need a new MMORPG! help!

[Drifting DarkAngel]

Well I said toward the bottom of the LOTRO thread, I'm a burned out wow player really in search of a new "Mmo" home. I've tried a few console/single player games and i always get bored and end up loading wow or something.

I've tried:

LOTRO - hated it. see my post in the lotro thread at top of forum...
EVE Online - I still have an active subscription, seemed innovative and .. different at first, but turned out to be alot of sitting around either mining (which is mind numbingly boring and stupid) or training skills hiding in stations till I'm "tough enough" to go into low security space and not get blown to pieces by players who've played for years (who, incidentally, are still training skill im sure so i'll never catch them tech wise anyway so whats the point?)

DDO - I actually still kinda like this game, just a few things I really can't stand are putting me off getting too big into it. Combat is meh, I do like the interactive dungeons though it doesn't seem a whole lot of them (yet) really take this to its full potential. One of the very early dungeons had a puzzle which I thought was cool as sh**, and I haven't seen another puzzle since. I'm a level 4 human paladin, and the fact that everything (for the most part) is instanced I really don't care for too much. Mostly I log in, get a group that can DESTROY whatever quest we happen to be doing, rush through said quest several times up to elite, then go do another quest. It reeks of diablo2 a little too much in that regard, and the PVP i hear is really sad.

I tried SW:G along time ago, played it like 5 minutes and never touched it again. I've played Lineage 2, FF11, god knows what else...

I'm wondering if anyone can gimme some ideas. I was very interested in Vanguard untill i heard all the drama, bugs.. how you need a supercomputer to get more than 3 fps... I'm running on a meh system so I dont think it would run too well.
specs; ati radeon x600, 1gb ram, 2.8 p4 ht

Any ideas? Should I give vanguard a shot, or is it still way too early for them?
I loved Everquest 1. Hated everquest 2.

[Driakos]

Depending on when you played EQ2, it's gotten a lot better.  Maybe give that a shot again.

[Drifting DarkAngel]

i'm at work so im unable to research gaming sites but, what specifically has gotten better? I played it close to launch, and even though my computer at the time was close to brand new, it ran horribly. I had to drop the settings to "horribly ugly chunky graphics" for any kind of playability. When Wow ran smooth as silk with everything maxed. That right there canned it for me. That was 99% of my problem with it.

[Numtini]

Well that hasn't changed, though if you go through the settings with a guide as to what kills your system and doesn't make anything look better, you can get it looking really fantastic without a vanguard capable PC. You can download a trial though it's basically downloading most of the multigig game.

How about City of Heroes? There's a new issue coming out soon that looks amazing. It's the most newbie friend mature game I think has ever existed. High on action and low on the social though.

If you want to be on the ground floor, my obscure Korean habit Sword of the New World: Grenado Espada is launching today. (If the tiny translation/dev team ever wakes up.)

[Venkman]

Hate to say it, but you've pretty much played either the best of the bunch or at least the most talked about. Everything else are legacy games with stuff newer games have evolved from, and therefore have that old-skool smell to them. For kicks you could check out UO, but the game most talked about by the veteran set is very much not the game that exists today. The same goes for EQ1. Both are worth checking out to get some slight glimpse into what things were like in 2000, but I wouldn't think either will hold your interest for long.

There's dozens of AAA-level MMOs to check, but most you'll find easily are variants on the theme WoW does very well. The rest are either relatively indie (like Eve) or decidedly niche (ATiTD). You could get an SOE All Access Pass and bounce through post-NGE SWG, Planetside, MxO and Toontown, but here again I think this would be nothing more than an educational experience for a few weeks.

You could go beyond the core DIKU RPG set and check out the Nexon titles of Audition and Krazykart. These play very differently (which is why I didn't mention Maplestory), but are also built on a different business model which instead of compartmentalizing players by those with time does so instead by finance. Their play experience also requires a different type of mastery than you may like.

I agree with Numtini on City of Heroes/Villains. I would also check Guild Wars. Variant on a theme but a different play experience.

And then there's the copious amount of betas out there :)

[Nebu]

Avoid Vanguard unless you love camping spawns and grinding exp.  It's the Titanic of MMOG's.

Depending on your tastes...

CoH: Fast paced fun and more of an MMOG-light.

GW: Like a friend with benefits... fun game and no monthly commitment.

EvE Online: Great economic sim with a tense PvP environment.

