...I don't have any hopes for this game to last, but I'll still attempt to have my fun out of it. Good for you. Way to look for a silver lining. Getting wings at level 10 may seem fun for a while... but only for a while. I'm glad you set limits on fun for yourself. The truth is, Aion will make it's money at first but only at first. Thank goodness you have posted THE TRUTH. Your crystal-ball insight on a game you've never played is both a boon and a blessing to these boards! Unless there is something the world is missing that is found in Aion, players won't stick around, even the ones that are defending Aion right now. Defending Aion and responding to morons who-never-played-the-game-but-like-to-bash it anyway are two different things. I've been in the warhammer, lotro "hope for a brighter day" group. So, everyone who wants to play Aion is part of this "hope for a brighter day group". If so, I feel so left out! I've played enough mmos to know that Aion isn't the next best thing. It's the next thing, but "best" is subjective. Aion is what is to make NCsoft it's money before Guild Wars 2 comes out. That's what i call good business--making money. Understand the business aspect. Guild Wars 2 may be the next big contender More of THE TRUTH! Thank goodness for your inspired, and dare I say, "divine" insight. and if so, then ask yourself, "what will become of Aion?" Nothing? Unless you are ASSuming that everyone who plays Aion is just waitng for GW2. Because, well, that would be wrong. The same company is publishing these games. Good for them! lol Indeed. lol.
Every time I post my bank account goes cha-ching! Get real. I post because I have an opinion, just like many others.
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
WOW fans seem to have some irresistible impulse to flame any game that threatens their sub numbers. I think it may have to do with insecurity issues about if they are really playing the best MMO ever invented my man.
These boards are a great way to break up a boring work day...
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair. Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D Play EVE for free for 21 days
lol. These threads are quite funny. I'm actually considering buying Aion this month simply because of the drama . I don't have any hopes for this game to last, but I'll still attempt to have my fun out of it. Getting wings at level 10 may seem fun for a while... but only for a while. The truth is, Aion will make it's money at first but only at first. Unless there is something the world is missing that is found in Aion, players won't stick around, even the ones that are defending Aion right now. I've been in the warhammer, lotro "hope for a brighter day" group. I've played enough mmos to know that Aion isn't the next best thing. Aion is what is to make NCsoft it's money before Guild Wars 2 comes out. Understand the business aspect. Guild Wars 2 may be the next big contender and if so, then ask yourself, "what will become of Aion?" The same company is publishing these games. lol
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
I agree OP, it is .... LESS of the same. Where is my flying mount? Where is my mount? Where is my underwater world? Where is my seamless open world with NO invisible walls? Where are my extremely polished scripted RAid bosses with reactive phases. "Get out of that fire" and "please heal me in that pot " Where is my ladder based PvP competition? My beautfiul and extremely crafted/polished Battlegrounds? Where is my changing world in phasing? The destructable buildings and mounted tank combat? My dual specs? Where is ... the game? I guess it hides deep in the pockets of some Korean bank account.
I dunno if you were being sarcastic, but everything you just mentioned is what broke the game to me. Flying mount removed the thrill of open RvR. WoW always had invisible walls, guess you never bumped into them. Scripted raid bosses? Those are FREAKING EASY, scripted fight are easy mode of raiding. Ladder based pvp is broken because of powerful team combinaision, no real choice. Vehicle combat is horrible, worst thing they implemented so far (other than flying mounts). World phasing seperates player while in the same zone, I disliked it since some people would use that to flee from me.
Duel spec is the only thing I'll agree upon.
Blizzard catered to the cowards and the weak when they gave those new features. Raid bosses are now freaking easy, it's just learning how to beat him, and then rinse and repeat. Flying mount, vehicles, BGs, etc... are all coward tools not to be fighting one on one.
Doesn't change the fact that both game are extremely different, and that WoW does not necesserily bring what someone is looking for.
Seconded, and the reason for my sig below.
Oh, and one more thing you forgot: Motorcycles!
I'm not sure about the whole catering to the cowards and the weak statement. But, I will go as far as definitely lazy and simplified, which is what happens to just about anything for it to cater to the mainstream. It's no secret that society is becoming more and more filled with lazy, spoiled, whiner babies that need everything handed to them and have totally lost all ability or desire to achieve. This is not to say that all WoW players are that way, but the game has been completely simplified in regards to what it once was and that's not even debatable, and hence, a major contributing factor as to why I left.
In addition, I believe the above to be the main reason why there are several up in arms about the so-called Korean grind aspect of Aion. And don't give me this crap about, "well I only have a limited amount of time to play", cause I myself am a victim of that reality. Oh, you can't spend as much time playing and are therefore out-leveled by Joe Blow or maybe you don't have all that shiny/glowing gear yet that Jane Smith has, big deal IMO, it'll come. So what if it takes you a bit longer to achieve those things, just enjoy the ride. That is the tool that gaming has become for me, imagine that concept.
On the other side of things, if you can't find any enjoyment out of a game without instant gratification and needing the best gear, then maybe you may want to reflect on how you fit into that group of people described above
QFT, and recolored to rid us of that absolutely horrible neon green. My eyes are bleeding.
I was completely and utterly disinterested in Aion. I heard about it years ago myself, when it was announced (was playing WoW at the time, was pointed out to me). I remember thinking "what a joke". No second thought of Aion entered my mind. Quit WoW a year ago, played some AO, then on to a 4-5month stint in EQ2. Got bored, hopped back into Planetside on its 45-day win-back/merge promotion and had a great time until it was up, but decided the populations would just dry up again as soon as that offer died. After some careful consideration, I'd nearly convinced myself that WoW was my only option until... lo and behold, Aion. The timing was great - I waited for 2 days after downloading the client for open beta, and went ahead and ponied up $7 to Fileplanet to satisfy my curiosity (and get as much out of the week as I could).
Frankly, after 1.5 months in Planetside's dated world (still love that game, graphics are just elderly by now), Aion was silky freaking smooth to look at. After playing it and logging back in on my EQ2 account especially, it looked even better (God I miss PVP when it isn't there). Sure the graphics aren't revolutionary, but the game runs extremely smooth, the animations and combat are polished (no herky-jerky garbage), and the controls just feel "right" - something most people need to try for themselves. The UI is minimal, function, and serves its purpose well. People want to compare Aion to WoW, fine. Aion looks better to me graphic-wise. More to the point of your post...
"1. You get wings."
Wings are heavily overrated by people who had high hopes and bought the hype of this game, and heavily underrated by the people who didn't/don't like Aion. As someone who entered with no expectations whatsoever, they're fun as hell. Gliding keeps your attention during longer runs, and can get you to places far faster when you can't fly. A lot of people have the beef that the flight time is limited, and that there are only certain areas for it. Play the game and you will very quickly understand why. Allowing people to fly any/everywhere would heavily unbalance certain things (for example skipping an entire outdoor elite area, straight to its boss). Abyss flight is unlimited, and will allow for aerial combat throughout. Also, while the flight times at low levels are quite limited, as has been mentioned already, they grow with level through gear and better wings. I'll add that I think the flight has been over-hyped, but it's a very fun addition to the game. Gliding away from enemies, hovering above targets, swooping down on an enemy player are all very, very fun and can't be overlooked.
"2. You can make your character look like barack obama if you like."
It's almost absurd how this is used against Aion, more than for. During the beta, you definitely saw many clones, but it's my impression that many people used preset characters just to not waste time during the short week. However, the ability to customize your character in such great detail is something I personally love, and have always missed in playing WoW, amongst other MMOs. Short of people using pre-sets, no two characters in Aion will be identical, period. They may look similar, but the spectrum of characters we'll see should be huge. Not to mention, this tends to make me care a bit more about my character than if it's generic body 1, face 5, hair 6, color 3.
