- While the game is beautiful, it will always run surprisingly slow.
- One word: Instances.
- Badly animated characters.
- A general "low budget" feel to the game. I cannot explain this one, it might be how Funcom place rocks & bushes on paths that you aren't supposed to cross. Which you eventually end up trying to cross anyway, just to see whats on the other side. This then leads to one getting stuck and having to call a GM to get loose.
- Lack of endgame content (this has supposedly been addressed somewhat lately).
- Grouping issues. I could write a whole essay on just the grouping bugs in this game, but lets just say that with the instancing and a lack of means to locate your partymembers, the whole groupingsystem is flawed.
- Crafting system. This has a classical afterthought feel to it.
All these cons (and a lot more) have led me to not recommend anyone to buy AoC. I have really TRIED to like this game, but I can't even force myself to betatest it. I've felt guilty for over a year because I've had closed beta access to such an anticipated game, and still lacking the will to even start it up.
[/quote]
- If the game runs slow, turn down your video settings or get a better computer. I run the game with 30 to over 60 FPS.
-Then the instancing will not bother you as much, the loading screens are as fast as in WoW to me.
- The animations of the characters comes to personal taste perhaps, some like them some don't, I think they are good enough.
- I've not gotten stuck once yet, though I haven't played much I've jumped onto different bumpy areas.
As for endgame/grouping/crafting I dunno, haven't tried yet.
I would highly recommend that people at least TRY AoC and make up their own opinions,
myself I love it and are having a blast
Hard to logoff, but I gotta get some sleep once in awhile.
Plenty of people have said the game runs smoothly for them with good FPS. (And not people with bionic computers, either)
Don't say 'the game will always run surprisingly slow" Because your experiences with lag shouldn't be and can't be applied to everyone else. That right there turned me off to your review. Because it makes you sound like one of those people who probably either has a bad computer/internet connection or doesn't know what they're doing and experiences lots of problems, then includes said problems in their review as though it was the fault of the game/designers.
I'm not saying you are that sort of person but still. -shrug-
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
Plenty of people have said the game runs smoothly for them with good FPS. (And not people with bionic computers, either)
Don't say 'the game will always run surprisingly slow" Because your experiences with lag shouldn't be and can't be applied to everyone else. That right there turned me off to your review. Because it makes you sound like one of those people who probably either has a bad computer/internet connection or doesn't know what they're doing and experiences lots of problems, then includes said problems in their review as though it was the fault of the game/designers.
I'm not saying you are that sort of person but still. -shrug-
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
Reading these forums and the betaforums over at funcom, it seems that the fps-situation has been improved a lot. Though there are still a lot of people having big troubles. A lot of them could be because of people playing with insufficient RAM.
All reviews made by a Beta only person should be taken with a grain of salt. Declaring that Beta shows you the state of the game for release is much like looking at a Ford after its been crash tested and saying hmmmm that looks broken be that means ALL Ford cars are broken all of the time... and not realising that its broken because they were crash testing it.
Declaring that ALL the players who are reporting how much fun, how smooth the graphics are as fanbois is to be honest poppycock.
Someone who played a game and found they did not like it are not going to give a unbiased opinion much like someone who played it and liked it also won't be able to give a unbiased opinion.
but hey I will try <grin> :-
When you start AoC your starting point is a solo area setup just for you its your intial mission to get to the city. This is all part of a bigger plot which will unfold as you level. Your first 20 levels are spent in this island where you are basically shown the ropes and allowed to deal with quests and meet people in a enclosed area. Your first 20 levels make you feel rather driven as your option are limited. BUT and heres the kicker once you finish with the island and enter the world of AoC things change.
Now your in your home city and you basically have the run of the world to determine what you want to do. Much like EQ2 zones are definite level feel you can enter a zone and know your in over your head fairly quickly.
Lastly I can only speak from a lvl 1 - 30ish as thats the maximum level I have reached. But there are seemingly no limit to quests you can do. Graphics wise the game is spectacular they do have a few small graphical glitches (sometimes textures take a while to load) and yes the zoning screens can annoy if there are issues but normally they are very quick. Your avatar looks good ... very good they seem to have managed to actually get muscle tone to move in a realistic fashion when he moves.
