I’m kinda curious how all you fairly rabid, faithful MMOites (MMOers? MMOObodies?) map out your future in this hobby. It’s not like there’s a brand-new AAA-title game coming out every week, after all; major releases are rare, highly playable releases are very rare, and my hamburgers are cooked well done, thank you. It’s also not just the future of what’s coming out, but also what is right now, and what older games out there are beckoning like the sirens’ song for you to follow to your doom.
So, out of curiosity, leave a note in the comments section as to which type of player you are in terms of how you plan your MMO gaming future:
Type A: “Live for the present” You’re only concerned with what you’re playing right now, you have no plans to ever leave or try a new game unless one day it happens (or you get burned out and then start your search).
Type B: “Fisher” You’re not solidly attached to any one title right now — in fact, you’re fishing around for a MMO home, but nothing currently out has captivated you yet, and you have no idea what the future holds.
Type C: “Salad Bar Diner” Like Type B, you’re flitting between games, but it’s not out of desperation to find something to hold your interest — it’s because you like to sample them all (or at least a nice variety). Any future titles that come down the pike are welcome additions to your buffet.
Type D: “Loyalist” Like Type A, you have tunnel vision for the game you’re currently playing — however, you are extremely loyal to the title and know that you’re not going to be pulled away (at least, not in the forseeable future).
Type E: “Holdover” You’re dabbling in a MMO right now, but you don’t feel a permanent connection — you’re just using it to tide you over until the game you’re really waiting for finally launches. (A subset of this might be players who are playing a title related in some way — genre, prequel, IP — of the game they’re anticipating.)
Type F: “The Checklist” You have a detailed road map of what you’re going to be playing in the next two years, if the release windows hold up. You want to try all the new toys fresh out of the box, and while you’re willing to be seduced to the point of making a longer-lasting home in those games, it’s probably going to be only a temporary (3-6 month) stay.
Type G: “The Hopeful” Nothing out there right now nor in development seems to strike your fancy, so you wait… and keep reading the news… hoping that one day your ship will come in.
So which are you? Did I miss a type?
Bio Break 
Checklist, F
While nothing great is coming out and I will probably pass on Champions Online, I will keep playing EQ1 and EQ2 until Dragon Age Origins pulls me a way for a bit and Diablo 3 is released
I suppose I’m mainly a Type G (“The Hopeful”) with a bit of Type C (“Salad Bar Diner”) thrown in when I feel the urge to play an MMO.
Type C’s the closest fit for me, though I do a bit of type F planning as well. (For example, I generally have a plan for what game I’m going to try out next, though not necessarily on launch day, and I figure on “temporary” 3-6 month stays.)
Type B. I’m fishin’ around, but nothin’s biting. Been jumping around everywhere from the chronicles of spellborn to LOTRO to RoM to warrior epic (which I’m still playing now). Nothing’s managed to hook me like WoW did. I spent about the same daily playtime with WAR, but got tired of it a lot quicker because I was already burnt out on the WoW style of MMO. 😦
My big hook was supposed to be darkfall, which I enjoyed except for the whole “I spent half a day mining the resources for this gear and logged into my city to check the sound settings because darkfall stupidly controls my ENTIRE SYSTEM’S SOUND SETTINGS at the wrong time and lost EVERYTHING in an instant AAAARGH” thing, ie, too much time investment for too little reward. Now, when I mounted up and ran off to enemy territory with some clanmates and got into some fun PvP, it was the greatest, and I doubt I’ll ever get so pumped up from a game again, but overall darkfall is just not for me.
I’m feeling hopeful for jumpgate evolution. I love space games but EVE is too automated. If jumpgate’s in any way similar to an MMO freelancer then I’ll be hooked, I loved that game.
I’m also kind of looking forward to champions and star trek online. Not convinced on TOR yet but we’ll see closer to release.
I’m definitely a Type-C. I like variety, which I think puts me into the Bartle Explorer category of gamer.
I have to wonder though, if one day a game will be released that is the Holy Grail of MMORPGs. A game that allows me to do everything my little heart desires, and solves the flaws of the existing set of games. So perhaps a little of Type-G as well.
Type H: “The Sightseer” Has a happy home, but likes to take regular excursions to new and interesting places. Doesn’t intend to stay in the same home forever, but is in no hurry to move on at present.
Maybe you missed one varied on the theme –
the “chaser” or the “cheater”
Playing an MMO now, but not satisfied for whatever reason, and keeps trying out the flavor of the month (the next thang), but never satisfied enough to permanently leave.
E
Playing LOTR to tide me over till Champions, which will probably tide me over till SWTOR.
Can I be type E & F?
I’m waiting for 38 Studio’s Copernicus but in the mean time I intend to play a few games before hand. I plan to dabble in Eve Online and Champions Online.
