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[dtg]

Played like 20 hours of ToR recently and got bored around the 3rd planet in my quest line. It just felt like I was being railroaded down a set path with literally no options in how I play other than my move sets and some minor cosmetic changes. Are all MMOs this linear and have so little actual RPG gameplay elements other than stats and numbers everywhere.

Yeah basically at this point. There are a few niche games here and there, but all the big budget games are going to play it safe until someone comes up with another proven formula they can throw money at.

 

[Authority]

What I want news about is that White Wolf MMO that went dark and is probably cancelled. I was really hoping for some Eve level trolling of white wolf fans.

This is a rumor,

CCP Games Selling White Wolf and the World of Darkness MMORPG?

According to a recent article by MMO-Troll.com, CCP Games is no longer intending to develop the World of Darkness MMORPG themselves and are intending to sell both White Wolf and World of Darkness to another company. According to their anonymous source, CCP Games feels that their company is too small to do the World of Darkness justice and feels that they should focus more on EVE Online. So, given that this article just came out; I wanted to give my own thoughts on this.


First and foremost, I highly question any information that comes from an ‘anonymous source’. Obviously, if someone was divulging this information and CCP Games didn’t want it out, they would have to do so anonymously in order to avoid repercussions. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is true. Unfortunately, since the source is anonymous, we have no way to know whether these claims are true or not. Because of this, I have messaged Chris McDonough to see if he might offer us some sort of official reply. Hopefully we will get one….


Now, whether we get one or not… I certainly hope that CCP Games does not intend to sell the rights to the World of Darkness MMORPG. There is not a single MMO developer that I know of that I would have much faith in, for doing a World of Darkness MMORPG. Not only would it likely mean another 4-6 years of development, but I would certainly lose a lot of confidence in the final product. Most likely, I would shut down this site. From the many people that I have talked to, many older White Wolf fans feel the same way – that having the game being developed by CCP Games gave them confidence in its ultimate quality, and that they would not want to see it being developed by another company. So, if CCP Games did sell the World of Darkness; another company would likely have a pretty hard time drawing up any sort of confidence from the fanbase – especially after the years we have already waited on CCP Games to produce this product.


Of course, if CCP Games were planning on selling World of Darkness; then that would not be their concern. However, it would be a real concern of anyone that might buy the product; and would likely serve as a deterrent to many companies. At least, it should if they know the product. Of course, if another company bought World of Darkness and/or White Wolf then they would be able to make other World of Darkness based games as well; which might appeal to companies that produce more than just MMORPGs. (For example, we could potentially see RPGs in the style of Bloodlines, etc.)

Personally, I don’t want to believe that CCP Games would want to sell White Wolf and the World of Darkness MMORPG. Of course, we haven’t received any word from the developers about this issue yet and so … there’s no way to say for sure. Hopefully we will get word. If so, I will update you as soon as I have anything.

Direct Source: http://newsbynight.net/2013/12/27/ccp-games-selling-white-wolf-world-darkness-mmorpg/

The most current news that I could find are these ones,

Eve Online maker CCP has re-evaluated vampire MMO World of Darkness and let go of 15 staff at the Atlanta studio making it.

"CCP today made strategic adjustments to the staffing on the team working on the World of Darkness project in Atlanta that resulted in the elimination of approximately 15 positions at the company," announced CCP spokesperson Ned Coker in a statement sent to Eurogamer.

"The change was due to our evaluation of the game's design and ongoing development needs. While this was a difficult decision, CCP remains committed to the franchise and our promise to make a compelling, rich and deep World of Darkness experience."

kisses
"MISTLETOE!"
World of Darkness has been in development for a long time - much longer than originally planned. Plans changed, particularly when CCP angered Eve Online players by taking the game in a direction they didn't want.

This culminated in significant company-wide restructuring in 2011, and the World of Darkness team was the worst hit.

Nevertheless, work on the vampire MMO continued - a point CCP had to reiterate more than once.

The last we heard, in April this year, around 70 people were working on the game. That was at the FanFest event CCP puts on every year, where attendees - including us - saw 'a visual target' of the game and interviewed the team.

"There's exactly no chance of a closed beta this year," we surmised, "with a release not likely until 2015, and everything seen/heard still subject to change."

Meanwhile, CCP has redoubled its focus on Eve and is also working hard to get free-to-play online console shooter Dust 514 up to scratch. The Newcastle office is also working on an Oculus Rift VR game called Eve Valkyrie, which has sure been turning heads.

Direct Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-12-12-ccp-re-evaluates-world-of-darkness-looses-more-staff

 

[Dr. Buni]

Nice thread. I want to get into MMO again, but I just can't find one that suits me The last one I played to death was Trickster Online, but it is dead now.

 

[Lockon]

I don't usually play MMOs for more than a year per game but there are exceptions. First game: Ragnarok Online, played a little over one year. Got Hunter to 99 played a few more weeks then quit. Now playing FF14 since launch.

Now I am a F2P MMO hoppers, usually play for a month then quit except for Dungeon Fighters and Vindictus. Play those for about a year then quit.

What I'm looking forward to playing:

Kindom Under Fire II

Closers
Closed beta this year. Hopefully Open beta this year. English version = don't know when.
Gameplay Trailer

Soul Worker
Beta this year.
2 years old gameplay

Mystic Fighter
Gameplay

 

[TrounceX]

I was there for 6-9 months debating and discussing with all the top dogs including Team Paradigm, Team Curse, Team Oniwaban, Sealclubbers, Car Crash, Nonstop Nonsense, Denial Esports.

Also,

The sad state of Guild Wars II
Update on EU PAX Qualifier Tournament
Perma troll thief

I can link you other threads about all the shit drama that was everywhere in the forums. Did you know how Arena Net handled its beta testers? The ones that had a voice were kicked out.