My only concern is atm leveling seems almost to fast so there may not be the longetivity that this genre of game usually posses but then as I said before I only reaqched lvl 30ish so far.
I believe that the OP does not play in EA and therefore this should be called preview and review.
I share my thoughts on his "cons" from a perspective that also has been on general aka closed beta and now playing early access.
While the game is beautiful, it will always run surprisingly slow.
- There were issues in all betas regarding this, but Funcom was able to sort them out in the last few patches. If you still have huge problems when playing with approriate settings, you are simply running a comp that is over two or three years old. I invested on new machine and the game runs really smoothly in comparison what it did in beta when I was still running with my old comp.
One word: Instances.
- I really like the way they have done the instances and zones. While I would like the world to be open-ended, I do not mind this system either. Playing on a PvP server with ability to change instance on the fly (you respawn on the cloesest spawn point when changing) has been very good. And in general the so-called adventure zones are massive.
Badly animated characters.
- characters could have more idle animations and emotions, but I like how they have done the combat animations. Plus you really have to see the characters to understand how beautifully detailled they are.
A general "low budget" feel to the game. I cannot explain this one, it might be how Funcom place rocks & bushes on paths that you aren't supposed to cross. Which you eventually end up trying to cross anyway, just to see whats on the other side. This then leads to one getting stuck and having to call a GM to get loose.
- Low budged? I am sorry but I have not seen a game in the market in this genre that had been given such an amazing detail in both artwork and world design. Sure there are places to get stuck, but you also have to see that the zones are not flat surfaces, but pretty realistic terrain in comparison to any other MMORPG out there.
Lack of endgame content (this has supposedly been addressed somewhat lately).
- Can't comment on this, but the game already has what 2 raid instances and 10 level 70-80+ group instances. More than WoW had in their launch...and a lot more than games like SWG or LOTRO had.
Grouping issues. I could write a whole essay on just the grouping bugs in this game, but lets just say that with the instancing and a lack of means to locate your partymembers, the whole groupingsystem is flawed.
- This one I agree with. I think they need to change how far you can see your group members on the map and the minimap.
Crafting system. This has a classical afterthought feel to it.
- Can't really comment on this one, but I kinda assumed it will not be that complex as in some other games.
"The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."
Plenty of people have said the game runs smoothly for them with good FPS. (And not people with bionic computers, either)
Don't say 'the game will always run surprisingly slow" Because your experiences with lag shouldn't be and can't be applied to everyone else. That right there turned me off to your review. Because it makes you sound like one of those people who probably either has a bad computer/internet connection or doesn't know what they're doing and experiences lots of problems, then includes said problems in their review as though it was the fault of the game/designers.
I'm not saying you are that sort of person but still. -shrug-
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
Don t worry about defending yourself , the fanbois don t give up it s in their nature to attack anything that has a slight negative to their beloved game. I played it and hated it. Release or not being better means othing when the core gameplay to me was a giant step back in the MMO world. Oh well the can have their EPIC pvp, which i fon t even want to get into again.
i totally agree with the op . theres an awful lot of people so desperate for a new big name mmo that they are willing to overlook conans flaws . everything he says has been my experiance too . its also been the experiance of every single person i know personally thats been beta testing the game . its nothing to do with high or low system specs its everything to do with the client.
mind you i m only applying these observations about the beta . maybe the released version will be smoother .
in my view conan is nt really ready for release as it is .inspite of the rabid fanboy reaction most gamers will be frustrated when they see it .