"3. New environments. Goodie, a new big world."
People whined at AoC for being too instanced. People gripe about WAR for being too centric on scenarios. People LOVE WoW for its open-world feel, but hate its battlegrounds. Guess what? Aion is open-world PVP, and the abyss. The maps of Aion don't necessarily connect up like in some games (run to a zone line, cross into new area), but each one I've seen is quite large, and far more open as you level. Sure the noob area is basically a tunnel you run straight down until you leave, but beyond that it has quite a nice feel. Loading screens are minimal, and the world absolutely feels like it all fits. Also, it feels quite large.
"4. Nice graphics, um, nice armor, um, did I mention you get wings?"
I covered graphics/wings for you already, but I'll talk about armor a moment. People constantly say (without any first-hand experience or knowledge whatsoever) that Aion lacks customization. "OMG no talents wtf" is a complaint I've seen plenty of. Trouble is, people quickly relate manastones in Aion to gems in WoW, and write it off as a petty bonus. In Aion, it's not. Manastones, for starters, are a major part of defining your character. The stats they give aren't just minor boosts - they literally determine what you can or can't do, or do well. People interested in casters will quickly assume that only using magic boost stones will be the clear choice. Well, when you're missing out on hundreds of HP because of it (easily hundreds, even in the early teens), don't complain that you can't take a hit, or get 1-shot in PVP. You will be the ultimate glass cannon - tons of damage, no survivability at all - and that's just one example. Min/maxing has become so prevalent in games these days that this feature has just been skipped over as something that should be or will be obvious, when it isn't. Each person will have their own playstyle, and while there'll be copycats, there shouldn't be any "perfect" setup for socketing gear. Honestly, a player of a certain class can fill a specific role of their class based on how they've loaded their gear (templar loaded up with +attack stones won't quite be the tank that one loaded with +shield/parry/HP would).
Stigmas are the other thing. Each class has a number of stigmas (duh, one player can't have them all). Each stigma is essentially a skill that you equip. Combine them, and it opens new skill trees. Similar to talents, sure, but in the end I've heard/read that stigmas can be very rare, so not all players will just have these skills as a given. In all, it's how players will define their role even further within their class, and to advance through trees doesn't require that each player have the same stigmas.
I haven't even mentioned rifts yet. Rifts are portals that can randomly appear on maps once you reach the level 20+ areas. Sometimes one opens from the enemy to your land, which you can't enter. Sometimes vice-versa. Fortunately, these open (I believe, correct if wrong please) once an hour, and are open for a limited time only. This means that the enemy can't just enter your zone at will, so this will, to a degree meter ganking (along with the slayer? system). Also, it's announced zone-wide when a rift opens, so any player in an area under threat should be well aware to watch their backs. It doesn't announce the location however, so finding them can be tough at times. Plenty of opportunities for enemies to slip through, set up kisks, and settle in for a fight. On the same token, it's a blast chasing enemies around once caught, and sending them home. It's quite dynamic for both sides and as has been mentioned repeatedly, is PVP "outside the box".
Honestly, this got way longer than I'd intended, so I'll stop so someone might read. That said, there's more I can still talk about - and I only hit 24, and have done zero research about this game prior to playing, and extremely little afterwards.
tl;dr - If you're interested, you read...otherwise, who cares?
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
The first 10 levels are what's going to grab a player and if current World of Warcraft players are getting the feeling that the game play and whatever are similar to what they already have or that 'there's nothing new' I think they're asking themselves 'why should I drop 5 years of input into one game for something that isn't that different?'
I don't want to debate the differences, but this is an attempt to appeal to your sensibilities and explain the attitude that you've encountered.
At least, this is my take on it.
True, won't disagree with that feeling, but as said before, those reactions from your usual WoW players. They already know what the end-game is in WoW, but they don't know what it is in Aion. They don't want to work to get there to see what it's like, and many don't even bother looking at what it is via the internet. They just say "LOL AION NO END-GAME". Obviously, on that point ,we don't know yet since we only tested up to level 30.
But we do, since Aion was released 1 year ago.
But we don't since 1.5 just hit and pretty much completely changes endgame.
Every time I post my bank account goes cha-ching! Get real. I post because I have an opinion, just like many others.
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
WOW fans seem to have some irresistible impulse to flame any game that threatens their sub numbers. I think it may have to do with insecurity issues about if they are really playing the best MMO ever invented my man.
I think it is because they are . . . dare I say it . . . BORED!
Perhaps their game isn't as good as they claim since most of the WoWer's time is spent defending it's sub count.
It's a Jeep thing. . . _______ |___| \_______/ = |||||| = |X| \*........*/ |X| |X|_________|X| You wouldn't understand
The rabib Aion bashers are worried that it will take away from the already good MMO's out there and the defenders are just trying to disuede the misinformation already out there. In fact no one can really say how a MMO will fair after release, but i do believe that when a MMO is fun for a majority playing then it will do good.
Played WarHammer which i found boring and just didn't get it off in the first 20 levels.
RFOnline was fun when it was P2P as most things you had to work some to obtain decent armor and weapons.
L2 was damn fun because of the PvP, but PvE side lacked much.
EVE had the best of both sides and let you persue any path you wanted to take.
Hellgate:London was only so good for a month.
WOW is fun for the PvE side and raiding, the PvP side had some good points but nothing for me to constantly want to PvP for long periods of time.
Point is no MMO can be all in one thing and please everyone,.
I agree OP, it is .... LESS of the same. Where is my flying mount? Where is my mount? Where is my underwater world? Where is my seamless open world with NO invisible walls? Where are my extremely polished scripted RAid bosses with reactive phases. "Get out of that fire" and "please heal me in that pot " Where is my ladder based PvP competition? My beautfiul and extremely crafted/polished Battlegrounds? Where is my changing world in phasing? The destructable buildings and mounted tank combat? My dual specs? Where is ... the game? I guess it hides deep in the pockets of some Korean bank account.
I dunno if you were being sarcastic, but everything you just mentioned is what broke the game to me. Flying mount removed the thrill of open RvR. WoW always had invisible walls, guess you never bumped into them. Scripted raid bosses? Those are FREAKING EASY, scripted fight are easy mode of raiding. Ladder based pvp is broken because of powerful team combinaision, no real choice. Vehicle combat is horrible, worst thing they implemented so far (other than flying mounts). World phasing seperates player while in the same zone, I disliked it since some people would use that to flee from me.
Duel spec is the only thing I'll agree upon.
Blizzard catered to the cowards and the weak when they gave those new features. Raid bosses are now freaking easy, it's just learning how to beat him, and then rinse and repeat. Flying mount, vehicles, BGs, etc... are all coward tools not to be fighting one on one.
Doesn't change the fact that both game are extremely different, and that WoW does not necesserily bring what someone is looking for.
Seconded, and the reason for my sig below.
Oh, and one more thing you forgot: Motorcycles!
I'm not sure about the whole catering to the cowards and the weak statement. But, I will go as far as definitely lazy and simplified, which is what happens to just about anything for it to cater to the mainstream. It's no secret that society is becoming more and more filled with lazy, spoiled, whiner babies that need everything handed to them and have totally lost all ability or desire to achieve. This is not to say that all WoW players are that way, but the game has been completely simplified in regards to what it once was and that's not even debatable, and hence, a major contributing factor as to why I left.
In addition, I believe the above to be the main reason why there are several up in arms about the so-called Korean grind aspect of Aion. And don't give me this crap about, "well I only have a limited amount of time to play", cause I myself am a victim of that reality. Oh, you can't spend as much time playing and are therefore out-leveled by Joe Blow or maybe you don't have all that shiny/glowing gear yet that Jane Smith has, big deal IMO, it'll come. So what if it takes you a bit longer to achieve those things, just enjoy the ride. That is the tool that gaming has become for me, imagine that concept.
On the other side of things, if you can't find any enjoyment out of a game without instant gratification and needing the best gear, then maybe you may want to reflect on how you fit into that group of people described above
QFT, and recolored to rid us of that absolutely horrible neon green. My eyes are bleeding.
I was completely and utterly disinterested in Aion. I heard about it years ago myself, when it was announced (was playing WoW at the time, was pointed out to me). I remember thinking "what a joke". No second thought of Aion entered my mind. Quit WoW a year ago, played some AO, then on to a 4-5month stint in EQ2. Got bored, hopped back into Planetside on its 45-day win-back/merge promotion and had a great time until it was up, but decided the populations would just dry up again as soon as that offer died. After some careful consideration, I'd nearly convinced myself that WoW was my only option until... lo and behold, Aion. The timing was great - I waited for 2 days after downloading the client for open beta, and went ahead and ponied up $7 to Fileplanet to satisfy my curiosity (and get as much out of the week as I could).
Frankly, after 1.5 months in Planetside's dated world (still love that game, graphics are just elderly by now), Aion was silky freaking smooth to look at. After playing it and logging back in on my EQ2 account especially, it looked even better (God I miss PVP when it isn't there). Sure the graphics aren't revolutionary, but the game runs extremely smooth, the animations and combat are polished (no herky-jerky garbage), and the controls just feel "right" - something most people need to try for themselves. The UI is minimal, function, and serves its purpose well. People want to compare Aion to WoW, fine. Aion looks better to me graphic-wise. More to the point of your post...
"1. You get wings."
Wings are heavily overrated by people who had high hopes and bought the hype of this game, and heavily underrated by the people who didn't/don't like Aion. As someone who entered with no expectations whatsoever, they're fun as hell. Gliding keeps your attention during longer runs, and can get you to places far faster when you can't fly. A lot of people have the beef that the flight time is limited, and that there are only certain areas for it. Play the game and you will very quickly understand why. Allowing people to fly any/everywhere would heavily unbalance certain things (for example skipping an entire outdoor elite area, straight to its boss). Abyss flight is unlimited, and will allow for aerial combat throughout. Also, while the flight times at low levels are quite limited, as has been mentioned already, they grow with level through gear and better wings. I'll add that I think the flight has been over-hyped, but it's a very fun addition to the game. Gliding away from enemies, hovering above targets, swooping down on an enemy player are all very, very fun and can't be overlooked.
"2. You can make your character look like barack obama if you like."
It's almost absurd how this is used against Aion, more than for. During the beta, you definitely saw many clones, but it's my impression that many people used preset characters just to not waste time during the short week. However, the ability to customize your character in such great detail is something I personally love, and have always missed in playing WoW, amongst other MMOs. Short of people using pre-sets, no two characters in Aion will be identical, period. They may look similar, but the spectrum of characters we'll see should be huge. Not to mention, this tends to make me care a bit more about my character than if it's generic body 1, face 5, hair 6, color 3.
"3. New environments. Goodie, a new big world."
People whined at AoC for being too instanced. People gripe about WAR for being too centric on scenarios. People LOVE WoW for its open-world feel, but hate its battlegrounds. Guess what? Aion is open-world PVP, and the abyss. The maps of Aion don't necessarily connect up like in some games (run to a zone line, cross into new area), but each one I've seen is quite large, and far more open as you level. Sure the noob area is basically a tunnel you run straight down until you leave, but beyond that it has quite a nice feel. Loading screens are minimal, and the world absolutely feels like it all fits. Also, it feels quite large.
"4. Nice graphics, um, nice armor, um, did I mention you get wings?"
I covered graphics/wings for you already, but I'll talk about armor a moment. People constantly say (without any first-hand experience or knowledge whatsoever) that Aion lacks customization. "OMG no talents wtf" is a complaint I've seen plenty of. Trouble is, people quickly relate manastones in Aion to gems in WoW, and write it off as a petty bonus. In Aion, it's not. Manastones, for starters, are a major part of defining your character. The stats they give aren't just minor boosts - they literally determine what you can or can't do, or do well. People interested in casters will quickly assume that only using magic boost stones will be the clear choice. Well, when you're missing out on hundreds of HP because of it (easily hundreds, even in the early teens), don't complain that you can't take a hit, or get 1-shot in PVP. You will be the ultimate glass cannon - tons of damage, no survivability at all - and that's just one example. Min/maxing has become so prevalent in games these days that this feature has just been skipped over as something that should be or will be obvious, when it isn't. Each person will have their own playstyle, and while there'll be copycats, there shouldn't be any "perfect" setup for socketing gear. Honestly, a player of a certain class can fill a specific role of their class based on how they've loaded their gear (templar loaded up with +attack stones won't quite be the tank that one loaded with +shield/parry/HP would).
Stigmas are the other thing. Each class has a number of stigmas (duh, one player can't have them all). Each stigma is essentially a skill that you equip. Combine them, and it opens new skill trees. Similar to talents, sure, but in the end I've heard/read that stigmas can be very rare, so not all players will just have these skills as a given. In all, it's how players will define their role even further within their class, and to advance through trees doesn't require that each player have the same stigmas.
I haven't even mentioned rifts yet. Rifts are portals that can randomly appear on maps once you reach the level 20+ areas. Sometimes one opens from the enemy to your land, which you can't enter. Sometimes vice-versa. Fortunately, these open (I believe, correct if wrong please) once an hour, and are open for a limited time only. This means that the enemy can't just enter your zone at will, so this will, to a degree meter ganking (along with the slayer? system). Also, it's announced zone-wide when a rift opens, so any player in an area under threat should be well aware to watch their backs. It doesn't announce the location however, so finding them can be tough at times. Plenty of opportunities for enemies to slip through, set up kisks, and settle in for a fight. On the same token, it's a blast chasing enemies around once caught, and sending them home. It's quite dynamic for both sides and as has been mentioned repeatedly, is PVP "outside the box".
Honestly, this got way longer than I'd intended, so I'll stop so someone might read. That said, there's more I can still talk about - and I only hit 24, and have done zero research about this game prior to playing, and extremely little afterwards.
tl;dr - If you're interested, you read...otherwise, who cares?
I'm won over. I'm skeptical, but I'll be buying it on release day. Yeah don't mind me, I'm a hard ass.
lol. These threads are quite funny. I'm actually considering buying Aion this month simply because of the drama . I don't have any hopes for this game to last, but I'll still attempt to have my fun out of it. Getting wings at level 10 may seem fun for a while... but only for a while. The truth is, Aion will make it's money at first but only at first. Unless there is something the world is missing that is found in Aion, players won't stick around, even the ones that are defending Aion right now. I've been in the warhammer, lotro "hope for a brighter day" group. I've played enough mmos to know that Aion isn't the next best thing. Aion is what is to make NCsoft it's money before Guild Wars 2 comes out. Understand the business aspect. Guild Wars 2 may be the next big contender and if so, then ask yourself, "what will become of Aion?" The same company is publishing these games. lol
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Last time I checked GW2 was F2P. I wouldn't exactly call that competing, in fact, I'd say both are two sides of the same coin and while one might bleed over to the other or vice versa, I definitely don't see the issue with one having to worry about sharing subscribers over the other unless GW2 turns out to be some MMO revolutionizing phenom that all current MMOs would have to worry about.
With all that said it makes any sort of thought process around Aion being created for the purpose of buying time for GW2 pretty much absurd. To make things worse why would you think that a company would spend all this time and effort just for the purpose of making some additional money before GW2 anyway? I mean this isn't WoW where you're just going back over an old landscape and changing it up a bit and adding a few new races and some class changes. This is new US & EU servers, translations, mechanics changes, marketing, etc.
Aion is DAoC light. Hell instead of three races you get only two and less PvE to participate in! LOL! And this is what people are calling a good MMORPG. As for WoW - Aion cannot touch WoW. WoW has more races, more clasess and way bigger world to explore and the BG's in WoW put anything Aion has to offer to shame. I love how the WoW haters that are hyping Aion try to make it seem otherwise but the fact is in the games. I have played all three and Aion is just not that good of a game. It's as if they cut a lot of corners to get it to market and what we got was an extermely shallow game that brings with it all that is bad from games like Lineage 2 and such. Lineage 2 is a better game than Aion, even. If Aion floats your boat, go for it, but do not try to make it out to be something it is not and it is a far from being the next big MMO - if anything it will be a niche' game for a few die-hard fans of of this style of game and will not be all that successful in EU and NA.
And just because it has more races, doesn't make it better. I played wow and liked it up to point where I wanted to pvp, but never got anywhere because I wanted to pvp. In order pvp, I had to get pvp gear. In order to get pvp gear, I had to get honor points or arena points(which arena points are hard as hell to get). I had to win arena and BGs. Well since I played horde and in Bgs you loose most of the time since it was in alliance favor... yeah its more work then anything else.. Don't get me wrong I liked playing wow, I am just moving on because of the pvp aspect... I don't have to get certain gear just to pvp and clutting my bank up with armor and weapons. so everyone has their opion on what makes them want or not want to play aion... but judging aion on races is like judging food by looking at it and not tasting it.
See, you're in for a huge surprise. Aion is all about the rankings in PvP and how do you get the best gear in Aion...by PvP. LOL! Good news though. All you have to do is do what they do on the Chinese servers. Just let the otherside win every other day and you'll be able to be awarded points that will go toward your battle ranking giving access to the good gear! Woohoo! Awesome huh.
You'll find that the grind for gear in Aion is not much different than any other MMORPG and in the case of Aion it can be a real pain in the arse. Wait and see. ^_^
umm reread what I said and post again, In wow you have pvp gear and pve gear... aion you just have one gear... pvpve gear no switching in between. so it dosn't clutter up my space
lol. These threads are quite funny. I'm actually considering buying Aion this month simply because of the drama . I don't have any hopes for this game to last, but I'll still attempt to have my fun out of it. Getting wings at level 10 may seem fun for a while... but only for a while. The truth is, Aion will make it's money at first but only at first. Unless there is something the world is missing that is found in Aion, players won't stick around, even the ones that are defending Aion right now. I've been in the warhammer, lotro "hope for a brighter day" group. I've played enough mmos to know that Aion isn't the next best thing. Aion is what is to make NCsoft it's money before Guild Wars 2 comes out. Understand the business aspect. Guild Wars 2 may be the next big contender and if so, then ask yourself, "what will become of Aion?" The same company is publishing these games. lol
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Yes, but ask yourself this. Why would a truly intelligent person spend time in a forum asking questions in regards to a game in which they obviously have no interest in playing and furthermore when they already have it in their mind to completely ignore the answers to said questions they are asking?
Seems to me to be an utter waste of time for an intelligent person, but I digress.
lol. These threads are quite funny. I'm actually considering buying Aion this month simply because of the drama . I don't have any hopes for this game to last, but I'll still attempt to have my fun out of it. Getting wings at level 10 may seem fun for a while... but only for a while. The truth is, Aion will make it's money at first but only at first. Unless there is something the world is missing that is found in Aion, players won't stick around, even the ones that are defending Aion right now. I've been in the warhammer, lotro "hope for a brighter day" group. I've played enough mmos to know that Aion isn't the next best thing. Aion is what is to make NCsoft it's money before Guild Wars 2 comes out. Understand the business aspect. Guild Wars 2 may be the next big contender and if so, then ask yourself, "what will become of Aion?" The same company is publishing these games. lol
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Last time I checked GW2 was F2P. I wouldn't exactly call that competing, in fact, I'd say both are two sides of the same coin and while one might bleed over to the other or vice versa, I definitely don't see the issue with one having to worry about sharing subscribers over the other unless GW2 turns out to be some MMO revolutionizing phenom that all current MMOs would have to worry about.
With all that said it makes any sort of thought process around Aion being created for the purpose of buying time for GW2 pretty much absurd. To make things worse why would you think that a company would spend all this time and effort just for the purpose of making some additional money before GW2 anyway? I mean this isn't WoW where you're just going back over an old landscape and changing it up a bit and adding a few new races and some class changes. This is new US & EU servers, translations, mechanics changes, marketing, etc.
There may be some truth to this but remember, NCsoft isn't making the games, they are marketing them. Arena makes Guild Wars not NCsoft. When you see how Spellborn got screwed from Acclaim, you just have to watch out. Why did the US marketing director for Aion leave recently? Is there something we don't know about? I'm sold on the game but I'm not sure how their publisher will treat this in the long term.
EDIT: MrcdesOwnr read my previous post. Someone spent time and actually gave me what I was asking for.
You will be bored at first and wonder what all the fuss is about aion. You should come to understand what it's all about after you get out of the first two zones and start grouping for pvp.
First time rifting with friends = Good times
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
...they already have it in their mind to completely ignore the answers to said questions they are asking?
Woah now mate, you might break his rhythm with these kinds of accurate observations.
yodablaze: Feel free to roll on my server--I'll be glad to answer all your questions for the month that you play.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair. Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D Play EVE for free for 21 days
...they already have it in their mind to completely ignore the answers to said questions they are asking?
Woah now mate, you might break his rhythm with these kinds of accurate observations.
yodablaze: Feel free to roll on my server--I'll be glad to answer all your questions for the month that you play.
Cool. I'll Pm you. Let me know what server. If you have more info, message me. I'm getting the game and may get my wife on board if it's really good. I don't mean to destroy the hopes of anti-Aion posters but um, they are making good points...
I'm won over. I'm skeptical, but I'll be buying it on release day. Yeah don't mind me, I'm a hard ass.
Win.
I'll add that many complain of the first 10 levels. People simply must expect what the OP said - a freaking handjob. Enter the game with no expectations, and it is standard faire for the genre. I for one wasn't in a hurry, and actually, dare I say it, enjoyed the first 10 to whatever degree. By level 8 it drags a bit sure, but if you really want to hurry through, it's very easy to do so and only hit up the campaign quest to advance on. If you've done so, level 10 is handed to you. The ascension quest gives you exactly 50 exp more than is needed for the entire level 9 to 10 (I think 73,200?). Also, most people don't mention that you'll likely even have to group for this quest, particularly if you're a solo scout or healer unless you ride the coattails of others into the area. Yup, grouping before you even hit 10. I would say it's forced, but it's doable solo with potions, and some extreme caution.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
Cool. I'll Pm you. Let me know what server. If you have more info, message me. I'm getting the game and may get my wife on board if it's really good.
My guild hasn't decided on a server yet (we are in the process of doing so), but I'll let you know. The majority want to play as Elyos, so we'll be on that side at launch. I think as long as you and your wife don't enter the game with overblown expectations and enjoy it for what it offers, you'll have fun in that first month.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair. Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D Play EVE for free for 21 days
One of the funniest things I see on these reviews is people that say this... I have played wow for years and years... I have 7 lvl 80 characters and done every raid.... and playing this game, it is just more of the same... I will go back to playing wow .
Logic escapes these people. How on earth is a new storyline, a new world, angellic looking characters, new stories.. etc be less new... than doing exactly what you have done before a thousand times? (which btw IS by definition 'More of the same')
I am baffled. Did they expect the computer game to give them a handjob or something?
It's easy. Players have time invested in WoW and would rather just keep playing characters they've nurtured for years than start all over in a game that is similar game play wise.
Why do you think all WoW players keep returning to WoW? Because the new games don't offer a totally different way of playing.
Originally posted by metalhead980 It's easy. Players have time invested in WoW and would rather just keep playing characters they've nurtured for years than start all over in a game that is similar game play wise. Why do you think all WoW players keep returning to WoW? Because the new games don't offer a totally different way of playing.
Not really, its more like lately some of the newer mmos have been run like shit even for some time after release and unlike when WoW launched, lucky bastards, there are way too many mmos available from companies to think they can continue to release things half-assed and there isn't going to be consequences or a lasting damaging effect from doing so. If AoC or Warhammer would have lived up to their potential and did what they claimed it would a lot wouldn't have left those games.
Sure there are those looking for their holy grail but a lot just aren't going to put up with companies releasing something and saying it's ready to go when the damn thing should still be in beta. Those days are long gone anymore.
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 metalhead980 It's easy. Players have time invested in WoW and would rather just keep playing characters they've nurtured for years than start all over in a game that is similar game play wise. Why do you think all WoW players keep returning to WoW? Because the new games don't offer a totally different way of playing.
Not really, its more like lately some of the newer mmos have been run like shit even for some time after release and unlike when WoW launched, lucky bastards, there are way too many mmos available from companies to think they can continue to release things half-assed and there isn't going to be consequences or a lasting damaging effect from doing so. If AoC or Warhammer would have lived up to their potential and did what they claimed it would a lot wouldn't have left those games.
Sure there are those looking for their holy grail but a lot just aren't going to put up with companies releasing something and saying it's ready to go when the damn thing should still be in beta. Those days are long gone anymore.
Absolutely right. At the same time, Metal has a point - to a degree. So many people, particularly casuals, still have plenty to do in WoW. Your players who have seen/done it all are the ones branching out to try new stuff. Unfortunately, when something they try doesn't live up to expectation, or is handled like the orange text above, they simply know that their game, their character, and their buddies are all still sitting in WoW, doing their thing. It is easy to just turn tail and run back, especially after a break freshens up your perspective. That still only lasts so long...
What's really a shame about what metalhead said is how extremely attached people get to their toons, in spite of no longer even liking the game where they exist. It's like "Yeah well, WoW isn't fun anymore, but I've spent so much time..." which just sucks if you think about it. Screw playing a game you don't like just because you spent a lot of time there. I'd rather be in MMO limbo, hunting for something else. At least you'll know what else is out there, and might find something you'll really enjoy.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
@ Boardwalker: If I'm inviting my wife then I intend to enjoy myself. I'm not playing the game with "it better be good or else attitude." I'm going to play the game through and look for the good in it. The players here seem passionate about the game and it has to be for good reason. I just hope the launch goes smooth and they update with reasonable patches and not radical last minute changes.
Comments
HAHAHA Boardwalker, you kill me sometimes
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
Indeed. In fact the only reason you may do such a thing is if you had waaaay to much time and 0 life which is what I think the issue is with Teala.
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
WOW fans seem to have some irresistible impulse to flame any game that threatens their sub numbers. I think it may have to do with insecurity issues about if they are really playing the best MMO ever invented my man.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair.
Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D
Play EVE for free for 21 days
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
I dunno if you were being sarcastic, but everything you just mentioned is what broke the game to me. Flying mount removed the thrill of open RvR. WoW always had invisible walls, guess you never bumped into them. Scripted raid bosses? Those are FREAKING EASY, scripted fight are easy mode of raiding. Ladder based pvp is broken because of powerful team combinaision, no real choice. Vehicle combat is horrible, worst thing they implemented so far (other than flying mounts). World phasing seperates player while in the same zone, I disliked it since some people would use that to flee from me.
Duel spec is the only thing I'll agree upon.
Blizzard catered to the cowards and the weak when they gave those new features. Raid bosses are now freaking easy, it's just learning how to beat him, and then rinse and repeat. Flying mount, vehicles, BGs, etc... are all coward tools not to be fighting one on one.
Doesn't change the fact that both game are extremely different, and that WoW does not necesserily bring what someone is looking for.
Seconded, and the reason for my sig below.
Oh, and one more thing you forgot: Motorcycles!
I'm not sure about the whole catering to the cowards and the weak statement. But, I will go as far as definitely lazy and simplified, which is what happens to just about anything for it to cater to the mainstream. It's no secret that society is becoming more and more filled with lazy, spoiled, whiner babies that need everything handed to them and have totally lost all ability or desire to achieve. This is not to say that all WoW players are that way, but the game has been completely simplified in regards to what it once was and that's not even debatable, and hence, a major contributing factor as to why I left.
In addition, I believe the above to be the main reason why there are several up in arms about the so-called Korean grind aspect of Aion. And don't give me this crap about, "well I only have a limited amount of time to play", cause I myself am a victim of that reality. Oh, you can't spend as much time playing and are therefore out-leveled by Joe Blow or maybe you don't have all that shiny/glowing gear yet that Jane Smith has, big deal IMO, it'll come. So what if it takes you a bit longer to achieve those things, just enjoy the ride. That is the tool that gaming has become for me, imagine that concept.
On the other side of things, if you can't find any enjoyment out of a game without instant gratification and needing the best gear, then maybe you may want to reflect on how you fit into that group of people described above
QFT, and recolored to rid us of that absolutely horrible neon green. My eyes are bleeding.
@Yodablaze
I was completely and utterly disinterested in Aion. I heard about it years ago myself, when it was announced (was playing WoW at the time, was pointed out to me). I remember thinking "what a joke". No second thought of Aion entered my mind. Quit WoW a year ago, played some AO, then on to a 4-5month stint in EQ2. Got bored, hopped back into Planetside on its 45-day win-back/merge promotion and had a great time until it was up, but decided the populations would just dry up again as soon as that offer died. After some careful consideration, I'd nearly convinced myself that WoW was my only option until... lo and behold, Aion. The timing was great - I waited for 2 days after downloading the client for open beta, and went ahead and ponied up $7 to Fileplanet to satisfy my curiosity (and get as much out of the week as I could).
Frankly, after 1.5 months in Planetside's dated world (still love that game, graphics are just elderly by now), Aion was silky freaking smooth to look at. After playing it and logging back in on my EQ2 account especially, it looked even better (God I miss PVP when it isn't there). Sure the graphics aren't revolutionary, but the game runs extremely smooth, the animations and combat are polished (no herky-jerky garbage), and the controls just feel "right" - something most people need to try for themselves. The UI is minimal, function, and serves its purpose well. People want to compare Aion to WoW, fine. Aion looks better to me graphic-wise. More to the point of your post...
"1. You get wings."
Wings are heavily overrated by people who had high hopes and bought the hype of this game, and heavily underrated by the people who didn't/don't like Aion. As someone who entered with no expectations whatsoever, they're fun as hell. Gliding keeps your attention during longer runs, and can get you to places far faster when you can't fly. A lot of people have the beef that the flight time is limited, and that there are only certain areas for it. Play the game and you will very quickly understand why. Allowing people to fly any/everywhere would heavily unbalance certain things (for example skipping an entire outdoor elite area, straight to its boss). Abyss flight is unlimited, and will allow for aerial combat throughout. Also, while the flight times at low levels are quite limited, as has been mentioned already, they grow with level through gear and better wings. I'll add that I think the flight has been over-hyped, but it's a very fun addition to the game. Gliding away from enemies, hovering above targets, swooping down on an enemy player are all very, very fun and can't be overlooked.