And by the way, Helseth was banned on twitch because he was critically evaluating the game; https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/pvp/pvp/Helseth-Rant-Of-The-Week-Topic-Spam

Want more?

How long did it take them to introduce a looking for group tool?
How well did Arena do with class balance?
Watch all the Guild Wars 2 State of the Game

You know, I can't disagree with any the points you've made. From the hardcore MMO players perspective GW2 has been kind of a mess, especially in regards to PvP and WvW.

That said, I still love the game and enjoy the hell out of playing it. A game doesn't have to be perfect to enjoy playing it.


Tbh this thread comes off as you wanting to complain just for the sake of it. If you want to point out faults in a game and give constructive criticism (sounds like have before so props for that) that's one thing, but threads like this aren't doing anyone any good.

 

[adj_noun]

I hope that Firefly MMO ends up being good. I don't exactly have high hopes, but still...

 

[Authority]

You know, I can't disagree with any the points you've made. From the hardcore MMO players perspective GW2 has been kind of a mess, especially in regards to PvP and WvW.

That said, I still love the game and enjoy the hell out of playing it. A game doesn't have to be perfect to enjoy playing it.


Tbh this thread comes off as you wanting to complain just for the sake of it. If you want to point out faults in a game and give constructive criticism (sounds like have before so props for that) that's one thing, but threads like this aren't doing anyone any good.

This is a discussion about MMOs. Nothing more and nothing less.

I never said Guild Wars II is a shit game and never will. Guild Wars II provides some excellent stuff that other MMOs should look at but lacks in other departments (I can almost guarantee that every single patch had bug-fixes). It does allot of stuff great and other MMOs have picked up that formula. I do not agree that it saved the genre because if we get that deeply about the subject EVE Online did because it broke the traditional WoW-clone spell; that everything must be wowie to survive, be successful and have allot of players actively online.

Same thing with Final Fantasy XIV: A realm reborn; even though I left it for good after a month or so, I know it will do extremely well within two years or more because the person behind that reborn machine will make it happen no matter what.

In addition, I do not hate MMOs. However right now I am a consumer first and then a gamer which means I look (or at least try to) at the whole package. That does not make me less of an MMO player or more than the rest but I will not pretend that the MMO market is right now great.

Right now we are in somewhat good position considering the very promising MMOs coming up this year or the next.

For example I am super excited about

• WildStar - Hoping that it will compete with World of Warcraft and even surpass it as its spiritual successor.
• Lineage Eternal - In my eyes is the evolution of Diablo II.
• Black Desert - In my eyes how Guild Wars II should have been.
• Archeage - The sandbox game that evolved that hardcore franchise of Lineage.
• Blade & Soul - I am in love with it since the first time I saw it so I can't comment.

And I do know that Star Wars Galaxies will have a "remake" one way or the area because in my opinion right now and from all the information over the past few years, everything points out that the MMO market is in a reactionary state; it wants to recreate every type of MMO players will back up and get rid of all the bad and rotten apples games or business practices or atrocious pricing models.It wants to recreate that nostalgia while being modern and true to the future.

For instance that is why we will have soon Camelot Unchained or Kingdom Come Deliverance (not an MMO but you get the drift) or Kingdom Under Fire 2 Online English Client.

The genre I believe at some point will become so broad that it will be too hard to define it and I can't wait to see more games blending more MMO elements into them.

 

[Authority]

Nice thread. I want to get into MMO again, but I just can't find one that suits me The last one I played to death was Trickster Online, but it is dead now.

I would be more than happy to help you out. If it is possible could you tell me what type of MMOs you like? I mean I will look up later Trickster but I just want to get a better understanding on your persona preferences.

 

[Nydius]

These days, I'm officially MMO'd-out. I tried to prevent that by only ever keeping 2 MMORPGs going at any given time but they've all become so damn similar that they've all become a blur.

I miss City of Heroes a lot. For all its foibles, I never got bored playing that game.

However, these days everyone creating an MMORPG oversells their development and production and makes grand claims.. only to end up releasing something hurried and clearly designed to try to take a few million dollars from the Warcraft pie. I'm not saying they're Warcraft clones (although many are), but rather the developers start with great ideas but then get trumped by business decisions to copy elements of Warcraft to try to lure gamers from one to the other.

[*]WildStar - Hoping that it will compete with World of Warcraft and even surpass it as its spiritual successor.

I'm afraid you're probably in for a disappointment. The era of 40 man raiding is dead and gone. Carbine is trying to make a MMO to compete with the MMORPG genre of 2006/2007 rather than the MMO market of today. It's just not going to have the chops to pull mass numbers of people away from Warcraft, especially since it's built by folks who did Warcraft initially and is clearly copying many of the end game elements from the current iteration of Warcraft. If it's just more of the same (which it will be, as evidenced by the announcement of max level daily quest hubs and secondary currencies), people will go back to what they know and what they've spent years on rather than having to start all over with an untested IP.

At best, Wildstar is going to be a niche title, and that might be all right so long as NCSOFT continues to support it.

 

[Jarnet87]

Everquest was my jam. Got in at Velious, and wish it would have been sooner. Nothing has come close to that game.

I come back to WoW and leave it all the time. It's still miles ahead of everything else out there on the market currently, but it hardly holds my attention for more then a month or two.

Wildstar is the next great hype machine for me. ESO has no appeal to me.

 

[Azzurri]

I'm afraid you're probably in for a disappointment. The era of 40 man raiding is dead and gone. Carbine is trying to make a MMO to compete with the MMORPG genre of 2006/2007 rather than the MMO market of today. It's just not going to have the chops to pull mass numbers of people away from Warcraft, especially since it's built by folks who did Warcraft initially and is clearly copying many of the end game elements from the current iteration of Warcraft. If it's just more of the same (which it will be, as evidenced by the announcement of max level daily quest hubs and secondary currencies), people will go back to what they know and what they've spent years on rather than having to start all over with an untested IP.

