3D in MMORPGs: my ratings
  1 / 2    
Im an active MMORPG player and 3D Vision 2 gamer. So I decided to make a test of some of the most popular online games. This is my conclusion. A grade: [b]The Secret World[/b] - 10/10. The first MMORPG that you can play completely in 3D and where 3D adds ALOT. Turn off UI (you dont really need it here), put camera in first person view and enjoy immersion. Kingsmouth town looks brilliant, Amusement Park even more so. It is the most atmospheric and visually stunning MMORPG atm, and it works wonderful with 3D Vision. [b]Guild Wars 2[/b] - 10/10. If 3D adds to atmosphere in TSW, in GW2 it adds to scale. There are many monumental buildings and in 3D they look even more grand. Brilliant art design and 3D Vision tech bring the world of Tyria to life. Good news - even during combat 3D works nicely, which is rare for genre. [b]World of Tanks[/b] - 9/10. I dont know if developers put some effort to make this game look great in 3D or it came by accident, but WoT really shines in 3D Vision. Tank models, buildings, trees... everything looks perfect. Even aiming felt easier in 3D. The question is why its not 3D Vision Ready? B grade: [b]World of Warcraft[/b] - 7/10. One of the very few 3D Vision Ready MMORPGs, so it should look amazing, right? Not really. The depth adds only slightly to the feel, and during fights I get immidiate desire to switch back to 2D. You also have an option only play in DX9 since in DX11 there are shader problems. Its cool to run through Azeroth in 3D with turned off HUD for a while. But I doubt any serious WoW player will use it for a long time. [b]Aion[/b] - 6/10. Another 3D Vision Ready game. And same problem as WoW. 3D just doesnt give enough to sacrifice half FPS and put on glasses. To make depth noticable I had to raise convergence high and world became very toyish, while characters look like Barbies and Kens. [b]Lord of the Rings Online[/b] - 8/10. To play in 3D you have to launch in DX9 but depth really helps with immersion in LoTRO. Especially inside dungeons. Names rendered in 2D so you have to turn them off, otherwise LoTRO doesnt have too much problems. [b]TERA[/b] - 8/10. Although devs do not support 3D Vision officially, the game renders nicely by itself. Especially those big badass monsters - depth makes them look very real. The main problem is cursor which is rendered in 2D. For a game with nontarget combat, where you have to aim manually, this is really bad. Also you have to turn shadows quality all the way down. For runing around and enjoying the view 3D is great. For PvP - not so much. [b]Fallen Earth[/b] - 6/10. When you first launch this, you'll see name tags, digits and different visual artifacts attacking your eyes from everywhere. You'll have to turn off almost everything. High convergence will make eyes bleed. But after elaborate tuning you can get very nice result. [b]Star Wars: The Old Republic[/b] - 6/10. TORtanic suffers from problems usual for many MMORPGs. Since devs didnt put an effort to make name tags and UI render in 3D, they look out of place near 3D models. Also some things render at wrong depth. Noone knows if Bioware will do something about this. C Grade: [b]Age of Conan[/b] - 1/10. Ive heard it looked great in the past. But then devs added something to the engine and ruined 3D completely. Whatever I did, characters and monsters looked awful. This is sad. With its graphics it could be Skyrim of MMORPG genre. [b]Everquest 2[/b] - 1/10. Some time ago Nvidia gave this game rating "Excellent" and it really looked nicely. But then SOE made some changes to shaders and character looks trippled all the time. Its pretty much unplayable no matter what you do. [b]Warhammer Online[/b] - 5/10. Rated "Excellent" by Nvidia, but honestly graphics sucks too much for 3D to make any difference. Depth makes WAR look abit more like table RPG. But combat text which is rendered in 2D and which you cant turn off, looked really out of place. [b]EVE Online[/b] - 3/10. The best MMORPG on market (in my opinion) could look amazing in 3D. With high convergence ships look so cool it is a sight to behold. But sadly you cant play this in 3D. Depth makes combat markers look out of place and disorient during combat, which is unaccaptable in this game. I really hope one day developers or somebody in our community finds the way to fix it. With its impressive graphics EVE has potential to be one of the best 3D Vision games available. [b]RIFT[/b] - 4/10. Although there are not much problems, RIFT looks basically the same in 3D as in 2D. I hardly could notice the difference, even with high depth and conv settings. [b]Lineage 2[/b] - 2/10. Character and monster models get a nice depth, but UI stays 2D and here it is especially irritating. Name tags, spoken words, cursor - everything misplaced far from where it should be. This means no 3D for ya. You can turn UI off completely but mostly for running 15 minutes around to check how the world looks in 3D.
Im an active MMORPG player and 3D Vision 2 gamer. So I decided to make a test of some of the most popular online games. This is my conclusion.

