5 years and still going

[cmlancas]

I am starting to like this thread more and more.

What the heck is everyone playing for MMOs nowadays? I got bored with LOTRO because at 29 it just feels like the same thing, different quest. I still log on from time to time.

I did the 10 day re-trial of WoW and found that it was the same game I never left, just with more shiny.

Where did the days of obsessing over the next-big MMO go?

[Nonentity]

I am starting to like this thread more and more.

What the heck is everyone playing for MMOs nowadays? I got bored with LOTRO because at 29 it just feels like the same thing, different quest. I still log on from time to time.

I did the 10 day re-trial of WoW and found that it was the same game I never left, just with more shiny.

Where did the days of obsessing over the next-big MMO go?

I think it was when MMOs weren't being churned out day after day. In the days of EQ and UO, an MMO releasing was kind of a rare thing.

I logged onto three MMOs yesterday - WoW, EQ2, and - that's quite a feat. I'm also obviously just playing one, but talking to people in the others.

However, it's more spread out, and people have different reasons to get excited about different games. I think it will be a rare occasion when EVERYONE gets excited about a single MMO.

[cmlancas]

I played both of those but got bored. I liked the PVP aspect of WoW's WSG very much, but it seems like it is just a cheesefest now that most people who play it are T5 running over people in blues.


What is your experience? (I've been out of WoW for almost two years now)

[Venkman]

Next "big" MMO for this crowd is probably Age of Conan, in theory this October. After that WAR next year. Maybe Huxley, but I've heard nothing deep about it. Wasn't that set for this fall too?

Otherwise most of the activity seems to be in the browser-based play, academically interesting but mostly for a different audience.

[Sky]

Conan sounds cool, but it's also for a console, so we'll see. WAR has potential. Huxley I refuse to get excited about because of  .

I'm playing my old favorite, EQ2. No reason to play any other 'traditional' mmo, imo. Might reinstall Planetside while I'm on the Pass.

[SnakeCharmer]

Conan sounds cool, but it's also for a console, so we'll see.

/subliminal message:  You will play Conan.  You will play Conan.  You will play Conan.


Console version is rumored to be about a year behind the PC release.  But beware:  Because I am all giddy for AoC, it will most likely suck.  I'd still give my left, as well as possibly my right, testicle to get into AoC beta.

[cmlancas]

I cease to believe any hype-machine ever due to my experiences with VG. I was even in Beta 3.5 and it wasn't that bad where I was testing.

Fuckers.

[Merusk]

I am starting to like this thread more and more.

What the heck is everyone playing for MMOs nowadays? I got bored with LOTRO because at 29 it just feels like the same thing, different quest. I still log on from time to time.

I did the 10 day re-trial of WoW and found that it was the same game I never left, just with more shiny.

Where did the days of obsessing over the next-big MMO go?

I'm still playing WoW, but getting into Fury a lot.  Sport PvP ftw, plus none of the gear cockblocks that plague WoW.

I'm anticipating WAR as my 'next biggie' and have a mild interest in Conan, but I'm wary of the AO curse and the lack of info others have pointed out.  If I don't get to beta either I'll be waiting 3-6 months so enough non-fanboy data accumulates and the major problems are shaken-down and then make a decision.

The days of obsessing over the next big MMO went away when we started to get more than one MMO every 2-3 years.  Now we're getting 3-4 IN a year.  The fandom is just too spread-out for a collective "OOOH SHINY" surge.

[cmlancas]

Apparently I missed the Beta Preview week. Lame.

[Merusk]

Apparently I missed the Beta Preview week. Lame.

Weekend, actually. You can still sign-up through fileplanet for this and following upcoming weekends.  Here.   Just means you can't play during the week, but I made it up to rank 5 this past weekend without catassing it, so it's not like it's hard to catch up.  Really the most frustrating part was not enough at the GM+ level, so the queue would stick higher-tier teams in with the newbs.  Didn't happen often enough for me to care, and I ranked-up quick enough to be competitive quickly.

[cmlancas]

What is the combat like? WoW? DotA? I've been craving a DotA pvp like game, and I'm wondering just reading through the site a little if this is what it is like.

[Venkman]

Didn't know they were having MORE beta weekends. nice.

I cease to believe any hype-machine ever due to my experiences with VG.

Whoa. I can see being burned by, say, SWG or CoX or DAoC. By and large those were expected to be the big thing, with varying degrees of disappointment that properly trained people on the hype machine.

But VG was a train wreck a year before launch and became a laughing stock well before the end of 2006. I think FoH largely gave up around January timeframe too. There are better games to be hyped for, but almost none worse  

[cmlancas]

I beta'd strictly for diplomacy and in the dwarven newbie area, and by and large, those systems were a bit underdeveloped, but my no means broken.

[Merusk]

What is the combat like? WoW? DotA? I've been craving a DotA pvp like game, and I'm wondering just reading through the site a little if this is what it is like.

Quick answer: It's like an FPS with fantasy trappings and multiple abilities.

The PvP is frantic, and fun.  I haven't played DotA, so I don't know how to compare it there.  There's no mana for casters, so that's a huge difference.  Right now melee is overpowered when compared to magic (from the "ow that hurt") side of things. 

