Community MMOs and not so MMOs news, updates, and discussions | Ain't nobody got time for that?

[Swenhir]

I got into BDO a couple days ago but am now starting to see its ugly side. The way it tries to trigger FOMO through energy and various login mechanics to get you to think and run the game at all times. I was wondering though. Is there good group content or things that require player collaboration? It feels overwhelmingly solo-minded.

Additionally, I wonder what are good MMOs like that that exist and aren't FFXIV and WoW in the Fantasy genre.

 

[thekeats1999]

Always fancied giving BDO a try, however it's reputation has always stopped me from trying it.

Unfortunately I don't have a frame of referencewith other MMO's. Only one I have played for any length of time is FFXIV.

 

[texhnolyze]

I got into BDO a couple days ago but am now starting to see its ugly side. The way it tries to trigger FOMO through energy and various login mechanics to get you to think and run the game at all times. I was wondering though. Is there good group content or things that require player collaboration? It feels overwhelmingly solo-minded.

Additionally, I wonder what are good MMOs like that that exist and aren't FFXIV and WoW in the Fantasy genre.

Fantasy MMOs that aren't FFXIV/Wow?

I can only think of ESO, Guild Wars 2 & LOTRO. The others are either in life support or very unpopular, like ArcheAge, Aion, RIFT, EverQuest 2, etc. As for new MMOs, there's New World coming up in August.

 

[Line]

I got into BDO a couple days ago but am now starting to see its ugly side. The way it tries to trigger FOMO through energy and various login mechanics to get you to think and run the game at all times. I was wondering though. Is there good group content or things that require player collaboration? It feels overwhelmingly solo-minded.

Additionally, I wonder what are good MMOs like that that exist and aren't FFXIV and WoW in the Fantasy genre.

There is absolutely no group content (or even solo content) if you talk PVE. This whole aspect is utterly worthless and only exists for you to grind mobs. And admittedly, the gameplay is fun, but you can only go so far bashing groups of mobs that do nothing...
Now there is PVP, on the more solo side and larger groups if you like it, but then you'll face people that have the time (and especially had the time) to grind more stats and you will be physically incapable of ever reaching their level, even playing 24/7 for months on end.

All of those Eastern PVP grinders rely heavily on you liking being a casual gamer being semi-useful fodder.
Or just to be a whale and start another game, because other whales got here first and you can't catch up even if you dump a million dollars on it.

And as far as fantasy MMOs go... the usual old and moldy games that are all a decade old (slightly less for ESO but...). The genre has been deader than dead since 2014...


In other news, Swords of Legends online is releasing soon in the West, I think the demo is still available. It's a B2P wuxia MMO with a focus on PVE (and some open world PVP that gts you nothing but trouble, so why is the option here if nobody uses it? Giving griefers a way to have fun for 5 minutes before going to jail?).
And it plays... fine. Feels quite a bit like Guild Wars 2, decent mix of action and a bit of tab target. Looks alright, has lots of voice acting too. And it's in the same universe as the Gujian series on Steam.
Also, it's P2P in China, so I can't see it becoming P2W or having lootboxes here, since, you know, it has neither of those to begin with.

But damn is it bland-ass wuxia stuff that we know very little about, and all the cool cosmetics are in the shop - though you can easily transmog what you've unlocked, not even having a choice beside light skinned Asian with dark brown hair and very light skinned Asian with black hair? Yeeeah...

It's okay I guess, probably on the better side of playable, but meh.

Oh and performance is shit, but that's to be expected I guess.

 

[Swenhir]

Fantasy MMOs that aren't FFXIV/Wow?

I can only think of ESO, Guild Wars 2 & LOTRO. The others are either in life support or very unpopular, like ArcheAge, Aion, RIFT, EverQuest 2, etc. As for new MMOs, there's New World coming up in August.

Thank you. GW2 really isn't my thing for a silly but very real reason - the cloud layer is ridiculously low, makes the world feel tiny. ESO... I guess I'll have to take a look at some point.

And yeah Line this is what I feared. PvP being gear-centric, meaning that it's mostly the hardcore bullying the casual. I was more interested in the life skill and PvE content side of things, sort of a MMO stardew valley sort of thing. I'm sorry that it may not be a thing in practice.