At best, Wildstar is going to be a niche title, and that might be all right so long as NCSOFT continues to support it.

Pretty much spot on. How many Themepark MMO's have stayed P2P since the release of WoW, 1 maybe 2. I think FFXIV is the only one besides WoW that's a P2P Themepark. The market has changed and for you to be able to charge $15 a month the game has to offer something special and different, and WS is just a neutered version of WoW since it's a brand new game and IP.

My guess is they stay P2P for 6-12 month to recoup some of their costs then do a F2P conversion and 'launch' it again later next year.

 

[Dr. Buni]

I would be more than happy to help you out. If it is possible could you tell me what type of MMOs you like? I mean I will look up later Trickster but I just want to get a better understanding on your persona preferences.

Thanks! First, it doesn't need to be like Trickster, mainly because that is impossible.

The only game slightly similar is Ragnarok and I already played it back when it was popular and I don't want to go back.

I am not picky, but there are a few things I would like to avoid:

Medieval thematic/looks. I am okay with high fantasy MMOs, like say World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2, but very medieval-looking ones like the Elder Scroll one in the OP... eh, it is not really my thing.. Free to play. I mean, if there are any good F2P MMOs out there, feel free to tell me, but for my experience, most of them suck. Trickster was great for a while, but the F2P format ruined the game in the end. Buy to play is by far my preferred format. Speaking of B2P, is Guild Wars 2 any good? Also, I am fine with the idea of playing in a group (it is a MMO, after all), but I like when the game offer content for playing solo as well. I would love to try sci-fi-ish or dark fantasy MMOs, are there any good ones? Anyway, here is a list of MMO I've played and enjoyed:

Ragnarok Online
Flyff
R.O.S.E
World of Warcraft
Dofus/Wakfu
Trickster

Most of these games have cutesy graphics/art style, but that is not a personal preference of mine. I played them because those games run fine in older PCs.

(I do have a decent PC now, but that was not the case when I played the aforementioned games).

 

[epmode]

By the way, if Destiny can be considered an MMO, Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen should be there too.

Absolutely. I'm more excited for those two than any other MMO although Everquest Next is very promising.

 

[bananafactory]

Played Star Wars Galaxies obsessively (is there any other way to play an MMOrpg?) for about 2 years.

I'll never touch another MMO again, no matter how cool it looks.
Shit's evil.

Spoiler

I loved my time with SWG tho.

SWG was my first and only love. What was the patch that totally ruined it? I think it was called NGE?

 

[kurbaan]

The only MMO that i ever liked and that actually felt like a community was Final Fantasy XI. Everything i have played before and since has never grabbed me. And never had that sense of community, group that that game had. FFXI for me was the real MMO.

I haven't played FF14 though (afraid it will take over my life like XI did) so not sure how it stacks up.

 

[bigboss370]

it's been said, but I would not classify Destiny as an MMO.

 

[Zertez]

I've been wondering for some time how long World of Warcraft will be supported. I bought the game in 2004 and have played on and off since then, making it the most played game yet in my life. Still enjoy it just as much, and the content is always top-tier in my eyes.

How many more expansions do you think Blizzard will pump out? A difficult question obviously, because it depends on what the number of subscribers are, but still interesting to here what you guys think.

I think it will be supported for a very long time with a couple makeovers to character models and the world. I know they have already done this once, but unless something goes horribly wrong and there is a mass exodus of players, sub fees will support WoW development and help pay for Blizzards future games.

Even with the large amount of players that have left the game, it is still the #1 subscription MMO by a larger margin. WoW has lost more players than some MMOs will ever have. After the loss of players WoW still it has 2 or 3 times more players than almost every competitor. I remember when EQ went over 500k players and it was a considered a huge deal for a MMO. Most people knew WoW was going to be huge, but I dont think anyone would have guessed it would hit 12 million players. Most new MMOs in development would be considered a success if they come anywhere close to 3 million players.

Monthly subscription fees are a huge cash cow for Blizzard, so it will be crazy for them to consider pulling the plug. WoW generates too much cash to justify the boneheaded idea of shutting down the game. I can see them reducing the amount of resources that goes into the game as the player base shrinks, but it will still have a large team working on content. I dont think they will start pumping out expansions ala SOE and EQ expansions, but they will probably release expansions and updates close to the same schedule they have now. Blizzards new MMO may take players away from WoW, but I dont think enough will leave to think for a second of shutting down WoW. I wouldnt be shocked to see WoW servers going at least till 2020.

 

[Midnight Bliss]

I've been hating mmos since before WoW even came out.

If you haven't played Ultima Online, and then thrust into what mmos had become afterwards. You don't know true hell.

EQ, FFXI, that was true hell. WoW was just a minor annoyance. I was happy that WoW killed other mmos. But saddened that when you wish for games like EQ, FFXI to be gone only to be replaced by something worse for everyone.

DAoC was pretty terrible too.

Ragnarok Online was the ultimate tease, it could have been so awesome. But died after the original team left and the new team didn't know what to do.

SWG could have been good. But it was no UO. And plus I didn't like starwars.

Really really good 2D isometric mmos will always be more exciting than any 3D mmo.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Destiny is being considered an MMO?

The other stuff in the OP is a bunch of hot garbage. Sick and tired of the WoW me-toos, no matter how well they may be done.

Sadly, the only chance we have for something interesting is EverQuest Next, but I don't have at on of faith in SOE. I'll remain cautiously optimistic, though.

Also, probably been pointed out already, but your date for The Old Republic is the initial announcement, not the launch.

 

[dtg]

Really really good 2D isometric mmos will always be more exciting than any 3D mmo.

What's your reasoning behind this? I've always wondered about this. Some games seem to be more fun 2d than 3d and vice versa.

