Hi all

I've been playing AO from nearly day one, and there is something vital missing somewhere. Ok, so I don't have a lvl 200 something, but I've played on a regular basis.
AO is clearly missing something, besides a non-bugged gameplay I'd like to start this thread to pinpoint what this is.

I am very pleased with AO, I think it's a good game, but as I said two times now (darn, gotta get this thought outta my head), there's something missing.
What, exactly? I think it has something to do with AO not being very interesting or demanding. What do you do every time you log on? Hunt to get XP, or do missions to get XP (or even credits)? Why do you need XP? To lvl, of course. Why do you lvl? To win the game? You can't win the game, maybe you will get your characters name on the AO webbie in three years, when it's only you and I playing
Generally, XP is easy to get if you have the time, and it's not that difficult to keep them until you manage to save. Ok, sometimes a virulent minibull (!) or something scarier, kills you on your way home to save. But, dudes and dudettes, to lvl is not difficult. Yes, sometimes you loose a million XP, but there should be something to loose if your luck runs out, or you have played badly. Death isn't fatal, and that can be a bit boring I think. The only thing we loose after a stupid Gargantula kill us, is XP. Not credits or someting from our inventory.
So, what is the point in playing AO? To follow a story, participate in it, take actions based on some news on a website? Very few (it seems) are doing anything else beside hunting, lvl'ing and dancing. Not very demanding. Just the other day I took 2 lvls while in third-person view from above and zoomed out to the max, so I couldn't see myself. I just hit tab until something showed up, and hit 7. I did that because I *needed* new implants, and lacked the skills to put them in. Then what? Now I *need* yet another set of implants to deal more damage to monsters which take a lot more beating.

We need something interesting to do in AO. I want to be king of Varmint Woods, and I want other to know it. And I want to know that Juletre the doctor (non NPC) to be Lord of the beach next to W Athen. I want Bobbelur the fixer to try to kill me so he can be King of VW. I want to ambush people in Newland, I want to empty the shops in Tir, so people know that if they don't behave they won't be able to buy those nano recharges in this town. We need more 25% areas, and maybe not know what kind of area we're in. I want to be killed by a non NPC enemy in Old Athen.
Speaking of enemies; If someone call me stupid, which as insult is beyond forgiveness, I want to be able to track down that mother humper, and put a nano up his behind. As it is now, you can call me worse things than stupid, and I can't do jack about it. (Or maybe this can be a player generated mission: Snus will give you 700000 credits and 1000000 XP from his own pool if you kill that insulting atrox NT).

Of course, I will go on playing AO until I reach lvl200 just to make sure there's nothing else to do after that. Or, check this out, create a new character that I can use for hunting, missions and XP. Maybe I will create a nano tech so things can be a bit more difficult. But in the end it will make no difference; I must kill NPC's to gain XP, I must gain XP to get new armour, I must get new armour to take beating from even higher monsters.

I need something to do in AO, something which is demanding, interesting and more fun than shooting a bird to get xp. I want to steal the shotgun from a trader, I want to sell shoes in Tir, I want to sing out loud: IIIIIIIImmmmmm plaaaayiiiiiiiiing AOOOOOO and aiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnt booooooooooooooooored.

Snus