The best MMO features

Jaskip

For me I would say player housing. UO and SWG did it well and it should be brought to the new games. Even LotRO instanced housing is better than none, though it should take steps to allow any item to be placed anywhere in the house rather than have hooks.

Jaskip

bump?

Czzarre

I believe that player housing is a very sought after aspect of MMOs. It serves 2 purposes. 1st, it gives something for players to do in the end game that isnt raid raid raid. Also, it represents a trophy room of achievement that adds to the equipment a player currently wears.

Pynda

Sorry, I don't think I'm going to be able to pick just one feature. These days - and learned from bitter experience - I'm not playing a MMORPG unless I see perhaps two of the three features that I look on as foremost requirements. However, these are all a matter of my own personal tastes. (But my tastes I happen to know for a fact, are perfect.)

1.) A Deep Skill Based Combat System - built on multiple types of damage and resistance. Basically rock/paper/scissors, but taking in many, many more factors (the more the better).

As you can probably see, I'm a min-maxing RPG type dude and not much of a twitch based guy. And every time I hear the words "end game" or "balance" it makes me want to hurl.

2.) A Dynamic Loot and Crafting System - Nothing bores me more than running around in the same gear (and using the same strategies) as everyone else. But I'll just mention now who I think did it almost perfectly. And neither of which systems you'll see reflected in any of the MMMORPGs created since.

Loot - Asheron's Call 1
Crafting & Resources - Pre-CU Star Wars Galaxies

3.) Both a Creative PvE and PvP Environment - but I might accept an outstanding example of either.

Anyway, here's how the tally went for me recently with Darkfall. And why I'm not playing (for now).

Skill Based Combat: FAIL
Loot & Crafting : FAIL
PvP & PvE : PASS

galliard1981

graphics and rich environment, beautiful world, that you enjoy exploring and coming back to

Yamoth

Player housing is probably my favorite of all the cosmetic features a mmo can make.  So far, my favorite player housing have to be from EQ2 mainly cause not only does it serve as a storage and trophy room, but it also serve as a place for you to sell your goods.

Other feature that I really enjoy is anything that have to do with D2 really.  Like custom stats point, extensive skill trees with synergy, the ability to wear almost anything as long as you can meet the requirement, random generate map, and the joy of slaughtering many many mobs at once instead of the typical 1v1.

Some feature that I really hate are automatic/pointless skills and stats.  Character being pigonhold to a specific role and nothing else.  Gear limitation due to class race or what ever.  Pretty much anything that prevent me from playing my character the way I wanted.  Like in D2, I play a melee sorceres wearing full plate and able to almost kill diable on hell difficulty.  Sure it is a stupid idea and my character is weak as hell, but is it fun to know that I can do it if I wanted to.  In wow, my mage is also freaking awsome.  I was able to almost alway top the dps meter and a force to be rekon with in pvp.  But when I walk around Dalaran, I saw at least 2 or 3 other mages that look exactly like me with the exactlly same talant tree, glyphs, gems, and enchantment.  At which point I immediately /facepalm log off and haven't logged back in ever since.