A grade:

The Secret World - 10/10. The first MMORPG that you can play completely in 3D and where 3D adds ALOT. Turn off UI (you dont really need it here), put camera in first person view and enjoy immersion. Kingsmouth town looks brilliant, Amusement Park even more so. It is the most atmospheric and visually stunning MMORPG atm, and it works wonderful with 3D Vision.

Guild Wars 2 - 10/10. If 3D adds to atmosphere in TSW, in GW2 it adds to scale. There are many monumental buildings and in 3D they look even more grand. Brilliant art design and 3D Vision tech bring the world of Tyria to life. Good news - even during combat 3D works nicely, which is rare for genre.

World of Tanks - 9/10. I dont know if developers put some effort to make this game look great in 3D or it came by accident, but WoT really shines in 3D Vision. Tank models, buildings, trees... everything looks perfect. Even aiming felt easier in 3D. The question is why its not 3D Vision Ready?


B grade:


World of Warcraft - 7/10. One of the very few 3D Vision Ready MMORPGs, so it should look amazing, right? Not really. The depth adds only slightly to the feel, and during fights I get immidiate desire to switch back to 2D. You also have an option only play in DX9 since in DX11 there are shader problems. Its cool to run through Azeroth in 3D with turned off HUD for a while. But I doubt any serious WoW player will use it for a long time.

Aion - 6/10. Another 3D Vision Ready game. And same problem as WoW. 3D just doesnt give enough to sacrifice half FPS and put on glasses. To make depth noticable I had to raise convergence high and world became very toyish, while characters look like Barbies and Kens.

Lord of the Rings Online - 8/10. To play in 3D you have to launch in DX9 but depth really helps with immersion in LoTRO. Especially inside dungeons. Names rendered in 2D so you have to turn them off, otherwise LoTRO doesnt have too much problems.

TERA - 8/10. Although devs do not support 3D Vision officially, the game renders nicely by itself. Especially those big badass monsters - depth makes them look very real. The main problem is cursor which is rendered in 2D. For a game with nontarget combat, where you have to aim manually, this is really bad. Also you have to turn shadows quality all the way down. For runing around and enjoying the view 3D is great. For PvP - not so much.

Fallen Earth - 6/10. When you first launch this, you'll see name tags, digits and different visual artifacts attacking your eyes from everywhere. You'll have to turn off almost everything. High convergence will make eyes bleed. But after elaborate tuning you can get very nice result.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - 6/10. TORtanic suffers from problems usual for many MMORPGs. Since devs didnt put an effort to make name tags and UI render in 3D, they look out of place near 3D models. Also some things render at wrong depth. Noone knows if Bioware will do something about this.


C Grade:

Age of Conan - 1/10. Ive heard it looked great in the past. But then devs added something to the engine and ruined 3D completely. Whatever I did, characters and monsters looked awful. This is sad. With its graphics it could be Skyrim of MMORPG genre.

Everquest 2 - 1/10. Some time ago Nvidia gave this game rating "Excellent" and it really looked nicely. But then SOE made some changes to shaders and character looks trippled all the time. Its pretty much unplayable no matter what you do.

Warhammer Online - 5/10. Rated "Excellent" by Nvidia, but honestly graphics sucks too much for 3D to make any difference. Depth makes WAR look abit more like table RPG. But combat text which is rendered in 2D and which you cant turn off, looked really out of place.

