Why I prefer Horizons to WoW

[medweasel]

Why do I like Hz is better than WoW? It's not that wow is a bad game. It's a very very good game. It has the best controls of any mmo I've ever seen. It's the easiest mmo to jump right into and start playing. It has some great lore, lots of neat quests. Nice characters and alot of funny stuff - Heck, seeing He-Man (Adam Eternium), Battle Cat (Battle Tiger) and Orco (Oric Coe) in the outlands was hilarious. The ghostbusters quest was fun and so many other things are well done. The animation and artwork is top notch. The world feels real and vibrant. The action is fast, fun and furious and the classes are neat. It has everything I've ever wanted in a mmo except for ONE thing. And that's a good community. I cannot stand trying to chat in wow.

If you even make one complaint, or not even a complaint but just talking about what you'd like to see changed then everyone just tells you to "stfu" or "then why don't you quit?" Or "just go play something else." There's no constructive criticism - which makes games better. If you try to talk about what all you love about wow then the same people will call you a f%g - (censored on purpose) or will tell you to stfu. You can't win. The people are mean, immature, downright hostile and rude and why? I don't know. I try to tell everyone that you don't have to be that way and that we can all get along and why be so rude and I'm told to stfu. That's why I quit WoW. Heck, the worse thing anyone's told me so far in Horizons is when I was asking alot of questions to go and check out the forums. That actually helped me out - it was a helpful suggestion and in no way was I told to stfu and go read the forums. I was politely suggested to check the forums out.

I haven't been in one group in WoW in over a year. I have never guilded and I don't chat in game anymore. Yesterday in Horizons I talked more than I played. My brother always thought I was antisocial and just liked to solo. While I do like solo'ing, that's not why I always do it in wow, I do it because the people are mean for no reason. I like talking in a game. I like commenting on things I like or things I'd like to see changed and I don't like having my day or my "fun time Online" ruined by a bunch of jerks whose only purpose being in a mmo is to make as many people angry as they can. I play mmo's to escape rl and because I enjoy them. If I wanted to be talked down to then I'd be somewhere else.

Also, I hate the emote /spit I hate being spit on. There's nothing more rude than just standing there and some elf walks up to you and spits on you. I mean, wtf. What does that say about the Dev's who put that into the game. I'd NEVER ever spit on someone in real life much less a game and while I know it's not real and only a emote it still upsets me for some reason. It's jut the lowest of the low and I personally do not like it.

I hate the fact that in WoW I don't feel unique and I'm not proud of my accomplishments like I am here. I mean, no matter what lv. I am, there's a gazillion other people that are just like me. You don't even have to work at it, just go into a battleground, make sure you hit the space bar every so often then in a couple of weeks, get all the best gear. Lol. I like to feel like I accomplished something. Heck, hitting 60 in EQ was a big deal. I was proud of it. Hitting 60 in Wow was just like, oh well, now I can do it again.
I want to build and craft and work for something and feel like I've accomplished something and I just don't feel that way in WoW.

I like Hz. I love the dragons. I love the community. I like the togetherness I feel while playing the game. I like sharing a common goal of stopping the blight and not having any pvp where everyone hates everyone else, even those people who are supposed to be on your side. A pure pve game just seems to bring people together more.

Plus I hate how everyone in Wow always says pst me. For instance they'll say, "I'm looking for a new guild to join, pst me. Don't they know that pst stands for please send tell and that please send tell me sounds stupid? I guess they all think it means "please send to." grrrr.

Anyway, this is why I prefer Horizons over WoW. I love WoW as a game but I truly believe that a game is only as good as it's community and wow's community is awful whereas Hz has the best community I've ever seen in a mmo. I wish Hz had different things in it but I very much enjoy what Hz has to offer and the community makes the game even better. It's like adding whip cream to your pie. The pies okay but man does it rock with some whip cream. Hmmmm Pie. Take care everyone. Sorry for such a long post but I needed to rant a bit.

[LexDivinia]

Why do I like Hz is better than WoW? = a good community.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I agree with this statement. In Horizons, it is nice to know others and to see how you can have an impact on them and vice versa. You are a real Saris, Dryad, Fiend, etc instead of just another character with a keyboard.

