Via EQ style = pop here you are
Via Skyrim style = riding in on a back story
Via Original Sin 2 style = back story washed up on a beach
I'm hoping some effort is put in on this and we don't just pop into the world standing in the middle of Town. Even waking up in a tavern room with a note in our inventory would be better than that.
I prefer non scenarized entrance for an MMO. They are time consuming for the devs and thus tend to be re used for every character, and end up beeing boring and repetitive.
Jump in the city of your race and close or in your class hall, get a few hints from your class trainer and go on adventuring all by yourself. No "age of conan" common starter zone with everyone beeing a slave on the shore, or wildstar starting zone beeing the same for every faction.
I would like either:
1) Mount&Blade style of picking from a list of different backgrounds ie: Our parents were [farmers, blacksmiths, warriors, mages, slaves ...] when we got older [our parents die, we run away from home, we stayed with our parents] we were forced to work as [merchant, tailor, mercenary, alchemist apprentice...] we were especially gifted/interested in [mysticism, history, survival skills, swordmanship...]
2) Animation or just text that tells us the basic informations about the world, us and our situation
3) WELL MADE starting sequence(s) that introduces us to the world and our story. I've heard that we will be "resurrected heroes" so a little backstory before we die would be fitting.
I'd also hate the "puff and here you are" scenario.
After a skippable tutorial (see other recent thread on this topic) I prefer just being in the starter area. If I care about a backstory I will create my own.
If this is too ...abrupt .... all we need is one scenario that is the same for all classes and races. As in the greatly overused (because it works) "You wake up in an alley behind a bar. You remember nothing of your past, and notice a large bump on your head - it hurts! You have no money but whoever did this to you was merciful and left you your clothes although no weapon."
Tanix said:This is something I have to say I have absolutely no care or concern about. It never bothered me that I popped into EQ. I was me, I went off into the world and made my own story.
and so tanix came into existence in terminus in search of the legendary sword of a thousand truths. unbeknownst to him, with such a weapon came the shield of a thousand lies. he roams the forums, seeking companionship. some were trolls. some were pvpers. his company favored that of fellow pvers, but not just any pvers. he was looking for hardened adventurers, not the weak pvers that wanted things now and free, but the good boys that lived with death and taxes.
Mordecai said: ^ ditto. To me it made it all the more intriguing just to be placed and set out to do what you wanted. And learn from trial and error
like a babe that came stepped out into the sun for the first time. mordecai, son of tenlock, keeper of stones, channeler of the skies, descends from the mountains of reignfall to conqueor the wilds and obtain glory for his kind.
MyNegation said: Pop, here you are: 1- i am making my own story i dont need cheezy past made for me. 2- waste of developement resources 3- it is MMO not a single person RPG, every dude/gal that i meet are orphans whose ship crashed on an island and haunted by dreams of a demon?
mynegation grew up in a small town in kingsreach. he didn't give a **** about what was going on the world. he just wanted to slay some inhabitants of a local dungeon, steal all their hard earned loot and sell it to the local blacksmith for 12 silvers for each badge of fallen guards plus drops after taxes.
I'm very much in favor of entering the game with little/no direction and having to figure out for yourself what to do and where to go. We will automatically get some backstory about our character during character creation I'm sure. Whether that's choosing a starting deity or just a brief description of our race/class etc.
I don't need an in-depth backstory and actually feel like that is detrimental. We aren't the hero or the chosen one. Drop us in game and let us figure it out for ourselves please.
philo said:I'm very much in favor of entering the game with little/no direction and having to figure out for yourself what to do and where to go. We will automatically get some backstory about our character during character creation I'm sure. Whether that's choosing a starting deity or just a brief description of our race/class etc.
I don't need an in-depth backstory and actually feel like that is detrimental. We aren't the hero or the chosen one. Drop us in game and let us figure it out for ourselves please.
philo, bard a traveler from a distant land, came to the port town of ~redacted~ in search of the fabled lute of muse. taking a deep whiff of the fresh salt water air, he joyously makes his way to the local tavern to sample the most potent ale. afterall, philo is no milkdrinker!
philo said:But what if I'm not in search of that lute, and I'm not joyous...I'm cranky and just want to do tradeskills.
Let players make their own way.
philo, a nobody, came into existence from nothing. angry with his forced life on terminus sought solace in becoming just like his creator, forcing things into existence because he wanted to know what his creator was thinking.
Yeah, I'd definitely prefer to just pop into the world without any backstory at all. All backstories do in an mmo in my opinion is make you feel restricted right out of the gate. To actually use developer resources to make a more restrictive experience is doubly undesireable in my book.
My opinion:
Option to choose:
1) Tutorial/backstory: Vanguard style. Drops you in at level 1, in a scenario appropriate for your race/class selection. Your first few levels are a guided experience to introduce you to your character, lore, and racial backstory. Of note, the backstory is about your race and its place in the world, not about your character.
2) Skip all that RP nonsense: Spawn in the world at level 3 or so, as if you had just finished the tutorial. Off you go.
I can say right now that I'd pick Option 1 on almost every character. But I get that some people just want to get to the hacking and slashing. So, we shouldn't make them suffer through something they have no interest in.