EVE Online - 3/10. The best MMORPG on market (in my opinion) could look amazing in 3D. With high convergence ships look so cool it is a sight to behold. But sadly you cant play this in 3D. Depth makes
combat markers look out of place and disorient during combat, which is unaccaptable in this game. I really hope one day developers or somebody in our community finds the way to fix it. With its impressive graphics EVE has potential to be one of the best 3D Vision games available.

RIFT - 4/10. Although there are not much problems, RIFT looks basically the same in 3D as in 2D. I hardly could notice the difference, even with high depth and conv settings.

Lineage 2 - 2/10. Character and monster models get a nice depth, but UI stays 2D and here it is especially irritating. Name tags, spoken words, cursor - everything misplaced far from where it should be. This means no 3D for ya. You can turn UI off completely but mostly for running 15 minutes around to check how the world looks in 3D.

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#1
Posted 11/03/2012 01:20 PM   
City of Heroes - 0/10. It's an OpenGL game so it won't work with 3D Vision. Plus it's going to die in a few weeks anyway. How are the shadows doing in Guild Wars 2? When I tried changing convergence, the shadows got crazy. The maps and cutscenes were all screwy, too. By the way, you might want to stick your ratings over on the [url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/gg3d/]MTBS database[/url]. Just PLEASE spend the time it takes to really test how it works. It takes extra time (particularly the first time you make a rating) but it will help make it so your rating will be meaningful for people with different equipment.
City of Heroes - 0/10. It's an OpenGL game so it won't work with 3D Vision. Plus it's going to die in a few weeks anyway.

How are the shadows doing in Guild Wars 2? When I tried changing convergence, the shadows got crazy. The maps and cutscenes were all screwy, too.

By the way, you might want to stick your ratings over on the MTBS database. Just PLEASE spend the time it takes to really test how it works. It takes extra time (particularly the first time you make a rating) but it will help make it so your rating will be meaningful for people with different equipment.

The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views ... which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.

-- Doctor Who, "Face of Evil"

#2
Posted 11/03/2012 01:45 PM   
Champions Online - 1/10. Nothing gets broken, but it's a bit pointless, as there is not much difference from 2D. The Secret World - 10/10. I second the OPs opinion. Lord of the Rings Online - 8/10. You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed. Turn off "glow effects" and "post processing" in options. The wide open vistas of Rohan are fabulous in 3D!
Champions Online - 1/10. Nothing gets broken, but it's a bit pointless, as there is not much difference from 2D.

The Secret World - 10/10. I second the OPs opinion.

Lord of the Rings Online - 8/10. You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed. Turn off "glow effects" and "post processing" in options. The wide open vistas of Rohan are fabulous in 3D!

Asus P8P67 EVO, RAM: 24GB, i5 2500k, GTX690, 3xAcer GD245HQ, Windows 7 64-bit

#3
Posted 11/04/2012 10:43 PM   
[quote="magnus71"]You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed[/quote] Have you tried playing in DX9?
magnus71 said:You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed


Have you tried playing in DX9?

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#4
Posted 11/05/2012 12:43 AM   
I'm yet to try TSW and GW2, haven't found much time lately, thanks for the list, I still can't believe LOTRO is 8/10, the sky makes it unplayable for me, and those Iphone graphics... I was wondering how Vanguard Saga of Heroes works now that it's F2P, I tried it years ago and liked it but couldn't commit to it, has anyone tried it?
I'm yet to try TSW and GW2, haven't found much time lately, thanks for the list, I still can't believe LOTRO is 8/10, the sky makes it unplayable for me, and those Iphone graphics... I was wondering how Vanguard Saga of Heroes works now that it's F2P, I tried it years ago and liked it but couldn't commit to it, has anyone tried it?

