Well, really, who cares. It's already highly unlikely that I'd be willing to get burdened with a sub for life for a game that's still largely an unknown quantity.
What really makes me worry are the performance issues I keep hearing about. Now, THAT, would make me cancel my order. I don't need another Conan, when the whole thing just collapsed due to pure frustration. Oh, and no, I won't bother with the beta. Never again.
For me, the most important part of any game is immersion and fun. I know it sounds obvious, but as it turns out it's not for most people. I like deep character development systems, I like exploration, I like small, friendly groups with people who can actually communicate and have a good time playing, even through repeated wiping. I like taking my sweet time doing things and soaking up the atmosphere. I like breaking off the grind in order to exchange views with another human being. I like games that allow you to succeed at your own pace, without excessive funneling. I like games where crafting is challenging and influential on the game setting, as it gives you an alternative to guild drama and cybersports clones, such as the WoW Arena. I like PvP when it is meaningful, joining people together in order to overcome a strategic challenge. I don't like it when it focuses on small scale points grinding. Finally, I like games that focus more on story and atmosphere, rather than on collecting gear and doing calculations on spreadsheets. In short, I like having a good time playing my game of choice.
You see, it's good to have a clear picture of what you actually enjoy, before you start bashing on the things you don't like.
WoW definitely is a classic, as it almost single-handedly popularized an until-then "hardcore" genre. It almost reached a point, at least in the West, where it became synonymous with the genre. In the MMORPG field, the community makes or breaks a game. In some respects, the MMO that is being played by the most people, is the best MMO by default.
On the other hand, the massive user base brings with it some necessary evils. The game has to go out of it's way to cater to the common denominator, lowest or otherwise. The necessity to focus on the end-game has eroded the classic design to a point. Personally, after playing WoW for around 3 years, I find myself actively seeking alternative experiences, fantasy or otherwise. Every game I've tried this far, be it WAR (best PvP), AoC (adult setting and interesting melee), EVE (simply immense) or LOTRO (best fantasy character development) does have something different to offer, and it does do certain things better than WoW, even though they can't contest it's end-game content or the raw power of it's userbase.
At the end of the day, every decent MMO with a reasonably high budget can offer a satisfying experience to the player, once it's launch problems have been smoothed out. It's all about kicking the habit. I'd rather the MMO scene were a bit more dynamic, as I feel that complacency often hurts the dominant game.
MorphOS for Amiga adds Mac mini support, someone in Europe is delighted
Oct 15th 2009 8:36AM (Engadget)Cryptic's official response on sold-out Champions special subscription deals
Aug 26th 2009 6:58AM (Massively)What really makes me worry are the performance issues I keep hearing about. Now, THAT, would make me cancel my order. I don't need another Conan, when the whole thing just collapsed due to pure frustration. Oh, and no, I won't bother with the beta. Never again.
The Daily Grind: What part of MMOs do you not like?
Jul 17th 2009 10:51AM (Massively)You see, it's good to have a clear picture of what you actually enjoy, before you start bashing on the things you don't like.
What if you beat out World of Warcraft and nobody cared?
Jul 16th 2009 9:07AM (Massively)On the other hand, the massive user base brings with it some necessary evils. The game has to go out of it's way to cater to the common denominator, lowest or otherwise. The necessity to focus on the end-game has eroded the classic design to a point. Personally, after playing WoW for around 3 years, I find myself actively seeking alternative experiences, fantasy or otherwise. Every game I've tried this far, be it WAR (best PvP), AoC (adult setting and interesting melee), EVE (simply immense) or LOTRO (best fantasy character development) does have something different to offer, and it does do certain things better than WoW, even though they can't contest it's end-game content or the raw power of it's userbase.
At the end of the day, every decent MMO with a reasonably high budget can offer a satisfying experience to the player, once it's launch problems have been smoothed out. It's all about kicking the habit. I'd rather the MMO scene were a bit more dynamic, as I feel that complacency often hurts the dominant game.