Last
week Ten Ton Hammer uber-editor Benjamin J. de la
Durantaye waxed nostalgic about MMOG communities in href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75266"> Loading
and bemoaned the
trend of pandering to the solo crowd. While nothing he discussed was in
any way
incorrect, quite the opposite actually, he hit the nail on the head and
it got
me to thinking; how can a new player find out which community is the
best fit for
them without shelling out thousands of dollars to buy all these games?
The
answer came to me in the form of this guide, a look at some of the
communities and
what players can expect from the inhabitants of these virtual worlds.

World
of Warcraft

Launched
in late 2004, World
of Warcraft is the largest and
most popular MMOG to date, if you haven’t
heard of this game then the rock you live under must be in the deepest
recess
of another dimension. Boasting over 12 million subscribers worldwide,
WoW
offers the most accessible gaming experience of a traditional fantasy
game.  Set
in the land of Azeroth, WoW has released
two expansion packs with the third set for release in the coming year.

style="">Style:
Fantasy
Faction based game with Pv E, PvP and RP servers available.

style="">Pros:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style="" />Huge
  player base, someone you know is playing
  WoW, and so are most of their friends.

• Easy
  game to solo allows new players to develop
  friends and groups at their own pace without feeling forced to do so.
   

• Hundreds
  of servers online give everyone an
  opportunity to find the right time and style to match their needs.

• Ease
  of gearing lets new players catch up
  quickly to jump into the action almost as soon as they reach the level
  cap,
  which can less the sense of alienation many new players have in an
  established
  game.  

style="">Cons:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style="" />

  Huge
  player base, someone you know and don’t
  like is playing WoW, and so are most of their friends. 

• Game
  can be too solo friendly and create a lack
  of trust among players which can build up walls that are hard to break
  through.

• Relative
  ease of the game allows this community
  to lack what many of the earlier MMOGs had in terms of a grouping of
  likeminded
  individuals.  Not that homogenization is
  a great thing, but what created such good communities early on was many
  shared
  experiences among the player base, which like any social environment,
  are the
  seeds that grow friendships.

   

style="">Summary:
With so many people playing and so many servers to chose
from, WoW is unlike any of the other games by being exactly like all of
them, nearly
every pro and con from all the other games can found in some degree
here. If
you don’t have a recommendation from a friend or a group of
friends to play
with, then I recommend checking out the official server forums for a
look at
what to expect. 
While most of the time I
would caution against using forums as a barometer due to the tendency
of only
finding the disgruntled hanging about, WoW has the advantage of being
around
long enough that the individual realm forums have grown past that and
have started
to become an accurate gauge of the communities they represent.

style=""> style="color: rgb(45, 100, 209);">Server Spotlight:

style="">Sisters of Elune –
Horde side.

This
Central Time based RP server features a vibrant
community for both the role playing and more pedestrian players alike.
Sisters
has a moderate population base that feels neither crowded nor vacant,
it has a
good balance at virtually all hours. While this server may be lacking
in number
of highly progressed guilds, it features several guilds that cater to
the more
hardcore player along with a strong PUG system for a server of its
size. If you
are looking for a new place to call your home then check out this
hidden gem,
and if you play a healer or tank then you will definitely feel the love
quickly.

style="">Stonemaul

This
Pacific Time zone PvP server is the virtual embodiment
of Kim Jong Il. Seriously. Chest thumping bravado with nothing to back
it up,
this large population server has fairly weak progression on both sides,
however
horde tends to be overall better progressed. The server that never grew
out of
barrens chat features a sophomoric player base that is as bad in chat
as it is
in a PUG. Sadly all the negative WoW player stereotypes are on full
display
here and overshadow the decent players that reside here.

style="color: rgb(45, 100, 209);">Aion

The
newest AAA title on the block, Aion
is a high fantasy PvP themed MMOG whose star is on the rise.
This Asian import with a western feel takes place on the shattered
world of Atreia
and pits two playable factions and a third NPC faction against each
other for
control of the Abyss. 
Aion launched in
North America in late September of this year after a successful launch
last
year in Korea.

style="">Style:
Faction
based fantasy with large scale PvP

style="">Pros:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  New
  game allows players an even footing and lots
  of opportunity to meet new people as the populations are generally
  concentrated
  in the same area.

• Less
  soloable than many other MMOGs, creating a
  measure of dependency as players rely on each other to tackle content.

