August 16, 2004

Curious, George: Mac MMORPGs I'm interested in trying out a MMORPG on my Mac, but have no idea which one to play. I like the look of EVE Online (which I came across in this MeFi thread), but sadly it doesn't seem to be available for Mac. I don't particularly mind whether it's SciFi or fantasy themed, but it has to have a fairly gentle learning curve or I'll be distracted by real life. Any recommendations appreciated, Monks.
posted by Dawson 20 years ago
  • Apologies if this has been asked before, I swear I searched...
  • How's this sound?
  • Not exactly what I had in mind... ;)
  • I had a quick look around, but I think you're shit out of luck with a Mac. I play Star Wars Galaxies, which I don't think runs on Mac, but otherwise I'd recommend it.
  • Lineage is decent, though lacking in terms of shiny prettiness. You can also try Shadowbane or just sit around for a few months and wait for World of Warcraft.
  • There is a Mac-only MMORPG called Clan Lord. It's pretty low-end on the graphics, but the gameplay is fun. It encourages cooperative play, and there's a free trial, as I recall. I never got very far into it, but it's a good place to start. Shadowbane is a great concept, and when it works, it's great. However, when it doesn't work, which is reasonably often (though less now than when I played), it makes you sad.
  • Isn't Lineage the one that is wildly popular in South Korea? It's probably the most high-profile MMORPG on the Mac. I remember reading about how people in PC Bangs (supposedly what they call Internet cafés there) would run from their school or work and play for hours, but that the authorities were worried about out-of-game violence. You should play Lineage, because if you kill someone on it, you might receive a visit from South Korean toughs. Also, epileptic shocks might result (it warns about it on the web page). I remember that something of a meme existed about internet café-related deaths in Asia a few years ago (e.g. "A 31 year old man in Taipei has collapsed due to exhaustion and heart-related issues while playing a video game in which the player is required to dance") I'd love an MMORPG that was reminiscent of a SNES RPG, but unfortunately GraalOnline's mac version didn't work for me. Supposedly you can create new environments. Hmm, Lineage has a trial account...tempting.
  • Evercrack.
  • I'd love an MMORPG that was reminiscent of a SNES RPG There's EpicBeyond which is free and has an old DOS-style look to it, but I haven't tried it myself. Just download the zipped version of the update and use the jar files. On preview: What I keep seeing is that the mac version of EQ was killed off a few months ago.
  • Nope, still running. I'm looking at the server as I type this.
  • Unable to pay $10/month for a MMORPG, and unable to find any decent free OSX-compat games, I've decided to give MUDs a try (since I never got sucked up into them like so many mates in college).. I'm currently being absorbed by Achaea. I've already spent two hours there today, and it looks like I'll be going back frequently.