Do you think and analyse before investing time and money on an MMO?

Seelinnikoi

Do you think and analyse before investing time and money on an MMO?

I ask this because there are a lot of games I want to play (read buy/subscribe) but I know this is the emotional part of my brain doing the talk.
When I stop and think and go over the times I have been burned by MMOs shutting down or just dying/maintenance mode, I immediately stop myself from spending and investing time and money on unreliable or unproven MMO games which have a very high chance of shutting down a year or two down the line.

So how do you do it?

Do you go back to the same old proven games like WoW, GW2, FFXIV, ESO, etc... or do you cave in and try out a new MMO, knowing full well its going to be a waste of money, but perhaps not time (because you might enjoy those hours you've played it) ?

Amathe

I research games, and follow them, before jumping in. Part of that is seeing if it appeals to me.  Part is seeing what type of class, etc. I might want to play.

kitarad

Amathe said:

I research games, and follow them, before jumping in. Part of that is seeing if it appeals to me.  Part is seeing what type of class, etc. I might want to play.

I research a lot before playing. Sometimes I think I do that too much, and then I might read something that could stop me altogether from playing even. I like to learn about a game before I start. Armed with the knowledge I feel prepared for what the game will throw at me.

Amathe

kitarad said:

I research a lot before playing. Sometimes I think I do that too much, and then I might read something that could stop me altogether from playing even. 

For a long time I didn't play GW2, because the class descriptions were off-putting to me. It just didn't seem like there was a class I wanted to play.

Finally I played GW2 anyway and fell in love with the mesmer class, which is so much cooler than they make it sound. So yes, research can lead you astray sometimes. 

Sovrath

Seelinnikoi said:

So how do you do it?

I don't really expect games to be anything other than what they are. I don't expect them to last forever, I don't expect that there will be any guarantees that I will like it the entire time.

If the aesthetics are decent, the world decent I'll give it a shot. If I find that I am enjoying myself I continue. If not then I don't play anymore.

I don't really believe in being "burned" by a video game. How is that even possible? They aren't that expensive and if one finds the cost a bit challenging then one must deal with that first and foremost.

As far as my time, again, if I'm enjoying myself then time well spent. If not then I do something else.

There are no guarantees in life and I certainly don't expect a bit of entertainment to be anything other than it is. Key word is "expect." If the game is really that amazing then bonus. If not then no skin off my nose.

kitarad

Sovrath said:

Seelinnikoi said:

So how do you do it?

I don't really expect games to be anything other than what they are. I don't expect them to last forever, I don't expect that there will be any guarantees that I will like it the entire time.

If the aesthetics are decent, the world decent I'll give it a shot. If I find that I am enjoying myself I continue. If not then I don't play anymore.

I don't really believe in being "burned" by a video game. How is that even possible? They aren't that expensive and if one finds the cost a bit challenging then one must deal with that first and foremost.

As far as my time, again, if I'm enjoying myself then time well spent. If not then I do something else.

There are no guarantees in life and I certainly don't expect a bit of entertainment to be anything other than it is. Key word is "expect." If the game is really that amazing then bonus. If not then no skin off my nose.

The cost isn't the how much the game is priced at or even subs but costs in time. That is something I can ill afford which is why I am a little hesitant to invest in some games.

There are games where to get to the enjoyable part you have to take part in the not so enjoyable part. So not always the question of 'enjoying yourself' either.

AlBQuirky

Seelinnikoi said:

Do you think and analyse before investing time and money on an MMO?

Since most MMOs are now F2P with cash shops, it's not that difficult. It "costs" players a little time to download, create an account, and install, but otherwise quite simple to "try them out", which is exactly what the publishers want us to do

Like Amathe and Kitarad, I look into MMOs more thoroughly than I do single player games. I want to see if it has the features and gameplay style I would enjoy before ever creating an account or downloading. Since I want to keep "my skills" (ala AlBQuirky) as far out of the game as possible, not many MMOs meet that important criteria for me anymore. Yet this can be overcome if the game offers other features that work well together and intrigue me enough to invest that initial time bite. My biggest draw is if it has a well fleshed out world in which to play in.

As Kitarad pointed out, it is a fine line between researching to see if an MMO interests me enough and keeping enough as a surprise, or for me to figure out once I've decide to try it

Akulas

Random YT video. Scroll halfway through, mute sound and watch 5-10 min to get a general idea. Sometimes discord devs + community to get an approximate idea of what the game might be like. Then purchase with low expectations expecting to never see the money again regardless of outcome. Might be good, might not. 

aleos

After years of MMORPG gaming, and gaming in general. All of my knowledge is poured into any gaming purchase I make. I'm done being had by sketchy business practice and scam model gaming. 

I'm looking at the company making the game, their past games, the engines used to construct it, developers involved, gameplay and how it's presented. All of it.

If I get any type of off feeling I wont purchase it initially. Now I'm watching actual gameplay from current gamers on twitch, youtube, mixer, etc.. Looking for breakdowns, game mechanics etc.. 

And in all honesty. I haven't played or purchased any type of MMORPG for a while now. Everything is the same or represents older games on a smaller scale. Shits weak.

There's no reason to go back to my old games. Unless I just get that itch. But I've got thousands of hours in these games. I've played them. Played them into the dirt and no ones presenting anything new.

krgwynne

depending on the game i now wait a week and see what people say, as to many trash games have been released in the last 10 years with only a couple worth playing. atlas was my last early purchase and it was such a mistake that company should seriously be fined for false advertising or something as there video and speal did not represent there game play atall but this seems to be the normal now days.

