New World: FOMO or FOTM?

A long, long time ago, in a different blog, I was frustrated with myself for trying and abandoning so many MMOs. Every new MMO that came along — I’d try.

So I started the MMO Challenge. The challenge was simply this: to play a MMO as my main game for at least a year. I’d join a guild, I’d level up, grind gear, go on raids, see all that I could see and make some memories along the way. Really dive deep. If I made that challenge, I’d know what to do when I sat down to game. I’d log into that MMO.

As it turned out, the first major MMO that was released after I made this pledge was Trion Worlds’ “Rift”. I dove right in. I played the beta and loved it. I played it when it went live. I joined a guild and became a raider. I think I left just before it went free to play, but I really enjoyed having Rift be part of my gamer identity.

I did the same with Cryptics’ Star Trek Online (a game I’d been waiting for, for years). I played that alongside one of their other MMOs, Neverwinter. I eventually left STO to focus entirely on Neverwinter. I was in a guild, had a lot of friends, did some raids. I didn’t get in many dungeon groups, so I wasn’t able to gear up sufficiently to raid. Still, I discovered their Foundry, their gateway to player-created quests and dungeons. I busily started translating EverQuest into Neverwinter, even once winning an award for best player-created quest. There was a great community of quest developers that I joined with much excitement. I gained some experience in level design and gained a real appreciation for those who do that for a living. When Neverwinter started abandoning the Foundry, I didn’t stay much longer.

I get it — the most popular quests were trivial quests that gave easy awards. Same thing that had happened with EQ2’s player quests.

I felt it was super important to get in on MMOs when they first launch, if possible. There’s the feeling that everything is new and never before seen; a feeling I get that I could actually be part of the story of that MMO.

I was there at the beginning of EverQuest and EverQuest 2. I wasn’t there quite at the beginning of World of Warcraft, but I did take a leave of absence from EQ2 to try it out, and I stayed there (go Kirin-Tor! For the Horde!) until the guild I was in dissolved due to players bitching at each other in guild all the time, a little before Burning Crusade came out. That was a good time to leave, and I’ve only played now and again since then. I’d missed out on WoW.

I was there at the beginning of Dark Age of Camelot, too. (Go Black Oaks! Go Hibernia!) I was there at the beginning and the end of Spellborn. I was at the beginning of Final Fantasy XI, and I was there at the beginning of Final Fantasy XIV, though I left before they did the big reset. I came back a few years ago just after the Heavensward expansion came out and played through until the first few months of Shadowbringers. I played EVE Online until my high sec fleet dissolved. I tried null sec, but it wasn’t for me and I quit. Now my training would be so far behind that it doesn’t make sense to ever return. I played Lord of the Rings Online for awhile, but I didn’t really know anyone there and left once I needed a guild (I didn’t commit hard enough).

Beyond that, my static Sunday group has been doing its own MMOs for years. We’ve played Dungeons & Dragons Online and Guild Wars 2 for about a year each. For about seven years now, we’ve been playing DC Universe Online.

What I don’t want to do, is start a MMO and then not follow through.

As such, I’ve been avoiding new MMOs for awhile now. I backed Star Citizen, but my bad experience with Elite Dangerous (is that even an MMO?) where I couldn’t get through the tutorial stopped me from even installing Star Citizen (what there is of it). I backed Crowfall, but the beta made me realize it wasn’t for me. I backed Shroud of the Avatar, but couldn’t get into it — it didn’t have that “Ultima feel”, and though I had some housing stuff, there were no houses I could buy.

Now, there’s Amazon’s New World. From what I understand, it’s an “Age of Exploration“-set MMO, where three factions (like DAoC) compete to exploit a new land and its inhabitants. It reminds me a little of Greedfall, a really fantastic little RPG that came out a couple years ago.

I watch my Twitter stream explode with every new MMO that comes out. Each time, I ask myself if this MMO is the one that I want to commit to for at least a year. Find a guild, explore everywhere and do everything. Take up the challenge once again.

Each time, most of the people who were so excited about the game are soon back to playing some different MMO (usually World of Warcraft). So I’d dodged a bullet there. It wasn’t sticky enough for the people I follow on Twitter. But, I’m prepared to be self-reliant and forge my own path in an MMO; look around and find people who are passionate about the game, and stick with them.

Since I’d really loved Greedfall’s setting, and Dark Age of Camelot’s three-sided faction war, this sounds like something I would really like. But I’m afraid to make the commitment. I’d do it in a second if my boyfriend wanted to do it, but he’s not excited about it (when asked: it bricks video cards and you get banned for milking a cow!)

I know that if I don’t do it at launch, I probably won’t do it ever. The new feeling just won’t be there. All the quests will be laid out bare. Eventually one faction will dominate the other two; as in DAoC and FFXIV (though in the latter, you can change your faction at any time, which makes it less of a burden).

So; am I just feeling the fear of missing out again? Is this just the new flavor of the month? Or should I be jumping on this as soon as I can?

I just don’t know.