Catyclysm = New Coke?

[speaks]

So, as many of you know, I stopped playing WoW about 6 months ago. The main reason was that most groups doing the content I wanted to do also required a minimum of 4 hours a night 3 nights a week raiding. I am not prepared to COMMIT to a part time job for my entertainment. I have been telling people I would probably come back when Catyclysm

Comments

[chapel_of_words]

I've heard some good things about DDO in terms of short bite-sized play, also Star Trek Online. When things cool down at work I'm going to be looking for my next MMORPG fix and I'm with you - although it was fun in yesteryear to spend all weekend and many nights playing a game, it's just hard to reliably be able to put that kind of time in.

Tim C.

[martinhesselius]

*Nod*
The DDO dungeons also tell you if they're long or medium or short, which I really like.
cyberduck, leliel, and I are playing on Cannith server, and just ran a three-dungeon arc last night.

I *don't* think DDO is as polished as WoW, even the WoW of 2005.
But I do like the "freemium" format, as I think that creates a sustainable business model.
They do give great benefits to subscribers ("VIPs"), but everything is now open to the rest of us.
(And I think I'll keep EVE as my only pay-to-play MMO ^_^ )

It looks like a good microtransaction model

[martinhesselius]

*nod*
That sounds like a fair assessment.
Apparently even subscribers are buying more from the DDO store --
They'll pay for vanity items, etc.

[mystech]

Have you considered a non-MMO form of entertainment?

[chapel_of_words]

I've gotten a lot of fun personally out of CivIV which has a ton of replayability and for interactive fun a free Battletech simulator/campaign that is as real to the original tabletop board games as you can get, online, and at about 1/20th the time (still takes 3hours for a game but that.

Tim C.

[speaks]

I have... Mostly reading. I probably still read about 20-100 pages a night depending on how good the book is and how tired I am.

I do a fair bit of TV watching, but there is so little worth watching.

But in the $ per Hour MMOs are pretty good entertainment.

[sparkindarkness]

JOIN USSSSSSSSSSS JOIN USSSSSSSSSSSSS

[speaks]

I have some friends trying to get me to move from Medivh-Alliance to WhisperWind-Alliance.

I have 4 80s so that gets expensive. Maybe if they offered me a free move or two as part of coming back

w00t

[gollwyn]

Speaks,

You just need to move down a step from crazy progression guilds. SCARAB is a long running guild, which mostly fields 10 mans, and is not yet in ICC, still playing ToC. You'd be very welcome for your experience, and the laid back runs are designed for maximum fun.

I've run enough pick up groups to have the new perky pug on two characters, and I've never seen anyone bounced on gearscore, or even heard of it. Now if you want to pug ICC (which happens) - prepare to weather a gear/achievement check. But otherwise? Play on!

And you don't have to go to Outland at all if you don't want to - just level in instances and/or BGs. I have leveled a healer to 40s without doing any questing (except fun looking ones I poke at) at all.

~B

[chapel_of_words]

Here's a pretty low of time investment yet amazingly fun game:

http://progresswars.com/

=)

Tim C.

[pleroma]

A number of friends of mine and I do a WoW RP and Lore podcast called Hearthstone Tavern and can be gotten through iTunes and Podbean.

You might find the subjects interesting: the last one we recorded was about "Love and Relationships in RP."