Bartlebe

@Fakeassname

That encouraging. It was so similar in so many ways but different in a few really big ones. Being able to directly control your movements made combat pretty varied.

What's the population of the this game like today? I always thought it had some good ideas and was similar enough to some other sandboxes to give it some real depth.

@fallwind

Convenience is king in the MMO landscape of today. People don't want to have to get involved in a community, look for viable group members or build up a reputation. They want to get in, get their tokens and get out.

All of this convenience comes at a great cost. It creates shallow communities and games where people don't care or need one another.

If you have seriously played any old school MMOs or sandboxes the difference should be crystal clear. Those old MMOs and sandboxes require being part of a community to fully enjoy. That made guild communities and server communities unique, rich and vibrant. The communities created by solo experience, theme park games pales in comparison.

As long as you're selective and get involved with a community with similar interests and complimentary personalities, a good community has the power to make an MMO amazing.

The problem is, a lot of modern day MMOs don't require a strong community. Group finders, dungeon finders, companions, solo questing experiences and all sorts of other game design choices don't encourage people to make committed relationships in MMO communities anymore. To much automation and anonymity.

Mixed emotions for me right now. He says "People need to feel like they have a place in the world..." but questing through some sort of theme park game design has the very opposite effect on me.

Personal preference, I know, but I would of felt much more attached to the world had it not felt l like I was being funnel through zones and quest hubs. Sandboxes make you feel attached. I would of loved to see some more sandbox features.

Darkfall, strangely enough.

I'm playing it now and actually having a great time. I wish, all those years ago, I would of stuck with it instead of bailing for the themeparks. If I had, maybe my character would be a little more developed and I wouldn't be quite so bad at it.

Not sure what prompted you to get so defensive. Being critical and asking fair questions isn't trolling. Anyone that doesn't share your perspective is trolling right?

They have ruined all any respectable name power or good will they ever had with some of the crazy things they've said lately.

These people don't want to create a fun game that people can enjoy for free. They consciously try to create a game that forces you to pay through the teeth to enjoy. They represent every negative quality about F2P games today. Pure greed.

Oh Allods, I had forgotten about this tragic little tale.

It had so much promise. The only F2P MMO I had ever considered putting money into and supporting. Everything was looking great until they were overtaken by the dark side and started putting cash ship gimmics into their game.

Does Allods still have those in the game? Frustrating mechanics designed to shoulder you into the shop?

@Tinkus

I think they plan on overhauling the skill system. Not exactly a wipe but close. If you have 100 skill in Witchcraft but the Witchcraft school doesn't exist anymore, its just like a wipe.