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Some of these PVP beta reviews are misguided...
originalegg
Member Posts: 1,099
Im usually just a lurker on these forums, but I just have to put my 2cents in on the AoC PVP weekend.
First, the game was in MUCH better shape (bug wise) than my friends who are in the cb have been telling me. If the game at release runs like it has this weekend, then it is in for a very respectable launch. However, people seem to be forgetting that this weekend and the future "open" beta are only showing you a very small part of the game.
Some could even argue you are being shown the most insignificant part of the game (the low level part). So everyone needs to realize that the middle and end game could be in much much worse shape. I won't go into conpiracy theories about funcom capping the lvl at 13 or whatever to hide things, but you need to admit that it is a possibility that many other aspects of the game could be in bad shape.
Another thing that is just annoying me, and this isnt really a big deal at all but i need to get it off my chest, is people judging classes and deeming them worthless or overpowered (ranger). I have played a lot of MMOs, but since WoW is probably the most commonly played one here, ill use it as an example. Classes in pvp can be VERY different at low levels vs end game. I remember the shaman class (at one point early on) being godmode at around lvl 40, but was more balanced at lvl 60. And some classes that were "worthless" at mid levels finding themselves to be more effective once they reached the cap.
People claiming AoC is the next comming, or is amazingly revolutionary etc...
I am niether a fanboi or an AoC hater. I have followed the game along with TCoS, WAR, and Darkfall and i currently play EVE. AoC, if they do not have any hidden problems, will be mildly successful. Fans of the lore and the fanbois (there are plenty on these forums and im sure on other forums) will enjoy the game and have fun with it, especially if it is their first MMO. But thats about it...
The game is not very innovative as some are claiming. Yes the combat system has a few differences, but ultimately it changes nothing. It is not a "WoW clone" by any means, but it definitely isnt going to change the face of MMOs either. TCoS and Darkfall are the only combat systems that seem to be on the horizon that are truly trying something out of the box in terms of combat, but there are of course problems surrounding both of those games as well.
Cliffnotes: AoC will have a mildly successful career IF it launches well and the conspiracy theories behind funcom only showing us the finished/unbroken parts of the game turn out to be air. They do a lot of things right, but ultimately it is nothing amazing, and it will attract some new faces to the MMO genre. However MMO gamers who aren't fanbois will have a tough time finding anything new and exciting here. It looks like it will be a nice game, again if it releases well, that will break up the cold streak of new MMOs in the last few years, but will not be that amazing in the grand scheme of things.
Thanks
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Click this for lulz: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173737/page/6
Comments
Well in the same breath you said that you can't judge classes at this stage of the game verse end game or cap, but then you judge the game at this stage and make a resolute prediction about it's future?
There are a lot of innovative things still untested such as:
Mounts/Mounted combat.
Unique crafting. (Architects that build cities/houses, and only crafted armor/weapons can be slotted for gems which gemcutters create causing crafted weapons/armors and gems to be far more valuable then dropped items.)
City sieges.
We can't predict the future of this game with the information we have.
I see a lot of potential in this game and have high hopes. Hopes high enough that I have already pre-ordered a CE copy. I'm not saying the game is going to be awesome, however, I think it has the potential to be, and that is enough for me to try. Only time will tell and we will all know soon if FC has managed to break the MMO funk.
Yea these are not innovative. City Sieges? see shadowbane. Unique Crafting/player houses/cities? see SWG. They may be implemeneted slightly differently, but its still the same.
Oh and my point of judging classes is very different than judging the overall features of the game. The features are known, and wont be changing significantly before launch. Class balance can though.
And like i hinted at...i have a few friends in cb, and without breaking any NDA, I guess you need to just trust me that I have a somewhat decent understanding of the overall "innovation" of the game. These are people who i have been gaming with for 6+ years and i trust their judgement, but then again we could all just be morons.
edit: I tried to keep my review as objective as possible. The main point is that the game won't be an "epiclol failure" like some trolls are claiming. But certainly wont be a groundbreaking MMO either. It will have a decent following and make those involved some decent profit, if they avoid major problems with launching.
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Click this for lulz: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173737/page/6
It's not WoW, as you admit, and really, that's all that matters. That, and it's fun. If it's a good game, and fun, it will be more than "moderately" successful. And it doesn't need to hit WoW 2008 numbers to be successful.
If you're looking for revolutionary, and maybe Darkfall is that game, you better be prepared to wait 5-10 years. Because there is no 'revolutionary' game "on the horizon." Darkfall is so far off the horizon, it might as well be in orbit.
It's not WoW, as you admit, and really, that's all that matters. That, and it's fun. If it's a good game, and fun, it will be more than "moderately" successful. And it doesn't need to hit WoW 2008 numbers to be successful.
If you're looking for revolutionary, and maybe Darkfall is that game, you better be prepared to wait 5-10 years. Because there is no 'revolutionary' game "on the horizon." Darkfall is so far off the horizon, it might as well be in orbit.
reread my posts. i didnt claim that it needs to be that, and not once did i say it needs to have WoW zombie numbers to be a success.