"2. You can make your character look like barack obama if you like."
It's almost absurd how this is used against Aion, more than for. During the beta, you definitely saw many clones, but it's my impression that many people used preset characters just to not waste time during the short week. However, the ability to customize your character in such great detail is something I personally love, and have always missed in playing WoW, amongst other MMOs. Short of people using pre-sets, no two characters in Aion will be identical, period. They may look similar, but the spectrum of characters we'll see should be huge. Not to mention, this tends to make me care a bit more about my character than if it's generic body 1, face 5, hair 6, color 3.
"3. New environments. Goodie, a new big world."
People whined at AoC for being too instanced. People gripe about WAR for being too centric on scenarios. People LOVE WoW for its open-world feel, but hate its battlegrounds. Guess what? Aion is open-world PVP, and the abyss. The maps of Aion don't necessarily connect up like in some games (run to a zone line, cross into new area), but each one I've seen is quite large, and far more open as you level. Sure the noob area is basically a tunnel you run straight down until you leave, but beyond that it has quite a nice feel. Loading screens are minimal, and the world absolutely feels like it all fits. Also, it feels quite large.
"4. Nice graphics, um, nice armor, um, did I mention you get wings?"
I covered graphics/wings for you already, but I'll talk about armor a moment. People constantly say (without any first-hand experience or knowledge whatsoever) that Aion lacks customization. "OMG no talents wtf" is a complaint I've seen plenty of. Trouble is, people quickly relate manastones in Aion to gems in WoW, and write it off as a petty bonus. In Aion, it's not. Manastones, for starters, are a major part of defining your character. The stats they give aren't just minor boosts - they literally determine what you can or can't do, or do well. People interested in casters will quickly assume that only using magic boost stones will be the clear choice. Well, when you're missing out on hundreds of HP because of it (easily hundreds, even in the early teens), don't complain that you can't take a hit, or get 1-shot in PVP. You will be the ultimate glass cannon - tons of damage, no survivability at all - and that's just one example. Min/maxing has become so prevalent in games these days that this feature has just been skipped over as something that should be or will be obvious, when it isn't. Each person will have their own playstyle, and while there'll be copycats, there shouldn't be any "perfect" setup for socketing gear. Honestly, a player of a certain class can fill a specific role of their class based on how they've loaded their gear (templar loaded up with +attack stones won't quite be the tank that one loaded with +shield/parry/HP would).
Stigmas are the other thing. Each class has a number of stigmas (duh, one player can't have them all). Each stigma is essentially a skill that you equip. Combine them, and it opens new skill trees. Similar to talents, sure, but in the end I've heard/read that stigmas can be very rare, so not all players will just have these skills as a given. In all, it's how players will define their role even further within their class, and to advance through trees doesn't require that each player have the same stigmas.
I haven't even mentioned rifts yet. Rifts are portals that can randomly appear on maps once you reach the level 20+ areas. Sometimes one opens from the enemy to your land, which you can't enter. Sometimes vice-versa. Fortunately, these open (I believe, correct if wrong please) once an hour, and are open for a limited time only. This means that the enemy can't just enter your zone at will, so this will, to a degree meter ganking (along with the slayer? system). Also, it's announced zone-wide when a rift opens, so any player in an area under threat should be well aware to watch their backs. It doesn't announce the location however, so finding them can be tough at times. Plenty of opportunities for enemies to slip through, set up kisks, and settle in for a fight. On the same token, it's a blast chasing enemies around once caught, and sending them home. It's quite dynamic for both sides and as has been mentioned repeatedly, is PVP "outside the box".
Honestly, this got way longer than I'd intended, so I'll stop so someone might read. That said, there's more I can still talk about - and I only hit 24, and have done zero research about this game prior to playing, and extremely little afterwards.
tl;dr - If you're interested, you read...otherwise, who cares?
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
True, won't disagree with that feeling, but as said before, those reactions from your usual WoW players. They already know what the end-game is in WoW, but they don't know what it is in Aion. They don't want to work to get there to see what it's like, and many don't even bother looking at what it is via the internet. They just say "LOL AION NO END-GAME". Obviously, on that point ,we don't know yet since we only tested up to level 30.
But we do, since Aion was released 1 year ago.
But we don't since 1.5 just hit and pretty much completely changes endgame.
I dont like Hello Kitty online for various reasons, do you see me in their forums posting my "opinions" about their game?
there are many games I dont like out there like sports games for instance, shall I go to their websites and start bashing their games in their forums?
WOW fans seem to have some irresistible impulse to flame any game that threatens their sub numbers. I think it may have to do with insecurity issues about if they are really playing the best MMO ever invented my man.
I think it is because they are . . . dare I say it . . . BORED!
Perhaps their game isn't as good as they claim since most of the WoWer's time is spent defending it's sub count.
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You wouldn't understand
The rabib Aion bashers are worried that it will take away from the already good MMO's out there and the defenders are just trying to disuede the misinformation already out there. In fact no one can really say how a MMO will fair after release, but i do believe that when a MMO is fun for a majority playing then it will do good.
Played WarHammer which i found boring and just didn't get it off in the first 20 levels.
RFOnline was fun when it was P2P as most things you had to work some to obtain decent armor and weapons.
L2 was damn fun because of the PvP, but PvE side lacked much.
EVE had the best of both sides and let you persue any path you wanted to take.
Hellgate:London was only so good for a month.
WOW is fun for the PvE side and raiding, the PvP side had some good points but nothing for me to constantly want to PvP for long periods of time.
Point is no MMO can be all in one thing and please everyone,.
I dunno if you were being sarcastic, but everything you just mentioned is what broke the game to me. Flying mount removed the thrill of open RvR. WoW always had invisible walls, guess you never bumped into them. Scripted raid bosses? Those are FREAKING EASY, scripted fight are easy mode of raiding. Ladder based pvp is broken because of powerful team combinaision, no real choice. Vehicle combat is horrible, worst thing they implemented so far (other than flying mounts). World phasing seperates player while in the same zone, I disliked it since some people would use that to flee from me.
Duel spec is the only thing I'll agree upon.
Blizzard catered to the cowards and the weak when they gave those new features. Raid bosses are now freaking easy, it's just learning how to beat him, and then rinse and repeat. Flying mount, vehicles, BGs, etc... are all coward tools not to be fighting one on one.
Doesn't change the fact that both game are extremely different, and that WoW does not necesserily bring what someone is looking for.
Seconded, and the reason for my sig below.
Oh, and one more thing you forgot: Motorcycles!
I'm not sure about the whole catering to the cowards and the weak statement. But, I will go as far as definitely lazy and simplified, which is what happens to just about anything for it to cater to the mainstream. It's no secret that society is becoming more and more filled with lazy, spoiled, whiner babies that need everything handed to them and have totally lost all ability or desire to achieve. This is not to say that all WoW players are that way, but the game has been completely simplified in regards to what it once was and that's not even debatable, and hence, a major contributing factor as to why I left.
In addition, I believe the above to be the main reason why there are several up in arms about the so-called Korean grind aspect of Aion. And don't give me this crap about, "well I only have a limited amount of time to play", cause I myself am a victim of that reality. Oh, you can't spend as much time playing and are therefore out-leveled by Joe Blow or maybe you don't have all that shiny/glowing gear yet that Jane Smith has, big deal IMO, it'll come. So what if it takes you a bit longer to achieve those things, just enjoy the ride. That is the tool that gaming has become for me, imagine that concept.
On the other side of things, if you can't find any enjoyment out of a game without instant gratification and needing the best gear, then maybe you may want to reflect on how you fit into that group of people described above
QFT, and recolored to rid us of that absolutely horrible neon green. My eyes are bleeding.
