maybe but rift seems to have a lot more happening out in the world, which brings a nice focus on interacting with other players instead of being sequestered off into an instance
There are things in Rift that definitely make it better than Wow. It's world is a lot more exciting and interesting to be in, with a lot more going on in it, NPC's do a lot more than just walk around in circles waiting for the player to come murder them which is a nice change. The asthetics are also a lot more pleasing to the eye than WoW. WoW also ripped off the classes within classes thing directly from Rift, whom did it first (And still does it better.).
On the other hand WoW has a lot more content in it because it's been out longer which inevitably gives it a leg up after a while. It also has more players. Their combat system are pretty much the same as well. WoW's dungeon finder is also better. If RIFT was as streamlined and user-friendly as WoW is it would be my go to game for sure.
Also I have to comment on my own recommendation for TOR and kind of redact that a bit. The game IS good, but it starts to really lack staying power later on. Also the fact that it plays like a single-player game starts to really become a drag after a while. You see all these cool people around you in this MMO but nobody has any inclination to actually socialize or group up because its completely unneeded for 90% of the content. I just cancelled my sub before my free month is even up for this very reason, I don't really like the idea of having paid 60 bucks then 15 bucks a month to play a single player game by myself. It's just losing it draw for me after i've played a while. To be honest I now wish i hadn't bought the game at all.
Also I have to comment on my own recommendation for TOR and kind of redact that a bit. The game IS good, but it starts to really lack staying power later on. Also the fact that it plays like a single-player game starts to really become a drag after a while. You see all these cool people around you in this MMO but nobody has any inclination to actually socialize or group up because its completely unneeded for 90% of the content. I just cancelled my sub before my free month is even up for this very reason, I don't really like the idea of having paid 60 bucks then 15 bucks a month to play a single player game by myself. It's just losing it draw for me after i've played a while. To be honest I now wish i hadn't bought the game at all.
This is EXACTLY what I expected from SWTOR and also exactly why I did not buy it. I'm sure it's a great single-player game. Heck, BioWare has done great things with KOTOR, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc. but none of those are an MMO. to be honest, I really don't think that BioWare (or the folks they stole from Mythic's corpse) really understand what makes people want to pay $15/month for years on end. Having said that, I'm sure they will make a ton of money (if they haven't already) and it will be a very successful and profitable game.
That is kind of funny, because TOR has more group quests in it at this point than WoW does, by a mile. Hell, even your dailies at level 50 have 2 and 4 man groups ones mixed in. It's nothing close to a single player game. Every day I'm doing pvp with people, running flashpoints, and now we're getting enough 50s to start doing raids too.
Just today, I grouped up with strangers to work on dailies, and there was a group forming on Belsavis spontaneously to try to take down the world boss there.
That is kind of funny, because TOR has more group quests in it at this point than WoW does, by a mile. Hell, even your dailies at level 50 have 2 and 4 man groups ones mixed in. It's nothing close to a single player game. Every day I'm doing pvp with people, running flashpoints, and now we're getting enough 50s to start doing raids too.
Just today, I grouped up with strangers to work on dailies, and there was a group forming on Belsavis spontaneously to try to take down the world boss there.
Yes the game becomes multiplayer at max level at the end game. But up until that point? Nope. And after 50 it removes all the charm of the interesting story and becomes repetitive doing the same flashpoints over and over and PVP that is very samey to the other offerings already on the market. And to say it has more group content than WoW is just untrue, I have played both games and that is just flat out untrue. I'm not even a very big fan of WoW and I know this.
But once again, this is just my opinion of the game after having played a good amount of time into it. If you think differently thats fine, but no, it does not have more group content than WoW, not even remotely close. Even the most fun parts of TOR like the space ship battles are locked to be only single player; you can't group in them at all. The whole game just seems to throw up barriers to make it so you can't group or to make it pointless unless you just want to PVP and run the same instances repeatedly. The actual story missions (the fun part of the game, imo.) is almost entirely a single player experience. Sure you can group for it. But there is no reason to group in it, you gain no benefit, it isn't needed and the game certainly does nothing to encourage it. I think they would have been better off just making a new single player Old Republic than an MMO. I mean if you enjoy repeating the same content over and over, all the power to you...but I would have rather played more storyline. It just isn't worth the subscription price in my opinion.
When I say it has more group content, I'm not saying it has more endgame content. I'm actually speaking to the people that want a multiplayer levelling experience. In that regard, yes, TOR has far more group content while levelling. Every planet has 2 and 4 man heroic quests, and WoW removed all of those long ago and just made them all solo. If you actually look for a group there are always groups running the 4 man flashpoints in TOR as well.
The class story is literally the only part of the game that is not enhanced by grouping, and that's because that's the part of the game where your character gets to be the unique snowflake hero. You can not like the game all you want, but I'm not going to stand by and let you tell people who might be thinking of trying it that it's a single player game, when literally before you leave the starter planet there's a group quest and champion level enemies to group up for, and it just continues on. I mean christ, some of the optional datacrons hidden around the planets require more than one person working together to get to.
