MMOG's: Only for the hardcore?

by Steve Parsons { Jun 29th 2005 at 12:27PM }

I don't even like playing with people for free most of the time. The chances of me ever paying for it are slim, unless something truly groundbreaking appears.

Game Pro pimp the virtues of World of Warcraft early in this piece, but then point out that it becomes an endless trip in that most dreaded of vessels, "The Hamster Wheel of Eternal Levelling". WoW is praised for it's approach to casual gamers, but points out that come level 60, it's seemingly hardcore all the way.

Having never MMOG'ed myself, would those who have played say that WoW is where it's at right now? Or is Guild Wars really the star of the hour? And where does Galaxies fit into all this? (Galaxies being the only MMOG I've been remotely interested in.) "Why no Everquest?" I hear you cry. Too obvious. There will ALWAYS be an Everquest.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

_LarZen_ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

Galaxys is a rotten game.....it was probably good 5 years ago. EverQuest2 is the best looking MMORPG game out but it's an illusion.

World Of Warcraft have opend a door for casual players to join a world they did not know existed before.

Edwin Avalos @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I personally don't have enough money to pay 15$ a month or whaterever it is to play a game. I play Guildwars mainly becuase it's free online play and my friends also play it so it's a win-win for me.

I also played SWG and it was fun but got boring after a while and was absolutley not worth the money becuase of the horrible uptime. The times I could play my server would be down and I would be extremely pissed off >.>....

Dmitri @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

True. It will be impossible to kill Everquest. Plus, it's just sooo fun lol.

josh @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I've been playing MMOs off and on since ultima online came out, I've also playing a ten day trial of WoW and I've dabbled in guildwars as well, so here are my two cents:

WoW is the better game, it truly feels massive and the diversity in missions kind of surprised me, they do get repetitive but still they're better then most MMO missions. Sadly though a monthly price tag turned me off from buying the game

Now on to guildwars, i love that game. It's missions are much more captivating then WoWs but the levels are really linear so that's a big draw back. IT lacks that "go any where do anything" feel of an actual MMOs but the combat is more like a first person shooter then a boring point and click MMO.

Bottom line, WoW is still a better game, but not better enough to suck 15 bucks out of my paycheck a month, Guild wars is a great concept and I'm curious as to where this model of online gaming will go, I'm sure one day they'll finally reach the point where you can't tell it apart from a regular MMO, sadly guild wars isn't at that level.

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

How suprising, Steve Parsons with another negative view on life in gaming...

Dmitri @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I have guild wars, everquest, and wow. I played Lineage 2 trial, wasn't impressed. And I personally think eq2 is the best game out there. I have a 20 monk and a 20 ranger on guild wars and it is just such an easy game to finish and get all of the skills. GvG isn't even that fun. WoW pvp is just a ripoff and being a level 60 in WoW is the most boring thing i have ever experienced. i cant believed i played for so long to reach a dead end. i have yet to get level 50 on eq2 and i find it to be the most fun of all, it is anything but repetitive. WoW i see the same things and have the same quests all the time. the upcoming EQ2 expansion is sure to beat the WoW expansion.

Catch-22 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I'm a casual gamer. I can't speak for the others, but I played City of Heroes for several months and must say that it was extremely friendly to the casual gamer. You can have some pretty wicked powers right from the beginning. And, if the rumor-mill is correct, the City of Villians expansion will be free to all. I give it a pretty high recommendation to anyone lookin' to start an MMO for the first time.

Dmitri @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I heard that was a good game. I was going to pick it up but I have enough to pay for with WoW and EQ2. I already had to drop FFXI.

Hig @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I did play FFXI for a long time, but when I reached level 23, I looked at my total playtime, and it was over five days! That's more than 120 hours of playtime, but almost no rewards. I dropped that because of the inability to find a group in under an hour.

I had WoW starting Dec. 28, but for some reason I dropped it too. Now I've bought the game again, and it seems to be really easy to get into; plus the levelling is MUCH faster than FFXI. Still, though, I dread the 'grind' that will, God help us, happen once I think the game is worth paying for.

