I for one am glad that Aion brought back some of the oldschool elements of MMORPGs that made them MMORPGs. What Aion did is bring an EQ / UO / DAOC experience and Polish the hell out of them. We have the updated UI, Mouse look, and other small "updates" to the game that do not change how an MMORPG is played but merely enhance it. World of Warcraft is very successful, but I don't believe that is where Aion want's to draw its crowd from. The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO, and believe me there are a lot more of us out there than you may think. Plenty enough of us to make Aion the number 2 MMORPG in the West which is what NCSoft is shooting for.
Finally.
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Exactly!
Guys you are delusional.
Actually I disagree with the delusional part..
I played EQ for 4 years and have been searching for the "Feeling" I got from that for the last 7 or 8 now.. I forget how long.. And I have played damn near everything that has come out since.. And I for one really liked Aion.. It did give me that "Ok I really can wait till tomorrow to put the laundry in" feeling like I just needed to get that one quest finished first.. So I for one defiantly got the EQ feeling from it.. Course everyone is different and you can disagree.. But you cant speak for all the EQ, UO, DAoC vets cause some of us are thrilled with Aion
One of my favorite things here. Aion supporters will say "The game offers nothing groundbreaking. They've only polished what was done in WoW or EQ." Then in the same breathe they'll say "STFU and go back to WoW n00b. This game isn't for the WoW crowd." Just something I find funny.
I played EQ for 5 years or so and Aion felt nothing like EQ. In EQ, I felt an urge to log in and play. Aion made me uninstall the software after 3 beta weekends. I've never felt the urge to quit playing a game as fast as I did Aion. Well, I suppose I have if you count the F2P Eastern mmo's.
Some of you love it and that's great. But don't get so defensive when people come here and say "I don't like it and this is why." They aren't attacking you and a game that isn't released yet needs both sides of the story to be out there. Not everyone is going to like it and people who haven't played deserve the right to hear all sides of the game. Someone comes on here and says they don't like it and explain why and the supporters are quick with their "STFU n00b. You don't know anything about these games."
This is NOT a review. It's an impression based on the early experience.
That much being said, I am quite astonished this game was ever cited as WOW killer. The problem with that statement is that too many over zealous people have to have the idea of "a wow killer" in their lexicon. Part of it is that they don't understand why wow is so popular and why it is an anomaly to the universe of online games. If anyone goes around listening to such statements then they should know better when the realize that two to one, wow will decline naturally over the years like all games and there will be no one shot wow kilers. Don't get me wrong, Aion is decend fun and solid entertainment, but truth be told, it is more a retro game than anything.
Possibly . However, just becuase you don't like certain game mechanics that were used in older games doesn't mean that the decision to incorporate them is wrong. games like LOTRO or WoW have made things a bit too easy. I got a chance to speak to Jeffrey Steefel at Pax for quite some time (nice guy by the way) and though one could tell he was quite excited about lotro and very eager to give players a good experience, it was ver clear that he and I did not have the same idea about what makes a game fun. He told me a story about one of their designers who had made the old forest very convoluted so that players could get lost. This is very true because the early incarnation was like that. However, Steefel told him that lost was not fun so asked him to do it differently. Well, I know that many people hated being lost in the old forest but I loved it. And others as well. why? BECAUSE IT'S THE OLD FOREST! You are supposed to be in a forest that is convoluted and confusing. But too many people just cry and complain because they have to apply themselves to a problem as opposed to actively working it out. I applaud some of these "retro" elements that are in Aion.
The first thing I noticed was it is an odd step back in graphics. The textures and landscape have indeed some WOW or WAR like simplicity. The WAR feeling of landscapes which don't transport emotion is the inevitable comparision for me. WAR wasn't a bad world design, but it kinda never transported the feeling I could relate to, maybe lacking soul if you want, and Aion's world has the same again. Technically not bad but at no point I felt at home in the this world, even tho some vistas are sure spectacular. Part of it sure are the low textures. Some rocky ground is absurdly low, grass is an oddly flat painting and even at max setting I never have this feeling of walking on a meadow. I won't take such graphic hogs like AoC, but just compare it to the rich mood the world breathes in LOTRO. Walking on a meadow here with all the flowers, the grass in the wind... LOTRO had so rich atmosphere and soul, and not having more in terms of polygons. By and large the world detail and soul of Aion isnt much better than say Perfect World. You are sort of wrong on the last sentence. I downloaded perfect world because some people were making the comparison. Perfect world had that junky feel that all f2p games have. Aion does not have this at all. As far as low textures, that makes sense. And yes many asian games use them. Why? Because, as said by the lead designer, not everyone has access to a high level machine as many of them play in PC Bhangs and so their games have to be able to run on these lower lvl machines. what they did was say "how can we make a beautiful game but one that incorporates as many simple elements as possible so that a wide variety of people can enjoy them." In any case i read somewhere that they are considering making available a version using higher textures for those who can. Not sure how true this is. Also "yes" lord of the rings has an incredible world. But they had to go the extra mile because middle earth is a rather iconic place. However, there are still so many places one can't go because "you do not have the appropriate quest". So as beautiful as the world is, it suffers from what many of these modern games suffer from, a lack of true exploration.
