Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mmorpg

Which video game classics did I miss the last three years?

wolfr — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:31 -0800

I intend to make this weekend a gaming weekend. I haven't played video games in a long time. At least not as seriously as I used to. Do you have any suggestions? I have a brand new iMac and an Xbox 360. I do not have a copy of Windows on my Mac yet but could theoretically use Boot Camp to install Windows XP on a partition of the hard drive. So don't feel limited to Mac only games svp.

In the past my favorite games have been Baldurs Gate II, Arcanum, Battlefield 1942, Deus Ex and Tony Hawk II.

I was addicted to World of a Warcraft for a while. I like stories and character progression. I like games with original themes (e.g. Psychonauts).

It seems like the only games I've played the last year or two years have been: Grand Theft Auto IV, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Skate, Soul Calibur IV. All on the Xbox. All of them very casually, although I did end up finishing all except Bioshock (which was good, but not relaxing, with all the dark rooms and scary things).

I am downloading the free 2 week trial of Eve Online right now, but I'd rather not get crazy about an MMORPG anymore. While my time in the World of Warcraft was wonderful, the whole game remains a slot machine with a nice interface.

No racing and sports please with the exception of snowboard/skateboard.

Who has suggestions for me?

Missing video: 3rd person live vide

monocultured — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:58:05 -0800

A year or two back there was an online video (Boingboing tv?) showing an interview with a young artist (British?) who had mounted a camera behind and above his back, which fed the live video to goggles he wore. He'd also dressed in a getup that would make him look like a game character, spiky hair and such. "Live 3rd person perspective" in other words. Half an hour of googling and I can't find the darn video or any info relating to the artist. I think part of the video was shot in Japan, where he staggered around and posed in front of people, á la WoW taunting.

My druid had a backstory

MrVisible — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:45:44 -0800

What's the best massively multiplayer role-playing game for actual role-playing? I almost succumbed and installed World of Warcraft again last night after a couple of years WoW-free, when I realized that if I'm going to descend into the depths of an MMO again, I might as well try something new.

Looking back on the things I enjoyed about WoW, it was all about creative player interactions; story circles on Thunder Bluff, clever banter with passing strangers, handing out gold to good role-players in newbie areas. I liked actually playing my characters as characters, and finding others who'd play along.

What's the best game for that sort of interaction? Are there games out there that have active communities that do role-playing, or is it all like in WoW, where even on role-playing servers finding someone who was RPing was rare?

(I realize that my best bet might still be WoW, in which case... how do you find good role-playing players?)

Why is World of Warcraft so addictive?

Sully — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:40:20 -0800

Why is World of Warcraft so addictive? I've curious about WoW. I've heard a lot about it - how there's millions of people playing it. But I've also heard that it's ruined lives.

There are some sites where people talk about how WoW has ruined their lives, but they only go into details about how their lives are ruined. They mention that WoW is incredibly addictive, but they never go into detail about how exactly WoW addicts them.

Even the short Youtube documentaries about WoW just talk about how many hours they spend on the game, how they miss classes, or ignore responsibilities. They talk about the fallout from WoW without looking at the mechanics - which is what I'm interested in.

I have to say, I kind of want to try it. I play a lot of single-player games, like Fable 2, Fallout 3, Crackdown. I'm familiar with reward systems, and am curious about WoW's. I mean, to get millions of players, they must have an incredible reward system. But I am also afraid that if I try the game, I will find it so rewarding that I won't want to stop.

I've even read things where people say they've been playing this one game for years - doesn't it become boring? Can someone who has played WoW dissect for me how WoW compels or manipulates you into coming back for more?

Thanks.

I haz WoW - whut neckst?

Spyder's Game — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:50:51 -0800

A friend really wants me to get into World of Warcraft with him. My wife has graciously agreed. I know little to none about the game, never played an MMO before (RPG, yes, MMO, no). My friend plays Hoard characters. As a rank amateur, what do I need to know? Give me the works...