Op, nice review. I agree with most of your points, at least those I've seen so far. My biggest gripe with AoC so far, and it's likely the kind of thing that is going to turn me away rather rapidly, is that "mechanically" it's very poorly assembled. First, the command system (/this /that) is mediocre at best. Where's the /who for example? Also, why can't I type / anywhere and have it start the command? Why do I have to do gyrations like hitting enter or clicking the chat window?? This I agree with. It is annoying that when you hit the '/' nothing happens unless you hit the 'enter'. Sometimes you just hit the '/' and type n a bunch of windows pop up. But, it is also as with any game something one can get used to. How about mouse buttons. My god, how out of touch are these devs that they don't know that people use 5 button mice and will expect to be able to bind those keys? Absurd. I also don't like that certain buttons cannot be re-assigned. But I also use a Zboard so I was able to adapt the keyboard rather than the game...but should be able to assign any key how we want. Movement and combat... this one just drives me batty. While I "appreciate" that my character wants to move itself to the mob when I attack... I'm sorry but I (capital) want to control my character, not some artificial mechanic that besides beign annoying is also goign to get people killed as it moves you around and possibly into mob agro range. This I have no idea what you are talking about. My character moves nowhere I don't want it to. And in combat I turn to the next one in the mob I want to kill. I have yet to see any kinda artificial mechanic controlling my character in any way. The UI. Slick. Looks great. Map is wonderful. But where is the customizable UI that every other decent game out there has? How about moving screen elements? I agree, should be able to move the stat bars, skill bars n such around. Can move the 2nd n 3rd one around...but still not as nice as being able to set up the UI the way you want to see it. Quest cutscenes. Please lose this. I want to see my environment, not the face of some quest NPC. Cutseens are part of the story. Think this comes alot from Guildwars...but should have the option of skipping em. Jumping. /boggle. What physical deformity causes characters to jump like they do? Really. Fix this please. I seen worse Jumping animations in a game....LotR ya look like a jumping duck. And finally, Funcom tech support, or lack thereof. If they are simply out to lunch for a few days fine. But the lack of a support number, and everyone implying that there IS no live support, has me astounded. We pay, you support, that's how it works. I donno much about the support...but seems they barely glance at their forums. Some threads there with hundreds of pages for a request in game (one is the PvE RP server request) Thousands of their customers requesting something simple...but totally ignored.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by svperstar
Here's a small attempt at an unbiased review. Having been in closed (tech/general) beta since January 2007, I feel that I am somewhat qualified to write this.
Beta forums opened April 2007... you know when they started taking applications for general
and tech beta.
Originally posted by Svperstar For example, during the early betas, the first 20 minutes of the game (following the storyline) required you to zone over 10 times. This has now been slightly improved. However the trip from the starting-beach to the city of tortage, still takes you through 4 zones.
Run from Beach to Tortage there is ONE loading screen. To get you into the Tortage Zone,and out of the Single player experience (neccessary).That will take the average player about 30 mins, to get to this stage. On Tortage there is the Underhalls, (just like a dungeon but split into a grouping of smaller instances where anyone can go) Thirsty Dog Inn, Volcano area, Archeron Ruins and off Tortage - White Sands Isle which all have loading screens, and a couple of houses where you enter in. Thats it.
I dunno where you get the 4 zones from mate?
You need to be a little more credible in your assement here, as its misinformation.
Plenty of people have said the game runs smoothly for them with good FPS. (And not people with bionic computers, either)
I'm not saying there aren't people who are willing to accept their framerates. I'm saying the framerates are in general surprisingly low.
In honesty we weren't allowed to test the game on other computers than the ones we specified when applying for the beta. I did however try the game on a variety of different systems, and AoC somehow always manages to disappoint in the framerate apartment.
/J.
Well I run it on modified high settings. (Meaning I set it to high and scale back the view distance some and set shadows to player only) on a mid range budget built computer and get 45-60 FPS in the city of Tortage day time and when I am solo in an instance (Tortage night time) I get around 90FPS.
I built my PC for around 1000 dollars. Most of it I built over 1.5 years ago. Only new additions are 8800GTS (g92 Version) 512MB card and Vista 64-bit Home Premium.
Currently playing: LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too: Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
Here's a small attempt at an unbiased review. Having been in closed (tech/general) beta since January 2007, I feel that I am somewhat qualified to write this.