Granted the big bonus is the detailled character design. Tho I might wonder why you can't change your appearance later, which is a common feature in games which such detailled chars, and generally becoming standard in todays MMOs. But given that you have merely 2 totally linear placed races it sorta makes the replay value limited. You actually see the same over and over again. Even playing Elyos after playing Asmodians, the zones had an odd deja-vu, like every zone and even many quests were like copy cats from the other realm, just that the quest for Elyos is hunt Wolves and for Asmodians it was cats or panthers. Compare Altgard the Asmodian lv 10 -12 zone with the same level for Elyos (forgot the name), its like a copy with different textures. Well you can change aspects of your character. However, I"m not sure what world you are living in as I don't see the ability to change your character's looks as a standard among todays games. correct me if I'm wrong but WoW has this. LOTRO has a npc that allows for a different hair cut and hair color. Not to change the face. I think CoX has this. These are the only games that I know of that incorporate this feature and to varying extent. In any case you can change some features in Aion and it is yet to be seen if they will allow a complete visual change as a paid feature. You are correct in that the starter areas are similar and that this could offer limited play value for some. Then again, how many times are you going to be in the starter areas? If you are an altaholic I see the issue. But most people will probably be there a "few" times at most over a larger span of time.
So far I have tried out about half of the classes to late 10s. Now sure you may jump on me, saying but wait with 25 it totally changes! Sorry, for me a game has to be fun right away. Especially since levelling in Aion is somewhat slower that you are used to. Which also makes replay just for trying out another class odd. I found the game fun from the start so this is your thing. I'm not one who only looks at the mystical end game and can invest myself in the moment. The stories were fine and I found the game to be enjoyable on those levels. Nothing to write home about for sure but solid and enjoyable.
Aion is filled with 1st gen MMOs remnants, stuff which I had thought to be left behind long ago, and mostly for good. I find it strange Aion has so many stuff every other MMO has by now left behind. Like, you start as generic class and get your real class later. Like you start as warrior and get Gladiator or Templar with level 10. And that takes longer than it sounds. Given that fact the game is totally linear, it makes trying out new classes a hassle. EQ2 used to have this branching, but it never was liked and today you start with your class right away, which I regard as the superior development into modern MMOs. I feel this starting as generic warrior or priest as a step back. good that's fine with me. This is a matter of taste as I mentioned above. I will agree in that they should allow one to use a bow if one is a scout and have a summon if one is a mage, etc. They did with with lineage 2 until you made your decision. The reason is to allow one to have time to test both sides. However Aion doesn't really give you that and that is a huge oversight. The mos odd step back however is IMVPO the return of the downtime. Fighting the downtime was one of the mayor progress of 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs, because essentially sitting around and waiting for health and mana to regen is never fun. It is a bad idea and a bad concept from the EQ1 and UO days. Sure you don't rest very long, but I always felt it was a bad disruption of my combat pacing. Especially in grouping this is a hassle, since Priest and Warrior classes need much less rest than scout and esp. mage classes. As mage and scout you will rest often, because mana for the mage and health for the scout will go down quickly. As scout you can compensate that with cheap bandages, with a healer, but as mage you are stuck, since mana potions are way more expensive and crafting them for hours in preparation of combat isn't to everyone's liking. Sorry but there was very little dowtime. You need to explore your options more. This might mean using potions and bandages but they incorporate money sinks for a reason. The greatest hindrance for Aion to become a hit in the western market IMO is that Aion is the most solo-unfriendly game of our days. Which is a result of the downtime. Sure you CAN solo with every class. But later on mobs are so crowded, that if you get additional mobs it can easily be your death, so its one at a time and you will have LOTS of time sitting and resting. The only class which can play with minimal to no downtime is priest, also warrior with bandages is ok. Still, the soloability is quite lacking compared to how well catered the solo experience in other 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs is. Its another of this odd step backs to 1st gen EQ era gaming. Some EQ vets may like it, but I doubt it will attract and keep the masses. Again, wrong on the downtime. And I play a mage. Those looking for a very easy game will not like it, true. But I don't see this as being a bad thing.
The lore and quests are alright. Nothing to rock me out of my boots but solid standard fare. Which isn't good enough in our competitive days, truth be told. When I think of the fascinating quests of LOTRO, where I virtually read every single quest, I find myself skipping the quest text in Aion all too soon, because it lacks the soul. Some quests are fun and nicely written, but most are quite boring. When you come to NPC-quest giving point X you don't really care why you have to kill 10 more wolves. I often had this feeling the quest hubs where quite artificially in their placement, not naturally and "right" like the LOTRO quest hubs. Its an emotional thing I can't exactly say why, but Aion always was much less a world than LOTRO, EQ2 or WOW (tho I have seen WOW only fleeting). It has this strong remniscence of the WAR world design: a linear quest tunnel, a theme park with NPCs standing, waiting for nothing but handing out quests to you in a very old fashioned and soulless manner. A good quest giver never feels like doing nothing else and again LOTRO did this the best. In Aion I often got this feeling that NPCs are here merely to hand me quests, cramped in some camp in a linear quest-tunnel. LOTRO has a large bit of lore behind it to draw from. However, not all the quests in LOTRO are great or are even implemented well. Steefel has said as much and they are going back and revamping areas because of this. I won't say Aion is all bad. Its a decend game, and in another, passed era, Aion would have rocked. But somehow the wheel of progress turned and today Aion is just a sort of MMO dinosaur, a remainder of the a passed MMO era in too many ways and not really fitting the refined and more demanding appetite of today. I am quite surprise that after so much effort to westernize Aion this is the result. In just too many places the "simple, old Asia grinder" as you have seen legions, shines still through. So far I am still hooked and it is ok entertainment for a short time, but I am quite underwhelmed and at odds with many of the design decisions.
