Hey, before the MOD's lock this thread, would it be to much to ask those debating on what the definition of theme park and sandbox games are to a different thread. Thanks.
... but we're trying to define what we're even voting over. You don't want us voting blindly without even knowing what we're standing for, do you?
I voted Hybrid actually. If only between themepark and sandbox...themepark, I like sandbox games, but most of the people that want a sandbox game want a very serious, mature, and/or realistic game, something I don't care for.
Well according to the poll it looks like the MMO community is ready for a "Hybrid" MMO. A mix of both Theme Park and Sandbox. It makes since. Even though I'm a sandbox kind of player I enjoy "epic quests" and stories some times. Why not have a mix of both player driven and developer driven content rolled into one?
I voted Hybrid actually. If only between themepark and sandbox...themepark, I like sandbox games, but most of the people that want a sandbox game want a very serious, mature, and/or realistic game, something I don't care for.
You sir are made of win! We need people that make our games to think like that.
Hey, before the MOD's lock this thread, would it be to much to ask those debating on what the definition of theme park and sandbox games are to a different thread. Thanks.
... but we're trying to define what we're even voting over. You don't want us voting blindly without even knowing what we're standing for, do you?
The discussion was actually getting a little heated. Second. I am sorry you do not like my definiton. I am basing it on my own knowledge of MMORPG's - knowledge of online gaming since before their was an Internet as you know it. In my opinion WoW is not a sandbox. It is a static world theme park. My opinion. If you do not like my definition, don't vote. Better yet, go start your own poll, and your own project. Problem solved.
The discussion was actually getting a little heated. Second. I am sorry you do not like my definiton. I am basing it on my own knowledge of MMORPG's - knowledge of online gaming since before their was an Internet as you know it. In my opinion WoW is not a sandbox. It is a static world theme park. My opinion. If you do not like my definition, don't vote. Better yet, go start your own poll, and your own project. Problem solved.
... I'm sorry. Exactly which online gaming were you doing 2 years before you were born? The 'internet as I know it' started in 1974, a fact I'm familiar with because I like talking to people about how the internet is older than me.
Of course everybody agrees that WoW is a themepark MMORPG. All I'm saying is that it's perfectly possible to be a themepark without being significantly like WoW.
The discussion wasn't getting that heated, we're all still friends here! We just like to make funny faces while we disagree, because posturing and finger waggling increases your credibility.
... and I am only questioning because I thought you were trying to find answers. I'm being helpful by trying to show how your wording may bias the poll, because I'm trying to help you collect accurate data! People aren' t very appreciative nowadays.
Games that are empty shells have nothing to do with a game being a sandbox or a themepark. These shells are incomplete games that have been forced to release due to lack of funding, or produced by an incompetent game studio. Unfortunately, most sandbox games have been like these for some time now, and I'm not surprised investors are not really excited to throw their money for a project that's doomed to fail.
I like your definition for a game. It's funny when someone always remember to mention 2nd Life when talking about sandboxes. By your definition 2nd Life is not really a game, even it is a sandbox. However, I'm positive a themepark can be very feature rich, just like a sandbox can be an empty shell of a game.
I also like your defintion of an MMORPG, but the growing trend in modern themeparks seems to be to cut player freedom, make it more linear in order to have it easier for a player to follow up, and decrease the amount of features that could be overwhelming for Average Joe. In my opinion, a great game should do the exact opposite than what I just described in this paragraph.
I really can't say all themeparks are linear or are lacking player freedom, but the fact is that many, if not all, of these post-WoW themeparks are fitting to this description. Even more, patch by patch are these older themeparks driven to fit into this 'new' mold, which is really sad.
I haven't played it but my impression is Second Life doesn't have a formalized game structure and therefore is not a game. If there aren't rules to the activity, it's not a game.
I got the impression it's more like painting or programming:
Painting lacks formalized game structure and isn't a game. But it can still be an entertaining activity.
Programming can be used to make games (and maybe you can make games in SL?) and some find this entertaining too, but again: no formalized rules means it's not a game. (This also addresses any sense that Second Life's content creation "rules" make it a game: programming languages have constraints too, but that doesn't mean they're games.)