The game starts you up on a beach, stranded in some shipwreck. The first thing you notice is how beautiful the game is. Having noticed the beauty, you immediately notice your FPS, which is almost always too low, no matter what setup you have. Moving on. As you try to move your character you notice how "choppy" everything feels (not fps-related!). Being used to the smoothness of the WoW-world, you immediately become frustrated at how badly things like the character animations are made. Speaking of animations, they are obviously made by different persons, with completely different styles of design. The swimming animation (added just half a month ago) is beautiful and smooth, while the animations for getting out of the water, are horrid. As you move forward a bit, you begin tinkering with the UI, which has been drasticly re-designed and revamped since the first betas. The UI now feels quite solid and looks really nice, however it is still slightly lacking in customization options. This will probably be adressed (as in WoW) by the players themselves writing mods. Progressing further you early on notice how linear the game feels (especially the first 20 levels). It is almost like playing a sidescroller on an old NES system. You can only go where the developers want you to go, and getting there involves doing the same silly repetitive quests, over and over (just as in every other mmorpg!). There is however one big difference in the questing part of this game. Destiny quests. These quests are quite intriguing and often very different from regular mmorpg-quests, they really immerse you in the world of Conan. Sadly however a lot of these quests are not quite completed yet, and still suffer from serious bugs (which have gone ignored by the developers for years now (!)). The combat system itself claims to be revolutionary. In my opinion it is quite... interesting, for the first hour or so, after that it becomes quite annoying. There's something about being able to autoattack and autorun that, in the long run, appeals to me personally. I'm sure a lot of people feel differently about this. About the PVP I can only say that it's pretty good, except that its far from seamless. The "hundreds of people involved in seiges" that we were promised, got squashed quite early on in the development process. The largest PVP battles possible right now are 48v48, which is a lot, but not "hundreds". The guild PVP also feels a bit too restricted. Here's an example: First the guilds need to choose the players from each team that they wish to participate. Then they have to meet up at the defending guilds battlekeep. Once the PVP has started, noone, except the people previously submitted, can enter the battlearea (The frequently used words "Seamless PVP" and "Realtime" don't quite fit the finished product). The last big turnoff off this game has to be the constant instancing. For example, during the early betas, the first 20 minutes of the game (following the storyline) required you to zone over 10 times. This has now been slightly improved. However the trip from the starting-beach to the city of tortage, still takes you through 4 zones. This is something that has been written a lot about on the betaforums, with little or no interest shown by the developers, claiming the zoning is something they cannot address without changing the game engine itself. Lately though, after massive petitioning and flaming, I feel Funcom has started to listen to us, and they have tried improve the situation. To conclude this then. Pros: - The game is very beautiful.
- Destiny quests are fun.
- Large variety of classes.
- Lots of early level content.
- It's not WoW! Cons: - While the game is beautiful, it will always run surprisingly slow.
- One word: Instances.
- Badly animated characters.
- A general "low budget" feel to the game. I cannot explain this one, it might be how Funcom place rocks & bushes on paths that you aren't supposed to cross. Which you eventually end up trying to cross anyway, just to see whats on the other side. This then leads to one getting stuck and having to call a GM to get loose.
- Lack of endgame content (this has supposedly been addressed somewhat lately).
- Grouping issues. I could write a whole essay on just the grouping bugs in this game, but lets just say that with the instancing and a lack of means to locate your partymembers, the whole groupingsystem is flawed.
- Crafting system. This has a classical afterthought feel to it. All these cons (and a lot more) have led me to not recommend anyone to buy AoC. I have really TRIED to like this game, but I can't even force myself to betatest it. I've felt guilty for over a year because I've had closed beta access to such an anticipated game, and still lacking the will to even start it up. Thank god its releasetime! /J.
Interesting review.
I can tell you haven't played it just from the first sentence you wrote.
Stranded on the beach in "some" shipwreck
lol
If you did play it you would know it was the slave ship you were on that wrecked...
Originally posted by Mordria Stranded on the beach in "some" shipwreck
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or sincere? I was attempting to write in a somewhat storytelling / light reading manner, also I didn't feel like writing down the whole background of the game.
