So, for those that have played the game, how do you like it?
I've only gotten my guardian up to lvl 13, should gain a few more later today, but finally getting a hang of the battle system and starting to feel the desire to get off the island and start to roam the rest of the game.
It's not a bad first impression, but also not one that knocked me off my socks. So far it's fun, the visuals are good, not many bugs (only encountered two to be honest, game crashes when I try to log out and I can't seem to make a high quality screenshot) and my computer seems to be able to deal with the game.
The battle system took some getting used to, but mostly because I didn't really bother much with the help section. So, I reread it all, it's not the easiest game for a new mmorpg player, but it's doable. Fairly steep learning curve mostly because there is no real long learning area as in WoW and EQII. Sure, it's a beginner's island, but it feels like a new player is more left to his own resources. Not a bad way to do things though.
Visually, the game is good. Haven't seen much of the world as yet though. The battle effects are nice, the fatalities are fun to see, but ofcourse that wears off.
The daytime and nighttime world is a nice find, but not really groupmaking. A commonly heard complaint, lots of people level up on their own and when they hit the instances and raids they have no idea how to group, this game isn't really preparing people to group but I have no idea of later levels so I might be way off on this.
Will I leave EQII for this game? Too early to tell, so far I'm enjoying myself and that's the main thing, I'll have to wait for later levels to see. Way I hear it, those later levels should come very quickly, levelling is pretty fast.
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First impressions:Follow
Do you find it to be a big buggy? Or are you happy with the launch client and world?
I'm happy with the game as it is now, I've only experienced a couple of bugs ingame so far. The screenshot didn't work and I tried to jump down when I was climbing and ended up inside the wall. Not much fun being stuck, somehow I did get out in about ten minutes.
I have heard and read a lot of others complaining about bugs though. People who have constant lag, people who have bugged quests, bugged visuals,... Strangely enough nothing that everyone seems to have at the same time.
I have heard and read a lot of others complaining about bugs though. People who have constant lag, people who have bugged quests, bugged visuals,... Strangely enough nothing that everyone seems to have at the same time.
There are still some bugs Funcom needs to work on.
They NEED to get the Trader (bank/AH/mailbox) working.
They also need to figure out what the problem with some quests are. Some quests work fine for most people, but then there are some people who just cant get passed a quest because of bugs. (getting Renton to talk)
My major complaint about the game is that Funcom only gives us 8 character slots total. Which in itself isnt THAT bad, but when you arent sure what class you want to be and there are 12 classes....
Also... I can see where replaying the starter island (Tortage) over and over could get boring, but I dont really see a way around this since the quests in other cities are for level 20+ people.
I cant comment on how some others are saying that certain classes are "broken". The ones I have played seem fine. (Demonologist and Barbarian) Although the pet you get as a demonologist is worthless as something to divert agro from you.... it just isnt happening.
(next opinion is based on L.1-L.10 leveling) The different archetypes for each class is mixed... some you can tell are completely different from the other classes in the tier... while some feel the same no matter what you do. Example: Tempest of Set and Priest of Mitra... both are priests and both can do alright DPS with spells... but I dont see them being totally different as to actually be called two different classes... What I mean is... they both could be merged into a single Priest class and have different spec trees that would separate their playstyles... To me, IMO, the biggest difference between ToS and PoM are the races that can be one. (note... I have read the official class forums for each class and I cant decide which one to actually play passed L.10)
The game itself is really cool, and I am having fun with it but it feels like a single player game to me with a MMO chatroom attached which isnt bad in itself since I like to solo. I am hoping that the grand scheme of the world opens up more once I play passed Tortage and I can actually go out and roam the countryside and not feel like I am boxed into a big square area of land with "doors" to go from one zone to the next. (but... alas... that is what I heard it was like after Tortage...
)
If I can remember anything else I'll try to post more.
They NEED to get the Trader (bank/AH/mailbox) working.
They also need to figure out what the problem with some quests are. Some quests work fine for most people, but then there are some people who just cant get passed a quest because of bugs. (getting Renton to talk)
My major complaint about the game is that Funcom only gives us 8 character slots total. Which in itself isnt THAT bad, but when you arent sure what class you want to be and there are 12 classes....
Also... I can see where replaying the starter island (Tortage) over and over could get boring, but I dont really see a way around this since the quests in other cities are for level 20+ people.
I cant comment on how some others are saying that certain classes are "broken". The ones I have played seem fine. (Demonologist and Barbarian) Although the pet you get as a demonologist is worthless as something to divert agro from you.... it just isnt happening.
(next opinion is based on L.1-L.10 leveling) The different archetypes for each class is mixed... some you can tell are completely different from the other classes in the tier... while some feel the same no matter what you do. Example: Tempest of Set and Priest of Mitra... both are priests and both can do alright DPS with spells... but I dont see them being totally different as to actually be called two different classes... What I mean is... they both could be merged into a single Priest class and have different spec trees that would separate their playstyles... To me, IMO, the biggest difference between ToS and PoM are the races that can be one. (note... I have read the official class forums for each class and I cant decide which one to actually play passed L.10)
The game itself is really cool, and I am having fun with it but it feels like a single player game to me with a MMO chatroom attached which isnt bad in itself since I like to solo. I am hoping that the grand scheme of the world opens up more once I play passed Tortage and I can actually go out and roam the countryside and not feel like I am boxed into a big square area of land with "doors" to go from one zone to the next. (but... alas... that is what I heard it was like after Tortage...
) If I can remember anything else I'll try to post more.
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
My major complaint about the game is that Funcom only gives us 8 character slots total. Which in itself isnt THAT bad, but when you arent sure what class you want to be and there are 12 classes....