The same is true for City of Heroes. I played that game for a total of three months, and all was well until you reach a certain point; the point in which it becomes a 12-hour task just to advance one level. To be sure, FFXI was much worse, but in comparison to itself the ratio of TNL/time grows at about the same rate.

Personal (albeit confusing) conclusion: MMOGs may START OUT being easy-going and fun, but it seems that reaching the top level (and unlocking TRUE PvP, 'cause low-level PvP sucks ass) IS only for the hardcore, no matter how nice it starts out. That's a shame, really, because I would stay with so many more games (and consequently pay the clams every month) if I could just stay with the pack.

Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I like to thank those that charge me for access to playing their games online.

If I had to pay, I'd be broke AND have less time than I already have.

Kudos!

I did finally break down and get a copy of WoW. I'm staring at it right now and might have to get to installing.

Jason
http://www.xboxsoftmods.com/main/

Shawn Oster @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

Why do any of you play MMORPG's? I'm not being critical, I'm just curious what the draw is as a non-MMO person.

So it takes 12 hours or even 5 days to level up but what is bad about that? Is it because you want to see the new content in the form of skills/outfits/areas/items? What is it about the new level that you are really after? It can't be the number, "ohh, look I was at 12 now I'm at 13". Is it bragging rights? Is it just a pissing match over who has the biggest + X item? Is it a way to feel unique? Like "I have a full set of Pimp Armor and you don't"?

Do casual gamers want to advance right along with the hardcore? If the hardcore "Guy With No Job Or Woman" plays for 40 hours in a week and the casual "Guy With Hangover and a Morning to Kill" that plays for 4 hours both can get to level 120 in a week wouldn't that piss off the hardcore? Yet isn't the casual guy going to be upset when after 2 years of playing he still can't get to level 120 because his woman makes him go see the musical of Beaches every weekend?

Would an RPG without levels and stats suck?

Ok, I want 1 page paper on my desk in the morning titled, "Why I Play MMORPGs". You can leave it or a link to it over at http://osterized.blogspot.com/

Scott @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

Ive played Anarchy Online, Lineage 2, Dark Age of Camelot and Ultima Online, and the last one - Guild Wars. Guild Wars was my favorite by far. It is easy to learn but difficult to master. PvP is a blast especially after finishing the story with your character in the Hall of Heroes.

Guild Wars had a nearly flawless launch. It is a tight program. The art and graphics is breathtaking and the storyline is immersive. I am excited to see what they have planned for expansions.

I quit every MMOG eventually after a few months for the same reason - they are too addictive and they consume all my time.

Scott @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

L'Emmerdeur @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

WoW was my first MMG. I had always said that I was a single-player-only kind of guy, but one of my closest friends (also a devout non-MMG gamer) recommended it to me.

Once you get to level 60, you either get somewhat hardcore or start a new character. If you aren't in a power guild, it'll take a while to form a group, and that group will be hit-or-miss in their skills and intelligence/maturity (not to mention bloody ninja looters). Being in a power guild means you play a lot, which rules out any casual gamers.

I'm in a 100-person guild, and on average, around 15 people are on at any given time (due to time zone differences - we even have guildies who are soldiers stationed in South Korea), with a few 60 levels with whom I can party up.

Some of us use Teamspeak to communicate, which makes it a lot easier, and I have become pretty good friends with a guildmate who was an old aquaintance from college.

And that really is the core of the matter: I play because my friends play, and we have a lot of fun together. I would probably stop playing if they left WoW.

(apologies for the lack of structure)

Bart Pursel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I'm a WoW addict. I tried Guild Wars for a few weeks, but it just didn't feel as complete of a game as WoW does. The interface isn't as intuitive, you can get yourself stuck really easily, etc. I ended up going to a higher level area in GW to early, and had to re-roll a character b/c i was literally stuck in the higher lvl area (due to moving the story forward). I've also been in boss battles in GW where the boss can't kill me or my NPC companion, but we can not kill the boss either. That's just bad design.

