Are there MMOs that aren't sucky and in fact are legitimately fun?...
I'm not very knowledgeable in this field and all I ever hear is "this game is boring" or "this game is just a cash grab" or "this game is way too hard or requires years of grinding". Or a combination of these and many other detractors...for every game, of course. And it's a little difficult to sort out what's pretty justified (Runescape and Maplestory) and what's pointless griping.
To be honest, I haven't done proper research, but it'd be nice to get opinions on what's good, if anything. Are there any games of this genre that can actually be recommended? =o
The most fun I've had with an MMO is Tera. This is saying something, since I typically find MMOs super dull and can't play them for longer than two weeks. Tera's free, so if your computer can handle the GRAFX, give it a shot.
It's a very, very pretty game, with plenty of ✧ﾟ･: *IMMERSIVE SCENERY*:･ﾟ✧ like I talked about in the MapleStory thread. Just riding through the various areas is fun if your video card is beefy enough. What I liked most about Tera is something they got rid of, so now I don't play it anymore: it regularly forced you to form parties. Several times per area, you have to fight Bad-Ass Monsters, which used to take a team of 3-5 people to bring down. Teaming up with random people and needing to actually communicate and be friends was great and no other MMO I've played handled it as organically as Tera. But that's all gone now and you can solo the BAMs if you're a bad enough dude, or spend half an hour trying to find anyone to partner up with.
Still though. I'll play along with anyone who decides to try it out.
My experiences are with Runescape, World of Warcraft and EVE.
The only reason I play runescape now is because a) I don't have to pay for membership anymore and b) it's so goddamn easy now I don't even have to think about it
WoW was kind of fun when I played it but most all I did was grind to the level cap and go on some raids with my guild or w/e, you really can't do much until you reach endgame unless you love twink pvp, and that takes $$$FUNDZZ$$$. Also it's impossible to achieve the kind of coordination you need for endgame PVM without both ventrilo and a team of people who are not retarded.
EVE is, well... EVE. It's maybe the most miserable, cruel, slow MMO I've ever played, and it's basically space asshole simulator 2003. Still, if you love real-ass politics, corporate espionage, betrayal, and tard rage then this could be the game for you (i'm pretty sure you don't). You don't play EVE to play the game, you play EVE to interact with other people spergy enough to wake up at 2AM to spend 3 hours watching a slideshow of a space battle with 2000 other people in it.
Elsword is basically Maple Story but better in almost every single aspect imaginable, so I probably recommend that one the most. The controls, combat, and experience overall are much smoother and fast-paced than the former. The classes are kinda unbalanced though, so pick your characters carefully.
Realm of the Mad God is a nice distraction for a while, having a really punishing death system and hectic combat. It's pretty much what you'd get if you combined bullet hell with a top-down adventure game. Although because it eventually becomes formulaic and repetitive, it's only fun for as long as you can be good at it.
I've heard Mabinogi is worth a try but I'm kinda skeptical and all what with it being distributed by the same company that ruined MS and killed DFO.
I know that fab is an avid player of Transformice. Maybe you could ask him advice on where to start in the defined and varied universe of 12 year olds yelling at other 12 year olds.
+ It's pretty much a combination of the 2-D Beat-em-up Style (Streets of Rage or Final Fight) with the customizable movesets and skills of Street Fighter (Right, down, Special Key to do a Buff, Summon, or Move), the flair and style of Devil May Cry, with the RPG Elements of a game like Final Fantasy or Epic Battle Fantasy (Quests, Forging, Equips, Leveling up and getting skills and the like)
+ Probably one of the few F2P MMO's that has little to no use of pay to win (Assuming you weren't being published by Nexon). Everything that you could buy in the Cash Shop like Avatars, Creature Eggs, and what have you, you can buy for in-game gold at the Auction House, and even then, they weren't necessary to make it through the dungeons. It's more a game of skill and the like, rather than gear (Though I will admit, the really interesting gear sets are end-game).