Run from Beach to Tortage there is ONE loading screen. To get you into the Tortage Zone,and out of the Single player experience (neccessary)
Are you trying to say that there's only one loading screen from the beach to Tortage? Man they must have completely rewritten the game engine during the last 3 days!
you know its pretty obvious that the op is just trying to get a bad reputation for AoC, from the information he is giving he only played the beta version of the game and a long time ago and he thinks that the final product will be the same when funcom repeatedly said that they wanted their beta testers to have an exiting new experience once the game released so they were holding on to some of the content, honestly why dont you try getting more informed about what the released version is before trying to diminish sells of such an innovative and refreshing game.
Pardon me for asking, but which part of AoC is "innovative and refreshing"?
/J.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by svperstar
Originally posted by AmazingAvery
Run from Beach to Tortage there is ONE loading screen. To get you into the Tortage Zone,and out of the Single player experience (neccessary)
Are you trying to say that there's only one loading screen from the beach to Tortage? Man they must have completely rewritten the game engine during the last 3 days!
/J.
Actually its been like that since August last year. Im not trying to say ~ I am saying its always been like that.
For someone who cant get beta join dates right, you dont seem good with numbers.
Pardon me for asking, but which part of AoC is "innovative and refreshing"?
/J.
try the fighting system, the entertaining and meaningful storyline, mounted combat, seige pvp, actual need for strategy in pvp, their approach to classes which to me makes them all interesting (even the warriors which i never even attemp to try in other mmos), ofcourse the graphics which to me are really appealing, etc.
Comments
YOU MUST HAVE PLAYED A DIFFERENT GAME because it is not chppy or laggy.
Ajax
The choppy part was more in reference to the whole "feel" of the game, not just FPS wise.
/J.
[quote]Cons:
- While the game is beautiful, it will always run surprisingly slow.
- One word: Instances.
- Badly animated characters.
- A general "low budget" feel to the game. I cannot explain this one, it might be how Funcom place rocks & bushes on paths that you aren't supposed to cross. Which you eventually end up trying to cross anyway, just to see whats on the other side. This then leads to one getting stuck and having to call a GM to get loose.
- Lack of endgame content (this has supposedly been addressed somewhat lately).
- Grouping issues. I could write a whole essay on just the grouping bugs in this game, but lets just say that with the instancing and a lack of means to locate your partymembers, the whole groupingsystem is flawed.
- Crafting system. This has a classical afterthought feel to it.
All these cons (and a lot more) have led me to not recommend anyone to buy AoC. I have really TRIED to like this game, but I can't even force myself to betatest it. I've felt guilty for over a year because I've had closed beta access to such an anticipated game, and still lacking the will to even start it up.
[/quote]
- If the game runs slow, turn down your video settings or get a better computer. I run the game with 30 to over 60 FPS.
-Then the instancing will not bother you as much, the loading screens are as fast as in WoW to me.
- The animations of the characters comes to personal taste perhaps, some like them some don't, I think they are good enough.
- I've not gotten stuck once yet, though I haven't played much I've jumped onto different bumpy areas.
As for endgame/grouping/crafting I dunno, haven't tried yet.
I would highly recommend that people at least TRY AoC and make up their own opinions,
myself I love it and are having a blast
Hard to logoff, but I gotta get some sleep once in awhile.
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/178007Troll much?
About the framerate issue.
Reading these forums and the betaforums over at funcom, it seems that the fps-situation has been improved a lot. Though there are still a lot of people having big troubles. A lot of them could be because of people playing with insufficient RAM.
I stand (slightly) corrected!
/J.
Thanks for your fair review Svperstar.
BTW how would I check out my frame rate??
All reviews made by a Beta only person should be taken with a grain of salt. Declaring that Beta shows you the state of the game for release is much like looking at a Ford after its been crash tested and saying hmmmm that looks broken be that means ALL Ford cars are broken all of the time... and not realising that its broken because they were crash testing it.
