'm seriously considering giving up MMO's, at least until a halfway decent one with a good player base comes out. While I don't expect any game to be perfect, almost every MMO I've tried recently has at least one or two massive gaping flaws in it. Here's what I've tried recently:
World of Warcraft: The current undisputed king of MMO's, WoW comes to us from Blizzard Entertainment and has a lot of what an MMO needs to be successful; it has an interesting, engaging fantasy plot. It has a large player base to allow for plenty of interaction with others. It has an easy-to-use interface. Its graphics are well done, but not so much that it makes a processor strain.
But this game is not without some rather bad flaws. The first is its quest types; it's pretty much limited to "kill x number of enemies/collect x number of items dropped by enemies", "Kill this particular bad guy that it too tough to take out without at least four other friends", and "Escort this brainless retard along a predetermined path with predetermined ambushes, so you better clear the way of wandering monsters first". Now I admit there aren't many other kinds of quests you CAN do out there, but there has to be a way to mix things up a bit; maybe create multiple ways of completing some of them depending on what kind of character you play, or have more class-specific or profession-specific content.
The next problem is while the player-base is large, too many of them are "power gamers", players only interested in being the the biggest hulking juggernaut out there. These players care nothing about the story of the game, only plowing through the game experience as fast as they can so they can reach the highest level possible. These people are no fun to play with when you're trying to work as a team on a quest because they're always in a damn hurry and will leave you behind if you stop to read a quest message or pick up in-game crafting materials. They're also no fun to play with when roleplaying because they'll constantly talk in net-speak, plus some of them insult a person for trying to act in character. Also, despite the large player base, it's also very scattered. It can be very hard to get together a group for a dungeon, though a good guild can correct this. The problem is particularly noticeable these days around the lower levels if you're starting an alt or just getting into the game; the playerbase is very overbalanced on the higher level side with fewer low-level players these days.
Lastly, the inclusion of PvP in this game is very awkward. Some of the most powerful weapons and armor are available only for those who take part in the "battleground" PvP that has only a loose connection to the story-driven part of the game. But the prices on these items are so high, a player has to dedicate frankly unhealthy amounts of time to build up the necessary battleground points to get them. This just adds a layer of work onto the already challenging task of leveling your character. Not only that, but while the user interface is great for "player vs. environment" fighting, you have to come up with an entirely new key layout for effective PvP combat to allow you to both move and attack with the keyboard while you use the mouse to swing the camera around rather than click on your opponent. The tireless obsessives that play the game four hours minimum every single day won't have a problem with this, but for those of us who like to do things outside of grinding, it's a pain in the ass.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: This MMO from Sigil, a company bought out by Sony Online Entertainment, is also fantasy based and has very high end graphics. It's a little demanding on hardware, but the interface, much like WoW, is very intuitive. The gameplay is fun, breaking up the usual monotony of fighting quests by also including diplomacy and crafting, which they flesh out more than other MMO's by making their mechanics challenging mini-games and puzzles. However, this game suffers from a smaller player base than it needs, meaning questing at higher levels were groups are needed becomes a bit of a challenge. But this problem is something that could possibly be corrected over time. The crafting and diplomacy aren't without their tedious moments either, but most of the time the uniqueness of them from other MMO's makes it forgivable. However, there's one problem that really makes this game stumble out of the starting gate; while each of the playable races has something of a background to them, the overall story to the game is incredibly weak. There's extremely little immersion in the game, requiring you to almost have to dream up explanations as to why you're bothering to do any of your questing besides some arbitrary desire to become famous or some shit.
Neocron 2: Beyond The Dome of York: This German-based MMO is from Reakktor Inc., and goes in a slightly different direction by being a cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic game with an interesting back story. It also meshes FPS and RPG elements very well; better weapon skills means your aim improves, more stamina means you can run longer, etc. Graphically the game is adequate, although the last edition of the game makes most of the characters look like futuristic Barbie dolls.
