I know there is runescape and albion but is there anything else, or are those the only small file sized ones for pc?
most mmorpgs take up like 50gb+ of storage which i dont understand, are there any smaller file sized one or retro ones that are still playable? is so feel free to suggest some and what makes them so good. i like mmorpg i just dont have the storage for them.
Ultima Online is a 25 year old MMO that still has the original servers running. The install is about 3GB and can run on any PC from the last 20 years. For the official servers, the player base is largest on Atlantic and you can sign up for a free Endless Journey account. PVP is only allowed in certain zones.
There are many many player run servers that fit a lot of play styles. The most populated being Outlands. That is where I mainly play as it is by far the most populated UO server, 2.5k-3k people on usually. Just beware, outside of the starting zone and towns, it is open PVP almost everywhere.
City of Heroes now has player run servers. The install is around 5GB. Homecoming is the most populated, with a lot of added content. Rebirth is less populated but tries to be the closest experience to the official servers.
Likewise, Everquest is still running, including some semi-official EQ-classic servers. Server population might be measured in hundreds -- a far cry from the 500k peak in 2002.
They are all decent, and fun to play if they’re your jam, some are more pay-to-win than others, like Star Trek Online. Some are a bit on the older side, like Guild Wars 1 being from 2005 though.
I’m really intrigued by this! How long do you need to play for it to feel “meaningful.” I find with a lot of MMOs, I need a few hours to really get into it.
I think it maybe took an hour or so for me to get sucked in to what they were going for, but the answer to your question would depend on your mood and what you consider meaningful.
The best way I can describe it is if MMOs aimed at maximizing your engagement through grinding, min-maxing, leveling etc. are like drinking coffee, then BoT is more like drinking tea -- there's still some caffeine there in regards to a progression system and a bit of combat, but the real joy is found in lingering and taking the long road round, or detouring to talk to some NPC you spot in the forest or other random encounters. It's kind of like an interactive painting in that the experience of moving through the world is a central part of the draw.
The game is very friendly but does not hold your hand in terms of goals, even the very first major quest is not put right in front of your face, you're more meant to uncover it. Something else is that you eventually realize that it's a good habit to jot down notes if people say something that sounds interesting or notable, because their dialogue might not always be the same.
When I initially played, I actually did not go really hard at exploring every part of the world, because at that time there was still a lot of the map not yet open (still a large map at that point though). They are still building out the world now, and I was actually about to hop back in myself since it's been a year or so since I last played and they've released several updates since then.
Here's one that most of you have probably not heard of. Monster Hunter Frontier.
MHF was a Monster Hunter MMO that ran from 2007 to 2019 and was exclusive to Asia. Recently, a dedicated team of community members have managed to revive it with community servers.
It is brutally difficult, only partially translated, and has some genuinely awful controls, BUT
It's only around 6GB and completely free.
If for some reason you want to try it I highly recommend joining the rain server, as it is the most populated and stable one. They also have a setup guide for how to install on their discord server I recommend you use.
hears MapleStory in passing and shakes his fist in the air like an old geezer “Damn that game for popularizing microtransactions!”, shuffles on by holding his hip
i'm definitively done with WoW, but i remember having a good time with the classless private server Ascension. The gimmick is that you put together a build of not just talents, but spells too, so you could be an archer that uses frost effects instead of snares and a pet, or a sword and shield combatant that uses shadow magic. I think they're on the TBC expansion, but using a Wotlk client atm, which means it takes up very little harddrive space.
Haven and Hearth is a slow base building MMO. You build up skill points exploring and finding new items, spend the skill points to unlock more stuff, build a base and start upgrading your stuff from there. It's honestly really cool.
Is there PVP? I'm always wary of bothering with these sorts of games if they have open PVP, as they usually turn into mass slaughter pits where the players who have built up powerful armies (or whatever the game has for units) go around murdering weaker characters just to see the inevitable forum posts. If you make it through the early stages and join some sort of alliance, they usually turn into childish playground politics and squabbling.
I couldn't tell from the "about" or "FAQ" pages, but the meme-filled forum doesn't make it look particularly promising.
There is world PvP. With the world population being so low, and the world size being so large it's pretty rare. There's also a lot of ways to avoid it, but whenever you're outside your own base it's always a risk. If you play smart, it's almost always possible to get away from a player, even if they're very highly geared. Most clans are pretty insular, a group of friends who have been playing for a long time. I've never joined a clan, personally, so I have no idea what they're like.
It might not be what you're looking for, but Temtem is listed as like 5GB on Steam. It's basically Pokémon except built as an MMO. The entire main story can be played in co-op, but I haven't found any of the dungeons or whatever yet as my friend and I have been doing a lot of exploration and side quests.
If that sounds interesting at all, it's part of this month's Humble Choice for $12 and that's the best deal I've seen on it. Just remember to cancel your subscription after redeeming the games in the bundle.
I've been told the tutorial sucks, but I do want to say that the PvP seems really good from a competitive standpoint. I don't think there's any RNG, just strategy.
There are some older Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 persistent worlds still operating. The graphics on both games are a little dated at this point, but if you're looking for small player population and good storytelling, this may just be the ticket.