Well, you can always delete and remake, they aren't permanently filled.
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
Also... I can see where replaying the starter island (Tortage) over and over could get boring, but I dont really see a way around this since the quests in other cities are for level 20+ people.
I'm only level 14, and still doing the Tortage quests and stuff, but I do remember when I started the Awakening quests, the first quest giver had an option along the lines of:
Isn't there a way I can skip all this and break my chains now? (Skip Denstiny Quests).
I did not choose this, because I need and want to play through the intro, but this may be an easier/quicker route through Tortage.
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
I cant comment on how some others are saying that certain classes are "broken". The ones I have played seem fine. (Demonologist and Barbarian) Although the pet you get as a demonologist is worthless as something to divert agro from you.... it just isnt happening.
This annoys me as a Necromancer. I have 2 minions, and I occasionally get Frozen Hatred ice elementals to help me (tortured souls of the people I kill, I guess). Unfortunately, even if I sic my minions on a creature, that creature comes straight for me, regardless of what actions I've taken. It'd be nice if I could at least get a bit of a diversion from them.
Edit:
My game also crashes (or at least gives me the "Send Report" dialog every time I exit. It seems the game has a problem closing.
I do wish I could log out to the Character selection screen. If I wait the 30 seconds, it brings me back to the Login screen, and if I choose exit now, the game closes completely (and then errors, as mentioned before).
I also can't seem to get my Friend Pass. The card that came with the game has a place that says "Write down the code here" and tells me to log in to my account on their website to get the code. I cannot find the code anywhere.
Edited, May 25th 2008 8:34pm by TirithRR
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
TirithRR the Mundane wrote:
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
My major complaint about the game is that Funcom only gives us 8 character slots total. Which in itself isnt THAT bad, but when you arent sure what class you want to be and there are 12 classes....
Well, you can always delete and remake, they aren't permanently filled.
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
Also... I can see where replaying the starter island (Tortage) over and over could get boring, but I dont really see a way around this since the quests in other cities are for level 20+ people.
I'm only level 14, and still doing the Tortage quests and stuff, but I do remember when I started the Awakening quests, the first quest giver had an option along the lines of:
Isn't there a way I can skip all this and break my chains now? (Skip Denstiny Quests).
I did not choose this, because I need and want to play through the intro, but this may be an easier/quicker route through Tortage.
Concerning deleting the characters in order to level up new characters... no. Heh.
You want to be able to level as many classes as you can at the same time... not level 8 guys and then delete 4 so you can level the other 4 classes. I am refering to people with Altitus/altoholic mostly.
The point in skipping Destiny quests is if you just dont feel like doing that chain at that moment, or if the quest is bugged. You can skip them all if you go that route, but there is a catch... you have to do the final one at L.19 no matter what... meaning if you dont do any of the others you'll be missing out on the XP and the gear you could be getting.
You may ask... why skip at all then? Well... if you go crazy and level to 16 and you didnt do any of the Destiny quests up to that point, you can skip to the L.15 one and save yourself an hour or two of doing the lower level ones... (which I dont get... being that high you would breeze through them fast).
I think everyone has the 'exit game' error.
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
TirithRR the Mundane wrote:
PentUpAnger the Irrelevant wrote:
My major complaint about the game is that Funcom only gives us 8 character slots total. Which in itself isnt THAT bad, but when you arent sure what class you want to be and there are 12 classes....
Well, you can always delete and remake, they aren't permanently filled.
Concerning deleting the characters in order to level up new characters... no. Heh.
You want to be able to level as many classes as you can at the same time... not level 8 guys and then delete 4 so you can level the other 4 classes. I am refering to people with Altitus/altoholic mostly.
You hadn't mentioned wanting to keep all your characters, you just said that you didn't know which class you wanted to be, and wanted to be able to try them all. So try and delete until you find the one you like. :)
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
Quote:
I think everyone has the 'exit game' error.
Thats the only major bug ive seen yet. Im still in Tortage so ive yet to see the "outside" world so to speak. So far its been a breathe of fresh air, from the graphics to the quests, its been all good. Of course it did take a while to re adjust to the mechanics.
Ive never met a better bunch of Roleplayers on the Aquilonia realm i picked, ive not seen one "lolboi" yet which is a huge relief given the state of my previous home.
The one thing im glad i didnt do was read into all the hype prior to release. I read practically nothing about AoC, just a few reviews before purchase. A couple of friends were on the beta, nothing but praise from them. I had no preconceptions of what the game was "promised" to be, or whether certain things had been left out.
Overall, great game, but very very poor official forums. Turning into the "O" boards part II methinks.
Edited, May 28th 2008 2:51pm by ArchnMez
I made it out of Tortage 2 days ago. And have been playing in the real game for a little bit.
One thing that hits you like a brick wall, is the lack of dubbing on quests outside Tortage. You just get so used to it... and then suddenly they no longer talk. In Tortage I actually stopped reading all the quest info and just listened. I'm sure I'll get used to it, it's just such a drastic change the first time you talk to an NPC.
Another thing that irked me was the fact that you aren't able to walk through the area to other areas. You have to use transportation (boats, traveling merchants, etc.) to get to other areas. All the gates are blocked by guards that won't let you through otherwise.
Oh, and yesterday's update fixed the Error on exit. What ever caused it is gone now. They also added colors to some of the text, but not the chat text (still gray, damn them).
One thing that hits you like a brick wall, is the lack of dubbing on quests outside Tortage. You just get so used to it... and then suddenly they no longer talk. In Tortage I actually stopped reading all the quest info and just listened. I'm sure I'll get used to it, it's just such a drastic change the first time you talk to an NPC.
