The door is wide open

[Kaizlu]

I'm with OP. Yes, perhaps everything out there is better than XIV, but too much time already spent here. Also, this is the first MMO that I've paid at least one month (the other one was RO, but in private servers).

As someone said, if it wasn't for the FF brand many of us wouldn't be here. Even so, I'll give Rift a try (since they opened a full 3-day trial), signed up for the Tera beta and also keeping an eye GW2.

Who am I kidding, I'm staying here.

---

Normally I would post funny things about SW:TOR. But, I now feel bad. For some reason the game is too easy to bash. Really, you don't even have to try. And I'm not saying that the game is bad, just easy to criticize. Also, the damage control that Bioware has done just this week has been hilarious.

[CrstyCaptin]

I miss WAR. That was great while it lasted. Even better for the few weeks after they raised the renown rank to 100 and let you get sovereign gear super quick. I had so much fun on marauder solo'ing 1v1/2/3 depending on the class in my defense set. I've yet to find a pvp game I enjoy more than I did that game. Problem was the low player base and always fighting the same people over and over (like ever SC). If they had higher pop servers I probably would have played a lot longer.

This game has come a long way but a lot of the issues that annoying (namely lag in all aspects of the game) can't be fixed until 2.0. I'll stick around though and support it, as someone said I'm pretty loyal to SE. I'll play some XIII-2 in the mean time and try out Diablo III(even though I have very low expectations). GW2 might be something I try out as well.

[alexi14]

You should check out Eve online.

Blade and Soul, Guild Wars II.

They worry me

[NefarioCall]

So i went to the local EB games and had a talk with the guy working there about Rift and The Old Republic.
I bought a copy of TOR and have been playing it for most of the day (aside from a break to get my Goobue).

It does remind me a lot of WoW and the graphics, for better or worse feel very similar to 'Knights of the Old Republic'.
They aren't that good, but they are good enough that if used artistically, the game world will look memorable.
I suppose this is usually the case.

The voiced cut scenes though are a very solid idea that i hope SE goes forward with as they have been considering.
Whatever ones argument about the success and failure of TOR in certain aspects,
i feel i must conclude at this point that it will survive for many years.
The game certainly has some exciting potential for future content, and based on the brand, there is likely to always be a dedicated player base just as there is with FFXIV ... although a substantially bigger one given the size of the Star Wars fandom.

Although this didn't save Warhammer.
Anyways.

As a couple of other posters in this thread have mentioned, i too an bias to Japanese culture in general so my tilt of favour to this game is clear.
Still, ... from everything i am playing in FFXIV currently and from keeping up with what we do know about 2.0,
i have no real doubts that FFXIV can easily be the better game.

Graphically, as i wrote above, you can have the prettiest textures but art design is where a game wins or fails.
I am personally blown away by how high a bar has been set with the 2.0 art design.

Musically, personal preference.

Now, one could say the game play mechanics are also in personal preference, ... to a degree.
I am personally very happy that at least part of this games 'Original Vision' is being honoured.
For us to be able to have 'mog houses' that operate as a base of operations for our entire linkshell, with furnishing, gardening, ships etc is the kind of game play that raises the bar from kill stuff.
As is also crafting, which i have seen none of in TOR yet, though i would think it is there?

I do hope SE pays close attention to quests though.
Go here, kill that is boring.
I give credit to TOR for (and voice acting really helps here),
at least trying to give a fleshed out purpose to its secondary quests.
And so even though they are still go and kill stuff, there feels like a purpose is involved.

But what IMO would really set the bar higher would be to multi layer secondary quests.
I could use LA Noire as an example. Investigate a scene. Clues lead to other scenes and etc.
I don't think LA Noire took this nearly deep enough, but that's an off topic discussion and its own.
Still, and i think i see SE doing this but i want to see more,
Where a simple, well written quest leads to new branches only obtainable from the initial quest line that lead to unexpected places. More of this and less of the copy pasta kill stuff quests.

[OminousAnonymous]

But what IMO would really set the bar higher would be to multi layer secondary quests.
I could use LA Noire as an example. Investigate a scene. Clues lead to other scenes and etc.
I don't think LA Noire took this nearly deep enough, but that's an off topic discussion and its own.
Still, and i think i see SE doing this but i want to see more,
Where a simple, well written quest leads to new branches only obtainable from the initial quest line that lead to unexpected places. More of this and less of the copy pasta kill stuff quests.

WoW and Rift already do this. It's refered to as a "Chain quest".

[OminousAnonymous]

Please don't put Rift on SWOTORS level. It didn't do NEAR as bad. And I think it's an Exceptional game.
Although problably true that it didn't create anything amazing for the MMO genre, besides the cool random rift encounters.

But anyways. Unlike Swotor.. Rift has content. lol

[Cichy]

Please don't put Rift on SWOTORS level. It didn't do NEAR as bad. And I think it's an Exceptional game.
Although problably true that it didn't create anything amazing for the MMO genre, besides the cool random rift encounters.

But anyways. Unlike Swotor.. Rift has content. lol

Rift sold enough copies and subscriptions to make good profit. It may not be around for next 15 years but it succeeded where it matters. Made money and gave those devs MMO making experience.

[Krausus]

you could try out DC Universe Online, its free to play now and is decent enough, its action based and an OK time killer.