I've played every major MMO there is, and the only ones that required more grouping when they came out were Everquest and Final Fantasy XI. Period.
Personally, I wouldn't suggest TOR unless you're looking for a singleplayer game with MMO elements tacked on. Unless you're a Star Wars fan, once you reach the end of the story content it pretty much turns into WoW with lightsabers. Endgame raiding and battlegrounds all over again.
I'm waiting for the mass exodus to hit in a month or two when the puppy love phase of TOR is over and most people are at max level doing what they already did for years in WoW.
I'd personally suggest just dabbling in F2P games, but not committing to any of the MMO's listed in this thread. Wait until GW2 comes out. That game has so many revolutionary features it can't be missed. Ability to play with your friends at any level (through side-kicking), your character scales to lower level content (so you can play through zones you missed), balanced PvP (you jump to max level in BG's, get max level gear to choose from), dynamic quest events, massive world, F2P after purchase.
No other MMO is on my radar and I've been playing MMO's since UO in 1997.
Newsflash: People who play MMOs are pretty much looking for a game that end game similar to WoW. Raiding, hard mode small group content, pvp, these are the things that people want in their MMO at the end game. It's why WoW has remained so popular.
The difference in TOR is that the levelling experience is actually a fun ride unto itself. If you took Mass Effect and it fucked KotOR and WoW and had a baby that let you play with your friends, with the story and levelling of the first two and the end game of the last, that's pretty much the game, and it's fucking fantastic.
If you're not somebody who has an established group of friends/guild that plays together, you might find you don't want to keep playing at end game, but raiding and doing shit with friends at the end game is part of the fun of MMOs. If you're not into that, you shouldn't have bought the game in the first place.
That is kind of funny, because TOR has more group quests in it at this point than WoW does, by a mile. Hell, even your dailies at level 50 have 2 and 4 man groups ones mixed in. It's nothing close to a single player game. Every day I'm doing pvp with people, running flashpoints, and now we're getting enough 50s to start doing raids too.
Just today, I grouped up with strangers to work on dailies, and there was a group forming on Belsavis spontaneously to try to take down the world boss there.
Yes the game becomes multiplayer at max level at the end game. But up until that point?
Yep.
I've been grouping all along. I'm sorry you didn't, somehow? Did you avoid all the Heroic quests and the Flash Points?
Newsflash: People who play MMOs are pretty much looking for a game that end game similar to WoW. Raiding, hard mode small group content, pvp, these are the things that people want in their MMO at the end game. It's why WoW has remained so popular.
The difference in TOR is that the levelling experience is actually a fun ride unto itself. If you took Mass Effect and it fucked KotOR and WoW and had a baby that let you play with your friends, with the story and levelling of the first two and the end game of the last, that's pretty much the game, and it's fucking fantastic.
If you're not somebody who has an established group of friends/guild that plays together, you might find you don't want to keep playing at end game, but raiding and doing shit with friends at the end game is part of the fun of MMOs. If you're not into that, you shouldn't have bought the game in the first place.
Newsflash: Not all people who play MMOs are pretty much looking for a WoW clone. Especially those of us who played MMOs prior to WoW.
I started playing WoW in Beta 2 (early 2004) and played until just prior to Lich King. Almost 5 years. In that time I ground through the original PvP system to get ranked 4th on my server before I burnt out. Had a 2K ranked PvP 5v5 team. Completed all of the vanilla raiding game and most of the Burning Crusade crap.
I don't want to play WoW anymore. I don't want to play a game like WoW anymore. I've already played it to death. To assume that MMO players at large want more of the same is incredibly ignorant.
Yeah, I guess that's the reason TOR was developed to be like WoW but with voice acting a Bioware story aspect unique to each class, eh? So all the people who don't want a game like that would not buy it. Oh wait, 2 million plus people already bought TOR.
And as Elvenshae said, there are tons of heroic quests and flashpoints to do along the way, so if you're not grouping as you level, that's on you, and nobody else.
Yeah, I guess that's the reason TOR was developed to be like WoW but with voice acting a Bioware story aspect unique to each class, eh? So all the people who don't want a game like that would not buy it. Oh wait, 2 million plus people already bought TOR.
And as Elvenshae said, there are tons of heroic quests and flashpoints to do along the way, so if you're not grouping as you level, that's on you, and nobody else.
Yes, because 2 million people equals every MMO player. Beyond that, how successful do you think it would be were it not Star Wars? I feel it's a very un-MMO. Every player of each class runs through the same story and makes choices which alter it slightly, but in the end you're all the same. I can't play an MMO that treats each individual player like they're the ultimate hero of the universe. Once again, an MMO with a "compelling" story that doesn't affect the world around you in a meaningful way.
