New to MMOs

[eiaboca]

I've played console games, PC games, puzzle games, flash games, board games, and word games. But I've always resisted MMOs. They suck up so much time, the skills needed are obscure, take hours to master, and often didn't really seem worth it. I guess I just want the MMO lovers out there to tell me why they love playing them so much. Especially the people who aren't good at dealing with other people, cause I'm certainly not.

I love Star Trek, and the idea of exploring space in its universe excites me and makes me happy more than I ever thought it would. I just hope the game isn't tedious.

[marshalleck]

MMOs have largely moved away from 'tedious' in recent years. I don't know what your last experience with MMOs was, but if it's pre-WoW then a lot has changed. I personally got into MMORPGs because they used to be much more complex than your standard single player game, and lasted much longer. That's also not really the case anymore. Accessibility is the new name of the game these days.

If the concept of the game really is that enticing to you I think it would be worth keeping an eye on it. As I said, your concerns are pretty common and even valid for older MMOs. They're really moving away from that though ever since World of Warcraft got huge.

[Zizi]

To weigh in a little more:

Cryptic really isn't interested in bogging players down with lots of myriad little details that suck up their time. Their mantra for CO could be considered the mantra for all their games: "Zero to hero within five minutes". To explain better, the idea is that the very first time you log on, they feel that you should have the option of getting in-game and *really* playing within five minutes. Mind you, this doesn't mean that rich character creation won't be available if you WANT to spend a lot of time on it, but they don't require it.

Similarly, they don't want people to jump through too many hoops on any given day of play. They seem to feel that any time you log in, you should be able to get into the meat of playing quickly so that you can enjoy all your time with the game as much as you can.

this means that while often there is a lot of complexity, it's set up such that you rally don't HAVE to get mired down in it if you don't want to-- but it's there if you do.

I expect STO will be similar-- Very easy to play if you don't want to get overwhelmed, but plenty of depth available once you're comfortable. In short, if you're a little leery of MMOs, you couldn't pick a better company to ease into them, in my opinion.

[eiaboca]

MMOs have largely moved away from 'tedious' in recent years. I don't know what your last experience with MMOs was, but if it's pre-WoW then a lot has changed.

Heh, the last time I tried to play a multiplayer was Diablo in...hmmm...1999?

I like complexity, just not grinding.

[marshalleck]

Heh, the last time I tried to play a multiplayer was Diablo in...hmmm...1999?

I like complexity, just not grinding.

Diablo is definitely a different kind of animal...but yeah this is literally and figuratively a new era by now. ;)

[Arokh72]

I like complexity, just not grinding.

I agree so hopefully there'll be no "gather 100 targ hearts for dinner" type quests :p

[mollyrambo57]

i am 51 fairly new to computer and internet [almost 1 year] so i am not sure if i am doing things right on this forum, 1st time to be on a forum too and i started watching star trek the original in 66, so i guess my question is to anyone who wants to answer is what is an mmo game and where can i get some experience at playing something like this new star trek online game before it comes out, i have played playstation games but have no idea how this type of game is done, so if anyone has any suggestions, tips, or anythings else that could help me learn i would appreciate it, also it would help if there are any free games online that i could try to see if i even want to try this at least maybe on a trial basis, and can anyone on here tell me how to increase the font size on this forum, also what is a thread is it a message on the board, sorry for being such a computer idiot do i need to post my regular email address on here to get a private maeeage or not, i'm going to take a chance and put it on here email me at sassy.diamond3000@gmail.com if that is the way you do private messages, thank you so much in advance for any help you can provide
molly

[Malfunky]

Well, Diablo's an action RPG with a huge emphasis on grinding. Not really anything like an MMO at all. Your first real experience with an MMO could be like opening Pandora's box. There's no telling how you'll react.

MMOs are very unique, interesting creatures. To me, the main draws are of a very escapist view(which is also one of the reasons I enjoy Star Trek so much). To live the life of a being in a universe that isn't our own. You get to create your own story, your own past, and your own experiences. You control a character of your own desire in living, changing world.

Granted, most games offer these experiences in one form or another. Some games even offer the whole package(ie. the Elder Scrolls series). The others, in a much more focused, linear fashion. The one difference between single player games(or most multiplayer games to an extent) is sharing this experience with thousands of other people. You're living these lives alongside other people living completely separate lives. Should you choose to do so, you can cross paths with these people. You can make friends and alliances, enemies and rivalries. You can observe other people, you can be inspired by other people. You can fight them, help them, taunt them, or cheer them on. Each person playing the game has the power to effect the experience of others. The universe is living and changing because of the players, not just because it was programmed to.

The actual game will become tedious and predictable. These games would absolutely not stand their own as single player experiences. But they aren't supposed to. They aren't comparable. Tedium and routine are inherent factors of the genre. And, as I see, with only one remedy: to play them very seldom. But that just doesn't bode well with most players, myself included. These games are built to draw you in, to make you want to explore or to level or to communicate. And because of the time you will spend, these factors will become apparent.

And what influences that draw, what keeps the game interesting is, again, the players. The complexity that you seek may not always in the game mechanics, but in the interaction of the community. Sure, there may be a complex and rewarding game, but if you spend enough time with it, it wont be enough. Really, it's just a giant sandbox that provides you context for your experience. To relay your discoveries and experiences to your friends, to be the first to accomplish something and brag or inform the rest of the world, and to compete and cooperate with real people are the real draw.


Like I said, they're a very interesting creatures. Just keep an open mind and don't try to judge them in the same light as a traditional game. Star Trek is the perfect IP for this type of game and Cryptic seems to have the right idea. I think it deserves a shot if you think you can get into it.

Also, they pretty much always cost $15 a month to play, so be prepared! :p

[mollyrambo57]

i really appreciate all the information that is being posted about this type of game, please keep it coming as like i said this isn't the only thing i am new at but i love star trek so much that even though it is kinda scary doing this mmo game that i want to learn so that i can play the new star trek game when it comes out, and i am hoping for some beginners luck when i start star trek so as not to get killed off too fast, i am grateful for anyone who is willing to take time to help me as i am someone who was more comfortabel with the old atari game system than i would be with this, but i so want to learn this type of thing so maybe i will be able to not look too stupid when this one comes out, thanks so much for all the input----------------MOLLLY

[sadeyx]

The irony is I thought exactly the same as you did! And you know what convinced me otherwise, whats completly changed my perspective on gaming to the extent that I only really ever play mmo's now - City of Heroes!

Actually I applied for the EU Beta test just to play a game for free really, played it for about a month free and bought it upon release. I've not really stopped playing mmo's since.

The only thing I'd say is that traditionally MMO's are a continually evolving and growing games, they never stay the same! Very often this means to bugs and breaking problems when the game is first launched up to the game being 10x better than it was a year down the line.

When I first played the EU Beta of City of Heroes it had already been out and had 3 (or 4) issues released. So the game was fairly stable and quite polished and it was the right time to start playing.

So being new to mmo's you might want to wait a few months after the game has been released, they really do just get better and better. City of heroes now is such a massivly better game than it was when I first started playing I wonder how much content they will put in at launch, and if its better waiting to see how it goes.

Otherwise I'd suggest doing a free trial for some of the many mmo's out there, Lotro, Eve, Wow, Vanguard, I think you can even get CoX trial now?

[IanD967]

Welcome to MMO's and the Community eiaboca :D

with this game you wont be grinding at all :cool: