Searching for a needle in a needle stack.

[jackofallgeeks]

I like MMOs.

I've played World of Warcraft, The Matrix Online, Guild Wars, Dungeon Runner, City of Heroes, City of Villains, and EVE Online.

Some are better than others. WoW has arguably the strongest base, but CoH/V gives you great control over customizing your character. GuildWars is subscriptionless and generally good; Dungeon Runner is subscriptionless and mediocre-at-best. EVE Online is a very cool idea, but comes of as dull and confusing. In fact, the only reason I've played EVE at all is because I got a free trial of it. After two days, I still don't know what I'm supposed to do or how to improve my character, so the odds of me *paying* for the game are slim.

The point is, though, offering a free trial is probably the best thing an MMO can do right now. "The first taste is free," and if your game can deliver then they'll come back for more. That's part of the trouble I'm having right now, or rather, that's the problem I wish I was having.

Tabula Rasa is out. It's a new MMO, big whup, but instead of being another Fantasy game (as it seems most MMOs are), they're taking a Sci-Fi track. That's nothing new, The Matrix Online and EVE Online are both Sci-Fi, but not being "another fantasy game" is at least a step in the right direction. In my opinion, Matrix was half-cocked and EVE is not-even but still, two points for effort. Tabula Rasa is even supposed to play less like a standard 3rd-person MMO and more like a 1st-person shooter -- hitting your target is still based on stats and die-rolls, but the look and feel (I'm told) is FPS. That's a good mark, too.

The trouble is, I can't seem to find a free trial to the game. Which is a HUGE obstacle to even giving the game a shot. To buy the software is $50 right now, and then to get a month's subscription is $15 additional. I'm unwilling to pay $65 on a game sight-unseen when there are other quasi-similar games that I already have a feel for. If it was, say, $20+$15, or maybe even $25+$15, then I might be willing to give it a shot, but $65 is just outrageous, *especially* when I have no idea what the game is actually *like*. If I'd paid $65 to get EVE Online I'd be pissed.

So, I'm stuck. I'd like to give Tabula Rasa a shot, I think it looks like good stuff, but I thought the same of EVE before I played it. I'm not saying that Tabula Rasa and any other MMO that tried to break onto the scene without a free trial is going to fail, per se, but I am saying it's unlikely that I'll be playing.

That being said, I'm going to hop onto CoH/V.

Edit: Apparently the $50 buy-in includes a month of playtime. That's still $35+$15, which at least brings it down to an almost-reasonable level. I still have my reservations.

Comments

[quix.livejournal.com]

IIRC, Tabula Rasa was running free trials some months back. But I think they've stopped that now.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Fat lot of good that does me. I was thesis-ing. :p

In related news, I think I'm going to steal your icon.

[naughtjennifer.livejournal.com]

Free trials fell away a bit ago. Since you're subscribed to NC, they'll prolly let you know when another free trial comes along.

General opinion I've received from my MMO friends is that it's not especially worth it. Pretty, and a nice character creator, but a lil' uninteresting when they actually got into it. Take that as you will.

[bsgnome.livejournal.com]

"Searching for needle in a needle stack"? Wow, it's a whole new impossible.

I envision some Grecian hero being confronted by Hecate, and she tells him that he may have audience with Hades, but only if he can find the slightly bent needle from amongst a trillion needles. Upon finding a bent needle, he approaches Hecate, and she sighs, "Alas, but that is the bent needle, I require the slightly bent needle," ...

[thismortalquill.livejournal.com]

We play EVE. It's bloody fantastic. It has the steepest learning curve of any game I've seen to date, and unless you really have a passion for figuring things out on your own by internet research, you're better off immediately finding a group of semi-experienced people to play with.

It's a wonderful game, but somehow I don't think you'd like it at all.

Patrick says ANY TIME you want to learn the ins and outs of EVE, send a message to Chant Reynolt in game and mention me, or drop me a line.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Amusingly, just after making this post I rolled up an Amarrian solidier who I've really come to like, and I almost have the hang of how skills and ship parts and combat and everything goes. I'm still a little lost, but I may actually subscribe. Especially if I can find people to play with, but you and Patrick are in Alaska, aren't you?

Anyways, he should have an EVE-mail from Lucien DuVall. That's me (in case the blatant name-dropping in said EVE-mail didn't give it away).

[quix.livejournal.com]

Appropo of nothing, I saw this and thought of you. Just FYI in case you missed it:
http://community.livejournal.com/shadowscene/733991.html

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen that, and it's too bad -- I might've tried to go. I love VNV Nation, and probably could've found people to go up with me (I'm a very social creature, but I can't bear going to social events alone).