Mine would be EVE Online for many reasons but mostly for the roles you can have in this game. And by roles I don't mean tank, dps, support, etc.
During my tenure I have taken on many roles. A cannon fodder, a miner, a merc, a spy, an accountant, a leader, a jerk
and so on.
That is what made me feel like I was part of a virtual world. And this is what I expect from an MMO, otherwise I'd rather just play a singleplayer game.
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But sadly, it's a reference I don't get to use very often, seeing as most games promising a "virtual world" are still either in alpha or exist as design documents...
For standard themepark MMO's, LOTRO and (lately) ESO would be my reference.
As for my game I use to judge all games I'd have to say Helbreath, I played it for years. It's Diablo 2 graphics and loot system combined with the open world of a mmo made it really interesting. Randomly generated loot stats always amazed me and being able to equip a very low level piece of scrub gear to utilize it's unimaginable stats was awesome. We'd be running around in a combination of armor pieces from all throughout the leveling system to achieve combinations of stats for different purposes.
Also, mobs were hard, pvp was encouraged, and pvp events were on a routine. Economy didn't use money it used items, because items with stats were so valuable they couldn't establish a gold value of any kind. There was money, just was used for more common goods like stones and upgrading gear. I don't recommend anyone check it out, it's long been dead and adulterated by everybody's ideas for improving it. Just miss it the most.
For me this was the most complete MMORPG that I have played so far. On a shitty engine that made combat the worst, but that only shows how much I loved the other aspects of it. So I still hope for a new SWG like MMORPG on a better game engine.
I lower my standards to EQ2 for most fantasy games, since you never get to Superjump or Fly in most fantasy games. Great questing, good combat, amazing crafting, Solo and group friendly, and a wide, wide range of classes.
The world is going to the dogs, which is just how I planned it!
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
They were very different games that allowed personal choice and customization. Very different from the "you can tell a persons class and skills by his armor" stuff we have today and every crafter can make the exact same things as every other crafter.
I realize some will disagree and point to other games as better examples, but unfortunately I never got to play many of the classics in their heyday so I have no alternate frame of reference.
I might have enjoyed AC1, UO, or SWG more than EVE, but I'll never know since no Dev has seen fit to carry on their legacy. (yet)
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Every MMORPG is unique to me, and I feel they should be seen on how they perform, and not to judge them on their peers.
At the moment I'm pretty disgusted at the lack of customization in games. I don't mean looks, I mean skills and playstyle. I've semi gone back to Archeage for their skill system, just so I can have a little freedom.
"Its better to look ugly and win than pretty and lose"
Judging a game using other as a reference is wrong imho, we should judge only for what they are.
MAGA
I use to do that and that is was kept me from enjoying alot of good games.
That would be like picking one banana and comparing all my future food in reference to that single banana. Too narrow minded.
General gameplay experience (Questing, Loot, plethora of things to do) - World of Warcraft
Raid Mechanics - World of Warcraft
Story and Lore - Everquest franchise, Final Fantasy XIV, and SW:toR
Skill System - Saga of Ryzom
Harvest and Crafting System - Saga of Ryzom and Final Fantasy XIV
Class (or Multiclass) system - Saga of Ryzom and Final Fantasy XIV
In-game Housing - Everquest 2
Overall Game Play (Dungeons / Raiding / Gearing / etc...) - Everquest
Player vs Player - Warhammer Online
Combat - Black Desert Online
I only use Wow to mention comparisons between games because Wow has been considered the standard clone game that most games are clonedfrom,albeit in reality EQ2 is THAT game but nobody seems to acknowledge it because the rose colored glasses must be tainted thicker now a days lol.
However i use a lot of criteria when judging a game,i mean like hundreds of reasons and my eyes start seeing design ideas as soon as i login.I can tell most every game in the first 5 minutes if the dev just slapped together a crappy clone or if some real effort went into it.
However most of the time it is very obvious to anyone that knows anything about game design that most games have no business trying to compete as triple A games and are nothing more than low budget offerings.
If there are 2500 games in a list,then maybe 10-15 are worth going past the registration.Yes that is how diluted the market is.So many developers feel they can find some way to get rich selling a terribly inferior product.This was made even more evident when a game like Farmville made several businesses millions.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.