I stand by my prediction that TOR will see a massive exodus of players and it will happen this year. Once you get through the story content it's exactly like every other MMO out there. Once the next MMO hits the market, people will jump ship like they always do because TOR offers nothing in the long run that other MMOs don't.
Diablo 3 alone will take tons of subs away from TOR. May as well wait until it goes F2P to play it, rip through the story then move on to an MMO that isn't a single-player game galavanting as an MMO.
Wakfu is definitely an MMO to look forward to. It's got a fully player driven economy/political system with Final Fantasy Tactics gameplay. The graphic style is fantastic.
Yeah, I guess that's the reason TOR was developed to be like WoW but with voice acting a Bioware story aspect unique to each class, eh? So all the people who don't want a game like that would not buy it. Oh wait, 2 million plus people already bought TOR.
And as Elvenshae said, there are tons of heroic quests and flashpoints to do along the way, so if you're not grouping as you level, that's on you, and nobody else.
Yes, because 2 million people equals every MMO player. Beyond that, how successful do you think it would be were it not Star Wars? I feel it's a very un-MMO. Every player of each class runs through the same story and makes choices which alter it slightly, but in the end you're all the same. I can't play an MMO that treats each individual player like they're the ultimate hero of the universe. Once again, an MMO with a "compelling" story that doesn't affect the world around you in a meaningful way.
I stand by my prediction that TOR will see a massive exodus of players and it will happen this year. Once you get through the story content it's exactly like every other MMO out there. Once the next MMO hits the market, people will jump ship like they always do because TOR offers nothing in the long run that other MMOs don't.
Diablo 3 alone will take tons of subs away from TOR. May as well wait until it goes F2P to play it, rip through the story then move on to an MMO that isn't a single-player game galavanting as an MMO.
So you're saying it's like WoW(which people love) but each person gets a personal story that's like Mass Effect(which people love)? Oh man, that's crazy. It's almost like they designed exactly the game they said they would. The game is fucking awesome, and I guarantee it doesn't fail. The first content patch hits this week, and it's making it even better.
what bugs me is swtor doesn't do anything for actual multiplayer outside of bog-standard instances and group quests. and even if there is a fairly good bioware type story in there, its hardly worth slogging through hundreds of hours of generic mmo'in hold the m
I have to agree with Ragnar, SW:TOR is a fantastic game, and the soty / voice acting alone adds alot to the experience. but people will get tired of it and move on to greener pastures. I myself have cancelled my subscription so it will end after the free month.
I am looking forward to GW2 tho, they seem to have some fresh ideas.
Wakfu is definitely an MMO to look forward to. It's got a fully player driven economy/political system with Final Fantasy Tactics gameplay. The graphic style is fantastic.
I have played MMOs since Asheron's Call and nothing has yet to compare to that game as far as fantasy level-based systems go. It was an amazing experience to play AC in its prime.
Since then, I've beta tested numerous MMOs, and played some of the larger ones such as WoW. When I got bored of WoW (pre-Burning Crusade), my brother convinced me to start playing Eve with him. I have been playing it off and on since then, recently restarting to train skills while I wait to purchase a new computer that can fully play the game. The only reasons I have quit playing for any substantial period of time was to save my GPA, as the game and its politics can be that engrossing.
Effectively, what I am saying is to give Eve a shot. I have been involved in MMOs and consider them my favorite genre of video game, mainly due to the social interaction aspects. While CCP may have its faults, there is no MMO on the market that is comparable to Eve, you can truly determine what you want to do in the game; there is no pigeon holing "classes" or dull grind unless you choose to make one.
I won't go into a tirade trying to shout down other MMOs, each has its own uniquely enjoyable parts, but I will tell you as someone who loves these types of games that nothing has managed to take me away from Eve in over six years.
star wars the old republic or SWTOR. IT's awesome and awesome and very awesome.
To me it's not boring and I've been playing it with an obsession. I tried pretty much every mmo on the market. Swtor is new and if I"m not mistaken a new content patch was released. It's barely out and people are sooo rough on it.
Also so many characters you want to be and they all look/play cool. I'd go empire tho repubs are girls.
I played ToR up to level 20. It feels like playing Mass Effect/KotOR, and so now I'm playing those instead. And the PvP really doesn't do it for me. I wish it did though 'cause I do like SW.
I played ToR up to level 20. It feels like playing Mass Effect/KotOR, and so now I'm playing those instead. And the PvP really doesn't do it for me. I wish it did though 'cause I do like SW.
I actually would have liked the game more if they had done it in the mass effect universe, with a mass effect action oriented combat system. I think the game would have been a lot more engaging and fun if there was some actual skill involved in how the combat works. As it stands actually trying to dodge attacks and shots doesn't do anything, they just hit you anyways with magical dice rolls going on in the background. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with MMO's in general these days is the lack of innovation in this area alone, i'm tired of WoW gameplay. Making a less multiplayer oriented WoW with star wars and voice acting painted overtop of it does not make the game anything more than a WoW clone.