 

[k4n3]

if you consider Destiny a MMO its the only one i can see myself playing in the future, i had hopes that blizzards next MMO 'titan' would replace WoW but it doesn't look like thats going to happen for awhile

i really wish SWOTR was better then it was most disappointing game of all time for me

 

[Pop]

It's not clear what kind of scale Destiny will be. The PlanetSide games are clearly MMOs for example. But so far Destiny seems more like any other online multiplayer console shooter.

Bungie doesn't want to call Destiny an MMO but it shares some of it's similarities. Everyone shares the same universe at all times and there's a hub city for everyone to chill at, repair, upgrade etc.

I can't wait for Destiny. I have full faith in Bungie. Destiny could be the next Halo.

 

[Atomski]

No mention of Eve yet? :/

My fav MMO so far, just wish I had more time to play.

 

[Authority]

Thanks! First, it doesn't need to be like Trickster, mainly because that is impossible.

The only game slightly similar is Ragnarok and I already played it back when it was popular and I don't want to go back.

I am not picky, but there are a few things I would like to avoid:

Medieval thematic/looks. I am okay with high fantasy MMOs, like say World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2, but very medieval-looking ones like the Elder Scroll one in the OP... eh, it is not really my thing.. Free to play. I mean, if there are any good F2P MMOs out there, feel free to tell me, but for my experience, most of them suck. Trickster was great for a while, but the F2P format ruined the game in the end. Buy to play is by far my preferred format. Speaking of B2P, is Guild Wars 2 any good? Also, I am fine with the idea of playing in a group (it is a MMO, after all), but I like when the game offer content for playing solo as well. I would love to try sci-fi-ish or dark fantasy MMOs, are there any good ones? Anyway, here is a list of MMO I've played and enjoyed:

Ragnarok Online
Flyff
R.O.S.E
World of Warcraft
Dofus/Wakfu
Trickster

Most of these games have cutesy graphics/art style, but that is not a personal preference of mine. I played them because those games run fine in older PCs.

(I do have a decent PC now, but that was not the case when I played the aforementioned games).

So far this is what I have got for you,

Tales of Solaris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRqN8EqSGes
Torchlight 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLUsN9jtHxs
The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4CbW_tfxjc
Dragon Saga (Dragonica)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNxaKHOppBs
Dragon Nest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSjijLuG-X4
Mabinogi 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZ1Sju3ZcQ
Tree of Savior (Ragnarok's developer new game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBuPMfG5y4

From what I read, Dragon Nest will suit you perfectly but feel free to tell me if I am in the wrong direction regarding your preference. Also I am not sure the release dates of some of them or whether they are still available so let me know what you think of them first.

I read this so I wanted to share,

Obsidian and Allods team up to create Skyforge

If you've ever been curious about what would happen if you mixed the Allods Online team with Obsidian Entertainment, wonder no more! The two forces announced their partnership at the Russian Game Developers Convention where they unveiled their upcoming MMORPG, Skyforge. The game is planned to release for the PC in 2014.

More details are available from the devs themselves in the video after the break, if you speak Russian. For those who don't, you can catch a few snippits of game video between the interviews and a stretch coming just before the seven minute mark.

Direct Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/20/obsidian-and-allods-team-up-to-create-skyforge/

Skyforge MMORPG Announcement Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKHFxipWj7s

 

[golem]

SWG is the closest anyone has come to MMO nirvana and they completely screwed it up.

 

[molnizzle]

MMo

Huh, never heard of that type of game. Is it like an MMO?

Spoiler

Also, brevity is a virtue. Jesus.

 

[Authority]

Bungie doesn't want to call Destiny an MMO but it shares some of it's similarities. Everyone shares the same universe at all times and there's a hub city for everyone to chill at, repair, upgrade etc.

I can't wait for Destiny. I have full faith in Bungie. Destiny could be the next Halo.

Two comments from gamespot I think nail this whole issue of why Destiny is refusing to classify its game as an MMO;

They are clearly trying to stay clear of the MMO title, which means they fear backlash from false advertising.

or

The ACTUAL reason they don't want to use the term MMO is because of the stigma attached to the term in popular society, it makes it less 'cool' and might turn away console gamers. Just look at the reputation of World of Warcraft and other current MMOs. MMORPG IS a genre, however. Destiny is an MMOFPS.

comments found in here; http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-destiny-an-mmo-bungie-weighs-in/1100-6416234/

As a consumer they can call it what they want like they have done "Bungie's Destiny a 'shared-world' shooter.

As a gamer it irritates me that for them to call it an MMO it is like something they should be ashamed. But just like Star Citizen, it continues the trend in which term "MMO" is being perceived as something negative which I do not think it is the right way to address whatever needs to be addressed.

 

[Trey]

Speaking of B2P, is Guild Wars 2 any good?

Damn fine game. Damn fine.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Authority, you have alot of thoughts and facts up your sleeve, and I've enjoyed your posts since you got here, agree or not with them. I hope the thread goes well!

As for myself, I have a hard and fast rule not to play any MMO that enforces group play, enforces solo play, is built so I win, or is built with me losing as a goal. It's the entire reason I'm test-driving Wildstar, they do all these that they should do, and none that they shouldn't.

Guild Wars 2 saved the MMO genre, by removing all the things that made it a glorified skinner box. Subscriptions, that encourage devs to pad out so you'll pay for another month to get to where you wanted to be. Gear treadmills that add in a new carrot to chase every update, that you have to get if you want to stay "raid ready". gated by gear tiers. Etc.

If it wasn't for GW2, I would have quit the genre entirely. Been playing MMOs since the 90s, cut my teeth on BBS doorgames and MUDs, went over to UO, EQ, AC, and had a good year in WoW, but a year was all I needed.

But you know nothing about Guild Wars 2, Mr. Authority. Your information is outdated by almost a year, and you base much on the rantings of entitled self-styled "pro gamers" who only care about PvP. That's not a solid foundation for a hypothesis about the state of the overall game.

