I have created this blog to create a community where people can discuss why we like MMOs, what elements make an MMO enjoyable, what MMOs we like and dislike (and why), what elements need to be incorporated or discontinued, and any other topics related to MMO game-play and community.
I would like this website to be a place for us to share our ideas. I will ask a question and then provide my answer to it. I encourage you to share your answers by posting comments to my posts. Please also feel free to suggest topics that you would like to discuss with the community. I will incorporate your suggestions into future posts that we can discuss.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I would consider myself a casual MMO player who would become addicted if I did not have a wonderful wife and two great kids. While family life and work keep me from being uber, they give me an uber “real life.†Despite being a casual MMO gamer, I love the genre and get great satisfaction from playing.
My love of gaming started with my family’s purchase of an Apple II Plus. Boy did I love that Autobahn game that played off of an audio cassette. My next love was Atari’s Pitfall. From there I played Civilization I, II (maybe the best non-MMO game of all time), III and eventually IV. I have also always loved the Madden series and get excited every August for that year’s new release.
However, my love of gaming all changed once I started playing Everquest I. I was late being introduced to the MMO genre, but once I did, nothing else compared. After Everquest I, I have played Everquest II, World of Warcraft, Lineage II, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, and Lord of the Rings Online.
Each of these games was great in its own way. For the longest time Everquest I could not be beat. It was my first foray into MMOs and neither Everquest II, World or Warcraft or Lineage II could replicate the joy that I felt in my first MMO experience. I am sure you all still love your first played MMO.
Currently my favorite MMO is Everquest II (the second time around). I played Everquest II at its launch for about 6 months. At that time, I loved the graphics, but thought that the game play was boring. As you might recall, at launch EQ2 had a system where each character started as one of four archetypes, fighter, scout, healer or mage. Then at level 10 and level 20 you picked a sub-classes. I hated this system and it eventually ruined my first experience with EQ2. I will discuss this further in future posts I am sure. However, I started playing EQ2 again with the launch of its Echoes of Faydwer expansion, and my love for the game could not be stronger.
I share with you my gaming experience not to bash any other games. I am sure that I would like some of the games you played or are playing, but I only have a limited amount of time. I assure that I am interested in your experiences and hope that this community will allow for us to share these experiences with each other.
I look forward to meeting you all.
-Fred