+ Nice variety of classes with their own individual subclasses that have their own playstyle. Usually skills that are never shared and each subclass has their use when in a party...
+ ...speaking of which, the game has up to 4-Player Co-Op in the Dungeons. Ask for the help of friends to help complete quests, have you and 3 other friends level up throughout the entire game together, pay a self-titled Mercenary (High Level Players) to rush through the dungeon for you if you're a lazy fuck, or just party with random people if you think you can't handle a dungeon by yourself.
Cons:
- Like some other RPG's, the beggining is gonna be a bit slow, trying to work you way up to Level 15/18/20/whatever Neople decides in order to advance to your subclass, and then there's getting to a decent level to have the core skills you'll need. This is subjective for the subclasses though. Some already have their bread and butter skills early on, while others have to wait until Level 35 or so for the real fun to happen.
- There's a few grind periods in the game. Usually these happen once you finish all the quests and need to move on from the Major Area you're in to a new one (New environment, enemies, the whole shtick, so there's that to look forward to).
- This is a subjective one to me personally, as we're not sure on the direction American DFO will go to once Neople is done with the Open Beta. Who knows how things'll go, but maybe the unexpected could be a plus.
Excuse the late replies, I was being a bit dumb today.
Nadojin said:
Elsword is basically Maple Story but better in almost every single aspect imaginable, so I probably recommend that one the most. The controls, combat, and experience overall are much smoother and fast-paced than the former. The classes are kinda unbalanced though, so pick your characters carefully.
Well obviously you know what I would recommend first of all.
Elsword is decent. It's a sidescroller fighter that actually incorporates skill, combos and timing. Graphics and music are pretty good, too.
Yeah, I've heard you speak of that before. I looked at it for a moment - it does seem a lot like "MapleStory but fun". The graphics certainly aren't unpleasant and I do like the vast array of classes, they seem interesting. If it does have interesting combat, it seems like a pretty fair choice. ^_^
Would picking an "inferior" - but cool looking! - class hamper the gameplay that much, though?
Captain Fabulous said:
The most fun I've had with an MMO is Tera. This is saying something, since I typically find MMOs super dull and can't play them for longer than two weeks. Tera's free, so if your computer can handle the GRAFX, give it a shot.It's a very, very pretty game, with plenty of ✧ﾟ･: *IMMERSIVE SCENERY*:･ﾟ✧ like I talked about in the MapleStory thread. Just riding through the various areas is fun if your video card is beefy enough. What I liked most about Tera is something they got rid of, so now I don't play it anymore: it regularly forced you to form parties. Several times per area, you have to fight Bad-Ass Monsters, which used to take a team of 3-5 people to bring down. Teaming up with random people and needing to actually communicate and be friends was great and no other MMO I've played handled it as organically as Tera. But that's all gone now and you can solo the BAMs if you're a bad enough dude, or spend half an hour trying to find anyone to partner up with.Still though. I'll play along with anyone who decides to try it out.
It /is/ a bit of a shame that they removed that, seemed like a pretty interesting mechanic. (Although from what I read, people still team up with strangers to work together? Maybe not for BAMs, but at least for high level dungeons and such. I don't know, but there was this whole recent thread about how healers work together with random other DPSers and Tanks and how sometimes it falls apart.) I did a bit of link hopping and came across a thread about the more negative aspects (apparently the UI is terrible at first, among other little things like the weird fan service outfits), but even after reading that I can see why so many people like this game. It does seem pretty fun, being free is a bonus. And I definitely see what you mean about ✧ﾟ･: *IMMERSIVE SCENERY*:･ﾟ✧, even a quick Google search reveals that the graphics and environments are absolutely gorgeous. And so varied! :3
Have you been keeping up with the game? Has it changed for the better since you left it? I mean, it probably beats destroying your conscious over MapleStory for the amusement of some forum members.
(On a side note, the Tera forums are ridiculously fancy. I guess that's because it's an official one, and for a big, popular game.)