I haven't been in one group in WoW in over a year. I have never guilded and I don't chat in game anymore.

As much as I hate Pick Up Groups (PUGs), they can lead to meeting some really good people. I was lucky enough to come into WoW and know people already. We have a great group of mature (in both age and humor) and well, they mke it fun. But it still isn't the same as the relationship I had with people in HZ.

I wish Hz had different things in it but I very much enjoy what Hz has to offer and the community makes the game even better.

I wish the graphics and such were on the same level as WoW. The smoothness I experience in WoW compared to the rough play of HZ is sometimes frustrating, but I understand all this is being worked on, so I can't complain.

The colors and imagery in WoW are really breathtaking at times, but at the same time, there is something about the world of Istaria and its lack of unreal colors that makes it easier to get lost in.


All in all, I agree, there are things in HZ that just can't be beat. The community being the biggest part of that. Here, I have always felt that people know me, and I know them and we can all work together and see each other's accomplishments. I miss those rewarding moments when someone shared something happy in General chat, or for that matter, when even sad news had to be told. I have never felt that in WoW outside of my guildmates. I dare not venture to General, Trade, etc in WoW.

I am happy the sun shines bright on HZ again. I am happy to be back, and I am looking forward to catching up with all my friends to see what has happened in their lives in the past year.

I am happy to be a real Saris in Istaria and not just another number.

[Vahrokh]

The feeling of flying over Mahagra ice valleys, listening the "icy background music". Landing and seeing the snow up your shoulder. Looking over and seeing crystalline ice waterfalls and stalagmites, in a stillness that reminds me when I was child in the icy winter small town I lived in for months.

Totally blows WoW away, there's no comparison. It's just another thing, I even recorded it and watch it to relax and recall when my dragon was alive to be there.

[j-Xiti]

I hate the fact that in WoW I don't feel unique ....I mean, no matter what lv. I am, there's a gazillion other people that are just like me.

Actually this is true for ALL MMO games. Sadly, even Horizons. I'm talking about character uniqueness, not level distinction. I wish they would revive the original Horizons play model. Where we aged, and got married and had kids. And an water breathing race called the Lemurians who lived in the Istarian ocean. Sigh..now that would be worlds better than Wow

[Vahrokh]

Actually this is true for ALL MMO games. Sadly, even Horizons. I'm talking about character uniqueness, not level distinction. I wish they would revive the original Horizons play model. Where we aged, and got married and had kids. And an water breathing race called the Lemurians who lived in the Istarian ocean. Sigh..now that would be worlds better than Wow

Look at the bright side of it: WoW's The Burning Crusade has been "more of the same" and now we know that WoLTK will be once again "more of the same" plus some bank and a new imbalanced class.

Horizons instead has seas and wagons of possible new features to implement, the "only" unknown being wether the game owners will survive on the subscriptions or not.

[Ahael]

Look at the bright side of it: WoW's The Burning Crusade has been "more of the same" and now we know that WoLTK will be once again "more of the same" plus some bank and a new imbalanced class.

It's incredible that WoW still, after several years, doesn't have guild bank functionality

[Vahrokh]

It's incredible that WoW still, after several years, doesn't have guild bank functionality

Because they are going after proven models, established practices, safe business gains. From WoW like for the other Blizzard titles of the past.

This has many repercussions on the players.
Being extremely conservative, the graphics will always be one generation behind (to cater to more paying customers, to have less trouble tickets). The features always standard, solid, unimaginative. The philosophy, always the same. Doing X proved to be a big financial gain? Repeat X again and again till X wears down, then add Y selling it like it's a world breaking innovation (guild banks) "ignoring" how other games have it since years. The average, basic WoW player won't have experience to know about that.

The other titles, see WoW as an example of success and just copy it as much as possible.

The result: a boring, flat MMO market, where innovation is the horror, exploring the new is blashphemy for the shareholders, introducing features causes panic due to "unforeseen consequences".

Horizons: for some reasons it's not the case to reharse again, some people jumped into a totally absurd, impossible and innovative project that would make the Blizzard accountants shake in terror.