Another thing that irked me was the fact that you aren't able to walk through the area to other areas. You have to use transportation (boats, traveling merchants, etc.) to get to other areas. All the gates are blocked by guards that won't let you through otherwise.
Oh, and yesterday's update fixed the Error on exit. What ever caused it is gone now. They also added colors to some of the text, but not the chat text (still gray, damn them).
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
Quote:
One thing that hits you like a brick wall, is the lack of dubbing on quests outside Tortage.
This i wont mind so much. I tend to listen to my own playlists but ive left them off for now, the quality of the NPC characters is top notch and would be ruined with Amon Amarth blaring in the background. When i finally leave Tort, hopefully tonight, i`ll most probably slam the tunes back on.
Quote:
Another thing that irked me was the fact that you aren't able to walk through the area to other areas.
A small price to pay for the lush graphics eh? Atleast with a decent rig the loadings will be quick n` painless. There are a lot of things about this game that i have had to get used to, but i love a change. Things can only get better.
I'm looking forward to playing some more tonight. I'm still only level 20, made it out of Tortage at level 19. I'm having a bit of trouble since the lowest level creatures are level 20-22, and they hit quite hard (to me at least, a Necromancer). My minions do very little in terms of damage mitigation.
Oh how I wish they would absorb some of the damage rather than the creature coming straight at me.
One great thing I never really thought of. If Tortage is required for all new characters, it seems it would be an excellent way to stop RMT from ambushing the full game and griefing players like they do in other games. But I have heard of there being a bypass, my brother read it somewhere, so you don't have to do Tortage each time you play.
Oh how I wish they would absorb some of the damage rather than the creature coming straight at me.
One great thing I never really thought of. If Tortage is required for all new characters, it seems it would be an excellent way to stop RMT from ambushing the full game and griefing players like they do in other games. But I have heard of there being a bypass, my brother read it somewhere, so you don't have to do Tortage each time you play.
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
Quote:
One great thing I never really thought of. If Tortage is required for all new characters, it seems it would be an excellent way to stop RMT from ambushing the full game and griefing players like they do in other games. But I have heard of there being a bypass, my brother read it somewhere, so you don't have to do Tortage each time you play.
Apparently funcom already had to act against some players, or so the update screen said yesterday.
The only bypass I can think of, is the one where you just skip the destiny quests. But I'm not sure when you can do this and at what level.
TirithRR the Mundane wrote:
is the lack of dubbing on quests outside Tortage.
They still grunt and sigh. If there isn't going to be speech, I would like it if they removed the noises while I'm trying to read. lol
I don't like that there is no quick and easy way to get back to the character selection screen. I am trying to level different classes to see what I like but I either have to exit the game or let it countdown and end up back at the screen where I need to re-enter my PW.
There are bugs. Most aren't that bad. I've gone to run up a hill and ended up inside. Ended up inside a house that you can't enter and I was able to shoot out of the house but the NPCs couldn't get inside to get me. A friend got DCed during the night time quest where he was in the keep trying to escape and when he logged back in, it had him outside of the keep and wouldn't let him finish it. He had to get a GM to mark the quest as finished for him.
The combat system is interesting but targeting is still a little odd to me. A few times it chose to have me shoot at things that were no where near me. Other times it gets a hard on for the girl you rescue in the first quest and it will keep targeting her despite her being behind me and force me to face her while I'm trying to fight.
It has actually improved greatly over the week and a few days that I have played it. Many issues were to be expected with it coming online for everyone to log in I guess.
Your right, it is getting better. My main gripe at the minute is the Attributes menu, when i click on it i get a system lockup. It just means using "p" for a while. Updated my grfx drivers last night and the difference is astounding. Been using the same drivers since before christmas, Wow doesnt need anything fancy so i havent change them in a while.
First time on the Mainland last night and its looking georgous, so much to do and see, my mind nearly melted. Ive levelled 5 chars upto to 20 so its been a bit slow on the progression side of things.
Major Hint Alert,,,
If you didnt know already, on your way to White Sands, just before you get in the little boat to cross over, there is a building on your left. Behind it there is a note pinned to the wall, directs you to a smuggler that will take you out of Tort earlier than normal. Thats if you really want to.
First time on the Mainland last night and its looking georgous, so much to do and see, my mind nearly melted. Ive levelled 5 chars upto to 20 so its been a bit slow on the progression side of things.
Major Hint Alert,,,
If you didnt know already, on your way to White Sands, just before you get in the little boat to cross over, there is a building on your left. Behind it there is a note pinned to the wall, directs you to a smuggler that will take you out of Tort earlier than normal. Thats if you really want to.
I've only just found out that this forum existed, so excuse the delay.
I've been playing this since EA, and my Conqueror is now level 28. I'm on a EU PvE server. So here's my somewhat limited review, from worst to best:
- System requirements: They are really high. It may be fine for some people, but for a lot of peeps, it means buying new hardware. That's the main reason why this game won't be "the next WOW2. The good news, however, is that it'll keep a lot of kiddies away.
- Bugs: Not too many. The worst bug area I've found so far is Tortage. From 20-28, I haven't encountered any: no broken quests, traders work fine, nothing freezes... No problem. Some little detail can be annoying, however: When I run, sometimes my char gets stuck because the ground is one millimetre higher. It's like my char can't lift his freaking foot 1 inch above the ground. That's my biggest peeve so far, and it's really not that bad.