I agree that many modern MMORPG releases tend to err on the side of simplicity to such an extreme that they lose game depth and therefore aren't interesting long-term. But it's equally bad for a game to err on the side of overcomplexity, if that complexity isn't creating a deep game.
Strong game design is basically about creating as much game depth as possible in as little complication as is possible -- but a certain amount of complication is required to increase depth.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
I already knew outcome before i clicked to see witch one was more popular.
Mmorpg.com is always been visit mainly by sandbox players(eve prolly have most visitors)who are by far most forum visitors here.
Maybe becouse of mmorpg.com sandbox is still alive lol after all these tsunami of themepark releases hehe.
And i mean the gamers who visit this forum are sandbox lovers, mmorpg.com staff and all who work for them are mainly themepark lovers and we know witch themepark they love most lol.
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009..... In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
Give me freedom! Dungeon runs, exploring, farming and crafting.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
You're right that no one claimed WoW was a Sandbox game. And that did get convoluted here. But the real issue is that there are people here, like Axehilt, and like you just now, that are trying to make it look like "Sandbox gamers" don't know what they want. That's not the case at all. We all know what a sandbox game is and what isn't.
I'm not trying to make it look that way at all.
Sandbox players each know exactly what they want. But it's not necessarily the same as what everyone else wants (including other sandbox players.)
My main concern is the silly extremist dogma that insists themeparks lack for player choice, when they have more player choice than most other game genres out there.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
After playing Uncharted Waters Online over the last week, I realized just how much I miss a good sandbox. I'm so sick of restrictions that come with themeparks. Over the last couple of weeks I've been trying to put my finger on that one thing that makes me burn out so fast in themeparks. It's gotta be all the restrictions. Lockout timers, levels, classes....they all come with restrictions. I miss being able to go do open world PvP with my friends, no matter what level they are. I miss bieng able to run a dungeon or raid on a slow Wednesday night without the fear of not being able to help the guild raid on Thursday.
So now I'm back to playing EVE and dabbling in UWO while I wait for WoD to come out.
The discussion was actually getting a little heated. Second. I am sorry you do not like my definiton. I am basing it on my own knowledge of MMORPG's - knowledge of online gaming since before their was an Internet as you know it. In my opinion WoW is not a sandbox. It is a static world theme park. My opinion. If you do not like my definition, don't vote. Better yet, go start your own poll, and your own project. Problem solved.
... I'm sorry. Exactly which online gaming were you doing 2 years before you were born? The 'internet as I know it' started in 1974, a fact I'm familiar with because I like talking to people about how the internet is older than me.
Of course everybody agrees that WoW is a themepark MMORPG. All I'm saying is that it's perfectly possible to be a themepark without being significantly like WoW.
The discussion wasn't getting that heated, we're all still friends here! We just like to make funny faces while we disagree, because posturing and finger waggling increases your credibility.
... and I am only questioning because I thought you were trying to find answers. I'm being helpful by trying to show how your wording may bias the poll, because I'm trying to help you collect accurate data! People aren' t very appreciative nowadays.
If you read what I wrote, I said, "the Internet as you know it". As in before AOL, Compuserver...when all we had was dial up BBS's. Use to play prose style MUD's and such.
I voted other. I like Realm versus Realm with three sides. So I enjoyed DAOC and Planetside. And I would probably also enjoy some sort of science fiction space shooter with three sides.
I'm not playing anything now and am eagerly waitng for some real confirmation (videos, closed beta, or...) that Planetside Next is not just vaporware.
I'd like to have been able to say Sandbox...or even Hybrid...but I would have been bullshitting myself more than I would have been bullshitting you all.
I need to be told what to do...I need guidance...yes I have a great imagination, yes I WANT to be able to choose my own path and go off and do as I please in an MMO...maybe grow some crops and hunt some wolves and sell some furs...and some crops...
...but given too much freedom (in and out of games) I tend to fuck things up for myself...maybe its the fact that I'm bipolar...maybe it's due to the fact that I might have ADHD......maybe I'm just an idiot....I really couldnt tell you.
PLAYING: NOTHING!!! PLAYED:FFXI, LotRO, AoC, WAR, DDO, Megaten, Wurm, Rohan, Mabinogi, RoM
I went with hybrid. As mentioned earlier, games like eq, daoc, ac, ao, I never considered to be themepark, nor sandbox. They had a lot of choices, variety, so I always felt it a mix of both.
