Should I start my first MMORPG???
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- J.D.
- Posts: 4663
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:26 am
Should I start my first MMORPG???
I can't believe I'm starting this thread. For years I swore I would never pay a monthly fee for a game. But a bunch of my friends are really into WoW and I'm getting the urge. However I'm also leaning towards Guild Wars because there is no monthly fee, but I'm not sure how the two games compare.
I'm torn, what do you think I should do?
I'm torn, what do you think I should do?
- J.D.
- Posts: 4663
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:26 am
- Smoove_B
- Posts: 57178
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
- Location: Kaer Morhen
I've learned there really are different types of MMORPGs and depending on what you're into, that's going to make or break your experience.
I can only comment on two: Stars Wars Galaxies and City of Heroes -- two completely opposite games.
With CoH, it's all about the fighting. There's no economy or crafting items. You log on and fight bad guys. Usually within minutes. You gain levels and get new powers. The excitement comes from seeing new enemies and locations and using new powers. Also, teaming with really good people and having unique team experiences.
With Star Wars Galaxies you also have the combat. But it's not all you have to do. In fact, you might pick a character class that NEVER goes into battle. Instead, you may choose to sit around and craft items. Of course, you're going to need a support system to get raw materials, but it's possible.
For me, SW:G turned into a job. I had to log on every day and check my harvesters or monitor my sales. If I didn't log on for 3 days it was chaos when I finally did. Until I was gifted a speeder, getting to the spaceports to get to off-world misisons was insane. Sometimes I'd have to log onto the game 40+ minutes in advance of an agreed guild time just to give myself enough lead time to travel.
With CoH you're where you need to be within 5 real minutes. Just when you start getting tired of running around, you start earning movement powers and you're zipping all over the damn place.
So that's something you definately want to consider. I know other games have varied degrees of crafting and I'm sure others will discuss them.
But for me -- a guy with limited time -- when I want to play a game, I want to play.
Not make blasters or fix harvesters.
I can only comment on two: Stars Wars Galaxies and City of Heroes -- two completely opposite games.
With CoH, it's all about the fighting. There's no economy or crafting items. You log on and fight bad guys. Usually within minutes. You gain levels and get new powers. The excitement comes from seeing new enemies and locations and using new powers. Also, teaming with really good people and having unique team experiences.
With Star Wars Galaxies you also have the combat. But it's not all you have to do. In fact, you might pick a character class that NEVER goes into battle. Instead, you may choose to sit around and craft items. Of course, you're going to need a support system to get raw materials, but it's possible.
For me, SW:G turned into a job. I had to log on every day and check my harvesters or monitor my sales. If I didn't log on for 3 days it was chaos when I finally did. Until I was gifted a speeder, getting to the spaceports to get to off-world misisons was insane. Sometimes I'd have to log onto the game 40+ minutes in advance of an agreed guild time just to give myself enough lead time to travel.
With CoH you're where you need to be within 5 real minutes. Just when you start getting tired of running around, you start earning movement powers and you're zipping all over the damn place.
So that's something you definately want to consider. I know other games have varied degrees of crafting and I'm sure others will discuss them.
But for me -- a guy with limited time -- when I want to play a game, I want to play.
Not make blasters or fix harvesters.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
- Interloper
- Posts: 778
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 4:04 pm
- Location: Coming soon to a city near you!
I'd say give it a try, at least, because you'll never know otherwise. Maybe you'll like it, maybe not. It's definetely not for everyone. I'd say if you are wanting the traditional mmorgp experience, WoW would be the best bet. Guild Wars is massively multiplayer, but it just felt very empty for some reason. Actually it's strange, I used to love mmorpgs, but the older I get the less I like them. I think I'm officially done with them, but you may end up having some great experiences, so give it a shot.
