Massive Multiplayer

[Gravgon]

I have been playing Horizons lately and it is truely amazing the graphics. If you have a good pc and a good broadband connection it is a great experience. The only problem is that the community while is decent it is also slim.
Which brings me to the point I think that it only gets harder and harder to get a good mmorpg community going because there are so many choices out there.

Think about how many players would be in the game world if there was only one mmorpg out there. But every time they come out with a new one they divide the community that much more right ?
Which is a major factor in the success of EQ considering when it launched for many of the users this was the first truely 3d mmorpg(im sure someone out there wants to talk about another before eq). Sure we had our muds and our UO and whatnot here and theres. But the 3d first person view is what really does it for me. I can really enjoy life as a fantasy when I'm in that 3d view.

They just might reclaim a grand community of players with the launch of EQ2 (I know of very few mmorpg players who are not going to rush out and get the first copy they can). But I love Horizons so much now because it has everything (great spells , total player driven economy , player housing , game events nearly every week , insane graphics , excellent class /race system they allready added two races since launch) but I feel like EQ2 is going to have a very bad effect on the community that is allready needing a push... When Horizons launched it had problems and back then I had dial up I nearly smashed my pc up with a hammer but finaly just decided now wasnt the time for me and horizons. But now that I have broadband and they have done alot of fixing on the game it is the best hands down! I went through most of the trials for the top dollar mmorpgs to except planetside where they wouldnt let me buy a cd key (shakes fist).

But back to my point dont you think that with every new mmorpg that comes out we are divided that much more ? And so while having a brand new game is great it also takes its toll on the fun factor considering I could of had 5,000 friends instead of 50 ? This I think is the underlying reason alot of people still play AC 1 and consider it far better than AC 2 or most of the new ones out there.

[Jagndeke]

Can't argue with your logic Gravgon.

It only makes sense that each game takes a little piece of the MMOG pie. Although I suspect the pool of MMOG players continually grows at some positive rate (I've never seen any stats showing how much annual growth there is in this genre) which expands the overall pie, the advent of new games has to have a balancing effect on the number of players in any particular game I suppose.

I for one have never, ever played an MMOG game up to this point for two reasons primarily:

1. I never seem to have the time to devote to it what with having a full time career and a highly active family.

2. I still can't bring myself to anti up a monthly fee for a game which I have to purchase off the shelf in the first place.

Maybe one day I'll get my feet wet in the MMOG universe but I don't think it will be anytime soon! :shades:

[Gravgon]

Exactly and your two reasons there are just two more problems for the community. Many of my friends / people I talk with regularly all say they can never devote the time it takes to play these games. I have been gaming all my life though and I enjoy them so much that I am allways taking days off just to enjoy it. I do spend alot on games but I allways usually just get pre owned console games for really cheap. And don't spend any on pc games anymore I like the ones I got I did buy ut 2004 however.

The monthly fee is a snag also but I don't mind it now that I got into it it's pocket change when Im spending 300 on groceries about every 2 and a half weeks. And lets not get into work and bills :/

I do know there is a steady flow of gamers out there but I don't think many of them get to the mmorpg part of gaming. And when they do get there they usually don't have the time to devote. But it can be a great experience if you do and build friendships with devoted players who acctually take into account the fact that these are role playing games.

[OldsterHolster]

Can't argue with your logic Gravgon.


I for one have never, ever played an MMOG game up to this point for two reasons primarily:

Me too, Jagndeke. I've never played an online game, but I dearly love playing my single player shooters. My age is almost certainly a factor, because, to me; most of these massive online games seem too much like the real world. I play my games to escape reality for a while, and other "real" people in my game would probably bring me right back to Earth in a heartbeat. Heh, heh. And, the time involved to "do them right" sometimes results in the real world getting neglected, especially for young people, it seems.

If I get rich and can ever afford broadband, I'm sure I'll get around to pitting my feeble skills against other real people in various little fragfests; but, at this point, anyway, I'm not inclined to devote countless hours trying to make my mark in a fantasy world. I'm still struggling with the real world, and it takes a lot of time, too. You never can tell, though; and I might change my mind, someday. I can surely understand the addictive nature of them.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear there's another MMORPG virgin out there. Heh, heh. I was just born about fifty years too soon, and I'll never learn or experience what today's young people already have, but I'm sure enjoying what I do know. Edward.

[Chylde Roland]

I've played many, many MMOGs, from beta testing to full purchases. I'd say my big three would be Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot and City of Heroes. I'm currently playing CoH.