@Yodablaze
I was completely and utterly disinterested in Aion. I heard about it years ago myself, when it was announced (was playing WoW at the time, was pointed out to me). I remember thinking "what a joke". No second thought of Aion entered my mind. Quit WoW a year ago, played some AO, then on to a 4-5month stint in EQ2. Got bored, hopped back into Planetside on its 45-day win-back/merge promotion and had a great time until it was up, but decided the populations would just dry up again as soon as that offer died. After some careful consideration, I'd nearly convinced myself that WoW was my only option until... lo and behold, Aion. The timing was great - I waited for 2 days after downloading the client for open beta, and went ahead and ponied up $7 to Fileplanet to satisfy my curiosity (and get as much out of the week as I could).
Frankly, after 1.5 months in Planetside's dated world (still love that game, graphics are just elderly by now), Aion was silky freaking smooth to look at. After playing it and logging back in on my EQ2 account especially, it looked even better (God I miss PVP when it isn't there). Sure the graphics aren't revolutionary, but the game runs extremely smooth, the animations and combat are polished (no herky-jerky garbage), and the controls just feel "right" - something most people need to try for themselves. The UI is minimal, function, and serves its purpose well. People want to compare Aion to WoW, fine. Aion looks better to me graphic-wise. More to the point of your post...
"1. You get wings."
Wings are heavily overrated by people who had high hopes and bought the hype of this game, and heavily underrated by the people who didn't/don't like Aion. As someone who entered with no expectations whatsoever, they're fun as hell. Gliding keeps your attention during longer runs, and can get you to places far faster when you can't fly. A lot of people have the beef that the flight time is limited, and that there are only certain areas for it. Play the game and you will very quickly understand why. Allowing people to fly any/everywhere would heavily unbalance certain things (for example skipping an entire outdoor elite area, straight to its boss). Abyss flight is unlimited, and will allow for aerial combat throughout. Also, while the flight times at low levels are quite limited, as has been mentioned already, they grow with level through gear and better wings. I'll add that I think the flight has been over-hyped, but it's a very fun addition to the game. Gliding away from enemies, hovering above targets, swooping down on an enemy player are all very, very fun and can't be overlooked.
"2. You can make your character look like barack obama if you like."
It's almost absurd how this is used against Aion, more than for. During the beta, you definitely saw many clones, but it's my impression that many people used preset characters just to not waste time during the short week. However, the ability to customize your character in such great detail is something I personally love, and have always missed in playing WoW, amongst other MMOs. Short of people using pre-sets, no two characters in Aion will be identical, period. They may look similar, but the spectrum of characters we'll see should be huge. Not to mention, this tends to make me care a bit more about my character than if it's generic body 1, face 5, hair 6, color 3.
"3. New environments. Goodie, a new big world."
People whined at AoC for being too instanced. People gripe about WAR for being too centric on scenarios. People LOVE WoW for its open-world feel, but hate its battlegrounds. Guess what? Aion is open-world PVP, and the abyss. The maps of Aion don't necessarily connect up like in some games (run to a zone line, cross into new area), but each one I've seen is quite large, and far more open as you level. Sure the noob area is basically a tunnel you run straight down until you leave, but beyond that it has quite a nice feel. Loading screens are minimal, and the world absolutely feels like it all fits. Also, it feels quite large.
"4. Nice graphics, um, nice armor, um, did I mention you get wings?"
I covered graphics/wings for you already, but I'll talk about armor a moment. People constantly say (without any first-hand experience or knowledge whatsoever) that Aion lacks customization. "OMG no talents wtf" is a complaint I've seen plenty of. Trouble is, people quickly relate manastones in Aion to gems in WoW, and write it off as a petty bonus. In Aion, it's not. Manastones, for starters, are a major part of defining your character. The stats they give aren't just minor boosts - they literally determine what you can or can't do, or do well. People interested in casters will quickly assume that only using magic boost stones will be the clear choice. Well, when you're missing out on hundreds of HP because of it (easily hundreds, even in the early teens), don't complain that you can't take a hit, or get 1-shot in PVP. You will be the ultimate glass cannon - tons of damage, no survivability at all - and that's just one example. Min/maxing has become so prevalent in games these days that this feature has just been skipped over as something that should be or will be obvious, when it isn't. Each person will have their own playstyle, and while there'll be copycats, there shouldn't be any "perfect" setup for socketing gear. Honestly, a player of a certain class can fill a specific role of their class based on how they've loaded their gear (templar loaded up with +attack stones won't quite be the tank that one loaded with +shield/parry/HP would).
Stigmas are the other thing. Each class has a number of stigmas (duh, one player can't have them all). Each stigma is essentially a skill that you equip. Combine them, and it opens new skill trees. Similar to talents, sure, but in the end I've heard/read that stigmas can be very rare, so not all players will just have these skills as a given. In all, it's how players will define their role even further within their class, and to advance through trees doesn't require that each player have the same stigmas.
I haven't even mentioned rifts yet. Rifts are portals that can randomly appear on maps once you reach the level 20+ areas. Sometimes one opens from the enemy to your land, which you can't enter. Sometimes vice-versa. Fortunately, these open (I believe, correct if wrong please) once an hour, and are open for a limited time only. This means that the enemy can't just enter your zone at will, so this will, to a degree meter ganking (along with the slayer? system). Also, it's announced zone-wide when a rift opens, so any player in an area under threat should be well aware to watch their backs. It doesn't announce the location however, so finding them can be tough at times. Plenty of opportunities for enemies to slip through, set up kisks, and settle in for a fight. On the same token, it's a blast chasing enemies around once caught, and sending them home. It's quite dynamic for both sides and as has been mentioned repeatedly, is PVP "outside the box".
Honestly, this got way longer than I'd intended, so I'll stop so someone might read. That said, there's more I can still talk about - and I only hit 24, and have done zero research about this game prior to playing, and extremely little afterwards.
tl;dr - If you're interested, you read...otherwise, who cares?
I'm won over. I'm skeptical, but I'll be buying it on release day. Yeah don't mind me, I'm a hard ass.
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Last time I checked GW2 was F2P. I wouldn't exactly call that competing, in fact, I'd say both are two sides of the same coin and while one might bleed over to the other or vice versa, I definitely don't see the issue with one having to worry about sharing subscribers over the other unless GW2 turns out to be some MMO revolutionizing phenom that all current MMOs would have to worry about.
With all that said it makes any sort of thought process around Aion being created for the purpose of buying time for GW2 pretty much absurd. To make things worse why would you think that a company would spend all this time and effort just for the purpose of making some additional money before GW2 anyway? I mean this isn't WoW where you're just going back over an old landscape and changing it up a bit and adding a few new races and some class changes. This is new US & EU servers, translations, mechanics changes, marketing, etc.
And just because it has more races, doesn't make it better. I played wow and liked it up to point where I wanted to pvp, but never got anywhere because I wanted to pvp. In order pvp, I had to get pvp gear. In order to get pvp gear, I had to get honor points or arena points(which arena points are hard as hell to get). I had to win arena and BGs. Well since I played horde and in Bgs you loose most of the time since it was in alliance favor... yeah its more work then anything else.. Don't get me wrong I liked playing wow, I am just moving on because of the pvp aspect... I don't have to get certain gear just to pvp and clutting my bank up with armor and weapons. so everyone has their opion on what makes them want or not want to play aion... but judging aion on races is like judging food by looking at it and not tasting it.