Also: according to every game's forums, ever, every game is a horrible broken mess that isn't played and cannot be saved and the devs don't care, yadda yadda. The GW2 forums, like all MMO forums, are a den of scum and villainy. It's a grease trap for the people who'd rather complain, than actually play.

Odd, I figured they just gave people the box and the keys to it, but their payment model and the severely (and rather smartly) squashed exclusivity factor made it work. Could NEVER work in a sub or F2P model, at least not after that 3 month trial period.

Let me know when you strongly believe, but in a more positive way.

It's MMOs. You ain't bitchin' about something, you ain't playin! If you don't, that's when you stop playing it. Passion can be either positive or negative, apathy is its opposite.

 

[jblank83]

I don't think I've ever gone through an MMO launch that wasn't a total disaster, all the way back to Ultima Online.

 

[Won]

TOR launched in 2011, not 2008.

Phew, I thought for a moment that I lost a few years somewhere.


Seeing how I can't muster any excitement for upcoming titles I consider the genre for the most part dead to me. Gonna stick to resubbing to EVE once in a while and leave it at that.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I don't think I've ever gone through an MMO launch that wasn't a total disaster, all the way back to Ultima Online.

Swtor launch went smooth, it worked, wouldn't call that a disaster. GW2 besides some server load issues, also launched fine.

 

[Authority]

What happened to Otherland?

Otherland – Developer RealU’s closure confirmed

Crafted using Unreal Engine 3, Otherland was set to be a masterpiece upon launch. But over the past few months, things did not go as smoothly as planned, with developer RealU’s closure recently confirmed.

Located in Singapore (part of Southeast Asia), RealU is a subsidiary of German publisher, dtp Entertainment AG, which entered insolvency (unable to pay debts). The publisher for the game was set to be Gamigo.

Based on the critically acclaimed novels by award winning sci-fi author, Tad Williams, Otherlands offers vast and diverse virtual worlds, known as Multiverse, where science fiction and fantasy intertwines.

Direct Source: http://www.mmoculture.com/2013/03/otherland-developer-realus-closure-confirmed/#prettyphoto/0/

Debut Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSr15jlfOMk#t=180
Beta Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4CpVDdzTo

Seems such a masterpiece.

 

[Authority]

I don't usually play MMOs for more than a year per game but there are exceptions. First game: Ragnarok Online, played a little over one year. Got Hunter to 99 played a few more weeks then quit. Now playing FF14 since launch.

Now I am a F2P MMO hoppers, usually play for a month then quit except for Dungeon Fighters and Vindictus. Play those for about a year then quit.

What I'm looking forward to playing:

Kindom Under Fire II


Closers
Closed beta this year. Hopefully Open beta this year. English version = don't know when.
Gameplay Trailer


Soul Worker
Beta this year.
2 years old gameplay

Mystic Fighter
Gameplay

You might love this;

Peria Chronicles is an open world MMORPG, which is set in the background of the war between human and monsters. Players' mission is to fight against the monsters in order to expel the beasts that disturbs human's social order, and players are more like watching an anime while playing the game. Designed using a self-developed engine, warm feelings of cell animation was bodied out; where players can interact with every single in-game objects. The 'Kirana' species whom you will encounter in the game can either be a life threatening enemy or your companion in battle by providing skills. Manage to overpower the enemies building your own.

Direct Source: http://2p.com/game/U00721/Peria-Chronicles.htm

According to Steparu,

"Keep looking at my tities and I will cut your dick into small pieces with a smile"

Peria Chronicles Online is one of the hottest upcoming sandbox MMORPG in the future and a lot of people have been asking me questions about the games unique system in detail. With that said, I decided to translate a recent interview that contains a lot of information! Hopefully, this interview fills in the gaps and holes that left you pondering about the system features. Check out the lengthy interview along with the recently released trailers for Peria Chronicles right below.

Q: What is Peria Chronicles development status?

A: The game was supposed to be in Closed Beta this month, but it we added a lot of new features so it's delayed next year.

Q: How much of the content is available for the game?

A: There are no fancy end game contents for Peria Chronicles like Siege Warfare because we want players to create their own content. The sandbox features of the game should keep everyone busy, especially the player made content.

Q: How big are the maps?

A: Each regions has their own maps and players can own the maps and they all link to each other.

Q: Is there limitation on map sizes?

A: There is a limitation on how large the maps players can own, but it won't be too small to play around with.

Q: Does it take long for a player to make their own town or village?

A: It doesn't take that long to create a landscape and buildings it's very easy. The most challenging part a player might face is the process of creating a big town because they must gather 300-500 players in one area.

Q: If players can create and develop their own content, are there any rules or policies for it?

A: If someone created a quest, like "Save the Princess." We will patch it in the game. A random adventurer can then accept that user created quest and earn gold from it. If they fail to complete the quest, the person that created the quest will earn gold from the user that purchased the quest. With this system, players don't need to farm and grind monsters alone to progress. The amount of content is determined by the community.

Q: There are a lot of players that are looking forward on creating content at the same time there are a lot of trolls who want to destroy user created content, what measures are taken to prevent this from happening?

A: Destroying user created content is not easy compared to creating it. For example, if a player created a bridge. The players working in that area must vote for it to be taken down. We know there are a lot of weird and crazy players out there, perhaps they will gather together in one crazy town. They are most likely going to fall behind in progression, because the more residents you have in a town the bigger it comes.

Q: Will there be ways a player can create Adult rated hentai content?

A: I think it's going to be really hard to make perverted content for this games theme (lol). Perhaps players can do so with the script system. Players can share adult rated content with friends, but if they want to share it publicly, it will have to pass through our system.

Q: What will happen to towns that don't have players residing in them?

A: Eventually the town will gradually become smaller and smaller until it disappears from the map.

