If you don't mind the rogue-like style of interface (or gameplay), perhaps you should consider Dwarf Fortress?
Free and constantly under development. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's a great game with a fun community -- and the scope of the project is both immense, and slowly taking real shape.
This game exemplifies the problems and advantages of such a system incredibly well.
It has two modes --
First: a Civ mode called Fortress Mode where you try to survive in an environment of your choosing with a starting crew of 7 dwarves
Second: Adventure mode where you play a single entity in the world.
In both modes, every single entity tracks damage to individual body parts, and each part is rated on a scale ranging from healthy to completely missing, affecting every aspect of the life of the character. After one of my cats attacked an infiltrating kobold, it lost an eye and a leg, as well as suffering major head injuries. It spent the rest of it's life wandering aimlessly in my fortress and passing out randomly from the trauma until a goblin killed it during a siege.
FFXI's grind is simple compared to most Eastern MMORPGs. While it seems like a grindfest in comparison to Western MMORPGs (because it is), most Eastern MMORPGs are far worse.
Have you honestly played many MMORPGs? Eastern and Western? WoW is hardly a bad looking game, but I wouldn't place it in the category of 'most beautiful looking MMORPGs'. In fact, many Eastern MMORPGs (though not all) blow the average Western MMORPG out of the water, visually speaking. It just so happens that those games... well, suck. Very pretty to look at, not really that fun to play.
I believe that is what TFA (or at least summary) is trying to hint at.
tl;dr -- WoW isn't a bad looking game, but it's not the greatest.
Wrong interpretation of the word different. In this case, different referrs to 'different from previous results'. This requires some established results before hand -- that is, the dice would come up anything from 1 to 6. The crazy would be rolling them expecting that you will eventually get a 7. (assuming 6-sided die)
You obviously know very little about the average user. It is because the average user readily follows random instructions that virus software is so important in the first place.
Many stores will still accept the return if it's within 7-14 days. This isn't a PC game. Generally speaking, console games aren't going to be bought, ripped, copied, and played. It's far more difficult and time consuming (at least initially), and people can accomplish the same thing through rentals anyway.
I've noticed lately that people seem to want to compare GH / RB to Simon. How is this comparison even valid? About the only similarity they have is that they have colored buttons and 'lights'.
Simon requires no timing, you simply memorize a (random) sequence and simply have a time limit with which to repeat that sequence back to the game.
In rhythm games, you see, anticipate, and manipulate the corresponding device in time with music. There is physically challenging coordination required on higher difficulties. There's no memorization involved. This is not Simon.
Both games involve completely different sets of skills. Hell, within Rock Band alone, each instrument requires a different set of skills.
I have little experience with MapleStory, but in Mabinogi (another of Nexon's newer titles) paid services/items are like night and day. You can't compete without paying.
That said, I find myself enjoying micro-transaction games like these far more than games with monthly fees, because I only pay for what I want and what I will use -- and many of them are one-time purchases that last forever.
When I was growing up, this was quite possible. My father would get up for work at 4 AM and have the TV running as he got ready for work. Since others in the house were awake by the time he left for work, it generally stayed on until my brother left for school at 8:30. I would get back from school at 2:30, and would usually play video games when I got home. The TV would remain on for the rest of the night until the last of us went to bed, rarely before 11 PM. During the week, the TV was essentially on for 13 hours a day. On weekends, it was often on from 4 AM till 1 AM again. This leads to an average daily viewing of 15+ hours.
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As far as I am aware, the uncanny valley has always been applied specifically to humans.
Someone driving too fast
NCSoft is doing far better than Sony. Hell, Square-Enix's FFXI still has around 500k subscribers. Sony isn't doing well at all.
If you don't mind the rogue-like style of interface (or gameplay), perhaps you should consider Dwarf Fortress?
Free and constantly under development. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's a great game with a fun community -- and the scope of the project is both immense, and slowly taking real shape.
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/
This game exemplifies the problems and advantages of such a system incredibly well.
It has two modes --
First: a Civ mode called Fortress Mode where you try to survive in an environment of your choosing with a starting crew of 7 dwarves
Second: Adventure mode where you play a single entity in the world.
