I am going to go out on a limb and suggest a very odd choice but here it goes... If you like none quest, heavy party oriented gameplay and don't mind NOT shelling out a monthly fee, but enjoy tactical PvP wars aswell as excellent PvE, might I suggest waiting a couple weeks and give Pandora Saga open beta a try? It is basically FFXI in REAL time, altho it's still buggy since the original developers left it to die then sold it to Atlus but they seem to be taking pride in it. It's the only MMO P2P and F2P alike I have actually FEARED dieing and died I have multiple times over.. Each zone has litterally atleast 1 or 2 boss mobs that will tear you appart if you are careless. There is a quest system but it's very Everquest oriented, the only downside right now is Zoning since the cities and zones tho large it is free to play so they cut down on lag with the help of segragated city points. Get in contact with me if you are willing to give it a shot, would be awesome to have a full party at start.
OP - the game you want probably doesn't exist. Quest based progression works for gaming companies and the majority of gamers, so that's what's going to get developed (right now).
But why are quests so streamlined? Because players will find the most efficient way to complete a quest, and that's how the quest will get completed. Every other less efficient method to complete the quest will not get used, so the time spent coding those possibilities gets wasted. This would apply to instances as well. Why isn't it possible to defeat a boss 6 different ways? Because players will find the single most efficient way to do it and then that's how it gets done.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Originally posted by jdub14 I dont know if someone had already suggested this to you, but if your looking for no quests try Lineage 2. The official servers have some quests but they are for things like class changes and subclasses, there is no questing for any real xp period. You can try private servers for free, and download the game clients for free. There are numerious different versions out there on private servers and I would suggest going for maybe a 5-10x xp rate "Gracia Epilogue Client" for a first timer. The game has unrivaled combat mechanics and really good PvP. Private servers tend to be geared more toward "fully buffed" PvP style gameplay, but there are good one's out there that are Bot free and require effort. The offical server is crawling with bots as normal but thats only because this game has EXTREME grinding at 1x/xp. If you ever meet anyone who has played offical to max level and they claim to never have botted in any way shape or form they are simply a lier, Period. You can find a list of private servers here.http://l2.hopzone.net/ This is the closest to retail and most stable server around, with no donated gear and a large community. http://www.raidfight.eu/ ^Bot Free^
Are private servers for Lineage like the ones for WoW, where the people running them occasionally get shut down or sued because they are doing something that violates a terms of service for the software? How does that work (curious)?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Asheron's Call yet. Hardly any quests, non instanced dungeons, hybrid level/skill based advancement. If you can get past the dated graphics/interface, it's worth a look. Only real problem I have is that I can't really justify paying $12/mo. for a game this dated.
On a completely unrelated note, I just took advantage of the $2.50 EQ package on STEAM, and am enjoying myself thoroughly so far.
AC has MANY quests but it's not quest driven for XP. Although you do get XP, the quests are more for getting cool gear.
I love quests, but I can understand how people are fed up with them. I don't think it's the quests as much as the parade of them that's making people feel like they're working more than they're playing. The only other option is a straight up grind, and even less people want that.
I've been saying for a long time now, we need quests akin to single-player RPGs. I'm not talking about the solo experience, I'm talking about the quest itself. Think of Oblivion, Dragon Age, Dungeon Siege, Fable, etc...the rewards from the quest were paltry (in terms of exp) compared to what you got for actually getting it done. The mobs you fought, the traps you deactivated, the codex/lore/whatever you unlocked, etc. They all attributed to advancement and you felt immersed in the experience.
I'd rather have a few loooooong plot-driven quests than a ton of small 'kill blah' quests. Between that, raiding dungeons with friends or even strangers, giving exp rewards for pvp/hunting (I mean like a notorious monster/PC system, sort of like the large roaming mobs in say, CO or FF14), rewards for crafting and gathering, killing crap for an hour to blow off steam, etc., there's no reason people shouldn't be able to hit level cap provided it's all done well. Plus, those fewer, more challenging and interesting quests would maintain their entertainment value even after level cap, because people are more interested in the quest than the reward.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."
