Lol Ao is likely one of the most solo friendly games out there, sure missions might not be the hottest thing but you can pull em at will and choose the difficulty, and if you need to log you can do so and log back on and continue where you left of.
Not into the rp part myself but i have seen a fair amount of "party's" going on, and you have gridstream a nice addition to the rp community.
Think a lot of what the op says could be said about lvl 80 online (aka wow) as well.
I have 3 accounts myself and i tend to be in borealis from time to time spending an hour buffing people refusing tips, hell i even log on other chars to buff people that no one else does, still not asking/accepting tips.
I would not count myself a fanboy but i played ao for a long time along with eq,eq2,swg,wow,eve,hz,mx0,aoc and ao is one i return to so it must have something good
What is amazing to me... is that Funcom never listened enough to it's fanbase until they got all new developers and the game was already... dead (Post Lost Eden). Yet, these people defend their abusive father like their lives depended on it. Sad.
Game wasn't destroyed by LE or the froob invasion
It was destroyed by the players that after this update became fair game and did not have the "immunity" they had before the update.
This is very similar with the wave of "/wrists I QUIT" statements that came when FC decided to shorten the unique mobs spawn timers so that more would have access to their drops. Because some liked the status quo (of having 9/18h spawn-time mobs on a timer and logging fast an end game toon that would drop it in 3-4 hits denying everyone else the chance to be able to kill that mob).
Actually LE brought a lot of novelty for both PVM and PVP parts. True that in the beginning there were some issues with some classes, but they worked on fixing them and they nailed most of them.
LE made the game a bit easier for new players as well especially with the research and LE missions, with S10 and the rest.
Fanatics that go boom are only in Inner Sanctum - a dungeon that I still consider one of the most fun places in all the AO world.
Actually FC takes the suggestions into account. Pitty that most player-made suggestions don't aim for the bigger picture
hard to level for a lowbie? I'm one of those part time players and went from lvl 26 to lvl 31 in about 5 hours of game play this weekend, just doing straight SOLO missions. And for the record, that lvl 31 is my highest toon.
Also picked up enough money to get/make a number of implants and upgraded my NCU belt and chips so that at level 31 I have 31 NCUs available (pretty good set of buffs for that level)
lol hey hey. This game is like a Religion to some old schoolers who have played for a very very very long time (some for 7 years!). What you said is like telling Christians that Jesus wasn't real lol. Being a guy who has played this on and off for 7 years with a solid 3 year block of time post SL.... I can confirm that most of what you said is mostly true and accurate. Don't get upset with the fanboys, like I said... this game is like an old religion to some people lol.. unless you smile and say "THIS GAME IS GREAT!!!!" than you WILL be attacked. Don't get angry, just pitty them. There is no good Sci-Fi game for them to join up with... and they probably will never leave AO as long as it's servers are online. One light of hope for these AO Priests and Fanatics (TOTW anyone?) is that Funcom announced like... almost 2 years ago... that they will upgrade the graphics engine and re-release the game. That could be the return of Jesus for these people What is amazing to me... is that Funcom never listened enough to it's fanbase until they got all new developers and the game was already... dead (Post Lost Eden). Yet, these people defend their abusive father like their lives depended on it. Sad. If you are interested in what happened to this great game, take a look at my thread: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/223366/Good-Great-and-the-Ugly.html
mwah i dont really see ppl here defending ao w/o arguments. i still enjoy it but i have to take long breaks every now and then
MMOs currently playing: - About to play: Lord of the Rings Online Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
Neocron is that game even around anymore? i tried it but never really got hooked, back in ao now having a good time, less frustration then WoW at least
I wouldn’t bother with this game. Nearly every corner of RK 1 and 2 were packed at all hours when Funcom first broke through the sci-fi genre with AO’s release. Now, all that’s left is a tiny smattering of players, all lonely and all gnawing at the bones of what used to be an innovative game.
Looking for groups is the “END GAME” as all there is is maybe 50 elitist regulars and about 15 troxes. They’re all sporting identical armor, they’re all holding identical weapons and they all have identical habits (such as emphasizing every statement in-game with smily faces, like it wasn’t already apparent that every attempt at social networking in AO was a) Few and far in between b) The only highlight in an otherwise slow, listless day and c) Pretentious) You might as well admit that AO is outdated and that clinging on to the last vestige of what once was a unique game is, well, an exercise in humility.
As a newcomer it’s going to be a real pain as you can get from 0 to 220 easily in a matter of a week. You won’t have the gear to be competitive though. This game takes dedication, hundreds of hours of loot farming, intense online-reputation micro management etc. etc. etc. AO isn’t like other games where the gear makes the player. No, this is a game where loot farming makes you money, money buys you equipment, equipment enhances your ability to wear end-game gear, and end-game gear makes you just like everybody else and thus making you mediocre. But at least you’ll no longer be a newcomer.
Not to mention that everybody is right. If you’re not pushing ql 300+ symbiants and custom implants, you’re instantly relegated to a subculture of underprivileged underclassmen with zero democratic rights. That, and you’re wrong. QFT.
If that’s not bad enough, teams don’t last more than 20 to 30 minutes max. Like someone had previously mentioned, AO is inhabited by a small group of lifers and every one of them has 2 auxillary accounts. Thus dubiously inflating the number of people that are actually online. The consensus among them is that, if you still aren’t at level 220/30/70, then you’re a noob and thus not worth the time to group with . People quit halfway through by coming up with funny excuses like “the cops are at my door” or ”the baby is crying” or my personal favorites, the “fake disconnect” and “The GF is getting randy.” We all know that if you’re playing AO, you’re not hip enough to have a GF, responsible enough to raise a kid, criminal minded enough to warrant the cops’ attention, or lame enough to have dial up. lol. (And if you can’t find groups, you can’t farm loot. Refer to paragraph 3.)
Playing AO is not all bad though. If you are in a good guild, then you get to have a good circle of friends to help you get gear, equipment, and money. Levels, contracts and connections. Friends, fun and general mischief. I’ve played AO since its release and I’ve seen the game through the best, and the bad times. It’s a fun and complex game. Character upgrades take a lot of brain power as it all doesn’t boil down to just 8 equip slots and godly armor class. It’s about the numbers and the disinformation regarding skill caps. If you know the skill caps then you can pop your opponents open like exploding chicken heads and they won’t even know how you got to be so godly.
If you’re just starting out just take your time. Don’t let the pressure of levelling get to you. AO is all about knowing your skillset intimately. And do yourself a favor if you’re omni, stay away from *koff deuce *koff orgs like riders of the lost org or Punk, Vatos Locos or its sister derivative, chico mi loca or something I can’t recall. You’ll thank me later.