- Instancing/zoning: The loading screens can get a bit annoying, if you're really impatient. But other than that, I don't notice it at all. The world seems full, I see people everywhere, and in Conall's Valley (20-30 questing), there are almost too many people. I've never struggled to find a group, but often found quest items/mobs to be camped. If it wasn't instanced, this would be a lot worst. The respawns rate can also be a tiny bit long sometimes.
I get the same feeling of an "open world" as in WOW, despite the instancing. I used to be on high pop server in wow, and there are thousands of people I never met or quested with, and I can't say it bothered me. I don't think "the more people the better", since you end up never interacting with them. AoC is fine in this respect, at least in the 1-30 bracket.
- UI/Interface: They could improve this a bit. Nothing gamebreaking, but some details are annoying: you can't see your party members unless they are 10 feet away from you: not on the mini-map, not on the big map, that sucks a bit. It means you have to say "We meet near the start of the questing bit, yeah, the crossroad, no, not that one..." Could be better. The interface doesn't have quite enough slots for the billionth of combos you get. But I'm sure that's customisable, so no biggy either.
- Gameplay: I've got a Conqueror, and I am loving it. The combat mechanism is fun and somwhat "demanding". No auto-attack. You have to use your combo depending on the defending of the mob, which changes with every blow. You can use AOEs and knockbacks to really good effect. The visuals are pretty awesome. I still get a "Oooh" feeling when I chop someone's head off, though I've done it countless times. Loving playing a melee class, though I never enjoyed it before.
- Questing: I'm loving it. Quest zones on your minimap, choosing your GY, the crosses and arrows to indicate where to go, I think it's brilliant. Saves the alt+tab to look at Alla/Wiki/Thott.
- Lack of pointless time sinks: Awesome. 30 mins hs. Travelling is instant. Quests are prpoerly signposted. You can gy-hop. I usually only have 1-2 hours slots to play, and I spend most fo that fighting. I remeber in WOW spending half ot it travelling. Even with an epic flying mount.
- Graphics: Absolutely awesome. Seriously. Jaw-dropping. Some fo the scenery is beautiful, and you can actually see for miles and miles. Stand atop a mountain, and you can almost see the other end of the map.
I can't say anything about end-game, open PvP, PvP servers, or healing/casters. But the community is really friendly (on my server at least), adn the game immersing. Levelling is surpringly quick. I'm aprt of a big guild, and we're already gathering mats to build our guild city, it's pretty exciting.
I wasn't expecting much from this game, and so far have been only pleasently suprised. I guess it's all about expectations. But don't let the whiners, on this forum, or AoC's, or MMORPG's, get you down. If your machine can handle it, I'd highly reccomend this game. It's bags of fun.
8.5/10 so far.
I've been playing this since EA, and my Conqueror is now level 28. I'm on a EU PvE server. So here's my somewhat limited review, from worst to best:
- System requirements: They are really high. It may be fine for some people, but for a lot of peeps, it means buying new hardware. That's the main reason why this game won't be "the next WOW2. The good news, however, is that it'll keep a lot of kiddies away.
- Bugs: Not too many. The worst bug area I've found so far is Tortage. From 20-28, I haven't encountered any: no broken quests, traders work fine, nothing freezes... No problem. Some little detail can be annoying, however: When I run, sometimes my char gets stuck because the ground is one millimetre higher. It's like my char can't lift his freaking foot 1 inch above the ground. That's my biggest peeve so far, and it's really not that bad.
- Instancing/zoning: The loading screens can get a bit annoying, if you're really impatient. But other than that, I don't notice it at all. The world seems full, I see people everywhere, and in Conall's Valley (20-30 questing), there are almost too many people. I've never struggled to find a group, but often found quest items/mobs to be camped. If it wasn't instanced, this would be a lot worst. The respawns rate can also be a tiny bit long sometimes.
I get the same feeling of an "open world" as in WOW, despite the instancing. I used to be on high pop server in wow, and there are thousands of people I never met or quested with, and I can't say it bothered me. I don't think "the more people the better", since you end up never interacting with them. AoC is fine in this respect, at least in the 1-30 bracket.
- UI/Interface: They could improve this a bit. Nothing gamebreaking, but some details are annoying: you can't see your party members unless they are 10 feet away from you: not on the mini-map, not on the big map, that sucks a bit. It means you have to say "We meet near the start of the questing bit, yeah, the crossroad, no, not that one..." Could be better. The interface doesn't have quite enough slots for the billionth of combos you get. But I'm sure that's customisable, so no biggy either.
- Gameplay: I've got a Conqueror, and I am loving it. The combat mechanism is fun and somwhat "demanding". No auto-attack. You have to use your combo depending on the defending of the mob, which changes with every blow. You can use AOEs and knockbacks to really good effect. The visuals are pretty awesome. I still get a "Oooh" feeling when I chop someone's head off, though I've done it countless times. Loving playing a melee class, though I never enjoyed it before.
- Questing: I'm loving it. Quest zones on your minimap, choosing your GY, the crosses and arrows to indicate where to go, I think it's brilliant. Saves the alt+tab to look at Alla/Wiki/Thott.
- Lack of pointless time sinks: Awesome. 30 mins hs. Travelling is instant. Quests are prpoerly signposted. You can gy-hop. I usually only have 1-2 hours slots to play, and I spend most fo that fighting. I remeber in WOW spending half ot it travelling. Even with an epic flying mount.
- Graphics: Absolutely awesome. Seriously. Jaw-dropping. Some fo the scenery is beautiful, and you can actually see for miles and miles. Stand atop a mountain, and you can almost see the other end of the map.