 

[thekeats1999]

I was more interested in the life skill and PvE content side of things, sort of a MMO stardew valley sort of thing. I'm sorry that it may not be a thing in practice.

I never knew how much I wanted an MMO version of Stardew Valley until you just mentioned it.

 

[Dandy]

I never knew how much I wanted an MMO version of Stardew Valley until you just mentioned it.

I'm hoping Palia will fill that void, because I very much want a Stardew-like MMO as well.

 

[Swenhir]

I'm hoping Palia will fill that void, because I very much want a Stardew-like MMO as well.

I had forgotten about it, thank you for the reminder! Signed up for a shot at the beta.

 

[thekeats1999]

I'm hoping Palia will fill that void, because I very much want a Stardew-like MMO as well.

Oh that does look like it could be cool. Signed up for the alpha.

 

[texhnolyze]

There was a super popular and yet niche life skills and pve MMOs called Mabinogi Online. Like, it's like Elder Scrolls games where you can raise any skill from combat to non-combat, and become anything you want. I'm not sure if it's still around nowadays.

 

[Swenhir]

There was a super popular and yet niche life skills and pve MMOs called Mabinogi Online. Like, it's like Elder Scrolls games where you can raise any skill from combat to non-combat, and become anything you want. I'm not sure if it's still around nowadays.

It looks super rough from what a quick googling showed me though.

I do recall a sort of top-down game that had an obscene amount of classes and really interesting systems but the grind was absurd.

 

[Line]

Runescape is still kicking (and surprisingly popular), I never even remotely liked it, but the non-combat activities are aplenty.
Maybe small stuff like Villagers&Heroes, but I have no idea of the state of those games.

Otherwise, the more social parts and side activities are not unpopular in GaaS games.
I know I like Genshin Impact for the gameplay but also the fun stuff on the side, the gardening update next month should add quite a bit to their housing system.

 

[thekeats1999]

I know I like Genshin Impact for the gameplay but also the fun stuff on the side, the gardening update next month should add quite a bit to their housing system.

I enjoyed my brief time with Genshin Impact, but I know I am a sucker for Gacha mechanics and I can't help it, so I dived out. But now there is a housing and farming system I may have to have another look.

 

[texhnolyze]

Speaking of sandbox MMOs, Crowfall just launched. It's a premium MMO (buy to play).

 

[Li Kao]

Well, the horribly long mess of a review MassivelyOP put out is not looking very hot for Crowfall. Unless I'm mistaken, because I could only skim it and shake my head at the whole thing, it looks to be a very PVP focused MMO without enough of the PVP population yet ?

 

[Li Kao]

Excited to see New World. There is a beta at the end of july, but having not followed their PR I don’t know if it’s limited in time or an early start, and if there will be a wipe.
I’m fully warry of fucking Amazon doing a MMO, but also so giddy to have a MMO in a modern engine

 

[Swenhir]

I think I'm noping out of BDO. I noticed myself not looking at other games as much and looking down on senses of awe and wonder because they didn't amount to anything tangible in the game. The design patterns in black desert have started ringing alarm bells a couple days ago and I'm just put off by the way the game constantly requires you to dedicate time to it even for tiny tasks. Fishing shouldn't take minutes for a single fish and energy/conversation systems can get screwed.

I love the idea of the sandbox, but the mechanics tacked on to it are just bullshit. That, and the dice/log-in bonuses, all that FOMO shit can get lost.

 

[Ascheroth]

I think I'm noping out of BDO. I noticed myself not looking at other games as much and looking down on senses of awe and wonder because they didn't amount to anything tangible in the game. The design patterns in black desert have started ringing alarm bells a couple days ago and I'm just put off by the way the game constantly requires you to dedicate time to it even for tiny tasks. Fishing shouldn't take minutes for a single fish and energy/conversation systems can get screwed.

I love the idea of the sandbox, but the mechanics tacked on to it are just bullshit. That, and the dice/log-in bonuses, all that FOMO shit can get lost.

Yeah, I liked the world and combat of Black Desert, but also couldn't stick with it for long.
My personal dealbreaker for F2P MMOs is usually always inventory size. If I have a tiny inventory but your game has a gajillion different items and the only way to reasonably expand your storage options is to fork over money, I usually bail when I reach the port where it feels like I have to micro-manage my inventory or pay.