I wouldn’t bother with this game. Nearly every corner of RK 1 and 2 were packed at all hours when Funcom first broke through the sci-fi genre with AO’s release. Now, all that’s left is a tiny smattering of players, all lonely and all gnawing at the bones of what used to be an innovative game. Looking for groups is the “END GAME” as all there is is maybe 50 elitist regulars and about 15 troxes. They’re all sporting identical armor, they’re all holding identical weapons and they all have identical habits (such as emphasizing every statement in-game with smily faces, like it wasn’t already apparent that every attempt at social networking in AO was a) Few and far in between b) The only highlight in an otherwise slow, listless day and c) Pretentious) You might as well admit that AO is outdated and that clinging on to the last vestige of what once was a unique game is, well, an exercise in humility. As a newcomer it’s going to be a real pain as you can get from 0 to 220 easily in a matter of a week. You won’t have the gear to be competitive though. This game takes dedication, hundreds of hours of loot farming, intense online-reputation micro management etc. etc. etc. AO isn’t like other games where the gear makes the player. No, this is a game where loot farming makes you money, money buys you equipment, equipment enhances your ability to wear end-game gear, and end-game gear makes you just like everybody else and thus making you mediocre. But at least you’ll no longer be a newcomer. Not to mention that everybody is right. If you’re not pushing ql 300+ symbiants and custom implants, you’re instantly relegated to a subculture of underprivileged underclassmen with zero democratic rights. That, and you’re wrong. QFT. If that’s not bad enough, teams don’t last more than 20 to 30 minutes max. Like someone had previously mentioned, AO is inhabited by a small group of lifers and every one of them has 2 auxillary accounts. Thus dubiously inflating the number of people that are actually online. The consensus among them is that, if you still aren’t at level 220/30/70, then you’re a noob and thus not worth the time to group with . People quit halfway through by coming up with funny excuses like “the cops are at my door” or ”the baby is crying” or my personal favorites, the “fake disconnect” and “The GF is getting randy.” We all know that if you’re playing AO, you’re not hip enough to have a GF, responsible enough to raise a kid, criminal minded enough to warrant the cops’ attention, or lame enough to have dial up. lol. (And if you can’t find groups, you can’t farm loot. Refer to paragraph 3.) Playing AO is not all bad though. If you are in a good guild, then you get to have a good circle of friends to help you get gear, equipment, and money. Levels, contracts and connections. Friends, fun and general mischief. I’ve played AO since its release and I’ve seen the game through the best, and the bad times. It’s a fun and complex game. Character upgrades take a lot of brain power as it all doesn’t boil down to just 8 equip slots and godly armor class. It’s about the numbers and the disinformation regarding skill caps. If you know the skill caps then you can pop your opponents open like exploding chicken heads and they won’t even know how you got to be so godly. If you’re just starting out just take your time. Don’t let the pressure of levelling get to you. AO is all about knowing your skillset intimately. And do yourself a favor if you’re omni, stay away from *koff deuce *koff orgs like riders of the lost org or Punk, Vatos Locos or its sister derivative, chico mi loca or something I can’t recall. You’ll thank me later.
Beautifully written, completely accurate and said with enough experience/knowledge to know he's not a troll/fanboy but a straight shooter who knows his poop. Thank you for saying it, exactly how it is amigo
imho ur overreacting, but it does take a whole long time to get your toon togehter and to be able to compete in pvp, but i like the challenge.
MMOs currently playing: - About to play: Lord of the Rings Online Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
Hypermodernica: No one has been trolling and fanatically defending AO and its developers. Most of theposters were just trying to highligt pros and cons of AO and not just saying "AO wtfpwn. I'm right you're wrong!" stuff. Not like they're always right but that's another matter (and it's very subjective). Actually it's you who seems to be trolling and slinging mud at this game as you didn't even come up with some real arguments. You may not like this game but it doesn't mean it's all that bad and fugly.
OTT: Let's face it - AO is far from perfect. It doesn't have shiny graphic nor sounds. Its leveling content is pretty much boring, which usually annoys most of the players. Also it's not so noob-friendly compared to other MMOs. It take a while to get used to this game but once you do you'll probably start to love it. Not just beacause there's plenty of things to learn but skill system and some game mechanisms have potential. None of the others MMO can offer you such a twinking possibilities. Yes you have to work for it what did you expect anyway? But the result (your ubah twink) is worth it. For most. And the list of pros (and cons) goes on.
Let's look at WoW, MMORPG loved by so many. I'd been playing this game for quite some time (my friend told me over; I've got lvl80 boomkin drood) and I's having a great time. WoW has indeed funny leveling content, grim humor, every place and every thing has its purpose (and the list of pros goes on...). But - when I reached lvl 80 it suddenly became boring. And it's pain to get into some normal group. I don't understand some ppl here accusing old AO players of elitism when this issue is much worse in WoW. People usually are not willing to wait even stupid 5 mins to get an event going, they won't grab you from LFG for some random dung/encounter unless you are properly equipped (well I could understand it but still...) and you have to know the whole dung and its tactics (how are you supposed to learn it then?). Yes, bosses in WoW are real challenge but so are some in AO. But it's never happened to me that ppl kicked me out of a team cos I didn't have top weapon or cos I's there for a first time. And when team wiped we usually regrouped and continued patientelly. Can't say the same about WoW. As some of you noticed I basically started talking about community itself.
In WoW it's pretty usual to see ppl abusing me for no real reason or when they for example lost a duel against me. Or calling me noob because I dind't have this top weapon etc. Of course I've met some nice ppl there as well as there's a plenty of jerks in AO. No doubt about it. But I've always considered community of AO as nice and adult at overal (most of the AO players are 18+).
As for the PvP part. PvP in WoW is very fast and action. That's a pro but it also meant all you have to do was placing all your top spells on main hotbar and rolling face down your keyboard. Not literally but basically all you had to do was pushing your damage as much and as fast as you could. Sometimes you had to have some tactic prepared but compared to AO it's like draft of dog-hole vs. draft of skyscraper. I'm not saying PvP in AO is balanced neither is PvP in WoW. Also I found it quite amusing that most of the players in WoW have been lvl 80. There's only couple BG-only pvp twinks but the world twink usually meant rolling some lovechild prof (pala, rouge, mage...) buying epic weap and some +sta stuff and then just wtfpwning everyone. No challenge but money included. Getting uber items on in AO is much more difficult thanks to unique skill system. Of course there are lovechild profs in AO as well but this usually can be compensetad by properly twinked gear. And last but not least the player base of twinks (twinks not endgame toons) in AO is much bigger than in WoW. There are TL5 tournaments, TW for all title levels etc. I think you got the picture.
Last but not least I apologize for such a comparison as both games are quite different but I think it's appropriate to compare some basic things with the most popular MMORPG.
Kotty
P.S.: Fr3akyNick, you are pretty much right at least at some points. But this made me smile:
"People quit halfway through by coming up with funny excuses like “the cops are at my door” or ”the baby is crying” or my personal favorites, the “fake disconnect” and “The GF is getting randy.” We all know that if you’re playing AO, you’re not hip enough to have a GF, responsible enough to raise a kid, criminal minded enough to warrant the cops’ attention, or lame enough to have dial up. lol."
Just because you have no life when playing MMORPG it doesn't mean that no one else has not. What a great logic lol. Actually I know personally plenty of ppl who got kids who go to work who f*ck their GF/WF everynight (well not everynight but they wish to^^). From AO and WoW as well...
Let's get to the point. You've played Wow and found it to be profoundly different and then you go back to AO expecting something really oldschool and something not so filled with immaturity, except the only things that arrived with the package were the graphics and roughly abused english. I've recently viewed several movies from the 80's and I've noticed that some of the sound-clips in those movies were also present in AO.