It just sounds to me like you enjoy the easier wow/lotro and are taken aback by some of these "retro" game elements. Instead of embracing them and working with them You just want things to be a bit on the easier side. That's ok. Nothing wrong with that. I think WoW and LOTRO are both fine games (though LOTRO could use with a bit more "hard").
So granted this was your first impression but it also sound to me that you were making comparisons based upon things you wanted to see or not see.
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I think the point was that yes, leveling in any game is tedious but Aion doesn't bring anything new or exciting to those first 25 levels to make you want to go through that again. That's probably why everyone says the only people that will want to play this are those that are either a) not playing anything currently or b) bored with their current MMO because as it stands right now, Aion doesn't give you anything to draw you away from your current game. Most will make those decisions based on levels 1-20. You're right, levels 1-20 in WoW is boring, but it's boring because it's 5 year old content. It sure wasn't boring initially. If it was, then how did WoW manage to get all those subscriptions?
Thats a pretty good point, but if you think about it a little more, would WoW have been boring had there been something like it back then? Would it have brought enough to draw you away from your game if you had "already done that"? Or would you have the same argument of needing something to "make you want to go through that again"? Maybe the problem isnt' that the content is lacking in Aion (or any of the games out there) but that WoW has pummeled everyone with this SO MUCH that we can't stand to do it anymore and need that "new and exciting" to get us to want to again. Maybe, just maybe...........
WoW would have been boring if there was already another 'wow like' game that came before it, but there wasn't. The fact that Aion doesn't learn this lesson is disappointing. In order to be very successfull in this market, you have to bring something new to the table. As someone who plays somewhat casually (this is just from my viewpoint), if I'm used to playing games like WoW and LoTRO, and then I start playing Aion and outside of the character creator, I feel like I'm just jumping through hoops going from quest to quest killing dogs, bugs and birds. And then after I get past level 10 and the novelty of wings wears off, then what?
I'm glad people like the game, it's good for what it tries to do. I guess my problem (yes, I know it's my problem) it I was looking for something a little bit more vanilla.
One of my favorite things here. Aion supporters will say "The game offers nothing groundbreaking. They've only polished what was done in WoW or EQ." Then in the same breathe they'll say "STFU and go back to WoW n00b. This game isn't for the WoW crowd." Just something I find funny.
I played EQ for 5 years or so and Aion felt nothing like EQ. In EQ, I felt an urge to log in and play. Aion made me uninstall the software after 3 beta weekends. I've never felt the urge to quit playing a game as fast as I did Aion. Well, I suppose I have if you count the F2P Eastern mmo's.
Some of you love it and that's great. But don't get so defensive when people come here and say "I don't like it and this is why." They aren't attacking you and a game that isn't released yet needs both sides of the story to be out there. Not everyone is going to like it and people who haven't played deserve the right to hear all sides of the game. Someone comes on here and says they don't like it and explain why and the supporters are quick with their "STFU n00b. You don't know anything about these games."
There is another thing everyone who says they hate Aion have in common, they all played (or tried playing) F2P eastern MMOs. I personally never played those, could be why I'm not put off on Aion like you guys are. Was there something wrong with them that made you hate the style? I did play L2 for a couple years, and yes for a couple after my stomach would turn every time I even seen something that looked like it. It could be those F2P are the ones that did that to you.
(DISCLAIMER - The use of the word YOU in the above post is not directed at any one person in particular, but towards those who fall into the category itself - there is no personal attack here, neither intentional nor implied.)
One of my favorite things here. Aion supporters will say "The game offers nothing groundbreaking. They've only polished what was done in WoW or EQ." Then in the same breathe they'll say "STFU and go back to WoW n00b. This game isn't for the WoW crowd." Just something I find funny.
I played EQ for 5 years or so and Aion felt nothing like EQ. In EQ, I felt an urge to log in and play. Aion made me uninstall the software after 3 beta weekends. I've never felt the urge to quit playing a game as fast as I did Aion. Well, I suppose I have if you count the F2P Eastern mmo's.
Some of you love it and that's great. But don't get so defensive when people come here and say "I don't like it and this is why." They aren't attacking you and a game that isn't released yet needs both sides of the story to be out there. Not everyone is going to like it and people who haven't played deserve the right to hear all sides of the game. Someone comes on here and says they don't like it and explain why and the supporters are quick with their "STFU n00b. You don't know anything about these games."