Q: Most MMORPG's offer some kind of Main Story quests, does Peria Chronicle offer something similar?

A: MMORPG's have main story, but after clearing through it they complain that they don't have enough content. We have a mainstory, but we wanted to focus more on our system and user created content. To keep our community busy players can create their own storyline quests, emotes, dance motions, crafted items, recipes, and pretty much everything. An endless amount of community interaction to create a perfect sandbox experience.

Q: How much of the sandbox content does this game have to offer?

A: Other than what we discussed so far. We are planning on adding more sandbox features such as user created dungeons, defense maps, and MOBA maps such as DOTA or League of Legends. We are working hard and hoping to show off some of these new features in next year's G-Star 2014.

Q: Are there any advantages for players to create things?

A: Peria Chronicle's main goal is self satisfaction on creating game content and earn gold from making them. Players can enjoy creating content and have fun playing and exploring other players content. Perhaps if they are really good at making items and content, they can become very rich.

Q; Lately most MMORPG offer some kind of mobile features, will Peria Chronicles offer the same thing?

A: Kirana is a living creature, so if you don't log in for a long time they will starve and be super hungry! We are hoping and creating a separate application for Peria Chronicles in the future such as a Pet Application and other secret stuff!

Q: You said there are going to be a set rules for towns and villages, what kind of rules are there?

A: For example, a player made "Save the Princess" quest with a set rules of "No Magic Allowed" during the quest. A town can then vote to remove that feature, make the quest easier or harder if they wish. The rules are set by the community in that town. So if you have a town full of thugs, they can set one of the rules to "Kill a player passing by town" then they can get gold for it, if it's one of the rules in that town. (Troll Village!)

Q: Does this game offer any PvP features?

A: Our combat system is unique compared to other titles. MMORPG's have a stat system for their character and equipment. In Peria Chronicles there are no job limitations and the combat is totally up to your Kirana combination. Certain Kiranas are stronger vs others, so players will have to be on their toes on what Kirana to summon for battle. Our combat system is between Hack n Slash and Card Battle.

Random Kirana Info

-Players fights monsters with Kirana which is a summoned monster.
-Mix and Combine Kirana Monsters together for new unique ones.
-Build relationship points with Kirana.
-Captured on the field or bought.
-Monsters have strength and weakness.
-Summoning can be interupted.

Direct Source: http://steparu.com/previews/mmorpg/1444-peria-chronicles-interview-and-features-explained?showall=&start=1

Gameplay:

Peria Chronicles Online Sandbox Player Created Content
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ed4aDdWEM
Peria Chronicles MMORPG Features Preview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I34kOaBGuj8
Peria Chronicles Online Gameplay Combat System .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot3Jq4WXTzU

In other news, this was apparently "leaked" regarding Blizzard's project called Titan which is stated to be released end of 2014,

 

[Authority]

Authority, you have alot of thoughts and facts up your sleeve, and I've enjoyed your posts since you got here, agree or not with them. I hope the thread goes well!

As for myself, I have a hard and fast rule not to play any MMO that enforces group play, enforces solo play, is built so I win, or is built with me losing as a goal. It's the entire reason I'm test-driving Wildstar, they do all these that they should do, and none that they shouldn't.

Hopefully it will.

Speaking of sandbox have you checked out

Haven & Hearth

Haven & Hearth is a survival MMORPG that sets you into the wilderness with very basic tools. Your task is focused on survival, by getting shelter and food established, before expanding your area. You can also join with other people in order to build their tribe or civilization. There is an in-depth crafting system in the game, and as you grow, you also learn new skills and abilities that help you survive the world. The game is very harsh, and death is permanent. Player interaction is not moderated, so anything can happen, from helpful trades, to brutal attacks.

Haven and Hearth Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6fIyvNvpXU

Direct Source: http://mmohuts.com/preview/haven-and-hearth

It features permanent death.

 

[_woLf]

Wow, that OP was insanely negative.

I love MMOs and enjoyed most of the ones on there that you seem to think were horrible and "enraged fans". GW2 is fine and was nowhere near as buggy as you make it out to be, and I'm having a blast with XIV and commend Square-Enix for acknowledging how bad 1.0 was and working hard to fix it.

You can enjoy MMOs without being so negative, OP.

 

[Authority]

Something that came on my radar right now,

Ein: Epicus

Background
EIN: Epicus Incognitus is a next generation action MMORPG set in a fantasy world where magic and advanced machinery coexist with an engaging storyline told through interactive cut-scenes. Using the Unreal Engine 3, EIN: Epicus Incognitus has breath-taking graphics and a fluid combat system that includes mounted combat, puzzle-based combat, and fun action skills.

Gameplay: GStar2012
Information: http://www.f2p.com/games/ein-epicus-incognitus/

It is currently in development by INUCA Interactive, including several veterans of the Kingdoms Under Fire legacy.

Regarding World of Darkness,

So... What Happened to the World of Darkness MMO?

Since the day of the merger of White Wolf Studios and CCP Games (the guys behind highly-lauded Eve Online) in late 2006, the collaborative effort between these two companies was obvious to everyone: a macabre, supernatural story from the creative team at White Wolf that utilized CCP Games' expertise in online multiplayer gaming. Surprising no one, World of Darkness Online was officially announced in September of 2010, and, for a very brief moment, online communities rejoiced.

A regrettable turn of events at CCP devastated the World of Darkness Online team, significantly reducing their numbers. The game, scheduled for release in 2012, was suddenly thrust to the bottom of the CCP's pile. Unfortunately, this news was like dropping a grenade into the fan community, and enthusiasm dwindled. After several months with no word of development, fans across the globe seemed to forget about what could have been one of the most promising mergers in gaming history, and World of Darkness Online more or less disappeared from our radar.

