Best bits from all the MMOs you've played?

[Zaptruder]

I've only played 2... but as evidenced by my presence here, I got into them in a pretty hardcore way. Now I'm out, it's time for some retrospective to get me drawn back in!

FFXI:

Great art style: Even hampered by the technical limitations of the PS2 been the base, it still looked really damn good. Armor designs were restrained (compared to WoW). Managed an excellent mix between exaggeration and realism.

Focused party play mechanics: Probably the best thing about FFXI was that, when you got into a good party, you knew it. One of the greatest bliss in the game is having things go perfectly between members, through each member having extensive knowledge of a relatively complicated system where the game revealed very little information... just get an awesome feeling of everything clicking.
The same kinda rush you'd get in WoW when first downing raid bosses; just that feeling of clicking with everyone to make it happen.

Looking for group functions; Well not revolutionary or anything, but just a solid system allowing players to group relatively easily... certainly something that WoW could stand to have. Allowed you to flag yourself for groups, indicated people that were already in parties, color indicate your intended purpose, as well as providing people looking for members with a small text ad telling people what they were planning to do for the evening. Probably very important then they got this right given the nature of the game.


WoW:

Too lazy to be verbose about WoW... but probably the best thing about it is its variety; graphical, play style, etc.
The second best thing is the fact that it has a jump button; i.e. its a relatively fast paced combat system, demanding reflexive skill... unfortunately doesn't couple it with a demand in strategic skill (quite as much).

[Magnum PI]

EQ1: Commonlands as main Auction House. OMG the hundreds of friends I made while sitting their all day trade skilling. Best community ever. God I miss Bristlebane server.

[tjac]

I'd take:

* character creation from City of Heroes
* raids and AAs from EQ
* flexibility of race and class from EQ2
* strength of style (wouldn't use cartoons, though) and quest system from WoW
* pvp from EVE
*storyline and continued development from something like starmud

[Mkopec1]

Id take....


Immersiveness and PvE of EQ

PvP ruleset from Shadowbane (with some mods)

Character customization from Anarchy Online

All based around some futuristic story, fuck high fantasy.

[Cad]

Since nobody is going to comment on Planetside, I'll throw in:

The first time I saw a 100+ vs 100+ stalemate across a bridge, with the floating purple-guy tanks making runs across the water, coordinated rushes across the bridge being repulsed, air power making runs and getting annihilated, and mass infantry trying to get across the water/bridge.

The galaxy drops behind the lines were amazing, people even tried suicide-crashing galaxys into the opposing teams lines. This really felt like a WAR. In the end a coordinated Tank Rush, Galaxy Drop/Air Power surge crossed the bridge, and not in my teams favor It was so thrilling to watch though. I played planetside many years ago and I still remember this.

[wamphyr]

I know this will sound weird but if someone could take the "Simplie" out of WoW and combine it with the " Complicated " from Anarchy Online it would be a winner in my book.

[Nidhogg]

Planetside was truly amazing.
I still remember being one of the few who inspired the coined Surgile Jackhammer people. Me and my friend Elly could single handedly take entire towers by Mosquito dropping on the roofs. This was pre-JH nerf. 20-30 people taken out, with 2 people, one support the other capping. We were monsters.

Then they nerfed it... and I dropped it after Core Combat came out.. but still some of the best massive PvP FPS I've ever been privvy to.

The accomplishments really felt like it. One of the first CR5s on my server, we even had a party and I called down a strike on my Squad. It looked amazingly terrible, till they updated the graphics for it.

Oh, and WoW rogue people would have a blast. Infil suits with Melee Booster and NC knife. Secondary mode 1-2 hit kills on any armor.

Absolutely loved that game.

[Faddor]

Job System from FFXI!

and...

Job System from FFXI!

[Cad]

Originally Posted by Nidhogg

Planetside was truly amazing.
I still remember being one of the few who inspired the coined Surgile Jackhammer people. Me and my friend Elly could single handedly take entire towers by Mosquito dropping on the roofs. This was pre-JH nerf. 20-30 people taken out, with 2 people, one support the other capping. We were monsters.

Then they nerfed it... and I dropped it after Core Combat came out.. but still some of the best massive PvP FPS I've ever been privvy to.