- Hamsterball_Z
- Posts: 1799
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:39 pm
- Location: SF Bay Area, CA
A Contemporary Fable from Something Awful:
The Ant And The Grasshopper
In a large and grassy field one fine summer's day a grasshopper frolicked in the sun, hopping about with glee and chirping his favorite songs. It seemed the peak of selfishness to keep a beautiful day such as this all to himself, so the grasshopper visited the home of his friend the ant.
"Don't you realize what you're missing?" asked the grasshopper. "While you sit inside all day, life at its most precious and spectacular is passing you by!"
The ant wearily regarded his longtime friend with bloodshot eyes.
"I'm glad you're having fun, but I cannot join you for there is work to be done. My dwarven hunter in World of Warcraft is only level 12! I need to be level 60 come winter, and if you were wise you'd come in from your silly playtime and do the same."
But the grasshopper waved his hand dismissively.
"The little time we are given in life is best spent experiencing joy firsthand out there in the real world, not toiling away in a polygonal mine or hacking through carbon copies of the same spider all day and night. I shall be in the field to the south should you come to your senses and decide to join me, singing my song as loudly as my little grasshopper lungs allow."
And so he did. For several months the grasshopper went on adventures, plucked fresh fruit from trees, took naps in the sun, and drank wine until he giggled uncontrollably and beat his girlfriend. It was the greatest summer ever. The ant, on the other hand, rarely left his home. When he wasn't working on his character's progress he was researching the best way to make dwarven belts and advertise them in the game's auction houses.
Winter arrived as it always does, and one night during a bitter snowstorm there was a knock at the ant's door.
"Yes? Who's out there?" asked the ant, halfway listening for distress calls from his guildmates in the other room. They were on a very large raid that had been weeks in the making.
"It's me..." answered a weak voice, "the grasshopper. Please. You must help." He sounded frail, void of the life he had been bursting at the seams with in the summer.
"Oh, I must?"
"It's my night elf rogue... he's not even out of the newbie training grounds yet. Oh God you have to help me!"
The grasshopper's desperate plea transitioned into a disturbingly lengthy coughing fit.
"This summer you had all the time in the world, and instead of working you sang as loud as your little lungs would allow." The ant paused for a moment to let this sink in. "I suggest you take up the violin, and spend the rest of this winter playing a sad song for yourself."
With that, the ant turned the lock on his front door and returned to the raid. The grasshopper never did learn the violin. His night elf all but useless, the grasshopper's body shut itself down and he died alone and friendless in a remote snowbank.
Moral: Ants are hardcore. Hard. Core.

The Ant And The Grasshopper
In a large and grassy field one fine summer's day a grasshopper frolicked in the sun, hopping about with glee and chirping his favorite songs. It seemed the peak of selfishness to keep a beautiful day such as this all to himself, so the grasshopper visited the home of his friend the ant.
"Don't you realize what you're missing?" asked the grasshopper. "While you sit inside all day, life at its most precious and spectacular is passing you by!"
The ant wearily regarded his longtime friend with bloodshot eyes.
"I'm glad you're having fun, but I cannot join you for there is work to be done. My dwarven hunter in World of Warcraft is only level 12! I need to be level 60 come winter, and if you were wise you'd come in from your silly playtime and do the same."
But the grasshopper waved his hand dismissively.
"The little time we are given in life is best spent experiencing joy firsthand out there in the real world, not toiling away in a polygonal mine or hacking through carbon copies of the same spider all day and night. I shall be in the field to the south should you come to your senses and decide to join me, singing my song as loudly as my little grasshopper lungs allow."
And so he did. For several months the grasshopper went on adventures, plucked fresh fruit from trees, took naps in the sun, and drank wine until he giggled uncontrollably and beat his girlfriend. It was the greatest summer ever. The ant, on the other hand, rarely left his home. When he wasn't working on his character's progress he was researching the best way to make dwarven belts and advertise them in the game's auction houses.
Winter arrived as it always does, and one night during a bitter snowstorm there was a knock at the ant's door.
"Yes? Who's out there?" asked the ant, halfway listening for distress calls from his guildmates in the other room. They were on a very large raid that had been weeks in the making.
"It's me..." answered a weak voice, "the grasshopper. Please. You must help." He sounded frail, void of the life he had been bursting at the seams with in the summer.
"Oh, I must?"
"It's my night elf rogue... he's not even out of the newbie training grounds yet. Oh God you have to help me!"
The grasshopper's desperate plea transitioned into a disturbingly lengthy coughing fit.
"This summer you had all the time in the world, and instead of working you sang as loud as your little lungs would allow." The ant paused for a moment to let this sink in. "I suggest you take up the violin, and spend the rest of this winter playing a sad song for yourself."
With that, the ant turned the lock on his front door and returned to the raid. The grasshopper never did learn the violin. His night elf all but useless, the grasshopper's body shut itself down and he died alone and friendless in a remote snowbank.
Moral: Ants are hardcore. Hard. Core.

(HBZ)
-
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- Location: Second star to the right
MMORPGs are no more or less addicitng than any other hobby...unless you want them to be. Ive played WoW, SW:G, CoH and UO. Been able to quit any and all of them, come back, quit again, etc.
In fact the most addicitng of them, supposedly, is WoW, and I havent played that one in proably 3 months. I had fun, no doubt, but after a certain point I just decided Id had enough, and moved on.
If you go into with the attitude of 'it's just anotehr game', like any SP game, and you dont try to 'win', but rather just enjoy it for what it is you'll be fine. But if you're the kind of person that has to be #1....well, good luck, and say your farewells now.
In fact the most addicitng of them, supposedly, is WoW, and I havent played that one in proably 3 months. I had fun, no doubt, but after a certain point I just decided Id had enough, and moved on.
If you go into with the attitude of 'it's just anotehr game', like any SP game, and you dont try to 'win', but rather just enjoy it for what it is you'll be fine. But if you're the kind of person that has to be #1....well, good luck, and say your farewells now.
OR
cry in a corner that the world has come to a point where you have to pay for imaginary shit.
-Hiccup
cry in a corner that the world has come to a point where you have to pay for imaginary shit.
-Hiccup
- ImLawBoy
- Forum Admin
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- mathfed
- Posts: 439
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:19 pm
- Location: Soul-Sucking Cubicle Farm
I played WoW for a good while, and had a lot of fun with it. I got one character to 60. I got my alt to about 32 and stopped playing. I just got burned out. When I get the urge to play some more, I'll probably resubscribe. My 32 is a hunter, and I'll probably wait until Blizz adds more variety back to pet stats before I sign up again. If they release an expansion pack, that'll probably get me to sign up again also.
I'm playing Chronicles of Riddick right now. The game is a lot of fun so far. I just started it yesterday, and am hooked. I thought it was a law that games based on movies are required to suck (and vice-versa). That sure doesn't seem to be the case with Riddick.
I'm playing Chronicles of Riddick right now. The game is a lot of fun so far. I just started it yesterday, and am hooked. I thought it was a law that games based on movies are required to suck (and vice-versa). That sure doesn't seem to be the case with Riddick.
Sonofa!
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Re: Should I start my first MMORPG???
[quote="J.D."]I can't believe I'm starting this thread. For years I swore I would never pay a monthly fee for a game. But a bunch of my friends are really into WoW and I'm getting the urge. However I'm also leaning towards Guild Wars because there is no monthly fee, but I'm not sure how the two games compare.
I'm torn, what do you think I should do?[/quote
If a bunch of your friends are really into WoW, then that is what I recommend trying out.
Its not like you have to pay for the game for the rest of your life. You can always stop paying when the fun runs out for you.
I'm torn, what do you think I should do?[/quote
If a bunch of your friends are really into WoW, then that is what I recommend trying out.
Its not like you have to pay for the game for the rest of your life. You can always stop paying when the fun runs out for you.