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[gofreak]

I have little experience of MMOGs. I only every played Ultima Online, and that was for less than a month, on a trial. I enjoyed it a lot, but wasn't in a position to pay monthly at the time.

Now, however, I am, and I'm looking for a good MMOG to sink my teeth into. I am really looking forward to Everquest 2 and WoW, and will likely subscribe to one or the other or both, but I'd like to get into something now. As far as I see it, my options are:

The original Everquest: I'd consider it, but is it worthwhile if I start out in EQ2 in a couple of months?

City of Heroes: I'm not too sure about this one. I'd like a MMOG where I can really build something. From what I've heard of this, you just create your character, and then go and fight baddies..? Where is the variety?

EVE Online: Leaning heavily toward this at the moment. I love space games, and this looks gorgeous. Have read a lot of positive impressions too, and it seems to be getting better as time goes on.

Star Wars Galaxies: Not a big Star Wars nut - worth considering?

FFXI - not an option for me, I'm in Europe and don't want to wait for an import.

Planetside - I get my shooting kicks for free with UT2k4, thanks.

So at the moment, EVE is winning out for me..anyone care to offer advice? Cheers.

 

[Ferrio]

I'd suggest Dark Age of Camelot if you like big player battles. Actually if I was going to invest in a MMORPG right now t hat's what I'd go back into.

But I'm going to wait out until WoW.

 

[Forsete]

Go with EVE.

 

[hiryu]

I would wait for WoW if I was you. It's great. If you want to play something right now that doesn't take much dedication then I would play CoH. It's a fun diversion.

 

[Tabris]

FFXI - not an option for me, I'm in Europe and don't want to wait for an import.

They're releasing FFXI very soon in Europe.

 

[Tabris]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/index.shtml

September 16th

 

[nubbe]

SWG will "probably" be the best PvP MMO with jump to Lightspeed... maybe

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Ewww, if you're considering EVE, FFXI, and EQ, then plz by all means throw DAoC on that list.

Best MMO out there right now. And now would be the right time to join. Mythic are doing everything in their power to get rid of any grind and cater to new players.

You can already level 1-50 through battlegrounds (realm vs. realm playgrounds where each realm has a keep, and there is one center keep that they fight over, incredible fun!) w/o ever having to "grind" so to speak.

There are some problems w/ the game, such as realm population imbalance (plz don't go albion if ya join), but Mythic are giving new players incentives to join Hibernia and Midgard. How's a free level upto every 2 days sound if you've earned one on your own w/in that same time period? New players already receive NICE gear every 5 levels from their trainers, so you never have to feel like your gimped.

I could go on and on, but bah, DAoC doesn't seem to be an option for people ever in these discussions, so i'll stop wasting my breath.

 

[gofreak]

Is DAoC all about battling, or is there an economic side to it? Is there player-owned property and such? I'd really like to go into a world where you can establish a presence, really build up your assets and such..

 

[CrimsonSkies]

I'd wait for World of Warcraft or EverQuest 2. These games are way better to buy at launch due to everyone being new together. Technically it's a little rough for them though.

 

[BlackSalad]

SWG is great, I play both DAoC and SWG and the bugs are for the most part not present. If you can find that SWG 14-day free trial, I suggest that. DAoC also has a 7 day trial, but you need a CC and you don't get to play with the expansions

 

[Outdoor Miner]

There is player housing available, and there are a ton of things you can do with your homes.

Unfortunately, the economy is not in too good a shape right now, due to ToA (expansion) making crafters gear obsolete, as well as Mythics decision to allow gold to drop when killing players. I've heard some lvl 50's now make 300-500 gold a night just RvR'ing like they always have. So now there's inflation on everything in the end game.

So to answer your question, if economy is a big factor in which MMO you chose, then i would recommend something more along the lines of SWG or EVE.

 

[Joeholley]

Read your PM.

 

[GDJustin]

If you're looking for just a "normal" MMO, I'd play FFXI or DAoC until WoW comes out. That's your best bet.

 

[citan]

I'm not a big fan of MMORPGs but if you want a really good one, or so I'm told by friends, City of Heroes is really good.

 

[Sinatar]

EVE is the worst MMORPG I have ever had the misfortune of playing, and i've tried like 90% of the. Just an awful, boring, pointless POS game.

