What are your thoughts on the "free" MMOs like DDO and LotR?

Any of them notably fun?

DDO is alright. Its got more stuff going for it than fight the monster, carry items to person B. It plays a lot like D&D, you have needs for thieves, and warrior types. Magic works mostly like D&D (but changes slots to spell points, but you still have limited spells.)

I find it fun enough to do with a group of people I know. Its a bit dated even on its highest graphics settings.



LOTRO online, is everything WOW wished it could be, I don't get the WOW love and LOTRO dislike. Other than LOTRO requires heftier graphic cards. It is beautiful, it does LOTR very visually and nigh pitch perfect as one is going to get for a video game. (One exception the Runecaster class or whatever its called--too blammy for magic in LOTOR, the Lorekeeper was perfect for that, and still fits the setting.)

I jump in LOTRO from time to time, but usually at too odd hours to get someone to play with me.

DDO is less MMO feeling most of the time, LOTRO is definitely into being an MMO but an excellent and elegant one for what it's setting.


They are both good, LOTRO borders on being great for the formula.

Champions Online is going free online next year, but they're looking to do it in a horrible way, far more limitations than LOTRO, or DDO have in terms of design.

DDO and LOTRO have picked up populations since they've gone free. I'm not Sure CO will.

I mostly play City of Heroes, which is a deeply flawed game, but its players, and ease of play (no gear) helps me stay interested. It however still has a fee (plus if you want Going Rogue content, you have to buy the expenasion.)

Still I am not the optimal judge. I don't much care for MMO formats. Yet I stick to playing COH and LOTRO. (DDO I feel a bigger need for a party since it actually does D&D so well.)

LOTRO is a fantastic game. I think it is much better than WoW.
I don't know much about DDO.
Champs is going free next year, and I currently play it. It's a lot of fun if you like supers.

LoTRO, is better than many games that still charge a sub fee for play

D&D0, is okay, but there are better F2P games that deserve more of your time and attention.

ALLODs is largely a WoW clone, that's F2P with graphics that on the whole are superior to World of Warcraft. Visually its on par with LoTRO IMO

Atlantica Online is an okay F2P that offers something unique in play (turn based combat) that most of the MMO market is otherwise absent of

Runes of Magic like ALLODs, is largely a WoW clone. It doesn't have the visual punch of ALLODs or WoW, but the rest of the game makes it one of the best F2P MMOrpg's out there.

Ragnarok Online is fun if you were into and miss the older Final Fantasy / Chrono Trigger-esque squat pixel character console rpgs.

Nobody mentioned Guild Wars? its free to play once you buy the initial game and is probably alot more fun than alot of the other free mmo's out there atm, though with Guild Wars2 due sometime next year it may be best to leave it till then before switching.

Champions is and ok game but gets boring pretty fast, also the free version sounds abit crap from what ive read so far.

Havent tried the others mentioned but of them all D&DO is the one im most likely to try.

I never tried Guild Wars. It's one of those games I've looked at, but I got pulled away by LOTRO, WoW, CO, and CoH.

It's pretty cool but the pvp part tends to overshadow the pve (even though pve is far superior), as i said though guild wars2 is due next year at some point so you may aswell wait for that.

I played LOTRO longer than I played WoW, and I also played GW more than WoW. I think GW overall has more long term play value, once I went through the major quest line of LoTRO, I lost interest fast.

I don't think I've ever played an MMO I've hated, but I also haven't played an MMO I really liked since Asheron's Call.

Love lotro, I still pay the sub fee for it and find it well worth the price. CO I got bored with although it's a beautiful game. COH I got bored with, DDO has never been able to hold my attention, haven't played any other mentioned. I'm an EQ/EQ2 vet, with some AO, DAoC and AC thrown in there. Played EVE, but hate pvp so EVE is a very poor fit for me. I'd recommend lotro, and if you decide to play I'm on Windfola and can hook ya up with a kinship right out of the gate

Not exactly a game, as there are no rules, but I've found certain roleplay sims on Second Life to be pretty good.

RP is about on the same level as a MUSH.. some of it great, some of it stupid, and there's often a bit of moderation.

What I really like is the ability to create my own content and costuming/avatars, and such.









I have a "rogue" character that wanders around the Realm of Valahari sim from time to time. The robot character is one I use to explore New Babbage.

All of these are avatars I've either bought, or built, or just customized.

Free to play, certain micropayments apply, and there's definitely a learning curve, especially if you want to make stuff.

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;417414Free to play, certain micropayments apply, and there's definitely a learning curve, especially if you want to make stuff.

Did you make those or did someone else?

I've never seen any avatars that pretty in Second Life. Cool but not my thing though.