With so much meat on the cauldron, dealing with unknown new problems with even less known solutions and constant lack of money almost killed this bold impossible project several times.

Yet it keeps coming up again and again. Because believing is existing, until there's someone that believes in Horizons it won't die (see how EI almost killed the believing and how fast Horizons was going down then).

Just look at this game you are playing in this moment and think you were describing its features to another game programmer, CEO or accountant.

"playable dragons? MWAHAAHAH impossible"
"and.. LAIRS? YEAH pass me what you are smoking, has to be something huge."

"*Community* involved in the world appearance? Bah impossible, MMO players are selfish geeks"

"Terrain changing maps in real time... in a MMO, when almost no _single player_ titles ever achieved it? AR AR AR ARAR !!!!!! MWAHAHAA !!! *ROFL* You are really clueless it can't be done, not even Blizzard did it with their unlimited funding!"

"Almost no epics? No push to grind to max level in a week? Has to be horrible, no competition!"

"What? Characters can multiclass... and virtually unlimited times? What the fudge could EVER do that?"

"Craft system from grass and water to finished buildings? Nah, no one would want that, too complex, players want to kill 10 boar testicles + 1 instance looted crystal and turn them into epics!"

[Tryagain]

it does'nt take much to top WoW's community. I was lucky enough to have a decent guild of mature folks and my wife to game with. For me then the experience was fantastic and it really was. WoW is a GREAT game but sometimes the people in it can detract from the game. Not only that but when they hired Mr Kaplan ex eq dev the game changed focus. So now the end game is a big monster that can be no fun at all.

HZ has potential it really does. But it fails in many key areas and in enough areas to where Vitrium may not be able to reach their subscriber goals. We can hope they understand that enough change is needed so the game becomes better than it is now. That they can do this while still maintaining character of the game.

To do this yes unfortunately they are going to have to take some features from WoW. But remember all Blizzard did was take features from other games and integrate them together very well.

btw Vah Horizons model failed. You may like it but enough did not to cause 2 companies to fold while running it. Not sure what that means and yes the MMO market is ready for something awesome. The market is extremely flat and boring. People just accept what they are given and strive to find the title that bores them the least. However unfortunately Horizons just doesn't have it either to be that market breaker. Maybe if the game had featured some more of AE's original ideas ( not DA's ) but poor implementation and development ruined any chance of that ever happening.

No some other title soon that realizes they have to take a risk will rock this market. Its going to take a game or two to fall from its pedistal for that to happen. Believe it or not I think WoW is already on the decline. The new expansion is proving to be ho hmmm and a disappointment. Blizzard is oblivious that people are tired.

For now some people myself included continue to search for a game that shows some spark of life some spark of imagination. Horizons shows some spark of life. However the latter I will have to wait for. Probably for sometime to be honest. It will as well be a different game.

[Cobal]

The world feels real and vibrant.

Pretty much the only thing I disagree with in this thread.
To me Azeroth felt like a theme park from day one.

[Tcei]

I agree the main thing thats kept me in Horizons has been the awsome comunity. I was fortunate enough to follow a close group of friends from eq to wow but learned quickly to avoid everyone else like the plague. It makes for a lonely and boring game very fast. I love that I can join in on conversations in Dragon or MarketPlace or even have some rp time in there! Ever try that on an rp server in wow? Its a wonder that your screen doesnt catch fire from the drivel in General chat.

It wont surprise me if in the next couple of years Blizzard takes up a model similar to eq and rush expansion after crapily made expansion out every 6-8months.
When compared to other games I think wow's community has a signifigantly higher ratio of mindless twits than most other games. Even eq in its hayday wasnt as bad (and still isnt today). Imho this is all due in large part to the ease of wow and its pvp focus. Granted not all pvpers are imature jerks, but it just seems to attract alot of people who are.

People are getting tired of the Wow model and its clones, and are loooking for something different, but, like those above me have said, until someone comes along thats not afraid to brake the mould thats not gona happen.