Guilds as social units

empath — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:57:58 -0800

I have a few semi-related questions about how MMORPG guilds operate inside: Are there any guilds that operate across multiple games? Guilds carry benefits and obligations within a particular game, but do they carry across from game to game? Can favors given in one game be repaid in another game? Do guild members tend to help each other with real life problems? How far do guild obligations go -- would you drop real life stuff if your guild asked you to do something in a game? Does anyone have any stories of kids and their parents being in the same guilds? If your guild were warring with another guild in Eve, would that carry over to other games or real life interactions?

I'm really just kind of interested in stories of how guilds operate as social units outside the context of individual games; if you have any that are outside the scope of the specific questions I asked, i'd be happy to hear them.

Balance in MMO Economies?

SpecialK — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 11:48:33 -0800

Game Design: In an MMO, how do you build an economy that will 'balance' itself? Obviously, having solid inputs and outputs are one thing, and balancing those inputs with the demand for the item, but what other things need to be taken into account? I can't seem to find anything that's *written* on economy design in an MMO game, but I know that it's always been a big issue and has caused the downfall of a few -- E&B to name one. So as I start to experiment with code in this genere, I'd like to try to get this right the first time. ;)

I suppose this is true for any artificial economy, and I don't know much about the microeconomics that are necessary to write all the business logic.

What games should my friends & I play instead of Warcraft?

iwhitney — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:38:03 -0800

Now that World of Warcraft has abandoned all attempts at creativity, my friends and I would like a fun, casual, multi-player game where we can hang out. Any ideas? While we're all big nerds and like Warcraft, it's become apparent that every expansion is going to follow the same formula

Add 10 levels
Add a half-dozen zones
Set up some big bad to kill
Add a ton of repetitive faction grinds

And, since it's obviously making Blizzard a ton of money, I'm not going to begrudge them. But I would like to find another game to play with my friends.

We're geographically diverse, smart, talkative 20 & 30-somethings. We play games not to be the 'best' or to while away entire days, but to have fun, unwind and socialize.

Most of them are more into the RP side of RPG. But all of us can enjoy a good game, even if we're not pretending to be a dwarf.

What games out there could work for us? I've poked at Puzzle Pirates a bit, and it seems fun, but it also seems that every player is off doing their own puzzle (maybe this isn't true, I only tried it for a few minutes).

Another option is online Scrabble, which I'd be more enthusiastic about if I weren't terrible at Scrabble. But online board games do seem like a good option.

We obviously don't mind paying for our games. But free is cool too.

How to get time with dad back from WoW?

jkoby — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:45:13 -0800

What should I do about my dad's WoW addiction? Ever since my little brother showed my dad World of Warcraft, he hasn't stopped playing. This is to the exclusion of almost all time with my brother and I. I've got root access to the router, but I think simply blocking the ports is a bit harsh. Everyone in my family agrees that he plays WoW too much. What should I do?

Addictive games

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:46:16 -0800

What is a good computer or network game that has high addiction value? The problem is I'm not really looking for fantasy-world slaying action. I want to get past some grief (a situation I have no control over), and I refuse to start smoking, drinking, or indulging in food. I figure a good gaming hobby might be the ticket so I don't brood over stuff during my idle hours.

I have heard that one of the most addictive games is World of Warcraft, but I've never gotten the whole medieval monsters type thing. I do like when there's focus on exploration, history, and/or culture, such as what Ultima did back in its day. I'm also open to really weird, heady stuff, like VATSIM air traffic control, which would be good except that for me it's too formal and procedural (arguably too serious) and can involve a -lot- of idle stretches.

So what's out there that's addictive and isn't just a bunch of random swords, blood, and armor? I've never played a MMORPG so consider me a novice.

What [awesome casual MMO]?

