if you want nothing but boating..navyfield if you want boating..but also quests and guilds and stuff..voyage century
Henri / Ariya / all, The topic of Free To Play MMOs is a big one, and with all the work being put into reviews / discussion here, this may be worth a sub-forum. As discussed with Father, I will sticky this thread for now and we will see if a sub-forum should be created. Thanks for all the discussion & interest here to date! Ashlann
Thank you so much for stickying the thread !! We will do our best to post more reviews since we are testing free games all the time I really hope this will be of use for some of you that don't really know what free games are like, and that it will seduce toggers to try one out. You guys can always contact Henrideacon or me when you have any questions or suggestions what so ever.
F2P games are bounding forward in their depth and complexity and visuals. I have been pleasantly surprised by what is on offer without a monthly charge. They are becoming comparable in quality with subscription based games, and will really be putting pressure on the pay to play games. I am more of a First Person Shooter player, so I came into these games with no expectations, and happy to say that i have been enjoying them enough to jump on daily.
This is a really great idea. There's getting to be a heap of these free to play MMOs out there now, and finding one that suits personal tastes can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. I think it would help this topic if we had some kind of template to use for reviewing. Something along the lines of... Name: The Game Genre: Sci-fi/Modern/Historical/Fantasy Style: MMO RPG/FPS/RTS/TBS Combat Style: Button mashing/Auto-attack/Auto-attack with abilities/etc Learning Curve: Complex/balanced/simple Crafting: Complex/balanced/simple/non PVP: Forced/encouraged/voluntary/non Role-Playing: Forced/encouraged/voluntary Leveling style: Level based (as in WOW), Skill based (as in Ultima Online), Mixed class based (for want of a better term, I'm thinking as in early days SWG) Server Pop: Very heavy (problems joining), heavy, moderate, light, very light (hard to find other players) Immersion: 5/10 Graphic Quality: 5/10 Sound Quality: 5/10 Content Quality: 5/10 Overall Rating: 5/10 Brief Description: This is a game... Pros: Cons: Other Comments: Blah blah... Payment options: Completely free/pay for enhancements. Download Size: No dl. That's off the top of my head, further input would be appreciated. Now I'll go hunt down a free MMO so I can add a review of my own!
Also a score for Immersion. A great game makes me lose all sense of what's going on around me. To quote an online source: Immersion is the state of consciousness where an immersant's awareness of physical self is diminished or lost by being surrounded in an engrossing total environment; often artificial. This state is frequently accompanied by spatial excess, intense focus, a distorted sense of time, and effortless action.
Good call. Always a good thing, but sometimes a bad one too. 'Oh, 4am. I have work in three hours...'
I'll do a review using the template to get a feel. Name: MUME (Multi Users in Middle Earth (MUME - Multi Users in Middle Earth)) Genre: Fantasy Style: MUD (Text based MMO) Learning Curve: Complex Crafting: Simple PVP: Forced Role-Playing:Encouraged Leveling style: Level based/Skill based/Mixed class based (see below) Server Pop: Moderate Immersion: 7/10 Graphic Quality: 0/10 Sound Quality: 0/10 Content Quality: 9/10 Brief Description: If you are a Tolkien fan, enjoy MUDs (or pen and paper RPGs, if you have never experienced a MUD), and like PvP, then you couldn't go far wrong with MUME. Choose to join the forces of good, or fight on Sauron's side, PvP is definitely the focus of this well made and engrossing game. Play the character you wish to play, with fully customisable classes. You can create the standard tanks, healers, spell-slinging mages, backstabbing thieves, or mix them up a bit and go for a hybrid of any or all of the above. Level by gaining XP then spend your skill points on the skills you wish to develop. You can buy the skills from any class, but the more you mix up your character the less effective you will be when compared to a pure class. Then team up with your friends and explore the world of Middle Earth, from the Grey Havens through the Shire, all the way to the far side of the Misty Mountains or Fangorn Forest via either Rivendell or Tharbad. Or even the dreaded Mines of Moria, if you are daring (or foolish) enough! The playing area is HUGE (over 23,000 individual rooms!!). It's not for the faint of heart though. As the heroes of good or evil die, the victorious side gains influence and its power spreads. And there is nowhere that is entirely safe. Sneaky ork thieves have been found lurking in the woods around the Shire before, and Ork warbands riding their vicious Wargs have raided into the very streets of Bree and Fornost on occasion. In these times no-one is safe, as there is no opting out of PvP. Dying in PvP carries moderate setbacks, while suffering death to a mob (NPC creature) will carry a steep fine in XP as well. Other Comments: If you've never played a fully featured MUD before, you'll be amazed at what they can pull off. This game has got a LOT to offer. Fatigue, stealth and backstabbing, mounts, spells, hunger/thirst, lockpicking, day/night/seasons, ageing, melee combat, missile combat, mounted combat, stealing, baking, potion making. I do find that I just keep coming back to this one. Payment options: Completely free. Download Size: No download, but requires a terminal server emulator (easily found for free).
