Sporkleet wrote:The reasons that I am not interested in WoW is as follows...
1. all I hear is PVP, if roleplay is present please tell me on what server and some guild websites to look 'em up please.
2. Its a fantasy game that again seems like nothing but a trendy mindless fragfest.
3. its just good vs evil, red team vs blue team, Player1 vs Player2... this goes back to the idea that I have WoW just being about PvP I havent seen a shred of story to the game other than setting. Sonic the Hedgehog has a setting, but that does not make it a RPG, am I right? My cousin has been playing WoW for the past two and a half years (3 possibly?) and still has no clue on any sort of stroy involved.
4. Its flying high, very high right now and the thing has got to run outta fuel somepoint. I get concerned playing a game that relies on advertising the number of players inorder to keep going. Peer pressure anyone? 'All your friends play, so why dont you!?' Hell, southpark did an episode about it... WoW is a cultural pop icon, like MC Hammer, or *cough* the dreamcast console

Role play is around, and ususally done by the adult croud in WoW. I have personally found it is much more prevalent on the Alliance side rather than Horde. Most things I have been involved with are all player run stories/situations (which I tend to favor anyways). Getting into the scene is a bit difficult I find as many RP'er shelter themselves out from "them", but once you do get to meet some people (I find Goldshire to be the best), its some damn fun times.
WoW like any other pop culture phenom does get stereotyped, the reason all you here is about the 14 year olds and pvp is because they are the ones with the loudest mouths, so that is the image they are giving to the outside world. For me that was a big turn off as well, however, once inside the game its completely different. A lot of time will be spent with your own guild, and other than the occasional few lines or so in the BG's you don't deal with the idiots much at all. Also definately pick an RP or RPPVP server .. that alone weeds out a lot of the youngin (straight up RP more than the RPPvP). WoW does have a download with a free 10day trial, doesn't hurt to at least give it a shot, see if any of your AO RP buddies also play along in WoW ... I was surprised how many AO people i knew over there ((even now everyone I associated and RP/PVP'd with in AO are now in WoW with me ... so the best part i loved about AO is now with me in WoW)).
Now to answer your points:
1) Depending on your Server, PvP is a very big portion of the game, however can be 100% avoided if you wanted too. Normal servers and RP servers do not allow ganking (i.e. opposite faction can't attack you unless you physically enable yourself for pvp or accept a duel whichi s not to the death ... /pvp). As for guilds/realms, that I can't be too much help with, as most of my WoW dealing are with AO people. Maestrom and Emerald Dream i have had some fun with. Lothar, I don't play enough there to get to know people.
2) Yes it is a fantasy based, with a lot of references to pop culture. Some love this, while other hate it. Its more of a personal preference. I love the easter eggs regarding other games ... hell you can even do the Linkin Quest which follows a story similar to the legend of zelda and in the end you get Link's Sword and Shield (which look very badass IMO). Mindless frag fest ... that I haven't seen, to excel in pvp (unless your a warlock/rogue) takes a lot of player skill. Its not the q+aimshot+alpha+healgraft+rootgraft that AO is. All classes are very closely balanced ... however Warlocks do have an edge against most and are down right feared enemies. PvP in WoW involves movement, placement, timing, and stragegy that AO just doesn't not give for PvP.
3) Horde vs. Alliance is most definately not good vs. evil. Both sides regard themselves as "good" (except for Undead). The horde even have the most peaceful and truly "good" race in the whole game according to lore with the Tauren. Humans are corrupt, Orc are driven by Honor, Night Elves are Elitist (i.e. my shit don't stink). and so on. If time is spent actually looking for hidden pieces of the storylines that are literally hidden through out the game and one must discover on their own if they want. You will find a HUGE backstory and very interesting things about the races (i literally spent over a month just exploring finding hidden books throughout the world piecing together storylines). It just the fact of the matter most people don't put in the effort to find such hidden gems, and just play the game at face value. There most definately is a great story, one just has to find it, its not handed to you on a platter and that is what I like.
4) Normally I would agree with you on this, but I will counter in that it is one of the smoothest and mechanically sound games out there. All games have a high and low point, all will eventually fade, doesn't make them better or worse. Also if are playing a game just because everyone else does, and you don't like it .... stop playing and save your hard earned money.