I can't say anything about end-game, open PvP, PvP servers, or healing/casters. But the community is really friendly (on my server at least), adn the game immersing. Levelling is surpringly quick. I'm aprt of a big guild, and we're already gathering mats to build our guild city, it's pretty exciting.
I wasn't expecting much from this game, and so far have been only pleasently suprised. I guess it's all about expectations. But don't let the whiners, on this forum, or AoC's, or MMORPG's, get you down. If your machine can handle it, I'd highly reccomend this game. It's bags of fun.
8.5/10 so far.
RedPhoenixxx wrote:
I've been playing this since EA, and my Conqueror is now level 28. I'm on a EU PvE server. So here's my somewhat limited review, from worst to best:
I can't thank you enough for this little review! I've been wanting to check the game out but not without having some info about how well/poor it has been presented.
Playing WoW atm, getting tired of it after 3 years. TBC x-pac ruined it for me, most friends alrdy left. So I'm eager to try out AoC, but - ofcourse - I'm a bit hesitant :)
Thanks again, rate up for you!
hope my comp can manage it!
Edited, May 30th 2008 3:28pm by Hence
Quote:
hope my comp can manage it!
Whats your specs mate? There is a lot of tweaking you can do to get a smoother ride out of it.
Ive got mostly everything on high:
Amd x2 6000@3.2
2 gig o` ram
XfX 8800gt 512mb
Win xp,,,
The scalability is quite impressive, theyve done a good job there.
Hence wrote:
Playing WoW atm, getting tired of it after 3 years. TBC x-pac ruined it for me, most friends alrdy left. So I'm eager to try out AoC, but - ofcourse - I'm a bit hesitant
I was in exactly the same situation. Then a guildie from WOW gave me his AoC beta key, and I've not looked back since then.
Archnmez wrote:
Whats your specs mate? There is a lot of tweaking you can do to get a smoother ride out of it
2.99Ghz dual processor
512mb graphic card
3Gb RAM
So I guess I'm safe there, perhaps not the full settings - but that can be fixed easily if it gets problematic :) I already ordered a copy! Will take a few days, all the e-shops were either sold out or had a few weeks of delivery time :O
Mine will arrive in a few days ^^
RedPhoenixxx wrote:
I was in exactly the same situation. Then a guildie from WOW gave me his AoC beta key, and I've not looked back since then.
Yes, logging in and not feeling like doing something, creating the gazillionth alt... perhaps it's time to move on!
I have left WoW after getting somewhat bored and then completely disgusted with the Arena system and Resilience as in my opinion it helped ruin the game. Here are my thoughts on AoC to date...
AoC versus WoW:
Everyone knows that WoW is one of the most influential and best games that has come out for any platform and in particular it set the benchmark for other MMO's. Does AoC beat it, yes and no... they are not truly designed to be compared as they are very different.
What does WoW shine at:
Warcraft got it right early on with the lay out of the screen and how to use abilities as well as the ease of a new player to MMO's (myself at the time) to get into the game and have fun. The downside is there was a lot of repeating oneself in the game as all the zones were done fairly quickly and outside of the starting area all quests were the same for the most part. The GUI of Warcraft is one that even without Mods is very user friendly and the overall machine requirements means that you can play this game on a computer from 5 or 6 years ago at a high framerate for the most part. WoW took what others did well and made it better almost across the board. As I looked at other MMO's, it is amazing to see how well PvP is implemented in WoW. You have a side that you fight for and for that reason you always have "friends" to potentially help you out. This made for lots of fun on even PvP servers as somebody eventually had your back. Stranglethorn Vale was some of the most frustrating and fun zones to play... pending on who was ganking who.
What did AoC improve upon compared to others:
AoC first and foremost is a graphical masterpiece compared to others. I have been in several zones now and it just blows your mind to the point of making you think why is no one else trying this. Reason - designers were not sure how gamers would respond, but I think that more games will push graphic envelopes because of AoC. Combat system is great and many WoW players have complained to some extent. It takes a lot to get comfortable with and then re-memorizing your combo placement with new combo's can get troubling for short periods of time, but overall it keeps you active. My priest in WoW... yes, lots of activity as I targeting toons to heal... my Rogue in WoW... fun to PvP, but in instances it was a bore fest. Sap, count to 5, and begin dps'ing. In the middle of dps'ing I could take a bathroom break and come back and be fine. (OK, not really, but you get the point.) AoC keeps you actively engaged at all times when it comes to combat. It was mentioned that the learning curve is slightly steeper, and I agree with that, but in no way is it tremendously difficult. Siege Combat has a ton of potential, but we are still months away from truly seeing any of it occur in my opinion as it is going to require some serious guilds and/or planning of mercenaries. The classes are varied and different and fun. Someone mentioned above that the priest of Mitra versus the Tempest of Set were too close... really, maybe they should play them. They are exact opposites and infact the Tempest is THE best AoE caster in the game on a basic level. Good news for you (ex)WoW addicts is that they also have "talent" tree's known as Feat tree's which always allows for more depth in a character. Lastly, the ability to tweak every detail of a character at creation makes the game more fun as you own the character. So you know, it is possible to have a girl with breasts that are too large in game as it makes the toon look funny. Yes, I can admit that I made a female toon and maxed out the proper "traits", most of you will too, I am just not ashamed to admit it as I laughed about it.
