Tom

Ugh. A guild bank.

I'd like access to a bank/shared storage for me and my various alts without having to endure the drama and hassle and headaches of being in a guild. Come up with a feature like that, Bioware, and I'll be interested.

I'd say nearly all of them.

People are too quick to harsh all over games they are disappointed in or that they don't personally enjoy, without (i) paying the slightest bit of respect for the hard work that goes into any game's development or (ii) at least acknowledging what a game they personally didn't enjoy might actually have done *right*.

The mantra of today seems to be:

"If a game does not please ME, it must be a BAD GAME, and I must therefore TRASH it, not just criticize it (constructively) but TRASH it -- and why not TRASH the developers as well while I'm at it."

Geeze. while I didn't enjoy Rift at all, I still think Trion did a great job with that game, and I can tell already that TERA is not the game for me, but, still, it appears to be a pretty good game with a lot of interesting new features. How so many people seem completely unable to acknowledge the good in such games (i.e., games they do not personally enjoy), I do not know, but those who carry through with invective against the developers are just ... imo ... pathetic and small-minded.

No way am I getting a lifetime sub on any MMO, nor am I preordering any MMO "sight unseen". NOT going to happen.

I'd say no if the game expects any additional money from me. Most games in "maintenance mode" are probably on life support anyway; I won't invest my playing time in a game that looks to be on its last legs.

There's just too much else out there that offers a better deal. Moreover, "maintenance mode" usually means "death is imminent", and I don't want to play invest time in a game that's liable to expire at any moment.

I enjoyed LotRO when I played it, but I really prefer grouping with the players on my own server and not be thrown in with a bunch of strangers I'll never see again.

Barring same-server grouping, I think either (1) scalable dungeons or (2) the introduction of NPCs to fill out groups are preferable to cross-server LFG systems. This approach allows solo players and/or smaller-than-normal group sizes to complete group content.

One of the things I like about SWTOR (with its companions) and Guild Wars (with its heroes) is that content was always accessible even if you play a class -- like my smiting monk in Guild Wars, for example -- that isn't generally wanted in groups. Also, you aren't hung up because you can't find a healer or tank. Two DPS classes can team up in SWTOR, bring along a healer and a tank companion, and have a fighting chance of completing 4-man group content. I like that kind of flexibility.

MMOs really REALLY need to "think outside the box" on this grouping issue, imo. I'm glad that SWTOR and GW1 did just that.

@(Unverified)

I agree. The Legacy feature should somehow add/convert xp to server-wide points, so that, say, a player with three level 30+ alts, also qualifies for Legacy. Bioware really doesn't seem to understand what many (most?) people who like to roll a number of alts are doing or how we play.

I had played a lot of SPRPGs in my day, so I tried WoW on a whim; boy, did that game ever suck me in! I have moved on from WoW, gamewise, but I had some really great times in that game.

I still remember my awe and wonder at seeing other players in *my* game. And entering and looking around Ironforge for the first time literally left me awestruck. Ahhh, good times.

I am looking forward to Neverwinter. I really am.

If the game is done right, Neverwinter will be the "true" successor to Guild Wars 1 in terms of its overall game design: persistent hubs, instanced explorable/questing areas, content open to variably-sized player groups and/or solo players, the option to use of customizable NPC henchmen, and (hopefully) a well-told and written overarching story. All of that is just what I am looking for. I also really like the fact that player-created content will be possible in Neverwinter.

My chief concern is Cryptic's ability to write content, and Perfect World's involvement also makes me uneasy. STO was quite bland, imo, the planets were unimaginative, and the henchmen (bridge officers) in STO were boring, lifeless robots. If Neverwinter turns out badly, I'm going to be really disappointed.

I wish I knew when Neverwinter will be released -- hopefully, it'll be this year. If Neverwinter is as "Guild Wars 1-like" as I am hoping, I'd choose it over GW2 in a heartbeat.

Most MMOs have useful tools and options for dealing with offensive players: they're called "/ignore" and using chat channels wisely. Problem solved.

These tools could be improved, however.

Honestly, I think a lot of player behavior in a great many games would improve immeasurably by adding a few extra options/features:

(1) Add an option to automatically ignore any player who is on 25+, 50+, or 100+ other player ignore lists
(2) Implement LFG chat channels in the various zones. A lot of annoying players monopolize General chat, which the rest of us need to form legitimate groups.
(3) The sending of automatic and anonymous tells to all "ignored" players stating the reason for it, as follows:

(i) "A player is now ignoring you because of non-RP chat on an RP server" OR
(ii) "A player is now ignoring you because of inappropriate chat" OR
(iii) "A player is now ignoring you because of obnoxious behavior" OR
(iv) "A player is now ignoring you because of an inappropriate name on an RP server"

Something along those lines.

Ignores should last 1 to 3 weeks (settable in Options), apply accountwide (i.e., if you ignore a player, all your alts also ignore that player -- furthermore, all THAT player's alts are also now ignored), and then expire.

I really think most "bad community" issues would clear up pretty quickly.

Most of all, I think people who behave idiotically or badly and then get ignored need to KNOW they are now being ignored and the reason for it (hence, the automatic tells); most of them would behave better quickly enough, I think.

Hmmm, I wish you'd asked those Cryptic folks about what's going on with Neverwinter.... They're being awfully silent and cagey about that game, which has me a tad worried about its fate.

Er, ahem. Back on topic...

As for STO, it's still on my computer. I may go back to it someday if I run out of SWTOR content.

Where STO really epically failed, for me, was in its implementation of the bridge crews. Some people may like them as they are, but I'd only give STO another go if they added bridge crew members who actually seemed like real people.

Other games have done that pretty effectively; it's too bad that STO did not. I'd rather spend time with Kaliyo (who's consistently unpleasant) or Khem Val (who wants to "consume" [eep!] my sith inquisitor!) than any bridge crew member in STO. At least the companions in SWTOR have some sort of personality, even the most unpleasant ones.