Help from computer gamers...

[johnpalmer]

So...

I've been playing Diablo II online with my beloved kightp, and I've decided something.

Diablo II sucks as an online game. There's just too much lag. I think it's inescapable, as well... really, there are too many random elements that need to be sent to all the machines that are playing. Either that, or maybe one or the other of us just has a lousy internet connection for computer gaming.

It works okay over a LAN, but over the internet, we've never really had a satisfactory experience.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an online game that

1) plays well over the internet
1.5) (Preferably, does *NOT* require you to connect to play - I don't hold out much hope of this.)
2) doesn't require huge gobs of time (maybe it *tends* to take up huge gobs of time, but it shouldn't *require* it)
3) plays well with 1-2 players (maybe there are things that it's *best* to play with 3-5 people, but 1-2 work just fine)
4) if it's a subscription service, has either very low monthly fees, or has a "by the hour" option

I have a clear prejudice for fantasy role playing, but if there was something that had the same kind of fun factor, but wasn't specifically fantasy RPGing, I wouldn't mind.

I also prefer a game like Diablo II where it's as much a single player game as it is a multiplayer game.

Oh, yeah... and it should be a game that runs really nicely on, say, an 800mhz PIII or Athlon with a decent 3D card. Neither of us are using a machine that's that weak, but I like to be far over the minimum requirements.

Comments

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

I can probably give a short summary. I'll just have to be careful and keep it short; I could go on about CoH for hours. :)

In City of Heroes (www.coh.com), you play a superhero in the metropolis of Paragon City, Rhode Island. Along with hundreds of other supers, you are all that stands between the citizens of Paragon and the hordes (and I mean HORDES) of evildoers and naer'dowells who are out to conquer or destroy the city and its people.

Now, here's how it works. CoH is very simple in terms of gameplay. You don't worry about keeping up with statistics; it's all hidden. What you worry about are your choices of powers and your costume. The powers are broken up into five starting Archetypes: Blasters, your ranged damage dealers; Scrappers, your up-close melee hitters; Tankers, the immovable wall on the front line; Defenders, who support everyone else with ranged attacks and more importantly with increases to allies and decreases to foes; and finally Controllers, who arguably have the most dangerous powers of all, the Control sets, which allow Controllers to turn most foes into useless, immobile targets for their teammates to wail on. There are many flavors of each Archetype, usually revolving around what kind of special effect you prefer, such as fire or ice, energy or earth, and so on.

From there, you move on to customizing your costume. The costume generator can manage something like several BILLION different combinations, so you can probably manage to make whatever costume you can imagine. Certain costume elements are held back as rewards for achievements in-game; for instance, you can't wear a cape until you've reached the 20th level of experience. Still, it's very flexible.

After that, things are fairly straightforward. The tutorial mission teaches you all the most common commands; by the end of it, you'll have reached the first level-up and should know how your powers are going to work. You take missions from contacts scattered around the city and, as you increase in power, the jobs they'll ask you do complete for them become more dangerous and complex. Unlike a lot of Massively Multiplayer games, you aren't going to start by going out and killing simple vermin that have an even chance to kill you. You feel like a hero right away and it only gets better.

Finding a group to play with has been made as easy as possible; the search tools available are fairly easy to use and most people want to group up as much as possible to cover the inherent weaknesses of their own archetypes by finding other archetypes who compliment their own abilities. It helps if you know people who are already players, of course, but it isn't hard to find a pick-up group, either.

Unfortunately, there's no option to play on a trial basis right now. However, if you do purchase the game, the first month is included as part of the purchase price. It's about $15 per month.

[ms-interpret.livejournal.com]

Wow! Sounds like a blast. Thanks for the info. :)

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

If you decide to play, might I recommend Champion server? Of all the servers I've played on (about five out of the dozen or so), it seems to have the smallest jerk-to-okay person ratio. :) Plus, you'll know at least two players. (grin)

[ms-interpret.livejournal.com]

Ok. Thanks again.