You do know that it tends to go both ways on that right? These forums are no diffrent than the countless others when a new game comes out. The fans rave and the oposers hate and all is right in the yin and yang of MMORPG game forums.. And next week when the game comes out the flames will skyrocket for a bit till the attention whores realize no one is paying attention and then they will go off to the next release date..
Personally I appreciate a constructive educated post from a person who doesn't like the game.. I also like to see constructive posts from those who disagree with a OP.. But around here those seem to be fewer and fewer as time goes on and fishing through the crap to find them is less and less appealing..
What I dont understand is why AOC can make such a beautiful graphic game that runs fine on my mid lvl computer but other mmos cant? When AOC first came out it was a lag nightmare, within 3 months they fixed it , why cant others do the same?
I think the point was that yes, leveling in any game is tedious but Aion doesn't bring anything new or exciting to those first 25 levels to make you want to go through that again. That's probably why everyone says the only people that will want to play this are those that are either a) not playing anything currently or b) bored with their current MMO because as it stands right now, Aion doesn't give you anything to draw you away from your current game. Most will make those decisions based on levels 1-20. You're right, levels 1-20 in WoW is boring, but it's boring because it's 5 year old content. It sure wasn't boring initially. If it was, then how did WoW manage to get all those subscriptions?
Thats a pretty good point, but if you think about it a little more, would WoW have been boring had there been something like it back then? Would it have brought enough to draw you away from your game if you had "already done that"? Or would you have the same argument of needing something to "make you want to go through that again"? Maybe the problem isnt' that the content is lacking in Aion (or any of the games out there) but that WoW has pummeled everyone with this SO MUCH that we can't stand to do it anymore and need that "new and exciting" to get us to want to again. Maybe, just maybe...........
WoW would have been boring if there was already another 'wow like' game that came before it, but there wasn't. The fact that Aion doesn't learn this lesson is disappointing. In order to be very successfull in this market, you have to bring something new to the table. As someone who plays somewhat casually (this is just from my viewpoint), if I'm used to playing games like WoW and LoTRO, and then I start playing Aion and outside of the character creator, I feel like I'm just jumping through hoops going from quest to quest killing dogs, bugs and birds. And then after I get past level 10 and the novelty of wings wears off, then what?
I'm glad people like the game, it's good for what it tries to do. I guess my problem (yes, I know it's my problem) it I was looking for something a little bit more vanilla.
Well, that's the thing, Aion isn't next gen at all.
Originally posted by Jimmydean I for one am glad that Aion brought back some of the oldschool elements of MMORPGs that made them MMORPGs. What Aion did is bring an EQ / UO / DAOC experience and Polish the hell out of them. We have the updated UI, Mouse look, and other small "updates" to the game that do not change how an MMORPG is played but merely enhance it. World of Warcraft is very successful, but I don't believe that is where Aion want's to draw its crowd from. The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO, and believe me there are a lot more of us out there than you may think. Plenty enough of us to make Aion the number 2 MMORPG in the West which is what NCSoft is shooting for.
I have to agree as well. In regards to downtime removing it was a big mistake in later games. No excessive downtime is bad but it is that downtime that allows players time to communicate with each while grouped, duoing, or just when one is soloing.
Aion I felt has a very Dark Age of Camelot feel to it if it has to be compared with any other game. Being a DAoC fan and the only game where I stayed and enjoyed long enough to reach the max level and take part in the endgame I might be biased. So I have to think as well that they aren't looking to pull players from World of Warcraft but perhaps those that used to played the first generation MMOs but are looking for more of the polish that you see from newer games and some of the newer elements mixed with what was good with the old. Though I do not like the player shop element. Never really did to be honest only because it can bring a system to it's knees when everyone sets up in one location.
The game is very polished no doubt. The OP is right in that both sides to seem to be mirrors of each other in terms of questing structure. However the details of the stories I've found are different but I haven't spent much time reading everything on both sides. The differences between both sides impact those details I think. However that isn't a problem for me. That used to happen in other MMOs as well where quest were similar in each area but changed to reflect each area. Dark Age of Camelot was like this and I believe EQ1 as well. Newer games such as World of Warcraft is the same way.
If I were to describe what Aion is like to someone I would say it's as if they combined Lineage 2 with Dark Age of Camelot. I wouldn't compare it with World of Warcraft at all.
I for one am glad that Aion brought back some of the oldschool elements of MMORPGs that made them MMORPGs. What Aion did is bring an EQ / UO / DAOC experience and Polish the hell out of them. We have the updated UI, Mouse look, and other small "updates" to the game that do not change how an MMORPG is played but merely enhance it. World of Warcraft is very successful, but I don't believe that is where Aion want's to draw its crowd from. The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO, and believe me there are a lot more of us out there than you may think. Plenty enough of us to make Aion the number 2 MMORPG in the West which is what NCSoft is shooting for.
I could not agree with you more.
