boo boo

Well I do find RPGs like WOW to be quite appealing for their lack of turn based battles so I do want to give it a try.

I love old school JRPGs though, and I'm not really used to western ones so WoW seems incredibly complicated.

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mr dave

it's not a matter of East vs. West rpgs styles. it's more like the difference between a bicycle and a fighter jet.

it might not be turn based but you'll still be lining up skill combos, and every skill has a cool down time. so while it's not turn based you're still very much playing with time based actions.

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TheBig3

Yeah and depending on what you're doing in the game, there are different time elements.

So for example if I'm fighting other players (pvp) then the timing is vastly different than if I'm fighting elements in the game like bosses (pve).

It really is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. This was my first MMORPG (i'd played planetside prior but that was FPS) and it took me a bit but I've been playing since december '04.

I've actually met up with guys in New York that I'd played with for years.

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OceanAndSilence

this

seriously they can do no wrong

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mr dave

considering it's been 12 years since the original (this past summer) and then they decided to split the sequel into 3 titles and then remove LAN play. i think that's a few things they did wrong - and that's only what they've told the public.

you really think part 3 will come out if part 2 doesn't sell like mad? (part 1 isn't a sales risk due to the common attitude you present). i'll honestly be surprised if we see a legitimate part 3 to starcraf2. think about it. part 1 is scheduled for 2010, part 2 is what? 2012. as if they'll hit that target in time. that means 2014-15 for part 3. in 5 years from now we'll get the end to the sequel to a game from 1997? if we're 'lucky'.

basically if part 2 doesn't equal or surpass the sales for part 1 i figure they'll just announce that part 3 isn't being scrapped but is being rolled into 'starcraft3' which will only be released 'when it's ready'.

if people want to get hyped up for this that's their prerogative but at this point there are plenty of worthwhile alternatives. especially given their track record, it's not that their releases suck, it's that they rarely release, and they're also a significantly different company post-WoW than they were when they established their cash cow franchises back in the 90s.

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boo boo

Well, I play RPGs more for the story and exploration than for the fighting anyway. Though I admit if I want fighting I'd rather have it in real time, though I do like the strategy that goes with turn based battles.

But I still might give MMOs a try eventually.

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TheBig3

it has no less story.

in fact wow has endless lore.

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mr dave

the one thing i noticed with MMOs though, is that while there is a lot of lore... it's like reading a book while playing a game. very little of the lore matters in terms of the actual playing experience aside from these factions hate those factions etc.

you 'can' most definitely delve deep into the story of the game, but it has little bearing to the gameplay. it's not like accomplishing any sort of quest in an MMO really opens up new chapters in the overall story. especially not after you've grinded through the same mission arcs a half dozen times to get strong enough for the next one.

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boo boo

So it's not like a JRPG at all then.

I know some people hate JRPGs for how they tie the stories into the gameplay but that's what I love about them, unlike other genres they actually make the story feel like an important part of the gameplay and when it's a really compelling story it makes the game that much more immersing.

The thing about these kinda games is, the story really does matter so if you don't dig the story and how it progresses over time, you probably won't dig the game itself.

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mr dave

yeah i wasn't really exaggerating when i said it was like comparing bicycles and fighter jets. just because they're both considered 'rpgs' means very little. at this point pretty much any type of game that features modifiable player stats and levels = rpg.

from the MMOs i've played the point seems to be to create the most badass character possible, which CAN be very fulfilling, as long as you recognize it as being the point from the get go. i'm about due for another NCsoft game card to see how 'Bizzarro Dave' is doing in City of Heroes haha.

i'm not trying to discourage you from playing an MMO, i'd suggest trying D&D online first as it's totally free and you can get a taste for what an average pay MMO is like (mind you i haven't played in a few weeks so it might be totally dead now)

generally speaking an MMO flows like this.

-create your character
-start off on 'noob island'
-learn the combat / crafting / social skills
-get a few levels by completing quests and sucker yourself into believing your perpetuating a story.
-leave 'noob island' and start the 'real' game
-get a few more levels
-hit a wall where you're either forced to play in larger groups or grind through the same missions over and over until you get a few more levels to be able to access the next zone without being insta-killed by the weakest monsters.
-repeat that last step until you hit the level cap
-hope the game has cool stuff lined up for players at the level cap.
-get bored with god powers and start a new character at level 1 and do it all over again.

they're not bad products, but associating them to a typical RPG is a mistake that is often made but could be easily avoided.

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