Personally, I wouldn't suggest TOR unless you're looking for a singleplayer game with MMO elements tacked on. Unless you're a Star Wars fan, once you reach the end of the story content it pretty much turns into WoW with lightsabers. Endgame raiding and battlegrounds all over again.
I'm waiting for the mass exodus to hit in a month or two when the puppy love phase of TOR is over and most people are at max level doing what they already did for years in WoW.
I dreaded the end game content in SWOR because I realized it would be just like WoW - running dailies and grinding heroics for gear and badges/points to buy other gear. That said, I don't know of any MMO that's ever done it differently. Is it a boring routine? Yeah, it is, but how do they change it?
I think the three things that SWOR offers that other MMOs haven't are the integrated story element that makes it feel like your character is growing and accomplishing something, the social wheel which makes you think about how your character interacts with the world, and the high level voice acting to bring the characters (PC and NPC) to life. These three things work together to pull me into the game.
Yeah, it can feel like a single player RPG with MMO elements tacked on, but the game has to have viability to people who aren't in groups. WoW can be played solo to max level as well, with a much less compelling storyline. Which brings me to another thing I like about SWOR. At the moment, SWOR has a replayability factor. I hate creating alts in WoW and grinding through the same quests. At least in SWOR I can make a different class and get a new story, or play the same class but take a different advanced path and select different options in the social wheels for a slightly different experience.
I would recommend SWOR to anyone who enjoys immersive RPGs and the ability to play co-op with others.
P.S. Hi everyone. First time poster, long time casual reader.
I played ToR up to level 20. It feels like playing Mass Effect/KotOR, and so now I'm playing those instead. And the PvP really doesn't do it for me. I wish it did though 'cause I do like SW.
I actually would have liked the game more if they had done it in the mass effect universe, with a mass effect action oriented combat system. I think the game would have been a lot more engaging and fun if there was some actual skill involved in how the combat works. As it stands actually trying to dodge attacks and shots doesn't do anything, they just hit you anyways with magical dice rolls going on in the background. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with MMO's in general these days is the lack of innovation in this area alone, i'm tired of WoW gameplay. Making a less multiplayer oriented WoW with star wars and voice acting painted overtop of it does not make the game anything more than a WoW clone.
I already played WoW, I want something new now.
On the latest Bombcast they were lamenting how the ground combat in the Star Trek MMO wasn't more action oriented given how instanced it all is. In a normal MMO there is no way that you could run hit detection or whatever, just too many objects.
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(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
If you're looking for a game in the traditional Everquest vein Star Wars is a fantastic option.
However, if you've played WoW for 7 years and are sick of the end game dailies grind, the loot treadmill, and the lack of social/community game features then you'll be disappointed when you hit 50. The second I finished Ilum, all the space missions, and a good chunk of the flashpoints for the first time...it was like I never left the treadmill.
If you're looking for MMOs that focus more on the social aspects - look elsewhere. EVE is a good place to start.
I will say that for the social aspect, Eve is the one game that's kept me hooked for over six years keeping tabs on the universe, even if I'm not subscribed.
I've heard good stuff about eve but it's not for me. Am I wrong for thinking that most mmo's should feel wow'ish? I haven't seen much of a variant on running around, killing stuff and getting gear. If there is I'm interested to hear about it.
EVE is the kind of game that, while I can understand why some people like it, I would only suggest it to a friend as a practical joke. Like the kind where you put hot sauce in everything they have stored in the fridge. THAT kind of "joke".
Put more directly, you're either that small portion of people who can love EVE with a passion, or you're with the vast majority to whom it makes gouging out their eyes a preferable form of entertainment. I say it like that because "you either love it or hate it" really doesn't do justice how awful it can be if you don't like it. But hey, if you DO like it it's supposed to be great. Only way to know is try it.
EVE is the kind of game that, while I can understand why some people like it, I would only suggest it to a friend as a practical joke. Like the kind where you put hot sauce in everything they have stored in the fridge. THAT kind of "joke".
Put more directly, you're either that small portion of people who can love EVE with a passion, or you're with the vast majority to whom it makes gouging out their eyes a preferable form of entertainment. I say it like that because "you either love it or hate it" really doesn't do justice how awful it can be if you don't like it. But hey, if you DO like it it's supposed to be great. Only way to know is try it.
It is my experience that people who hate Eve only played for an hour or two in empire and didn't bother to read the instructions or attempt to follow any direction. It has a steep learning curve (sometimes referred to as a wall), and when you don't attempt to overcome it in any way and expect to be spoon fed, it will make your gameplay unenjoyable.
And frij, you are terribly wrong to expect all MMOs to be WoW like, and in my opinion, that line of reasoning is what is killing the genre.