Of course back then, never even heard of the term themepark, nor sandbox come to think of it. They were just worlds I was a part of, where the themeparks and sandboxes (maybe) are just games I play in. That is the biggest difference to me. Back then, UO, EQ, daoc, etc, they all felt like worlds, and today they all just feel like games.
Oh, and anything quest based progression is out for me. I just can't stand that type of gameplay anymore. No more menial tasks. Give me a few epic quests that mean something.
I voted Hybrid bcs i want have choices what to play, i like great storys but i like also if its a virtual world of its own where you can have a "virtual living" if you have time and mood.
So i want the Developers to look back at all the beautyfull MMOs of the past, research what has worked and put the puzzle together into a epic living world of great tales.
Take the living world of the Ultima Online sandbox.
Look deep into the crafting and economy of the original SWG sandbox.
Look into the infame politics, economy, security zones setup of the EvE sandbox.
Take the best pvp concept ever from the 3 way RvR+PvE hybrid DAOC.
Offer the FFA crwod some wild anarchic border lands to seed chaos if they want to...
Take the deep impressing quest gameplay of AoC Tortage Themepark where you have the illusion to change the world.
Take the accessability of the modern Themeparks like WoW.
Bring back non combat gameplay, crafting, bartering, socialising, riddles and puzzles, even sport can be part of a good mmo, be it horseracing, chariots challenges, pole throwing, whatever else - why not have ancient olympics in an fantasy mmo?
Get some good map makers and paint a wolrdmap that could be, with regions of different kind, security, nature, make the capitals of the world linked with sort of silkroads with secure travel, rivers and oceans to sail, let the kingdoms search every time for adventurers to take on epic quests, be part of the wars between them, let the robbers and e-thugs strive thru the wilderness and chaos zones looking for prey and grief, while crafters ask for the best and most exotic materials to make new weaponry, armory, build wonders of the world for their kingdom, let the wizards research the most dark or white magic, summon ancient gods or evil (no some frogs or dusty bones).
Make an epic living world that is worth it!
And for Science Fiction one can take Mechwarrior, it has 5 sides and even more with the clan and pirate kindgomes that can offer toal freedom, Solaris for sportslike PvP, etc.
PS: Do the UI like Lotro !
I hate to be forced to load add ons of questionable security onto my computer to be granted to participate!!!
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
Hu ? No idea. My playstyle is playing healer and trying to be best at it.
Obviously games without healers are bad choices for me.
LotRO for example fell off my radar because of that. No real healers, only Bards who "raise the morale", pfffffffft ! Also no female dwarves. Some companies are really riddiculous.
Guild Wars was also not a great choice, only one single healer class is a bad sign if there are, uh 9 or 10 or so classes (dont remember exactly).
Darkfall would suck as well, I read there was only one skilltree for healing and that one was kinda extremely hard to raise. So much about freedom to play what you want. Last thing I read about Darkfall is that its basically a game with wizard battles, which apparently is much more effective than anything else.
im definatyely your regular sandbox dude. i absolutely love the freedom these games offer to the player. in most cases its almost boundless.
the fact that their are no real charecter classes or methods of play just a huge array of content and options to define your very own self created class option which can be adjusted and changed at will is just amazing.
it means you dont need alts to do things your main cannot. you can do it all on one charecter provided you hyave the necesary training. naturally im refering to eve mechanics.
also the freedom on the market. sandbox definately brings about a much fuller pvp experience in areas most other games dont do or know about, examples would be market pvp and diplomacy pvp and information pvp. trade pvp. and your usualy pvp.
eve also offers gvg and ava and cvc.. these variations are unheared of in other mmo's simply because other mmos lack the mechanics to support such things.
GVG - Guild v Guild
AVA - Alliance v Alliance
CVC - coalition v coalition (groups of alliances formed into a mutualy beneficial defencive pact to secure vast areas of space for their member base)
yea sandbox is by far the best kind of mmo any developer could make, ive tried all the diffrent genres and sandbox reigns supreme allt he time. (ofcourse thats my oppinion)
all other game play types are just bland to me now ive experience the vastness of freedom and play from a sandbox. they are epic on all fronts.