Declaring that ALL the players who are reporting how much fun, how smooth the graphics are as fanbois is to be honest poppycock.
Someone who played a game and found they did not like it are not going to give a unbiased opinion much like someone who played it and liked it also won't be able to give a unbiased opinion.
but hey I will try <grin> :-
When you start AoC your starting point is a solo area setup just for you its your intial mission to get to the city. This is all part of a bigger plot which will unfold as you level. Your first 20 levels are spent in this island where you are basically shown the ropes and allowed to deal with quests and meet people in a enclosed area. Your first 20 levels make you feel rather driven as your option are limited. BUT and heres the kicker once you finish with the island and enter the world of AoC things change.
Now your in your home city and you basically have the run of the world to determine what you want to do. Much like EQ2 zones are definite level feel you can enter a zone and know your in over your head fairly quickly.
Lastly I can only speak from a lvl 1 - 30ish as thats the maximum level I have reached. But there are seemingly no limit to quests you can do. Graphics wise the game is spectacular they do have a few small graphical glitches (sometimes textures take a while to load) and yes the zoning screens can annoy if there are issues but normally they are very quick. Your avatar looks good ... very good they seem to have managed to actually get muscle tone to move in a realistic fashion when he moves.
My only concern is atm leveling seems almost to fast so there may not be the longetivity that this genre of game usually posses but then as I said before I only reaqched lvl 30ish so far.
Do I recommend it yes
Just my 2 cents
Gadareth
OP claiming to have played beta since Jan 2007 but has only 10 posts, with 9 of them coming in the way of replies on this thread? HMM
Next thread..
I believe that the OP does not play in EA and therefore this should be called preview and review.
I share my thoughts on his "cons" from a perspective that also has been on general aka closed beta and now playing early access.
While the game is beautiful, it will always run surprisingly slow.
- There were issues in all betas regarding this, but Funcom was able to sort them out in the last few patches. If you still have huge problems when playing with approriate settings, you are simply running a comp that is over two or three years old. I invested on new machine and the game runs really smoothly in comparison what it did in beta when I was still running with my old comp.
One word: Instances.
- I really like the way they have done the instances and zones. While I would like the world to be open-ended, I do not mind this system either. Playing on a PvP server with ability to change instance on the fly (you respawn on the cloesest spawn point when changing) has been very good. And in general the so-called adventure zones are massive.
Badly animated characters.
- characters could have more idle animations and emotions, but I like how they have done the combat animations. Plus you really have to see the characters to understand how beautifully detailled they are.
A general "low budget" feel to the game. I cannot explain this one, it might be how Funcom place rocks & bushes on paths that you aren't supposed to cross. Which you eventually end up trying to cross anyway, just to see whats on the other side. This then leads to one getting stuck and having to call a GM to get loose.
- Low budged? I am sorry but I have not seen a game in the market in this genre that had been given such an amazing detail in both artwork and world design. Sure there are places to get stuck, but you also have to see that the zones are not flat surfaces, but pretty realistic terrain in comparison to any other MMORPG out there.
Lack of endgame content (this has supposedly been addressed somewhat lately).
- Can't comment on this, but the game already has what 2 raid instances and 10 level 70-80+ group instances. More than WoW had in their launch...and a lot more than games like SWG or LOTRO had.
Grouping issues. I could write a whole essay on just the grouping bugs in this game, but lets just say that with the instancing and a lack of means to locate your partymembers, the whole groupingsystem is flawed.
- This one I agree with. I think they need to change how far you can see your group members on the map and the minimap.
Crafting system. This has a classical afterthought feel to it.
- Can't really comment on this one, but I kinda assumed it will not be that complex as in some other games.
"The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."
There is people that play with 10 fps and say it runs great and smooth for them. This always happens.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/178007Troll much?
Wow good find, what a tool this guy is.
-Jive
Could you please explain how this is relevant? I can't believe some of you actually think I'm lying. Talk about being afraid of the truth.
/J.
Thanks for your insight. Interesting read.
/J.