Where does AoC possibly go wrong:
Up front, they screwed the pooch with PvP. I love world PvP in Warcraft, because even if you just want to beat up on some others, you can only do it for so long prior to someone coming over from the Horde or Alliance to take you out. In AoC, they have world PvP like DAoC... massive free for all. While grouping with other real life friends it is okay, it still causes headaches, as everyone not in your group or guild is targeted as an enemy. What does that mean... I see someone in trouble and want to help, cast an AoE spell or run up and swing a weapon, and I damage everyone. This causes others to think you are attacking them and attack you or at least gives them the excuse. PvP was done right in WoW with the design of 2 sides in a conflict always allowing for back up. Also, you will have people camping Rez points as you rez with no HP, Stamina, or Mana and a single hit will kill you. Not all that much fun.
Other area of concern is tanking... it is hard to appropriately tank mobs currently. In WoW, once you got the hang of it it was fairly easy, but in AoC, they peel off so fast it is ridiculous. On boss characters it is no different, but when dealing with multiple mobs, I have not figured out a good way to hold aggro on more than 2. However, since all classes do fairly good dps, you normally do not need to worry about tanking except boss type creatures. The Dark Templar which I switched to on my PvE server is doing better than my Guardian as they have several great abilities to AoE mobs in melee which definitely helps maintain aggro.
Overall - It is a great game and lots of fun to play. I have played every class to at least level 15 (which means I had to delete those I did not like) and they all provide great variety. I think at low levels the two true mage classes are a bit broken currently, but the Herald of Xotli is a massive dps burst machine. He is now my main on the PvP server I play on. As for the other archetypes they are all fun to play to some degree, but you will find a class or two that you just love. The implementation of the Barbarian is great as they truly act as a "light" warrior/soldier class and do great damage. If they can fix tanking (or I figure it out) and the spellcasting Mage archetypes I think this game will be very solid. I have stopped playing WoW all together thanks to this game and will not be returning any time soon. Will Warhammer pull me away from AoC, maybe....
Hope this helps some of those that are still unsure...
AoC versus WoW:
Everyone knows that WoW is one of the most influential and best games that has come out for any platform and in particular it set the benchmark for other MMO's. Does AoC beat it, yes and no... they are not truly designed to be compared as they are very different.
What does WoW shine at:
Warcraft got it right early on with the lay out of the screen and how to use abilities as well as the ease of a new player to MMO's (myself at the time) to get into the game and have fun. The downside is there was a lot of repeating oneself in the game as all the zones were done fairly quickly and outside of the starting area all quests were the same for the most part. The GUI of Warcraft is one that even without Mods is very user friendly and the overall machine requirements means that you can play this game on a computer from 5 or 6 years ago at a high framerate for the most part. WoW took what others did well and made it better almost across the board. As I looked at other MMO's, it is amazing to see how well PvP is implemented in WoW. You have a side that you fight for and for that reason you always have "friends" to potentially help you out. This made for lots of fun on even PvP servers as somebody eventually had your back. Stranglethorn Vale was some of the most frustrating and fun zones to play... pending on who was ganking who.
What did AoC improve upon compared to others:
AoC first and foremost is a graphical masterpiece compared to others. I have been in several zones now and it just blows your mind to the point of making you think why is no one else trying this. Reason - designers were not sure how gamers would respond, but I think that more games will push graphic envelopes because of AoC. Combat system is great and many WoW players have complained to some extent. It takes a lot to get comfortable with and then re-memorizing your combo placement with new combo's can get troubling for short periods of time, but overall it keeps you active. My priest in WoW... yes, lots of activity as I targeting toons to heal... my Rogue in WoW... fun to PvP, but in instances it was a bore fest. Sap, count to 5, and begin dps'ing. In the middle of dps'ing I could take a bathroom break and come back and be fine. (OK, not really, but you get the point.) AoC keeps you actively engaged at all times when it comes to combat. It was mentioned that the learning curve is slightly steeper, and I agree with that, but in no way is it tremendously difficult. Siege Combat has a ton of potential, but we are still months away from truly seeing any of it occur in my opinion as it is going to require some serious guilds and/or planning of mercenaries. The classes are varied and different and fun. Someone mentioned above that the priest of Mitra versus the Tempest of Set were too close... really, maybe they should play them. They are exact opposites and infact the Tempest is THE best AoE caster in the game on a basic level. Good news for you (ex)WoW addicts is that they also have "talent" tree's known as Feat tree's which always allows for more depth in a character. Lastly, the ability to tweak every detail of a character at creation makes the game more fun as you own the character. So you know, it is possible to have a girl with breasts that are too large in game as it makes the toon look funny. Yes, I can admit that I made a female toon and maxed out the proper "traits", most of you will too, I am just not ashamed to admit it as I laughed about it.
Where does AoC possibly go wrong:
Up front, they screwed the pooch with PvP. I love world PvP in Warcraft, because even if you just want to beat up on some others, you can only do it for so long prior to someone coming over from the Horde or Alliance to take you out. In AoC, they have world PvP like DAoC... massive free for all. While grouping with other real life friends it is okay, it still causes headaches, as everyone not in your group or guild is targeted as an enemy. What does that mean... I see someone in trouble and want to help, cast an AoE spell or run up and swing a weapon, and I damage everyone. This causes others to think you are attacking them and attack you or at least gives them the excuse. PvP was done right in WoW with the design of 2 sides in a conflict always allowing for back up. Also, you will have people camping Rez points as you rez with no HP, Stamina, or Mana and a single hit will kill you. Not all that much fun.
Other area of concern is tanking... it is hard to appropriately tank mobs currently. In WoW, once you got the hang of it it was fairly easy, but in AoC, they peel off so fast it is ridiculous. On boss characters it is no different, but when dealing with multiple mobs, I have not figured out a good way to hold aggro on more than 2. However, since all classes do fairly good dps, you normally do not need to worry about tanking except boss type creatures. The Dark Templar which I switched to on my PvE server is doing better than my Guardian as they have several great abilities to AoE mobs in melee which definitely helps maintain aggro.