[Lunhilde]

Believe me it wasn't the game's 'focus' that caused Artifact to crash and burn. Every company beyond that was just desperately trying to scrape up what was left on a shoelace when the game needed far more than shoelaces.

Seriously, IMO now that the opening day pressure is off, the devs have the experience they need to fix things and aren't on a schedule as much to do so.

And, seriously, a lot of the devs, as was written in someone's cut and pasted msg from an old dev, were just world GM's that got a quick promotion after actual devs were jettisoned or jetted on their own for one reason or another, I'll let anyone take their own guesses of those reasons. So you've got some world GM's, some of which this is their first foray ever into the gaming industry *period*, an alpha/beta world construction program that is clunky and hard to operate with very few docs to back it up, and every buggy patch, as buggy as it was, was built with sweat and stress into the wee hours of the morning by a group of guys pretty much trying to clean out the Aegean stables in a day with a toothbrush and a can of Mt. Dew. As much as we wanted the game to work, they wanted it to work. But chaos and insanity reigned and the people there just didn't have the experience to handle the crush of the MMO industry without a huge amount of fallback resources if the poop hit the turbine. And it hit, hard.


Excuses? Nah, just reasons. Gross mismanagement, accidental, intentional, fate, who knows, happened. Maybe people were given chances they shouldn't have been, risks were taken that shouldn't have been taken..

.. either way, we all *still* fell in love with it.

So, feh on WoW. If I want that much color I'll chew crayons.

[Dhalin]

"What? Characters can multiclass... and virtually unlimited times? What the fudge could EVER do that?"

FFXI does this, in a slightly different way.

Going back to your home (or a rent-a-room), you can change your current Class (job, as they call it), anytime you wish, and level it. Once you do a certain quest, you can set a "Support Job". This is always 1/2 the level of your current main (it is Temporarily reduced to that).

So let's say you are a Lv20 Warrior, and a Level 16 Monk.

If you set Warrior as your main, and Monk as your Sub:

WAR20/MNK10

Let's say you change your mind, and set Monk as your main, and warrior as your sub:

MNK16/WAR08

Let's say you change your mind again:

WAR20/MNK10

See how that works?

This makes it so that we don't have people who have Lv75 (max level in that game) in, say, 5 jobs being much, much more uber than anyone else, but it still allows you to level all of the game's 18 (they are adding more in Winter's exapansion) jobs at once.

You don't get all of the abilities of your current jobs all at once, but you can change it around as much as you want.

While Horizons has been around longer than FFXI, it is still not the only game that has "1 character, multiple classes" capability.

[gopher65]

Ryzom allows (allowed? Not sure if it is still around) multiclassing to an even greater degree than HZ does. That game had some of the more unique gameplay I've seen in an MMOG. Unfortunately something didn't quite click for me in that game. I kinda wish it had, cause it is a neat game in many ways.

[RuneDragoon]

People are indeed often cruel on wow. I turn off the city trade channel because when it isnt barrens chat, its people flaming each other.

But here is my sad story:

My best friend in life had a guild. Unfortunately due to a few members, the guild went under. So they had a deal with a few in a high end raiding guild to take the faithful remnants of the guild in. All the 70s instantly got in without question, but then, I, the lowly level 40, was told to wait. So I waited. And waited. Two weeks of waiting passed and I talked to the guild officers again, one of which was puzzled how this could be happening, after all, they really needed paladins! later I was told that I wasn't allowed because, quote quote, "You dont level fast enough". This being after the server was down 48 hours and using only a 3 to 5 hour timeslot a night where I would gain a level every day. You call that not fast enough? Jerk. So I was not allowed to follow my friends into a guild where the rest of my guild went.

So, I put my characters back into a guild they were in before moving to friend's guild. Shortly after, the guild master and a few 70s there pack up and leave and announce they had formed a guild with this particular one that flipped the bird to me for pure raids. So I get angry and leave to another's friends guild. Five minutes after, he leaves the guild to this new alliance guild. So I get pissed and go back to previous guild again.

So yes, that is the story of a guild who took all of my good friends from me.

[Cobal]

WoW eats guilds.