All hail 3d modders DHR, MasterOtaku, Losti, Necropants, Helifax, bo3b, mike_ar69, Flugan, DarkStarSword, 4everAwake, 3d4dd and so many more helping to keep the 3d dream alive, find their 3d fixes at http://helixmod.blogspot.com/ Also check my site for spanish VR and mobile gaming news: www.gamermovil.com

#5
Posted 11/07/2012 08:35 AM   
I tried. The only way to play it - with UI turned off. Then it looks decent, but I wouldnt play Vanguard in 3D all the time. My 3D rating is 5/10. It is great MMORPG tho ps/ just checked LotRO. Wow... they really screwed it. When last time I tested the game (few monthes ago) sky was perfectly fine. Now it renders at wrong depth and makes it unplayable. Definetly not 8 now.
I tried. The only way to play it - with UI turned off. Then it looks decent, but I wouldnt play Vanguard in 3D all the time. My 3D rating is 5/10. It is great MMORPG tho


ps/ just checked LotRO. Wow... they really screwed it. When last time I tested the game (few monthes ago) sky was perfectly fine. Now it renders at wrong depth and makes it unplayable. Definetly not 8 now.

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#6
Posted 11/07/2012 08:52 AM   
[quote="mindw0rk"]Im an active MMORPG player and 3D Vision 2 gamer. So I decided to make a test of some of the most popular online games. This is my conclusion. A grade: [b]Guild Wars 2[/b] - 10/10. If 3D adds to atmosphere in TSW, in GW2 it adds to scale. There are many monumental buildings and in 3D they look even more grand. Brilliant art design and 3D Vision tech bring the world of Tyria to life. Good news - even during combat 3D works nicely, which is rare for genre. [/quote] How did you get this game to get your 10/10? Rating, I have serval MMO's myself I've rotated upon and GW2 being the most recent game I've ventured into. I thought it was very 'flat', I think to this date only two games are really really topnotch and #1 bein Avatar the Game, and #2 WoW. Convergence levels and depth really is what is key for me.
mindw0rk said:Im an active MMORPG player and 3D Vision 2 gamer. So I decided to make a test of some of the most popular online games. This is my conclusion.

A grade:


Guild Wars 2 - 10/10. If 3D adds to atmosphere in TSW, in GW2 it adds to scale. There are many monumental buildings and in 3D they look even more grand. Brilliant art design and 3D Vision tech bring the world of Tyria to life. Good news - even during combat 3D works nicely, which is rare for genre.




How did you get this game to get your 10/10? Rating, I have serval MMO's myself I've rotated upon and GW2 being the most recent game I've ventured into.

I thought it was very 'flat', I think to this date only two games are really really topnotch and #1 bein Avatar the Game, and #2 WoW. Convergence levels and depth really is what is key for me.

#7
Posted 11/07/2012 06:47 PM   
GW2 is not flat by any means and looks awesome in 3D. Much better then WoW imho
GW2 is not flat by any means and looks awesome in 3D. Much better then WoW imho

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#8
Posted 11/07/2012 09:13 PM   
I have just bought GW2. I am quite looking forward to it! Once it downloads... @Kovster How do you get your avatar (in Avatar - The Game) to stop popping out of the screen? I can't seem to adjust the convergence. Whatever settings I use, the game forces the avatar to pop out. On a desktop monitor I find having the character out of the screen is way too close for a confortable 3D experience. I would like to set the character just behind the monitor; that way I would still get popout of the projectiles and vegetation etc. but the avatar would be far easier to focus on. Thanks
I have just bought GW2. I am quite looking forward to it! Once it downloads...

@Kovster
How do you get your avatar (in Avatar - The Game) to stop popping out of the screen? I can't seem to adjust the convergence. Whatever settings I use, the game forces the avatar to pop out. On a desktop monitor I find having the character out of the screen is way too close for a confortable 3D experience.

I would like to set the character just behind the monitor; that way I would still get popout of the projectiles and vegetation etc. but the avatar would be far easier to focus on.