DrunkWolf

Im at the point now where if i cant test a game, being Beta or free trial weekend or what ever then i wont buy it. and that doesnt just go for MMOs.

JimL

well, its is always good to find info about the game before you play. 
there are lots of ways to find about game.
A personal thought about the game is when you pay for it and u play for more than a year that is worth spending money. I bought GTA played for few days.. and i only play once every six months..

Wizardry

Most certainly i do and i analyse a game very quickly.If i feel there is no way i will play a mmo long term,i won't even start playing it.If i feel it looks interesting but know little of it,i might try it out if there is a chance to try it for free and see if there is something i am missing.

I have just played so many games,seen all the developers tricks that now i can spot a potential game most often before i even try it.There are subtle things i see in a marketing video that tell me a lot more than it would tell the average person.

One example,if i see a character doing somersaults,there is no way i am playing that game.If i see a cash shop...good riddance to that game.Now a days if i see giant yellow markers over npc heads,adios to that game.I want to see developers making mmo's  that make sense,i want see things that tell me the dev team "get's it",i want to see what looks like an attempt to build a world and NOT just a bunch of instances to chase loot.

FlyByKnight

I'm indecisive and I wait quite some time before making the call to pick up any game. Hasn't failed me yet. I usually hit games well after the quirks get ironed out and all types of content are bundled in. The only downside is in MMOs the whole "LFG *crickets*" thing happens because of how those games are designed.

iixviiiix

Try it before buy it .

Ishkal

Yep now days I do lol I wish I had 15 years ago

moshra

Seelinnikoi said:

Do you think...?

No, it hurts.

Azaron_Nightblade

Seelinnikoi said:

Do you think and analyse before investing time and money on an MMO?

I ask this because there are a lot of games I want to play (read buy/subscribe) but I know this is the emotional part of my brain doing the talk.
When I stop and think and go over the times I have been burned by MMOs shutting down or just dying/maintenance mode, I immediately stop myself from spending and investing time and money on unreliable or unproven MMO games which have a very high chance of shutting down a year or two down the line.

So how do you do it?

Do you go back to the same old proven games like WoW, GW2, FFXIV, ESO, etc... or do you cave in and try out a new MMO, knowing full well its going to be a waste of money, but perhaps not time (because you might enjoy those hours you've played it) ?

Nothing lasts forever. Not our favorite tv shows. Not our favorite pets. Not we ourselves. So stopping yourself on investing into games because they might die one day is a bit silly.

And I tend to do both. I try new things if I see enough in them that appeals to me. Occasionally I revisit old MMOs, although usually it doesn't last long. I find it hard to recapture that old magic that was once there after I've made the initial decision to leave.

Theocritus

If it is free to play or try and it looks like something I might enjoy, I give it a whirl...If it's b2p I wait at least a year and see if the price drops and get more info on the game....If it is p2p, its a definite no.

Ungood

I Just ask myself one important question:

Do I think I will have fun playing this game?

If the answer is anything other than "Fuck yah"... I hold off. 

Adamantine

I have very specific ideas about what I like to play.

So, yeah.

Free to play is rather a big minus to me. No commercial game is free. That means free to play comes with a lot of baggage.

lahnmir

Reading too much about games up front ruins the experience rather often, for me that is.

So I go in with as little info as possible. That way the experience is always fresh. Sometimes that means I get burned yes but I prefer it that way.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Kyleran

Well sure I do my research, read up about them in Consumer Reports, Road & Track, look up the Kelly Bluebook value, check the Carfax for prior accidents, talk to my insurer..... oh wait, that's how I bought my last used car, we're talking about games here, right?

Considering my extremely particular tastes, my absolute loathing of wasting any of my valuable, but somewhat limited free time, and my dislike of being taken for a sucker I definitely read up quite a bit on most any game before buying.

Of course this naturally leads me to talking myself out of playing almost everything made these days so I'm probably missing out on at least a few gems out there.

I did buy a game on a lark last year, ignored everything I read about it including the early reviews, just took the plunge and dove right in.

Fallout 76.



Being a huge Fallout fan I actually enjoyed my time there, and would like to perhaps return one day.  Thing is I keep reading about what seems to be one folly after another by Bethesda even still so I keep turning away until they "get it right."

Probably never going back then, yes?

Cheers.

MMOExposed

I try new MMOs more now days than in the past, since I am bored and want something new. I still overlook these games which is why I try to not get over-hyped which leads to disappointment. 

bcbully

I’ve never played an mmorpg that’s been shut down, of one for less that 2 years.


damn except:
 tsw
Gw2
fallout
EvE
forgotten realms
dnd online
Mortal Online..

only paid to try two of this tho!

Ungood

lahnmir said:

Reading too much about games up front ruins the experience rather often, for me that is.

So I go in with as little info as possible. That way the experience is always fresh. Sometimes that means I get burned yes but I prefer it that way.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

YA know.. Steam should offer a Game Roulette option, where every week you get a new game downloaded to your system to play.. and at the end of the week, you check box if you want to play this game again.. or Nahh. 

And it uses that data to sort future games for you.. so eventually as the weeks go by, they use this algorithm to start to presort games, o you get more games that you enjoy as you wean your way through the suckage.