 

[Stevey]

I've been playing a bit of ESO lately, just solo, it's not bad, I've never really played an MMO before, apart from a free trial of WOW.

Just seems like far too much to do, so I'm just doing the main quest and the odd side one here and there.

 

[texhnolyze]

Excited to see New World. There is a beta at the end of july, but having not followed their PR I don’t know if it’s limited in time or an early start, and if there will be a wipe.
I’m fully warry of fucking Amazon doing a MMO, but also so giddy to have a MMO in a modern engine

Yeah, it's honestly worrying considering their track records, but I'm also looking forward to New World. Just as the title suggests, I just want a new MMO adventure in a new world.

Sometimes, people also judge MMOs too harsh, like how much the content there is or how is the endgame. For me, I don't really mind lack of content or endgame. No matter how short a MMO is, it should have at least a leveling journey to the level cap. As long as I can get dozens of hours of enjoyment out of it, then it's worth the purchase. I can revisit it later when there's more stuff to do.

 

[Line]

Yeah, it's honestly worrying considering their track records, but I'm also looking forward to New World. Just as the title suggests, I just want a new MMO adventure in a new world.

Sometimes, people also judge MMOs too harsh, like how much the content there is or how is the endgame. For me, I don't really mind lack of content or endgame. No matter how short a MMO is, it should have at least a leveling journey to the level cap. As long as I can get dozens of hours of enjoyment out of it, then it's worth the purchase. I can revisit it later when there's more stuff to do.

I think it's pretty important to start with at least a decent base, especially for a game that requires a decent population, Wildstar payed that dearly despite its fun parts. If not, the added content will be hard to play - or impossible for large scale PvP, and it's a downward spiral.

Dunno what to think of New World. I don't think what they made was very good, but for plenty of odd decisions that could have been avoided.
Did they fix it by sending it back in the oven? Hard to say for now.

 

[thekeats1999]

Had a good run tonight. Worked my way through about 15 quests in Stormblood. I am on the last quest before I reach "The Legend Returns" quest. Been enjoying the trials and dungeon bosses as they get more complicated.

I might try warrior/paladin as well while I am working my way though the next set of quests. Have a feeling, with the 2 new classes, there may be a requirement for Tanks when Endwalker comes out.

 

[Ex-User (119)]

Colin Johanson has returned to guild wars team, along with josh davis (grouch) eod has been delayed, but they are working on wow revamps and updating engine to direct x 11

ArenaNet Studio Update: July 2021 – GuildWars2.com

A message from the ArenaNet team.

www.guildwars2.com

Massicot texhnolyze

 

[Line]

That is a pretty crazy decision.
But honestly, decent performance in the game is very much needed, the expansions did really push the engine much further than intended. Having map wide bosses with a hundred other people all rushing on griffon's back wasn't great for the framerate (and the game got crash prone on some encounters, that sucked).

Guess they really want to go all-in for their Steam release.
Which would make sense, it's well in line with the kind of coop games people are buying nowadays.

 

[texhnolyze]

I think it's pretty important to start with at least a decent base, especially for a game that requires a decent population, Wildstar payed that dearly despite its fun parts. If not, the added content will be hard to play - or impossible for large scale PvP, and it's a downward spiral.

Dunno what to think of New World. I don't think what they made was very good, but for plenty of odd decisions that could have been avoided.
Did they fix it by sending it back in the oven? Hard to say for now.

Yes, they did send it back to the oven since last year's review event. There were lots of stuff that's been revamped, from questing to new weapons & system, as well as revamped combat and so on. They're really going all in with this.

Colin Johanson has returned to guild wars team, along with josh davis (grouch) eod has been delayed, but they are working on wow revamps and updating engine to direct x 11

ArenaNet Studio Update: July 2021 – GuildWars2.com

A message from the ArenaNet team.

www.guildwars2.com

Massicot texhnolyze

Looking forward ro revisiting Guild Wars 2!

 

[Kal1m3r0]

Free Login on FFXIV

Free Login Campaign | FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone

Now's your chance to return! Eligible players can play free for a limited time!

na.finalfantasyxiv.com

 

[Swenhir]

Free Login on FFXIV

Free Login Campaign | FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone

Now's your chance to return! Eligible players can play free for a limited time!

na.finalfantasyxiv.com

Fuck. And I renewed yesterday.