 

[firex]

FFXI blows horribly, so don't waste any money on that (and don't believe anybody who tries to make it sound fun; it isn't). WOW's European beta is starting soon, so if you registered, maybe you got in.

Otherwise I'd stick with something like DAOC, unless you want a player housing thing, in which case... uh, I really don't know of anything good enough that focuses on that heavily.

 

[dark10x]

Planetside is my favorite out of all of those, but it is a bit different. It isn't fair to say "I get my shooting from UT" in this case, as the game is VERY different and has virtually nothing in common with UT. I don't know the status of the game world, though, as I haven't played for many months. I had an absolutely blast with it, though...despite the flaws.

 

[firex]

I'd recommend Planetside, but hardly anybody plays it, and it doesn't offer the stuff gofreak said he wanted.

 

[MrPing1000]

ive played UO, EVE, DAOC, City Of heroes and a crapload of others. Atm i'd go with daoc or coh although i find coh gets very very repetitive once u reach lvl20 or so, thats when i quit

 

[Tabris]

FFXI blows horribly, so don't waste any money on that (and don't believe anybody who tries to make it sound fun; it isn't).

FFXI rocks incredibly, so waste your money on that (and don't believe anybody who tries to make it sound bad; it isn't).

 

[Sinatar]

FFXI rocks incredibly, so waste your money on that (and don't believe anybody who tries to make it sound bad; it isn't).

No it doesn't. It REALLY REALLY doesn't. It so doesn't rock that there aren't enough languages on Earth to properly convey the lack of rocking FFXI has.

 

[Gattsu25]

from my minor experience in MMOs

Everquest didn't hold my interest
Star Wars Galaxies didn't hold my interest (though it's skill system was nice)
Final Fantasy XI did
Ragnarok Online pissed me off
Lineage II was absolutely terrible...by far the worst I've played

 

[IJoel]

At about level 31 or so, the whole farming system and tedious gil gathering activities just drove me nuts and made me hate FFXI.

I've been trying to get back to it, because I really liked the rest of the stuff the game had to offer, but it's just hard since you are FORCED to deal with the tedious gil gathering to be able to properly level up (equip.)

 

[Tabris]

At about level 31 or so, the whole farming system and tedious gil gathering activities just drove me nuts and made me hate FFXI.

I've been trying to get back to it, because I really liked the rest of the stuff the game had to offer, but it's just hard since you are FORCED to deal with the tedious gil gathering to be able to properly level up (equip.)

You could always do quests. I've gotten at least 500k from questing.

 

[firex]

FFXI is garbage in the genre; if you're playing any MMORPG for content, even complete crap like Ragnarok Online has more. Not that I'm recommending Ragnarok Online, I'm just saying that FFXI is nothing short of horrible as an MMORPG. I don't hate the regular series, but FFXI isn't even worth playing for the free month. When you play FFXI, keep in mind the game is one of those annoying "get to level 2 and group to complete everything else in the game" MMOs. There isn't even any real content to discover in the game either; the endgame consists of maxing out different jobs and getting equipment and money. No raids, no PVP, and I don't think they have player housing.

 

[MrCheez]

Seems like this topic comes up once a month, but I never get tired of discussing it, so... =)

Right now is a really good time to get into MMOs, because there is this new "download the full game and get a week-2week free trial" thing going on. =)

Asheron's Call 2, Dark Age of Camelot, and Star Wars Galaxies are all doing this currently. Head to one of their official websites and waste some time playing for free to help you decide. =)

But anyway, here's a quick, one-sentence description of every MMO I've played:

Star Wars Galaxies: There is a lot here for hardcore SW fans, but I couldn't get into it, - gameplay seemed boring and skill-system unappealing.

Dark Age of Camelot: The Realm versus Realm (player versus player) content is a blast and the best in the genre, while everything outside of pvp was mediocre.

Final Fantasy XI: It was beautiful and had a lot of depth, but overall I found many aspects of the game broken, and thought it moved so slowly to the point where having fun seemed impossible. (* gets ready to be flamed by the uber HxC elite ffxi fans ><;; *)

Anarchy Online: Loads of fun and great depth.. but no one plays it anymore. ;_;

Lineage II: It was pretty, and has a heavy focus on pvp (which I like)... but I must confess I barely played it - just wasn't much fun.