Now on to WoW. I have 2 lvl 60s and a lvl 54. once you hit 60, you either pvp, instance, or farm materials. Instancing the high-end content is very difficult b/c it takes 15-40 people. Althouh you can find challenging content at 60 for 5-10 people. PvP can be fun, but gets rather boring after an hour or so if you aren't grouped with friends. The treadmill/grind in both WoW and GW is very small, and they make it interesting w/ quest systems and some fun encounters along the way.

I think the biggest component to one's enjoyment is the people you run with. I've run w/ an 'uber' guild which is a pain in the ass b/c the game is almost like a job to them. Points systems, chains of command, etc. I've returned to an earlier smaller guild, which is laid back and a lot of fun. It's the trade-off: Join an uber guild and do high-end content and get uber items (but run around with some boneheads who expect you to play all day) or hang out with fun people and just run some of the lower content and hope you'll eventually have people to do the highend content someday.

Ghosty @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I'm an Ultima Online addict. I know, I know.

Aside from the fact that UO has no treadmill (characters have no levels, so there's little need for that style of play), I keep playing it because of the other players. While every game has it's share of doinkheads, most players are pretty cool people who would just as soon stop and chat a while with you as go after the next monster on screen.

Yep, and it costs me $12.99 a month to play. I blow more than that on gas every week. Big deal.

Harry @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

I love WoW, and besides you know that when you pay to play you get people with real luv and commitment for the game, so chances are the over all experience reaches another level altogether!.
Thanks for listening, Cool Site! :)

Harry @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

Whabba @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

WoW...hmm...I play about an hour a day. Some people will laugh at that, but I don't think that a game should be your life. I play on a RP server with my friends from school and all of us are only around level 30. It's hard to keep friends online because they all level too fast...in other words...they play too much. But then again I guess you COULD call them "hard-core" gamers or watever. Guild Wars looks cool but it looks like you hit end-game too quick. WoW is the only mmog i've played and I like it. ^_^ I'm gonna stop now because I think I'm getting repeditive...and incapable of spelling.

Acolyte Devathi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM

Just wanted to put my two cents into Guild Wars. I've played a few online games, and I have to say I love GW. There are no fees, it's easy to find players of a similar mind set (whether it be uber, laid back, crappy, etc), and the story line is sweet. The PvP is a rush as well, and if you are into exploring maps there is a lot to explore.

The downside I see compared to other MMORPG's I've played is the lack of seperation between players. This was an intentional attribute put into GW, so that everyone has equal access to the same materials, but still...for those that want to have an edge because they put weeks into gaining that edge, they'll be disapointed.

However, GW does have elements of collection for those that want it. For instance, there are certain armors that look great in the game that take a significant amount of time to collect, and are therefore VERY rare. Same for weapons. The performance differnce's aren't necessarily that much better, but it adds to the fun of setting ones self apart from the rest. Also, with the new zones and quests added to GW for the higher level character, it is seriously a lot of fun to play (you just have to know where they are ;).

This game is a lot of fun. I'm still learning new tricks in the game, and have a blast hanging out with friends playing it. The fact that it costs nothing extra to play is even better. You can port anywhere on the map, as long as you've found the city, which makes it even more enjoyable. To those above that were "stuck" in an area, I don't understand why they just didn't hit "M" and go back to an area that was easier. For those that want to collect items, play the economy, and build their own weapons and armor, I don't understand why they don't do just that.

Anyway, my two cents. GW is definitely the coolest MMORPG (of sorts) that I have played in a long time. Plus, what other MMORPG opens up certain area to actual countries who win favor via PvP I.E. you cannot access Underworld or Fissure without your countries teams winning 5 games via PvP (America, Korea, Europe, Japan, etc) A very cool concept and increasing the value of both questing those zones, as well as providing incentive to play PvP.