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Text based games.
UnholyVashX
Member Posts: 49
So this might sound weird but my friend constantly talks about a text game he plays (can't remember the name, but I don't really care) and it sounds relatively cool, and like it'd be nice to try but he has pressed in me how big the game is with "pay to win".
Well I'm wondering mostly if any online text based games exist that are not based on the kind of micro transaction "pay to win" system that most games work with. I want a story and I want a good game and if I had a DND group I'd cut out the middle man so to speak, but since I don't I'm trying to find a game I can immerse myself in without having to dump in money that I don't have.
Bro you are playing LOTRO like it owes you money - Grunt187
Anticipation : TERA
Comments
If you want fully text based old school online MUDS (multi user dungeons- the old word for MMORPG lol) go to www.mudconnect.com
I cant really recommend one as I havent played in years, but you can find all that exist at that site.
The one I used to play, and its still around and pretty popular is "Aardwolf" the sheer size of its game world is like, literally 10 of the biggest 3D mmos put together, it was so addicting back in the day, It launched in like 95 or 96 I remember being amazed when there were 400 people online at once!!
Anywayz hope that website helps you.
The only worthwhile mudds I'm aware of anymore are subscription based. Gemstone IV & Dragonrealms. Unfortunately, both are outrageously overpriced at $15 per month, but they aren't pay to win atleast.
text MMO's has been around since the 90's.Called MUD's and very few of require pay. check out www.mudconnector.com to see the 100's of games there are.
Sadly is a game type that stopped evolving in the mid 90's and because the sources are free, most of the games is a mix the same. But there are a fre, quite good ones.
Yeah those are pretty popular still. They both have free trials available, not sure if a credit card is needed or not, but its there .
Well I appreciate the fast replies and I definately will check that site out. I don't know what makes the subscription based ones better. All I know is that most micro-transaction games just seem to kill my entertainment.
I love subscription models (when I have the money), but knowing in the back of my mind, "Man I can't wait to see the dragon in that lair. Too bad it'll cost $5.00 to get in", ruins all immersion into the world, and I just want to say screw it and move on.
If someone could give me just some quick information of the difference between the F2P and P2P ones thatd be great. Unless it's just like the difference between WoW and a clone (I reference the quality of the game, the story, sound, and graphics, not the style).
Bro you are playing LOTRO like it owes you money - Grunt187
Anticipation : TERA
Well, I think the majority of the text based games on mudconnect.com rely on user donations or something. All the text based muds I have ever played have been fully featured and free to play. Ive never seen a micro transaction text based mud, and I have never played a subscription text game.
But I can say speaking from experience that many many of the free text based MUDS are so complex and polished by years and years of development, that pretty much any of them that you choose (the older the better in the case of text muds) will keep you busy and entertained for a very looong time regardless of your playstyle.
Here are 2 free ones that are populated and very deep / complex (in the way of dozens of races, classes, 100's of skills)
Aardwolf - Lighthearted sometimes silly kind of theme.
Forgotten Kingdoms - Serious high fantasy roleplayers
Hope that helps
The most fun I had in mudding was writing for a free mud, was lots of work but very creative - something I really miss about the current games, so little creativity that you can actually be part of.
there were several engines that sort of defined the way the mud worked - diku muds were the ones I played but its personal preference - now days there are a lot of java based ones, semi graphics based ones and 2d etc
You'll actually find quality free MUDs that have no 'gotcha' moments. Usually, they run on user donations but do not reward users for it. Although you are guaranteed quality with the P2P MUDs like Gemstone, you can easily take a day to browse around and connect to the free MUDs, finding something that you enjoy just the same as a P2P game. The only difference between the two types would likely be how much attention the staff gives the MUD - free MUDs can have dedicated staff, but remember that they aren't being paid for it and it is likely a hobby for them.
Not many MUDs are pay-to-win, so I can probably mention some that I know give bonuses for donation:
Threshold is a MUD that highly rewards donations ($50 total required to become a 'citizen' and unlock several features, and bonuses extend up to about $1000).
Recently, New Worlds Ateraan introduced a donation perk system (each $ donated gives you tokens that you can spend on XP or in-game currency, in addition to milestone perks like $5, $10.. etc, up to $1000).
Both of these MUDs are terrible anyway, so you won't miss out much if you stay away from them. (Queue Thresh/Andrew coming on this forum to post an obligatory ad).
Other than that, your best bet is to go to The MUD Connector and TopMudSites and browse for a MUD that you would enjoy. Most other MUDs, if they even take donations, will not give players bonuses for them, so there is usually no incentive to pay at all. MUD worlds can be pretty immersive and roleplay-friendly, and it's easy to find MUDs that are RP encouraged or even enforced, if roleplay is even your thing.
I would start on one of the above listing sites and either search with some criteria or browse the top lists. Just note, though, that top lists are not very solid indicators for what the best MUDs are - they are only based upon popular vote.
If you need any more info on MUDs or your MUD search, feel free to message me on these boards. I've tried a few and I'm still on the scene, so I can likely get you some good information.