I'm sorry, I know some people in this thread love/like WoW very much and that they're trying to make a point implying that a number of MMORPG gamers don't really know what they want in their MMO games, which is a valid discussion.
But saying that WoW is a sandbox game is simply hilarious, especially since it was WoW that introduced the whole concept and design philosophy of 'themepark MMORPG': World of Warcraft by its very design defined the very concept of 'themepark MMO' as the 1st MMO that was recognised as such.
wow is an instance heavy themepark/ that means its a themepark mmo. ive played wow and wow is not a sandbox mmol.
eve is sandbox. ultima is sandbox. second life is sandbox, not a very good sandbox but it is a sandbox.
swg is a confused sanbox being converted slowly into a themepark mmo by soe and their unwavering support for whiney children who want balance and eqaul rights.
swg used to be absolutely fantastic, now you can start the game as a jedi lol and the game is set in a time where jedi where pretty much none existant but in swg they are litterally everywhere which in my oppinion has ruined swg. it aslo had a very very nice charecter classing and progression system which is now completely unidentifyable.
swg is more of a themepark now that its former sandbox image it used to have. also swg has probably the best space element ive seen in any mmo game so far.
if swg was to become a sandbox once again its ranks and subs would flow and flow and flow and the game would come back to life.
obviously it needs a major graphical overhaul to compete with new modern titles. kids love their bright lights and flashy colours!!
its a crying shame the orriginal poster never added rpg mmo to his vote list. i also like those too. not as much as my sand box games as you can ro your sox of in a sandbox too.
edited to add this -
how i forgot to mention this is a crime for sure -
swg had and still has the best crafting system ive ever seen. its far supperior to eve and eve has a bloody good crafting system.
crafting in a sandbox mmo is the pinnacle of those kinds of games. its what drives and powers the sandbox. its the sand in which we all play.
Hu ? No idea. My playstyle is playing healer and trying to be best at it.
Obviously games without healers are bad choices for me.
LotRO for example fell off my radar because of that. No real healers, only Bards who "raise the morale", pfffffffft ! Also no female dwarves. Some companies are really riddiculous.
Guild Wars was also not a great choice, only one single healer class is a bad sign if there are, uh 9 or 10 or so classes (dont remember exactly).
Darkfall would suck as well, I read there was only one skilltree for healing and that one was kinda extremely hard to raise. So much about freedom to play what you want. Last thing I read about Darkfall is that its basically a game with wizard battles, which apparently is much more effective than anything else.
i think swg is the game of choice for you, but its a tad quiet on the starwars front right now so not many people to heal. that medic class though is alot of fun. and very well respected.
I voted for "Hybrid." I enjoy a good sandbox, but there's also times where I prefer casual gameplay. The most important thing for me is a solid PvP system. DAOC's RvR is ideal. Whether it's instanced or open-world, I love well-organized PvP.
In addition to PvP, I like indepth crafting. The crafting in Vanguard was very interactive and fun. Been tinkering with Xsyon, which has a very robust crafting system. I also had fun with the crafting in LOTRO.
Finally, character customization is very important. I like feeling unique in a virtual world. It's nice being able to create your own class, or customize your gaming experience based on your choice of skills and abilities.
I said none a I feel all mmos suffer from the same problem at the moment. Too much importance put on chacter advancement. If this were addressed I'd say catagory 2 sounds goud but I have questions if it could be done. sand box/themepark has the trouble of trying to balance one side against the other.
maybe the big sand box with a bunch of little county fairs model might work where the world is a big sand box and lots of little "theme parks" exist in it. But if it were 1/2 theme park 1/2 sandbox then I think it fails few people like both styles and if your foced to do both them your forcing content on alot of people who don't want to do it.
DAOC was a sand box they tried to set a theme park up in once WoW ate thier lunch,kicked sand in their face,made out with their girl friend and walked out with the good silver. ("hey I got a good idea lets let 8 players mezz and beat down 40!" NOT)
Comments
... but we're trying to define what we're even voting over. You don't want us voting blindly without even knowing what we're standing for, do you?
Other: I want my Platformer MMO >:(
I voted Hybrid actually. If only between themepark and sandbox...themepark, I like sandbox games, but most of the people that want a sandbox game want a very serious, mature, and/or realistic game, something I don't care for.
