That Familiar MMO Feeling
The title of this post could be taken a number of ways, but I didn't mean it in a good way. I'm less than a month into Final Fantasy XIV after more than four years away from MMOs... and I'm already getting sick of the grind.
After playing so many single player games I can easily see where they are artificially inflated grind between meaningful events. I know it's because it's an MMO and they need to extend their content. They need to keep people subscribed. But, this amount of extra time and grind would never hold up in a single player game.
After playing so many single player games I can easily see where they are artificially inflated grind between meaningful events. I know it's because it's an MMO and they need to extend their content. They need to keep people subscribed. But, this amount of extra time and grind would never hold up in a single player game.
I'm already sick of it less than one month in. I'm pretty sure that doesn't bode well for my future with MMOs.
I knew this was liable to happen if I tried out a MMO again. I just didn't anticipate it happening so fast.
It makes me realize how much I wish I could check out other MMOs for the core content without all the MMO trappings. I would love to experience all the storyline quests in Star Wars: The Old Republic but the thought of grinding through levels and bullshit filler quests to get there is infuriating.
I've heard that Star Wars: The Old Republic tends to offer big experience point boosts to their subscribers. If they had an XP boost big enough so that I never had to do the bullshit MMO filler I might actually try the game out. But even then I'm still paying a subscription fee monthly, which is lame.
What I really want is a single player version of these games with only the core story content. I want to buy it once and not have to pay a monthly subscription fee.
I'm just a jaded MMO veteran at this point.
I'll continue with Final Fantasy XIV until I either run out of playtime or finish the main storyline. After that, chances are good that I will not be renewing my subscription. The only reason I'm willing to keep giving it my time is that the game is a mainline Final Fantasy title. Without that, I would have thrown in the towel already.
What I really want is a multiplayer version of these games in the same sense as you are discussing. Leveling as a mechanic has become a chore and isn't where the vast majority of a MMO happens any longer. I want to be at the top so I can play with friends, strangers, and acquire cool stuff!
ReplyDeleteYeah, leveling is only fun for a little bit. Not for the weeks or months that it gets dragged out.
DeleteTry The Secret World if you haven't already. I feel that it's more a of a coop game than a MMO. It's got a great storyline, amazing quests and has almost zero grind. It throws almost all MMO conventions out the window including levels and classes.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about The Secret World before but I never looked into it much. Now you have me intrigued. Good story with no grind appeals to me a lot.
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