You hit a very good point in terms of the time you have to commit to one of these games, Edward. I'm only a casual player, so I never manage to do the "great" things a lot of hardcore players do. But I still enjoy my time while I'm on. I also have generally played these games with a group of local friends, who I've know for years. All we do is set up a conference call, login, and get playing. That makes the experience 10 times more enjoyable, I've found. And being able to talk sure beats typing at one another. :):

[Gravgon]

I started to get into city of heros (at least I got the first issue of the comic) but realising there is no player housing or mention of it in the new future updates I decided to go back to Horizons. Also the fact that there are no items to want only powers. And also the fact that I realised I wanted spells to cast, a whole lot more classes , items such as armor,and a less comic / cartoonish look.

Thats when I realised that I wasnt getting much out of COH I was only playing through the allready laid down character creation. I think that COH is more of a MMO Action game than a rpg.

I play UT 2004 online alot and the action is great but a game of onslaught can last for over a hour. Fragging another person whois real playing the game just like you are can be really fun to. When I first got into gaming I spent 2 years of my life playing a online shooter. I was way more addicted and affected by that game than any mmog I have ever played. I would stay up for hours late at night playing which of cource resulted in a over worked under slept me. Finaly I decided to get EQ and try it out because I got credit and it was convienent. Well to say the least I think that EQ saved me from the life style I was living (hunting people online in shooters).

An hour spent in a Horizons will establish changes to my character and his property that will last forever. And hour spent in a shooter if played right will result in a sharper sword but it usually also results in kids getting so mad they wet there pants and curse at you. Once I realised the dramatic affect I was having on people I realised that it probably wasnt a good idea for me to play shooters anymore. I got into the world of mmorpg and after trying nearly every trail / downloadable game there is I settled on Horizons which I acctually have a box copy of it. I tried AC and I know that rpg's are not about the graphics and I know that noobs complain about the graphics in AC then by all means I am a noob because the models in that game are like something a kindergardener made compared to some of the newer games.

To some role players "graphics dont matter" but to others it plays a very big part in the game. I tried AC2 also I like that alot but agian lack of player housing drove me away. But the graphics in AC2 are preety nice especially the water is the most realistic I have ever seen with the white caps near the shore and the sky and land is acctually reflected in it. But the peacefull world of Horizons is where I can be found right now probably gathering sandstone to craft some spells or continuing on my adventure for coin to buy some land to build a house on.
I havent tried Dark Age of Camelot can someone here tell us a little about the finer points of DAoC ?

[Rafal Dudek]

I've been playing MMORPG's since I got a credit card LOL. I started off with Asheron's Call playing with GenX heh. Then I just moved back into MUD's (think of them as pre-mmo games with text only)... cant exactly remember the timeline but I've played Anarchy Online, EverQuest, Asheron's Call 2, Dark Age of Camelot, ShadowBane, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Earth and Beyond, EVE: The Second Genesis, and quite possibly a few more which I cant put my finger on at the moment. I've quit all and always came back to DAoC. Just like with MUD's, I always come back to Act of War mud hehe. I guess once you get into an MMORPG that you call "home", its too hard to leave =P

[Gravgon]

I know daoc is about ruling parts of land right ?

Horizons has some nice player built citys in it right now. Considering players spent time either them selfs or hiring out carpenters and masons (other players) to build the place. Some people just put silos on there lot instead of a house though. And it does take some time to learn to become skilled enough to construct parts of the houses and buildings.

There is almost allways it seams a updated "feature event" in Horizons where something is happening somewhere and everyone is buzzing about it including the loading screen. It usually stays up there untill a player or players figures it all out or the quest itself plays out depending on what type of quest it was. Right now there is a sandstorm in the Tazoon desert and you cant really see much inside a sandstorm but there are sandstorm minions within it. Something to do with someone finding a artifact mabey for better or worse?

All I know about doac is that there are 2 sides fighting for control over relics and such ? But is there also alot of monsters / creatures to hunt in doac and is there alot of diffrent weapons and items ?

[Shardos]

I've been playing daoc since a month after it's release, and since then I've "quit" like 5 times to try other mmo's, but none of them have been near as fun

[Rafal Dudek]

All I know about doac is that there are 2 sides fighting for control over relics and such ? But is there also alot of monsters / creatures to hunt in doac and is there alot of diffrent weapons and items ?

3 sides actually, There are the important relics to control which give realm bunus in magic and physical attacks, then there are control keeps to siege through =P Now the war got very interesting with the New Frontiers like it isnt just keeps anymore... there are outskirts around the castles to take over and cut down the supply lines =] Very fun

[Gravgon]

Dark Age sounds good Im gonna go check out the screenshots I like City of Heros to its preety good and Horizons I like them three. Although I havent tried Dark Age yet.