-I want a Platformer MMO
Well according to the poll it looks like the MMO community is ready for a "Hybrid" MMO. A mix of both Theme Park and Sandbox. It makes since. Even though I'm a sandbox kind of player I enjoy "epic quests" and stories some times. Why not have a mix of both player driven and developer driven content rolled into one?
My theme song.
You sir are made of win! We need people that make our games to think like that.
My theme song.
The discussion was actually getting a little heated. Second. I am sorry you do not like my definiton. I am basing it on my own knowledge of MMORPG's - knowledge of online gaming since before their was an Internet as you know it. In my opinion WoW is not a sandbox. It is a static world theme park. My opinion. If you do not like my definition, don't vote. Better yet, go start your own poll, and your own project. Problem solved.
... I'm sorry. Exactly which online gaming were you doing 2 years before you were born? The 'internet as I know it' started in 1974, a fact I'm familiar with because I like talking to people about how the internet is older than me.
Of course everybody agrees that WoW is a themepark MMORPG. All I'm saying is that it's perfectly possible to be a themepark without being significantly like WoW.
The discussion wasn't getting that heated, we're all still friends here! We just like to make funny faces while we disagree, because posturing and finger waggling increases your credibility.
... and I am only questioning because I thought you were trying to find answers. I'm being helpful by trying to show how your wording may bias the poll, because I'm trying to help you collect accurate data! People aren' t very appreciative nowadays.
I haven't played it but my impression is Second Life doesn't have a formalized game structure and therefore is not a game. If there aren't rules to the activity, it's not a game.
I got the impression it's more like painting or programming:
Painting lacks formalized game structure and isn't a game. But it can still be an entertaining activity.
Programming can be used to make games (and maybe you can make games in SL?) and some find this entertaining too, but again: no formalized rules means it's not a game. (This also addresses any sense that Second Life's content creation "rules" make it a game: programming languages have constraints too, but that doesn't mean they're games.)
I agree that many modern MMORPG releases tend to err on the side of simplicity to such an extreme that they lose game depth and therefore aren't interesting long-term. But it's equally bad for a game to err on the side of overcomplexity, if that complexity isn't creating a deep game.
Strong game design is basically about creating as much game depth as possible in as little complication as is possible -- but a certain amount of complication is required to increase depth.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
I already knew outcome before i clicked to see witch one was more popular.
Mmorpg.com is always been visit mainly by sandbox players(eve prolly have most visitors)who are by far most forum visitors here.
Maybe becouse of mmorpg.com sandbox is still alive lol after all these tsunami of themepark releases hehe.
And i mean the gamers who visit this forum are sandbox lovers, mmorpg.com staff and all who work for them are mainly themepark lovers and we know witch themepark they love most lol.
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
Give me freedom! Dungeon runs, exploring, farming and crafting.
I'm not trying to make it look that way at all.
Sandbox players each know exactly what they want. But it's not necessarily the same as what everyone else wants (including other sandbox players.)
My main concern is the silly extremist dogma that insists themeparks lack for player choice, when they have more player choice than most other game genres out there.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
Voted other. I have high hopes for GW2 that kinda mixes known stuff, and the dynamic events aren't exactly themepark, and the mists really isn't.
I maybe should have voted it like a hybrid but the sandbox elements aren't nough for that.
I also looks forward to WoDO, not sure if it is counted as hybrid or sandbox.
After playing Uncharted Waters Online over the last week, I realized just how much I miss a good sandbox. I'm so sick of restrictions that come with themeparks. Over the last couple of weeks I've been trying to put my finger on that one thing that makes me burn out so fast in themeparks. It's gotta be all the restrictions. Lockout timers, levels, classes....they all come with restrictions. I miss being able to go do open world PvP with my friends, no matter what level they are. I miss bieng able to run a dungeon or raid on a slow Wednesday night without the fear of not being able to help the guild raid on Thursday.
So now I'm back to playing EVE and dabbling in UWO while I wait for WoD to come out.
If you read what I wrote, I said, "the Internet as you know it". As in before AOL, Compuserver...when all we had was dial up BBS's. Use to play prose style MUD's and such.
I voted other. I like Realm versus Realm with three sides. So I enjoyed DAOC and Planetside. And I would probably also enjoy some sort of science fiction space shooter with three sides.