 

[Li Kao]

Fuck. And I renewed yesterday.

What lvl are you ?

 

[Swenhir]

What lvl are you ?

52, and a wee bit lost. Need to relearn everything.

 

[Ex-User (119)]

i honestly would like to get into ff14 but i just cannot bare the horrendous content and mauling over hours of content to when things actually get good sadly, and its a dam shame it costs money to boost and skip things (i get why ) but id love to just be able to skip to heavens for free

 

[Li Kao]

Yeah, read a little about the very recent Swords of Legends Online and not convinced. While I have no interest in the mythological China setting, some of the environments are just gorgeous. And people seem to talk about it like it’s a decent theme park with no outrageous monetization.
Then I hit Steam review and read that the translation is not good and I was a sad panda,

 

[thekeats1999]

i honestly would like to get into ff14 but i just cannot bare the horrendous content and mauling over hours of content to when things actually get good sadly, and its a dam shame it costs money to boost and skip things (i get why ) but id love to just be able to skip to heavens for free

Now everything that follows take with a pinch of salt. I am a bit of a fanboy now with FF14 and I have never tried any other MMO.

I actually enjoyed A Realm Reborn. I won't deny it can be slow and a bit of a slog (Return to the Waking Sands will drive you up the wall). I think it is also a victim of it's story first aproach. There will be chains of quests where it is litteraly go here, story, go there, story, go there, fight, story.

However I will say in retrospect having just worked my way through Stormbringers MSQ and doing "The Legen Returns" stuff, A Realm Reborn is some excellent world building.

I will also say, what helps a lot is doing 2 classes at the same time. I think there is enough XP there (with some Daily Roulettes thrown in) to fully level 2 characters. Especially if you are on boosted server.

I have put somewhere in the region of 380+ hours in to it and don't really regret any of it. Hell at least 40 hours of that at one point was just doing crafting stuff. I am thinking of doing leather work next because I have seen some of the stuff they can make and need it for my Viera Dancer.

 

[texhnolyze]

Free Login on FFXIV

Free Login Campaign | FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone

Now's your chance to return! Eligible players can play free for a limited time!

na.finalfantasyxiv.com

2 weeks? Wow, that's plenty. Gotta login tonight

 

[ezodagrom]

I actually enjoyed A Realm Reborn. I won't deny it can be slow and a bit of a slog (Return to the Waking Sands will drive you up the wall). I think it is also a victim of it's story first aproach. There will be chains of quests where it is litteraly go here, story, go there, story, go there, fight, story.

Patch 5.3 made improvements to the ARR part of the game, including a big QoL one, receiving tickets to return directly to the waking sands when we need to return there for the story.

 

[Swenhir]

I had an absolute blast doing duty roulettes and even redoing the first part of the ARR raid yesterday. I'm starting to remember my rotation too. Not least of all, damn if this community kind. There was no crazy expectation, no horribly abuse for dying, just people having good fun together with people rediscovering the game. Warms my heart .

 

[thekeats1999]

Patch 5.3 made improvements to the ARR part of the game, including a big QoL one, receiving tickets to return directly to the waking sands when we need to return there for the story.

Embarrassed to say, I didn't realise these existed in my play through. Kept getting them and never checked what they did.

 

[Prodigy]

i honestly would like to get into ff14 but i just cannot bare the horrendous content and mauling over hours of content to when things actually get good sadly, and its a dam shame it costs money to boost and skip things (i get why ) but id love to just be able to skip to heavens for free

I'm with you on that. It has been about a year with stopping and starting and I am slowly getting through the game, just trying to push to where people say it gets good.

 

[Swenhir]

Titan Extreme was some of the most fun I've had in an MMO this year. The hardest part of phase 4 is perhaps not headbanging through it. It's impossible to be mad at failures when the fight is this awesome.

 

[thekeats1999]

Finished Stormblood on Thursday.

Really enjoyed the ending to it. The last trial that closes out the expansion is a really enjoyable one. Love how complex they get over each expansion.

Now to hunt for the currents that will allow me to fly in each region. Also clear up some of the blue icons I missed doing the main story.

 

[Kal1m3r0]

Finished Stormblood on Thursday.

Really enjoyed the ending to it. The last trial that closes out the expansion is a really enjoyable one. Love how complex they get over each expansion.