EQ2: If you have a group to play with, likely the best Fantasy mmog available.  

[Murgos]

i'm at work so im unable to research gaming sites but, what specifically has gotten better? I played it close to launch, and even though my computer at the time was close to brand new, it ran horribly. I had to drop the settings to "horribly ugly chunky graphics" for any kind of playability. When Wow ran smooth as silk with everything maxed. That right there canned it for me. That was 99% of my problem with it.

If you haven't played since launch then the only things the same are the zones.  Pretty much anyway.  Class progression and skills all changed and are more focused, the whole game has been pretty much re-itemized.  Most of the quests have been revisited so that only one step on only a few of the quests is 'heroic' group centered content and most everything else is solo, the outdoor zones are all now pretty much solo zones with dungeons being group content.  There are solo instance dungeons now too.  The crafting system has been revamped once and is in the process of being revamped again.  The loot follows a much clearer and more intuitive progression.

Freeport and Qeynos are still pretty much the same but you can start in Kelethin or Neriak now with the proper upgrades so even the newb experience should be different for you.  Neriak is free, Kelethin you have to pay for.

Graphically it's still a hog though, even with an 512mb x1950 pro I have to play one step down from max settings and with shadows off (max character detail but lower sized textures for terrain).  When doing raid kind of stuff I usually switch to a higher performance setting also, but that is to be expected, IMO.  Personally, I think the game still, after three years, looks as good as anything out there, YMMV.

EQ2 is very much an achievers paradise, what with all the custom tags, tiers of equipment, heritage quests, collections and etc... so if that is the kind of stuff that motivates you in an MMO you're in for a treat.  For an explorer type though, well, it IS a three year old game, pretty much everything is documented on some spoiler site somewhere.

[Drifting DarkAngel]

forgot to mention i tried guild wars, but this was pretty early and i liked it at first, but the limitation on buttons (when i had an active wow sub at the time) wow was > gw for me. if i hadnt lost my cd i suppose i could jump back in it and check it out... bummer... i also forgot to mention i played both CoH and CoV. Both were neat at first and got boring quick, the fact theres no real equipment in the game... =/ EQ2 sounds plausible... I may try it again, hopefully it'll run better now... Is there a trial for it? or any beta's i should check out? i'm really looking for a diku based mmo... is there a beta signup for AoC or Warhammer? I'm leaning towards checking out eq2 again.

[shiznitz]

Definitely try EQ2 again. I have played since launch and the game has just gotten better every year. Go to www.everquest2.com and download the Play The Fae trial.

[Murgos]

http://everquest2.station.sony.com/en/promotions/playthefae/

You have to make your first character a Fae (new fairy race) and thus are limited to Neriak or Kelethin but after that you can make whatever you want.  The old "Trial of the Isle" free trial is also available.

[Koyasha]

Try EQ2 again, or if you loved EQ1, there's no real reason not to go home.  I still do from time to time, though less often these days since I get burnt out on raiding more quickly.  Love the oldschool 'go back and pwn old raid bosses' though.

EQ2 is one of those I hated at first, tried again later and sorta liked, but got thrown off of for several reasons, some of which I can't even define.  One thing I noticed recently is that animations have been improved, so they don't look so stiff anymore, and the continuing improvements are making me consider another look sometime.

This may also sound crazy but, look into Lineage II and see if you think you can play that game.  The high-end PvP is awesome IF YOU EVER GET THERE, and if you get into a good clan.  Getting into a good clan is the #1 requirement for enjoying Lineage II, though.  That and being able to stomach 75 levels of grind + subclass levels.

[Drifting DarkAngel]

I tried Lineage 2, got turned off by all the bots. Was really bad where i played, completely overran.

[SnakeCharmer]

There are a few MMOs on the horizon worth waiting for / applying for beta.  Pirates of the Burning Seas, Age of Conan, WAR, Stargate Worlds, and a couple others.  Most are due within the next 6 months to a year, sadly, best case scenario.  BioWare's MMO is due 2009.  The Secret World is speculated for 2008 release.

Spacetime Studios is working on something, but as of yet, the only thing known is it's sci-fi.

My hopes for a good MMO rest on the above, with the exception of the BioWare MMO.  My gut tells me that's a fantasy MMO - which I'm not a fan of (with the exception of Age of Conan).