Rallon — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:35:24 -0800

NotWOWFilter: Are there any decent semi-casual MMORPGs out there? It's summer, I'm bored, and there's got to be some wonderful MMO game out there for me to get immersed in when, for once, I'm low on other obligations. I've played quite a lot in the past, but I'm not averse to going back to something if it's changed or I missed something big. I have previous experience with these: Everquest 1, EQ2, Anarchy Online, Planetside, Guild Wars, Vanguard, WoW, and DAoC.

I look for kind of funky things in an MMO - I like to be in worlds with lots of other people, but really enjoy playing characters that solo very well and making significant accomplishments outside of groups. A lot of this is due to my schedule, such that I can't always commit time enough to deal with grouping, as I might be yanked from the PC by some other obligation after only an hour. PVP can be fun, but isn't a deal-breaker for me by any means if it's not there. My favorite MMO experience ever was Everquest in the days before Luclin came out, if that's any help.

What I'm really looking for is an MMO that feels like something other than just an endless grind with a bunch of raiding at the end. I'd like to be able to make significant gains by myself or with small groups and not find myself a victim of the WOW style bait-and-switch of the end-game. I know that's probably largely impossible, but I can hope. I played WOW for a while and just can't do it any more, even though I realize it's a good fit for my style. Are there other games out there that fit my particular fancy? Older, newer, anything will do. Just help me feed my MMO-lust!

Casual player looking for WoW guild recommendations

cyrusdogstar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:00:50 -0800

Can anyone recommend a World of Warcraft guild that meets my specifications? Follow the bolds for the abridged version :)

First off, I know there's a MeFi guild in existence--used to run its earlier incarnation--but right now it seems like it's moved Horde-side and I'm looking for an Alliance guild. Plus the MeFi guild never stays very large and I'd like there to be people on most of the time - I miss EarBucket and the rest a lot, but it kinda stinks when half the time you're alone in guildchat.

I'm with a good group of people right now, but on a very young server (Vashj) and recently came to the realization that the auction house is piss-poor, and it's making it hard to level since my gear is lagging at 10+ levels behind my own. So I'm thinking of rerolling on a medium (or high) population server where there are plenty of things to buy on the AH.

Making matters worse is that I don't raid and most guilds are all about the endgame - I'm hoping for a group of people more interested in leveling, PvPing, playing alts, and just having fun than in phat lewt. Not that raiding is a bad thing, but I just don't see the point of being in a guild where <5 % of the population is below level 60. and this should go without saying, but there's millions of medium/large guilds medium/high pop servers which aren't all about raiding...but they don't all have b>cool, laid back, intelligent people. Since most MeFites fit this description, I'm hoping some of you have found similar groups of people to hang out with.

If possible I prefer RP or RP-PVP servers, since it usually means about 5% less idiocy from the pubbies, but that's definitely not a requirement at this point. Ditto for my timezone - EST is nice but not necessary.

And I could just suck it up and try to deal with the situation on my current server - for example, I could run lots of instances to get gear drops - but for now let's assume I don't want to.

Join the ranks of the unwashed?

Doublewhiskeycokenoice — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:36:42 -0800

Should I start playing World of Warcraft? So, a new computer is on the horizon and with that comes an OS newer than 10.2, so I shall, at last, be able to run WoW. I've got many friends who play, and the social aspect of it seems like a lot of fun, and the game itself looks right up my alley. The problem is, I'd just be starting out at the end of December, and all my friends are either at 60, or are pushing it hard. With the expansion coming out, is there a risk of them leaving me in the dust, and thus remove any chance of my getting to play with them on a meaningful level anytime soon? Has the game sailed over it's shark yet? Should I care about that last one? Any advice WoWers could give on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Also, my sister takes care of all the "WoW is for losers" talk for the entire world, so don't worry about that.

Help me find a profession in Eve-Online

darkripper — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 07:59:31 -0800

Give me some good suggestion about what to do in Eve Online. A quick search suggest me there are some players and ex-players of the game on MeFi.
I've started playing yesterday and I'm still unsure about what actually do in the game.

