When we lived on the other side of town, I frequented the Hobby Lobby that was on that end. In said Hobby Lobby was a geek boy who liked me. I'm assuming he liked me because after the day I walked in with my iPod on my arm and he discovered it was playing a song from a Final Fantasy soundtrack, there wasn't a time I could be wandering a random aisle and he wouldn't show up. Most people would find that creepy. Because he's about 16 years younger than me, I thought it kind of cute and flattering.
Oftentimes, when he'd happen to check me out at the register, he would ask me, "Do you play World of Warcraft?"
My usual response was, "Dude, I have a life."
Well, I had been tempted many times to try it because, as everyone knows, they've become the AOL of junk mail CDs. I can't count how many of those "Free 14 Day Trial" CDs I've thrown away. And, I did that because, say it with me, I have a life.
Or rather, I choose to have one. You see, I also know my limitations. I obsess very easily over games. My obsessions are okay if the games have a conclusion, but MMORPGs don't really have that. You can get all the levels and armor and achievements, but they will always add more. It never really ends.
The other problem is I don't like the general public in my fantasy. 14 year-old trolls piss me off. Not because they're rude or crude or socially unacceptable, but because I know little bastards like that who would never pull that shit in real life because they know I would smack them like the little bitches they are. The anonymity of the internet can really blow during those moments.
So, I resisted MMOs for a long time, much to the pouting of Super Husband. When he met me, he was so damned thrilled that I gamed that he was filled with much glee, but my lack of MMO experience definitely left me a little lacking in his eyes.
Well, several months ago, he convinced me to try one of those WOW trials.
I have to tell you, playing with Super Husband was tres fun. I realized that as long as I played with people I knew, the whole MMO thing wasn't so worthy of derision. It was like an advanced version of two-player. I was digging it.
But, we hit another brick wall: the subscription fee.
The solution? Runes of Magic.
Look, guys, I have to tell you, I've read all the "it's nothing but a WOW clone" reviews, and they always miss the vital important aspect of that fact: it's fucking FREE.
We don't play MMOs enough during a month to warrant a monthly subscription, and I hate to tell you younger gamers out there, but when you start getting into things like student loans, mortgages, and insane needs for things like food, utilities, and a really nice theater system, suddenly things like WOW subscriptions are just silly.
Yes, Runes of Magic is a WOW clone. So? Seriously, it's still fun. It's still pretty. It's still FREE.
Funnily enough, that wasn't what inspired this post. What inspired this post was another MMORPG that runs along a whole other vein. This would be Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Now, this started out as a subscription game that was choking mightily against the tidal waves of EverCrack and WOW. But, unlike other struggling MMOs they figured out that there was a way to appeal to the rest of the world who wanted to play without having their credit cards charged. They decided to go free and offer certain items, races, quests, and services for a cost.
Some people might shrug and think, "What's the point?" The point is they still have a massive amount of content for those of us who can't let an MMO take over our lives, but if we find we're getting more and more immersed, we can either take a subscription or just buy things to enhance the experience. And, in a completely awesome move, you can earn points when you solve quests and actually use them to purchase other quests. So, yeah, some quests you can only get with real world money, but at least you don't feel ostracized for playing free.
For those who like to gripe just to hear themselves gripe, this is very much not a WOW clone. Sometimes, I long for the ROM interface, like ease in following other players in a group or the leveling system, but the differences have their own advantages.
DDO might be a little on the hard side to level, but you don't have tedious collection quests to fill your leveling time. Most leveling is done with actual quests! What a concept! I wasn't so sure about some aspects of the controls at first, for instance, it's rather hard to follow your group members. However, that's all balanced out because, well, when you're in a dungeon it's just you and your group. No other random players to kill your intended target forcing you to wait through a 2 hour respawn timer. I gotta tell you, that's hella nice. And, when you're done with the quest, you hit a "finished" button and you go back to the entrance and are able to hit town and collect your xp. Damn convenient if you ask me.
Then there's the obvious bonus in that you only get loot out of treasure chests or NPCs, so there's a definite lack of those shiver-inducing questions like, "Where does a goblin in a loin cloth hide a long sword?" Um....eeeeeeewwwwwww...
Despite what most players will admit, most MMOs have a definite forumla, and it's a formula that works. You have gathering quests to extend the playing time and give you mindless leveling. You have massive raids to enhance that whole social experience of the game and actually affect the challenge levels.
DDO is a different kind of MMO. Well, of course it is, it's based off of a table-top gaming system, and they try very hard to keep that feel. Instead of a a small group of people gathered around a table trying to beat down the latest quest, you have that same small group meeting around an online network. There's something to be said for that small group experience, whether your members are local or spread across the world. There's an immersiveness to it that's lost when you're beating the hell out of a boss in a dungeon and some level 50 wanders by and smacks it for you. Going into a dungeon setting and knowing you are the only ones there and all your decisions affect your group and only your group, and damn, where the hell did the cleric just go? Yeah, it's a special challenge on it's own, and that challenge only adds to the fun.
And, that's the thing about DDO, while there are drawbacks in comparison to other MMOs, it finds other ways to shine. Is it perfect? By no means. (Ya'll, seriously, no quick button for targeting enemies?) But, it manages to salvage the fun times of table gaming and bring it to the computer screen. Other MMOs like WOW or ROM can't really be compared if only because they are so different which makes them likable in their own rights.
MMOs are starting to feel a little cookie-cutter in their attempts to clone the WOW success, and they do offer something new when they can, but it's nice to find an MMO that has its own style.
DDO is unapologetic, nor should it be otherwise.
Repeat after me, gamers: variety is the spice of life.
Now, go play outside.