Now to hunt for the currents that will allow me to fly in each region. Also clear up some of the blue icons I missed doing the main story.

Zenos is such a good villain

 

[thekeats1999]

Zenos is such a good villain

Yeah, I enjoyed Gaius' I Didn't Ask For This realisation in a Realm Reborn. Also the pope's I Did It For My People rationalisation. Plus the whole Dragon Song War is cool.

But I love the fact Zenos was in it for shits/giggles/challenge. Nothing more.

I also enjoyed Forndola and her rationalisation.

 

[Swenhir]

I just want to say that I appreciate the hell out of you people for using spoilers properly. Seeing as I haven't even finished ARR, I am glad not to know any twists and turns in the road ahead .

 

[thekeats1999]

So couple of new dates added for upcoming events and updates for FFXIV.

• 5.58 patch coming this month. Probably on the 20th.
• Season 20 of The Feast starts on the 20th July. PVP event (I am still new so had to look up the name). Might give it a try to at least earn some of the tokens to use in the store. There looks to be some cool gear in there.
• Latest Make it Rain event starts on the 20th July as well. Again, for people like me who are new, this is the annucal Gold Saucer event with reduced rates on a couple of items in the Gold Saucer. Mainly the Vexed emote.
• September 13 is the FF15 event re-run. This is a must do as you get the car mount. After that it becomes a store purchase I believe.

Played a little bit more last night and decided to do the first couple of quests for 4.1. Was surprised to find that second bloody quest and straight into another dungeon. Seems quite soon after the last story mission on 4.0 has both a trial and a dungeon straught off.

 

[thekeats1999]

This is a public service announcement.

Once you have completed a Realm Reborn go to Ul'Dah and speak to Wymond about a quest called "The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen".

There are a couple of Trials in the quest chain, plus a few dances and outfits for Glamours. But you mainly play it because the story is so much fun.

 

[Swenhir]

This is a public service announcement.

Once you have completed a Realm Reborn go to Ul'Dah and speak to Wymond about a quest called "The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen".

There are a couple of Trials in the quest chain, plus a few dances and outfits for Glamours. But you mainly play it because the story is so much fun.

Is this the one with Hildebrand? Because I got to the part where his father enters the stage and... While I am not one for slapstick humor, I absolutely lost my shit at that chase.

 

[thekeats1999]

Is this the one with Hildebrand? Because I got to the part where his father enters the stage and... While I am not one for slapstick humor, I absolutely lost my shit at that chase.

Yeah that's the one. I am just did that bit myself as well.

It's a nice antidote to the more serious main story.

 

[Li Kao]

Weird, I don’t think I had any follow up on the initial quest chain with the sword
I’m deep in Heavensward btw.

 

[thekeats1999]

Weird, I don’t think I had any follow up on the initial quest chain with the sword
I’m deep in Heavensward btw.

I think it works out to about 25 quests per expansion. Still just doing the first part of a realm reborn.

 

[Swenhir]

I am also doing the moogle quest chain and... It's a bit boring. I think I was more immersed back when the game's age didn't seem so acute. Right now, its PS3 roots are showing and it's difficult feeling engaged even with great writing and tone.

Instances are still fantastic though.

 

[thekeats1999]

Working my way through the post Shadow Bringers content.

I really have mixed feelings about all of the post expansion levels.

I can understand their primary requirement. They are there to close out loose ends of the previous stories and offer hints to the upcoming stories. And generally, with the exception of the ARR, they are usually pretty good. However they are bogged down in generally being story drivens arcs with the odd instance/dungeon/trial.

Then there are also the raids. They have some of my favourite content in it and I am really looking forward to getting into 4.1+ Rabinastre raids. Yay to more bunny girls.

Anyway, I reckong by the end of the week I will be starting on Shadowbringers. My plan is to enjoy the content and then start actually practicing my class in the harder mode dungeons and in no way related to me wanting Nier Automata gear for my Bunny.

It's odd as well, I have no patience for difficult games and generally play on easy modes where they are an option. Yet I enjoy the big boss battles with all their different dances to try and survive.

Hell I might even go back and level up a Tank for when Endwalker comes out, with the logic being everybody else will be learning either of the 2 new classes so I might get quick dungeon/trial loading.