Noxid said:
I'm only an expert on MMOs you *shouldnt* play
My experiences are with Runescape, World of Warcraft and EVE.
The only reason I play runescape now is because a) I don't have to pay for membership anymore and b) it's so goddamn easy now I don't even have to think about it
WoW was kind of fun when I played it but most all I did was grind to the level cap and go on some raids with my guild or w/e, you really can't do much until you reach endgame unless you love twink pvp, and that takes $$$FUNDZZ$$$. Also it's impossible to achieve the kind of coordination you need for endgame PVM without both ventrilo and a team of people who are not retarded.
EVE is, well... EVE. It's maybe the most miserable, cruel, slow MMO I've ever played, and it's basically space asshole simulator 2003. Still, if you love real-ass politics, corporate espionage, betrayal, and tard rage then this could be the game for you (i'm pretty sure you don't). You don't play EVE to play the game, you play EVE to interact with other people spergy enough to wake up at 2AM to spend 3 hours watching a slideshow of a space battle with 2000 other people in it.
I guess there's a reason it has "run" and "escape" in the name. That's TWO warnings right there in the title, and people still play? D:
What are you even working towards, if it's so easy as to be boring?
There are reasons World of Warcraft is so popular, but I don't really know them. It doesn't seem like too bad a game, really. Just not my type, and also too many yucky orcs.
Everything I've heard about EVE is screams of pain and crying, so I guess that's not very recommendable. Have you ever played an MMO you actually /liked/ besides the moment's grace of WoW, Noxid? =o
Nadojin said:
Realm of the Mad God is a nice distraction for a while, having a really punishing death system and hectic combat. It's pretty much what you'd get if you combined bullet hell with a top-down adventure game. Although because it eventually becomes formulaic and repetitive, it's only fun for as long as you can be good at it.
I've heard Mabinogi is worth a try but I'm kinda skeptical and all what with it being distributed by the same company that ruined MS and killed DFO.
"Fun as long as you're good at it" and "Bullet Hell Adventure" kinda don't mix, I think.
As for Mabinogi...if nothing else, it seems quite interesting. Go look at it! I don't think the company ruined it at all. At worst, it seems you need to know what you're doing when you start because the game gives extra benefits to newbies and using those benefits well helps...but really, it seems surprisingly forgiving in some aspects.
+ It's pretty much a combination of the 2-D Beat-em-up Style (Streets of Rage or Final Fight) with the customizable movesets and skills of Street Fighter (Right, down, Special Key to do a Buff, Summon, or Move), the flair and style of Devil May Cry, with the RPG Elements of a game like Final Fantasy or Epic Battle Fantasy (Quests, Forging, Equips, Leveling up and getting skills and the like)
+ Probably one of the few F2P MMO's that has little to no use of pay to win (Assuming you weren't being published by Nexon). Everything that you could buy in the Cash Shop like Avatars, Creature Eggs, and what have you, you can buy for in-game gold at the Auction House, and even then, they weren't necessary to make it through the dungeons. It's more a game of skill and the like, rather than gear (Though I will admit, the really interesting gear sets are end-game).
+ Nice variety of classes with their own individual subclasses that have their own playstyle. Usually skills that are never shared and each subclass has their use when in a party...
+ ...speaking of which, the game has up to 4-Player Co-Op in the Dungeons. Ask for the help of friends to help complete quests, have you and 3 other friends level up throughout the entire game together, pay a self-titled Mercenary (High Level Players) to rush through the dungeon for you if you're a lazy fuck, or just party with random people if you think you can't handle a dungeon by yourself.
Cons:
- Like some other RPG's, the beggining is gonna be a bit slow, trying to work you way up to Level 15/18/20/whatever Neople decides in order to advance to your subclass, and then there's getting to a decent level to have the core skills you'll need. This is subjective for the subclasses though. Some already have their bread and butter skills early on, while others have to wait until Level 35 or so for the real fun to happen.