I started mining asteroids and bought my first frigate, but seems to me too time consuming, because you can't mine AFK in dangerous sectors.
Is researching and manufacturing profitable even if you are not in a corporation (there are so many, it's not easy to find the right one)?
I'm actually more interested in the business part of the game, but I'm not excluding PvP: is it fun?

Science in MMORPGs

empath — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:20:24 -0800

Science and Metaphysics from the inside of virtual worlds? I've been reading a lot of books about the 16th and 17th centuries recently, and of course, one of the recurring themes is the development of 'natural philosophy' -- that is, science.

There has been a lot of talk about the sociology of MMORPGs and virtual worlds, but what about the physical sciences and metaphysics?

What can you say about the nature of virtual worlds, without making references to anything 'outside'? Where does it come from, what sustains it? What are the objects made of? How is a tree different from an 'creature'? Can you say anything at all that's non-trivial about it? -- that is, something other than 'that is a tree, because it was programmed to be a tree'.

In a perfect 'role-playing' world-- that is, one in which no players make references to anything that there character wouldn't be able to see, would there be anyway to determine anything about the 'world outside'? Or the computer that holds the simulation?

One thing that immediately strikes me is that there are no 'instruments' available in most virtual worlds-- no microscopes, yard sticks, measuring cups. What kind of experiments could you do without any of that?

Sorry, this may be a little bit chatty, but I'm genuinely interested in the answers, or if anybody has written any articles about this (even if they're jokey)

Name my MMORPG guild...

bkudria — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 22:56:48 -0800

Help me name my MMORPG guild, please! I am trying to think of a name for my MMORPG guild, preferably something medieval. It should be serious (i.e. not humorous), and can be a literary reference. I would like to avoid use of proper nouns, real or invented.

Existing guild names I like:
Cthulu Dawn
Imperial Order
Fist Of The Third War
Raven Guard

What are some good MMORPG blogs?

chunking express — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:54:59 -0800

Can anyone recomend any good weblogs on MMORPGs? In particular, I would like to read ones about World of Warcraft. I'm looking for stuff that is thoughtful and well written. For example, I liked this article on Star Wars Galaxies.

How do you make a Wild West Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game?

ZachsMind — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 14:15:45 -0800

What would it entail to produce a MMORPG in the western genre with subtle steampunk and/or horror undertones ? Ynoxas mentioned this in the Blue the other day and I've found myself dwelling on it but not to a point where I can find an answer on my own. A lot of people have talked about it. Some people have even tried to make it happen. Why are there so many anime, and scifi, and swordplay MMORPGs, but genres like western and steampunk and horror just haven't really been explored? Is there just a lack of interest? Is there something about the mechanics of it that makes it near impossible?

What would it take for a world of this nature to interest you enough to download it? What events would have to occur to make such a thing happen? What would you want it to be like, and how would you get it there?

Is Project Entropia any good?

flabdablet — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:27:45 -0800

Is Project Entropia a good playground for a 14-year-old? Does its economic model encourage the exercising of real-world social skills, or is it just another unaccountable identity-hopping scammer's paradise? Our 14-year-old is an old hand at Runescape, and has recently become aware of the possibility of using his two hours a day of online time to accumulate real cash instead of Jagex gold pieces.

As the official house fuddy-duddy, I'm far happier for him to spend his allocated screen time playing any kind of mmorpg than, say, GTA San Andreas.

So I'd like to find out how much exposure the hive mind has had to Project Entropia. What's the community like? Is it a Lord of the Flies wasteland like Runescape, or does MindArk actually run a decent little universe?

If you feel a need to badmouth Project Entropia and you'd rather not breach MindArk's terms of service by doing so in public, my email is in my profile.

Supplementary question: Our PC doesn't currently meet the minimum requirements for the Entropia client: apparently it needs ATI or nVidia graphics rather than the inbuilt SiS stuff on our Asus P4S800-MX mobo.

