Anyone familiar with this game?

[Brynn]

Does anyone know from which game these screenshots might have been taken?

[Xandax]

That is Dark Age of Camelot - a MMORPG from Mythic.
I've played that game for about 3 years, on and off, but have stopped for good now.

[Brynn]

Excellent, thanks

*dashes away to the nearest game store*

[Xandax]

Words of warning - I'd think very carfully about beginning this game now unless you know somebody in the game that can help you.

DAoC have been going down an very deep timesink with its expansions.
Nowadays it isn't near enough to simply level if one wishs to participate somewhat decently in the PvP portion of the game. One needs to get "Artifacts" (the best items), scrolls for artifacts, level the artifacts, get the Master Levels (some extra high level abilities) which can take a very long time. Some raids take in excess of 5-7 hours to get steps done. You also need to get enough money to be able to get amour crafted and spellcrafted for you and buy/hunting for other equipment. The time one needs to spend in this game to simply participate is immense now. (Trials of Atlantis ruined the game and New Frontiers put the nail into the coffin - the game was immensly fun in the old days)
On top of this - there is a huge population imbalance on many servers where 1 of the 3 realms in the game has most people combined with class imbalances, making the game rather imbalanced.

Also - because there are few new people comming into the game it means that (on the server(s) I played) the "newbe" areas are all but empty and there is litlte low level grouping going on. It is hard to level if not familiar with the game and its mechanics

If you are interested in MMORPGs, then I'd much rather advice you to look at the newer games on the market(there are many), and possible you will find something there that appeals to you as well.

Anyways - this shouldn't stop you from playing if you really want to - the game can be pretty fun, and one of the better MMORPGs I've played due to the PvE/PvP mixture. I'd just personally - with what I know - select a newer MMOG instead.

[Mccool]

Originally Posted by Xandax

...If you are interested in MMORPGs, then I'd much rather advice you to look at the newer games on the market(there are many), and possible you will find something there that appeals to you as well....

You would't mind naming some would you please?

[Vicsun]

Originally Posted by Mccool

You would't mind naming some would you please?

World of Warcraft
Everquest 2
Star Wars Galaxies


From what I've heard World of Warcraft is currently the best one on the market, if you can live with the cartoonish look.

[Xandax]

Of the three that Vicsun has mentioned - I'd proberly enhance WoW and EQ2, not because I've tried them (downloading WoW European beta as I write ... 62% *sigh* tobad it dosen't download with full speed), but mostly because they are fresh and new.
In my experience with MMOGs, then it is better to join the games early in their lifetime, because the older the game - the less newcommers there are and thus the less newcommers there are to play with at "lower levels".
Some games tries to even out this, but it is an extreemly hard thing to break.
Joining a game where the mainstay of the population has reached maximum level or similar does take away from it, because one thing that is important about MMOGs is the community.

There are some MMOGs when looking to the future, that I'm very interested in - for instance Wish and Dark n' Light (both in closed betas) seems to hold great potential. Although potential dosen't make a game - but these games relasedates are likely years in the future, still.

[fable]

In my experience with MMOGs, then it is better to join the games early in their lifetime, because the older the game - the less newcommers there are and thus the less newcommers there are to play with at "lower levels".

Xan's absolutely right about this. Any culture develops over time a sense of "us and them," putting up roadblocks to newcomers. All MMORPGs are like this, and some are quite ruthless about it.

FWIW, if you are planning on joining an MMORPG, I'd suggest selecting a female character. That's because many players are 1) extremely sexist, and 2) view online reality as an extension of physical reality. As a result, you'll probably get protected, offered extra courtesy, and perhaps given items to help you that male characters wouldn't receive.

Strange, I know, and sick, but there it is.

There are also some MMORPGs and some cliques within these that really appreciate roleplaying. If you can find these out beforehand (and it's usually possible because these people frequently maintain webpages about their activities), you can often get an "in" to things by showing the proper RPG spirit upon approach. I know that when I reached advanced levels in one MMORPG years ago, I was far more welcoming to someone who seemed at the least intelligent and well-spoken than someone who ran a macro saying "gimme spells gimme spells gimme spells"

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by fable

<snip>
There are also some MMORPGs and some cliques within these that really appreciate roleplaying. <snip>

Which is what have drawn my eyes towards both Wish and Dark n' Light, because these seems more like a RPG approch towards MMORPGs, unlike so many others I've seen.

[Rob-hin]

I like the look of Lineage 2, truely awsome!
But I don't know if it can be properly played online in Europe.

[Shai Hulud]

Originally Posted by Vicsun

From what I've heard World of Warcraft is currently the best one on the market, if you can live with the cartoonish look.

The cartoonish look does not bother me it is the lack of game play. WoW is just a joke of an MMO. I've played freeware MMOs that are more involved than this piece of fodder.

When it comes to MMos I try to play them all at least for the free month they give to users upon purchase. WoW is the only MMO since the original release of EQ that I was not able to play for the full 30 days out of boredom.

The only major MMOs that have been released that I can recall I have not played are Dark Age of Camelot and Anarchy Online, which is now free so I'll probably try it for a bit to see how it runs.

BTW if anyone is looking for different MMOs to try I would find friends who may have tried certain MMOs or have other MMOs. Personally I buy all of mine, except WoW someone brought that for me, because I will go back from time to time to check on updates or if they are running something different.

[Shai Hulud]

Originally Posted by fable

FWIW, if you are planning on joining an MMORPG, I'd suggest selecting a female character.:

Very true. One other aspect of the female character, for me, is the fact that when in nonroleplaying groups I still have the ability to roleplay something. I tend not to accept gives if possible to get away w/o offending the giver. The only time I recall ever taking any gifts was after assisting people with different quests or drops they've needed and later on they come to me with something. Its more of a thank you than just giving, how could you just say no to someone like that.

Originally Posted by fable

I know that when I reached advanced levels in one MMORPG years ago, I was far more welcoming to someone who seemed at the least intelligent and well-spoken than someone who ran a macro saying "gimme spells gimme spells gimme spells"

Awesome, its always good to see there are people who remember where they started. I help people all the time in every MMO when they are intelligent.

[Ningengirai]

Forgive me for going off-topic ( somewhat ), but while we're on the topic of MMORPGs... can anyone recommend any PC games which are somewhat like Neverwinter Nights? I've only just started trying out these games and I really like NWN and its expansions. What I'm looking for isn't an ego-shooter, but... well, stuff like NWN. I tried World of Warcraft, but my efforts there are stumped since it looks like I'll need a credit card to play, and I don't have one ( Germany, the land where credit cards aren't mandatory ) and don't want to get one "just" to play a video game, either.

[fable]

Ningengirai, you'll get more responses if you start your own thread--and it's also more courteous to do so.

[Ningengirai]

Sorry! I'll remember that for the future.