I've realized what the problem is...

Shanna

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

That is such a bummer, because I very much wanted to recapture my youth with this game. To recapture that "first love" feeling. Where I could forget the cares of the world around me, and get lost in a fantasy.

I, at this point, figure that no game currently produced is able to do that. Good luck to Zen in their quest to win the hearts of the youngsters/inexperienced/youthful converts. May their experience here be the likes of mine with Morrowind (on the xbox.)

Gilvoth

Shanna wrote: »

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

That is such a bummer, because I very much wanted to recapture my youth with this game. To recapture that "first love" feeling. Where I could forget the cares of the world around me, and get lost in a fantasy.

I, at this point, figure that no game currently produced is able to do that. Good luck to Zen in their quest to win the hearts of the youngsters/inexperienced/youthful converts. May their experience here be the likes of mine with Morrowind (on the xbox.)

awesome post and a good read. i agree with you sincerely.
i have come to terms with the fact that morrowind was a diamond found in the mud that will never be replaced. sad truth that i must endure.

siledre

I've been playing with computers since my first, a TRS-80 model 3, skipping the dull details, my first experience with the MMO's was EQ. nothing prepared me for it, I don't think you could have but since then I've been playing them, I don't think it's just the game though, I think it's just that we can't experience that newness anymore, the awesomeness of that first time in a virtual world that you could never tell in simple words to a non-gamer. the magic may be gone but it doesn't mean the marriage is over. it has to do with concentrating on the positive aspects of the game you play, also it helps to not take heed of negativity of someone else, you have to base it on your own feelings. if there aren't enough positives then you have to move on till you find the one that has more positives than negatives.

MrDenimChicken

meh, I still feel like Skyrim rekindled some of that feeling of complete immersion and awe I felt as a child. Not with this game, unfortunately.

DeLindsay

Shanna wrote: »

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

That is such a bummer, because I very much wanted to recapture my youth with this game. To recapture that "first love" feeling. Where I could forget the cares of the world around me, and get lost in a fantasy.

I, at this point, figure that no game currently produced is able to do that. Good luck to Zen in their quest to win the hearts of the youngsters/inexperienced/youthful converts. May their experience here be the likes of mine with Morrowind (on the xbox.)

Damn I'm old compared to you. I started playing video games on a C64/Pong Console/Atari. I can't tell you the number of HOURS I spent trying to beat Hero on C64.

LrdRahvin

Pong and Odyssey ftw! Old fart gamers unite!

Gilvoth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j429zhJH1gU

this was my very first video game, it was a hand held device. it was in i believe 1982

no, wait i correct myself my 1st video game was this one, space invaders. i would sit at pizza hut and arcades and play it for 25 cents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=437Ld_rKM2s

Gilvoth

no, im wrong yet again. my 1st was atari, i think ...
the ping pong game was it? trying to remember not easy ....

Izzban

Shanna wrote: »

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

There is no generation where gaming defined the youth, but not the adult. In fact, one could make a case for the exact opposite.

Gaming has been on a the rise since early Atari and there is no evidence to support your "generation" theory yet.

You simply played games a while ago and feel nostalgic about them. Hardly something to define a generation over.

TheAmu

This might help.

• While in game, ignore or remove the chat window.
• Never (rarely) visit the forums.
• Only use google if you're absolutely stuck on something for days (weeks)
• Stop and enjoy the scenery.

The last time a game felt truly magical and epic and unlike anything else I'd played before was FFXI. And most of that had to do with the fact that I didn't participate in forums, and there was no constant chat feed. It was just me and the big scary (essentially silent) world.

It existed only when I logged on and played it.

Guppet

Izzban wrote: »

Shanna wrote: »

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

There is no generation where gaming defined the youth, but not the adult. In fact, one could make a case for the exact opposite.

Gaming has been on a the rise since early Atari and there is no evidence to support your "generation" theory yet.

You simply played games a while ago and feel nostalgic about them. Hardly something to define a generation over.

But every generation likes to think thier generation invented sex and drugs, nope definately never happened before they did it.

aipex8_ESO

Wait, so this is a goodbye thread and you call people that like the game inexperienced kids? And you're getting agrees and awesomes! LOL! You silver tongued devil.

Mordria

Shanna wrote: »

I'm frankly of the generation where gaming defined my youth, but not my adulthood.