Thanks

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
-------------------
Vitals: Windows 7 64bit, i5 2500 @ 4.4ghz, SLI GTX670, 8GB, Viewsonic VX2268WM

Handy Driver Discussion
Helix Mod - community fixes
Bo3b's Shaderhacker School - How to fix 3D in games
3dsolutionsgaming.com - videos, reviews and 3D fixes

#9
Posted 11/10/2012 02:17 PM   
Guild Wars 2 I think the convergence setting to get shadows to work properly is a bit lower then most would like. Its not flat but its not not optimal, it is past what I call the "2d+depth range" that would be considered "flat". Personally Id rather disable shadows(low). Either way Id probably give it a 8.5/10 The secret world I have no idea how people played this with UI off. UI is needed alot. I wont rate it since I didnt give it a chance but i really had a hard time with it. The game had a lot of potential besides UI issues but it felt like sleeping dogs to me. Sure they give option to turn UI off but how playable is it?
Guild Wars 2
I think the convergence setting to get shadows to work properly is a bit lower then most would like. Its not flat but its not not optimal, it is past what I call the "2d+depth range" that would be considered "flat". Personally Id rather disable shadows(low). Either way Id probably give it a 8.5/10


The secret world
I have no idea how people played this with UI off. UI is needed alot. I wont rate it since I didnt give it a chance but i really had a hard time with it. The game had a lot of potential besides UI issues but it felt like sleeping dogs to me. Sure they give option to turn UI off but how playable is it?

Co-founder of helixmod.blog.com

If you like one of my helixmod patches and want to donate. Can send to me through paypal - eqzitara@yahoo.com

#10
Posted 11/10/2012 05:12 PM   
Everquest - 8/10. Free game and it's great in 3D. Yeah the game is older than dirt but hell it's free. I like to visit some of my old stomping grounds and soak up some of my past glory days. Everquest 2 - 7/10. There are some anomalies with shadows and shaders but this a great game if your system can handle it. The only major problems for me are the water effects. Totally kills the immersion. Lord of the Rings Online - 8/10. Same comments. You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed. Turn off "glow effects" and "post processing" in options. The wide open vistas of Rohan are fabulous in 3D! ALGANON - 9/10. A really unrated game with some great graphics. Some might say it's a WOW clone but it does some nice vistas. Allods Online - 9/10. Free to play game. Another WOW clone with some steam punk elements. Game's ok. Dark Age of Camelot - 8/10. Oldie but a goodie. Haven't played in forever but it works great with 3D vision. Dungeons and Dragons Online™ - Eberron Unlimited™ - 8/10. Free to play. Uses the same engine as Lord of the Rings. As with LotR the skies and 2d names render incorrectly. Forsaken World - 0/10. Does not work with 3D Guild Wars - 8/10. Don't play this game much anymore. I didn't noticed any real issues with the game. Lineage II - 7/10. Really old game. I didn't find it too much fun to play but it's free to play. It uses the Unreal 2.5 engine. Vanguard - 6/10. You have to turn off the GUI but other than that it's a pretty decent game, and it's free to play. Warhammer Online - 9/10. Played it when it first came out. Don't know how it handles 3D now but when I did play it I thought the 3D rendering was really nice. World of Warcraft - 9/10. I never had any issues with WOW. I haven't played it in about a year but never had any issues with 3D Vision.
Everquest - 8/10. Free game and it's great in 3D. Yeah the game is older than dirt but hell it's free. I like to visit some of my old stomping grounds and soak up some of my past glory days.

Everquest 2 - 7/10. There are some anomalies with shadows and shaders but this a great game if your system can handle it. The only major problems for me are the water effects. Totally kills the immersion.

Lord of the Rings Online - 8/10. Same comments. You don't have to start in DX9, I play in DX11. Sky and water renders wrong and can't be fixed. Turn off "glow effects" and "post processing" in options. The wide open vistas of Rohan are fabulous in 3D!

ALGANON - 9/10. A really unrated game with some great graphics. Some might say it's a WOW clone but it does some nice vistas.

Allods Online - 9/10. Free to play game. Another WOW clone with some steam punk elements. Game's ok.

Dark Age of Camelot - 8/10. Oldie but a goodie. Haven't played in forever but it works great with 3D vision.