[cmlancas]

I'm assuming you tried WoW? I thought it was fun for awhile, but a bunch of guild drama made me not like the game anymore. Plus, it's full of cockblocks now. (And was since I hit full devout gear + DM pieces.)

I'd suggest holding off until AoC. LOTRO is sorta boring me too. All I do is play solo. It's something new for me and I don't think I like it.

[Venkman]

I'll chime in support of EQ2. There's a lot that has changed from launch. Most noticably is the ditching of the archetype/sub-class system. You choose your class at creation. As a result of how the system was designed, a whole bunch of stuff falls out from that which makes the game feel very different from Day One.

Get the Play the Fae trial. It's a small download (80mb), huge patch (4.3gb), but will give you just enough of an idea of how the game feels through level 7 or so that you can decide whether to continue (which would mean either buying it, or entering the CD key you had if you owned it at launch)

[Drifting DarkAngel]

eq2 sounds like what im gonna check out when i get home.. What about VG? is it as hopeless as ive heard? i'd really like to hear from a vg player on this matter... if they exist   

[Viin]

How about some Star Chamber?

Or you could play that Car Wars game in beta, whatsitcalled .. something.

Or or TR is just now in Beta, you could play that.

Or PlanetSide.

Or you could play SWG again and tell us what f*cked up things they are doing now (and when they cancel the service on you).

Or you could get a life and actually spend some time outdoors and with family/friends ...

Did I just say that?

[Nebu]

eq2 sounds like what im gonna check out when i get home.. What about VG? is it as hopeless as ive heard? i'd really like to hear from a vg player on this matter... if they exist   

You could read over any of the various old threads here (Example) for starters. 

I played the game for the first month.  I enjoyed the class variation and what the game attempted to do, but the implementation was lacking.  Mob AI was uninteresting, the levelling curve steep, and the lack of instancing lead to conflicts over camp spots.  If you played EQ, you remember the /yell CAMP CHECK well. 

If you liked old EQ you may get a kick out of vanguard.  There is a lot to explore and the classes are interesting enough to be entertaining.  Just don't expect to stay long.  I think EQ2 is a much better version of the same game.  Lots of quests and minigames and two factions to try for variation at low levels.

[Rasix]

Did I just say that?

Possibly, it was pretty dumb though.

I don't recall him mentioning his playing habits other than the plays MMOs.  Kind of a large jump to assume he's a poopsocker.

[LK]

Are there any good web-based MMOGs? It doesn't even have to be MMO, I'm thinking something like Kingdom of Loathing that can be enjoyed and doesn't have soul-sucking aspects to it.

[Nebu]

How about this?





An oldie but a goodie.   :-D

[Signe]

Play something Asian to try and help balance the xenophoboticalistic f13 universe.  There's about six thousand to choose from, too.

[Tale]

I tried SW:G along time ago, played it like 5 minutes and never touched it again.

You could mess around with SWG in its current dust-settled state. The only server to really bother with (due to lack of population on others) is Bria, but there are things to do. Try stuff you might not normally consider, like being totally non-combat: play an entertainer, make some pets, set up and decorate a house, stuff like that. It's just a niche to experience, in a different direction from the MMOGs you've been playing.

[Chimpy]

Play something Asian to try and help balance the xenophoboticalistic f13 universe.  There's about six thousand to choose from, too.

You will not lull this new poster into your Korean brain-fattening ponzi scheme!

[Venkman]

Are there any good web-based MMOGs? It doesn't even have to be MMO, I'm thinking something like Kingdom of Loathing that can be enjoyed and doesn't have soul-sucking aspects to it.

Depends on what you're looking for. Habbo, Club Penguin are both oldies and solid. Gaia is pretty good too. Not Webkinz though, as that's more an aggregation of mini-games than anything resembling a persistent environment. The rest I've come across (which isn't all of them by any stretch of course) are variants of those three or DIKU-done-cheap.

[LK]

I think I'm looking for another Kingdom of Loathing-style management game, or something like ... god I can't remember the name ... build a village in a world and raise an army only to be p0wned by players with way too much time on their hands and oh hey wasn't worth playing?  Whatever that game was.

