4 ms·

Are the environments so compelling? before WoW there was MUDs (or MOOs) and they were super compelling and addictive with no gfx, lets call it the "MUD effect"

Are the environments so compelling? before WoW there was MUDs (or MOOs) and they were super compelling and addictive with no gfx, lets call it the "MUD effect". So do the environments of WoW feeling compelling because of the environment, or because of the "MUD effect", and hence everything built on that feels more compelling, including the environments?

hnthrowaway0315 5y ago
I was supposed to say exactly the same words and mention the MUDs and MUSHes...I think anyone who is interested can read the "backstab" stories of reddit user Patches765 and get amazed. I'd even stretch a bit and say that graphics advancement does not really bring a lot of the immersion. For sure it is immersive to wear a pair of VR Goggles and experience places that you never visited, but it is equally, and maybe even more addictive, to allow oneself to read whatever is on the screen and let imagination flies. I would definitely not mind if the graphics advancement stops around year 1998/1999 when we had good enough graphics even for FPS.
artificial 5y ago
There were other graphical MMORPGs. Ultima, EverQuest, FFXI was big prior and multi platform. Wow was pretty modest and ran on nearly everything.
- AzzieElbab 5y ago
  Well EverQuest was openly hostile to players. The game was full of pointless timesinks, artificially and inorganically too difficult, and progression was way too slow and frustrating. When wow came out it was a breath of fresh air. Ultima was super dated by then, enthusiasts mostly played on custom servers
- shmoe 5y ago
  Meridian 59 was the beginning of the MUD -> MMORPG transition as far as I can remember. Any TDome players here?
- nerdponx 5y ago
  I am always amazed at how little recognition Anarchy Online gets in MMO discussions. I have never seen another game like it. It's too bad the devs kind of lost direction, and the game eventually withered and died. It's actually still around, but mostly as a nostalgia thing. I remember that the community had started to accuse the developers (a company called Funcom) of trying to make the game more like WoW instead of focusing on what made AO unique and interesting.
  - _blu 5y ago
    Good shout. I felt AO was too mature for me back then. The writing itself was much more advanced than wow.
- hunterb123 5y ago
  Tibia. Nothing comes close it's quests or lore.
Lendal 5y ago
Before WoW there was EverQuest. I personally felt EverQuest was more compelling than WoW. Sure WoW was "better" but it didn't have the same magic as EverQuest did. EverQuest motivated me to go all the way to the highest levels and beyond in a way that WoW just didn't. I may have done 2 or 3 raids in WoW before I grew out of it. But is this really anything to do with how good the game was? Or is it really just nostalgia? I mean, your age when your first played it is probably the #1 factor in how good a game is, to be honest.
- notreallyserio 5y ago
  It was the opposite for me. You could successfully solo in WoW while it was nearly or completely impossible in EverQuest beyond level 30 or 40 or so (IIRC). That meant you had an easier time catching up with your friends if you have to take a day or two off of playing. In EQ if you fell behind you stayed behind unless you were lucky enough to find pick-up groups (hours of LFG anyone?) or your friends were cool with slumming it.

hnthrowaway0315 5y ago

I was supposed to say exactly the same words and mention the MUDs and MUSHes...I think anyone who is interested can read the "backstab" stories of reddit user Patches765 and get amazed. I'd even stretch a bit and say that graphics advancement does not really bring a lot of the immersion. For sure it is immersive to wear a pair of VR Goggles and experience places that you never visited, but it is equally, and maybe even more addictive, to allow oneself to read whatever is on the screen and let imagination flies. I would definitely not mind if the graphics advancement stops around year 1998/1999 when we had good enough graphics even for FPS.

artificial 5y ago

There were other graphical MMORPGs. Ultima, EverQuest, FFXI was big prior and multi platform. Wow was pretty modest and ran on nearly everything.

AzzieElbab 5y ago
Well EverQuest was openly hostile to players. The game was full of pointless timesinks, artificially and inorganically too difficult, and progression was way too slow and frustrating. When wow came out it was a breath of fresh air. Ultima was super dated by then, enthusiasts mostly played on custom servers
shmoe 5y ago
Meridian 59 was the beginning of the MUD -> MMORPG transition as far as I can remember. Any TDome players here?
nerdponx 5y ago
I am always amazed at how little recognition Anarchy Online gets in MMO discussions. I have never seen another game like it. It's too bad the devs kind of lost direction, and the game eventually withered and died. It's actually still around, but mostly as a nostalgia thing. I remember that the community had started to accuse the developers (a company called Funcom) of trying to make the game more like WoW instead of focusing on what made AO unique and interesting.
- _blu 5y ago
  Good shout. I felt AO was too mature for me back then. The writing itself was much more advanced than wow.
hunterb123 5y ago
Tibia. Nothing comes close it's quests or lore.

Lendal 5y ago

Before WoW there was EverQuest. I personally felt EverQuest was more compelling than WoW. Sure WoW was "better" but it didn't have the same magic as EverQuest did. EverQuest motivated me to go all the way to the highest levels and beyond in a way that WoW just didn't. I may have done 2 or 3 raids in WoW before I grew out of it. But is this really anything to do with how good the game was? Or is it really just nostalgia? I mean, your age when your first played it is probably the #1 factor in how good a game is, to be honest.

notreallyserio 5y ago
It was the opposite for me. You could successfully solo in WoW while it was nearly or completely impossible in EverQuest beyond level 30 or 40 or so (IIRC). That meant you had an easier time catching up with your friends if you have to take a day or two off of playing. In EQ if you fell behind you stayed behind unless you were lucky enough to find pick-up groups (hours of LFG anyone?) or your friends were cool with slumming it.