Do you remember a long time ago when Compact disc distributors offered 11 CD's for a penny, and you were allowed to take 2 years to purchase 8 additional CD's at regular price to offset the loss the distributor takes for selling those 11 CD's? Well, in the catalogue under soundtracks, were two cd's which featured non-patented sound clips. This means that anybody can take any of these sound clips, cut it up any way they want and use them in their games. I think Funcom used like 15 of them and I'm sure of it because I've heard these same sound clips in movies and several Japanese cartoons. Blast to the past.
The point that I tried to convey in the post above was this: people have alts that need levelling, and yet they themselves don't want to encourage other players to spend the time to get it. It's like the dog chasing it's own tail. A catch 22 with 200 mhz processing power. Apparently somewhere along the line someone figured that it would be a good idea to just pretend he had something better to do and little free-to-play Bobby who just got the expansion, bought into the whole elitist thing and cloned a trend of his own. Now everybody thinks its Ok to drop their teams halfway through. Don't worry about coming up with valid excuses because apparently everybody's got a baby crying on their laps.
On the subject of WoW, It's so much better to play. I really shouldn't go into details. Detail makes the typical forum browser cranky. Bad poster, bad! Slap you on the wrist you naughty one! Everything goes together so seamlessly. Pressing a button gets you the immediate and desired effect. You want special attacks? you get 4 of them and they all come with 1.5 second cooldowns. You don't have to wait for a timer to run an 8 second count before a perk takes effect, and you don't have to wait a hundred and twenty seconds for it to recharge.
In Anarchy online, all you get from using your perks are neon green, pink, yellow and blue fart clouds that do nothing. Or if they did, the chances of them giving you an advantage over your opponents are negligible. Not to mention half of them don't work. Some of them don't even give any indication as to whether or not they registered server-side. It's different with other MMO's. I feel the Umph! The bang, the clatter, the smash when I hit my opponents.
There are no tactics involved when we speak of Anarchy online Pvp. Only two things happen in AO pvp. You run up real close to your opponent, so close that you both look like you're about to give each other the heimlich, you unload perks, and fire off your 3 specials, then its a minute of both people standing in one place before anything else happens. Usually it comes in the form of the cycle repeating itself until one of you slowly runs out of hp. Other times its the peanuts crew arriving and they gang beat you to death...for the love of padded toilet seats in the summer, it's so boring.
I'm not gonna say that WoW is the best. Much like AO, it's a well constructed game. Both have features that are unique. and I'm sure that all games deserve the same compliment. The problem with Wow is that it's played by a lot, and I do mean a lot of stupid kids. So it's not hard to understand why so many people despise it. It's the "g-rated" mmorpg for the masses. It caters to the lowest common denominator. (ie. anyone who has access to a credit card, whether it may be their own or a card that belongs to their parents)
Anarchy online doesn't have a steep learning curve. It just drags out the subscriber's progress to such a slow rate that he or she is forced to think that after several months of torture, all of his or her so called "work" was worth it. And I wouldn't call playing a video game as "work" either. Don't let those lifers tell you different. Get out while you can. There are tons of newer mmorpg's that had their developers optimize the player's rate of progression to such a degree that it literally allows the player to see and play several mmorpg's at the same time. It's the spice of life. The WoW kids won't like it. Between Ipods and GHB, I just don't see how they have the time.
Low level pvp...Title level 5. It's just the same 50 people playing the same outdated game. As I've previously mentioned, AO has a small player base and they all have alts. Except the only difference is, their characters are more compact and filled with high level junk. You're playing the same 50 guys, you're just doing it with less health points. It's not supposed to be halloween every day you know.
The last time I checked, TL5 tower wars were just as dead as anywhere else. The expansion's got the playerbase so thinly spread out, that in the offchance that one side rallies their forces together, the other side is asleep, in the wrong time zone. You can zerg an empty base and win a tower field easily, but your enemies, under the same circumstances will just get it back the very next day...
And now we get to the last part of this dissertation. Just because the AO community taught you Occam's Razor early in the game, it does not mean that other methods of reparte don't exist. Look it up, I'm pretty confident that you will gain something from it.
I forgot about the new graphics engine, but I'm going to reserve my opinion on it for later. I honestly want to see it. I'm genuinely interested. It won't make me say "Wow what a cool new game!!," but I definitely want to see it.
Well you obviously didn't get the point. What I'm trying to say that playing MMORPG or video game in general doesn't necessarily mean you have to be immature or that you don't have no life at all. Honestly I doubt it's worth posting any futher comments on your post if you can't understand such a simple point. But I'll try to make something up anyway.
I haven't come back to the game 'cos it feels "oldschool" but 'cos it offers something that other MMOs don't (see my post above).
As for the music part...I don't honestly care as I listen to my own mp3. I gotta agree that sounds&music isn't the strongest aspect of AO (and I mentioned it in my previous post) however accusing FC of grabbing someone else's soundtrack and implementing it into AO is just a specualtion unless you can come up with some real evidence (and even then I wouldn't probably care - see the first sentece of this paragraph).
Yes WoW is much better to play at least in PvM. But it's also much easier. Max lvl in 10 days? That's kinda weird isn't it? Also not all spells in WoW got 1.5s recharge afaik. But all in all it's much more fast I agree with it. However not-so-spamable spells (=perks+specials in AO) give you more time and room for tactics. In WoW I got by with the same tactic against almost any class and it worked just fine. In AO I use different tactic and equip almost against every prof out there to stand a chance (of course this partially depends on prof you play).
Tbh I'm not exactly sure if you're talking about effectiveness or visual side of perks. As for the effectiveness some professions are strictly dependent on perks such as keepers or shades. Even martial artist - prof whos damage output mainly comes from critical strikes - couldn't stand a chance w/o the perks. I might not be right but it appears that you haven't been playing this game for too long yet you are making false judgements upon it.
As for the visual aspect of the perks...AO has always tried to look more realistic (as much as possible for 8yrs old sci-fi MMORPG ofc) so breaking a ground crushing bones and jumping all over the screen has never been part of the plan. FC could bring some improvements into this (into graphical engine at overall) but you have to understand that people play this game 'cos of other aspects than shiny graphics.
I'm gonna skip the "steep learning curve" part (as it's kinda individual) and come right to the other point. There's not only tl5 pvp. Other TL ranges are pretty much active as well (except for TL4). Indeed TL5 is the most frequvented one but there's much more than just 50 player. You are too exaggerating. Afaik there's couple of thousands players in AO.
Also there's some ongoing pvp action everyday. Tl7 tl5 or tl3. To get you into a picture I recived these 2 messages within 10 minutes when I logged in (RK-2) today:
[Omninet3]: [Twinknet - Twinknet] TL7 war in twinknet come get em [Ctrannik][10+] (T*********c)
[Omninet3]: [Twinknet - Twinknet] tl5 fun , and pew pew /tell twinknet join [Lethalshoot][10+] (T*********c)
I'm getting to think you haven't played this game for longer than life of a mosquito by every sentece you wrote.
Just don't think I stick with AO or WoW only. I also tried LotRO for example but I didn't find it that funny even thou I'm big fan of Tolkien's work. And I'm looking forward to SGW and SW: TOR.
