All Posts by Elikal

Originally posted by Sunrider

Ok, first off to address DeadlyMage, prior to WoW there have been several sci-fi mmos to date, mind you in recent years the MMO market has exploded.

As follows:

PlanetSide

Anarchy Online

Eve Online

Jumpgate

Earth & Beyond

Star Wars Galaxies

Rise Online (... its... different.)

(and a few others that have slipped through the cracks)

Secondly, the mass of people who have been begging and hounding for a good sci-fi mmo are gaining momentum. The reason fantasy is so popular, or so i find it to be, is that it doesn't require an imagination on the developers part.

"lets throw in some bats here... yeah... thats good... oh! oh! and some orcs here... make them uglier, yeah... not wow ugly... those are almost pretty... make them hunchback ugly like FFXI! yeah... thats good.

These things don't take imagination at all.

 

For the people hoping for sci-fi mmo's there are quite a few in development.

Jumpgate Evolution

Infinity: Quest for Earth (being made by a small, small dev team but looks promising)

Firefly MMO (in early alpha, waiting on multiverse completion)

Multiverse Info

Unnamed Mike Wallis (one of the creators of EVE) MMO

 

 

Anarchy Online was sure nice in its day, but its just too outdated in graphics for me today.

Sorry for not scanning the entire threat, but I generally agree with the OP.

I started my MMO career with SWG - in the oldest days - and since then evey other MMO I played and I have seen published seemed to be less and less a world and more a quest tunnel. So many "pointless" features I greatly valued in SWG are gone from MMOs or never were adopted. All the many clothing, the great housing, the entertainers, the great player cities AFFORDABLE and NOT LIMITED in space to the first 5 guilds to come! The list of things SWG had and other games since then abandoned is long, and I guess the UO vets could tell the same about UO. Or EQ1. EQ2 was what seems to me now a last height in complexity and since then it went down the drain, alas.

I have little paitence these days for those quest-tunnels wtih the feeling like a museum. Take LOTRO. It looks great and the quest-stories are wonderful, but I always had this feeling of walking through a museum, even the housing the added later felt totally lifeless and boring.

Somehow more and more the magic, the grandeur of games seems to be sacrified for narrowed down concepts and fast pathed gameplay. Just my 2 cents.

Gah! I can see it no more! I mean, I love fantasy like any other, I played my lot of them, but gawd, if I see one more elves and wizards world I am going to yell. Why is it we all get the same over and over again. MORE wizards and paladins and elves and whatnot. All just copy cats.

I just finished Mass Effect the PC version, and along with Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Asimovs Empire, Traveller or WHATEVER Sci-Fi world ever made, there are SO many COOL Sci-Fi universes, and blast it there is only lame old SWG, a number of shooters like TR & Planescape, and a space-only thing like EVE, which also isnt my pair of shoes. I mean, why is it apparently so difficult to make a space/Sci-Fi based game with open planets, like the old SWG was, think like EQ2 or WOW or what with Sci-Fi.

Why? I dont get it. I have seen enough Wizards and Elves and Battelaxes. I damn want a blaster and a spaceship, cool, ugly, weird alien races and places to see, something NEW, and not Aoc, WAR and whatever they are all called can go where the sun doesnt shine. No more fantasy!

Say it all out loud. ;)

'Kay, just had to say it.

Just scanned the news Time Warner has invested $40 million into LOTRO making Turbine. I wonder for what? Will they invest it to make LOTRO an uber game now, or will they make a MMO for one of TW's IP?

Any info, rumor, speculation or educated guesses??

Source: www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php

Dunno, am I the only one who finds this sad? THAT is what makes this game good? I can only shake my head. Hopefully that person is banned.

Its kinda weird and funny, but no matter where I go, wether in betas or trials or what, I always return to good olde EQ2. And I had tried out a lot, always thinking to find "greener grass", trying out Tabula Rasa, LOTRO, Vanguard, AoC, PotBS and even DAoC in the last 7 months or so, but nothing held me, and in the end I returned like the faithful husband to EQ2. Its a bit like with the difference between wife and the girl and the corner. The latter may look much more sexy on first glance, but people return to their wives, because they can cook and they understand you. ;) Sort of.

Oh my. In some way I never understood why EQ2 didnt get more players. Compared to the many mediocre and bad games I still think the game is a real peal, sure not perfect, and I do have my issues with it, but so far it is WAY the most balanced, deep and complex game system I have seen. It is neither too easy or fast food-like, nor too difficult and cumbersome.

