I've always disliked playing as a human and find it rather boring. Whenever I have a choice, I try to play something else. ESO offers some good choices, but the racials are important -- from my experience. For example, I want to play as an Argonian, but they don't have the racials that would help me compared to the other classes.
I believe this is the trap I used to always fall into when I was younger. Usually I was always looking to maximize every ounce of efficiency out of characters I created instead of playing what I wanted to play. For instance I played a Half Elf Ranger as my first character in EQ, but gave up at some point due to the difficulty of solo leveling. Eventually I tried the Necro, Druid, and Bard who were really good solo classes. Many times I wish I had stayed with the Ranger as I really wanted to be a character that roamed the wide open plains, tracked dangerous beasts/monsters, and helped lost travelers. I try to make a conscious effort to choose the race/class combo I feel would be enjoyable instead of what would be most powerful. I wasted so much time restarting my character in old single player RPGs and MMOs. The worst part is it's generally not nearly as enjoyable the second time through content and even worse after that. Especially in games that have a lot of quests.
I rarely play human in mmos (for the same OP reason taht im a human in real life so i get bored of humans fast in games)
BUT any race (including humans) that i choose in an mmo is based on some factors. The looks of the character, and the story behind their race in the game world. This is why i rarely play mmos where everyone starts in the same place, because that makes the variety of races dull and just a cosmetic thing. Keep each race selection to their racial starting area and their own storyline and ill play your game.
This leads to a bigger topic such as the starting zones. There are cases where the lore of the game for some reason keep all races at the same place (TERA and RIFT to name a few). This design is the hardest to make because it has to be so very well done to not feel boring with other characters. Most of the time devs dont put the effort to make them good. These two games did not do a good job there, at all. It would have been much better to at least send their races to different regions as settlers to start there after the tutorial.
Race topic is much wider than just picking a race to play with.
I mostly agree with this. I prefer races(cultures) to be segregated and unique. That doesn't mean certain races wouldn't appear in these cultures. It just means it would be a rare exception as it would be a difficult and long journey between places in a medieval type setting. It would also be difficult for said peoples to accept outsiders. They would have to work really hard to earn their trust. This is all part of what makes finding a new city/culture exciting in game IMO.
ESO is the first game I have ever played a human race, when given the options to play others. I usually prefer Lizard/Ogre/Orc/Ugly races, but the Breton was enticing for my build I wanted to try.
Just for the record - Bretons are basically Halfelves.
Not even close. That would be like calling someone half-black because they have some distant ancestor who happen to be black.
Originally posted by Velifax I'm with OP. I prefer a bit of RP in my MMORPG so I never play humans.
I guess if you're RP is defined by race, then that makes sense. A lot of people, if not most, associate the RP aspect with the setting. But yeah, you're not alone in simplifying it. I know a few guys who always play females, and basically everything about RP with them brings gender into the equation. It's like they need to be defined by the fact that they are a woman and not a man.
That's fine; it's just kind of a limited outlook on roleplaying.
Interesting question for me, as I prefer humans in MMO's. Particularly in over the top worlds like WoW, EQ and GW and a bit of ESO. LotR, with elves and dwarves, it's not so much a big deal, but where you have cat people or little frogs, or silly gnomes, they're fun as alts. But I lose interest in them quickly
For me, I guess it's what I might call the Roddenberry effect. For me, it's about being an ordinary human in a fantastical place or situation. The environment is the fantasy, a human's place in it is the anchor that helps me relate.
It just struck me... when I used to play Star Frontiers as a kid, I usually played a Dralasite. Funny how things can change regarding what makes ya tick.
Comments
I believe this is the trap I used to always fall into when I was younger. Usually I was always looking to maximize every ounce of efficiency out of characters I created instead of playing what I wanted to play. For instance I played a Half Elf Ranger as my first character in EQ, but gave up at some point due to the difficulty of solo leveling. Eventually I tried the Necro, Druid, and Bard who were really good solo classes. Many times I wish I had stayed with the Ranger as I really wanted to be a character that roamed the wide open plains, tracked dangerous beasts/monsters, and helped lost travelers. I try to make a conscious effort to choose the race/class combo I feel would be enjoyable instead of what would be most powerful. I wasted so much time restarting my character in old single player RPGs and MMOs. The worst part is it's generally not nearly as enjoyable the second time through content and even worse after that. Especially in games that have a lot of quests.
I mostly agree with this. I prefer races(cultures) to be segregated and unique. That doesn't mean certain races wouldn't appear in these cultures. It just means it would be a rare exception as it would be a difficult and long journey between places in a medieval type setting. It would also be difficult for said peoples to accept outsiders. They would have to work really hard to earn their trust. This is all part of what makes finding a new city/culture exciting in game IMO.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
Not even close. That would be like calling someone half-black because they have some distant ancestor who happen to be black.
You make me like charity
I guess if you're RP is defined by race, then that makes sense. A lot of people, if not most, associate the RP aspect with the setting. But yeah, you're not alone in simplifying it. I know a few guys who always play females, and basically everything about RP with them brings gender into the equation. It's like they need to be defined by the fact that they are a woman and not a man.
That's fine; it's just kind of a limited outlook on roleplaying.
You make me like charity
Interesting question for me, as I prefer humans in MMO's. Particularly in over the top worlds like WoW, EQ and GW and a bit of ESO. LotR, with elves and dwarves, it's not so much a big deal, but where you have cat people or little frogs, or silly gnomes, they're fun as alts. But I lose interest in them quickly
For me, I guess it's what I might call the Roddenberry effect. For me, it's about being an ordinary human in a fantastical place or situation. The environment is the fantasy, a human's place in it is the anchor that helps me relate.
It just struck me... when I used to play Star Frontiers as a kid, I usually played a Dralasite. Funny how things can change regarding what makes ya tick.