See, you're in for a huge surprise. Aion is all about the rankings in PvP and how do you get the best gear in Aion...by PvP. LOL! Good news though. All you have to do is do what they do on the Chinese servers. Just let the otherside win every other day and you'll be able to be awarded points that will go toward your battle ranking giving access to the good gear! Woohoo! Awesome huh.
You'll find that the grind for gear in Aion is not much different than any other MMORPG and in the case of Aion it can be a real pain in the arse. Wait and see. ^_^
umm reread what I said and post again, In wow you have pvp gear and pve gear... aion you just have one gear... pvpve gear no switching in between. so it dosn't clutter up my space
playing:Aion, shot online.
waiting for: Terra
Used to play:wow,EQ,EQ2,Rf Online, lineage II,Raganoke online.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Yes, but ask yourself this. Why would a truly intelligent person spend time in a forum asking questions in regards to a game in which they obviously have no interest in playing and furthermore when they already have it in their mind to completely ignore the answers to said questions they are asking?
Seems to me to be an utter waste of time for an intelligent person, but I digress.
Your fail comment, failed.
Boardwalker you make it seem as if people who are skeptical about Aion are morons. Intelligent individuals ask questions. My perspective is based upon a game I was not considering playing at all. Based upon previous game experience I have every right to pre-judge a game that did not provide enough information to make we want to play it. It's almost as if you are saying "Everyone who isn't interested in Aion and hadn't played it is an idiot. Play the game NOW or be stupid forever." lol
NCsoft is making it's money from Aion before Guild Wars 2 comes out and that says a lot about what they expect from Aion. Two games in the same genre under the same company can not compete with one another. It seems as if this company knows that Aion may die out in the US/Europe based market and they want to squeeze everything they can out of us before Guild Wars 2 comes out. My opinion.
You can buy the game and enjoy it now but I have no long term hope for the game at all.
Last time I checked GW2 was F2P. I wouldn't exactly call that competing, in fact, I'd say both are two sides of the same coin and while one might bleed over to the other or vice versa, I definitely don't see the issue with one having to worry about sharing subscribers over the other unless GW2 turns out to be some MMO revolutionizing phenom that all current MMOs would have to worry about.
With all that said it makes any sort of thought process around Aion being created for the purpose of buying time for GW2 pretty much absurd. To make things worse why would you think that a company would spend all this time and effort just for the purpose of making some additional money before GW2 anyway? I mean this isn't WoW where you're just going back over an old landscape and changing it up a bit and adding a few new races and some class changes. This is new US & EU servers, translations, mechanics changes, marketing, etc.
There may be some truth to this but remember, NCsoft isn't making the games, they are marketing them. Arena makes Guild Wars not NCsoft. When you see how Spellborn got screwed from Acclaim, you just have to watch out. Why did the US marketing director for Aion leave recently? Is there something we don't know about? I'm sold on the game but I'm not sure how their publisher will treat this in the long term.
EDIT: MrcdesOwnr read my previous post. Someone spent time and actually gave me what I was asking for.
You will be bored at first and wonder what all the fuss is about aion. You should come to understand what it's all about after you get out of the first two zones and start grouping for pvp.
First time rifting with friends = Good times
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
Woah now mate, you might break his rhythm with these kinds of accurate observations.
yodablaze: Feel free to roll on my server--I'll be glad to answer all your questions for the month that you play.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair.
Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D
Play EVE for free for 21 days
Woah now mate, you might break his rhythm with these kinds of accurate observations.
yodablaze: Feel free to roll on my server--I'll be glad to answer all your questions for the month that you play.
Cool. I'll Pm you. Let me know what server. If you have more info, message me. I'm getting the game and may get my wife on board if it's really good. I don't mean to destroy the hopes of anti-Aion posters but um, they are making good points...
Win.
I'll add that many complain of the first 10 levels. People simply must expect what the OP said - a freaking handjob. Enter the game with no expectations, and it is standard faire for the genre. I for one wasn't in a hurry, and actually, dare I say it, enjoyed the first 10 to whatever degree. By level 8 it drags a bit sure, but if you really want to hurry through, it's very easy to do so and only hit up the campaign quest to advance on. If you've done so, level 10 is handed to you. The ascension quest gives you exactly 50 exp more than is needed for the entire level 9 to 10 (I think 73,200?). Also, most people don't mention that you'll likely even have to group for this quest, particularly if you're a solo scout or healer unless you ride the coattails of others into the area. Yup, grouping before you even hit 10. I would say it's forced, but it's doable solo with potions, and some extreme caution.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
Woah now mate, you might break his rhythm with these kinds of accurate observations.
yodablaze: Feel free to roll on my server--I'll be glad to answer all your questions for the month that you play.
may I join you in that Boardwalker?lol
playing:Aion, shot online.
waiting for: Terra
Used to play:wow,EQ,EQ2,Rf Online, lineage II,Raganoke online.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
My guild hasn't decided on a server yet (we are in the process of doing so), but I'll let you know. The majority want to play as Elyos, so we'll be on that side at launch. I think as long as you and your wife don't enter the game with overblown expectations and enjoy it for what it offers, you'll have fun in that first month.
They can adjust a game all day, but they can't help the issue between the keyboard and the chair.
Played: UO, DAoC, AC, WoW, EVE, TR, WAR, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, GW2, TSW, ESO, Elite:D
Play EVE for free for 21 days
It's easy. Players have time invested in WoW and would rather just keep playing characters they've nurtured for years than start all over in a game that is similar game play wise.
Why do you think all WoW players keep returning to WoW? Because the new games don't offer a totally different way of playing.
PLaying: EvE, Ryzom
Waiting For: Earthrise, Perpetuum
Not really, its more like lately some of the newer mmos have been run like shit even for some time after release and unlike when WoW launched, lucky bastards, there are way too many mmos available from companies to think they can continue to release things half-assed and there isn't going to be consequences or a lasting damaging effect from doing so. If AoC or Warhammer would have lived up to their potential and did what they claimed it would a lot wouldn't have left those games.
Sure there are those looking for their holy grail but a lot just aren't going to put up with companies releasing something and saying it's ready to go when the damn thing should still be in beta. Those days are long gone anymore.
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.
Not really, its more like lately some of the newer mmos have been run like shit even for some time after release and unlike when WoW launched, lucky bastards, there are way too many mmos available from companies to think they can continue to release things half-assed and there isn't going to be consequences or a lasting damaging effect from doing so. If AoC or Warhammer would have lived up to their potential and did what they claimed it would a lot wouldn't have left those games.
Sure there are those looking for their holy grail but a lot just aren't going to put up with companies releasing something and saying it's ready to go when the damn thing should still be in beta. Those days are long gone anymore.
Absolutely right. At the same time, Metal has a point - to a degree. So many people, particularly casuals, still have plenty to do in WoW. Your players who have seen/done it all are the ones branching out to try new stuff. Unfortunately, when something they try doesn't live up to expectation, or is handled like the orange text above, they simply know that their game, their character, and their buddies are all still sitting in WoW, doing their thing. It is easy to just turn tail and run back, especially after a break freshens up your perspective. That still only lasts so long...
What's really a shame about what metalhead said is how extremely attached people get to their toons, in spite of no longer even liking the game where they exist. It's like "Yeah well, WoW isn't fun anymore, but I've spent so much time..." which just sucks if you think about it. Screw playing a game you don't like just because you spent a lot of time there. I'd rather be in MMO limbo, hunting for something else. At least you'll know what else is out there, and might find something you'll really enjoy.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
@ Boardwalker: If I'm inviting my wife then I intend to enjoy myself. I'm not playing the game with "it better be good or else attitude." I'm going to play the game through and look for the good in it. The players here seem passionate about the game and it has to be for good reason. I just hope the launch goes smooth and they update with reasonable patches and not radical last minute changes.