In my experience, players who enjoy EVE are absolutely fanatic about it, and simply cannot accept that somebody disliked the game. 100% of the time, it was the player's fault for "playing it wrong", rather than anything wrong with the game.
In my experience, players who enjoy EVE are absolutely fanatic about it, and simply cannot accept that somebody disliked the game. 100% of the time, it was the player's fault for "playing it wrong", rather than anything wrong with the game.
Yes, this is exactly what I am doing.
Thread over: Garthor's deductive reasoning has proven that Eve is shit and its players are fanatical hyper-nerds who don't see anything wrong with CCP's creation.
Or, I could just be saying that writing Eve off as a mean joke to play on friends which "makes gouging out [one's] eyes a preferable form of entertainment" is grossly reductionistic and sounds more like an evaluation based on limited gameplay experience, or word of mouth.
I wanted to like EvE and do to some extent but the UI annoys me and I realized going in I wouldn't like the pvp aspects of it even though that's part of what it makes it so appealing to some. Really hate having to get kitted out again after dying. That got old back in UO.
In my experience, players who enjoy EVE are absolutely fanatic about it, and simply cannot accept that somebody disliked the game. 100% of the time, it was the player's fault for "playing it wrong", rather than anything wrong with the game.
Yes, this is exactly what I am doing.
Thread over: Garthor's deductive reasoning has proven that Eve is shit and its players are fanatical hyper-nerds who don't see anything wrong with CCP's creation.
Or, I could just be saying that writing Eve off as a mean joke to play on friends which "makes gouging out [one's] eyes a preferable form of entertainment" is grossly reductionistic and sounds more like an evaluation based on limited gameplay experience, or word of mouth.
Oh I didn't mean it like that. The game appeals to a specific type of person, and to that person it's the bees knees. But everyone outside that seem to get PTSD. Personally all I have as a memory of my attempt at it is "mining". Which was eye-gouging material, to be sure. If I had sat around to get past that, might I have liked it? Sure, possible. Hence why I say "try it". Either they love it or they hate it so much the reaction is funny.
I'm not saying the game is "bad" so much as it is a very specific niche.
While I didn't mean to kick off an Eve rant - I was just trying to put it out there that the genre is more than just EQ/WoW clones. That's what gets all the money and attention but there are some really good alternatives. You just have to look for the little(r) guys.
I played eve for a couple months, but it got to the point where my options were basically 'be a mindless tackler in whatever op is running, if one is running' or 'rat/mine/salvage and hopefully nobody decided to bum around the nearby friendly systems in their force recon this evening' while waiting a month or so for skills to train up to fly competent ships
granted I was getting free rifters and even free BSes if I prostrated myself in corpchat enough, but still, it was dull
I see why people like it, definitely, but it's not for everybody.
I do think it's worth trying if you like spaceships though; it might be up your alley and the friendly merchi/goon affiliate will make the startup process about as painless as it can reasonably be
it was the smallest on the list but
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
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ZoelI suppose... I'd put it onRegistered Userregular
The fairest way I can think of to describe eve is that
A) It is a terrible game, but It is an excellent MMO.
The politics, spying, grudges, etc. are pretty much what makes the MMO awesome. Unfortunately the MMO is attached to an awful, awful, game that you could never play in its own right the way you could theoretically play world of warcraft or TOR. So, it's really just for people who don't care about the game and want the MMO aspect, and the 1% of PVP that's pretty awesome. The PVE isn't much more than a skinner box, unfortunately.
A magician gives you a ring that, when worn, will let you see the world as it truly is.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
That is kind of funny, because TOR has more group quests in it at this point than WoW does, by a mile. Hell, even your dailies at level 50 have 2 and 4 man groups ones mixed in. It's nothing close to a single player game. Every day I'm doing pvp with people, running flashpoints, and now we're getting enough 50s to start doing raids too.
Just today, I grouped up with strangers to work on dailies, and there was a group forming on Belsavis spontaneously to try to take down the world boss there.
No, I have to quite agree with others here. I get the single player game vibe while playing it too. I was raving about it for about a month and was telling all of my friends and everything. Just recently I came to the same realization that others are. Hell, my GF said teh same thing and I didn't think I was going to hear that from her. We both went back to play WoW until GW2 comes out. We will see if that can keep us interested. If you are enjoying it, then great but I see quite a few people eventually coming to the same conclusion.
Eve is not a game for a person who doesn't like PvP. If you like competing against other players and sci-fi, then Eve is probably the game for you.
Rift is probably the best PvE-focused endgame critter out there at the moment, and has the flexibility with builds and roles to find a slot for everyone.
SWTOR is fantastic for storyline and falls flat at endgame. It rewards PvP well, though, so it might be worth a look if you enjoy that.
Okay now having played swtor longer I'd still say it's fun. The 8 man ev is easy enough that you can raid even with people not so good. PVP is fun as long as you stay out of ilum and realize sometimes your group comp is going to make you lose.