That is such a bummer, because I very much wanted to recapture my youth with this game. To recapture that "first love" feeling. Where I could forget the cares of the world around me, and get lost in a fantasy.

I, at this point, figure that no game currently produced is able to do that. Good luck to Zen in their quest to win the hearts of the youngsters/inexperienced/youthful converts. May their experience here be the likes of mine with Morrowind (on the xbox.)

You know what they say - first time is always best! That doesn't mean you have to stop, uhh... first timing. Unfortunately life is like that with everything as you get older. The list of "been there/done that" gets longer and longer. Well, unless you're a complete closet case. If you're looking to feel nostalgic you could always play Morrowind again! You should stick around. There's lots of good stuff in store for this game.

RazielSR

I understand you OP. The same happens to me with the vast majority of games. I was born in 82 and I'm playing games 89/90 more or less. It's true that in the vast majority of cases you can't capture again what once was lost inside of you. Anyway, with TES games I ALWAYS feel the same or even better. I'm playing TES games since Daggerfall and for me, Skyrim has been the best of them. Mainly because of the mods of course, but for me, the most important think is that while you are growing, Todd Howard and other developers are growing with you and know what to do to please old and new players. With TESO, being a completely different thing if you compare to the sp TES games, I have to say that step by step I'm starting to feel that TES feeling. Of course it always had TES feeling but for me it was not enough. But, seeing how ZOS is improving and putting a lot of heart into it, I'm really happy again with this game. Of course it would never be like TES SP games for me, but it is very good.

Back on topic, the games that with years I just came to hate, are the shooters. When I was 10-20 they were my main reason to play. Then Legacy of Kain saga was my main reason. From 20 something to now, that I'm 31, I just can play RPG or action RPG. With Mass Effect saga, Dragon Age 1 (not the horrible 2), TES games, FALLOUT games, Drakensang saga, Risen saga, and some mmorpg (in fact I just like this and I liked Age of Conan that I played for 2 years), I don't need more games. Well and GTA games of course. I just skip the games that are not about open world.

AngryWolf

Well, I played games growing up, but being outside defined my youth, but I see what you are saying. I don't know if an MMO will give you the immersion you are looking for really. This game try's harder than most MMO's, but in the end you have others running around, sometimes ruining your gaming experiences, zone chat off the hook with people selling stuff, you just won't get full immersion. You need single player games for the immersion you are looking for(IMHO).

Skryim was extremely immersive. I have found my hometown guys making Dragon Age and Mass Effect games put out VERY immersive games. I've seen previews of the new Dragon Age and it looks quite amazing. Try some of those games I think you will get the fix you're looking for.

Redlag

D&D ColecoVision was my first rpg. I hated it.

It wasn't until Final Fantasy III that I started liking RPGs. After that Seventh Saga. My first mmo was Ultima Online. Second was DAoC. I haven't truly enjoyed an mmo since. I guess if your first mmo was EQ the genre was unfolding perfectly for you. WoW was a good replacement.

There is so much a new gamer will never have experienced that has been left by the way side. Like UO for example. Fizzling spells that you don't have the correct magic level to cast. Going to any bank and being a dumpster diver going through the loot other people were just throwing on the ground.

I had a mentor. Just like Merlin trained King Arthur. My second day in mmorpgs I was in a graveyard killing spectres and wraiths to level my skills. I was dying a lot. There was this player named Kunda standing at the fence watching. So it was embarrassing. He said, No no, you're doing it all wrong. Come with me. He made a gate/portal and said click on it. So I did and I was ported to the front of his house. He ran in and came running back out. He said," I friend thee". " WHAT?" This guy is weird! "Come on, I had to make you a friend so you could come in. Go to the roof". I sat on a chair and watch him run back and forth opening boxes and going through treasure chests.. like mad wizard.

After about 5 minutes of watching him run around he throws a magic book on the ground and says take that.. So I did and said, "It doesn't have anything in it?". He just ignores me and sits down and starts to write something in a book. Hmm, then he throws down two spell scrolls and said take those and drop them on the magic book I just gave you.. I did and it added them to the book. Then he threw down 1000 of each reagent that you need to cast spells and before he could type I picked them up. "Good, now cast magic arrow and target yourself"? "What? You can cast magic on yourself"? "Just do it".. ok... *Fizzle* *Fizzle**Fizzle*... "This doesn't even work".. "Just do it already. You're learning magic!" Before I knew it he was having me cast fire wall and running through it. "WHY AM I RUNNING THROUGH THIS!!!"... You're building your resistance to magic so you don't die easily..