Overall - It is a great game and lots of fun to play. I have played every class to at least level 15 (which means I had to delete those I did not like) and they all provide great variety. I think at low levels the two true mage classes are a bit broken currently, but the Herald of Xotli is a massive dps burst machine. He is now my main on the PvP server I play on. As for the other archetypes they are all fun to play to some degree, but you will find a class or two that you just love. The implementation of the Barbarian is great as they truly act as a "light" warrior/soldier class and do great damage. If they can fix tanking (or I figure it out) and the spellcasting Mage archetypes I think this game will be very solid. I have stopped playing WoW all together thanks to this game and will not be returning any time soon. Will Warhammer pull me away from AoC, maybe....
Hope this helps some of those that are still unsure...
Good review mate, I agree with most of it.
Just a few comments, cos I'm bored at work.
This was a request from the community. All the hardcore PvPers wanted it that way, in orer to give the game a "realistic-barabrian" style.
They did add a debuff on zoning and resing, so the ganking there shouldn't be as bad. They're also adding a penatly for ganking players that are far below your level. And from what I've heard, RP-PvP and Cultre PvP servers are not quite the gank fest that regular PvP servers are. But I do gree it's slightly sucidal to roll on a PvP server without friends, or a guild.
Not just a low levels, apparently. ToS does better damage than both, even in the 60-80s, and its a hybrid. The one certainty is that Demonologsts will get a buff soon. No doubt about it.
Having said at, I duo'd with a demonologist with my Conqueror, we were both level 39, and we totally kicked ***. His AOEs, my tanking+buffs+dmg, meant we could kill 8-10 mobs our level or slightly higher in less time it takes me to kill 2. The exp was just sick, and we weren't even questing, just grinding.
Clearly it's fine to solo but some of the osmosis in duo'ing in unparallelled.
Just a few comments, cos I'm bored at work.
Quote:
In AoC, they have world PvP like DAoC... massive free for all
This was a request from the community. All the hardcore PvPers wanted it that way, in orer to give the game a "realistic-barabrian" style.
They did add a debuff on zoning and resing, so the ganking there shouldn't be as bad. They're also adding a penatly for ganking players that are far below your level. And from what I've heard, RP-PvP and Cultre PvP servers are not quite the gank fest that regular PvP servers are. But I do gree it's slightly sucidal to roll on a PvP server without friends, or a guild.
Quote:
at low levels the two true mage classes are a bit broken currently
Not just a low levels, apparently. ToS does better damage than both, even in the 60-80s, and its a hybrid. The one certainty is that Demonologsts will get a buff soon. No doubt about it.
Having said at, I duo'd with a demonologist with my Conqueror, we were both level 39, and we totally kicked ***. His AOEs, my tanking+buffs+dmg, meant we could kill 8-10 mobs our level or slightly higher in less time it takes me to kill 2. The exp was just sick, and we weren't even questing, just grinding.
Clearly it's fine to solo but some of the osmosis in duo'ing in unparallelled.
It's not easy to compare AoC with the other MMORPG's, they differ quite a lot in a lot of areas. I'm not all that drawn into the game as yet though, no real idea why but it feels a bit too lineair for my taste. I'm still only lvl 27 though, I think it's time for me to see where I can roam, perhaps find a good guild.
At first the game felt very alien to me, and I still need to lose the WoW mindset. Since I've seen almost everything in WoW after three years, leveling was -to me- just clicking through the quest text, blazing through quests themselves and trying to hit cap as soon as possible. This was not deliberate, but more or less a habit, or even a necessity.
I find myself doing this in AoC as well, while I should be enjoying the great surroundings, reading the quests and learning the lore. So, I am still getting used to the game :)
Right now I'm level 28 and have no idea whatsoever or where I am on the world map of how to get to places (save a few NPC's I've come across). I feel like a complete newb, which frustrates me a bit. What will the next quest area be and how the hell do I get there? Ah, all these things will come... I'm in a nice, mature guild and they can answer all my newbish questions like how to get into our guild city ^^ haha, yes, I still don't have a clue!
Most of this ignorance is caused by long indoctrination by WoW, but I haven't logged in to that since I purchased AoC. I don't think I ever will. To me, unfinished AoC > TBC WoW, BIG time.
edit: Typo :O
Edited, Jun 9th 2008 5:08pm by Hence
I find myself doing this in AoC as well, while I should be enjoying the great surroundings, reading the quests and learning the lore. So, I am still getting used to the game :)
Right now I'm level 28 and have no idea whatsoever or where I am on the world map of how to get to places (save a few NPC's I've come across). I feel like a complete newb, which frustrates me a bit. What will the next quest area be and how the hell do I get there? Ah, all these things will come... I'm in a nice, mature guild and they can answer all my newbish questions like how to get into our guild city ^^ haha, yes, I still don't have a clue!
Most of this ignorance is caused by long indoctrination by WoW, but I haven't logged in to that since I purchased AoC. I don't think I ever will. To me, unfinished AoC > TBC WoW, BIG time.
edit: Typo :O
Edited, Jun 9th 2008 5:08pm by Hence
I actually have been pretty disappointed. While I really enjoy WoW I hate the cartoon like graphics and PG style presentation. Conan is by far my favorite character of all time. The game just feels like a platformer for some reason. For instance your very first newbish walks in the game. I am this hulking barbarian from Cimmeria yet I can't even walk over this 2" high ledge. Let alone scale a hill that even I could climb up. Nope I have to wander the sandy pre-set paths. I definitely feel I am in a more open, can go anywhere, do anything world in WoW
I'll give it a bit more time but right now WoW > AoC for me. Its still early for AoC so I will stick with it for a bit. Its nice to see some Blood Splatter for a change though :). Fatalities are cool. The 3 click attack I think is Gimmicky and looses its new and cool appeal after about 5 minutes.