Just looking at the always coming new things, added races, expansions, adventure packs asf, the MANY MANY quests and quest TYPES, you can just do so many different things, it still amazes me. Wether you want to solo, group, raid, craft, want housing, events... there is so much to do.

So, if you dont know what to play, do yourself a favor and try it out. ;)

Not new anymore, but still maybe you wanna watch my EQ2 3 years tribute video:

www.youtube.com/watch

Originally posted by AgtSmith

 

Originally posted by Elikal

I will break a lance for Funcom and say thats a good thing. MMOs LIVE from small pointless things. Boring is the world where you can only do useful and necessary things. I am going that far to say that adding such things is a necessity from a higher point of view and a good sign as well. It gives hope this game is someday more than just headchopping and bloodspilling.

 

Normally I agree - the 'nicities' do make the differance and even though individually they are small collectively they add up.  However, all the nicities in the world do not make up for broken and missing components - and there are functional nicities that are totally missing.  The dance thing is misdirected when such core functionalities are broken or missing and more useful nicities missing as well.

I understand you, I felt the same when Vanguard added a dozen new mounts, and I thought "WTH, arent there a TON other things to take care of?" On the other hand dance maybe doesnt need much time or ressources, I dunno. I just try not to see everything negative, heh. ;)

Originally posted by Lobotomist

First , it is like a game of chance - You can have all the specs right - but it doesn't guarantee the game will work. Read the official forums. Some people are completely unable to play the game because of plethora of different reasons.

If you are the unlucky one. You will get absolutely no answer from support. Don't even hope for it.

Neither will any Funcom worker post anything on Support forum.

 

Second - The game seriously lacks content. When LOTRO was launched people complained about lack of content. It was nothing compared to AOC. Most of my guild are casual players. They play no more than 2-3 hours a day. They all have few lvl 40 alts. Why? Supposably when you reach lvl 40 there is no more quests to do and you have to grind 40 more levels , in few designated zones. So Funcom developed low level content and hoped to do high level later ... what new ? Leveling is to fast , and it takes a week to hit a brick wall - no more content!

 

Third - PVP is a joke. Click on yellow arrow next to the map and see how many instances are of each area!

I think the areas can not even support 50 players before creating another shard!

If someone attacks you, and you feel you are going to lose - click the yellow arrow and PUF! disappear to another instance!!!! And nobody can ever find you. Also good luck finding someone specific. You can not even meet your friends

 

Forth - Promise first , deliver later (or much later, or never) - There is no DX10 , there is no Battlekeeps...

 

I am very very sorry for spending my money for this game. I could have invested it in Mass Effect , even Vanguard is better investment...at least it is an MMO

 

 

Hm sounds more serious even than I thought. Reminds me more of Dark and Light now, if this is the case.

I will break a lance for Funcom and say thats a good thing. MMOs LIVE from small pointless things. Boring is the world where you can only do useful and necessary things. I am going that far to say that adding such things is a necessity from a higher point of view and a good sign as well. It gives hope this game is someday more than just headchopping and bloodspilling.

Went back to EQ2 once more. At least there is some quality gameplay, maybe not as shiny as some, but it has depth and LASTING appeal. Apparently. THE most underrated MMO imo.

I am a HUGE SW fan... but Nintendo DS and Wii? Bah... thats as stupid as the Clone Wars animated design is ugly. Dunno who has taken over at Lucasarts, must be some Trekkies, lol.

Originally posted by traquena

nice there, are they from different mmo? lol..

Upper row, from left to right: Vanguard Diplomat, Everquest II Ranger, Star Wars Galaxies Entertainer, WOW Druid

Lower row, left to right: Vanguard Paladin, SWG Spy, LOTRO Guardian, EQ2 Paladin, Sims 2 char, SWG Jedi Master, City of Heroes, City of Villains

^^

These are all mine, or have been, in MMOs I play or played. ^^

Originally posted by Cymdai

Heh... you know.

If you want to ask the details, ask around in OOC why the leader was banned.

Apparently, they weren't banned for gold-storing at all, rather, abusing the Ravine Resource bug.

In other words, they had accumulated more resources than they were legitimately allowed to have total.

Seriously... ask around on OOC on the Deathwhisper server. That's what multiple different people have said to me, all from different guilds.

Maybe its because of my Chaotic Good alignment, but so what?

I mean its HUMAN, if there is a shortcut, people will take it. It is like Blizzard banned people for taking pathways to places who were supposed to block. Isnt a MMO about exploring ways, about finding clever solutions no one else has?

