What did you play before rift and why did you leave

[TedO]

Guild Wars, DaoC for a bit, Regnum Online till lvl 45, Aion, 4story international server lvl 90 top ranked assassin for 6 months, top ranked on server for 2, ended up P2W, Air Rivals/Ace Online I still log for motherships, WoW to lvl 65, I burn out on games after a bit, Never left Guild Wars.....I have just been on a /wait.

[rrajao]

Perfect World - Chinese gindfest, but fun. Great community (through 2008). Game went downhill when they started selling XP packs in cash shop. It used to sell vanity stuff only.

LOTRO - Very immersive experience, but it's DATED. I once bought the $99 annual sub. Great value, but the game was 99% single player so what's the point of paying a sub?

WoW - Since it was my 3rd MMO, the novelty factor that draws everyone into MMOs was gone. I was invited to Cata beta, so I decided to sub for 3 months just to check it out. Dated graphics, too much hand holding, and the game just didn't draw me in. Everything I did in WoW I had already done in Perfect World, and much better.

AION - only played it briefly once it went f2p. My toon runs so slowly that it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. I'm still level 3, but I plan to pick it up again eventually in the future.

SWTOR - This would be a Mass Effect killer if it weren't an MMO. Yes, the single player campaign is that good. To me, this was Bioware's KOTOR 3 project that EA ordered it be turned into an MMO. I only played for 3 months after launch, but I really liked what I saw. The other day I was totally psyched to log in and re-sub, then I was hit with the f2p announcement. I was incredibly excited to learn the story will be f2p through level 50. I'll be back the minute the f2p goes live. I'll not spend a penny, though.

Rift - I played on and off since launch. This is by far the best MMO currently and in the foreseeable future, for me anyway. GW2 is too PVP-oriented, and I just didn't enjoy the Secret World beta. I see myself playing Rift for another couple years, until the next generation of MMOs is released. I'll only play SWTOR to finish the story lines, and only if I don't have to crack my wallet open.

[Sekhmet The Fierce]

EVE Online I used to play a lot, but I burned out on it. Before that, I played Age of Conan for about three months. Same amount of time I dedicated to World of Warcraft. Rift has been the second MMO that has kept me playing for more than 6 months, though it has yet to surpass the amount of time EVE Online had kept me playing (2 years).

I wasn't much of an MMO person 3-4 years back. Back then, I was more of an online FPS player.

[Maverick827]

WoW: When I first played Rift, it was after leaving WoW. I had simply played the game too long, and forced myself to play it in a destructive way, to boot. For years I raided hardcore in every timezone but my own, and I was just too tired of...always being tired.

SWTOR: The second time I left a game for Rift it was simply just a natural cycle. I had finished all of the content that I wanted to finish, just as I had in Rift when I left it for SWTOR. Unfortunately Rift doesn't seem to have added as much content for me as I would have hoped, so I'll at least be trying out GW2 when it launches.

[Lienda]

Everquest one. Thanks to their portal books, after Runes of Kunark, nobody would socialise anymore.

Word of Warcraft. Great in the begining, but one does get really ticked off being told how to breath every log in, every dungeon, and/or being isolated in every inch of pixel no matter what. I was getting down right miserable with those players! End game is horrible in WoW! No, I don't mean portals either. I mean my Tier 10s, then being hounded about what to do next, after that, the next thing to get hounded about when I'm supposed to be allowed my own pleasure. Not where it ended either.

Rift. I have canceled and resubbed repeatidly before the sub ran out at least 6 times now. 1: Reasons I left Mage-leash Craft community, I now have lately with Rift's, and it's gotten on my nerve long ago. It's getting slowly worse, in fact. Condecendings are a misery.

What is it about me, behind a Mage class in particular, that seems to screem "order me around. I like it" to a lot of people?! MRMF! If you have a friend who rocks Mage, well good for them. What are are you trying to gain from me here?! There isn't anything here that even wants to compete with you! I just want to play peacefully, and people to be mature! *mentaly hugs my Mage and glares at you* Mine... grrr.

And dungeons and it's forums.. here we go again! A big old plate of "I'm better than thou art!", with a side of "I'm a peaceful angel, who teaches everyone because I know it all, and I instantly notice that they know nothing. tee hee", and "I just want it to be fun, and us to get along" for a wee, bite sized disert that swiftly fades from memory. -.- Same thing... The game is well done if I keep coming back and dealing with YOU unleets who think they leets... honestly.

