There was a MMORPG that came out a few years ago that wasn’t really that innovative. But it had made enough radical changes to completely alter the market landscape and it brought in more players into MMORPG genre than every game before it combined.

And it still is the veteran MMORPG players who are the first ones to whine and complain about WoW and what a shallow, poor-designed game it is.

Vetern players don’t really want innovation. They want the same tedious, timesink, punishing mechanics that remind them of the ‘good old days’ of UO and EQ and rewards people who treat a game like a second job. Posts by the author suggesting a capital should be permanently captured are just proof of that.

Real innovation in MMORPGs? How about a MMORPG *without* any Crafting or economy? Or itemization that reflects skill rather than grinding? Or customization where veteran characters *don’t* get to strut their e-peens?

Real innovation requires change and that’s the one thing that makes veteran MMORPG players scream. Just look at all the screaming caused by the genre changes from WoW which wasn’t even that innovative. A truly innovative game would leave veteran MMORPG players behind and not bother looking back.

I haven’t tried WAR, and from what you’ve said I wouldn’t be playing it long even if i did try it.

I’d suggest checking out Darkfall, its the only game I’m interested in playing, between rounds of Age of Chivalry to pass the time.

One thing that makes Darkfall stand out is its skill-based system. No levels. Think of combat similar to Mount&Blade or Age of Chivalry. Also, its full loot! Death is meaningful again!!

If nothing else, it’ll pass a few weeks..

Darkwind

Turn-based car combat in a post-apocalyptic setting. Very, very different. Semi-dynamic campaign world, different approach to characters, only one developer who listens closely to player feedback, and the most jovial community I’ve ever come across. The combat is most definitively skill-based, though the complicated physics engine that powers the turn-based fighting might not appear so at first or second or third glance.

Vendetta Online

The Vendetta Online wikipedia page says it best. Vendetta Online is a purely skill-based (only your own reflexes and equipment come into play) dynamic, virtual world, with three dedicated devs who, just like the Darkwind dev above, communicates directly with the players, and a different approach to PvP. The community is also the second most jovial and cordial, after the Darkwind community.

So…what do people want from MMORPGs?

For example, I want enjoyable group pvp without having to grind lots of pve in order to level up. I want to log on, get into a group with my friends, and then go and fight as a properly functioning team against another group of people of similar level, skill and organisation (maybe just a little bit less good that we are). I also want a premade set-up to base the combat around so I can just join a side (Order or Destruction) instead of having to make it up as I go along by inventing wars with other guilds. Also, it doesn’t matter if I am playing a scenario, or taking a keep that will just get taken back 15 minutes after we leave the area. At the end of the night I’ve had fun.

Unlike some MMORPGs out there, WAR provides what I want. I will keep playing it until it doesn’t.

In order to evaluate WAR as a game the question is – are the player base more like Draeden in what they want, or are they more like me? If the former, then every single MMORPG is a failure.

If they are more like me in their requirements, then WAR is a success…so far, at least.

P.S. The only problem with WAR is if I end up playing vs zergs or disorganised pugs in open rvr a lot in T4. I might get bored if that happens too often.

1. The Vaporware thing. It’s the Duke Nukem of MMO’s. I’m glad to hear it finally might be ready to play in the near future. We can discount this now.

2. Horizons. This is a big one. If you followed Horizons from start to its unfortunate finish, it went something like this: “Hi, We’re Horizons. Look at these tons of revolutionary features!” — Players got excited. The game was hyped. Beta and release showed that a good portion of these “features” never made the game. The game failed.

3. Fantasy. Swords. Magic. *yawn*

I guess a 4th could be the so-so preview videos I’ve seen. DF looked like a slightly improved version of EQ/AC. Hey, I’m all for gameplay. Hell, I guess if I could get a slightly improved version of DAoC with UO game mechanics I’d be there in a second.

So, that was why I’m skeptical. I’ll check it out though. I promise, I’ll give it a chance. I’ll get over the fantasy thing. If they can do a new version of UO (that’s not Lineage or anything like it) then it *does* have potential.

– Daedren

When reading this article, I was thinking to my self if when you’d mention of Darkfall and how it would be everything you’ve dreamed about. You ended up not and surprised me – either due to a lack of knowledge (maybe haven’t really read anything about the game from their website), or you know something Darkfall fans don’t know about the game (perhaps you have an inside information that it’s not gonna realize anything they’ve been demonstrating on their video). Or perhaps, you’re sick of its “Ron Paul like fans”, and maybe distracted by its video which lacks the best of what Darkfall has to offer – the gameplay. They “promise” a really immersive gameplay we’ve been waiting for since UO (and somewhat a little SWG).

I and many others have figured out the problem with the current MMORPGs long before WAR, or even AoC came. Heck, I’ve seen the talent tree in pre-release AoC update and said “there you go, another dream failed for copying WoW”. Of course many other tragedies followed that in the case of AoC. I had no doubt with WAR ending up to be boring. They’ve claimed to be the “original WoW” in the first place; same everything done better? Not really, even if so; not interested!

You have an obvious lack of knowledge about Darkfall, otherwise you’d understand why some of its fans are offended when you try to compare Darkfall with anything but UO. You claim to be an ol’ timer UO player. Well, then you’d know better how DFO features are “promising” that not only it will give many things we ol’ timers have been craving for years since its AoS patch, but so much more. By much more, I mean many more revolutionary features that you’d only see in a sandbox game – thing that will enhance free game play, and immerse you into it.

Allow me to demonstrate one thing video did not – which is related to your comment about “Darkfall, battles and zerg”; an elite/disciplined PvP group of 40, with 20 heavy armored melee in front line, 10 archers/mages right behind them, and 10 healers at the very last line – all tightly packed and facing a bottleneck entrance of a cave, or a castle gate. Darkfall “promises” that this group will survive against an undisciplined zerg of 100-200 player force. With manual aiming/swings, friendly fire and enemy healing, it will be possible, do I need to remind that players won’t be able to pass through other characters? That is just the combat side of the game.

Please ignore the harm done to the game by its bad publicity over the years, by its lack of updates/information given out and its over-excited fan base.

Everything you seem to crave for is not a burn-out. Someone also mentioned that “your problem is the ol’ timer problem who happened to play UO and can’t forget those good ol’ days – and that you have to move on”. He was right about the diagnosis, but not the treatment. Darkfall offers that excitement you got from that good ol’ game.