As I said I didn't like LotRO much but it doesn't mean that game plainly sux. I'm pretty sure it has its qualities (cool graphic, sophisticated story line etc.). Or to give you another example: I don't like strategies. But it doesn't mean Starcratf sux does it? You may like more action-style of MMO or you may not like twinking and stuff...but it doesn't mean that the whole game sucks as the OP stated. And what's worse is that htese kind of threads are usually started by ppl that knows nothing about the topic (judging by some of his posts).
This game really doesnt desever me spending time any time on it, not even using words here, but to warn newcomers to the game I think its my duty to do so.
I will make it short and simple, and I dont bother explaining all my statetements with any 'why & which' reasons.
Community: Stinks. It is a bunch on 'inbred MMMORPG' players that suffers under the 'wear & tear'sybdrome', which means that there is no newcomer blood to the game, so all the relations they players have is to the same all same all faces they have seen for the last 4 years. If you want a buff, like essence, prepare to pay 200k for it, which is ALOT for a newb.
Playing in teams: Good luck on this; I played for about a week in my comeback after been gone for 4 years, the only team I saw formed in Nascence cost me 1mill pr level to join! Soloing; This is a joke; Getting levels is ALL about finding a group which you have to pay for to join, then grind Hecklers until you are around level 200... How interesting! Ingame helpers: Non existent. You have tolearn all yourself. Dont rely on getting any advice or help, even if you ask polite.
Character developing: You have 1 reset. If you do anything wrong when you put out your pts to develop you character, be sure to do it right (how can that be done when you are newb?). If not, you are stuck with a crappy developed character. The ways of changing your character are so limited and includes so much work its really not worth it. If you should try this, I will give you this advice; do not even THINK about giving any advice how to improve the game; 99% of the players are flameboys; you WILL be hated, especially if you compare it to how World of Warcraft do to improve the game to satisfye the players.
Lag: Horrible. Enough said about that.
Duels: A duel between 220's takes at least 5 minutes. Utterly boooring. (if they are equally equipped)
Teaming; AO is ALL about teaming; FC has taken teaming to the bizzare extreme. You are getting NOWHERE without teams. Game has nothing to offer to the soloer.
Last words: This was my very first MMORPG. Back then at its release there were only 3 known MMORPGs: EQ1, AO & Ultima Online. I really REALLY loved the game back then. After playing it for a few years, I started to play other games. Came back few weeks ago, and was utterly dissapointed. It hadnt changed anything that was worth mentioning. Well, one player flamed me about this and said that the game had got ridden of the 'reclaims'... I just said 'wow, what a change' You STILL have a rez sickness that lasts over 5 minutes! Imagine waiting for this to end, then have to run for 5 minutes back to where you were grinding...
In game challenges; The bigges challenge (work) is about tweaking your character. AO has taken 'tweaking' to a whole new level; If you are a newb, be prepared to spend 90% of your time tweaking (wearing new gear & weapons), while the last 10% is about walking all by yourself in land totally empty with living creatures.
Getting into guilds: The week I tried it, I saw 1 (ONE!!!) guild recruiting. They had a minimum req of Level 200... Talk about being optimistic in a game that has no income of newbs... Needless to say that trying to create a guild for yourself is impossible.
Ingame player population: It seems that everyone who plays this, which is 99% veterans, has 2 accounts. One of the few players I met when I was grinding xp, was a lowbie with his L220 on follow, to save his @ss and make his alt be able to handle higher level mobs than if he were alone.
Roleplaying: If you are after RP, be prepared to be laughed and mobbed; I know stories about people who has tried to RP; they were so much harassed and laughed at that they just left AO. You WILL see players who are RP 'tagged' (some marks beside their names'; They have done this to make their names looking more 'cool', not for the Roleplaying intention.
Conclusion: I had a real hard time in my comeback (changed server, so I started with nothing, since my old server is dead) I kept my mouth shut, just watching how the game was 'working', and didnt get involved in any discussion. When I asked for a buff, I barely had any reply, even though I asked polite, ending it with 'please'. If I had a reply, they clearly stated it would cost me a fortune. Game is dead, and all you see are dual playing veterans, which actually makes the community twice as big as it appears since everyone has at least 2 accounts. If I should take a wild guess, I think that RK2 has no more than 500 unique players, probably less.
If you want a Sci-Fi game with impressive helpful community, and highly customizable characters with easy rests to new class, I strongly suggest SWG! I just returned to that. The game is totally changed, and community is THE best I ever been into.
PS: You AO flame- & fanbois dont bother flame me here for this, since I will not reply to this thread, cause the game is worthless. If you think the new GFX engine will save the day, or even be an asset to the game, I suggest you do a trial on Age of Conan. Lag in Conan is HORRIBLE.
All this what I said, is my PERSONAL opinions. Whatever anyone here will say, it will not change opinion. The ONLY thing that could make me reconsider coming back to AO, is that someone REALLY helpful had invited me back, to show me the positive sides of the game, which I might would have considered since no game has meant as much to me as AO and the first day I logged in ( I thought the Backyard was the WHOLE game then )
I wish the game all the best, I have no bitterness for it, even though the game treated me worst in my comeback of all games I have played, which means most major MMORPGs there is. I hope FC gets it back on track.
Cheers!
Now go and try FF XI the trial version so you can whine even more, I would love to hear what you have to say about it. peace out !
Actually no, I did understand your original post. I was just having too much of a good time criticizing AO to write a lamentation about an old game. I'm not really in-touch with "my feelings." To be honest, I saw your responses from a mile away (both of them) and I was already having doubts before I even pressed the submit button.
Do I (Fr3akyNick) want to even bother replying to him or should I just let the poor fool live with his low self esteem?
Does instant gratification outweigh the mind numbingly droll response I will get from Kotty?
Now that I think about it, yeah, it was worth it.. I'm so glad I don't play AO anymore.
Like I said in my original post :
"They're all sporting identical armor, they're all holding identical weapons, and they all have identical habits"
I predict that at least one person is going to think that I'm talking about actual armor and weapons lol. <--this is not an http link so don't click it
Oh you did get it all the time, didn't you? Actually I was also pretending my inability to understand all your genious parabolas, hyperboles and perhaps even metaphors.
No I was not tbh. Sorry for not being native english speaker thus having limited knowledge of english language and its parabolas, proverbs etc. Or is it not the issue?
Let's all bow to almighty Fr3akyNick, the one whos words are law and always objective. Just don't dare to straighten up or he'll crush down along with your opinions and low self-esteem. Yup he is able to find out more from your answers than you are.
So do not oppose as he's always right. Let's just pretend our foolishness and low self-esteem.
Maybe I should start talking about the good parts of the game instead of the bad parts because well, I did play this game quite a lot.
A lot of people said that the customer service was horrible but that was not the case with me. The Arks and the GM's that I talked to were all very professional and they knew exactly how the game worked. Some people complained that arks weren't even players and that the answers they were given were out of touch. But in my experience, all my problems were solved very efficiently. It's just that sometimes people have to understand that Ark's are people too. If a customer submits a petition that a regular person can't understand, then what hope does the ark have of solving it?