- There's a few grind periods in the game. Usually these happen once you finish all the quests and need to move on from the Major Area you're in to a new one (New environment, enemies, the whole shtick, so there's that to look forward to).
- This is a subjective one to me personally, as we're not sure on the direction American DFO will go to once Neople is done with the Open Beta. Who knows how things'll go, but maybe the unexpected could be a plus.
I'm horrendous at beat 'em ups and fighting games in general (they usually end up more like "beat me ups"), but I suppose RPG mechanics make everything better! Seems like the love it or hate it sort, judging by the replies to your thread I saw a while ago (possibly not a fair judgement), but certainly worth looking into anyway if you're good at those sorts of games and have an interest in RPGs on the side. Hopefully it turns out good, you seem pretty anxious to like it.
Dunc2403 said:
well if you want a really shitty mmo that you can play on ios you can always sell your soul to satan and download clash of clans
Hahahahaha! That's funny, Dunc, I almost woke everyone up. Next you'll be saying I should try Candy Crush Saga/anything by King.
Besides, I'm already courting Puzzle and Dragons. Silly goose. Not that that's really an MMO, but it's about as time consuming and lots of fun.
There really aren't many good MMOs for mobile devices, which is to be expected, since only rarely will you find console-like games that aren't just sad, deteriorated clones. I didn't quite make this thread because I'm thinking of committing to a game like the ones recommended here - while I am interested in trying one and have been for some time (and this thread does have a lot of interesting possibilities, even as young as it is!), it'll take many years before I have the hardware and time management skills necessary not to grind my life to a screeching halt. Goodness knows I waste enough time as it is.
No, this thread's just here as a contrast to the previous two made and as a jumping off point for people interested in trying an MMO or something. It also hasn't been made before, to my knowledge, so yay it's here now.
All the classes for elsword are pretty okay as long as you can get a hang of their combos. Pretty sure they all have some way of juggling your opponents for most of forever. The newer classes are usually a little more op tho, i'm sure everyone will be hoarding the Add class right now
(Although from what I read, people still team up with strangers to work together? Maybe not for BAMs, but at least for high level dungeons and such. I don't know, but there was this whole recent thread about how healers work together with random other DPSers and Tanks and how sometimes it falls apart.)
There are instances and raids. I'm mostly interested in completing the storyline and hitting the level cap, so I don't bother with those after I finish all the relevant quests. Did I mention the level cap is 60? 60 NIGGA? Pretty sweet compared to every other non-Guild Wars MMO.
And it's not uncommon to team up for a BAM. Skilled players with a powerful class can solo them, but I'm mediocre at best with the weakest class in the game. Without mandatory parties, there's no sense of camaraderie or adventure. It was some goddamn Dungeons and Dragons shit, y'know? Ragtag group of various classes brought together by yadda yadda to defeat yadda yadda.
Polaris said:
I did a bit of link hopping and came across a thread about the more negative aspects (apparently the UI is terrible at first
I don't think it's bad. It works just fine and has some handy shortcuts. If you can stuff the map into an empty corner of your screen, it doesn't even get cluttered.
I was going to say minimap, but that's not a good description of the cartograhpic beast the inhabits your UI.
OKAY SO
IF CONSTANTLY SEEING LITTLE GIRLS IN BATHING SUITS AND TINY GOWNS MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE
MAYBE GIVE TERA A MISS
There's two types of people who play Tera: people who stare at their character's ass all day and that's it, just the one type of person. You can't not. Even the lolis have badonkadonk buns.
So yeah, every female of any species ever looks like they walked out of an Evony ad. It's a little strange, a little funny, but you get over it. There's not much fanservice beyond that.
Also you can be a kemonomimi or straight-up yifflord. Guess what you'll be seeing a lot of.
Polaris said:
Have you been keeping up with the game? Has it changed for the better since you left it? I mean, it probably beats destroying your conscious over MapleStory for the amusement of some forum members.
