MMO Writings
Below you will find various MMO opinions I have made over the years...
Below you will find various MMO opinions I have made over the years...
New players are what keeps this genre alive so I’ll go all out. What exactly are you searching for in an MMO?
Today’s landscape is pretty barren if you ask a player who’s an original enjoyer of the genre, but for someone new, there are some enjoyable experiences. As someone who doesn’t care too much for graphics, private servers of old MMOs have been my favorite way to enjoy the medium and, if you’re willing to sacrifice large player bases for smaller more tight-knit ones, this would be the way to go. Star Wars Galaxies has a lot to it these days even after its official death in 2011, and if you’re a fan of the franchise, could be a great new way to reinvigorate a love of the Star Wars universe. I personally recommend SWG: Legends for newer players, and is the most accessible.
That being said, MMORPG’s often specialize in a certain something, and that’s what attracts players. If you’re looking for an MMO that won’t break your bank over time, has a solid player base, is very newb friendly, and has endless amounts of content for you, Guild Wars 2 might be the game. I thoroughly enjoy the game, its horizontal progression enables you to allot your time to various aspects of the game instead of the newest raid or dungeon each patch. (I’m sure more experienced players can provide better insight on this for a new player).
At one point, I had the same question you had, and was endlessly curious. I’ve tried, committed (and am still discovering) tons of MMORPG’s; FFXIV, Asherons Call, EQ1+2, OSRS, RS, DAoC, WoW pre classic era private servers, era, and retail, SWTOR, SWG (emu & nge/cu), gw2 as mentioned, the maplestories, ESO, BDO, PSO 2, Lost Ark, new UO servers, Tibia and others. And yet my list still leaves out some of the big ones like EVE, STO, DCUO, Tera, wildstar, lineage II, + some that are still in a purgatory period of being shut down and revived (or I’m completely forgetting about).
For a new player to have the easiest time deciding which MMO to commit to, one must identify just what it is they want. Most of these games have a couple things in common; progression, immersion, incentive, and community. To break it down further, if roleplay is something you are interested in, seek games that emphasize that. If your main focus is great combat with a satisfying gameplay loop, check out Lost Ark, or BDO, (Crimson Desert soon). Say you want story, amazing characters, an immersive world, that also allows for player freedoms; FFXIV. If you want the most whole experience that will give you likely the best perspective of what the genre is all about, the answer, unsurprisingly is World of Warcraft. It’s tried, it’s true, and it’s finally on a somewhat upward trend now.
Finally, I urge the new player to set aside the sheer scale of these games, that aspect for many these days is a major turn off! Simply consider yourself an explorer of a development team’s vast world that often takes decades to develop. With this mindset, you will get the most out of these games.
The state of the genre, in my opinion, has been steadily declining for some time. I know, this isn’t helpful to hear. But the truth is, aspects like player interaction, forms of punishment, and community evolution per server/realm are becoming less and less of a priority for developers. If things like this interest you, delve into the golden age of the genre. Games released anywhere from ~’98 - 03. Modern day MMO’s often find it beneficial to emphasize solo play. This can be a relaxing, pretty low stress (anti-social) way to play the games, and presumably makes the companies more money, but really sacrifices a lot of what MUDs/MMORPGs were designed to achieve. An escape into a living breathing functioning world or society. Some may disagree with this take, understandably. But to get to the point most every MMO in the new age accounts for this in some way. Gone are the days of Wurm, or even neverwinter. In is Albion Online and Fallout 76.
GW2 should be considered, perhaps not a WoW killer, but WoWs most diverse adversary. With such different core design philosophies, you get a completely different experience while maintaining what an MMORPG should be. Alternatively, FFXIV, in my opinion, does pretty much everything wow does (aside from the zone design) better. Its content is fully ‘experienceable’ while Blizzard’s vertically designed progression piles content on top of content making the stuff at the bottom practically worthless aside transmog and nostalgia (for most of the year). Chromie time was the attempted fix, and it just puts you in one of the many expansions for your leveling journey. This isn’t entirely blizzards fault by design, it’s player behavior that drives the content car.
Square Enix addresses this issue by having a system where this content is relevant, and a cohesive, easy to follow story/questline compared to WoWs literal nightmare of a lore/world/story to wrap your head around playing just the game alone. Some would argue to fully embrace and enjoy WoW, alt characters are required, if this isn’t for you then, again, FFXIV allows for one character to switch between classes and overall is more flexible for your character and how you want to enjoy the game.
I really can’t defend ESO too much. I wasn’t willing to keep up with the monetization. Games like BDO and ESO are a one time purchase no sub, but often have perks that you can pay for that give you an ENORMOUS advantage to your experience (crafting bag, inventory space, etc.) it’s pay to try, pay a bit more if you want to commit, and hopefully once your hooked, you’ll bite for the optional sub. Intrusive on my immersion, personally. (My favorite RPG is Morrowind, which makes this even more heartbreaking)
I play a lot of games, and with these games comes all sorts of feelings. Clutch victories in counter strike, emotional endings of narrative games, solving simple block puzzles or managing a nations economy during wartime, all of these emotions evoked from the medium compare in an equal amount to just the way MMORPG’s capture me. The feeling of hitting max level after weeks, getting that best in slot ring, chatting with guild mates at 2AM, beating the boss that’s taken you and your group days to clear, that shared adversity that’s unique to the genre is what it’s all about.
Let’s be totally and completely frank — The game will inevitably die with time if no action is taken to welcome in a new generation of passionate new players. They are joining in increasing numbers, and why not take advantage of this instead of being so conservative? Nostalgia is vast yet finite. If we truly care about the game, we can still preserve it. Quick spitballed solutions:
Of course, Star Wars Galaxies does not need to grow. The game could remain in its niche stasis where it could live and die in the memories of those who played during live, inevitably swallowed by the internet in decades to come, remembered by some — enjoyed by fewer. The game will continue its slow death just as it started in November of ‘04 if nothing is done to truly preserve the game. If we are to truly enjoy the greatest, most immersive, most expansively amazing artifact of a game, it’s our job as players and internet historians to keep the game in conversations of not only future MMO communities, but Star Wars fans that long to live in the universe they love so dearly.