The game hardly ever lagged for me. The only time AO ever lagged was during the patch before the Legacy of Xan. That part was so bad, you couldn't do anything at all.
The drama. Not guy dramas because lets face it, I'm not gay. I mean female dramas. Girls getting jealous of other girl players. Girls manipulating org presidents. Girls cybering you. Head games all that stuff. Helluva lot of fun.
The battlestation.
Getting the expert title in less than a week.
Ganking clams.
Taking all the clam's bases. We own all your towers bitches!
You say its hard on newbs? i might have to give it a go then. Been looking for difficult MMO thanks OP.
Yeah dont let guys like the OP scare you away.....The game has a high learning curve but the gameplay isnt all that difficult.......AO does things alot differently than most games and it takes most people some time to adjust to it...... I think the implant system and the skill system is as good as any game I have played........The tradeskill system is difficult and has a very high learning curve....Players will be intimidated by it at first but once they learn the resources like helpbot and recipebot then it becomes much easier.......
The point of AO is that it's hard. If it was easy to dive into dungeons and solo everything it would be a grindfest like every other MMO. AO is supposed to be extremely complicated. Because it's complictated enough to need a calculator to twink your character, it allows huge levels of customization.
Take the totw dungeon for level 60s for instance. Huge levels of twinking is needed to solo the final boss, you'd need years of experience to pull it off, but you're rewarded by the "holy shit" looks on people faces when you take him down.
I love AO because of the twinking, I love it when someone at level 50 equips implants with requirements that were meant for level 150s.
I too played it at launch. I quit because my computer couldn't run it. ( I've built 2 new rigs since then ). No lag now, nor in Conan when I played as the OP suggests.
I would come back to AO if the population increased. I would in a second. The same goes for a pre-CU server. There are no better games than these, except EVE.
There is just so much damn fun stuff to do. Nothing compares to twinking in this game. In my opinion, it's the best part.
All it would take is the population levels of 2-3 years ago and I would resub right now.
I usually read these kind of threads and laugh and go on to the next thread without saying anything, but as I still play and love this game I have to disagree with the OP. Good points are stated about the game and yes the game is somewhat dead compared to the old days of pre-sl, however, just because the game is old and the OP doesn't get along with a few players doesn't make the game bad, matter of fact it's a very trimmed out well thought out MMO that has had many years to correct itself. Sure of course, there's still bugs, but that's gaming nature, nothing is perfect so get over it.
Also, just because somebody feels strongly against a game doesn't mean the rest of the world needs to follow that opinion, so don't shoot to preach so to say. The game is worth the time, hell it is even FREE (without item mall at that) if your willing to give it a tree without expansions, so you have nothing to lose but some time if you don't like it.
The game is worth the time, hell it is even FREE (without item mall at that) if your willing to give it a tree without expansions, so you have nothing to lose but some time if you don't like it.
And again someone defending the game has to lie to do it. There is an item mall, it's called Phasefront.
And before you say "There's nothing unbalancing in there!!111!!", while that newbie is scraping through missions and having to run everywhere to get 6 million creds ( while also scraping to buy armor, imps, nanos at the same time ) and then having to run all around hoping to find a low ql yalm, someone can hop on a jetbike in their low 20's and go anywhere they want/need. which means the person who pays in the item mall has quicker access to more of the game than someone who doesn't.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
The game is worth the time, hell it is even FREE (without item mall at that) if your willing to give it a tree without expansions, so you have nothing to lose but some time if you don't like it.
And again someone defending the game has to lie to do it. There is an item mall, it's called Phasefront.
And before you say "There's nothing unbalancing in there!!111!!", while that newbie is scraping through missions and having to run everywhere to get 6 million creds ( while also scraping to buy armor, imps, nanos at the same time ) and then having to run all around hoping to find a low ql yalm, someone can hop on a jetbike in their low 20's and go anywhere they want/need. which means the person who pays in the item mall has quicker access to more of the game than someone who doesn't.
Sad that you prove my point of opinions. If you want to consider that a item mall, you get it with subscription as a side bonus, but the game is p2p, which within your first month you gain enough PD's to get your freebie flyer. Which besides the average newb can't fly a yalm before 50-60 anyway, and by then they'll know if the game feels right or not. So find something better to be negative towards the game about, although I do see your point, there is no logic to the statement I made with it.
Comments
Lol Ao is likely one of the most solo friendly games out there, sure missions might not be the hottest thing but you can pull em at will and choose the difficulty, and if you need to log you can do so and log back on and continue where you left of.
Not into the rp part myself but i have seen a fair amount of "party's" going on, and you have gridstream a nice addition to the rp community.
Think a lot of what the op says could be said about lvl 80 online (aka wow) as well.
I have 3 accounts myself and i tend to be in borealis from time to time spending an hour buffing people refusing tips, hell i even log on other chars to buff people that no one else does, still not asking/accepting tips.
I would not count myself a fanboy but i played ao for a long time along with eq,eq2,swg,wow,eve,hz,mx0,aoc and ao is one i return to so it must have something good
Game wasn't destroyed by LE or the froob invasion
It was destroyed by the players that after this update became fair game and did not have the "immunity" they had before the update.
This is very similar with the wave of "/wrists I QUIT" statements that came when FC decided to shorten the unique mobs spawn timers so that more would have access to their drops. Because some liked the status quo (of having 9/18h spawn-time mobs on a timer and logging fast an end game toon that would drop it in 3-4 hits denying everyone else the chance to be able to kill that mob).
Actually LE brought a lot of novelty for both PVM and PVP parts. True that in the beginning there were some issues with some classes, but they worked on fixing them and they nailed most of them.
LE made the game a bit easier for new players as well especially with the research and LE missions, with S10 and the rest.
Fanatics that go boom are only in Inner Sanctum - a dungeon that I still consider one of the most fun places in all the AO world.
Actually FC takes the suggestions into account. Pitty that most player-made suggestions don't aim for the bigger picture
OHHH btw, Neocron is alot better than this crap. Funcom is gargabe.
hard to level for a lowbie? I'm one of those part time players and went from lvl 26 to lvl 31 in about 5 hours of game play this weekend, just doing straight SOLO missions. And for the record, that lvl 31 is my highest toon.
Also picked up enough money to get/make a number of implants and upgraded my NCU belt and chips so that at level 31 I have 31 NCUs available (pretty good set of buffs for that level)
mwah i dont really see ppl here defending ao w/o arguments. i still enjoy it but i have to take long breaks every now and then
MMOs currently playing: -
About to play: Lord of the Rings Online
Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
Neocron is that game even around anymore? i tried it but never really got hooked, back in ao now having a good time, less frustration then WoW at least
I wouldn’t bother with this game. Nearly every corner of RK 1 and 2 were packed at all hours when Funcom first broke through the sci-fi genre with AO’s release. Now, all that’s left is a tiny smattering of players, all lonely and all gnawing at the bones of what used to be an innovative game.
Looking for groups is the “END GAME” as all there is is maybe 50 elitist regulars and about 15 troxes. They’re all sporting identical armor, they’re all holding identical weapons and they all have identical habits (such as emphasizing every statement in-game with smily faces, like it wasn’t already apparent that every attempt at social networking in AO was a) Few and far in between b) The only highlight in an otherwise slow, listless day and c) Pretentious) You might as well admit that AO is outdated and that clinging on to the last vestige of what once was a unique game is, well, an exercise in humility.