• Extended
  leveling curve creates more
  opportunities for players to meet and interact.

• PvP
  system encourages strong community building
  to gain the upper hand over the opposing faction.

style="">Cons:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style="" />

  Lack
  of established community can leave some
  players feeling alone in a foreign world.

• Chat
  system is weak and often times confusing to
  new players.

• Long
  level grind can create tension and boredom,
  leading to high attrition numbers.

• PvP
  system can isolate players and create a
  clique system amongst like factions.

style="">Summary:
While it is still too early to tell what the future holds
for Aion, the
vital signs are strong
for this new kid on the block. Your best bet for finding the right fit
is to
get the recommendation of someone you trust, however do not fear if you
don’t
have that option, this game is still young enough that you can server
hop until
you find a place to call your own. style=""> I
would recommend staying away from the forums as a means of server
selection as
the game is still in its infancy and the vast majority of what you read
there
will be sour grapes and not worth your time.

style="">Lumiel

This
North American Eastern Time server is home to many of
the top guilds from other MMOGs, giving it an instant community to
rival more
established games. Lumiel has also been adopted by the RP community as
the
unofficial RP server of the game, adding a further maturation process
to this
young realm.

Age
of Conan

Funcoms
first true AAA title, Age
of Conan promised gamers a more
adult experience than previous
offerings had delivered. Despite having its wings partially clipped by
overzealous censors and prudish sensibilities the game still delivered
a
decidedly grown up feel. Set in the lands of Hyboria, AoC furthered the
lore of
both the books and movies from which it was licensed.

style="">Style : Gory
fantasy PvE with PvP optional.

style="">Pros:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Age
  restrictions gave this community a more
  seasoned feel.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Excellent
  grounds for diehard fans of the series
  and its lore to mingle.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> 
  

  Server
  mergers give a more robust player base to
  interact with.

style="">

style="">Cons:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;" />

  Very
  little interaction at the lower levels for
  new players.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Community
  tends to be tight lipped and cliquish
  on most servers.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Subscription
  numbers continue to dwindle even
  with recent improvements to the game.

style="">

style="">Summary:
Another victim of the WoW factor, this game was discarded by
most players before it was given a fair chance. Recent patches to the
game have
greatly improved its playability and the remaining players are a
dedicated
group who are in it for the long haul. If you find yourself enjoying
the game
play and the world then definitely stick with it, you will find other
players
to forge great relationships with.

Everquest
and Everquest II

The
granddaddy of the modern 3D MMOG and its successor have
enjoyed a combined 14 years of gaming success, spawning many of the
players,
guilds and communities that inhabit most of the other games out there.
Set in
the lands of Norrath, this classic PvE franchise offers endless hours
of
questing and a huge amount of real estate to explore.

style="">Style: style=""> Fantasy
based PvE with PvP server options.

style="">Pros:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Very
  established game with stable player base.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Server
  merges have consolidated communities.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  EQ2
  is a very easy game to jump into with tons
  of quest and quick leveling

style="">Cons:

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Some
  communities are extremely closed off to new
  players, especially in EQ1.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  Attrition
  rates continue to soar as the games
  become more and more dated.

• style="font-family: Symbol;"> style=""> style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">

  High
  learning curve and antiquated questing
  system are turn offs to many new players in EQ1 and discourage new
  players .

style="">Summary:
Both games have tremendous upside in terms of available
content and tons of information available, but EQ1 is dying a slow
death and
EQ2 was pronounced substandard far too soon. Finding a good community
is fairly
easy in both games however, you can simply pop on and find the many
available
in game chat options for new players or check the forums for the right
style of
players. 
You may find an unusually
high
number of developers from other games as well as many people in the
gaming
industry on EQ2 as it retains a large amount of popularity in that
realm.

One of
the common themes you will notice here is that most
of the pros are also in some way the cons, as communities and our
appreciation
of them and interaction with them are largely tempered by perspective. What makes a community great to one player will doom it to another. And while it is true that you can never really go home again, there are plenty of great folks out there waiting for you to join them.

This
list is obviously far from complete and that is where
you come in, share with us what makes the community for your game shine
or what
it lacks that you would like to see develop. So tell me about your
game, your community, your server and what makes it the place where you
spend your virtual hours and I will check it out and maybe you will see
it as spotlighted realm on our site.