[the_real_seebs]

The secret, for me: Find a few friends who are in-game, or in IM that you have available while in-game, who play MMOs.

This magically eliminates "bad groups". Then there are only "good groups" and "funny groups I can tell my friends about".

[Adeezha]

I was playing Vanguard before Rift. Fancied something new and shiny after VG had stagnated.

[aburie]

I played DAOC for 6yrs/WOW for 5yrs/Warhammer 2months/STO 3 days.I left DAOC mythic wrecked their game,by mixing too much pve with their RVR.
I left WOW because I hated leveling every xpac all my efforts were reset.I came to rift when I heard they weren't going to level past 50.
I'll find another DAOC were once I hit max level I can enjoy the game ,or have a true balance between pve/pvp.

[Neo Omni]

EVE Online

I left becuase it sucks.

[Goldenwing]

Tribes Ren - clan made 2nd in OGL (ladder system). Check.
TRPG - left for DAoC.
DAoC - left after Catacombs beta, shocked and unhappy with their unprofessional testing techniques (and Mackey) as well as the change in graphics.

(following not in any particular order although, along with DAoC, did a lot of alpha/beta testing pre-release and expansions)

WoW - left multiple times, final straw was Cataclysms (multiple obvious reasons including destruction of familiar world, railcart questing system, introduction of inferior art in new zones, incessant abuse of cutscenes... to name a few).

EQ2 - left when political decision regarding guild size penalized guilds with less than 10 members.

LotRO - only took a couple of months to figure out the game was basically a costume parade. Experiment with niche game complete. Check.

EVE - Great game. Great concept. Not cup of tea. Hats off to those who still enjoy.

Warhammer - PQs were innovative. Game driven into the dirt by failure to follow through on City Siege potential (devs unable to resolve performance issues and scrapped plan at release.) Not to mention T4 - lakes fiasco.

CO - left after beta. 'Nuff said.

Rift - Great potential during alpha/beta and first 3-6 months. Constant removal of the "not in Azeroth" content was sad but not specifically game-breaking. In the end: no challenging 5-man content at endgame.

Probably have left off a few. Which means they weren't memorable. With the exception of D&D pen and paper back in the 70's. <grin>

[Redius]

EQ for many years. I left because SOE is a horrible company with no dev support.

[DanteGalileo]

I played WoW starting in early WotLk until a couple months after Cata came out then I left and played Warhammer Online a few months and really loved it. I basically just pvp'd nonstop.

I never played any others as I always had just a Mac.

I got very sick last fall and was laid up for about three weeks. All of my time was spent either in bed or in a hot bath. During that time I discovered Sambonz's Let's Play Rift YouTube playlist and it was one of the things I would watch to get me through that three weeks and it really piqued my interest.

I ended up getting a PC in maybe May or June (in preparation for another game that comes out this month, tbh) and, as I had no games on this CPU I decided to get a three month Rift sub to see if I'd like it. I really do like it and, as that 3-month thing expires in a few days, I'll be renewing for another 3 months.

The thing with me, though, is that I have a career and a family and i try to spend lots of time on both of those so i don't raid and min/max or anything. I just play whenever i have a couple hours free. So no fishing or grinding. I just do the things i enjoy.

[Aronxeros]

5 or 6 years of Ultima Online then to a month of Everquest. Left immediately for WoW. I played Vanilla through WotLK. Last year I returned to my roots (sort of), when I found uosecondage. It totally brought me back to old school UO. But after playing that for about 4 months I found it lacking and checked out Rift. Rift is such a good game with the constant updates. I plan on playing SL as well.

[merrier]

5 or 6 years of Ultima Online then to a month of Everquest. Left immediately for WoW. I played Vanilla through WotLK. Last year I returned to my roots (sort of), when I found uosecondage. It totally brought me back to old school UO. But after playing that for about 4 months I found it lacking and checked out Rift. Rift is such a good game with the constant updates. I plan on playing SL as well.

For a long time, UO was the only MMO I ever went back to after quitting. EQ2 was later added to that small list. Rift, I've not quit since alpha, but if I ever do quit, I'll probably be back.