As a newcomer it’s going to be a real pain as you can get from 0 to 220 easily in a matter of a week. You won’t have the gear to be competitive though. This game takes dedication, hundreds of hours of loot farming, intense online-reputation micro management etc. etc. etc. AO isn’t like other games where the gear makes the player. No, this is a game where loot farming makes you money, money buys you equipment, equipment enhances your ability to wear end-game gear, and end-game gear makes you just like everybody else and thus making you mediocre. But at least you’ll no longer be a newcomer.
Not to mention that everybody is right. If you’re not pushing ql 300+ symbiants and custom implants, you’re instantly relegated to a subculture of underprivileged underclassmen with zero democratic rights. That, and you’re wrong. QFT.
If that’s not bad enough, teams don’t last more than 20 to 30 minutes max. Like someone had previously mentioned, AO is inhabited by a small group of lifers and every one of them has 2 auxillary accounts. Thus dubiously inflating the number of people that are actually online. The consensus among them is that, if you still aren’t at level 220/30/70, then you’re a noob and thus not worth the time to group with . People quit halfway through by coming up with funny excuses like “the cops are at my door” or ”the baby is crying” or my personal favorites, the “fake disconnect” and “The GF is getting randy.” We all know that if you’re playing AO, you’re not hip enough to have a GF, responsible enough to raise a kid, criminal minded enough to warrant the cops’ attention, or lame enough to have dial up. lol. (And if you can’t find groups, you can’t farm loot. Refer to paragraph 3.)
Playing AO is not all bad though. If you are in a good guild, then you get to have a good circle of friends to help you get gear, equipment, and money. Levels, contracts and connections. Friends, fun and general mischief. I’ve played AO since its release and I’ve seen the game through the best, and the bad times. It’s a fun and complex game. Character upgrades take a lot of brain power as it all doesn’t boil down to just 8 equip slots and godly armor class. It’s about the numbers and the disinformation regarding skill caps. If you know the skill caps then you can pop your opponents open like exploding chicken heads and they won’t even know how you got to be so godly.
If you’re just starting out just take your time. Don’t let the pressure of levelling get to you. AO is all about knowing your skillset intimately. And do yourself a favor if you’re omni, stay away from *koff deuce *koff orgs like riders of the lost org or Punk, Vatos Locos or its sister derivative, chico mi loca or something I can’t recall. You’ll thank me later.
Well the OP is entitled to his or her opinion, however AO to me is fantastic.
When you start playing AO, its got that mmorpg feel to it, granted, it is old, but still the fact remains, this is the way mmorpgs
should be made today complicated and tough. Not this 1 click I win shit.
Universally, I like the learning curve in games and I am not one that needs to blitz to level cap by the end of the week.
AO is definetly more structured to a experienced mmo player <imo>, but once you get past the learning state of the game, this game kicks ass.
AO and DAoC have always been my favorites to come back too when the newer mmorpgs fail to keep me.
Beautifully written, completely accurate and said with enough experience/knowledge to know he's not a troll/fanboy but a straight shooter who knows his poop. Thank you for saying it, exactly how it is amigo
imho ur overreacting, but it does take a whole long time to get your toon togehter and to be able to compete in pvp, but i like the challenge.
MMOs currently playing: -
About to play: Lord of the Rings Online
Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
Hypermodernica: No one has been trolling and fanatically defending AO and its developers. Most of theposters were just trying to highligt pros and cons of AO and not just saying "AO wtfpwn. I'm right you're wrong!" stuff. Not like they're always right but that's another matter (and it's very subjective). Actually it's you who seems to be trolling and slinging mud at this game as you didn't even come up with some real arguments. You may not like this game but it doesn't mean it's all that bad and fugly.
OTT: Let's face it - AO is far from perfect. It doesn't have shiny graphic nor sounds. Its leveling content is pretty much boring, which usually annoys most of the players. Also it's not so noob-friendly compared to other MMOs. It take a while to get used to this game but once you do you'll probably start to love it. Not just beacause there's plenty of things to learn but skill system and some game mechanisms have potential. None of the others MMO can offer you such a twinking possibilities. Yes you have to work for it what did you expect anyway? But the result (your ubah twink) is worth it. For most. And the list of pros (and cons) goes on.
Let's look at WoW, MMORPG loved by so many. I'd been playing this game for quite some time (my friend told me over; I've got lvl80 boomkin drood) and I's having a great time. WoW has indeed funny leveling content, grim humor, every place and every thing has its purpose (and the list of pros goes on...). But - when I reached lvl 80 it suddenly became boring. And it's pain to get into some normal group. I don't understand some ppl here accusing old AO players of elitism when this issue is much worse in WoW. People usually are not willing to wait even stupid 5 mins to get an event going, they won't grab you from LFG for some random dung/encounter unless you are properly equipped (well I could understand it but still...) and you have to know the whole dung and its tactics (how are you supposed to learn it then?). Yes, bosses in WoW are real challenge but so are some in AO. But it's never happened to me that ppl kicked me out of a team cos I didn't have top weapon or cos I's there for a first time. And when team wiped we usually regrouped and continued patientelly. Can't say the same about WoW. As some of you noticed I basically started talking about community itself.
In WoW it's pretty usual to see ppl abusing me for no real reason or when they for example lost a duel against me. Or calling me noob because I dind't have this top weapon etc. Of course I've met some nice ppl there as well as there's a plenty of jerks in AO. No doubt about it. But I've always considered community of AO as nice and adult at overal (most of the AO players are 18+).
As for the PvP part. PvP in WoW is very fast and action. That's a pro but it also meant all you have to do was placing all your top spells on main hotbar and rolling face down your keyboard. Not literally but basically all you had to do was pushing your damage as much and as fast as you could. Sometimes you had to have some tactic prepared but compared to AO it's like draft of dog-hole vs. draft of skyscraper. I'm not saying PvP in AO is balanced neither is PvP in WoW. Also I found it quite amusing that most of the players in WoW have been lvl 80. There's only couple BG-only pvp twinks but the world twink usually meant rolling some lovechild prof (pala, rouge, mage...) buying epic weap and some +sta stuff and then just wtfpwning everyone. No challenge but money included. Getting uber items on in AO is much more difficult thanks to unique skill system. Of course there are lovechild profs in AO as well but this usually can be compensetad by properly twinked gear. And last but not least the player base of twinks (twinks not endgame toons) in AO is much bigger than in WoW. There are TL5 tournaments, TW for all title levels etc. I think you got the picture.
Last but not least I apologize for such a comparison as both games are quite different but I think it's appropriate to compare some basic things with the most popular MMORPG.
Kotty
P.S.: Fr3akyNick, you are pretty much right at least at some points. But this made me smile:
"People quit halfway through by coming up with funny excuses like “the cops are at my door” or ”the baby is crying” or my personal favorites, the “fake disconnect” and “The GF is getting randy.” We all know that if you’re playing AO, you’re not hip enough to have a GF, responsible enough to raise a kid, criminal minded enough to warrant the cops’ attention, or lame enough to have dial up. lol."
