably the easiest thing ever to play :p All you need is Flash Player

Part of the appeal over MMOs is exactly what Battlerager seemed to argue against: You start off in tattered rags and by the end of it you've a big glowing sword, riding a massive armoured Dragon and dealing 50 figure damage.  Other people will see this and either a) Call you amazing and/or b) call you sad.

Single Player games don't have this.  You can customize your Fable/FF/Oblivion character to high hell but nobody but you will ever see it.  This is where MMOs come in to their own success - The sense of Community and Progress is visible by everyone.  There is indeed the fabled "Max Level" characters, not just any level 70 - There are those who form 25 Man raids, charge into the highest level dungeons where other guilds can't even get through the door and loot the final boss for all his worth, walking through the main cities coated in mystical armour riding a large, flaming Pheonix - THe trouble is this sort of thing will take the rest of your life to achieve, and then it's rendered pointless when an expansion pack comes out :p This is both a blessing and a curse, but I do see why you'd dislike them (Heck, I even hate that aspect :p But at least unlike other MMO's you can't buy your way to glory in WoW, it has to be earned)

I've kinda gone off MMOs though. You've played one you've played 'em all - Give it a few years until someone comes up with a truely great idea, 'till then I'm happy with AI