It's been like 4 years since I did that maplestory LP because it just hurts my everything to try and make the gameplay interesting.
Anyway, I haven't played Tera in a pretty long time. I logged in briefly a few times and nothing major had changed. Still essentially the same as before. Having people to play with would make me get back into it, but without that it'll just be your typical MMORPG tedium. I'm too close to the endgame for fun and exciting things.
Polaris said:
Have you ever played an MMO you actually /liked/ besides the moment's grace of WoW, Noxid? =o
What are you even working towards, if it's so easy as to be boring?
There are reasons World of Warcraft is so popular, but I don't really know them. It doesn't seem like too bad a game, really. Just not my type, and also too many yucky orcs.
Everything I've heard about EVE is screams of pain and crying, so I guess that's not very recommendable. Have you ever played an MMO you actually /liked/ besides the moment's grace of WoW, Noxid? =o
scorin dem phat $tacks of geepees, homie
when you're a busy guy like me, sometimes it's nice to just kick back and do something that requires absolutely no thought while still feeling like you're making some kind of progress. Runescape is my comfort zone. And no, see below.
Captain Fabulous said:
Noxid doesn't like MMOs, Noxid likes being a jew and also furry corporations.
All the classes for elsword are pretty okay as long as you can get a hang of their combos. Pretty sure they all have some way of juggling your opponents for most of forever. The newer classes are usually a little more op tho, i'm sure everyone will be hoarding the Add class right now
Oh, that's good! It's a little sucky when you like a class but playing them makes the game much harder. If I ever play this, I'll go with Eve, she seems fun to play and I like her design. ^.^
Also...Add(am) and Eve? Are they connected in the story somehow? o.o
Captain Fabulous said:
There are instances and raids. I'm mostly interested in completing the storyline and hitting the level cap, so I don't bother with those after I finish all the relevant quests. Did I mention the level cap is 60? 60 NIGGA? Pretty sweet compared to every other non-Guild Wars MMO.
And it's not uncommon to team up for a BAM. Skilled players with a powerful class can solo them, but I'm mediocre at best with the weakest class in the game. Without mandatory parties, there's no sense of camaraderie or adventure. It was some goddamn Dungeons and Dragons shit, y'know? Ragtag group of various classes brought together by yadda yadda to defeat yadda yadda.
I know. You don't find that sort of thing very often in mainstream games.
But, ooh, a level cap of 60? Very nice. Hopefully they don't raise it to 99 and make it a very different game. :3
"Complete the storyline, hit the cap" is a pretty uncommon mindset, as far as I can see. Most people seem to play an MMO for all of the optional things and playing as a team and all that jazz. Not to mention the usual ultimate weapons and armor and final superboss that people work towards. I've always wondered what you're supposed to do after you get that set and kill the final final boss. Drink champagne? Log out and wait for new content? Ride aimlessly around the landscape and kill things to silence the gnawing emptiness? It takes such a ridiculous amount of time that I kind of feel bad for the player who suddenly has nothing left to do. I guess at that point you either leave the game or start again on a new journey.
...sorry, went on a bit of a tangent. I don't even know if Tera has any of these things, I haven't checked. ._.
General Fabulous said:
I don't think it's bad. It works just fine and has some handy shortcuts. If you can stuff the map into an empty corner of your screen, it doesn't even get cluttered.
I was going to say minimap, but that's not a good description of the cartograhpic beast the inhabits your UI.
Mhm. Considering it's customizable, I don't really see the problem myself! I think the guy who posted these complaints focused a little too much on relatively minor aspects of the game.
First Lieutenant Fabulous said:
OKAY SO
IF CONSTANTLY SEEING LITTLE GIRLS IN BATHING SUITS AND TINY GOWNS MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE
MAYBE GIVE TERA A MISS
There's two types of people who play Tera: people who stare at their character's ass all day and that's it, just the one type of person. You can't not. Even the lolis have badonkadonk buns.