A 3D MMO without quest-based advancement that isn't Everquest 1. Does it exist?
Why? Quest-based advancement encourages and rewards players for solo play. You can be on the same level as your friend but he can be five quests ahead of you in the chain. He has to basically stall his own advancement for a time to help you catch up or you have to catch up while he is offline. Some quests even actively punish you for playing with another in the form of a quest that requires several things that only drop some of the time. Basically every person in your group doing such a quest effectively multiplies the number of things you have to fight to get everything everyone needs to turn in.
I'm not anti-solo. But the way all these games seem to follow is anti-group. I'm tired of logging into the next new game like Allods or something and seeing many dozens of players but nobody is interacting except to be asinine in the /ooc chat or ask questions. I'm sick of the WoW model of solo for a month to max level your toon and then others will be interested in playing with you. If I want to play a single-player game I'll do it without a monthly fee, thank you very much.
Does such a game exist? Or is all just shades of Warcraft?
There is an open world rpg in development. Can't remember the name. But there is no questline. Instead they have encounters. Also, there are no character or gear levels. Your our character ages as the game progresses, and permadeath is a possibility as well. The game focuses on the story. Which is what a good rpg should do. Wish I could remember what it was called because it is something truly unique. I guess I'll run across it again, but it's killing me, not being able to remember.
Comments
I am going to go out on a limb and suggest a very odd choice but here it goes... If you like none quest, heavy party oriented gameplay and don't mind NOT shelling out a monthly fee, but enjoy tactical PvP wars aswell as excellent PvE, might I suggest waiting a couple weeks and give Pandora Saga open beta a try? It is basically FFXI in REAL time, altho it's still buggy since the original developers left it to die then sold it to Atlus but they seem to be taking pride in it. It's the only MMO P2P and F2P alike I have actually FEARED dieing and died I have multiple times over.. Each zone has litterally atleast 1 or 2 boss mobs that will tear you appart if you are careless. There is a quest system but it's very Everquest oriented, the only downside right now is Zoning since the cities and zones tho large it is free to play so they cut down on lag with the help of segragated city points. Get in contact with me if you are willing to give it a shot, would be awesome to have a full party at start.
OP - the game you want probably doesn't exist. Quest based progression works for gaming companies and the majority of gamers, so that's what's going to get developed (right now).
But why are quests so streamlined? Because players will find the most efficient way to complete a quest, and that's how the quest will get completed. Every other less efficient method to complete the quest will not get used, so the time spent coding those possibilities gets wasted. This would apply to instances as well. Why isn't it possible to defeat a boss 6 different ways? Because players will find the single most efficient way to do it and then that's how it gets done.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Are private servers for Lineage like the ones for WoW, where the people running them occasionally get shut down or sued because they are doing something that violates a terms of service for the software? How does that work (curious)?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
AC has MANY quests but it's not quest driven for XP. Although you do get XP, the quests are more for getting cool gear.
I love quests, but I can understand how people are fed up with them. I don't think it's the quests as much as the parade of them that's making people feel like they're working more than they're playing. The only other option is a straight up grind, and even less people want that.
I've been saying for a long time now, we need quests akin to single-player RPGs. I'm not talking about the solo experience, I'm talking about the quest itself. Think of Oblivion, Dragon Age, Dungeon Siege, Fable, etc...the rewards from the quest were paltry (in terms of exp) compared to what you got for actually getting it done. The mobs you fought, the traps you deactivated, the codex/lore/whatever you unlocked, etc. They all attributed to advancement and you felt immersed in the experience.
I'd rather have a few loooooong plot-driven quests than a ton of small 'kill blah' quests. Between that, raiding dungeons with friends or even strangers, giving exp rewards for pvp/hunting (I mean like a notorious monster/PC system, sort of like the large roaming mobs in say, CO or FF14), rewards for crafting and gathering, killing crap for an hour to blow off steam, etc., there's no reason people shouldn't be able to hit level cap provided it's all done well. Plus, those fewer, more challenging and interesting quests would maintain their entertainment value even after level cap, because people are more interested in the quest than the reward.
"Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."