All Posts by y2sky

Very amazing amounts, but not unexpected.

To the people with the money to blow in this manner, it is worth however much they are spending to buy a PS3 on release date.

A lesser example... I drove to four different WalMarts/Targets on the co-release of the Revenge of the Sith DVD and Star Wars Battlefront II, when I could have waited about a week.  I was willing to be a little inconvenienced to have the copies in my hands on release day =)

EQ/EQ2 - I had some really good times with this one.  I stuck with her for years thanks to her charm, her depth, and her excitement.  After about the 3rd year, she started demanding a little too much of my time, and before I knew it I was spending so much money and time on her that I had nothing left for myself!  I'd try patching things up with her from time to time, but she never changed.  Eventually, I learned to move on.

Just recently, I ran into her again.  It was like she was a totally different woman!  She lost weight, looked much more polished, and promised that her demanding ways were behind her.  All those looks made her far too shallow, though.  She continually calls me, saying she's completely changed, but I steer clear of her, because it seems like she can't figure out who she is.

WoW - OMG where to start here??  When I first met this hot, young thing, she was exciting.  Full of fun and adventure, plus she was very good about letting me spend time with my friends.  She was also very affectionate and craved my attention, especially if we hadn't been together in 2 or 3 days.  Spending time apart seemed to make her be TWICE as good to me as usual!

Unfortunately, she became very popular after I knew her for about 3 months.  After that she started changing little things about her here and there.  She tried so hard to please everybody.  I was willing to stick it out with her, but about a year ago, my life situation changed and I couldn't give her everything she needed.  Therefore, I told her to move on.  She was encouraged, once I told her there were at LEAST 7 million other men out there that could give her more than I could.

Horizons - GREAT girl with a lot of potential, but she was ruined by friends who constantly mistreated her.  I think she's on the verge of leaving the dating scene entirely.

Vanguard - I don't know much about this girl yet, but the pictures she has sent me have been VERY beautiful.  All her friends keep telling me that she is like no other woman on Earth, but I am cautious because of my relationships in the past.  I've heard mixed messages from guys she's been seeing recently, but I'm hoping that I can be in a position where she'll give me a chance when she's ready to start dating seriously.  Who knows, this could be a match made in Heaven.  I'm willing to try, at least.

To quote Ludacris...
"Well, dude, uh, there you have it!"

Edit:  added Horizons and Vanguard

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Originally posted by Gorukha
  Why do you care about the ratings on this site ? They have as much credibility as the reviews.

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Yes, however it's pretty restrictive.  The two accounts must share the same credit card owner's name.  (i.e. the credit card used to pay the subscription fee for each account has to be under the same name.)

There may be other restrictions too, such as same billing address, same email, etc.  Not 100% sure what, but the bottom line is that they want to, as much as humanly possible, ensure that both accounts are owned by the same person.

Edit:  I also think this is subject to the $25 transfer fee, same as server transfers.

The problem today with MMORPGs and players alike is a simple case of first love syndrome.

Recall your first crush, your first kiss, your first... yeah, you get the point.  There's an experience there that's really a once in a lifetime feeling that, despite your best efforts, you can never completely duplicate.  MMORPGs have somehow exhibited the same trait.

Everquest was the first MMO I've played.  I had played a few online games before, namely the Diablo series and X-wing series.  However, the first time I played Everquest, I was in awe.  "I'm REALLY playing with THOUSANDS of other players?", or "Grouping with these other players is so cool, look at the adventure we're having!" were a couple of the thoughts I first had.  I played EQ for about 4 years, then decided to call it quits when RL started to get a little more hectic.

Today, I've played WoW, FFXI, Horizons, EQ2, and Shadowbane, and none of them have evoked the same sense of wonder, accomplishment, or sheer determination that my experiences in Everquest did.  Does that mean that MMOs are a lost cause and I should just give up trying to enjoy them altogether?  Of course not!

What players AND developers both need to realize is that the "wonder" factor of MMOs is gone.  Most everyone knows now that you can play in a game world for months or years with thousands of other people at the same time.  You can't look for the magic anymore, you need to enjoy the game for what it is.  My guess is that too many players will rush and pick up an MMO, thinking the game will just "WOW" them, when in reality, there is now a fully grown MMO market.  Do some research on multiple games and find out about their features before diving head first and expecting the game to make you enjoy it.  Try to do your homework and look for a game that fits your playstyle.

The problem a lot of devs have with realizing this truth is that they believe <translatiing my game world to MMO form> = win.  WoW I think has managed to cash in by bringing their loyal fanbase of millions to the MMO genre, coupled with a casual-friendly environment, but they're the rarity.  Most "MMO ports" like DDO are not doing so hot.  DDO didn't take any new approach to gaming in a fantasy world.  They simply bought some servers, put a game world and some rules on them, and called it an MMO.  A similar game, Guild Wars, is (IMO) doing great because of their unique PvP setting (ladders, tournaments, etc.).