EverQuest: It deserves your love and respect, but it's hard to get into now (plus it's showing it's age) so I'd just wait till EQ2 or something else.

City of Heroes: Good fast-paced fun for a few weeks, but it really lacks in depth and becomes very repetitive.

World of Warcraft: The game is- oh wait... DAMN YOU BLIZZARD WHERE IS MY BETA INVITE!!! ><

 

[Tabris]

There isn't even any real content to discover in the game either; the endgame consists of maxing out different jobs and getting equipment and money. No raids, no PVP, and I don't think they have player housing.

There's huge raids! Dynamis raids are great! So there's a shut the fuck up, you don't know what you're talking about point made.

Also, FFXI has the deepest MMORPG story out there. Yes, you need to be at least level 60 to even start the story past the shadow lord fight.

 

[Gattsu25]

there are raids, PvP, and a form of player housing...but i'll give you that last one as you can't show others or add on to your house, just decorate it (everyone starts with one)

but hey...it's unfair to expect people who don't like FFXI to know what the fuck they're talking about...still...i grow tired of these debates...especially since I'm not even paying for any MMOs at the moment

 

[MrCheez]

There are plenty of people on these forums who didn't like FFXI and know exactly what they are talking about. =P

 

[Belfast]

Ewww, if you're considering EVE, FFXI, and EQ, then plz by all means throw DAoC on that list.

Best MMO out there right now. And now would be the right time to join. Mythic are doing everything in their power to get rid of any grind and cater to new players.

You can already level 1-50 through battlegrounds (realm vs. realm playgrounds where each realm has a keep, and there is one center keep that they fight over, incredible fun!) w/o ever having to "grind" so to speak.

There are some problems w/ the game, such as realm population imbalance (plz don't go albion if ya join), but Mythic are giving new players incentives to join Hibernia and Midgard. How's a free level upto every 2 days sound if you've earned one on your own w/in that same time period? New players already receive NICE gear every 5 levels from their trainers, so you never have to feel like your gimped.

I could go on and on, but bah, DAoC doesn't seem to be an option for people ever in these discussions, so i'll stop wasting my breath.

I understand the population imbalance, but that all seems pretty cheap, if you ask me. Almost game-breaking.

 

[MrPing1000]

What pisses me off is that UO in its prime has still not been beaten, unfortunate that today its a piece of crap

 

[MrCheez]

About DAOC...

I recently went back and tried the new Frontiers expansion during the free trial... and what the hell is up with all the damn people using ballistas and trebuchets non-stop?! >< It's just so cheap... every few steps it seems like I'm getting one-shot by a siege whore. =( They really need to lower the dmg on them. I think I also like the old battlefield map a lot better.

Don't get me wrong, still a great game... but I definitely experienced some frustrations I don't remember having back when I used to play.

 

[Belfast]

There are plenty of people on these forums who didn't like FFXI and know exactly what they are talking about. =P

Unfortuantely not.

The game isn't perfect, but its the most stable and consistent MMORPG I've ever played. It shows a lot of polish, has rarely ever let me down in the area of bugs/server fuckups, and is all-around pretty nice. Most MMORPGs take a long to level up and get money and whatnot. FFXI is really no different, but if you have absolutely no clue what you're doing, then I can see the problem.

 

[MrCheez]

What is it with you guys? Seriously.

It's ONLY possible to dislike FFXI if you are a idiotic n00b who had no clue what he was doing, eh?

Anyone have the giant rolleys smilie that vomits other rolleyes smilies? Can't seem to find it. =P

 

[Belfast]

No, there are plenty of idiotic n00bs who still play the game.

But its true. Most people who bash the game show a dinstinct lack of understanding. Its not our fault that that's the case.

 

[MrCheez]

And most people who defend the game do so solely by responding with "your opinion is wrong mine is right!!!11"

Understanding, eh?