Just because you have no life when playing MMORPG it doesn't mean that no one else has not. What a great logic lol. Actually I know personally plenty of ppl who got kids who go to work who f*ck their GF/WF everynight (well not everynight but they wish to^^). From AO and WoW as well...
Gee, you have friends. You're special then.
Let's get to the point. You've played Wow and found it to be profoundly different and then you go back to AO expecting something really oldschool and something not so filled with immaturity, except the only things that arrived with the package were the graphics and roughly abused english. I've recently viewed several movies from the 80's and I've noticed that some of the sound-clips in those movies were also present in AO.
Do you remember a long time ago when Compact disc distributors offered 11 CD's for a penny, and you were allowed to take 2 years to purchase 8 additional CD's at regular price to offset the loss the distributor takes for selling those 11 CD's? Well, in the catalogue under soundtracks, were two cd's which featured non-patented sound clips. This means that anybody can take any of these sound clips, cut it up any way they want and use them in their games. I think Funcom used like 15 of them and I'm sure of it because I've heard these same sound clips in movies and several Japanese cartoons. Blast to the past.
The point that I tried to convey in the post above was this: people have alts that need levelling, and yet they themselves don't want to encourage other players to spend the time to get it. It's like the dog chasing it's own tail. A catch 22 with 200 mhz processing power. Apparently somewhere along the line someone figured that it would be a good idea to just pretend he had something better to do and little free-to-play Bobby who just got the expansion, bought into the whole elitist thing and cloned a trend of his own. Now everybody thinks its Ok to drop their teams halfway through. Don't worry about coming up with valid excuses because apparently everybody's got a baby crying on their laps.
On the subject of WoW, It's so much better to play. I really shouldn't go into details. Detail makes the typical forum browser cranky. Bad poster, bad! Slap you on the wrist you naughty one! Everything goes together so seamlessly. Pressing a button gets you the immediate and desired effect. You want special attacks? you get 4 of them and they all come with 1.5 second cooldowns. You don't have to wait for a timer to run an 8 second count before a perk takes effect, and you don't have to wait a hundred and twenty seconds for it to recharge.
In Anarchy online, all you get from using your perks are neon green, pink, yellow and blue fart clouds that do nothing. Or if they did, the chances of them giving you an advantage over your opponents are negligible. Not to mention half of them don't work. Some of them don't even give any indication as to whether or not they registered server-side. It's different with other MMO's. I feel the Umph! The bang, the clatter, the smash when I hit my opponents.
There are no tactics involved when we speak of Anarchy online Pvp. Only two things happen in AO pvp. You run up real close to your opponent, so close that you both look like you're about to give each other the heimlich, you unload perks, and fire off your 3 specials, then its a minute of both people standing in one place before anything else happens. Usually it comes in the form of the cycle repeating itself until one of you slowly runs out of hp. Other times its the peanuts crew arriving and they gang beat you to death...for the love of padded toilet seats in the summer, it's so boring.
I'm not gonna say that WoW is the best. Much like AO, it's a well constructed game. Both have features that are unique. and I'm sure that all games deserve the same compliment. The problem with Wow is that it's played by a lot, and I do mean a lot of stupid kids. So it's not hard to understand why so many people despise it. It's the "g-rated" mmorpg for the masses. It caters to the lowest common denominator. (ie. anyone who has access to a credit card, whether it may be their own or a card that belongs to their parents)
Anarchy online doesn't have a steep learning curve. It just drags out the subscriber's progress to such a slow rate that he or she is forced to think that after several months of torture, all of his or her so called "work" was worth it. And I wouldn't call playing a video game as "work" either. Don't let those lifers tell you different. Get out while you can. There are tons of newer mmorpg's that had their developers optimize the player's rate of progression to such a degree that it literally allows the player to see and play several mmorpg's at the same time. It's the spice of life. The WoW kids won't like it. Between Ipods and GHB, I just don't see how they have the time.
Low level pvp...Title level 5. It's just the same 50 people playing the same outdated game. As I've previously mentioned, AO has a small player base and they all have alts. Except the only difference is, their characters are more compact and filled with high level junk. You're playing the same 50 guys, you're just doing it with less health points. It's not supposed to be halloween every day you know.
The last time I checked, TL5 tower wars were just as dead as anywhere else. The expansion's got the playerbase so thinly spread out, that in the offchance that one side rallies their forces together, the other side is asleep, in the wrong time zone. You can zerg an empty base and win a tower field easily, but your enemies, under the same circumstances will just get it back the very next day...
And now we get to the last part of this dissertation. Just because the AO community taught you Occam's Razor early in the game, it does not mean that other methods of reparte don't exist. Look it up, I'm pretty confident that you will gain something from it.
I forgot about the new graphics engine, but I'm going to reserve my opinion on it for later. I honestly want to see it. I'm genuinely interested. It won't make me say "Wow what a cool new game!!," but I definitely want to see it.
Well you obviously didn't get the point. What I'm trying to say that playing MMORPG or video game in general doesn't necessarily mean you have to be immature or that you don't have no life at all. Honestly I doubt it's worth posting any futher comments on your post if you can't understand such a simple point. But I'll try to make something up anyway.
I haven't come back to the game 'cos it feels "oldschool" but 'cos it offers something that other MMOs don't (see my post above).
As for the music part...I don't honestly care as I listen to my own mp3. I gotta agree that sounds&music isn't the strongest aspect of AO (and I mentioned it in my previous post) however accusing FC of grabbing someone else's soundtrack and implementing it into AO is just a specualtion unless you can come up with some real evidence (and even then I wouldn't probably care - see the first sentece of this paragraph).
Yes WoW is much better to play at least in PvM. But it's also much easier. Max lvl in 10 days? That's kinda weird isn't it? Also not all spells in WoW got 1.5s recharge afaik. But all in all it's much more fast I agree with it. However not-so-spamable spells (=perks+specials in AO) give you more time and room for tactics. In WoW I got by with the same tactic against almost any class and it worked just fine. In AO I use different tactic and equip almost against every prof out there to stand a chance (of course this partially depends on prof you play).
Tbh I'm not exactly sure if you're talking about effectiveness or visual side of perks. As for the effectiveness some professions are strictly dependent on perks such as keepers or shades. Even martial artist - prof whos damage output mainly comes from critical strikes - couldn't stand a chance w/o the perks. I might not be right but it appears that you haven't been playing this game for too long yet you are making false judgements upon it.
As for the visual aspect of the perks...AO has always tried to look more realistic (as much as possible for 8yrs old sci-fi MMORPG ofc) so breaking a ground crushing bones and jumping all over the screen has never been part of the plan. FC could bring some improvements into this (into graphical engine at overall) but you have to understand that people play this game 'cos of other aspects than shiny graphics.
I'm gonna skip the "steep learning curve" part (as it's kinda individual) and come right to the other point. There's not only tl5 pvp. Other TL ranges are pretty much active as well (except for TL4). Indeed TL5 is the most frequvented one but there's much more than just 50 player. You are too exaggerating. Afaik there's couple of thousands players in AO.
