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Quick review - Why I love Darkfall and feel that it is an epic MMO
GHOSTOFAUGUS
Member Posts: 15
To give a little background about myself I am an experienced mmorpg gamer. I have played UO,AC,AC2,DAOC,Linage 2, CoH, WoW, EvE, WAR.
Last summer I was excited about the release of Warhammer. I left warhammer and returned to WoW over winter. When Darkfall was released (semi released as we all know the issues with purchasing the game) I began to follow the game very closely.
I have been playing Darkfall for 1 month now.
To start off I would like to address some of the major complaints I've seen on these boards.
I have never experienced a Queue. Seldom have I experienced any major errors or bugs. The game does feel slightly unfinished but what new MMO doesn't feel that way? I certainly felt that way about WAR.
I am in NA, few to no lag issues (other than the random lag spike here or there, also sometimes during major battles)
Ok on with the review....
First off I have to say I couldn't be more pleased with the fighting system in this game. Finally we have a MMO with a real time fighting system. And I have to say in no way is this system broken. It feels very balanced and fun to engage in PvP battles.
If I shoot at you with my bow and the arrow hits where you are standing on my screen, you are hit. Same with a swing of my axe. This is a flawless system and is unmatched if you think you would enjoy a MMO / FPS fusion.
This is where the "nitch" is very obvious. If you want a turn based MMO or are not interested in twitch type combat Darkfall is defiantly not for you.
Lets talk about why I feel this game is Epic : I joined a Clan about 3 weeks ago. When I joined we owned a Hamlet (small town) Using that town as a base of operation we gathered recourses, experienced enemy raids, took on PVP and PVE mini raids.
Our guild leader makes an announcement. that in 9 days we aim to capture a Large City for ourselves. During that time we focused on gathering gold and materials as well as getting our gear ready for the big battle.
As promised the day came. I could not be more excited as the buzz was huge in the air. So many msgs and Vent chats from different clans, who will ally us to help? who will be our enemies? Who wants to stay out of the battle?
The challenge for the city was made and our leaders split our armies into an attack group and a defense group.
Early reports that the enemy city had over 100 defenders. Our diplomats were able to break ground by getting one of their clans to turn coat.
I stayed to defend the town and needless to say we were assaulted by the death alliance who was in no way involved in the siege! Were they paid to attack us and keep our forces split? Or were they simply trying to take advantage of the situation. Needless to say it was about a 40 v 40 battle.
I shot arrows from our town walls, chased enemies back. The full loot really comes into play here as no one wants to die. An assault can move back and forth very quickly.
We held off the attackers and with the help of our allies and strong diplomacy we were able to take the city.
The long ride to our new home was really a call for celebration. Cheers congrats and excitement was all I remember from that experience.
In our new city I take a lot of pride in pitching in to help the clan grow the city and recruit more people into our clan. I enjoy my new home and I believe that I have also found my MMO home Darkfall.
So my review has turned into a bit of a story. Is it epic? I think so, much more epic than any PVP experience I had in WAR or WOW.
I will leave this as is for now, I can continue the review but instead of giving Darkfall a review grade or something like that all I can say is, for me, this is the mmo ive been waiting for.
(I'm not going to spend any time proof reading this. If there are a lot of grammar errors then so be it.)
Comments
This actually makes me want to try it...
How can you explain the violent opposition most have for this game?
Thats a good question. All I can say is thats mainlyy why I wrote this to begin with. I was reading the MMOPRG.COM boards and saw some people really saying awful things about this game when I have had such a positive experience with it in the last month.
I do not have an answer to your question.
Is there a trial for this yet??
playing eq2 and two worlds
Is the game still in Beta? I'm heading to the site to check things out...
Imagine eating the same food over and over again.
That's the opposition to this game.
Stuff like this makes me glad I'm playing this game. Yea I like it, is it perfect? No... But the sheer excitement when you play this game is un matched... I just wish I could join a nice PvP clan such as yours
Ya I got lucky when I joined my clan. I did not expect them to be the quality of guys they turned out to be.
It so epic that you could steal a ship...flying with it away
flying ship? you mean an airship? NOPE!
Actual players hacking and taking your ships and taunting you with it, lol.....that's ballz clenching funny.
Haha, which clan is it, I might apply for it, if thats ok...
For political reasons I'd rather remain anon sry
These are the only parts I disagree with.
The Q's were taken care over awhile ago; so you wouldn't experience any if you've only played a month. Not an issue anymore.
I'm on the east coast, US. I have broadband, and I got lag more then just occasionally. I would get spikes that would jump into the thousands on an almost consistant basis. The game did run some what well for the most part. I didn't get much hitching, BUT...
My ping was consistantly between 150 and 200. That's not good in an FPS when I'm fighting guys with a ping of 30-60. This is a big dif. and It was noticable.
And they do have server stability issues.
Server crashed tonight and has been doing that rather consistantly lately. I'm not exagerating or making this up, you can verify it on the official forums.
PvP was fun, but I'm not a big PvEer; so PvP is always fun for me.
The combat wore on me.
I love FPS, and the melee part just isn't that good. I'm not saying some people wont enjoy it, but if you're really into FPS there is a better chance you won't then will.
No active blocking.
There is no timed blocking. Some people can say yes there is all they want, they are lying.
Blocking is usefull as far as shield tanking. One guy holds block while someone else beats on the target. Whether that be in PvE or PvP, the tactic is the same.
You can't actually watch another players and then press block and actually parry the blow. The animations and rate of attacks just doesn't allow it.
You can't swing out of a block. If I'm holding block I have to let go of the key, and then swing. Not just let go of the key, but wait for the delay due to the animation. There's like a half second delay between going from blockign to swing and swing to block.
Every fight I was involved in resulting in my opponenent running around in a circle trying hit me in the back.