We have a Celeron 2.66GHz processor with 512MB RAM, so clearly we don't need cutting-edge performance. As long as the Entropia client ends up working about as well as the Java-based Runescape client, he'll be happy.

So what's an OK and reasonably low-cost ATI or nVidia-based graphics card that would be a good match for this machine? Bonus points if you pick one that's listed on my usual supplier's price list (large PDF).

Also, will the Entropia client thrash terribly with 512MB RAM? Can I get away with not doubling that?

World of Waahcraft

theredpen — Sat, 06 May 2006 20:14:54 -0800

Advice needed on how to get my husband away from World of Warcraft, and whether I should. I realize this is far from the worst problem in the world, but it bums me out. My husband is having a great time online with WoW, late every night, sometimes before work in the mornings, and frequently when he gets a chance during the day.

He's a wonderful father; our kids worship him. He does his share of the housework and yardwork. But I am lonely on the nights that I'm not working. I've suggested the occasional "movie night" (we're pretty much stuck at home due to budget and kids), and that's worked a little. I'm sad that he does the date night thing mostly to appease me and is happier with online "friends." I've said all of this, and he reassures me but goes right back to it. He knows what I think, and feels bad, but still likes the game. A lot. He has other interests -- plays sports -- but this is what takes up most of his time.

I don't want to be a shrew (a side issue is that our house is old and needs an infinite amount of work, and cleaning). I considered playing it also, but it really doesn't interest me, and I have little free time as it is.

Has anyone dealt with this situation? Any proven methods? (The look-at-my-new-lingerie approach has not had the effect I'd hoped for.) Or should I just let it go, be glad that he's happy (I am), and appreciate those evenings I get to spend with him?

Any advice for a SS/Inv. soloing Tanker in CoH?

TrueVox — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:57:41 -0800

MMORPG Filter: Is there anyone who can give me advice on a good build to Solo in City of Heroes? I have a 17th level Super Strenth/ Invounrable Tanker named Brigs who has a respec. I need to make him a good solo'er (Work and family make me too unreliable to team with, sadly), adn I don't want to waste my one free respec. Any suggestions from past tankers?

Starting up the MMORPG curve

rolypolyman — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 15:13:41 -0800

I have a great MMORPG idea, but have found the learning curve to be formidable. Are there any turnkey php packages for starting a tiny, simple MMORPG game with basic sets of objects and places, using mysql, with the ability to scale it up? The game is more strategy-based than action-based, so static images and text can work fine. Real-time character interaction is not necessary, nor are standalone graphics front-ends.

WTF, Comcast?

dagnyscott — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 15:02:45 -0800

Does Comcast hate World of Warcraft? Frequently (like maybe three quarters of the time) when I sign on to World of Warcraft, my Internet connection suddenly dies and I'm disconnected from World of Warcraft and AOL Instant Messager. Internet's back within a minute but it's a real pain because of login times and "That character is already logged in" errors that happen if you try and login just after getting disconnected.

Anyone else have this problem? More important, anyone know what the hell is going on?

need MMORPG recommendations

luriete — Fri, 06 May 2005 12:36:46 -0800

A friend in Illinois and I (here in California) would like to play an online RPG together. We really don't care about monsters and stuff; we want to harass and kill other players (and each other). That's just more fun. He's on a PC, I'm on a mac, we both have fast connections and decent machines ... we tried the free version of Wolfenstein, and while I enjoy killing nazis, his blowing me up with grenades got old after awhile. Any suggestions? Can we be pirates or ninjas on World of Warcraft? Or, like, cowboys? Cause those things are all really cool. I wish there were a massive pirates RPG, that would be the best. Also: it can't be super expensive because we've got, like, bills to pay and stuff.

MMPORGs for Beginners

quibx — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 12:18:31 -0800

What's a good MMORPG to get started with? I don't want to pay a monthly fee, and I want something that is beginner-friendly. Star Wars Galaxies seemed like the way to go, but I won't be playing it enough to pay a monthly fee on top of the purchase price.