For any new MMOs to be successful and really draw players in, they need to introduce new concepts while keeping the fan favorites (i.e. WAR should keep something similar to RvR).  The "magic" may be gone, but creativity should not be.

This is just my 2c.  The bottom line is that NO ONE is going to duplicate the "Everquest experience", no matter how much the players or the devs want to.  Once this reality sinks in, you can focus on enjoying the games for what they are.

You know what really grinds my gears:  (props if you catch the movie reference)

-  Class envy.  If you don't like your class, you either a) need to reroll or b) don't understand your class fully.

-  People that don't understand the concept of risk/effort vs. reward, and hate on those who do (raider profiling)

-  Overbalancing.  This blurs the class role lines and makes grouping boring and/or non-existant.

-  Not having as much time as I used to for playing MMORPGs.  (EQ Progression servers = best idea ever!  Too bad I don't have near enough time to play in one these days )

And that's what really grinds my gears...

3. Warlock - WoW
2. Spearman - Horizons
1. Ranger - EverQuest

WoW warlocks have some unique abilities with regard to summoning that set them apart from the rest of the pack. However, the HZ Spearman and EQ ranger were by far my favorite classes. The Spearman was a true finesse fighter, and I've never seen any other MMO come close to making a similar class.

As far as my favorite character goes, though, nothing beats my old EQ ranger. Everquest left you with the freedom to pull off feats that are nearly impossible in today's MMOs. My ranger has tracked rare spawns across vast zones, pulled off heroic feats when everyone was sure of a group wipe, and was just a great all around character. I mostly meleed as I only played to level 52, but I had options for nukes, buffs, crowd control, and light tanking. I never got bored with that class.

If you play on the Chaos (NA Non-rp) server, you should also join the "New Player Assistance" chat channel.   A lot of the veterans hang out there and they are very friendly and helpful to new players.

Also, if you like crafting, you're playing the right game

^posted twice on this page

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Originally posted by Rikimaru_X

Dout it. Any 5 year old can shoot but I would like to see one that can dribble.

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...without looking at the floor.

What really got me into MMORPGs back in my Everquest days was the sheer size of the world you shared with other players, and the depth of character development that you could accomplish. In addition, the excitement of taking on challenging encounters with a group of friends was enough to keep me up many a late night. Essentially, Everquest was one of my usual college hangouts, it was just online.

Somehow, that sense of wonder and community is lacking in the newer games. Granted that RL forces me to limit my MMO time to about 1/4 of what it used to be, but I've tried several games the past two years from Horizons, to EQ2, to WoW. None of these games have managed to immerse me into their world like EQ did.

Oh well, hopefully the next generation will get it right. I am really looking forward to seeing what Sigil can do with Vanguard: SOH, and with luck I'll be able to afford a PC that can run it by the time it's out . Until then, I guess I'll just be on my PS2 or playing Guild Wars.

Rikimaru pretty much sums up my argument. The implications in this case would be FAR different if the sex of the two people involved were reversed. You're fooling yourself if you think "Male teacher had sex with a 14 y/o girl" and this case are one and the same.

Heck, just ask the kid himself if he was a "victim" as the article describes. I doubt you'd get a "yes".

Edit: And to answer Riki's question:

Hmmm, maybe he could do what the other kid did with Mary Letorneau (sp?)... wait until he turns 18 then go back for seconds!

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Originally posted by darquenblade
Play some different types of games. MMOs aren't everything =).

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BLASPHEMY!!!

If you have a solid game idea that you're really serious about getting off the ground, then submitting your design/idea to a big development company is a mistake. First of all, any companies like that throw that little clause into their marketing documentation that states that any submissions (whether it's demo reels for a job application or whatever) become their property. You'd lose your rights in a heartbeat. Secondly, the design ideas and think tanks are usually employed at the highest ranks in the industry. Gaming companies almost never utilize any ideas from outside submissions.

If you're truly interested in getting this off the ground, I suggest either learning how to program or see if you have a friend or five with the same passion and some coding knowledge. That's a long shot that would take a very long time, but TBH you're practically throwing away your idea if you submit it to a big company.

Hmmm, I'm not trying to flame or anything, but I would think an MMO with a steep learning curve and complexity would require a good amount of time to do well in. However, I am definitely open to suggestions on this as well! I too got bored with WoW but don't have the time I used to put into EQ1.

Only one I know aside from SWG is Horizons. You can progress from a hatchling dragon to an adult to an ancient in that game. Pretty good community too, but the overall world environment and client performance are below average, IMO.