What is more important to you...

Graphics and content are nice but...
if the community is boring/**** then I'd rather play a single player game with good graphics for similar results.

Euthymius - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Graphics and content are nice but...
if the community is boring/**** then I'd rather play a single player game with good graphics for similar results.

I agree.

Sagek - Sanctuary wrote: »

So I have been reading a lot of reviews for different types of MMO's and I have come to the conclusion that in general there are two types of MMO players, One being the type that cares more about graphics and game content, and one that cares more about game play and community.

So I was curious to ask the forums what they care most about between those two options.

The social aspect of MMOs wins by a land slide. Heck... if graphics were really the end all and be all, WoW would have been lucky to get off the ground... never mind still being by far the most popular MMO out there today despite it and it's silly cartoonish graphics being almost a decade old.

Game play and Game content IMO can't survive without each other. An MMO can have the most fancy character customization/moves/etc and it still won't get very far without the in game content to play it on. And of course vice versa is true.

Maybe I'm the oddball here, but this is what I look for in a good MMO.

Overall maturity of the community:

I've discovered a lot of great games, but the attitudes of the playerbase made me feel (since I can't know for certain) like I was playing with a bunch of young teenagers (13-16). That's normally a turn off for me because it becomes very difficult to have a meaningful conversation with someone without them getting upset for no apparent reason and lashing out.


Story/plot line:

Now maybe it's because I grew up in an age where how much you enjoyed something was dependent on how well your imagination worked, but I absolutely love when I find a game that has an immersive storyline involved.


Humorous NPC's:

This isn't something i "look" for, so much as it is that when i come across this feature, all kinds of bells and whistles go off in my head in an appreciative manner. If I discover a game that actually makes me WANT to read the simple dialogue of quests and NPC discussions, that's a rare and pleasant occurrence.


Seamless/smooth gameplay:

I could really not care less when it comes to how "awesome" the graphics are. It's more important to me that input actions in the game are smooth and seamless. A good example in this case would be PW vs another MMO I won't name. As a barb, shape-shifting has a delay (even though it's referred to as an instant cast) of a half second or so. I also don't like that i cant shift in mid-jump. This other game also has a class that can shape-shift. It's version is a lot more fluid in doing-so, and has no restrictions such as being grounded. When you click that button, it happens instantly. It doesn't matter what other animations are going on, it happens.


Population:

If you're advertising you're game to be an MMO, and I'm having difficulties finding people to group with, there's a problem. Also, if it's an MMO and the popular mindset of the players is a "solo" one, that's another problem.



Updates:

If the game goes longer than a month without some minor changes, or 3 months without a major content update, It's unlikely it will hold my interest for long.


Server Maintenance:

In my experience this is very important. A lot of people seem to be unhappy or disgruntled when the servers come down for a scheduled routine maintenance every week, but I'm the opposite. I get irritated when I find out there is no maintenance. If the company is not resetting their servers once a week on a regular basis, it opens the door for all kinds of instability issues.


Choices:

Linear games have their place. I just don't feel that place is in an MMO world. I like choices, from the way I look, the equipment I can choose from, to what roles my class/race can perform compared to others playing the same class/race. I'm not fond of being locked into anything when I play a game. Versatility and variety are the spice of life.


Time to achieve something:

This one is not all inclusive, but it should never take too short of a time period to accomplish something meaningful, nor should it ever take too long of a time period to accomplish something practical.


Useless Perks:

I'll give an example of the more common one people can relate to nowadays. The ever-popular achievement system. It's a fun perk. Useless in the sense that it does nothing, or very little, to influence your performance in the game. It serves more as a sense of accomplishment for the player, and that makes them feel good. Of course some people tend to use it as a means of showboating, but hey if that's what they need to feel better about themselves at the end of the day, go for it.


Customer Service:

Either it's good, or it's not. If it is bad then a lot of the things I have already mentioned are probably going to be slacking too, as it tends to be a direct reflection of the quality of the company publishing the game.


Graphics:

Look, the best books in the world don't have a single damn picture and they can accomplish the act of immersing you in another world. Most of my favorite movies were around before HDTV and computer animations. My favorite games tend to look more like blocks of color put in a shape that somewhat resemble what it is supposed to be.

IMHO, this is where a lot of games are falling short nowadays. They are putting too much into how "cool" or "shiny" the game looks, and not enough into the rest of what i mentioned. Sure, I get it, people are (and always have been) materialistic. Appeal to them in such a manner and they are more likely to try your product. Except, these aren't console games your making, these are MMO's. They tend to rely on long term investment rather than a one time selling profit.. If you can't KEEP player's, it's not going to work. If a good deal of what I mentioned above takes a backseat to how the game LOOKS, it's like remodeling the body of a wrecked car. It looks great on the outside, but once you get in and try to drive it, reality smacks you in the face and you find something else.



I'm sorry, there is no TL;DR. Not everything can be paraphrased.

To me I like a game to have a good community, gameplay, and content I don't care much about graphic's. I can only pick two though so community and content without those the game get's boring fast.

I prefer content over graphics, cause I'm accustumed to play epic games, Like Suikoden I & II, Arc The Lad II, Phantasy Star, Fire Emblem, Alundra, etc.

But good graphics are nice too, at least It needs to be well done.

Tsukyini - Raging Tide wrote: »

TL;DR: L2Read stuff that doesn't have a TL;DR.b:cute

If I had to name one thing as being the most important, it would be my personal character's appearance. I have uninstalled games almost immediately when I realized there was no way to make my character look attractive.

I forget that real females actually indulge in gaming nowadays, lol. Not that they didn't before, they were just...scarce. So yes, women tend to invest more into appearance customization options than males do. Generally. I won't say that is always the case, lol. But since females make up about 20% of the playerbase in online games (I just heard that number somewhere, I could be wrong), it would be wise for MMO companies to give that area due attention.

This game has nothing of the both, anyomore

If the graphics suck big time, I'm out.
If the gameplay is hard and unhandy, I'm out.

If the community sucks... well depends. Do I have to interact with them to get big and strong? Well I'm most likely out. If I can achieve the good stuff by soloing, no problem.