Biggest reason why I want to give Aion a shot because I like the old school feel of it from the reviews I have been reading. It is very zen like playing this style of game. Most of all the roles are not blurred such that I can actually enjoy a tank class for example. Throw in PVP into the mix, a game that can be ran on lesser PC's, and you have a recipe for success. Only doubt from my view? How NCSOFT supports the game in the west?
There are some old school things I miss, too. But how can anyone miss downtime or lolcoptering? *__* Oh well... Each to his, but I dont get it. The really cool things from EQ1 days are not in Aion either way.
Originally posted by Yunbei There are some old school things I miss, too. But how can anyone miss downtime...
I don't but considering the abilities you get after lvl 9 and the potions you can either purchase or craft yourself I really didn't have hardly any downtime. In fact, only time I used the rest feature after then was if I had an "oh shit" moment that left me with a sliver of health or no mana or I died while soloing because well...no reason to use anything else if I'm back at my res point anyways
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Originally posted by Yunbei There are some old school things I miss, too. But how can anyone miss downtime...
I don't but considering the abilities you get after lvl 9 and the potions you can either purchase or craft yourself I really didn't have hardly any downtime. In fact, only time I used the rest feature after then was if I had an "oh shit" moment that left me with a sliver of health or no mana or I died because well...no reason to use anything else if I'm back at my res point anyways
Exactly.
I DID use the rest feature a lot. Even with that, I didn't find having to rest for 10 to 30 seconds after 3 to 12 fights all that bad.
Having to rest and having downtime is a good thing to me. I mean i never really thought about it untill now but I like the fact that i have to take a break after a battle. It makes it feel less mechnical. It feels like I just had a fight.. it brings more of the ROLE PLAY to the MMO. It's a silly and simple feature... but important I think... and as others have said it's not that bad.
Having to rest and having downtime is a good thing to me. I mean i never really thought about it untill now but I like the fact that i have to take a break after a battle. It makes it feel less mechnical. It feels like I just had a fight.. it brings more of the ROLE PLAY to the MMO. It's a silly and simple feature... but important I think... and as others have said it's not that bad.
I'm with ya, I'd like to relax a bit before playing 36 hrs hardcore in Aion. This is a good break indeedd.
I rolled 6 different characters on 2 different servers, including scouts, through the teens and early twenties and I rested maybe a dozen times TOTAL. Ok, I was a newb and forgot to restock, and didn't want to run back before finishing the quests.
Bad players DO NOT make a bad MMO. I agree that Aion has it's down sides, and it's great things, but judging the game by YOUR inability to be a decent player is stupid. As a cleric, I stayed in Dukaki Mines for HOURS on end trying to get those stupid amulets to drop, never resting, and killing non-stop. I just don't understand this criticism. Maybe it's a player criticism, and has nothing to do with the game itself... so don't put it as a game criticism because you suck. BTW, even with all the restocking and buying back experience when I did something dumb and died, I still had over 100k Kinah at level 15... And from what I heard, that's less than average.
Oh, and the LoTRO comments... seriously? While I agree that the lore and quests are absolutely awesome in that game, the graphics are nothing to write home about. I quit that game because of 2 things: 1. Easiest MMO on the planet, and that's quite a feat next to WoW newbness. 2. Horrible graphics.
I mean the ground is EXACTLY the same in both MMO's. It's a pallete with greenery painted on it. It's absolutely NO different. In fact, the trees and foliage are terrible in LoTRO. It's the same exact tree over and over and over... It's like 2 models for trees and they just stuck them into the landscape like hair folicles. The armor is absolutely horrid in LoTRO. It's cardboard cutouts of armor shaped things on their bodies with textures PAINTED on. And the buildings... omg, don't even get me started. While LoTRO is pretty from a great distance, when you look closely at the detail, it's microsoft paint. Just terrible. And cloth, whatever, it doesn't exist in LoTRO at all.
While Aion's graphics are certainly not groundbreaking, at least compare it to something decent, like AoC or EQ2 (While EQ2 is quite dated and used the wrong technology... idiots). Aion is an asian grinder without the grinding. You can quest to cap, or grind to cap (even though there is really not much difference, grind quests or grind mobs). It's a westernized version of Lineage, and some people will like it and some not.
No, it won't kill WoW, and thank goodness for that. I absolutely do not want a lot of the WoW newbs in a game I'm playing, and I will be playing Aion. When I'm pvping, I would hope there would be a good challenge. When I'm looking for guild mates, I would hope they're not people that spent the first 10 levels resting all the time.
There are some things that bother me about Aion, but not gamebreaking. Like swimming... I can fly, cast spells, and sword fight, but I can't swim? wtf? There are invisible walls all over the place in newbland up to level 25. There are places you can get stuck and have to port out. The cutscenes are blah, the overall story arch is unimaginative, and the constant little of this and little of that to keep me buying stuff all the time is a slightly bothering. Like having to upgrade my carrying capacity and bank all the time... what's up with that?
Combat is good. I like the chains, and the reactives, and the animations are great. I hate the animation downtime. Everyone is stuck with it, so it all evens out, but having a cast timer, then an animation timer is frustrating coming from a game where you cast, then move, then cast, then move, etc. I'll get used to it, it's no big deal. For me, the good outweighs the bad.