I'll give it a bit more time but right now WoW > AoC for me. Its still early for AoC so I will stick with it for a bit. Its nice to see some Blood Splatter for a change though :). Fatalities are cool. The 3 click attack I think is Gimmicky and looses its new and cool appeal after about 5 minutes.
Deadd wrote:
Quote:
Pope Benedict, in an encyclical released on Friday, said atheism was responsible for some of the "greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice" in history.
Such as the Spanish Inquisition? Oh wait....
Pope Benedict, in an encyclical released on Friday, said atheism was responsible for some of the "greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice" in history.
Such as the Spanish Inquisition? Oh wait....
Ironically enough, the Spanish Inquisition started more motivated by political and financial reasons than for religious ones.
Hey all, I've picked up this game about three weeks ago, but have only had time to play on Weekends. Currently a level 36 assassin. I have a lot to say about this game as well. Let's begin with whatever.
Leveling up:
It's fun, and it's easy. Some might think you have to rush to 80, and just breeze through all the quest dialog and just follow the orange marker, kill the designated mobs for the designated items or whatever. Don't do it! Take some time, and learn about what you're doing. Figure out why some ***** needed to get a Lich's tome. Most adhere to the lore, and send you to amazing landscapes. You'd be amazed by the scenery if you just take a moment to look around. If you're really hellbent on rushing though, don't worry! Questing and leveling is implemented really well, and it takes no time at all to finish up a series of quests save a bit of running around.
The Combat:
While back in games such as WoW and FFXI it was just auto attacking and waiting for the mob to die with an ability or two thrown in, here you have to constantly pay attention. The shield system has you constantly watching and adjusting your attacks or combos to hit the mob where it hurts. Along with that, there is nothing more satisfying to me then watching my character jut a knife into someone's throat, and viciously rip it out. Although it's happened a hundred times, I still smile a bit at my computer screen when seeing it.
The Visuals:
Drop dead gorgeous. I've only been able to play on a friends laptop during the weekends, with a 2.53 Processor, 2G of Ram, and a 512Mb video card, so it's been running on lowest settings. The game is still astounding. Another thing that's great is most mobs aren't the same things with different skins. While that may be true for the more common mobs like Humans, Scorpions, and Snakes, I was utterly amazed in awe upon my first time seeing a Mantis creature. The fatalities also looks great, and I love the blood spattering effect on my screen.
The Community:
It's alright. I rolled on an RPPvP server, so I haven't seen many of the people youo'd be likely to find in Barren's chat. The OoC channel (on my server at least) is a global channel, and it's a bit of a mess with the occasional idiot/troll stopping by. I have met plenty of cool people that helped with a quest or just offered to grind with me. I think I have to say though, don't listen to the criticism on the Official Boards. Just play the game for yourself. I hear everyone ******** about how classes are underpowered, and overpowered, and you just can't tell until you play it yourself.
Ahh, there's still plenty of stuff I missed I'm sure, but I forgot at this point. To sum it all up, my first impression of the game was great, and I absolutely love it.
Leveling up:
It's fun, and it's easy. Some might think you have to rush to 80, and just breeze through all the quest dialog and just follow the orange marker, kill the designated mobs for the designated items or whatever. Don't do it! Take some time, and learn about what you're doing. Figure out why some ***** needed to get a Lich's tome. Most adhere to the lore, and send you to amazing landscapes. You'd be amazed by the scenery if you just take a moment to look around. If you're really hellbent on rushing though, don't worry! Questing and leveling is implemented really well, and it takes no time at all to finish up a series of quests save a bit of running around.
The Combat:
While back in games such as WoW and FFXI it was just auto attacking and waiting for the mob to die with an ability or two thrown in, here you have to constantly pay attention. The shield system has you constantly watching and adjusting your attacks or combos to hit the mob where it hurts. Along with that, there is nothing more satisfying to me then watching my character jut a knife into someone's throat, and viciously rip it out. Although it's happened a hundred times, I still smile a bit at my computer screen when seeing it.
The Visuals:
Drop dead gorgeous. I've only been able to play on a friends laptop during the weekends, with a 2.53 Processor, 2G of Ram, and a 512Mb video card, so it's been running on lowest settings. The game is still astounding. Another thing that's great is most mobs aren't the same things with different skins. While that may be true for the more common mobs like Humans, Scorpions, and Snakes, I was utterly amazed in awe upon my first time seeing a Mantis creature. The fatalities also looks great, and I love the blood spattering effect on my screen.
The Community:
It's alright. I rolled on an RPPvP server, so I haven't seen many of the people youo'd be likely to find in Barren's chat. The OoC channel (on my server at least) is a global channel, and it's a bit of a mess with the occasional idiot/troll stopping by. I have met plenty of cool people that helped with a quest or just offered to grind with me. I think I have to say though, don't listen to the criticism on the Official Boards. Just play the game for yourself. I hear everyone ******** about how classes are underpowered, and overpowered, and you just can't tell until you play it yourself.
Ahh, there's still plenty of stuff I missed I'm sure, but I forgot at this point. To sum it all up, my first impression of the game was great, and I absolutely love it.
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