 

[Belfast]

Its not even about an opinion. See Gattsu's reply to firex above. People claim there's a "lack of things" or say that FFXI forces you to play in a certain way, when there is specific evidence pointing to the contrary. Maybe FFXI should come with the tag of YMMV, but its not the "shittiest piece of shit shit MMORPG (shit)" just because your experience sucked with it.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

City of Heroes. Gets boring in two weeks of playing. Game lacks any sort of variety of content. You won't feel like it is worth it to waste time so you can see the lack of variety at the high level game. I didn't even want to play for free during the beta.

PlanetSide: See above. However, this one did keep me playing for about 2 or 3 months, which mostly had to do with it being the beta.

EverQuest: Played it for years. SOE has ruined it in my opinion. Planes of Power broke the game beyond belief, and it hasn't got any better. I still have many friends that still play, but I'm done for good.

Never bothered with StarWars Galaxies, EVE, or FFXI. I'm waiting on World of Warcraft, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (Brad McQuaid/Sigil Studios).

 

[MrCheez]

Well yes, firex has his information wrong, and also I can admit most of my frustration on this issue comes from the other 15,000 topics we've had on it. =)

But it seems to me that anytime someone brings up a valid complaint against the game on these forums (see the other 15,000 threads), they are assaulted with "You didn't know what you're doing!!!" or "You were only level 40, you're still a newb!!!" etc etc.

And also, we (well at least... speaking for myself in the debates I've been in) are not saying it's the shittiest game ever etc etc. We're saying we couldn't enjoy it, then in response we're being told that anyone who thinks that way is somehow wrong.

 

[Scott]

As Tabris said, Final Fantasy XI will be hitting Europe next month, and it will also include the two expansion packs ("Rise of the Zilart" and "Chains of Promathia"). Chains of Promathia will be hitting the US at about the same time, but we have to pay for it (29.99$ USD), so you guys get a nice little freebie.

The pricing structure will be the same as it is in the US, which is:

First Content ID (account & 1 character) ~ 12.95$ a month (USD)
Additional Content IDs (up to 16 total characters) ~ 1.00$ a month (USD)

And just like most MMO titles, you'll get the first month free.

Note: There's also Tetra Master, an online version of the Final Fantasy IX card game, which comes packaged with FFXI. It has a seperate fee, however, of 1.00$ (USD) for each account.

I don't know if you're really interested in FFXI, but if you are, check out the big thread for it in the Online Forum. There's a pretty extensive FAQ on the first page, and I'm sure I (or anybody else there) can answer any questions you may have.

Hope that helps.

When you play FFXI, keep in mind the game is one of those annoying "get to level 2 and group to complete everything else in the game" MMOs. There isn't even any real content to discover in the game either; the endgame consists of maxing out different jobs and getting equipment and money. No raids, no PVP, and I don't think they have player housing.

Bullshit. As was already said, you're wrong on pretty much all accounts.

Players start out with a house, and while you don't get to add onto it/build it up, you do get to furnish it and use it as a place to work on some of your crafts. Furnishings actually have effects on various things, like xp loss when dying, elemental properties, amount of items your house can store, certain quests you can obtain, and so on.

There is PvP, called Conflict, which as of right now comes in the form of Ballista. These matches take place between members of the three nations, certain level groupings, etc. All you need to get into it is a small chunk of gil (typically low thousands, which is easy to obtain), and you can compete. I haven't tried it myself yet, so I couldn't tell you the prizes, but some people are really into it so I'm sure there's some worthwhile payoffs.

No raids? What about Dynamis?

And what are you talking about with this "level 2" stuff? The game isn't all about leveling. There are Quests you receive at certain levels (18, 20, 30, 33, etc), Quests you receive by building up your fame (from Nobody to Hero status), Missions which forward the storyline & give you great items (ie: Airship Pass), Burning Circle Notorious Monsters, Garrison (sp), Supply Quests, Conquest, Crafts, Mining, Holiday Events, Dynamis, etc etc. I could go on for awhile here, but I think you get the point.


And seriously guys, this Final Fantasy XI shit needs to stop. You don't like it? Fine. But do you really need to make shit up about the game? No. So knock it the fuck off already.

 

[Alex]

FFXI has by far the best PvE, Camelot has the best PvP (classic UO used to ), IMO

The rest of the genre, no matter how many shots I gave the titles, completely failed to impress me, most notably EQ, my friends tried to sell me so hard on that, but I couldn't click with it no matter what I tried.