The point is a lot of these reviews are painting a false picture of the level of innovation AoC is offering, and i am simply offering my pov.
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It might not revolutionizing the genre, but a game that has:
-Great Character creation
-Real time combat
-Amazing dark graphics and not cartoonish green chars (and elves!)
-End game battlekeeps and massive battles in pvp
-Is not gear based (or nowhere near gear based as other MMOs)
In other words, this game has everything I love from other games + other stuff exclusive to it all combined. Most Pvp weekend reviewers loved the combat, thats 1 major fear put to rest.
I think the game will do pretty well, albeit without breaking any boundaries.
That is all.
As long as the game mechanics work well and the low7mid lvl stuff is finished, it will be fine.
This is quite a sober assessment that I agree with.
From all the info that I've gathered about AoC it will be a joy to play in terms of "going through the content" however the most serious flaw in MMOs today, that of "endgame" in a game genre that is supposed to be a permanent service rather than a one-off experience isn't addressed at all. (At least for us "casuals" who do not enjoy enforced guild play.. Don't get me wrong, I put enough at least as much time playing as the "hardcores" - it's just that I'm too old and bitter to go making friends with 40+ people I don't care to know just in order to be able to enjoy the game fully.)
I love the IP and have been a long-time fan of Conan from time immemorial and that's the prime reason I'll be playing this game (that and gfx and innovative combat gameplay) . However I seriously doubt it'll hold my interest much past reaching max lvl with a few alts. Which is all fine and dandy since I expect this will happen right at launch time for WAR - the game that will probably hold my interest for much longer simply due to much better and innovative approach to player motivation and endgame "purpose".
I don't you can judge much from what they've shown this weekend. What's there works pretty well, but so much more remains to be seen. The open beta will reveal more, but with the 13 level limit don't expect to see a whole lot until after the game goes live.
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I agree with this for the most part, and maybe i typed my OP a little too fast. Save any technical launch issues or gamebreaking bugs, this game will be a success. People will find it fun, like i mentioned in my OP, but I was just trying to point out that some of these threads claiming AoC is "The best MMO to date" or "revolutionary and going to change the face of MMOs" are just way off base and those not lucky enough to be in the PVP weekend or CB should be exposed to another POV.
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Click this for lulz: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173737/page/6
Have u gotton into the pvp weekend and given it a try to base your opinions on, if not hold off on formating a general feeling and thought about the game until u have your chance at it. That being said of course there is the chance that they are only showing us the area of the game that is most polished...but we dont know that, and i would see no reason to form any opinions on things we dont yet know. My suggeston is to take this pvp weekend as a small glimpse of Age Of Conan, and wait and see what the game can do in its full capacity, and try not to get caught up to much with all the what if's untill we get reviews of the full game and not a small window into it. Altough i will say that there seems to be more posative then negative at this point which is definitly refreshing to me.
I can tell you this weekend quelched alot of my fears in the combat system, and while I could see some easy tweaks to the UI that would make it more 'convientant' to use all of the abilities you have, it still flowed well, even on my ancient computer.
I'll probably go out this week sometime and preorder it
These things you listed aren't innovative.
Ultima Online had mounts and mounted combat.
Star Wars Galaxies had a robust and active crafting system much more innovative then anything out there.
WAR and it's predecesor DaoC had city/keep/tower sieging.
Even the combat system of AoC is earily similar to what was proposed for Ultima X: Oddesy (UXO) which was suppose to be a sequal to UO a few years back that got canned.
Now, I'm not saying AoC is a bad game. I really enjoy what I'm seeing in the Beta PvP weekend, and hope I get a key for the Fileplanet open Beta that is starting soon so I can see more PvE content....
I think it'll turn out with similar success and popularity to how Lord of the Rings has done. A good release, a solid subscription base, and solid gameplay....
But I wouldn't expect miracles.
Just my opinion here but came away with a luke warm feeling at best. As other posters have pointed out already, nothing really new here. The combat is a small step upward in the right direction but takes all of 5 minutes to master. Still just spamming keys just as I have in a dozen prior MMORPG's. Still doing quests and grinding my way up a ladder. A year from now it will probably be a better than average MMORPG. It just has to survive the first 3 to 6months. The overall community seemed a bit on the immature side also, not everyone mind you, but a good size portion. I will just continue with LoTRO and wait till the kiddies leave for WAR or whatever the next killer game is on the schedule.
I have not pre ordered and really don't plan on buying it till after release if at all. How soon or if I do at all depends on how buggy the release version is. Just getting the balancing for the classes for the PvE/PvP right is just going to piss off a lot of people. Another rerun of AO's release there. Big question wil be "which class is the flavor of the week this week". I'll let someone else pay for beta, I am too old for that crap.
Oh and I am going to keep a open mind and if it gets great reviews the first month I will probably drop 50 bucks sometime in June or July.
I miss DAoC
I really wonder about the future of this game.
On one hand Funcom has shown of and possibly worked hard on perfecting the starter area and the pvp in Capture the Flag settings, and has shown very little but that the last year.