Now that things are settling down over at CCP, the World of Darkness Online front still appears to be stretched thin. As recently as June of 2012, priorities seem to be pouring into DUST 514, CCP's upcoming first-person shooter. However, with DUST 514's release date rapidly approaching in 2013, news of World of Darkness Online is slowly starting to resurface.

Although DUST 514 will be CCP's "big product release this year," senior White Wolf producer Chris McDonough assures fans that "World of Darkness [Online] is still very much in active development."

Most recently, in a (hopefully) new trend of development teasers, McDonough has released solid game news. "In Iceland getting ready to conduct a 3 week internal feature test!" he tweets. "Only a test, but it covers things like combat, disciplines, sandbox play and character advancement." Of course, this is only a small glimpse of long-stalled game development, but it's a glimmer of hope that fans can run with. Work is chugging along (albeit quietly) on this much-anticipated project, now scheduled for release after CCP Games' first-person shooter, DUST 514.

Direct Source: http://www.gameskinny.com/gyqq8/so-what-happened-to-the-world-of-darkness-mmo

 

[Lé Blade Runner]

Man, this thread brought up some memories. FFXI Online was an absolutely amazing experience back in the day - the community was pretty great and the game-world just felt... Mysterious and menacing. No MMORPG since has evoked a similar feeling, although I have enjoyed my time in WoW, FFXIV and SW:TOR. Now I try to steer clear from the genre, although Everquest Next does interest me greatly.

 

[TheYanger]

You know nothing of Guild Wars 2 and I've never played the other MMOs you listed so nothing to say about them.

Looking forward to playing Destiny on PS4 but I doubt it will take much time out of GW2.

Doesn't this mean you really have nothing to say about MMOs? GW2 was trash, and remains trash for many reasons. None of the things it was supposed to revolutionize were even close to what was done, if you'd played other games you might know that. Enjoy GW2? you PROBABLY would enjoy every other MMO, since they're not very different (except that most of them are better).

Guild Wars 2 saved the MMO genre, by removing all the things that made it a glorified skinner box. Subscriptions, that encourage devs to pad out content so you'll pay for another month to get to where you wanted to be. Gear treadmills that add in a new carrot to chase every update, that you have to get if you want to stay "raid ready". Content gated by gear tiers. Etc.

If it wasn't for GW2, I would have quit the genre entirely. Been playing MMOs since the 90s, cut my teeth on BBS doorgames and MUDs, went over to UO, EQ, AC, and had a good year in WoW, but a year was all I needed.

But you know nothing about Guild Wars 2, Mr. Authority. Your information is outdated by almost a year, and you base much on the rantings of entitled self-styled "pro gamers" who only care about PvP. That's not a solid foundation for a hypothesis about the state of the overall game.

Also: according to every game's forums, ever, every game is a horrible broken mess that isn't played and cannot be saved and the devs don't care, yadda yadda. The GW2 forums, like all MMO forums, are a den of scum and villainy. It's a grease trap for the people who'd rather complain, than actually play.

Your post has no actual content about what is so great about GW2. I find most people who defend it really have no experience with other games even when they claim they do tbh.

Things GW2 does poorly:

-Questing. It's as generic as Vanilla wow, and that was 10 years ago. The only difference is that you don't go to an NPC to start or finish a quest, but they ALL consist of 'escort a thing' 'hit F on some things' or 'kill some things'...fantastic.

-Combat. Hotkeys, no resources other than cooldowns, turning your 'dps' into you hitting things as they come off CD with no real thought involved, and utility skills that marginally affect anything because they were too afraid of structured pvp balance, thus neutering all WvW and PvE tactical interaction.

-Living World content. This SHOULD be a positive, but the simple fact is that every update consists of grinding out some stupid mobs or hitting F on shit in the world in order to accumulate 30,000 bear ass parts to get a new backpiece graphic (or other transmog item). Grindiest shit I've seen in ages. If they didn't do that, you'd exhaust the new content in hours tops. Which, honestly, would be fine. I'd rather have a reason to log in for an hour or two every 2 weeks than logging in, seeing I need to grind the game more than any other MMO I could be playing, and logging off.

-Grouping. Lack of trinity? More like lack of interaction and group dynamics. Even doing the stupid worm boss is basically 100 people each soloing the boss at the same time. Dungeons were terrible because of this, and it totally ruined any reason to play with your friends, you might as well make it a single player game.

 

[shysaursoft]

EDIT: Nevermind.

 

[Authority]

Man, this thread brought up some memories. FFXI Online was an absolutely amazing experience back in the day - the community was pretty great and the game-world just felt... Mysterious and menacing. No MMORPG since has evoked a similar feeling, although I have enjoyed my time in WoW, FFXIV and SW:TOR. Now I try to steer clear from the genre, although Everquest Next does interest me greatly.

Unfortunately that section had to be taken down because there was not enough space to add more MMOs on the "look out" section but I am glad it brought up memories.

In what way Everquest Next interests you as well as other posters?

 

[BitStyle]

No City of Heroes?

I thought it was a revolutionary MMO at the time it was released, when the only competition was standard fantasy bore like WOW and EQ2.

That game was my MMO bread-and-butter for the last 8 years, and frankly when it shutdown there was no MMO around to take its place.
DCU/Champions just didn't have anywhere near the same amount of customization and content. Plus there are no classes like Masterminds.
RIP CoX...

 

[Authority]

That game was my MMO bread-and-butter for the last 8 years, and frankly when it shutdown there was no MMO around to take its place.
DCU/Champions just didn't have anywhere near the same amount of customization and content. Plus there are no classes like Masterminds.
RIP CoX...

Not sure if you people (the ones that loved City of Heroes) would be interested in the following news, but here goes nothing;

City of Titans Kickstarter launches for City of Heroes successor

Missing Worlds Media launched a Kickstarter campaign for City of Titans today, a successor to the defunct massively multiplayer online role-playing game City of Heroes.