"Granted thinking for yourself could be considered a timesink of shorter or longer duration depending on how smart..or how dumb you are."
I rolled 6 different characters on 2 different servers, including scouts, through the teens and early twenties and I rested maybe a dozen times TOTAL. Ok, I was a newb and forgot to restock, and didn't want to run back before finishing the quests. Bad players DO NOT make a bad MMO. I agree that Aion has it's down sides, and it's great things, but judging the game by YOUR inability to be a decent player is stupid. As a cleric, I stayed in Dukaki Mines for HOURS on end trying to get those stupid amulets to drop, never resting, and killing non-stop. I just don't understand this criticism. Maybe it's a player criticism, and has nothing to do with the game itself... so don't put it as a game criticism because you suck. BTW, even with all the restocking and buying back experience when I did something dumb and died, I still had over 100k Kinah at level 15... And from what I heard, that's less than average. Oh, and the LoTRO comments... seriously? While I agree that the lore and quests are absolutely awesome in that game, the graphics are nothing to write home about. I quit that game because of 2 things: 1. Easiest MMO on the planet, and that's quite a feat next to WoW newbness. 2. Horrible graphics. I mean the ground is EXACTLY the same in both MMO's. It's a pallete with greenery painted on it. It's absolutely NO different. In fact, the trees and foliage are terrible in LoTRO. It's the same exact tree over and over and over... It's like 2 models for trees and they just stuck them into the landscape like hair folicles. The armor is absolutely horrid in LoTRO. It's cardboard cutouts of armor shaped things on their bodies with textures PAINTED on. And the buildings... omg, don't even get me started. While LoTRO is pretty from a great distance, when you look closely at the detail, it's microsoft paint. Just terrible. And cloth, whatever, it doesn't exist in LoTRO at all. While Aion's graphics are certainly not groundbreaking, at least compare it to something decent, like AoC or EQ2 (While EQ2 is quite dated and used the wrong technology... idiots). Aion is an asian grinder without the grinding. You can quest to cap, or grind to cap (even though there is really not much difference, grind quests or grind mobs). It's a westernized version of Lineage, and some people will like it and some not. No, it won't kill WoW, and thank goodness for that. I absolutely do not want a lot of the WoW newbs in a game I'm playing, and I will be playing Aion. When I'm pvping, I would hope there would be a good challenge. When I'm looking for guild mates, I would hope they're not people that spent the first 10 levels resting all the time. There are some things that bother me about Aion, but not gamebreaking. Like swimming... I can fly, cast spells, and sword fight, but I can't swim? wtf? There are invisible walls all over the place in newbland up to level 25. There are places you can get stuck and have to port out. The cutscenes are blah, the overall story arch is unimaginative, and the constant little of this and little of that to keep me buying stuff all the time is a slightly bothering. Like having to upgrade my carrying capacity and bank all the time... what's up with that? Combat is good. I like the chains, and the reactives, and the animations are great. I hate the animation downtime. Everyone is stuck with it, so it all evens out, but having a cast timer, then an animation timer is frustrating coming from a game where you cast, then move, then cast, then move, etc. I'll get used to it, it's no big deal. For me, the good outweighs the bad.
For it not killing WoW, I suppose that's a good thing. But, there will be a mixed audience from Age of Conan, Warhammer, Vanguard, LOTRO, everyone who is sick of their old MMO to try something new. Aion, for a change.
Comments
Finally.
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Exactly!
Guys you are delusional.
Actually I disagree with the delusional part..
I played EQ for 4 years and have been searching for the "Feeling" I got from that for the last 7 or 8 now.. I forget how long.. And I have played damn near everything that has come out since.. And I for one really liked Aion.. It did give me that "Ok I really can wait till tomorrow to put the laundry in" feeling like I just needed to get that one quest finished first.. So I for one defiantly got the EQ feeling from it.. Course everyone is different and you can disagree.. But you cant speak for all the EQ, UO, DAoC vets cause some of us are thrilled with Aion
One of my favorite things here. Aion supporters will say "The game offers nothing groundbreaking. They've only polished what was done in WoW or EQ." Then in the same breathe they'll say "STFU and go back to WoW n00b. This game isn't for the WoW crowd." Just something I find funny.
I played EQ for 5 years or so and Aion felt nothing like EQ. In EQ, I felt an urge to log in and play. Aion made me uninstall the software after 3 beta weekends. I've never felt the urge to quit playing a game as fast as I did Aion. Well, I suppose I have if you count the F2P Eastern mmo's.
Some of you love it and that's great. But don't get so defensive when people come here and say "I don't like it and this is why." They aren't attacking you and a game that isn't released yet needs both sides of the story to be out there. Not everyone is going to like it and people who haven't played deserve the right to hear all sides of the game. Someone comes on here and says they don't like it and explain why and the supporters are quick with their "STFU n00b. You don't know anything about these games."
It just sounds to me like you enjoy the easier wow/lotro and are taken aback by some of these "retro" game elements. Instead of embracing them and working with them You just want things to be a bit on the easier side. That's ok. Nothing wrong with that. I think WoW and LOTRO are both fine games (though LOTRO could use with a bit more "hard").
