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.