The Shrine

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Now that I actually read up on FFXI, I may pick it up. It's still a level-based system, but the fact that I can switch jobs at any time really appeals to me...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Unfortunately, I doubt I'll ever play a MMORPG. That's a shame, because if I could play one, a Final Fantasy themed one is what I'd like to play.</div>

<div style='font: bold 9pt ; text-align: left; '>It sounds pretty cool, I think.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>Errr why not? 10 years down the line, online gameplay will be a simple reality on home consoles.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>This generation is still too early. XBox Live is the best implementation, but broadband still isn't prevalent enough. As long as people have to buy extra hardware and broadband isn't the standard, online gaming will remain a niche.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>True, what's why I give it 10 years. :)</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I'd personally be surprised if the next generation of consoles (2005 or so) come without some sort of built in internet/storage.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Time. I like to be able to put a game down for weeks, or months, at a time if necessary.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt ; text-align: left; '>I have your same opinion, but i hate monthly fees. I still may (thats a big may) get it, but i dunno.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Ditto. Every MMO I've played has only gone as far as level 13-15.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Monthly fees on MMORPGs have never bothered me. If I'm truly enjoying one I'm playing, I spend enough time playing it that I actually save money by buying fewer other games.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt ; text-align: left; '>Thats a good point, 10 bucks or so a month for 20+ hours of a game beats other forms of entertainment.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>me too. DAoC... E&B... blehhh</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Both profoundly mediocre games.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Actually, I got to lvl 35 on E&B, but then again, you get levels 3x as fast and the cap is 150.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>DAoC is actually a pretty solid game with the RvR system.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>It's hide and seek on a glorified golf course.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>DAoC managed to secure 3rd place on user base so they must've done something right.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Let's not get into the "Lots of people play this so it must be good" argument. By that logic Lineage is arguably the best MMOG around, and that's fucking hilarious.</div>

<div style='font: bold 10pt ; text-align: left; '>That and the fact that competetors haven't come out with anything to really challenge EQ, DAoC and the like. SWG = omg shoot me, AO = wish people could program, and ShadowBane = look, the graphics look like genuine ass, too bad I can't appreciate them because I lose my connection and have to wait 20 min at the log in screen :P

FFXI is the one that will give DAoC, EQ and whoever else is in the top 3 there (perhaps it IS lineage?) a run for their money, because it's A) Something new and B) (this one is a big one here kids) It's fucking Final Fantasy :p</div>

<div style='font: bold 10pt ; text-align: left; '>hope my info about korea/lineage is right btw, this is just stuff I've been told :P</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Not anymore.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>When you look at the Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, Korea, etc... you're generally looking at a market with very narrow competition. I don't know about Japan but the cyber cafe culture in Taiwan and Korea also is friendly for MMORPGs. There seems to be also social pressure to play such games (i.e. your friend all play it, so you should too). At least with Taiwan, the lack of competition allows some games that are absolute trash to remain quite succesful.

But if you restrict yourself to the North America + Europe community that do not seem to have any unrealistic pressures or favoritism that'd cause one MMORPG to dominate, I think the numbers do speak for themselves pretty well. For more information, check out http://pw1.netcom.com/~sirbruce/Subscriptions.html

Speaking of Lineage, I heard the first one sucked, but the 2nd one at least looks pretty. Maybe the gameplay sucks but it's not exactly 'who made this game' kind of bad.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Sirbruce... *twitch* *spasm*</div>

<div style='font: italic bold 14pt ; text-align: center; '>The game is absolutely fantastic. a friend of mine demo'd the ps2 version. he had almolst no lag and was on dialup. very steady and very fun as well. I loved it</div>