While the game has an impressive backstory, its in-game story is pretty lackluster, revolving mostly around you furthering the dealings of whatever faction (or company) you work for. Skills develop in sets, each set independent of each other. However, some complimentary skills are in the same set (like research to create construction blueprints and construction to build things from those blueprints), meaning if you put points in one you can't put points in the other without sacrificing the ability to reach the peak of either skill. This creates a bit of forced cooperation, which isn't necessarily bad, if it wasn't for the game's major problem. Sadly, this game is one whose major flaw is correctable, but not likely to be. The player base for this game is extremely small; the most populated server is usually 3-4 percent full. Unfortunately this game, if it's not on its deathbed, is likely slipping into a coma, and won't come out of it unless some more story-driven, in-game content is added to spice up the otherwise repetitive manual labor jobs the factions hand out to allow people to earn money.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reconing: This fantasy MMO is the newest MMO I've played, and I think the phrase that describes it best is "World of Warcraft Lite." It's plot is just as immersive as WoW, its graphics are good and it manages to make PvP a bit better by making it a part of the game experience from the start and weaving it into the game experience. The controls are a little less awkward than WoW for PvP combat. However, outside of the core PvP combat of the game, there's little else to it. Each class has its signature weapons and armor and there's no deviation from it allowed. Also the player base, while not too small, is spread rather thin, so grouping for quests can be difficult. Quests are livened up, though, by the inclusion of "public quests", repeated events that are started by the arrival of a player at a specific site. Other players passing by can jump in at any time during any stage and start helping out, although this will put them at a disadvantage to players who were at the quest earlier when it comes time to divvy up the loot, but that's to be expected.
WAR has very few major flaws, but all its little ones put together bring it down a bit. The game world is also small, so little exploration is required, comparatively. The lack of any interesting features outside of fighting, though, is perhaps the biggest problem.
When it comes right down to it, I've just been disappointed with MMO's in general lately. A lot of elements are needed to make an MMO successful, I've found: a good plot, graphics that balance with performance, a good inteface, and a large enough player base that's made up of people interested in working with the plot. I think the latest generation of MMO's isn't going to provide that. Fortunately the new year is just around the corner, so with a bit of luck and huge dose of divine guidance, maybe the next series of MMO's will show the game developers have learned from experience.
World of Warcraft: The current undisputed king of MMO's, WoW comes to us from Blizzard Entertainment and has a lot of what an MMO needs to be successful; it has an interesting, engaging fantasy plot. It has a large player base to allow for plenty of interaction with others. It has an easy-to-use interface. Its graphics are well done, but not so much that it makes a processor strain.
But this game is not without some rather bad flaws. The first is its quest types; it's pretty much limited to "kill x number of enemies/collect x number of items dropped by enemies", "Kill this particular bad guy that it too tough to take out without at least four other friends", and "Escort this brainless retard along a predetermined path with predetermined ambushes, so you better clear the way of wandering monsters first". Now I admit there aren't many other kinds of quests you CAN do out there, but there has to be a way to mix things up a bit; maybe create multiple ways of completing some of them depending on what kind of character you play, or have more class-specific or profession-specific content.
The next problem is while the player-base is large, too many of them are "power gamers", players only interested in being the the biggest hulking juggernaut out there. These players care nothing about the story of the game, only plowing through the game experience as fast as they can so they can reach the highest level possible. These people are no fun to play with when you're trying to work as a team on a quest because they're always in a damn hurry and will leave you behind if you stop to read a quest message or pick up in-game crafting materials. They're also no fun to play with when roleplaying because they'll constantly talk in net-speak, plus some of them insult a person for trying to act in character. Also, despite the large player base, it's also very scattered. It can be very hard to get together a group for a dungeon, though a good guild can correct this. The problem is particularly noticeable these days around the lower levels if you're starting an alt or just getting into the game; the playerbase is very overbalanced on the higher level side with fewer low-level players these days.
