# Looking for an online game recommendation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957 "2004-09-10T21:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/1 "2004-09-10T21:19:50Z")
Okay, here it goes. I’m ready to dabble in online gaming. We’ve got a cable modem and a fairly good PC, and wanted to know what everyone else is playing. I’m an RPG fan, but not too keen on the open ended play of EverQuest…basically, I want something FUN, in whatever genre. I have seriously considered City of Heroes, but not sure I want to shell out the monthly fee on top of whatever it costs to buy the game. Any games I can just go buy, install, and get on a server to play? Or is pretty much everything worth playing a subscription service as well? Thoughts on this would be great. ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/2 "2004-09-10T21:55:32Z")
You, like many others, need to get over the paying of monthly fee. I will not consider an online game ever again that _doesn’t_ have a monthly fee! City of Heroes is fun but seems short on ‘staying power’. i.e. it is the same all the time. It IS fun though and I still subscribe. However… You want something different? Something totally unlike anything out there? Something for manly men and women 😉 who desire a challenge of a game with cuthroat competition, learning curves and brutal BRUTAL player vs player action? Something that rewards patience and cunning instead of charge into every combat action? A game where your palms sweat and your heart pounds? WWIIOnline… BEST. ONLINE. GAME. OUT. THERE. Hands down, in spades. That game has kept me addicted for over 2 years now and still generates excitement in me when I log in. It has some flaws but give it a whirl. It’s biggest flaw right now is 60% or so like to play Axis. Don’t do that…come join us allies. Look up the BKB squad on channel 18. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/3 "2004-09-10T22:16:20Z")
> [@Stonebow](#): > > Any games I can just go buy, install, and get on a server to play? Diablo II & Neverwinter Nights come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/4 "2004-09-10T22:26:56Z")
Check into Call of Duty and the Battlefield series. Those might not have a fee. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/5 "2004-09-10T22:36:21Z")
> [@andymurph64](#): > > I will not consider an online game ever again that doesn’t have a monthly fee! And when the inevitable comes, you’ll be stuck with a worthless CD becase the servers are permanently down. > [@](#): > > WWIIOnline… > > BEST. ONLINE. GAME. OUT. THERE. > > Hands down, in spades. [You sure about that](http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/worldwar2onlineblitzkrieg/index.html?q=wwii+online)? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/6 "2004-09-11T01:12:46Z")
Yes I’m sure about that. Yup, it had a rough beginning but that was years ago. Try it now. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/7 "2004-09-11T15:01:56Z")
Here’s an interesting one in development. Of course, it’s not scheduled for release until 2007. [http://www.perpetualent.com/pages/news.html#StarTrek](http://www.perpetualent.com/pages/news.html#StarTrek) ---
**Author:** ![gyt\_fx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@gyt\_fx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gyt_fx)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/8 "2004-09-11T15:41:12Z")
I also suggest Diablo II, And the expansion Lord of Destruction. Fairly cheap and no monthly fee :D. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/9 "2004-09-11T19:40:16Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > And when the inevitable comes, you’ll be stuck with a worthless CD becase the servers are permanently down.[You sure about that](http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/worldwar2onlineblitzkrieg/index.html?q=wwii+online)? :dubious: That review is \*\* three years old\*\* and complains about bugs. Can’t find anything more relevant to attack the game with? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/10 "2004-09-13T20:22:09Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > That review is \*\* three years old\*\* and complains about bugs. I didn’t link to the review and a 7.0 fan rating doesn’t sound like the best online game out there hands down in spades. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/11 "2004-09-13T20:28:44Z")
Not an RPG, but I definately Reccomend Unreal Tournament 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/12 "2004-09-13T21:43:17Z")
I’m going to recommend a game that you can’t possibly play, and when you can play it, you’re gonna have to pay an online fee. So you can stop now if you’d like :). I’ve just finished playing in the stress beta test for World of Warcraft, a MMORPG that blew my socks off. Granted, I’ve never played in a MMORPG since the days of text-based MUSHes and MUDs, so I dont’ have a lot to compare it to, but folks who’ve played its relatives seem to prefer it pretty overwhelmingly. It’s quest-based, like an RPG: you’ll always have missions to accomplish, from the fairly basic collection of body parts, all the way up to the more complicated missions in which you’re exploring, performing experiments at distant locations, surreptitiously switching one item for another as part of a practical joke, and so forth. Because you’re doing these missions, because you’ve got these goals, the game very rarely feels drudgerylike. The graphics are jawdroppingly beautiful. There were multiple times in the game where I said, “Holy fuck!” at some new scene, whether it was the underground dwarven museum, or the flight of the wyverns, or the demon-summoning rituals amongst fields of molten lava. Even the everyday scenery was gorgeous. And the cookies were just right, IMO. You can play for an hour and accomplish something, whether it’s the attainment of a new level, the qualification for a new special ability, the acquisition of a new item, or whatever. I really appreciate that, since I’ll often play a computer game over my lunch break. Sadly, the game isn’t due out for a few more months. But the open beta will be coming around soon; keep an eye on [www.worldofwarcraft.com](http://www.worldofwarcraft.com) for an announcement of the beta. Playing in the beta, of course, will be free; if you don’t like it, nothing lost. It’s gonna be the first MMORPG to which I subscribe. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/13 "2004-09-13T22:00:21Z")