Don t worry about defending yourself , the fanbois don t give up it s in their nature to attack anything that has a slight negative to their beloved game. I played it and hated it. Release or not being better means othing when the core gameplay to me was a giant step back in the MMO world. Oh well the can have their EPIC pvp, which i fon t even want to get into again.
i totally agree with the op . theres an awful lot of people so desperate for a new big name mmo that they are willing to overlook conans flaws . everything he says has been my experiance too . its also been the experiance of every single person i know personally thats been beta testing the game . its nothing to do with high or low system specs its everything to do with the client.
mind you i m only applying these observations about the beta . maybe the released version will be smoother .
in my view conan is nt really ready for release as it is .inspite of the rabid fanboy reaction most gamers will be frustrated when they see it .
Originally posted by svperstar
Here's a small attempt at an unbiased review. Having been in closed (tech/general) beta since January 2007, I feel that I am somewhat qualified to write this.
Beta forums opened April 2007... you know when they started taking applications for general
and tech beta.
Originally posted by Svperstar For example, during the early betas, the first 20 minutes of the game (following the storyline) required you to zone over 10 times. This has now been slightly improved. However the trip from the starting-beach to the city of tortage, still takes you through 4 zones.
Run from Beach to Tortage there is ONE loading screen. To get you into the Tortage Zone,and out of the Single player experience (neccessary).That will take the average player about 30 mins, to get to this stage. On Tortage there is the Underhalls, (just like a dungeon but split into a grouping of smaller instances where anyone can go) Thirsty Dog Inn, Volcano area, Archeron Ruins and off Tortage - White Sands Isle which all have loading screens, and a couple of houses where you enter in. Thats it.
I dunno where you get the 4 zones from mate?
You need to be a little more credible in your assement here, as its misinformation.
I'm not saying there aren't people who are willing to accept their framerates. I'm saying the framerates are in general surprisingly low.
In honesty we weren't allowed to test the game on other computers than the ones we specified when applying for the beta. I did however try the game on a variety of different systems, and AoC somehow always manages to disappoint in the framerate apartment.
/J.
Well I run it on modified high settings. (Meaning I set it to high and scale back the view distance some and set shadows to player only) on a mid range budget built computer and get 45-60 FPS in the city of Tortage day time and when I am solo in an instance (Tortage night time) I get around 90FPS.I built my PC for around 1000 dollars. Most of it I built over 1.5 years ago. Only new additions are 8800GTS (g92 Version) 512MB card and Vista 64-bit Home Premium.
Currently playing:
LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too:
Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
Interesting review.
I can tell you haven't played it just from the first sentence you wrote.
Stranded on the beach in "some" shipwreck
lol
If you did play it you would know it was the slave ship you were on that wrecked...
good try though
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or sincere? I was attempting to write in a somewhat storytelling / light reading manner, also I didn't feel like writing down the whole background of the game.
/J.
Are you trying to say that there's only one loading screen from the beach to Tortage? Man they must have completely rewritten the game engine during the last 3 days!
/J.
you know its pretty obvious that the op is just trying to get a bad reputation for AoC, from the information he is giving he only played the beta version of the game and a long time ago and he thinks that the final product will be the same when funcom repeatedly said that they wanted their beta testers to have an exiting new experience once the game released so they were holding on to some of the content, honestly why dont you try getting more informed about what the released version is before trying to diminish sells of such an innovative and refreshing game.
Pardon me for asking, but which part of AoC is "innovative and refreshing"?
/J.
Are you trying to say that there's only one loading screen from the beach to Tortage? Man they must have completely rewritten the game engine during the last 3 days!
/J.
Actually its been like that since August last year. Im not trying to say ~ I am saying its always been like that.
For someone who cant get beta join dates right, you dont seem good with numbers.
Pardon me for asking, but which part of AoC is "innovative and refreshing"?
/J.
try the fighting system, the entertaining and meaningful storyline, mounted combat, seige pvp, actual need for strategy in pvp, their approach to classes which to me makes them all interesting (even the warriors which i never even attemp to try in other mmos), ofcourse the graphics which to me are really appealing, etc.