I'm not playing anything now and am eagerly waitng for some real confirmation (videos, closed beta, or...) that Planetside Next is not just vaporware.
Zoom
I'd like to have been able to say Sandbox...or even Hybrid...but I would have been bullshitting myself more than I would have been bullshitting you all.
I need to be told what to do...I need guidance...yes I have a great imagination, yes I WANT to be able to choose my own path and go off and do as I please in an MMO...maybe grow some crops and hunt some wolves and sell some furs...and some crops...
...but given too much freedom (in and out of games) I tend to fuck things up for myself...maybe its the fact that I'm bipolar...maybe it's due to the fact that I might have ADHD......maybe I'm just an idiot....I really couldnt tell you.
PLAYING: NOTHING!!!
PLAYED:FFXI, LotRO, AoC, WAR, DDO, Megaten, Wurm, Rohan, Mabinogi, RoM
WAITING FOR: Dust 514
I went with hybrid. As mentioned earlier, games like eq, daoc, ac, ao, I never considered to be themepark, nor sandbox. They had a lot of choices, variety, so I always felt it a mix of both.
Of course back then, never even heard of the term themepark, nor sandbox come to think of it. They were just worlds I was a part of, where the themeparks and sandboxes (maybe) are just games I play in. That is the biggest difference to me. Back then, UO, EQ, daoc, etc, they all felt like worlds, and today they all just feel like games.
Oh, and anything quest based progression is out for me. I just can't stand that type of gameplay anymore. No more menial tasks. Give me a few epic quests that mean something.
I voted Hybrid bcs i want have choices what to play, i like great storys but i like also if its a virtual world of its own where you can have a "virtual living" if you have time and mood.
So i want the Developers to look back at all the beautyfull MMOs of the past, research what has worked and put the puzzle together into a epic living world of great tales.
Take the living world of the Ultima Online sandbox.
Look deep into the crafting and economy of the original SWG sandbox.
Look into the infame politics, economy, security zones setup of the EvE sandbox.
Take the best pvp concept ever from the 3 way RvR+PvE hybrid DAOC.
Offer the FFA crwod some wild anarchic border lands to seed chaos if they want to...
Take the deep impressing quest gameplay of AoC Tortage Themepark where you have the illusion to change the world.
Take the accessability of the modern Themeparks like WoW.
Bring back non combat gameplay, crafting, bartering, socialising, riddles and puzzles, even sport can be part of a good mmo, be it horseracing, chariots challenges, pole throwing, whatever else - why not have ancient olympics in an fantasy mmo?
Get some good map makers and paint a wolrdmap that could be, with regions of different kind, security, nature, make the capitals of the world linked with sort of silkroads with secure travel, rivers and oceans to sail, let the kingdoms search every time for adventurers to take on epic quests, be part of the wars between them, let the robbers and e-thugs strive thru the wilderness and chaos zones looking for prey and grief, while crafters ask for the best and most exotic materials to make new weaponry, armory, build wonders of the world for their kingdom, let the wizards research the most dark or white magic, summon ancient gods or evil (no some frogs or dusty bones).
Make an epic living world that is worth it!
And for Science Fiction one can take Mechwarrior, it has 5 sides and even more with the clan and pirate kindgomes that can offer toal freedom, Solaris for sportslike PvP, etc.
PS: Do the UI like Lotro !
I hate to be forced to load add ons of questionable security onto my computer to be granted to participate!!!
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
MWO Music Video - What does the Mech say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6HYNqCDLI
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0x2iwK0BKM
Hu ? No idea. My playstyle is playing healer and trying to be best at it.
Obviously games without healers are bad choices for me.
LotRO for example fell off my radar because of that. No real healers, only Bards who "raise the morale", pfffffffft ! Also no female dwarves. Some companies are really riddiculous.
Guild Wars was also not a great choice, only one single healer class is a bad sign if there are, uh 9 or 10 or so classes (dont remember exactly).
