Progress on my gaming venture:
Previously I posted about what games I am playing in lieu of New World to satisfy my MMO 'craving'. I selected older MMOs in the form of EvE Online, LotRO, and Guild Wars 2.
EvE Online Progression thoughts:
MMORPGs often have a progression of zones as the player progresses that increase the level of the mobs and rewards accordingly with the players increasing level. So all my previous times I've played EvE Online I have played with this thought of progression in my head , but that train of thought doesn't go 1 for 1 in a sandbox MMO. the player is ultimately in charge of what constitutes as 'progression' in a sandbox MMO Considering there is such a vast star map with something to do in each one. The key, I think, is finding a cluster of stars that fit what I want to do in game to successfully act as my 'gameplay loop'.
I found a few low sec systems that held a good amount of sites for scanning, my objective being the data / relic points, but the market for these items at nearby stations is pretty under the regional average, probably because it is too close to a tutorial system, and would be impossible for me to make any ISK to possibly advance my goal.
Grid formations get crazy
So while I have found a suitable scanning spot the return on items obtained in that regional marketplace just isn't worth it to me. I've saved the systems location though and if I find a station with more favorable selling prices nearby I will return to scan, collect, and resell.
Wow! This is worthless!
The systems are many and finding a 'home' system are part of the gameplay loop I've never realized until now.
Guild Wars 2 Progression Thoughts:
PvP Matchmaking balances everyones stats to make a match as fair as possible but gear sets and effects are still an advantage many players have over me. I can only juke, dip, and flip so much before I get got by the gear disparity. So doing the average leveling path for this game(I think) is the way to get gear.
Giant spiders are always a menace
Fisher NPC approaching me? He must know my favorite past-time!
It's a trap...
Still, I want to PvP and I'll queue after running a few events and filling up the NPC requirements bar in an area and buying any upgrades available to me.
PvP is fun and seeing how all the classes interact in a fight is interesting if not a little too flashy sometimes. Then again I am the guy throwing grenades everywhere so I should be the last one to call other classes out for their flash factor.
I picked a bad skirmish
It is cool seeing the projectile system in effect and how terrain can be both advantageous or hindering depending on who is on the receiving end.
I picked a good skirmish
All in all a solid quick match system and gameplay loop that leave my PvP wants satisfied.
LOTRO Progression thoughts:
I did buy a character level up boost for my AI Avatar idea so I could freely roam Middle-Earth and cut on the downtime between new locations and fishing sites but since I've been on hiatus with that project and was looking for a game to play and already had this installed I figured I should actually experience the story of Lord of the Rings online. Taking a Roleplay approach is a big help when playing MMORPGs with a huge level cap because otherwise the quests, button mashing, and progress feels endless.
Thankfully the quest descriptions, the increased difficulty I applied (3+ Fearless), and experiencing the story for the first time helps keep the roleplay active and makes the gameplay feel better.
I am hesitant when approaching enemy NPC camps because those tend to be close quarters and some aggro ranges go through walls and if the player isn't careful they might accidentally aggro the whole camp and die.
Any quest is a stealth quest if there are no survivors
I normally would take on any 'unique' NPCs because of the loot they drop but the health difference plus my lack of knowledge on how the difficulty affects each encounter is somewhat daunting for me to take it on. It's not like there is a permadeath feature but I would like to see how far I can go without needlessly dying.
All in all, progress is being made and I haven't felt the need to do further research on any other MMORPGs because these 3 games, while splitting my attention (and hard drive space!), do leave a sense of satisfaction after I am done playing because I've accomplished my 'goal'.
It's silly because if I just focused on one MMO I would be much further with a specific goal but the focus and feeling for each day is never the same and to not have the options available at any moment feels restricting.
Oh well, my fault for wanting it all!
Thank you for reading!