Diversity in MMOs

[The Phantom]

Awesome Article on Advanced Classes

I just read this article and it was pretty informative about the gameplay mechanics for the Old Republic due to come out Q4. It reveals more about how the classes work, more specifically the Sith-melee classes (assuming the Sith will have casters and healers) Juggernaut and Marauder .

But honestly what he talks about later on is something that I feel deserved its own thread, because it involves all MMOs not just the Old Republic. Now I'm relatively new to the MMO-scene, I hopped onto the band-wagon back in February. But I'm not new to gaming and one thing that has bothered me about MMOs is the fact that you are given all of these choices to make your character whatever you want, but when you make a choice, if it doesn't conform to rules established by the rest of the game's players, then you are mocked and rejected on all fronts.
I've never experienced this full-on, but I've had a couple of people tell me that my character isn't in the right place or I shouldn't be using this "tree" if I'm going to be filling a certain position. And after awhile it gets ridiculous. I mean here we are making history as geeks by refusing to conform what the common man is "supposed" to find enjoyment in, and now we're turning around and treating our own the same way we all used to be treated back when role-playing games weren't popular.
Just read the article and let me know what you think.

 

[Soapy]

I'm totally fine with it. MMOs are all about playing a role in a group. If you can't understand that concept, then you shouldn't be playing an MMO.

It all comes down to if you want to play end-game stuff or not. If you do, then you have to be at the top of your game. That's a must. It's not optional. If you like to play basketball on the weekend with friends, you wouldn't expect to be drafted by the NBA would you? It's the same deal with MMOs, the top level players have a right to reject you if you're not good enough.

There are different builds and skills for very specific and very different purposes. Some are for raiding, some are for levelling, and some are for PvP. If you're trying to engage in some high-level play and aren't using the right spec or the right gear, then it just shows that you don't know how to play your class and you're probably going to bring the entire group down thus wasting everyone's time.

That's IF you want to participate in end-game content. For everyone else, there are many casual raiding or PvP guilds out there that are all about just having a good time.

In an MMO you just need to surround yourself with like-minded players and that will probably solve like 90% of your problems in the game.

 

[Cmill216]

I thought this was going to be about racial diversity.

 

[Capt Throbberson]

Pre-Everquest/WoW style MMOs sound like what you're looking for. Unfortunately they're not very marketable and you won't find many of them anymore.