Dungeons and Dragons Online™ - Eberron Unlimited™ - 8/10. Free to play. Uses the same engine as Lord of the Rings. As with LotR the skies and 2d names render incorrectly.

Forsaken World - 0/10. Does not work with 3D

Guild Wars - 8/10. Don't play this game much anymore. I didn't noticed any real issues with the game.

Lineage II - 7/10. Really old game. I didn't find it too much fun to play but it's free to play. It uses the Unreal 2.5 engine.

Vanguard - 6/10. You have to turn off the GUI but other than that it's a pretty decent game, and it's free to play.

Warhammer Online - 9/10. Played it when it first came out. Don't know how it handles 3D now but when I did play it I thought the 3D rendering was really nice.

World of Warcraft - 9/10. I never had any issues with WOW. I haven't played it in about a year but never had any issues with 3D Vision.

#11
Posted 11/11/2012 02:02 AM   
[quote="eqzitara"]I have no idea how people played this with UI off. UI is needed alot. I wont rate it since I didnt give it a chance but i really had a hard time with it. The game had a lot of potential besides UI issues but it felt like sleeping dogs to me. Sure they give option to turn UI off but how playable is it?[/quote] You can switch UI on/off with a single button (Alt+Z). You dont need it when you run around and even when you fight (if you know what you're doing). Also its more immersive to play in first person view. [quote="alex1g"]ALGANON - 9/10. A really unrated game with some great graphics. Some might say it's a WOW clone but it does some nice vistas.[/quote] You call THIS great graphics? http://www.onlinemassivelymultiplayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/AlganonGame.jpg
eqzitara said:I have no idea how people played this with UI off. UI is needed alot. I wont rate it since I didnt give it a chance but i really had a hard time with it. The game had a lot of potential besides UI issues but it felt like sleeping dogs to me. Sure they give option to turn UI off but how playable is it?


You can switch UI on/off with a single button (Alt+Z). You dont need it when you run around and even when you fight (if you know what you're doing). Also its more immersive to play in first person view.

alex1g said:ALGANON - 9/10. A really unrated game with some great graphics. Some might say it's a WOW clone but it does some nice vistas.


You call THIS great graphics?

http://www.onlinemassivelymultiplayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/AlganonGame.jpg

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#12
Posted 11/11/2012 02:34 AM   
No worse than WOW imo. No it's not Battlefield 3 great graphics. I mean fantasy mmo WOW cutesy great graphics.
No worse than WOW imo. No it's not Battlefield 3 great graphics. I mean fantasy mmo WOW cutesy great graphics.

#13
Posted 11/11/2012 02:50 AM   
That game looks more like warcraft 3 then wow lol (design wise)
That game looks more like warcraft 3 then wow lol (design wise)

Co-founder of helixmod.blog.com

If you like one of my helixmod patches and want to donate. Can send to me through paypal - eqzitara@yahoo.com

#14
Posted 11/11/2012 03:27 AM   
[quote="alex1g"]No worse than WOW imo. No it's not Battlefield 3 great graphics. I mean fantasy mmo WOW cutesy great graphics.[/quote] Ive played Alganon and made review about it few years ago. Its nothing but a cheap WoW clone (they even copypasted some textures from Blizzard) and graphics there is actually worse then new locations in WoW. You cant seriously compare this to Pandaria. Check how current MMOs (AoC, TERA, TSW, Archeage) look like
alex1g said:No worse than WOW imo. No it's not Battlefield 3 great graphics. I mean fantasy mmo WOW cutesy great graphics.


Ive played Alganon and made review about it few years ago.
Its nothing but a cheap WoW clone (they even copypasted some textures from Blizzard) and graphics there is actually worse then new locations in WoW. You cant seriously compare this to Pandaria.

Check how current MMOs (AoC, TERA, TSW, Archeage) look like

i5 2500K/16gb/GTX 970/Asus VG278H + Sony HMZ-T1

#15
Posted 11/11/2012 03:25 PM   
  1 / 2    
Scroll To Top