I'm very social and found after a certain level it's impossible to get people to group with you for heroic quests but after you hit 50 it isn't. Part of survival in swtor is getting into a good guild with active 50's. Many people quit swtor and so you have "ghost town" guilds. My guild is pretty massive but a lot of the people are still figuring themselves out. That doesn't prevent me from having 3 groups of 8 mans (2hm's). Trick is to get with people who want to play and are on when you are on.
Biggest thing I hear in swtor, "I want to play with my friends so I am in his guild." You later find out the shifts are different ect and so they only see them on a chance weekend or something. Other thing is the, "I want you to hold my hand and take me through stuff cuz it's hard!" I've had people ask a question in guild and no one answers than g quit. It's usually because everyone was caught up in something and they didn't answer. If you are learning that's one thing but I'm not here to play the game for you.
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On the other hand WoW has a lot more content in it because it's been out longer which inevitably gives it a leg up after a while. It also has more players. Their combat system are pretty much the same as well. WoW's dungeon finder is also better. If RIFT was as streamlined and user-friendly as WoW is it would be my go to game for sure.
Also I have to comment on my own recommendation for TOR and kind of redact that a bit. The game IS good, but it starts to really lack staying power later on. Also the fact that it plays like a single-player game starts to really become a drag after a while. You see all these cool people around you in this MMO but nobody has any inclination to actually socialize or group up because its completely unneeded for 90% of the content. I just cancelled my sub before my free month is even up for this very reason, I don't really like the idea of having paid 60 bucks then 15 bucks a month to play a single player game by myself. It's just losing it draw for me after i've played a while. To be honest I now wish i hadn't bought the game at all.
This is EXACTLY what I expected from SWTOR and also exactly why I did not buy it. I'm sure it's a great single-player game. Heck, BioWare has done great things with KOTOR, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc. but none of those are an MMO. to be honest, I really don't think that BioWare (or the folks they stole from Mythic's corpse) really understand what makes people want to pay $15/month for years on end. Having said that, I'm sure they will make a ton of money (if they haven't already) and it will be a very successful and profitable game.
Just today, I grouped up with strangers to work on dailies, and there was a group forming on Belsavis spontaneously to try to take down the world boss there.
Yes the game becomes multiplayer at max level at the end game. But up until that point? Nope. And after 50 it removes all the charm of the interesting story and becomes repetitive doing the same flashpoints over and over and PVP that is very samey to the other offerings already on the market. And to say it has more group content than WoW is just untrue, I have played both games and that is just flat out untrue. I'm not even a very big fan of WoW and I know this.
But once again, this is just my opinion of the game after having played a good amount of time into it. If you think differently thats fine, but no, it does not have more group content than WoW, not even remotely close. Even the most fun parts of TOR like the space ship battles are locked to be only single player; you can't group in them at all. The whole game just seems to throw up barriers to make it so you can't group or to make it pointless unless you just want to PVP and run the same instances repeatedly. The actual story missions (the fun part of the game, imo.) is almost entirely a single player experience. Sure you can group for it. But there is no reason to group in it, you gain no benefit, it isn't needed and the game certainly does nothing to encourage it. I think they would have been better off just making a new single player Old Republic than an MMO. I mean if you enjoy repeating the same content over and over, all the power to you...but I would have rather played more storyline. It just isn't worth the subscription price in my opinion.
The class story is literally the only part of the game that is not enhanced by grouping, and that's because that's the part of the game where your character gets to be the unique snowflake hero. You can not like the game all you want, but I'm not going to stand by and let you tell people who might be thinking of trying it that it's a single player game, when literally before you leave the starter planet there's a group quest and champion level enemies to group up for, and it just continues on. I mean christ, some of the optional datacrons hidden around the planets require more than one person working together to get to.
I've played every major MMO there is, and the only ones that required more grouping when they came out were Everquest and Final Fantasy XI. Period.
I'm waiting for the mass exodus to hit in a month or two when the puppy love phase of TOR is over and most people are at max level doing what they already did for years in WoW.
I'd personally suggest just dabbling in F2P games, but not committing to any of the MMO's listed in this thread. Wait until GW2 comes out. That game has so many revolutionary features it can't be missed. Ability to play with your friends at any level (through side-kicking), your character scales to lower level content (so you can play through zones you missed), balanced PvP (you jump to max level in BG's, get max level gear to choose from), dynamic quest events, massive world, F2P after purchase.
No other MMO is on my radar and I've been playing MMO's since UO in 1997.
The difference in TOR is that the levelling experience is actually a fun ride unto itself. If you took Mass Effect and it fucked KotOR and WoW and had a baby that let you play with your friends, with the story and levelling of the first two and the end game of the last, that's pretty much the game, and it's fucking fantastic.