Great work Justin ! I'll adapt my reviews to your template. Never heard of this MMO, but I'll look into it. Thanks for posting ! @ Henri : I' m like that too, I like losing myself in a game and not only when I'm leveling and raiding but I also love to craft and gather, or just wander around and explore new maps. In rose online I know half of the players on the server since it's a small game so I spend an hour sometimes just walking from one player shop to another to have a look what everyone is selling, and talking to friends I meet along the way. When I don't feel like leveling I go help out new players sometimes by buffing and healing them with my cleric, hereby making them very happy ! .
Thanks Ariya. I'm not sure if MUDs are really counted as MMOs but they are similar so I guess they could be included here. They don't generally have 1000's of players on at the same time, but they are persistent multiplayer worlds.
Kung Foo will astonish you ! "The new Perfect World Entertainment game" It's been a while since we heard of Perfect World Entertainment. After having spend a lot of work on their game "Perfect World" for a while, PWE is going to release an very different F2P named "Kung Foo!" that has been presented to us as a fun MMO that will also be a parody on Kung Fu movies. With the use of lively colours and kawaii design, "Kung Foo!" will offer a whole range of eccentric mobs to slay, 10 enormous zones to explore, and 19 different playable classes. There is a storyline behind all this made by comic book writer Devin Grayson, if this name doesn't ring a bell I invite you to take a look at his site Devin K Grayson - Case Notes - Biography The game will begin beta phase soon, for more information and to see the first video check the official site : Kung Foo - Free Fantasy MMORPG | Play Free Online Video Games Original article along with some screenshots on Mondes Persistants : Perfect World Entertemainent : Kung Foo va vous en mettre plein les yeux!
I loved playing the MUD games when i was young, right back to the original ADVENTURE. No need for graphics back then
I've been thinking about this more today and I think this topic could really benefit from it's own sub forum. It would mean that we could create a post for each review and also have a stickied directory. I also jumped in and started giving Navy Fields a go. It's actually quite fun, although only in short spells while I'm in a newb ship sailing about by myself!
Name: Runes of Magic Website: http://www.runesofmagic.com Genre: Fantasy Style: First person 3D MMO Learning Curve: Easy for beginners, but plenty of options for advanced players. Crafting: Substantial crafting system in a number of specialties. PVP: PvP and PvE servers available Role-Playing: Encouraged Leveling style: Balanced between combat and quests. Rapid leveling. Server Pop: Low Immersion: 8/10. Could easily play all night without realizing it. Graphic Quality: 8/10. Slightly outdated look, but visually pleasing. Sound Quality: 7/10. Combat: Simple and fast. Fights are over in a few hits. Content Quality: 7/10. Reasonable storyline. Quests can become very similar Performance: 5/10. Can be glitchy. Characters can get stuck. Occasional minor lag. Value for Money: 10/10. Generous amount of free content. Generous storage. Overall: 8/10. This is one to keep coming back to. Brief Description: Players create a character from one of eight classes and explore the fantasy world of Taborea while undertaking quests and fighting enemies. Characters can create items by practicing their crafting skills, and at level 10 players are able to choose a secondary character class to increase their character's abilities. Core abilities from the secondary class are usable when the player remains in their primary class and vice versa. Other Comments: - Very generous in its free content. - Players given plenty of points to spend on abilities. - Plenty of places to store loot. Large backpack size has ample room. Free housing. - Enjoyable gameplay. Easy enough for younger players. - Fast Leveling. - Player movement is smooth. - Plenty of Environment to explore and over 2000 quests. - A well built character can dominate the environment, getting plenty of one shot kills. - Combat is over quickly. Mage and Priest are powerful. The Downside: - Multiple classes, but must return home to change class. - NPCs are a little static. - Quests can get a bit repetitive. - Combat is too easy in most cases. - Spells can fall off your taskbar if your mouse slips - Quest popups can get in the way - Fairly large download. Payment options: Free to Play with option to buy items from the store. Download Size: 5gb, plus about 800mb of patches.