So granted this was your first impression but it also sound to me that you were making comparisons based upon things you wanted to see or not see.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Thats a pretty good point, but if you think about it a little more, would WoW have been boring had there been something like it back then? Would it have brought enough to draw you away from your game if you had "already done that"? Or would you have the same argument of needing something to "make you want to go through that again"? Maybe the problem isnt' that the content is lacking in Aion (or any of the games out there) but that WoW has pummeled everyone with this SO MUCH that we can't stand to do it anymore and need that "new and exciting" to get us to want to again. Maybe, just maybe...........
WoW would have been boring if there was already another 'wow like' game that came before it, but there wasn't. The fact that Aion doesn't learn this lesson is disappointing. In order to be very successfull in this market, you have to bring something new to the table. As someone who plays somewhat casually (this is just from my viewpoint), if I'm used to playing games like WoW and LoTRO, and then I start playing Aion and outside of the character creator, I feel like I'm just jumping through hoops going from quest to quest killing dogs, bugs and birds. And then after I get past level 10 and the novelty of wings wears off, then what?
I'm glad people like the game, it's good for what it tries to do. I guess my problem (yes, I know it's my problem) it I was looking for something a little bit more vanilla.
There is another thing everyone who says they hate Aion have in common, they all played (or tried playing) F2P eastern MMOs. I personally never played those, could be why I'm not put off on Aion like you guys are. Was there something wrong with them that made you hate the style? I did play L2 for a couple years, and yes for a couple after my stomach would turn every time I even seen something that looked like it. It could be those F2P are the ones that did that to you.
(DISCLAIMER - The use of the word YOU in the above post is not directed at any one person in particular, but towards those who fall into the category itself - there is no personal attack here, neither intentional nor implied.)
You do know that it tends to go both ways on that right? These forums are no diffrent than the countless others when a new game comes out. The fans rave and the oposers hate and all is right in the yin and yang of MMORPG game forums.. And next week when the game comes out the flames will skyrocket for a bit till the attention whores realize no one is paying attention and then they will go off to the next release date..
Personally I appreciate a constructive educated post from a person who doesn't like the game.. I also like to see constructive posts from those who disagree with a OP.. But around here those seem to be fewer and fewer as time goes on and fishing through the crap to find them is less and less appealing..
What I dont understand is why AOC can make such a beautiful graphic game that runs fine on my mid lvl computer but other mmos cant? When AOC first came out it was a lag nightmare, within 3 months they fixed it , why cant others do the same?
Thats a pretty good point, but if you think about it a little more, would WoW have been boring had there been something like it back then? Would it have brought enough to draw you away from your game if you had "already done that"? Or would you have the same argument of needing something to "make you want to go through that again"? Maybe the problem isnt' that the content is lacking in Aion (or any of the games out there) but that WoW has pummeled everyone with this SO MUCH that we can't stand to do it anymore and need that "new and exciting" to get us to want to again. Maybe, just maybe...........
WoW would have been boring if there was already another 'wow like' game that came before it, but there wasn't. The fact that Aion doesn't learn this lesson is disappointing. In order to be very successfull in this market, you have to bring something new to the table. As someone who plays somewhat casually (this is just from my viewpoint), if I'm used to playing games like WoW and LoTRO, and then I start playing Aion and outside of the character creator, I feel like I'm just jumping through hoops going from quest to quest killing dogs, bugs and birds. And then after I get past level 10 and the novelty of wings wears off, then what?
I'm glad people like the game, it's good for what it tries to do. I guess my problem (yes, I know it's my problem) it I was looking for something a little bit more vanilla.
Well, that's the thing, Aion isn't next gen at all.
I have to agree as well. In regards to downtime removing it was a big mistake in later games. No excessive downtime is bad but it is that downtime that allows players time to communicate with each while grouped, duoing, or just when one is soloing.
Aion I felt has a very Dark Age of Camelot feel to it if it has to be compared with any other game. Being a DAoC fan and the only game where I stayed and enjoyed long enough to reach the max level and take part in the endgame I might be biased.
So I have to think as well that they aren't looking to pull players from World of Warcraft but perhaps those that used to played the first generation MMOs but are looking for more of the polish that you see from newer games and some of the newer elements mixed with what was good with the old. Though I do not like the player shop element. Never really did to be honest only because it can bring a system to it's knees when everyone sets up in one location.
The game is very polished no doubt. The OP is right in that both sides to seem to be mirrors of each other in terms of questing structure. However the details of the stories I've found are different but I haven't spent much time reading everything on both sides. The differences between both sides impact those details I think. However that isn't a problem for me. That used to happen in other MMOs as well where quest were similar in each area but changed to reflect each area. Dark Age of Camelot was like this and I believe EQ1 as well. Newer games such as World of Warcraft is the same way.
If I were to describe what Aion is like to someone I would say it's as if they combined Lineage 2 with Dark Age of Camelot. I wouldn't compare it with World of Warcraft at all.
I could not agree with you more.