So yeah, every female of any species ever looks like they walked out of an Evony ad. It's a little strange, a little funny, but you get over it. There's not much fanservice beyond that.
Also you can be a kemonomimi or straight-up yifflord. Guess what you'll be seeing a lot of.
Fanservice doesn't bother me a lot if it isn't too egregious or creepy. From what I've seen, this game is on the tamer side of the spectrum, at least, so it's fair enough. You do have to get used to these things eventually, I suppose.
I'm guessing 1 in 3 are using those two species? It wouldn't surprise me, that happens with every game that's like that.
Doctor Fabulous said:
It's been like 4 years since I did that maplestory LP because it just hurts my everything to try and make the gameplay interesting.
Completely understandable, don't you worry. It would be slightly cruel of anyone to ask you to update it. D:
Ran out of titles said:
Anyway, I haven't played Tera in a pretty long time. I logged in briefly a few times and nothing major had changed. Still essentially the same as before. Having people to play with would make me get back into it, but without that it'll just be your typical MMORPG tedium. I'm too close to the endgame for fun and exciting things.
when you're a busy guy like me, sometimes it's nice to just kick back and do something that requires absolutely no thought while still feeling like you're making some kind of progress. Runescape is my comfort zone.
Jussst out of curiousityahem, what exactly do you mean by playing along with other people? What's the cooperative play like? I really should know this because it's a big part of MMOs, but I'd like to hear it from you.
Also, how would a Lv 57 or something Arc-Burninator play with some Lv 2 Stick Poker, I wonder?
Hmm I might check it out sometime if you feel like playing. Tera, that is.
E: I started playing, and wow this game really is beautiful. Bit hard on the computer but other than that it's really good. I haven't gotten into any of the multi-player stuff though, so I'm curious as to how that plays out. Name's Diacrystalline ingame.
Teamwork in Tera is very much centered around the tank/DPS/healer dynamic. The maximum party size is 5. To complete a dungeon you're properly leveled for, you need one tank (Lancer, Warrior), one healer (Priest, Mystic), and three DPS chums (Berserker, Slayer, Archer, Sorcerer). You can get away with having two healers or two tanks, but god help you if you can't find one.
For BAMs, you need to be a skilled player and not a Sorcerer if you want to solo them. If your character is weak, or you are weak, get a tank or healer to help you.
And for regular quests and beating up normal monsters, teamwork is not required, but is still fun. You don't need to tank or anything like that; just beat the fuck out of everything.
Now, my personal experience with team play is limited to the Priest's perspective, but it's a lot more fun than you'd expect healing everybody all the time to be. Using healing or buffing spells requires you to actually aim them at your target or get close enough for the AoE, both difficult tasks when your party is dodging around a 50-foot centaur lizard. It's also important to not get hit or even draw the enemy's attention, since time and mana spent fighting it off equals time and mana not spent on making sure everyone's alive.
For DPS characters, it seems to be a similar deal, but you're aiming at a monster instead of teammates. Tanks need to do everything they can to distract and hold the monsters' attention, while everyone else stays the fuck out of the danger zone.
The bottom line is that it's more involved and action-y than any other MMO I've played. Teamwork truly makes you rely on your party and help them in return, instead of just casting magic missile while they cast magic missile.
As for cross-level play, there's ways to make it work. Having a level difference greater than 5 in a party greatly reduces loot and experience gains, but we don't have to be in a party. Having a level 50 priest around would be incredibly helpful with BAMs (and PvP if you choose to play on a PvP server, but I'm guessing you won't), and I can also teleport you around and pay for pegasus rides. Another option is for me to just make a new character, which sounds better. Otherwise I can't help you with grinding and dungeons. I've never tried any other classes, so now's a good time to do that.
I chose an archer to try out. If we do decide to play all together, maybe we should create characters that form a good team together naturally? Guess it depends on whether you want to tank or not though.