The accomplishments really felt like it. One of the first CR5s on my server, we even had a party and I called down a strike on my Squad. It looked amazingly terrible, till they updated the graphics for it.

Oh, and WoW rogue people would have a blast. Infil suits with Melee Booster and NC knife. Secondary mode 1-2 hit kills on any armor.

Absolutely loved that game.

If they could have fixed up their position estimation and prediction code or lowered the latency so that surgiles with a jackhammer were actually targettable, it would have been great. As it was you were in a wall, we couldn't shoot you, and we'd get 2-shotted. That is some weaksauce crap.

After they fixed that towers became real battles rather than see who can exploit the stairways the best. It was hilarious to see 8 vanguards all camping the doors while you try to get enough infantry together to assault the thing.

[razazi1]

All the drama and politics from L2, the good ol days.

[Zaptruder]

Originally Posted by Faddor

Job System from FFXI!

and...

Job System from FFXI!

The best thing is that you can keep the same character and change roles in cities.

Otherwise the job/subjob isn't necessarily that great an idea... it could've definetly worked if they would've maybe set out to balance each combo better.

[Marauder]

I thought planetside sucked... You guys sure make it sound like a game worth rushing out and picking up by the way you describe the gameplay.

For me, the best element of a MMO has been taking down raid bosses in WoW, with relatively competent guildmates. Its always a blast to down a new boss - I still remember when we first took down Onyxia, or Rag, or whatever... always great - teamwork definitely beats the solo game.

[Nidhogg]

Originally Posted by Cad

If they could have fixed up their position estimation and prediction code or lowered the latency so that surgiles with a jackhammer were actually targettable, it would have been great. As it was you were in a wall, we couldn't shoot you, and we'd get 2-shotted. That is some weaksauce crap.

After they fixed that towers became real battles rather than see who can exploit the stairways the best. It was hilarious to see 8 vanguards all camping the doors while you try to get enough infantry together to assault the thing.

I admit it was tough to kill us, no one realized that surging with agile armor could be so weak yet so strong. Jackhammer was simply amazing, and yea you could 2 shot anyone if your aim and reflexes were good enough. Couple it with Advanced hacking.. you were a machine.

Later I grouped up with an old BF1942 buddy and we Vanguarded it up. Engie ftw... 400+ kills and 1-2 deaths gunning that thing. Could take idiot reaver pilots down, and one shot mosquitos that werent strafing properly.

I miss the big fights, I dont miss the accidental grief points (hey, I was shootin doorways in the Vanguard too) and I don't miss the lag. Main reason I went infil was because during bad lag times you could accidently acquire 400-500 points of grief by accidently ramming someone without you knowing it.

Emerald server was the best. ={

edit: by far the best thrill would be calling an ion cannon (or whatever the CR5 beam was called) down on 2+ mobile spawn trucks with entire teams of 100+ spawning inside it and equipping.

[KennyG]

The only thing WoW has is a massive player base, other then that the game sucks imho.
I liked the AA system in EQ, the massive amount of zones, and the complex raids.
I love twinking chars in down time in EQ.
I love second boxing in EQ (doing that now till vanguard comes out)
I love the class system in Ragnarok online.
I love WoE in Ragnarok online.
I love the massive leveling curve in Ragnarok online (yes im a sadist).
I like cock blocks in EQ, only the leet guilds got a shot at the big time; it gave you someone to look up to. Remember when the leet guild on your server cleared VP?

WoW may be a massive success financially, but as a mmo it failed hard (this is my opinion, yours may be different and I respect that). It’s been said many many times, and ill say it again, instancing is fucking lamesauce. Also, ever notice how everyone in WoW is wearing the same fucking gear? That drives me bonkers. You could line up 1000 EQ players and maybe 2 of them would match, and they would probably be the min/max main tanks for a leet guild.

Anyway that’s my 2 cents.

[Cad]

Originally Posted by Marauder

I thought planetside sucked... You guys sure make it sound like a game worth rushing out and picking up by the way you describe the gameplay.

Planetside is a really, really cool game, especially if you can get into a good group of people to do coordinated MAX assaults, have a good gunner for your tank, etc etc.. the types of things you can organize and do are amazing.

It's a bit twitchy for the MMO crowd though, you can't auto-run to battle and wtfpwn while sipping your Dr. Pepper.