Soloing: MMO or RPG?

[Lorini]

Assuming I mostly want to solo, what really is my best choice? A good MMO or an RPG? What MMO appeals (or will appeal) to people who like to solo, and why do they want to play an MMO vs an RPG?

Please suggest specific titles (WoW, EQ2, Morrowind, etc), thanks!

Lorini

[Charlatan]

All of "today's MMORPGS for the active person" encourage, nay, seem DESIGNED for soloers. Why solo in a MMORPG?

1. You get lots of content
2. There's lots of activity in the world, it's alive (with other people)
3. You have the option of grouping if you feel like it
4. Content updates
5. You can participate in chat if you feel like it, or just shut it out alltogether if you feel like chilling.

Downside?
1. Monthly fee
2. Mob AI is typically not as "epic" as opposed to single player games
3. Timesinks - MMORPGS are full of em
4. Content updates can screw up your character.
5. A solo player probably can't get the UBER PHAT LEWT that a guy who groups more can

RPGs on the other hand, allow for a world where you're the big kahuna, the savior of it all - you can grow to godly powers and completely alter the face of the world - something you can't really do in a MMORPG. RPGs tend to have more character customization opportunities nowadays.

As for MMORPGS, both WoW and EQ2 are quest-heavy games with lots of different character classes and abilities from which to choose. That said, I have heard EQ2 is a little less solo-friendly as you get higher and higher; I know from experience that soloing in WoW is pretty easy at lower and at higher levels. If you really think you're gonna be solo most of hte time, and you like the WoW graphical style, you'll probably like that more than EQ. If you hate the cartoony look and can accept that soloing can be very slowwwww... then maybe EQ2 would be a good choice.

[warning]

Assuming I mostly want to solo, what really is my best choice? A good MMO or an RPG? What MMO appeals (or will appeal) to people who like to solo, and why do they want to play an MMO vs an RPG?

Please suggest specific titles (WoW, EQ2, Morrowind, etc), thanks!

Lorini

Morrowind should be like a gift from God for you. No other players in sight. Tons of content to explore. You could get lost for months in Morrowind and its expansions.

[Odin]

After a lengthy stay in Azeroth (WoW), I found that you can solo there very effectively. The downside for me was that the designers clearly wanted people to group as often as possible, and therefore designed content that was virtually unbeatable unless you did group. I'd routinely find my quest log filled with (elite) quests that couldn't be attempted alone unless you were of such a high level that completing them was pointless. They may even have changed it so that you had to be in a group to enter an instance/dungeon, but I'm not certain I read that correctly. They've done a lot to kick the solo player in the ribs.

The upside of an online world is that it changes. Once you'd played Morrowind and its two expansion packs, you're done. Whereas new content and live "events" are somewhat common in MMOs.

I prefer soloing and therefore prefer stand-alone RPGs. Beyond the monthly cost, the frustration of dealing with a game that's trying to appeal to categorically opposed playstyles (solo vs. group vs. raid) doesn't appeal to me.

Sith

[godhugh]

The upside of an online world is that it changes. Once you'd played Morrowind and its two expansion packs, you're done. Whereas new content and live "events" are somewhat common in MMOs.

That's not true, at least with Morrowind. Mods provide an almost infinite amount of content outside of the main game and expansions.

[Buatha]

I would say the most fun I've had with online gaming has been NWN with my friends. If you can get Teamspeak server/clients running, it's nothing but good times since you get the best of both worlds.

My friends call it Smaller Multiplayer Online RPGs (SMORPGs).

[Cylus Maxii]

Teamspeak is pretty good - however we've been using mostly Yahoo chat recently. It works great and is pretty idoit proof (Probably since a lot of it runs on port 80).

As for games

NWN persitant worlds tend to be dry, light on story/backfround and artificially slow. I've tried MP modules and must say that NWN is painful in groups. Maybe games with a live GM are better.

I am really enjoying City of Heroes. Both in solo and in groups. Missions scale well to the size/level of the group entering.

Goood times...good times.

[Odin]

The upside of an online world is that it changes. Once you'd played Morrowind and its two expansion packs, you're done. Whereas new content and live "events" are somewhat common in MMOs.

That's not true, at least with Morrowind. Mods provide an almost infinite amount of content outside of the main game and expansions.

That's not my experience. The content added by all of the well-constructed mods I've found (ie. the ones that you could load without serious errors and which didn't add overwhelming balance problems along with their content) added TOGETHER don't constitute the equivalent of a single expansion pack. Don't get me wrong, I love Morrowind and have played the whole thing through at least twice, and my mod folder has about 1gb worth of mods in it.

At the same time, it doesn't seem to me that most MMO's add a huge quantity of extra content without full expansion packs, either, so it's not a terribly strong point that I'm trying to make. But with in-game events run by GMs and such, the potential is at least there for new and unexpected things to happen at any time, whereas that's not really true with a solo RPG.

Sith