Quote:
Originally Posted by Uteunayr
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It's just bothersome, because MMOs have succumbed to trying to deliver a game story, rather than putting the story out there, and letting you explore it. That's what MMOs were about. Story isn't shoved in your face in life. Story is nebulous, it's floating out there, it's in the background. You need to seek it out and find it. Puzzle it.
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I think you hit the nail on the head in a lot of areas of your posts in this discussion. This one in particular resonated with me, because it seems like aside from WoW, the REALLY successful MMOs (Eve Online, EQ1, EQ2, SWG) put the story out there as background and let you figure out your own story. WoW and many games like it pretty much made you a spectator to the parade that was the story. You might be the one tanking Ragnaros today, but there was nothing special about your doing it. Lots of other people had done and would do the same thing, so ultimately, you could be powerful but you were insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The story would proceed as if you were never there.
On Live EQ, you could be famous, adding to the story by actually making the player's personal story and actions real in a meaningful way. There were
legends in the old days and you could look at those people and say, "I want to be a legend like that dude." Hell, there are a few well known people on this server, though I think the legendary status isn't quite the same as it was on live, since the game is completely explored. You can go to freaking wikipedia and read about the sleeper being killed on RZ, is how real the player's actions could be. In Eve Online there are plenty of dudes who are famous. The player's actions ARE the story in that game. I have an issue of Game Informer that has a full-page interview with a guy who accidentally started one of the largest battles in the game's history. In EQ2 on Nagafen (back before the Odus expansion), there were dudes so badass at their class that when you saw them in the world, you knew you were probably going to die. They were good and they had a reputation for kicking ass. EQ2 isn't maybe the best example, but the point stands. Who is famous on WoW? Leroy Jenkins or the dudes that pvped that in-game funeral. They're famous because they made stupid videos. If the Leroy Jenkins video had never been made, nobody on that server would have even heard about that idiot. If the funeral pvp video had never been made, nobody outside of maybe half a dozen guilds would have known about it.
I've played quite a few hours of TESO beta and I'm very sad at what they've done to the TES franchise. Keep in mind, though, that it's not Bethesda working on this game. I think they're being consulted or have some hand/input into its development, but the studio is Zenimax Online. All they had to do was make Elder Scrolls 6 and add co-op. I'd pay $15 a month for THAT game if they just added some new stuff every few months.
It seems that the only MMOs worth playing are ones with new types of gameplay. Maybe Brad's new MMO will be good. I sure hope so. TESO isn't it for me, maybe I'll try it around this upcoming Thanksgiving when it's f2p. EQN looks like it's going to be crap. I've heard it's going to be 40 classes of dps with world destruction that lasts 5 minutes before it regenerates. I'll give it a try, setting the bar low so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. There's supposed to be a Warhammer 40k game coming out in the next couple years which sounds like it's going to be lots of fun.
Btw, am I the only one that thinks having only 6 abilities on your loadout is ridiculous? Hell, look at a level 60 warrior in EverQuest and between basic abilities, weapon procs, and clickies, they have more abilities available during combat than that! They don't even get spells, ffs!