Darkfall would suck as well, I read there was only one skilltree for healing and that one was kinda extremely hard to raise. So much about freedom to play what you want. Last thing I read about Darkfall is that its basically a game with wizard battles, which apparently is much more effective than anything else.
im definatyely your regular sandbox dude. i absolutely love the freedom these games offer to the player. in most cases its almost boundless.
the fact that their are no real charecter classes or methods of play just a huge array of content and options to define your very own self created class option which can be adjusted and changed at will is just amazing.
it means you dont need alts to do things your main cannot. you can do it all on one charecter provided you hyave the necesary training. naturally im refering to eve mechanics.
also the freedom on the market. sandbox definately brings about a much fuller pvp experience in areas most other games dont do or know about, examples would be market pvp and diplomacy pvp and information pvp. trade pvp. and your usualy pvp.
eve also offers gvg and ava and cvc.. these variations are unheared of in other mmo's simply because other mmos lack the mechanics to support such things.
GVG - Guild v Guild
AVA - Alliance v Alliance
CVC - coalition v coalition (groups of alliances formed into a mutualy beneficial defencive pact to secure vast areas of space for their member base)
yea sandbox is by far the best kind of mmo any developer could make, ive tried all the diffrent genres and sandbox reigns supreme allt he time. (ofcourse thats my oppinion)
all other game play types are just bland to me now ive experience the vastness of freedom and play from a sandbox. they are epic on all fronts.
wow is an instance heavy themepark/ that means its a themepark mmo. ive played wow and wow is not a sandbox mmol.
eve is sandbox. ultima is sandbox. second life is sandbox, not a very good sandbox but it is a sandbox.
swg is a confused sanbox being converted slowly into a themepark mmo by soe and their unwavering support for whiney children who want balance and eqaul rights.
swg used to be absolutely fantastic, now you can start the game as a jedi lol and the game is set in a time where jedi where pretty much none existant but in swg they are litterally everywhere which in my oppinion has ruined swg. it aslo had a very very nice charecter classing and progression system which is now completely unidentifyable.
swg is more of a themepark now that its former sandbox image it used to have. also swg has probably the best space element ive seen in any mmo game so far.
if swg was to become a sandbox once again its ranks and subs would flow and flow and flow and the game would come back to life.
obviously it needs a major graphical overhaul to compete with new modern titles. kids love their bright lights and flashy colours!!
its a crying shame the orriginal poster never added rpg mmo to his vote list. i also like those too. not as much as my sand box games as you can ro your sox of in a sandbox too.
edited to add this -
how i forgot to mention this is a crime for sure -
swg had and still has the best crafting system ive ever seen. its far supperior to eve and eve has a bloody good crafting system.
crafting in a sandbox mmo is the pinnacle of those kinds of games. its what drives and powers the sandbox. its the sand in which we all play.
Mmm... well, first off, at least four different classes out of ten can be decent healers without even multiclassing.
Also, every single class can always multiclass and take monk as secondary and have access to all the spells of the primary healing class.
There's so many different TYPES of healer builds it's ridiculous too.
i think swg is the game of choice for you, but its a tad quiet on the starwars front right now so not many people to heal. that medic class though is alot of fun. and very well respected.
Need a few more people to vote.
I voted for "Hybrid." I enjoy a good sandbox, but there's also times where I prefer casual gameplay. The most important thing for me is a solid PvP system. DAOC's RvR is ideal. Whether it's instanced or open-world, I love well-organized PvP.
In addition to PvP, I like indepth crafting. The crafting in Vanguard was very interactive and fun. Been tinkering with Xsyon, which has a very robust crafting system. I also had fun with the crafting in LOTRO.
Finally, character customization is very important. I like feeling unique in a virtual world. It's nice being able to create your own class, or customize your gaming experience based on your choice of skills and abilities.
I said none a I feel all mmos suffer from the same problem at the moment. Too much importance put on chacter advancement. If this were addressed I'd say catagory 2 sounds goud but I have questions if it could be done. sand box/themepark has the trouble of trying to balance one side against the other.
maybe the big sand box with a bunch of little county fairs model might work where the world is a big sand box and lots of little "theme parks" exist in it. But if it were 1/2 theme park 1/2 sandbox then I think it fails few people like both styles and if your foced to do both them your forcing content on alot of people who don't want to do it.
DAOC was a sand box they tried to set a theme park up in once WoW ate thier lunch,kicked sand in their face,made out with their girl friend and walked out with the good silver. ("hey I got a good idea lets let 8 players mezz and beat down 40!" NOT)