Name: Allods Online – Currently in Closed Beta Website: http://allods.gpotato.com Genre: Fantasy/Sci Fi Style: First person 3D MMO Learning Curve: Good starting tutorial, with not much new to learn after that. Crafting: Crafting is not a major part of the game. PVP: PvE. No PvP until higher levels. Role-Playing: A lot of annoying chatter dulls the roleplaying experience. Leveling style: Quests are vital. Leveling through combat is very slow. Server Pop: High Immersion: 6/10. Often brought back to reality by some annoyances of the game. Needing to drop loot, chatter from players, and falling off the edge of the world. Graphic Quality: 9/10. Very nice, a mix of fantasy / sci fi / anime. Some great visuals Sound Quality: 8/10. Combat: 7/10. Long ferocious fights. Combat quickly becomes button mashing. Content Quality: 9/10. A well thought out but linear storyline. Some original quests. Performance: 9/10. Game runs smoothly with minimal lag. Value for Money: 7/10. Free but may well need to purchase a larger backpack. Overall: 7.5/10 for the Closed Beta. Very well made conversion of the Russian game. The final release could be 8.5/10 with some minor fixes. Brief Description: Adventurers may choose between two factions, the League and the Empire, with six races and twenty-eight character classes! Allods Online features a deep storyline, extensive questing, intense player-versus-player combat, grand exploration, in-depth character development and plenty of social interaction. In the Astral, players will have the chance to put their wits and brawn to the test in larger-than-life Astral battles, the game’s giant fights between competing ‘Astral ships’ manned by multiple players. Other Comments: - A lot of work has gone onto creating a really unique experience. - Very nice visuals and animated monsters really put up a fight. - Enjoyable gameplay, with ferocious fighting. - Server is full of players but still runs well. - Plenty of Environment to explore. - Lots of players roaming about. Start up a party easily. - Tough boss fights. Quests are closely linked. - The mix of Fantasy and Sci Fi gives starting players two different game experiences. - Attack combos increase damage. - Interesting fatigue system. The Downside: - No Auto attack means continuously pressing keys. - Not much crafting. Loot drops have little use unless on a quest. - Too much kiddie chatter on chat. - How to do some things are not well explained. - Some camera angles can be wrong. - Leveling is slow. Low experience for combat. - Combat is long for even basic creatures. - Elves with Fairy wings! Wings are cosmetic and not functional at all. - Very limited storage. Continuously dropping items is annoying. - Not many places to sell items. - Some screens still have Russian content, but more are fixed each day. Payment options: Free to Play, with serious players purchasing extra storage. Download Size: 2gb
A couple of really good reviews there Henri. I was tossing up between Runes of Magic and Perfect World, and after reading your RoM review I wonder if I made the wrong choice in Perfect World... Time will tell I guess, I'll certainly still give it a whirl. Will write a review once I've got a bit of experience under my belt of course, which could be a while with holidays coming up! Also Combat Style is an excellent addition to the template!!
I am also installing some of the games on an older computer to see how they perform. I installed Allods and apart from the graphics not looking quite as good, the game runs perfectly smooth on the older machine.