There are rumours of tons of things not in the game yet. FC does bad PR with weekly updates for a year and a half. They make a horrible mess with their preorders. The open beta is not open at all and they seem to get away fine with NOT testing the main aspects of the game.
And combat seem to be button smashing for console generation.
On the other hand I love the lore, I love the music of this game and the graphics.
I pray it is not some hollow experience!
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CASUAL CONFESSIONS - Draccan's blog
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I don't want something "new and exciting" and "completely revolutionary." I want a god damn MMORPG.
FPSes are all point, click, shoot, yet they seem to sell well, amirite?
Evolutionary > Revolutionary
I enjoyed my experiences enough this weekend to drop WoW as soon as I complete sunwell. I only play WoW currently to raid. Oh sure, I'll pick up the expansion nut by that time, aion should be out soon and if AoC nor aion are good enough to replace wow, then I'll be a bit disappointed
Not to hate on WoW, but I think they went too far catering to casuals. It's a very very solid game, but the expansion is going to offer nothing substantial that we haven't seen already. AoC is a brand new world and 12 classes, among numerous other new things to explore. WotlK will be fun for about 2 months and then the only interesting content will be raids again. I'm a raider, but not sure I want to do another expansion of that.
Nicely said!
Nicely said!
ehh maybe i am misreading what he said but...you dont want something "new and exciting"???
if thats the case why not just pick up an MMO out right now? you just want another standard grind level and standard pvp at end game? not saying AoC is like that but this is how i read it, but if your standards are simply that it is "a goddamn mmo" then yea i suppose you will enjoy AoC"
i wont put too much effort into responding but, your simplistic view on FPS meh
and to repeat myself again, i never said AoC HAD to be revolutionary...but a lot of people are claiming that it is when it really truly is not, and people who havent been lucky enough to play it yet should have access to another pov.
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Click this for lulz: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173737/page/6
Nicely said!
ehh maybe i am misreading what he said but...you dont want something "new and exciting"???
if thats the case why not just pick up an MMO out right now? you just want another standard grind level and standard pvp at end game? not saying AoC is like that but this is how i read it, and if thats the case then yea AoC will satisfy you for sure.
i wont put too much effort into responding but, your simplistic view on FPS meh
and to repeat myself again, i never said AoC HAD to be revolutionary...but a lot of people are claiming that it is when it really truly is not, and people who havent been lucky enough to play it yet should have access to another pov.
Nah I meant his last line :P
Evolutionary > Revolutionary
i can see what is meant by evolutionary > revolutionary, but AoC isnt really improving on much from what i can see.
Like another poster in this thread mentioned, a lot of the "new ideas" everyone keeps claiming AoC is improving on have been done before, and in some cases, done better.
I have my own opinions on why WoW is a "bad game" but i also think that it is the peak of evolution that the current MMOs can hope to achieve in terms of fantasy based MMOs. I mean that games like AoC and WAR can maybe change the graphics, or end game pve/pvp a bit, but they will still be based on the same structure that WoW has evolved from.
The next big MMO will be something "Revolutionary" in that it breaks a lot of the trends.
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I think he means that he doesnt really care wether AoC is revolutionary or not, or wether it has new ideas, he just wants to play a good MMO regardless if ideas are pioneered by previous devs. Thats about it. I know people tend to like titles that are groundbraking and change the face of MMOs but that simply is very hard to accomplish straight away in one shot. I think people who were disappointed with what they saw in the beta had extremely high hopes that werent satisfied, or trolls.
I just want to chime in here that this weekend, we've seen 1/100th (random fraction out of the air) of what the game has to offer.
Just a little taste.
Yes, there are "rumors" of things not being in the game, but if any of you bothered to check the official forums, you'd realise that they are just that....rumors.
Things like spellweaving, DX 10, etc, ARE in-game.
There's no conspiracy...FC isn't "hiding" anything because they're afraid.....the NDA is still in place because they don't want the game experience to be ruined. Kind of (as I've said before) wrapping paper on a gift.
Mark my words....three months after release, people will realise how idiotic all this speculative nay-saying and rumor-milling really are.
Well so far I like what I see but there is alot more to this game than what they are showing us this weekend. One of the things that really got me interested in this game are things like siege warfare. I have to admit that things like capping the beta at 13 and keeping the NDA in place almost right up to the 11th hour makes me a bit uneasy.
If it wasn't for the trifecta of shit MMO's I've wasted my money, and more importantly my time, on this year I would probably be less skeptical. What I worry about is that I'll buy a game and start putting alot of time into it then find out the features I really wanted to see either aren't in the game or are broken or just simply suck. Even If I really like the game I don't want to be stuck playing something that is a failure, makes no money, and therefor gets no real development. How long you think it will be before Vangaurd sees an expansion? I'm not going to predict anything for this game since I don't have much information but I can see why some people are a but uneasy. There is plenty of encouragement to run out and pre-order but not much information to go on.
Anarchy Online still has a good population (for it's age) and still gets expansions, and active development.
FC knows what they are doing.