The last MMO that I played for myself was Dungeons and Dragons Online back in early November. (I still try to play Wizard 101 weekly with my godson, but that's different.) Since then I've found myself unable to care very much about MMOs, and completely unable to play them. The sense of "been there, done that" is just too strong in all of the titles that people are raving about - frankly, the entire space just feels stale and lifeless.
It is no surprise that during my self-imposed hiatus I managed to completely miss the announcement that the Mortal Online open beta had finally gone live. I had signed up for a closed beta account half a year ago, but was never accepted.
Installing the game - click to enlargeMortal Online intrigues me in a way that no other game besides EVE Online does. It is a pure sandbox world that does not coddle players, and in fact seems intentionally obtuse in many cases. In a way the game is a throw back to the old way of making MMOs. In theory, thinking, planning, skillful play, and cooperation will be rewarded in a manner than very few games are willing to try these days. In theory.
It may be that Mass Effect (and then the sequel) keeps me from ever logging in to Mortal Online.... but it has to mean something that the game has actually interested me to the point where I was willing to download the beta, and install it on my system. No other MMO has gotten that far in recent months.
5 comments:
Hi Andrew - I am a bit sceptical about Mortal Online (will it end like Darkfall, for instance?), but I would like to hear more about it.
I would really that a game succeeds that gets away from the wowish theme parks and is not afraid to include loss and failure as part of the game.
But well, see Darkfall - just that does not do the trick either. At least not for me. It is like reducing my beloved UO to PKing and nothing else.
After reading some of your posts, and some on That's a Terrible Idea which I started reading through your recommendations, I started getting interested in dynamic worlds. I've put some thought into the simulation systems, and I do wonder how well Mortal Online will implement their world.
Perusing their site I didn't see any details about it besides the "History doesn't repeat itself" entry and a part in the FAQ mentioning "Every time you play will be a unique experience as the player interactions determine the outcome, and the world changes and reacts dynamically to their actions". Although, as it has sparked my interest I am eager to find out more.
I have some doubts about the storytelling ability and reliance on user content. I hope items don't end up being junk with mismatched stats and enemies that are copies with more health or damage. But it will be worth paying attention to the game and playing to see how it turns out!
@Longasc:
To be truthful I worry that MO will turn out like Darkfall too, but I'm willing to give it a try while it's free..... my bigger problem will be that if I like Mortal Online I'd have to buy the game and pay for a sub. I think most people know what I think of THAT option.
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@Toasty:
It's been notoriously difficult to get concrete info out of Stardock on Mortal Online, which is partly why I'm so intrigued.
My dearest hope is that the game will be like EVE Online, except without being mind-numbingly boring to sit down and play. If that *IS* the case then the story-telling will not be done by the developers - us players will be the story.
I had a good read of their info on the main page and a look through their forums, particularly the crafting/economic subforum.
It's DF2. Sorry.
There are some differences of course - newbie protection seems a little better.
But it's not fantasy Eve, they don't seem to have any notion of a player economy. And Eve without the economy is a bring all your friends gankfest with some boring pve thrown in.
@Stabs:
With all due respect, I think that's a pronouncement that's far too premature to be valid.
More than anything DF is/was defined by a poisonous hardcore fanbase and development team that most sane people wanted nothing to do with. the elitism and aggressive that community exhibited in the lead up to launch was appalling. Given the social nature of the game, that had to influence its evolution.
MO, on the other hand, is no where near as contentious. While it may not launch with all the proper tools I'm not sure that any indie game ever has - EVE included.
Now, that said - I logged into the game for 10m last night, and it's is butt ugly, even with all the settings cranked. Maybe I've become a graphics whore since I stopped laying MMOs all the time, but I found it extremely rough on the eyes.
Hopefully I'll actually get a chance to play tonight.
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