I’m type E for sure. Mostly only playing WoW when my girlfriend wants to log on our RAF characters. I no longer have any deeper interest in it, particularly not with the current raiding scene.
I’m looking forward to SWTOR, which I hope has as much focus on epic storytelling as they claim. Then, of course, I’m hoping 38 Studios’ game lives up to my expectations and, if it does, I intend to make that my main MMO when it launches.
Actually there is a cheater type, I knew people so bored with WoW that they began cheating, using a bot program. It was interesting, but they got banned, the risk not worth the reward.
I have a good idea of what’s coming through the rest of the year. But I’m fishing around current MMOs to see if anything is out there to last me until the end of the year. I’m burned out on MMOs launches. The next new MMO I join will be 3-6 months after it’s launch.
Currently playing: EVE and 360 titles
I am type G.
After playing MMORPGs for years, the development has come to a stalemate. Fresh new ideas are needed, not more deviations of what is already tested and true and… already boring by now.
A little from “D” a little from “F”.
I really do love WAR, but I am stupid excited for SWTOR, and want to at least try out Aion and Champions.
I would say I’m another type. I’ve accomplished all that I want in my current MMO, and I am currently playing it until a new and different MMO comes out. I’m currently playing LOTRO, and aside from kicking the watcher’s butt, I’ve done all that I want to do with the current content. I’m very interested in Champions Online, and where it is going, and I plan to play SW: TOR when it releases.
E, playing FFXI until Rapture comes out. Although there are D elements, I do enjoy FFXI a lot and play frequently, it’s just I plan to switch when I can.
Definitely Type C…try out all the MMOs, try out all the classes, just happily flitting from here to there like the little nomad that I am 😀
No wonder I’ve never hit level cap with any >_<
E and F, playing FFXI right now to hold me over.
As soon as my new games come along, Champions, Rapture, and the final game I long for SWTOR, I will be on a set path, and holding over until the next big thing comes along.
I tend to revisit MMO’s though, so if any make an impression, i’ll always have an MMO home.
Wow, am I the only one to admit to a type A? I was a a full time Guild Wars player, then I dropped that one day and because a full time WoW player. I check out new games when I get bored, but I don’t look forward to playing anything. That’s how I got into Free Realms. Didn’t care a thing about it until it launched. Now I can’t get enough.
I’m sure that some day, another game will come along. But I’m not actively looking for one.
Type E right now. I am deffinately in hold over mode playing wow right now. Now that I think about it, I am also going to be type C when the new titles start coming out like Aion, Champions etc.
I think I’m a nomad. I don’t mind where I am, but you never know when the wanderlust will take hold and I’ll go look for a new home.
I play two MMOs concurrently. One is type E at the moment (recently downgraded from type D), the other is type A.
I try to keep the way I feel about one MMO separate from the way I feel about another. They are two different hobbies.
Wow, I thought there would be more As. I’m mostly A with a smattering of C. I’m with you Syp on the ‘It’s a game’ mentality. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to succeed or win or whatever. I’m just more concerned with actually enjoying my leisure time spent playing an mmo, not endlessly grinding to get to some arbitrary ‘elite’ state.
Because of that, I’ve played more than a half-dozen mmo’s, but only Dark Age of Camelot to level cap (and that with multiple characters). I’m almost there in WAR (lvl 35 atm), and will probably hit cap there too. I’ve enjoyed pretty much all of them, but I never played with a specific objective in mind so I didn’t feel all that bad about moving on when something more interesting came along.
One type I think you missed is the gamer who likes to get in early in games, but not because they always want something shiny and new. I really like to grow with the community and get in before the bulk hits the level cap. It’s more about the social growth that ‘ooh, shiny new toy’ mentality.
I don’t fit any of those.
I only have time to get deeply into one or two mmos as once, so even though many of the ones out there interest me, I don’t take the time to play them because I”m really into my current game (was CoH, is now WoW). But I will try out new games if they offer something very different and interesting and are highly polished (looking forward to Champions Online, maybe KOTOR, and definitely APB, for instance).
Whichever one is the salad-bar.
I play lots of graphical mmo’s (name it I played or am playing it). But I keep returning to a MUD, that brought me into the MMO world.
Until I I can find a graphical MMO that has the depth of the MUD I play, I hope to find a new fallback in SW:ToR.
If the only the MUD had (a) graphics (b) a budget that exceeded “voluntary work” … and (c) a faster game-play pace when I want it
None of the above… *blush*
I’m either a “Cheater” or a… “Still In Love With My Ex” type.
Cheater, because I’ve been playing one game for a fair amount of time, but sometimes stray and dabble in another game for a while. I always come back to my beloved in the end. Thankfully, games don’t seem to get their feelings hurt.
“Still In Love With My Ex” — I will always, always have a love for Ultima Online (my “ex”). ): Maybe that’s why I cheat in my current game-lover…? Bwuahaha.