If there is a bug, that is FUNCOMS problem to close it. They MAKE pitfalls and then BAN people for using them to their benefit. I still think thats hilarious.

First, being a financial success and being a good game are 2 different things.

Second, we have seen so many games being reviewed extremely well and still fall flat on their noses.

Finally, wait and see. A success isn't baked right after launch, it is how many STAY on the long run. Many people will just try it out and then may return to their old MMOs. First sales tell nothing about a success.

So it is way too early to call the trumpets for either failure or success at this time, and it is DEFINITELY too early to make a realistic review.

Well the problem is, if I may try to analyze it, twofold.

First, the player base of MMOs has drastically changed. I vividly recall the time UO and EQ were new, and at that time I already had many years of computer gaming, but everything I saw and heard was driving me away. I had zero wish for hours of camping, grind, death x 1000 and whatever gruesome things the "good old days" had. Those people who DID play MMOs where a very "elitist" group of people EVEN among gamers, because for 90% of the normal gamer, single player games offered apparently much greater entertainment back then. MMORPGs were something for the few among the few, a very peculiar and special audience. But this changed. Today many gamers play or played MMOs, and also much more social groups play them, kids, mothers, office workers, EVERYONE, and those bring in VERY different lifestyles and time schedules and expectations than those who played MMOs in UO and EQ1.

A teenger playing EQ1 in the old days or UO had massive time, and is in a stage of age where you need to proof yourself against borders, where you typically test out limits, you are full of self-esteem and approach life with a restlessness and habit which was relfected in the typical harshness and complexity of the games. Today the average MMO player is older, has less time and is in an age level where he feels much less drive to "prove himself" anymore.

Second, the fashion of everything changes, and so the fashion of MMOs. I think the core of what we have lost with the new MMOs, and what I too bemoan, in the approach of a "world simulation", where you are not send down one narrowed path of quest-storyline, but where you are given the freedom to explore and do many things. On the other hand, games like SWG did and do lack "coherence". I played SWG about 3 years, and yes I recall we needed no quests or guidance to have fun. But I also recall after 2 years I felt... aimless. I started to feel the desire to want more, to want stories being told, adventure stories like in those pen and paper D&D evenings with my friends. I dont wanted to wander aimless any longer, and thats I guess what happened to a lot of people. The depths of the aimless, quesless worlds were measured out, and people wanted more, they wanted maps and guides, the wanted no longer to print our internet walkthroughs to find their goals, because simply they werent students anymore and just lacked the time.

EQ2 is STILL in a very old fashioned way. I just recently acknowledged that, when I had a quest, simply stating "find an Efreeti to talk to in Lavastorm".. End of the line. I thought WTH? SOME Efreeti ANYWHERE in Lavastorm? Sure, I too found the AoC way to directly point to the goal silly, since it takes out the exploration. But on the other hand I too changed. I know how I searched for quest goals in SWG for DAYS AND WEEKS. Anyone maybe recalls "Mark of the Hero", and I know my guildmates and me looked for that friggin boar on our speeders for over a week. I enjoyed that back then. But today, when I dont know where to seek, and am lost for more than 15 minutes I get angry. I changed, my expectations changed, and I guess many players did.

What we cant and wont see is the same way of world simulation as once, since it was tbh relatively primitive. Devs didnt have to care a lot about details, because WE were much less demanding. But we cant go back to the simplicity we knew, because WE ALL are spoilt. It is as we cant go back to live in the simplicity of our forefathers, we are spoilt by electricity, computers, mobile phones and aircondition. It is how we are. But what we CAN do, is make better NEW world simulations, but you must understand that due to the changes, that is A HELL more difficult now than once, when the expectations and demands were CONSIDERABLY less.

I read they handed out invalid keys in some boxes. Contact funcom via mail, but as I hear expect a LONG wait line. Days, maybe weeks.

Originally posted by Terranah

Funcom has zero incentive for banning people.  They lose money if they ban your account and they get bad press.  They are standing up for a principle here, something more important than money and that is fairness in game to players who play honestly. 

 

So I'm sure Funcom feels they have a good reason to ban you and a few others.  The innocent will have their accounts reinstated.  The guilty get what they deserve.

Sorry if I sound bitter, but a just solution is more an accident when dealing with corprations. The error is already in the assumption those managment guys and GMs and devs acutally HAVE such a thing as a plan. I dont think thats something Funcom specific, mind you. But such a trust in justice... thats like someone telling Santa Claus will come and make "all things right".