Also there's some ongoing pvp action everyday. Tl7 tl5 or tl3. To get you into a picture I recived these 2 messages within 10 minutes when I logged in (RK-2) today:
[Omninet3]: [Twinknet - Twinknet] TL7 war in twinknet come get em [Ctrannik][10+] (T*********c)
[Omninet3]: [Twinknet - Twinknet] tl5 fun , and pew pew /tell twinknet join [Lethalshoot][10+] (T*********c)
I'm getting to think you haven't played this game for longer than life of a mosquito by every sentece you wrote.
Just don't think I stick with AO or WoW only. I also tried LotRO for example but I didn't find it that funny even thou I'm big fan of Tolkien's work. And I'm looking forward to SGW and SW: TOR.
As I said I didn't like LotRO much but it doesn't mean that game plainly sux. I'm pretty sure it has its qualities (cool graphic, sophisticated story line etc.). Or to give you another example: I don't like strategies. But it doesn't mean Starcratf sux does it? You may like more action-style of MMO or you may not like twinking and stuff...but it doesn't mean that the whole game sucks as the OP stated. And what's worse is that htese kind of threads are usually started by ppl that knows nothing about the topic (judging by some of his posts).
Now go and try FF XI the trial version so you can whine even more, I would love to hear what you have to say about it. peace out !
This is for Kotty
Actually no, I did understand your original post. I was just having too much of a good time criticizing AO to write a lamentation about an old game. I'm not really in-touch with "my feelings." To be honest, I saw your responses from a mile away (both of them) and I was already having doubts before I even pressed the submit button.
Now that I think about it, yeah, it was worth it.. I'm so glad I don't play AO anymore.
Like I said in my original post :
"They're all sporting identical armor, they're all holding identical weapons, and they all have identical habits"
I predict that at least one person is going to think that I'm talking about actual armor and weapons lol. <--this is not an http link so don't click it
Oh you did get it all the time, didn't you? Actually I was also pretending my inability to understand all your genious parabolas, hyperboles and perhaps even metaphors.
No I was not tbh. Sorry for not being native english speaker thus having limited knowledge of english language and its parabolas, proverbs etc. Or is it not the issue?
Let's all bow to almighty Fr3akyNick, the one whos words are law and always objective. Just don't dare to straighten up or he'll crush down along with your opinions and low self-esteem. Yup he is able to find out more from your answers than you are.
So do not oppose as he's always right. Let's just pretend our foolishness and low self-esteem.
Peace out!
I fart in your general direction
Maybe I should start talking about the good parts of the game instead of the bad parts because well, I did play this game quite a lot.
A lot of people said that the customer service was horrible but that was not the case with me. The Arks and the GM's that I talked to were all very professional and they knew exactly how the game worked. Some people complained that arks weren't even players and that the answers they were given were out of touch. But in my experience, all my problems were solved very efficiently. It's just that sometimes people have to understand that Ark's are people too. If a customer submits a petition that a regular person can't understand, then what hope does the ark have of solving it?
The game hardly ever lagged for me. The only time AO ever lagged was during the patch before the Legacy of Xan. That part was so bad, you couldn't do anything at all.
The drama. Not guy dramas because lets face it, I'm not gay. I mean female dramas. Girls getting jealous of other girl players. Girls manipulating org presidents. Girls cybering you. Head games all that stuff. Helluva lot of fun.
The battlestation.
Getting the expert title in less than a week.
Ganking clams.
Taking all the clam's bases. We own all your towers bitches!
Uh, what else...Good stuff, fun times.
Yeah dont let guys like the OP scare you away.....The game has a high learning curve but the gameplay isnt all that difficult.......AO does things alot differently than most games and it takes most people some time to adjust to it...... I think the implant system and the skill system is as good as any game I have played........The tradeskill system is difficult and has a very high learning curve....Players will be intimidated by it at first but once they learn the resources like helpbot and recipebot then it becomes much easier.......
Wow. Ok, tell us how Runescape goes OP.
The point of AO is that it's hard. If it was easy to dive into dungeons and solo everything it would be a grindfest like every other MMO. AO is supposed to be extremely complicated. Because it's complictated enough to need a calculator to twink your character, it allows huge levels of customization.
Take the totw dungeon for level 60s for instance. Huge levels of twinking is needed to solo the final boss, you'd need years of experience to pull it off, but you're rewarded by the "holy shit" looks on people faces when you take him down.
I love AO because of the twinking, I love it when someone at level 50 equips implants with requirements that were meant for level 150s.
I have to say that AO is awsome.
I too played it at launch. I quit because my computer couldn't run it. ( I've built 2 new rigs since then ). No lag now, nor in Conan when I played as the OP suggests.
I would come back to AO if the population increased. I would in a second. The same goes for a pre-CU server. There are no better games than these, except EVE.
There is just so much damn fun stuff to do. Nothing compares to twinking in this game. In my opinion, it's the best part.
All it would take is the population levels of 2-3 years ago and I would resub right now.
I had all good memories from AO, and I joined it after SL (about a year or so before Lost Eden, when they had just introduced the froob thing.)
There was its fair share of drama, sure, but some of the funnest times I've had on an MMO come from AO.
Either the OP is full of shit, or things have changed since I've played.
Groovy.
the community isn't bad, I found several persons who were more than willing to explain the agent class for me
I usually read these kind of threads and laugh and go on to the next thread without saying anything, but as I still play and love this game I have to disagree with the OP. Good points are stated about the game and yes the game is somewhat dead compared to the old days of pre-sl, however, just because the game is old and the OP doesn't get along with a few players doesn't make the game bad, matter of fact it's a very trimmed out well thought out MMO that has had many years to correct itself. Sure of course, there's still bugs, but that's gaming nature, nothing is perfect so get over it.
Also, just because somebody feels strongly against a game doesn't mean the rest of the world needs to follow that opinion, so don't shoot to preach so to say. The game is worth the time, hell it is even FREE (without item mall at that) if your willing to give it a tree without expansions, so you have nothing to lose but some time if you don't like it.
TwitchTV: iNeoki
And again someone defending the game has to lie to do it. There is an item mall, it's called Phasefront.
And before you say "There's nothing unbalancing in there!!111!!", while that newbie is scraping through missions and having to run everywhere to get 6 million creds ( while also scraping to buy armor, imps, nanos at the same time ) and then having to run all around hoping to find a low ql yalm, someone can hop on a jetbike in their low 20's and go anywhere they want/need. which means the person who pays in the item mall has quicker access to more of the game than someone who doesn't.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
And again someone defending the game has to lie to do it. There is an item mall, it's called Phasefront.
And before you say "There's nothing unbalancing in there!!111!!", while that newbie is scraping through missions and having to run everywhere to get 6 million creds ( while also scraping to buy armor, imps, nanos at the same time ) and then having to run all around hoping to find a low ql yalm, someone can hop on a jetbike in their low 20's and go anywhere they want/need. which means the person who pays in the item mall has quicker access to more of the game than someone who doesn't.
Sad that you prove my point of opinions. If you want to consider that a item mall, you get it with subscription as a side bonus, but the game is p2p, which within your first month you gain enough PD's to get your freebie flyer. Which besides the average newb can't fly a yalm before 50-60 anyway, and by then they'll know if the game feels right or not. So find something better to be negative towards the game about, although I do see your point, there is no logic to the statement I made with it.
TwitchTV: iNeoki