[Drifting DarkAngel]

whatever happened to the space spin off of mage wars? anyone remember that webbased game? i forget what it was actually called, but as i understand it, it was a spacey version of mage wars, by the same co. It was addicting and fun as crap. Then it just up and poofed. I remember the link to it was somethin.magewar.net, but thats about as far back as i can remember. This was probably, like, 6-7 years ago at least, and i only played it a little while I was at work (some techie nerds at work turned me on to it) then we got banned from it and i forgot about it.

to answer the comment regarding going outside, I'm happily married with a 6 month old daughter I enjoy every moment I get. Sometimes I need a break and I like to spend that time playin MMO's, or when the wife is out shopping, or usually when i stay up ridiculously late so I can get a little me time. My wife also likes MMO's and has a level 70 Night Elf Druid on Wow, we're both just pretty bored w/ the game. I've yet to find another MMO that absorbs my wife. I think that says alot about wow. My 61 year old father played wow pre bc, hit 60 and grinded out High warlord. Hows that for addicted? ( grinded it out pre linked bg's and with the old honor system, too, while working 50 hours a week on a medium pop pvp server). My father nor my wife have found any other MMO's interesting. I have to say the same.

[cmlancas]

How about a good old MUD? Most of them are pretty newbie-friendly.

[Slayerik]

to answer the comment regarding going outside, I'm happily married with a 6 month old daughter I enjoy every moment I get. Sometimes I need a break and I like to spend that time playin MMO's, or when the wife is out shopping, or usually when i stay up ridiculously late so I can get a little me time. My wife also likes MMO's and has a level 70 Night Elf Druid on Wow, we're both just pretty bored w/ the game. I've yet to find another MMO that absorbs my wife. I think that says alot about wow. My 61 year old father played wow pre bc, hit 60 and grinded out High warlord. Hows that for addicted? ( grinded it out pre linked bg's and with the old honor system, too, while working 50 hours a week on a medium pop pvp server). My father nor my wife have found any other MMO's interesting. I have to say the same.

Tell your dad to never show his face around here. His kind is not welcome here. ;)

[Venkman]

I think I'm looking for another Kingdom of Loathing-style management game, or something like ... god I can't remember the name ... build a village in a world and raise an army only to be p0wned by players with way too much time on their hands and oh hey wasn't worth playing?  Whatever that game was.

There's the new-ish beta for SAGA, an MMORTS which seems interesting though I haven't had the time to check it out.

Could you have been thinking of Mankind?

[shiznitz]

eq2 sounds like what im gonna check out when i get home.. What about VG? is it as hopeless as ive heard? i'd really like to hear from a vg player on this matter... if they exist   

I stopped playing VG a month or so ago after my EQ2 guild revved up the raiding enough to focus on that game. VG is a very empty world, especially for a new character. There seems to be some activity in the 30+ areas, but the 1-20 areas are barrem of PCs. That said, the solo questlines are plentiful but I don't play MMOs to run around outside environments killing orcs, bears and giant ants. The dungeons in VG are fun but they are deep and require a group and as I wrote above, you will be hard pressed to find two people your level early on, let alone the 5 you need for the premier dungeons.

If you do venture into VG, start with a dwarf, thestran human or high elf. Some of the other starting cities are just way too isolated.

[LK]

I think I'm looking for another Kingdom of Loathing-style management game, or something like ... god I can't remember the name ... build a village in a world and raise an army only to be p0wned by players with way too much time on their hands and oh hey wasn't worth playing?  Whatever that game was.

There's the new-ish beta for SAGA, an MMORTS which seems interesting though I haven't had the time to check it out.

Could you have been thinking of Mankind?

Nah, it's purely web-based, though Saga looks interesting.  Mankind not so much.  It's not really important but I might check out Saga now.

[Grand Design]

You should give Eq2 another shot (sigh, I did.)  You will need a better system if you don't want it to look like crap.  Generally speaking, two gigs of ram will get you close to running it well on the cheap.  As an Eq1 vet, I have my grumblings; coming from WoW, you may actually enjoy it more.  (I mean that nicely, of course.)  You could always try Oasis server and bug me for cheap imbued armor to get a jumpstart.

If Eq2 ran like crap at launch for you, do not go near VSoH.  Not only is it technically ahead of the current machine specs, it is not optimized.  Running through some areas is like looking at the most amazing slideshow you've ever seen. 

[cloudy97]

Guys, you talk like Ryzom doesn't exist! It's different enough, a bit of an indie game though.

[Signe]

Ryzom just barely exists.  If you put all the Ryzom players in a phone booth together, you'd have enough room left over for all the Horizons players.