City of Heroes developer Paragon Studios shuttered last year, ending the superhero-infused MMORPG. A group of programmer-players assembled in the wake of the shutdown to create City of Titans.

"Our goal is to deliver a unique massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, created from the community of a lost universe, to build a new community for a new world," the Kickstarter description reads. "A brave new world containing a wealth of player choices, from costumes to powers, it continues the traditions found in its spiritual predecessor, daring to reach for new innovations no other game will touch, while standing firmly on the feel and spirit of the old. Players will be able to choose their own adventure, tell their own tales, and have their own agency in a superhuman world."

As of this writing, the crowdfunding campaign has earned $83,326 of its $320,000 goal from 491 backers.

For more on the team behind City of Titans and their plans for the successor, be sure to read our interview with the developers from earlier this year.

Direct Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans

City of Titans Interview

 

[Jarnet87]

City of Heroes was really cool at launch. I don't think any MMO had come close to the amount you could customize your character. It was a pretty tough game in the beginning. I hated that dam EXP debt system. I would always make a new character and get bored after like level 7 or 8 lol, that's when it started ramping up in difficulty.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

I really resent the success of WoW in the MMO scene. And I say this as someone that played WoW for 7 years and loved it. Still think it's a great game.

However it's been so ridiculously successful that every MMO since (at least nearly every big budget MMO that I'd be interested in) has followed the mold way too closely and refuse to take risks in diversifying their gameplay design.

Tired of raiding for loot @ endgame and PvP in a box because they can't get world pvp to work without crashing their servers.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Thanks for this thread. A lot of these are on my radar now. Currently I'm only really interested in Wildstar and Destiny, but that's only because I try not to get excited about "Eastern" MMOs anymore since they seem to take FOREVER to release in the states. A lot of cool looking ones there though.

 

[Authority]

SOE’s unannounced MMO “dedicated” to Star Wars Galaxies players, says Smedley
Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley’s extensive Reddit AMAA yielded many answers and many teases, one of which pertained to the unannounced MMO the firm has had in the works for quite some time.

In the AMAA, when pressed for details on the MMO, Smedley would only confirm it was a “completely new IP,” and that “the data is on the interwebs.. someone just has to find it.” So if you feel like doing a bit of sleuthing, by all means go for it.

He also said the game is “dedicated” to Star wars Galaxies players.

“Once we launch it… you can come home now,” he said. When pressed for what exactly he meant by that he replied: “It’s called ‘go figure it out for yourself’. ”

A bit cryptic, but interesting nonetheless as Smedley also said if there was one game shutdown by the firm he could relaunch it would be SWG and he would do “everything differently” with it.

Star Wars Galaxies signed off after eight years of operation back in December 2011 after SOE’s contract with Lucasarts at the time expired.

Direct Source: http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/25/soes-unannounced-mmo-dedicated-to-star-wars-galaxies-players-says-smedley/

Not sure whether that new IP from SOE dedicated to Star War Galaxies players is still in development considering;

SOE shuttering Vanguard, Clone Wars, Free Realms, and Wizardry

SOE is closing down four of its MMOs. Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures and Free Realms will close on March 31st. Vanguard and Wizardry Online will bow out on July 31st.

"At Sony Online Entertainment, we are always evaluating our portfolio to ensure we're providing players with the best gameplay experiences," the company said via press release. "At times, as part of this commitment, we have to make the difficult decision to sunset a game so we can refocus our resources on other areas in the best interest of our company and player community."

SOE CEO John Smedley will be fielding questions on Reddit at 6:00 p.m. EST. We'll update you with the link when it's live.

Direct Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/24/soe-shuttering-vanguard-clone-wars-free-realms-and-wizardry/

Re-updated this post.

 

[Jarnet87]

Direct Source: http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/25/soes-unannounced-mmo-dedicated-to-star-wars-galaxies-players-says-smedley/

Not sure whether that new IP from SOE dedicated to Star War Galaxies players is still in development considering;

Smedley makes new games so he can ruin them and rip out the hearts of it's biggest fans. It's his evil super power.

 

[UrbanRats]

SWG was my first and only love. What was the patch that totally ruined it? I think it was called NGE?

There two big updates that pushed a lot of people out.

The first one was the Combat Upgrade, that rebalanced a lot of the classes (for the better, in my opinion, as it was basically a Commando+Fencer-fest before it) then a huge upgrade to the whole game, don't remember the name, but basically you didn't choose simply a class after it, but a class related to Star Wars classic characters, including Jedi/Sith.

For those who didn't play the game, before that, being a Force user required A LOT of work and, IIRC, also involved some randomness.
Being a Jedi was so rare that at first even just seeing a player with a light saber was an event.

also, if you died as a Jedi (in PvP, i think), that was it, you were back to square one.

However Jedis were massively powerful, and made the class Bounty Hunter all the more exciting, when you had to hunt one.

After the upgrade, everyone could be a Jedi simply selecting the class in character creation, which made the game pretty lame.
--

Also for those who played the game:

Listen to this while looking at this picture:

 

[Authority]

Thanks for this thread. A lot of these are on my radar now. Currently I'm only really interested in Wildstar and Destiny, but that's only because I try not to get excited about "Eastern" MMOs anymore since they seem to take FOREVER to release in the states. A lot of cool looking ones there though.

No worries.

There is also this one I am going to add as well,

New Dungeon Striker to Be Released First Half of This Year

Actoz Soft will be bringing Dungeon Striker back to life as "New" Dungeon Striker! I actually thought that they were going to go with DS 2.0, but this also works. The new version of the 3D Chibi Action MORPG will include a lot more content, new system, and a massive overhaul. If all goes well, then it will enter live service during the first half of this year.

Direct Source: http://steparu.com/latest-news/1518-new-dungeon-striker-to-be-released-first-half-of-this-year

For those of you that do not know Dungeon Striker here is a sample; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaOaV1JpWo