Lastly, the inclusion of PvP in this game is very awkward. Some of the most powerful weapons and armor are available only for those who take part in the "battleground" PvP that has only a loose connection to the story-driven part of the game. But the prices on these items are so high, a player has to dedicate frankly unhealthy amounts of time to build up the necessary battleground points to get them. This just adds a layer of work onto the already challenging task of leveling your character. Not only that, but while the user interface is great for "player vs. environment" fighting, you have to come up with an entirely new key layout for effective PvP combat to allow you to both move and attack with the keyboard while you use the mouse to swing the camera around rather than click on your opponent. The tireless obsessives that play the game four hours minimum every single day won't have a problem with this, but for those of us who like to do things outside of grinding, it's a pain in the ass.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: This MMO from Sigil, a company bought out by Sony Online Entertainment, is also fantasy based and has very high end graphics. It's a little demanding on hardware, but the interface, much like WoW, is very intuitive. The gameplay is fun, breaking up the usual monotony of fighting quests by also including diplomacy and crafting, which they flesh out more than other MMO's by making their mechanics challenging mini-games and puzzles. However, this game suffers from a smaller player base than it needs, meaning questing at higher levels were groups are needed becomes a bit of a challenge. But this problem is something that could possibly be corrected over time. The crafting and diplomacy aren't without their tedious moments either, but most of the time the uniqueness of them from other MMO's makes it forgivable. However, there's one problem that really makes this game stumble out of the starting gate; while each of the playable races has something of a background to them, the overall story to the game is incredibly weak. There's extremely little immersion in the game, requiring you to almost have to dream up explanations as to why you're bothering to do any of your questing besides some arbitrary desire to become famous or some shit.
Neocron 2: Beyond The Dome of York: This German-based MMO is from Reakktor Inc., and goes in a slightly different direction by being a cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic game with an interesting back story. It also meshes FPS and RPG elements very well; better weapon skills means your aim improves, more stamina means you can run longer, etc. Graphically the game is adequate, although the last edition of the game makes most of the characters look like futuristic Barbie dolls.
While the game has an impressive backstory, its in-game story is pretty lackluster, revolving mostly around you furthering the dealings of whatever faction (or company) you work for. Skills develop in sets, each set independent of each other. However, some complimentary skills are in the same set (like research to create construction blueprints and construction to build things from those blueprints), meaning if you put points in one you can't put points in the other without sacrificing the ability to reach the peak of either skill. This creates a bit of forced cooperation, which isn't necessarily bad, if it wasn't for the game's major problem. Sadly, this game is one whose major flaw is correctable, but not likely to be. The player base for this game is extremely small; the most populated server is usually 3-4 percent full. Unfortunately this game, if it's not on its deathbed, is likely slipping into a coma, and won't come out of it unless some more story-driven, in-game content is added to spice up the otherwise repetitive manual labor jobs the factions hand out to allow people to earn money.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reconing: This fantasy MMO is the newest MMO I've played, and I think the phrase that describes it best is "World of Warcraft Lite." It's plot is just as immersive as WoW, its graphics are good and it manages to make PvP a bit better by making it a part of the game experience from the start and weaving it into the game experience. The controls are a little less awkward than WoW for PvP combat. However, outside of the core PvP combat of the game, there's little else to it. Each class has its signature weapons and armor and there's no deviation from it allowed. Also the player base, while not too small, is spread rather thin, so grouping for quests can be difficult. Quests are livened up, though, by the inclusion of "public quests", repeated events that are started by the arrival of a player at a specific site. Other players passing by can jump in at any time during any stage and start helping out, although this will put them at a disadvantage to players who were at the quest earlier when it comes time to divvy up the loot, but that's to be expected.
WAR has very few major flaws, but all its little ones put together bring it down a bit. The game world is also small, so little exploration is required, comparatively. The lack of any interesting features outside of fighting, though, is perhaps the biggest problem.
When it comes right down to it, I've just been disappointed with MMO's in general lately. A lot of elements are needed to make an MMO successful, I've found: a good plot, graphics that balance with performance, a good inteface, and a large enough player base that's made up of people interested in working with the plot. I think the latest generation of MMO's isn't going to provide that. Fortunately the new year is just around the corner, so with a bit of luck and huge dose of divine guidance, maybe the next series of MMO's will show the game developers have learned from experience.
But also it has a main plot that the game follows, with many cutscenes (something I feel was totally lacking in WoW). And there isn't a single "go kill x monsters till y items drop" quest! Not to mention the level cap of 20 is quick to reach, so from then on it's all about the skill of the player. Also, THERE IS NO GRIND.