The game is teaching people that guild hopping is a good thing
"Oh your guild cant pass Boss X in Dungeon Y without wiping? Drop guild and find a 'better' one, everybody does it"

I haver never seen a game with such low inter-guild ethics -.-

[C`gan]

I'll stick with Horizons. I prefer not having to be led around by the nose on every quest out there. In fact, I prefer NOT doing quests. It's why I'm a builder, not a multi-100 adventurer after nearly 4 years. It's why I can proudly say I'm still a 27 warrior by accident.

Our community has been strong throughout all the changes in ownership. The reason for that, I believe, lies within the people who find Horizons so appealing. No one goes out on their own for the uber-loot. I don't know how many times I've heard a call for Reklar or Valkor or this or that spawning and anyone want to come along? And no one is there to celebrate or mourn alone. Look at the times you're congratulated on your level gain or, if you really MUST see, come to Back Bay on Order Shard and see how we share the loss of friends. Which, by the way, AMON, REYEM, RICK! We had a few others who are gone, lost to the world of life and we would like some memorials of them put up as well.

How many players have died over in WoW? And how many of them did the devs stop to make a memorial spot befitting them?

[RuneDragoon]

How many players have died over in WoW? And how many of them did the devs stop to make a memorial spot befitting them?

There is a memorial in wow but it was for only one of their own team (An illustrator) who didn't make it to see the end of the game.

Of course though, I agree with your point here.

[gopher65]

of course, wow has 8 million current subs. If they put up a memorial to every person who died while they had an active sub, the gameworld would consist of nothing but gravestones and statues. These types of things can happen in HZ moreso because it has such a small player base than because of the community itself.

[Romirez]

I'll stick with Horizons. I prefer not having to be led around by the nose on every quest out there. In fact, I prefer NOT doing quests. It's why I'm a builder, not a multi-100 adventurer after nearly 4 years. It's why I can proudly say I'm still a 27 warrior by accident.

Our community has been strong throughout all the changes in ownership. The reason for that, I believe, lies within the people who find Horizons so appealing. No one goes out on their own for the uber-loot. I don't know how many times I've heard a call for Reklar or Valkor or this or that spawning and anyone want to come along? And no one is there to celebrate or mourn alone. Look at the times you're congratulated on your level gain or, if you really MUST see, come to Back Bay on Order Shard and see how we share the loss of friends. Which, by the way, AMON, REYEM, RICK! We had a few others who are gone, lost to the world of life and we would like some memorials of them put up as well.

How many players have died over in WoW? And how many of them did the devs stop to make a memorial spot befitting them?

i play a game that has had one player die. he has an entire starsystem in game named after him, and a memorial for that player is held every year, in march. all players new and old, across all factions, come to the one memorial system to hold the Memorial Ceremony. this game is called Darkspace, and that community rivals Horizons(and is about the same size, dev and playerbase wise). those two games, Horizons and Darkspace, is the only two games i know of that holds memorials for dead players. that is why i only play those two games. i play no other MMO game.

[Vahrokh]

FFXI does this, in a slightly different way.
Going back to your home (or a rent-a-room), you can change your current Class (job, as they call it), anytime you wish, and level it. Once you do a certain quest, you can set a "Support Job". This is always 1/2 the level of your current main (it is Temporarily reduced to that).

If you noticed, I posted in a sort of "style" of the typical WoW player.
They won't know about FFXI, a lot can barely play at all or know much more about Counterstrike and Tekken than about MMORPGs.
I knew people still calling for "frags" in WoW >_<

I haver never seen a game with such low inter-guild ethics -.-

And yesterday it happened again.


Me and others were happily crafting (! surprise ) and asking each other for what reagents to use here and there. Since all it takes to see the reagents list is to post a simple link on the chat, it's not really a big thing and we were doing fine.

The guild master: "Why do you WASTE time, go read on Thottbot. If they want to know what to use have them look it up by themselves".

I answered: "Sorry, I come from a game where people are not stupid jerks that can't help each other even if their life depended on it".

The sad game is that he's the guild master... and we are a top world 200 guild :S not some randoms. It's just that the general WoW players SUCK at life.