Biggest reason why I want to give Aion a shot because I like the old school feel of it from the reviews I have been reading. It is very zen like playing this style of game. Most of all the roles are not blurred such that I can actually enjoy a tank class for example. Throw in PVP into the mix, a game that can be ran on lesser PC's, and you have a recipe for success. Only doubt from my view? How NCSOFT supports the game in the west?
There are some old school things I miss, too. But how can anyone miss downtime or lolcoptering? *__* Oh well... Each to his, but I dont get it. The really cool things from EQ1 days are not in Aion either way.
I don't but considering the abilities you get after lvl 9 and the potions you can either purchase or craft yourself I really didn't have hardly any downtime. In fact, only time I used the rest feature after then was if I had an "oh shit" moment that left me with a sliver of health or no mana or I died while soloing because well...no reason to use anything else if I'm back at my res point anyways
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
I don't but considering the abilities you get after lvl 9 and the potions you can either purchase or craft yourself I really didn't have hardly any downtime. In fact, only time I used the rest feature after then was if I had an "oh shit" moment that left me with a sliver of health or no mana or I died because well...no reason to use anything else if I'm back at my res point anyways
Exactly.
I DID use the rest feature a lot. Even with that, I didn't find having to rest for 10 to 30 seconds after 3 to 12 fights all that bad.
Having to rest and having downtime is a good thing to me. I mean i never really thought about it untill now but I like the fact that i have to take a break after a battle. It makes it feel less mechnical. It feels like I just had a fight.. it brings more of the ROLE PLAY to the MMO. It's a silly and simple feature... but important I think... and as others have said it's not that bad.
I'm with ya, I'd like to relax a bit before playing 36 hrs hardcore in Aion. This is a good break indeedd.
I rolled 6 different characters on 2 different servers, including scouts, through the teens and early twenties and I rested maybe a dozen times TOTAL. Ok, I was a newb and forgot to restock, and didn't want to run back before finishing the quests.
Bad players DO NOT make a bad MMO. I agree that Aion has it's down sides, and it's great things, but judging the game by YOUR inability to be a decent player is stupid. As a cleric, I stayed in Dukaki Mines for HOURS on end trying to get those stupid amulets to drop, never resting, and killing non-stop. I just don't understand this criticism. Maybe it's a player criticism, and has nothing to do with the game itself... so don't put it as a game criticism because you suck. BTW, even with all the restocking and buying back experience when I did something dumb and died, I still had over 100k Kinah at level 15... And from what I heard, that's less than average.
Oh, and the LoTRO comments... seriously? While I agree that the lore and quests are absolutely awesome in that game, the graphics are nothing to write home about. I quit that game because of 2 things: 1. Easiest MMO on the planet, and that's quite a feat next to WoW newbness. 2. Horrible graphics.
I mean the ground is EXACTLY the same in both MMO's. It's a pallete with greenery painted on it. It's absolutely NO different. In fact, the trees and foliage are terrible in LoTRO. It's the same exact tree over and over and over... It's like 2 models for trees and they just stuck them into the landscape like hair folicles. The armor is absolutely horrid in LoTRO. It's cardboard cutouts of armor shaped things on their bodies with textures PAINTED on. And the buildings... omg, don't even get me started. While LoTRO is pretty from a great distance, when you look closely at the detail, it's microsoft paint. Just terrible. And cloth, whatever, it doesn't exist in LoTRO at all.
While Aion's graphics are certainly not groundbreaking, at least compare it to something decent, like AoC or EQ2 (While EQ2 is quite dated and used the wrong technology... idiots). Aion is an asian grinder without the grinding. You can quest to cap, or grind to cap (even though there is really not much difference, grind quests or grind mobs). It's a westernized version of Lineage, and some people will like it and some not.
No, it won't kill WoW, and thank goodness for that. I absolutely do not want a lot of the WoW newbs in a game I'm playing, and I will be playing Aion. When I'm pvping, I would hope there would be a good challenge. When I'm looking for guild mates, I would hope they're not people that spent the first 10 levels resting all the time.
There are some things that bother me about Aion, but not gamebreaking. Like swimming... I can fly, cast spells, and sword fight, but I can't swim? wtf? There are invisible walls all over the place in newbland up to level 25. There are places you can get stuck and have to port out. The cutscenes are blah, the overall story arch is unimaginative, and the constant little of this and little of that to keep me buying stuff all the time is a slightly bothering. Like having to upgrade my carrying capacity and bank all the time... what's up with that?
Combat is good. I like the chains, and the reactives, and the animations are great. I hate the animation downtime. Everyone is stuck with it, so it all evens out, but having a cast timer, then an animation timer is frustrating coming from a game where you cast, then move, then cast, then move, etc. I'll get used to it, it's no big deal. For me, the good outweighs the bad.
"Granted thinking for yourself could be considered a timesink of shorter or longer duration depending on how smart..or how dumb you are."
For it not killing WoW, I suppose that's a good thing. But, there will be a mixed audience from Age of Conan, Warhammer, Vanguard, LOTRO, everyone who is sick of their old MMO to try something new. Aion, for a change.