I, too, just finished playing the WoW stress test, and I agree with **LHoD**. It’s great fun! It’s almost evil that they let us play for a week then yanked it, but I, for one, am very much looking forward to the release. Blizzard really did their homework on this one. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/14 "2004-09-14T00:44:49Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I’ve just finished playing in the stress beta test for World of Warcraft, a MMORPG that blew my socks off. Granted, I’ve never played in a MMORPG since the days of text-based MUSHes and MUDs, so I dont’ have a lot to compare it to, but folks who’ve played its relatives seem to prefer it pretty overwhelmingly. My good friend is a GM recruit for WoW, and he showed me around the servers last weekend. It’s pretty impressive. He showed me how dungeon instances work, and this may well be the thing that makes me subscribe, too. When you and a party enter a dungeon to fulfill a quest, the server spawns a _unique instance_ of that dungeon for your party, so that you alone can explore it and solve the puzzles… instead of sharing it with a thousand punks and assorted PKers… Imagine if BioWare had designed a MMORPG for their NWN engine, instead of relying on amateurs to do it… and included provisions for persistent worlds. And the graphics are at least as good, if not better. Blizzard has done it again! I’ll third my recommendation of WoW… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/15 "2004-09-14T03:29:14Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > He showed me how dungeon instances work, and this may well be the thing that makes me subscribe, too. When you and a party enter a dungeon to fulfill a quest, the server spawns a _unique instance_ of that dungeon for your party, so that you alone can explore it and solve the puzzles… instead of sharing it with a thousand punks and assorted PKers… pssst… **bughunter** … _all_ the good MMORPGS do that nowadays… even Everquest has instanced dungeons and raids. Blizzard is good, no doubt about that, but instanced dungeons isn’t something they made up. ---
**Author:** ![BadBadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BadBadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBadger)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/16 "2004-09-14T12:02:11Z")
> [@](#): > > My good friend is a GM recruit for WoW, and he showed me around the servers last weekend. It’s pretty impressive. I was really looking forward to this and a friend of mine told me the whole project was scrapped! Thought I saw something too… We absoultely positive that this is going forward? I tend to play NWN now on [Dalakora](http://www.dalakora.co.uk) And I’m still waiting for the UK release of City of Heroes… ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/17 "2004-09-14T12:03:59Z")
Been playing WoW since February (I was in the Friends and Family Alpha), and I quit EverQuest after 5 years of playing one character, if that tells you anything about how much WoW rocks. ALL the classes are so much fun, I can’t pick one to settle down with for retail, so I’ve already planned on having a ton of alts. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/18 "2004-09-14T13:25:20Z")
> [@BadBadger](#): > > I was really looking forward to this and a friend of mine told me the whole project was scrapped! Thought I saw something too… We absoultely positive that this is going forward? Yes, absolutely positive. It’s almost done, in fact. Check out [www.worldofwarcraft.com](http://www.worldofwarcraft.com). **Cerri** can you tell us some more about the classes? I have to admit - next to EQ, the classes in Warcraft seem very simple. I only played for a week though - got a hunter and a mage up to 13. Neither would be my first choice for a "real"char. I’m thinking maybe warrior or rogue. Although, I do have to admit… as a chanter in EQ, that mage “sheep” spell is so fookin’ funny that I giggle every time I use it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/19 "2004-09-14T13:54:17Z")
Yeah, if Blizzard cancels this game after doing a 100,000 person stress test, there’s something wrong :). I played both a warrior and a priest in the stress test, and had the most fun with the warrior. I don’t know how complicated the class was compared to classes in other games, but a typical battle for me might have looked something like this: 1. Circle around an enemy until I can approach the enemy from a good angle. 2. Use the Charge ability to stun the enemy and build up my rage (rage=mana for warriors; you get it by hitting people and getting hit) 3. If there’s other bad guys nearby who might be tempted to leap into the fray, leap back a bit to avoid attracting their attention. 4. Use a Demoralizing Shout special ability to scare my enemy, decreasing its attack rating, meanwhile be attacking the enemy. 5. Use a Battle Shout (or something) special ability to increase my own attack rating, meanwhile be attacking the enemy. 6. If they’re nasty, or if someone else has joined the battle, use Hammer Strike to do a little bit of damage and (more importantly) slow their attacks down. 7. use Rend to do some damage over time to them. 8. Use Heroic Strike to do a lot of damage to them. 9. If they’re humans or another cowardly race, use Hamstring on them once they start getting weak in order to slow their movement down so they can’t run away. In other words, a fairly normal battle might involve using eight different special abilities, in addition to my normal attack. Almost every battle involved at least three special abilities. And this doesn’t include drinking potions or using other items, and I didn’t really begin to explore alternate battles stances for the warrior, which allow whole different sets of special abilities. The fights tended to last less than a minute, unless it was a complicated fight involving myself, a party of friends, and several monsters. It was pretty fast-paced, but not so fast-paced that I couldn’t do lots of stuff in a fight; it kept me interested and involved in the action. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![BadBadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BadBadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBadger)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957/20 "2004-09-14T15:09:23Z")
Appears my friend was talking about Warhammer :wally Wonder how it would be if I grabbed a copy from the US and joined their servers (from UK). Got DSL and a reasonably quick machine. Do you reckon lag would come into play? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-online-game-recommendation/263957.md?page=2)