___________________
Admittedly, I'm finding the very non-JRPG feel of MMOs really added to their appeal. Yes, I cut my gamer teeth on JRPGs. Yes, I still love said style of games as evident in my ardent drooling on all things Final Fantasy, but the non-linear aspects of the ARPGs are very nice. Besides, sometimes, you just want to set fire to that random cow.
Oftentimes, when he'd happen to check me out at the register, he would ask me, "Do you play World of Warcraft?"
My usual response was, "Dude, I have a life."
Well, I had been tempted many times to try it because, as everyone knows, they've become the AOL of junk mail CDs. I can't count how many of those "Free 14 Day Trial" CDs I've thrown away. And, I did that because, say it with me, I have a life.
Or rather, I choose to have one. You see, I also know my limitations. I obsess very easily over games. My obsessions are okay if the games have a conclusion, but MMORPGs don't really have that. You can get all the levels and armor and achievements, but they will always add more. It never really ends.
The other problem is I don't like the general public in my fantasy. 14 year-old trolls piss me off. Not because they're rude or crude or socially unacceptable, but because I know little bastards like that who would never pull that shit in real life because they know I would smack them like the little bitches they are. The anonymity of the internet can really blow during those moments.
So, I resisted MMOs for a long time, much to the pouting of Super Husband. When he met me, he was so damned thrilled that I gamed that he was filled with much glee, but my lack of MMO experience definitely left me a little lacking in his eyes.
Well, several months ago, he convinced me to try one of those WOW trials.
I have to tell you, playing with Super Husband was tres fun. I realized that as long as I played with people I knew, the whole MMO thing wasn't so worthy of derision. It was like an advanced version of two-player. I was digging it.
But, we hit another brick wall: the subscription fee.
The solution? Runes of Magic.
Look, guys, I have to tell you, I've read all the "it's nothing but a WOW clone" reviews, and they always miss the vital important aspect of that fact: it's fucking FREE.
We don't play MMOs enough during a month to warrant a monthly subscription, and I hate to tell you younger gamers out there, but when you start getting into things like student loans, mortgages, and insane needs for things like food, utilities, and a really nice theater system, suddenly things like WOW subscriptions are just silly.
Yes, Runes of Magic is a WOW clone. So? Seriously, it's still fun. It's still pretty. It's still FREE.
Funnily enough, that wasn't what inspired this post. What inspired this post was another MMORPG that runs along a whole other vein. This would be Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Now, this started out as a subscription game that was choking mightily against the tidal waves of EverCrack and WOW. But, unlike other struggling MMOs they figured out that there was a way to appeal to the rest of the world who wanted to play without having their credit cards charged. They decided to go free and offer certain items, races, quests, and services for a cost.
Some people might shrug and think, "What's the point?" The point is they still have a massive amount of content for those of us who can't let an MMO take over our lives, but if we find we're getting more and more immersed, we can either take a subscription or just buy things to enhance the experience. And, in a completely awesome move, you can earn points when you solve quests and actually use them to purchase other quests. So, yeah, some quests you can only get with real world money, but at least you don't feel ostracized for playing free.
For those who like to gripe just to hear themselves gripe, this is very much not a WOW clone. Sometimes, I long for the ROM interface, like ease in following other players in a group or the leveling system, but the differences have their own advantages.
DDO might be a little on the hard side to level, but you don't have tedious collection quests to fill your leveling time. Most leveling is done with actual quests! What a concept! I wasn't so sure about some aspects of the controls at first, for instance, it's rather hard to follow your group members. However, that's all balanced out because, well, when you're in a dungeon it's just you and your group. No other random players to kill your intended target forcing you to wait through a 2 hour respawn timer. I gotta tell you, that's hella nice. And, when you're done with the quest, you hit a "finished" button and you go back to the entrance and are able to hit town and collect your xp. Damn convenient if you ask me.
Then there's the obvious bonus in that you only get loot out of treasure chests or NPCs, so there's a definite lack of those shiver-inducing questions like, "Where does a goblin in a loin cloth hide a long sword?" Um....eeeeeeewwwwwww...
Despite what most players will admit, most MMOs have a definite forumla, and it's a formula that works. You have gathering quests to extend the playing time and give you mindless leveling. You have massive raids to enhance that whole social experience of the game and actually affect the challenge levels.
DDO is a different kind of MMO. Well, of course it is, it's based off of a table-top gaming system, and they try very hard to keep that feel. Instead of a a small group of people gathered around a table trying to beat down the latest quest, you have that same small group meeting around an online network. There's something to be said for that small group experience, whether your members are local or spread across the world. There's an immersiveness to it that's lost when you're beating the hell out of a boss in a dungeon and some level 50 wanders by and smacks it for you. Going into a dungeon setting and knowing you are the only ones there and all your decisions affect your group and only your group, and damn, where the hell did the cleric just go? Yeah, it's a special challenge on it's own, and that challenge only adds to the fun.
And, that's the thing about DDO, while there are drawbacks in comparison to other MMOs, it finds other ways to shine. Is it perfect? By no means. (Ya'll, seriously, no quick button for targeting enemies?) But, it manages to salvage the fun times of table gaming and bring it to the computer screen. Other MMOs like WOW or ROM can't really be compared if only because they are so different which makes them likable in their own rights.
MMOs are starting to feel a little cookie-cutter in their attempts to clone the WOW success, and they do offer something new when they can, but it's nice to find an MMO that has its own style.
DDO is unapologetic, nor should it be otherwise.
Repeat after me, gamers: variety is the spice of life.
Now, go play outside.
___________________
Admittedly, I'm finding the very non-JRPG feel of MMOs really added to their appeal. Yes, I cut my gamer teeth on JRPGs. Yes, I still love said style of games as evident in my ardent drooling on all things Final Fantasy, but the non-linear aspects of the ARPGs are very nice. Besides, sometimes, you just want to set fire to that random cow.
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