In both modes, every single entity tracks damage to individual body parts, and each part is rated on a scale ranging from healthy to completely missing, affecting every aspect of the life of the character. After one of my cats attacked an infiltrating kobold, it lost an eye and a leg, as well as suffering major head injuries. It spent the rest of it's life wandering aimlessly in my fortress and passing out randomly from the trauma until a goblin killed it during a siege.
FFXI's grind is simple compared to most Eastern MMORPGs. While it seems like a grindfest in comparison to Western MMORPGs (because it is), most Eastern MMORPGs are far worse.
Have you honestly played many MMORPGs? Eastern and Western? WoW is hardly a bad looking game, but I wouldn't place it in the category of 'most beautiful looking MMORPGs'. In fact, many Eastern MMORPGs (though not all) blow the average Western MMORPG out of the water, visually speaking. It just so happens that those games ... well, suck. Very pretty to look at, not really that fun to play.
I believe that is what TFA (or at least summary) is trying to hint at.
tl;dr -- WoW isn't a bad looking game, but it's not the greatest.
It's popular in East Asia, but not as popular as Eastern-created MMORPGs, which are similarly not as popular here as Western MMORPGs.
Which, in comparison to Blizzard's standard sales for basically anything they release, is indeed a tiny minority.
Well, even if no one else did, I laughed.
Comments like this make me feel +5 isn't enough. Well played, I haven't laughed out loud at a comment in quite a while.
Wrong interpretation of the word different. In this case, different referrs to 'different from previous results'. This requires some established results before hand -- that is, the dice would come up anything from 1 to 6. The crazy would be rolling them expecting that you will eventually get a 7. (assuming 6-sided die)
I don't know -- it could be argued that the atheist has faith that nothing exists unless we can prove it.
You obviously know very little about the average user. It is because the average user readily follows random instructions that virus software is so important in the first place.
What the hell is with the moderation lately?
-1 Offtopic
Many stores will still accept the return if it's within 7-14 days. This isn't a PC game. Generally speaking, console games aren't going to be bought, ripped, copied, and played. It's far more difficult and time consuming (at least initially), and people can accomplish the same thing through rentals anyway.
I've noticed lately that people seem to want to compare GH / RB to Simon. How is this comparison even valid? About the only similarity they have is that they have colored buttons and 'lights'.
Simon requires no timing, you simply memorize a (random) sequence and simply have a time limit with which to repeat that sequence back to the game.
In rhythm games, you see, anticipate, and manipulate the corresponding device in time with music. There is physically challenging coordination required on higher difficulties. There's no memorization involved. This is not Simon.
Both games involve completely different sets of skills. Hell, within Rock Band alone, each instrument requires a different set of skills.
I have little experience with MapleStory, but in Mabinogi (another of Nexon's newer titles) paid services/items are like night and day. You can't compete without paying.
That said, I find myself enjoying micro-transaction games like these far more than games with monthly fees, because I only pay for what I want and what I will use -- and many of them are one-time purchases that last forever.
I don't think parent is trolling, but trying to make a pun on Shiite. Please put some thought into modding.
There's a PS2 emulator that can handle a FEW games here and there, but by and large, no. GP is an idiot.
...Because the only games worth playing are made by small companies and independent groups...
Right.
Good lord, where did you learn math?
Or rather, why DIDN'T you learn math?
If you can find CDs or DVDs for a Microsoft OS on the web, you aren't looking hard enough.
Why? It could simply be a statement of fact. If the girls didn't play, then why should GP mention them?
Which is completely irrelevant to new people entering the MMO playing field, what's your point?
When I was growing up, this was quite possible. My father would get up for work at 4 AM and have the TV running as he got ready for work. Since others in the house were awake by the time he left for work, it generally stayed on until my brother left for school at 8:30. I would get back from school at 2:30, and would usually play video games when I got home. The TV would remain on for the rest of the night until the last of us went to bed, rarely before 11 PM. During the week, the TV was essentially on for 13 hours a day. On weekends, it was often on from 4 AM till 1 AM again. This leads to an average daily viewing of 15+ hours.