I had other friends that were noobs like me. I was teaching them everything Kunda was teaching me. No, no, you need a silver weapon to fight skeletons.. Here, try this.. "OMG I'm so awesome with this weapon!!" I would go to Kunda's house every day. Run right to the roof where he was sitting crafting spells. I assumed to sell, and would tell him of all my adventures and how I was fighting this and that now.. "Until one day I came running up.. Kunda, Kunda, come with me. Check THIS OUT!!" I opened up a gate to Destard level 2 and jumped in it. Kunda came walking through a few seconds later. Upon seeing 2 shadow wyverns he jumped back into the gate.. LMAO.. I went back through to see what was going on.. "Are you trying to get me killed!! I have thousands of reagents on me that I can't afford to lose!". Casting another gate.. "Come on I want to show you that I can kill them!" He went and seen me fight two of the strongest mobs in the game..

The next day. Kunda came to my house. He had bought me the deed and helped me place it pretty close to his. I was decorating a few things by locking down miscellaneous items in the game that players had figured out how to use to look like real furniture and stuff. He let me know that my friendship had meant a lot to him and he enjoyed teaching me about the game. He said, I don't really need his help anymore and that I had surpassed him at the game. He gave me his account information and said Kunda is mine now. Friends had warned me that he's creepy. I knew he was 55 and he knew I was 23 with a wife. He had never said anything inappropriate to me. So I stayed his friend. He let me know that day that he had cancer and no family. He didn't have the energy to stay online anymore. He thanked me for my friendship again. Let me know how he grew up reading Tolkien and our friendship allowed him to know how it felt to be a real life Gandalf.

Going through his things was like going through my father's stuff after he had passed away. I found out he was poor as dirt and didn't leave me anything but some of the greatest mmorpg memories. He had crafted hundreds of spell books to give to new players and wasn't creepy at all.

I haven't told anyone about that. Not even my wife. I was a grown man completely immersed in a video game fantasy world. I say this now, because mmorpgs are now created by corporations that create based on what's best for the developers. Not what's actually fun to do. There isn't any real content. A questing system. Resources on the ground for crafters. Then group raids to funnel players into content thats easy to make. A cave. A big mob that takes a guild to kill. Forced content through BoP and BoE. THE END. There is nothing new under the sun. The developers prey on the fact that populations increase. More younger players always enter the genre and have no clue what an RPG is and that this game is just like any other EQ/WoW clone. An uncreative pile of expletive.

Anyone who is here for TES. Welcome to mmorpg. Where the RPG should be left out of the description since it hasn't even been in a mmo since the early 2000's. Call them mmotrgs Treadmilling Raid Games. Anyone who has played in mmorpg that wasn't a raid game long ago when they existed.. Build them up to their children. Then get to watch our children chase down RECOUNT DPS meters to feel like their having fun. Developers hinge on venomous fanbois to chase down anyone unhappy about their products. Playing an mmo now is like reentering high school. Every system is wrong. Everything is boring. The ones who haven't experience immersion and depth shame you as an outsider that should go play something else. Which I would love to. Im sick of spending money on cloned crud. It's like the developers from different games had a meeting and decided what works best for them and to make pacts to stick to it no matter if its fun for the player base or not.

Its why every game released since WoW just has a flash flood of people buy it and then mass exodus it before the monthly fee. We're all NOT looking for WoW and tedious forced questing right into raiding. Do devs even understand it's all highschool? Listening to raiders rage, tell each other their brainless, blame each other, put each other down, measure dps, watch each other's rotations. etc etc.. they'll say you suck...When its more of NO, Im good at this. Ive been doing it for almost 20 years. I just don't belong in highschool trying to get along with a guild full of toxic raiding players just because I like something they will never get to experience and eat up the dumbed down version. They make all kinds of excuses and so does every raider and fanboi. BUT maybe, the masses of mmo nomads, the wandering genre.. Doesn't want the WoW formula? Maybe, just maybe, we want an RPG again. Whoever figures out to give us something as creative as UO without the ganking.. Will be rich. That's for sure.

Regardless. Im figuring out that this isn't meant for me anymore. Im also thinking about how to get my kids away from something this toxic. Where developers create to feed escapist addictive mentalities more than players looking just for fun.