If you're not somebody who has an established group of friends/guild that plays together, you might find you don't want to keep playing at end game, but raiding and doing shit with friends at the end game is part of the fun of MMOs. If you're not into that, you shouldn't have bought the game in the first place.
Yep.
I've been grouping all along. I'm sorry you didn't, somehow? Did you avoid all the Heroic quests and the Flash Points?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Newsflash: Not all people who play MMOs are pretty much looking for a WoW clone. Especially those of us who played MMOs prior to WoW.
I started playing WoW in Beta 2 (early 2004) and played until just prior to Lich King. Almost 5 years. In that time I ground through the original PvP system to get ranked 4th on my server before I burnt out. Had a 2K ranked PvP 5v5 team. Completed all of the vanilla raiding game and most of the Burning Crusade crap.
I don't want to play WoW anymore. I don't want to play a game like WoW anymore. I've already played it to death. To assume that MMO players at large want more of the same is incredibly ignorant.
And as Elvenshae said, there are tons of heroic quests and flashpoints to do along the way, so if you're not grouping as you level, that's on you, and nobody else.
Yes, because 2 million people equals every MMO player. Beyond that, how successful do you think it would be were it not Star Wars? I feel it's a very un-MMO. Every player of each class runs through the same story and makes choices which alter it slightly, but in the end you're all the same. I can't play an MMO that treats each individual player like they're the ultimate hero of the universe. Once again, an MMO with a "compelling" story that doesn't affect the world around you in a meaningful way.
I stand by my prediction that TOR will see a massive exodus of players and it will happen this year. Once you get through the story content it's exactly like every other MMO out there. Once the next MMO hits the market, people will jump ship like they always do because TOR offers nothing in the long run that other MMOs don't.
Diablo 3 alone will take tons of subs away from TOR. May as well wait until it goes F2P to play it, rip through the story then move on to an MMO that isn't a single-player game galavanting as an MMO.
Open beta just started up last week.
http://www.wakfu.com/na/mmorpg
Oh wow check out their main intro video:
http://www.wakfu.com/na/mmorpg/media
It's hilarious.
So you're saying it's like WoW(which people love) but each person gets a personal story that's like Mass Effect(which people love)? Oh man, that's crazy. It's almost like they designed exactly the game they said they would. The game is fucking awesome, and I guarantee it doesn't fail. The first content patch hits this week, and it's making it even better.
I am looking forward to GW2 tho, they seem to have some fresh ideas.
Anybody playing this? I got a level 12 summon-anime-character-thingy running around killing oversized sheep on the international server.
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
Since then, I've beta tested numerous MMOs, and played some of the larger ones such as WoW. When I got bored of WoW (pre-Burning Crusade), my brother convinced me to start playing Eve with him. I have been playing it off and on since then, recently restarting to train skills while I wait to purchase a new computer that can fully play the game. The only reasons I have quit playing for any substantial period of time was to save my GPA, as the game and its politics can be that engrossing.
Effectively, what I am saying is to give Eve a shot. I have been involved in MMOs and consider them my favorite genre of video game, mainly due to the social interaction aspects. While CCP may have its faults, there is no MMO on the market that is comparable to Eve, you can truly determine what you want to do in the game; there is no pigeon holing "classes" or dull grind unless you choose to make one.
I won't go into a tirade trying to shout down other MMOs, each has its own uniquely enjoyable parts, but I will tell you as someone who loves these types of games that nothing has managed to take me away from Eve in over six years.
To me it's not boring and I've been playing it with an obsession. I tried pretty much every mmo on the market. Swtor is new and if I"m not mistaken a new content patch was released. It's barely out and people are sooo rough on it.
Also so many characters you want to be and they all look/play cool. I'd go empire tho repubs are girls.
I actually would have liked the game more if they had done it in the mass effect universe, with a mass effect action oriented combat system. I think the game would have been a lot more engaging and fun if there was some actual skill involved in how the combat works. As it stands actually trying to dodge attacks and shots doesn't do anything, they just hit you anyways with magical dice rolls going on in the background. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with MMO's in general these days is the lack of innovation in this area alone, i'm tired of WoW gameplay. Making a less multiplayer oriented WoW with star wars and voice acting painted overtop of it does not make the game anything more than a WoW clone.
I already played WoW, I want something new now.
I dreaded the end game content in SWOR because I realized it would be just like WoW - running dailies and grinding heroics for gear and badges/points to buy other gear. That said, I don't know of any MMO that's ever done it differently. Is it a boring routine? Yeah, it is, but how do they change it?
I think the three things that SWOR offers that other MMOs haven't are the integrated story element that makes it feel like your character is growing and accomplishing something, the social wheel which makes you think about how your character interacts with the world, and the high level voice acting to bring the characters (PC and NPC) to life. These three things work together to pull me into the game.