It doesn't really compare to WoW as there's no classes and no real levels.  There's ranks, which affect your "equip points" and determine how many skills/ what kind of equipment you can wear at any time.  You can rank-up pretty quickly, and I hit R5 inside of about 8 hours over the weekend - with a lot of AFK time and futzing around determining builds and learning how things work.

Although there's no classes, there's a few different "archtypes" and you start out as one (of your choice).  However, by using class skills in the War Zones (battlegrounds) you get "Essence" points for that school of magic, which then let you complete school trials.  The trials grant abilities and unlock the other skills on vendors, so anyone can get all the abilities in game given time.  Completing trials is also what ranks you up.  So if you want to rank fast it seems likes to swapping skills around to complete starter trials and initiate trials for each school (Growth/ Decay/ Life/ Death) rather than just power through all the trials for a school.

  I started out as an Oracle (kind of an EQ druid, damage & healing) and got pretty far down that path before I started working on the Healer class stuff.  (After losing so many PUGs to groups who had a healer, I figured i needed to do it since I hate losing.)   I'd have messed with melee rather than spell damage if I wasn't so horrible at circle strafing and keeping within range on people. Everyone has their skillset.  :-D

The various matches were fun and even in PUGs the smart folks held their own against a few guild groups or half-groups.  I expect that'll change at release, though, as it always does in pure PVP games.  The good players will wind up in groups and rape face, while the casuals or crappy folks will struggle along in PUGs.

[cmlancas]

DotA is like a hero on hero battle in War3. Or, if you never played War3, pick every WoW class' two good abilities and best ability, and you have DotA. Oh yeah, DotA is 5v5.

[sam, an eggplant]

The glimpses we've seen of Conan are promising, but it's not even in closed beta yet, so it'll miss its release date by a mile. If it actually releases in october and isn't vanguard-level broken, I'll eat my hat.

I'm all about WAR. Haven't been looking forward to a MMO so much since WoW.

[Slayerik]

The glimpses we've seen of Conan are promising, but it's not even in closed beta yet, so it'll miss its release date by a mile. If it actually releases in october and isn't vanguard-level broken, I'll eat my hat.

I'm all about WAR. Haven't been looking forward to a MMO so much since WoW.

WAR has elves.

Thus my lack of excitement. ;)

[Der Helm]

WAR has elves.

Thus my lack of excitement. ;)

But Elves you can kill if you pick the right faction.

Thus my growing excitement.

[Zetor]

My guild's waiting for WAR too... and sticking with WOW for now. Some of us might try out Conan, though I personally am not as interested. :P

WAR has elves.

Thus my lack of excitement. ;)

But Elves you can kill if you pick the right faction.

Thus my growing excitement.

Both sides have elves... though this does mean you will be able to kill them too, no matter which faction you choose.

Thus my moderate excitement.


-- Z.
(I heart this thread  )

[Signe]

I love this thread, too.  It's been going for five years, you know. 

[cmlancas]

I keep seeing Grunk online, so I just hope that we can see another post soon on this thread from him.


 

[Slayerik]

I love this thread, too.  It's been going for five years, you know. 

Signe had 2000 posts back then.

True story.

[Sky]

I love this thread, too.  It's been going for five years, you know. 

Five long years.

[Signe]

He wrote a song about me, you know.  Unfortunately, he had no words.  I had to make some up.

[Rishathra]

Five long years.

I've never really been much into Clapton, but that was awesome.

[Trouble]

This thread is so fucking awesome I cannot even believe it. It was going pretty good for a while but page 5 was the most epic thing I've seen in a long time. There hasn't been anything that had me in tears like that for years.

[cmlancas]

Seriously, this thread needs to go right under the trammel thread in the Den. People need to read this thread and die laughing.

[Sky]

I've never really been much into Clapton, but that was awesome.

The keyboardist comes close to ruining at a couple points. Makes you appreciate a Johnny Johnson or a Billy Powell who plays the shit out of the keyboard without getting jazzy or hamfisting wrong notes.

Also, it's an Eddie Boyd song but I couldn't find any footage of his version. Blues standard.

[Slayerik]

Seriously, this thread needs to go right under the trammel thread in the Den. People need to read this thread and die laughing.

You are obsessed with the Tram thread, I think you're pissed that you missed the fun :)

[grunk]

Seriously, this thread needs to go right under the trammel thread in the Den. People need to read this thread and die laughing.

The "culture" here is very different from other boards. I really dont get why it is funny at all... but w/e

[schild]

Grunk, if I could ask, how did you even find this website?

[Oban]

Didn't he say a link from mmorpg.com regarding the Vanguard exit interviews?

[schild]

The point was for him to answer so I could tell him to go back there, Oban.

[Signe]

Sometimes I mention f13 in MMORPG.com and a few other places.  I'm always excited to see what turns up.  F13 has got some attention from other people there, also.  A couple of people have it in their sigs.  I remember one is a link to the Darkfall thread.

[Slayerik]

Didn't he say a link from mmorpg.com regarding the Vanguard exit interviews?

Do ya crap for em too, OBAN!?!?!? ;)

The Grunk can handle himself. The Grunk is not intimidated by casuals. The Grunk has a static. If I'm lucky, I can figure out what a static is and get one too.













I think we should all thank The Grunk from taking time out of his busy day of extreme (and by extreme I mean ESPN2 late night kind of extreme) catassing and sniffing paint thinner.

Thank you , Grunk