There are only two hit boxes. One in front, and one in back. The back on does more damage then the front so people try to circle you to get the added damage from hitting in the back. The mechanics encourage this sort of combat.
It was fun for a bit, but grew old. I was expecting Oblivion style combat; it's nothing like that.
Answer to why all the people with rage.
I think its the whole "hard core" thing. Some people get on thinking they are the expert of "hard core" with a specific defintion of what that means in their head and when they log in and play a game that they simply dont like but others do they freak out.
I cant imagine any other reaon why people would continue to post if they dont like the game. They seem to feel everyone should like the same style of game they like and people can not be 'hard core" unles they like their game. The very idea that someone might simply like to play this game instead of theirs completely making them furious.
I think the largest PR mistake DF ever did (and maybe it was the user base on not them) was to use the word "hard core".
Me personally? I LOVE this game and I frankly dont care if its hard core or not.
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
Even for the most ardent lover, DF is no more than a game of beat each other silly.
Nice if endless ffa pvp is for you, but that is not what AV sells to us. AV promotes DF as an all-rounded game.
If I want a game to beat each other silly, I can play UO, DAoC or many of the f2p games, which are less buggy, feature-richer and feature a much better community. EVE will blow DF way out, so long as you are willing to stop playing orcs and dwarves. If I am so bored and I want a fist fight, streetfighter beats DF hands down in terms of pvp tactics.
Why do I want to pay $50 and monthly for a game that has practically no other features than ffa pvp, buggy, bad community, and the list goes on.
Just b/c its ffa pvp? That is all?
Imagine eating the same food over and over again.
That's the opposition to this game.
I'm more then month inside they game & the 1 thing i like most is the dynamics.
everything is changing due to politics. my clan have gone so much in just the last week... i could write a book on it.
tbh, if u say whay say, u have no idea wahtsoever, & ur opinions might come from ur personality type.
but if i'm wrong if u do play the game- it's time to leave newbe town bro. u'r right. it's all the same there. i c u hate this game for several weeks now. how much time can 1 spend in newbe town??
exuse my english. it's only my 4th lang.
I am glad to see my post got such a positive response. Just to answer about the ping, in NA yes your looking at 150-200, hopefully this will change if they release NA servers. Personaly I like the 1 server becuase it makes me feel like I can make a difference in the whole world of darkfall.
The game world is not really CHANGING, though, and that's the trouble. It's just the same thing, in a slightly different person's hands ( and that person often has the same goal as the last ). There is a difference between having a truly dynamic game and a falsely dynamic game, in that true dynamic games can TRULY change the world ( see ATITD and it's laws system ) whereas false ones just shift things slightly.
You keep saying its the same thing but what MMO isnt?
In WoW is there really a big difference between level 38 and level 78? Your doing dungons with different monsters and thats about it. Also your numbers are bigger when you connect...some of your buffs last longer and your loot is purple instead of blue.
I cant tell you how many times I did the same scenarios in WAR...dont get me started on the repeativeness of WAR...at least in darkfall if you take a town or a city its actually meaningful and not retaken when you are in bed only to have to repeat the next day.
It's not all the same, its a sand box not a theme park. If your interested in a theme park I hear AOC has cut scenes and great graphics, maybe you want to try that.
Its only these forums. Everyone that has a good opinion about the game is...in game. While everyone that hates it is on the forums
Those things have never ever claimed to be a sandbox. Darkfall is not a sandbox.
/discuss
I was comparing them as MMOs. I never said Wow, WAR or AOC were claiming to be sandbox games.
Darkfall is a sandbox game, there is no linear progression.
There are lots of paths for the new player and you can switch it up at any time. Before I log on to Darkfall I think to myself, What do i feel like doing today. Sometimes its PVP, so I have several options for pvp. I can get a raid group together and raid a nearby town or the newbie areas. I can go out in search of solo fights. Or i can join a defence or attack that my alliance is particiaping in.
And those are just my PVP options, pleanty of crafting and PVE options as well, also Diplomacy missions are available if your involved in clan politics. Lastly you can do regular quests too (Ya i know what your thinking, but it is an option)
Sometimes I look at what my guild is currently in need of and i go gather (for instance we are building towers so we need specific resources, somedays i'll just collect for the clan)
There are also trade options as well, although I will admit the trading and crafting features are in need of expanson and this is something I expect to see in the comming months during patches.
So explain to me how darkfall is not a sandbox?
If you claim they are the features of a "sandbox" game, then WoW and AoC and WAR are all sandbox games.
Darkfall is not a sandbox. The "progression path" all leads to the same thing.
LOL did you even read my reply? I said there is no linear path. If you want to you can avoid fighting all together and simply gather and craft your way to max craft stats. You are not confined by your level or your place on the darkfall map.
You can also decide which skills you want to work on, I do very little work on my magic skill yet i can still use magic, I mostly shoot arrows but does that make me an Archer class? No, actually I consider myself more of a trader/crafter type. I also use a great axe does that make me a 2 handed warrior? nope certinly does not.
I can go wherever I want and focus on whatever I want...
Its a sandbox
You can do that in the majority of games, in WoW and WAR at least. So, yeah, your argument fails yet again.
( By the way, a skill system does not a sandbox make, especially since you will always end up with the same skills in the end run anyway, as the 99 cap in every skill means that every player will presumably end up with 99 in every skill, therefore giving the same progression path. K? )
First of all, I think it's great that you found a game you like and it sounds like you've been having a ton of fun. That's awesome!
That being said, I really don't think Darkfall's a sandbox"
So, while some aspects of Darkfall may contribute to an overall sandbox-like experience, I definitely don't consider Darkfall to be a sandbox game. There are too many restrictions and not enough freedom for it to be a real sandbox.
~Ripper