Yeah, it can feel like a single player RPG with MMO elements tacked on, but the game has to have viability to people who aren't in groups. WoW can be played solo to max level as well, with a much less compelling storyline. Which brings me to another thing I like about SWOR. At the moment, SWOR has a replayability factor. I hate creating alts in WoW and grinding through the same quests. At least in SWOR I can make a different class and get a new story, or play the same class but take a different advanced path and select different options in the social wheels for a slightly different experience.
I would recommend SWOR to anyone who enjoys immersive RPGs and the ability to play co-op with others.
P.S. Hi everyone. First time poster, long time casual reader.
On the latest Bombcast they were lamenting how the ground combat in the Star Trek MMO wasn't more action oriented given how instanced it all is. In a normal MMO there is no way that you could run hit detection or whatever, just too many objects.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
However, if you've played WoW for 7 years and are sick of the end game dailies grind, the loot treadmill, and the lack of social/community game features then you'll be disappointed when you hit 50. The second I finished Ilum, all the space missions, and a good chunk of the flashpoints for the first time...it was like I never left the treadmill.
If you're looking for MMOs that focus more on the social aspects - look elsewhere. EVE is a good place to start.
Put more directly, you're either that small portion of people who can love EVE with a passion, or you're with the vast majority to whom it makes gouging out their eyes a preferable form of entertainment. I say it like that because "you either love it or hate it" really doesn't do justice how awful it can be if you don't like it. But hey, if you DO like it it's supposed to be great. Only way to know is try it.
It is my experience that people who hate Eve only played for an hour or two in empire and didn't bother to read the instructions or attempt to follow any direction. It has a steep learning curve (sometimes referred to as a wall), and when you don't attempt to overcome it in any way and expect to be spoon fed, it will make your gameplay unenjoyable.
And frij, you are terribly wrong to expect all MMOs to be WoW like, and in my opinion, that line of reasoning is what is killing the genre.
Yes, this is exactly what I am doing.
Thread over: Garthor's deductive reasoning has proven that Eve is shit and its players are fanatical hyper-nerds who don't see anything wrong with CCP's creation.
Or, I could just be saying that writing Eve off as a mean joke to play on friends which "makes gouging out [one's] eyes a preferable form of entertainment" is grossly reductionistic and sounds more like an evaluation based on limited gameplay experience, or word of mouth.
Oh I didn't mean it like that. The game appeals to a specific type of person, and to that person it's the bees knees. But everyone outside that seem to get PTSD. Personally all I have as a memory of my attempt at it is "mining". Which was eye-gouging material, to be sure. If I had sat around to get past that, might I have liked it? Sure, possible. Hence why I say "try it". Either they love it or they hate it so much the reaction is funny.
I'm not saying the game is "bad" so much as it is a very specific niche.
granted I was getting free rifters and even free BSes if I prostrated myself in corpchat enough, but still, it was dull
I see why people like it, definitely, but it's not for everybody.
I do think it's worth trying if you like spaceships though; it might be up your alley and the friendly merchi/goon affiliate will make the startup process about as painless as it can reasonably be
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
A) It is a terrible game, but
The politics, spying, grudges, etc. are pretty much what makes the MMO awesome. Unfortunately the MMO is attached to an awful, awful, game that you could never play in its own right the way you could theoretically play world of warcraft or TOR. So, it's really just for people who don't care about the game and want the MMO aspect, and the 1% of PVP that's pretty awesome. The PVE isn't much more than a skinner box, unfortunately.
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
No, I have to quite agree with others here. I get the single player game vibe while playing it too. I was raving about it for about a month and was telling all of my friends and everything. Just recently I came to the same realization that others are. Hell, my GF said teh same thing and I didn't think I was going to hear that from her. We both went back to play WoW until GW2 comes out. We will see if that can keep us interested. If you are enjoying it, then great but I see quite a few people eventually coming to the same conclusion.
Rift is probably the best PvE-focused endgame critter out there at the moment, and has the flexibility with builds and roles to find a slot for everyone.
SWTOR is fantastic for storyline and falls flat at endgame. It rewards PvP well, though, so it might be worth a look if you enjoy that.
I'm very social and found after a certain level it's impossible to get people to group with you for heroic quests but after you hit 50 it isn't. Part of survival in swtor is getting into a good guild with active 50's. Many people quit swtor and so you have "ghost town" guilds. My guild is pretty massive but a lot of the people are still figuring themselves out. That doesn't prevent me from having 3 groups of 8 mans (2hm's). Trick is to get with people who want to play and are on when you are on.
Biggest thing I hear in swtor, "I want to play with my friends so I am in his guild." You later find out the shifts are different ect and so they only see them on a chance weekend or something. Other thing is the, "I want you to hold my hand and take me through stuff cuz it's hard!" I've had people ask a question in guild and no one answers than g quit. It's usually because everyone was caught up in something and they didn't answer. If you are learning that's one thing but I'm not here to play the game for you.