Of course, this is also barring classic UO, which did a fab job of creating a damn good online world, until EA fucked it sideways. T2A was great fun, and IMO the peak of the game.

Cheez, for the most part, it's true. I don't mind if people do not care for FFXI, but when people come out of the wood work to rip on things they very obviously do not understand (cough, Tre, cough sorry ol' pal) it becomes a bit annoying, and this is largely the case at GA.

It may seem like a thin arguement, but so be it. Quite a few folks say it for a reason. The game has a lot to it, and one of the flaws against FFXI is that it's just not very intuative, and the documentation sucks ass. You can't even really find very good guides or information online for it.

But yeah, we say that because it's something we grew from, and it's also something we revisit every time we wanna start a new job, etc.

People can say whatever, I'd be happy to honestly discuss it with people that AREN'T going to act like dicks. I'm sure Shouta, Ru, etc would probably also if these arguements didn't boil into such nonsense.

I'd think I'd be proof that the game isn't garbage. Look at my taste in RPG's, look at my opinion of Final Fantasy, look at my opinion and experience on the MMO genre. That and I've done a good job of not acting like a blithering idiot my 4-5 years or so here at GA, har.

Obviously, since I've sunk over a year, including hell, er, beta of my life into a game in a genre where I am a total elitest, in a series I hate, in a sub-genre I have nothing but contempt for usually, you'd think I'm finding something to like here.

I wasn't impressed with my first week or so of FFXI, heheh, I'll admit that because I had fuck little clue of what was going on and took everything at face value.

 

[MrCheez]

One poster had his information wrong, true. But I was jumping back into the fray due to the start of the usual aggressive and generalizing arguments used against people who didn't like the game.

But to be fair, as you guys are saying... some folks on our side approach the debate in a hateful manner as well. Oh well, agreeing to disagree for now so I don't give myself a headache. =)

Edit: All I really need to hear from you peeps to be content and never enter the age-old FFXI debate ever again is... "Yes, it's possible for people who disliked our game to have completely and fully understood how to play it". =P

 

[Zaptruder]

Summary about FFXI is: Good MMORPG, but takes a LONG time to get stuff done.

Heavy reliance on other players as well; so there's alot of drama trying to organise stuff and getting on peoples good side (basically that takes time and effort...)... to achieve significantly, be prepared to take a large chunk out of your life... on the 'plus' side, you achieve things faster in this game then IRL.

 

[Belfast]

Yeah, the documentation could be a lot better. I still find myself asking questions to my LS mates ALL the time. I've been playing since it came out in the US, but I've also taken a lot of time off during that period, for one reason or another. There's a lot I don't know and a lot I still need to find out. There's plenty of content and things to do in this game, so sticking your character into a pidgeonhole isn't going to help. You concentrate too hard on one thing and you're going to miss the rest.

 

[Zaptruder]

We're saying we couldn't enjoy it, then in response we're being told that anyone who thinks that way is somehow wrong.

Lets be serious here; you couldn't enjoy it... primarily because you didn't have the patience to do the stuff it takes to get to the enjoyable parts of the game. It's true... that's a pretty flawed element of the game... actually doing work so you can have fun. But some people can tolerate that better than others.

 

[Gattsu25]

Yes, it's possible for people who disliked our game to have completely and fully understood how to play it...none of those people post here, however

 

[MrCheez]

Yes, it's possible for people who disliked our game to have completely and fully understood how to play it...none of those people post here, however

Anyone found that vomiting roll-eyes smilie yet?

 

[Gattsu25]

Anyone found that vomiting roll-eyes smilie yet?

:b

 

[MrCheez]

Lets be serious here; you couldn't enjoy it... primarily because you didn't have the patience to do the stuff it takes to get to the enjoyable parts of the game. It's true... that's a pretty flawed element of the game... actually doing work so you can have fun. But some people can tolerate that better than others.

I'm afraid to keep debating this further... but... what were the enjoyable parts of the game and how did they differ from the first 80 hours of the game? I admit flat-out that I do not know, and am ready and open to hear the answer... but I really can't see what could be drastically different? However again, please let me know.

Honestly, I think giving a game 80 hours is waaaaaaaaaaaay more than what should be expected of any gamer, even if it's an MMO.