Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Salem's Adventures in Darkfall: Episode One
SalemPhoenix
Member Posts: 47
First and foremost, for those yet to read the prologue, I'd advise you to do so!
Episode One
Directly following on from where I left you, I was having trouble with the patcher speed. I later confirmed this to be a fault with my ISP. This became apparent when I continued to patch the game the following morning to find I was downloading at just under 1Mbs which is among the best speeds I've seen with a game patcher so I cant fault that! The whole account creation process was very easy and I would love to have owned a boxed edition of the game but for now I'll settle for the digital download.
So after staring at the patcher for what felt like an eternity but was in actual fact about 20 minutes, finally I was ready to make a character. I scanned through each option reading the info, and while all had their appeal to me, I opted to go for a race I liked that also had a fair share of allied races... Yep, I'm a human! The customisation is not as detailed as that seen in games such as City of Heroes/Villains or Aion etc... But there is a nice variety to choose from to create a somewhat unique look. What I would have liked is more customisation but this doesnt directly affect gameplay. In a sense it keeps it fair as in oher games, PvP players tend to make the tiniest character possible. If that were doable in Darkfall, hitting anyone would be a nightmare.
Having made my character I opted to start at Monkfield (I had 3 choices in total and my final choice was random). The loading screen hung a little longer than I expected, but this is easily forgiven when you first see the size of this place, I mean it is literally gigantic! Of course when I logged in the first thing I saw was all manner of boxes and a big tutorial window. I quickly read through the tutorial opting to have it show everytime I log in (for the time being).
After getting that window out of the way, came my first shock. Let me just say that the screenshots dont do the game justice. It has a kind of cell-shaded style hybrid graphics that actually give it a more unique look than I had anticipated. I had read complaints of the view distance and whilst it is limited, it is more generous than what a few forum posts would have you believe.
It would be handy if there was a notification above NPC's who had available quests, although it isnt a huge issue, it is something that would be gratefully accepted. Anyway, I accepted my first couple of quests which involved killing goblins. 'Goblins?' I thought, 'Piece o'cake.' How wrong I was...
Now the interface is different, not bad, not great either, but it does the job for the specific 'fps' style. I found it easier to pick up than I thought, it is intuitive really. I can see it getting more difficult as the amount of skills increase. Anyway, I ran in and immediately got my ..ahem... handed back to me. Fortunatley I had nothing to lose. I did realise how much more careful you need to be with these mobs so I broke my MMO instincts and relied in the old fashion eyesight (as opposed to the 'tab' key). This coupled with my crouch-walking to lower the chance of them seeing me was more successful, I killed a goblin looted him and..gah. Dead again. This time I had stuff to lose.
Well this repeated till I learnt my lesson and how to pick fights carefully. I quickly adopted the use of a bow and while I went through arrows fast, the skill provided the easier killing I had hoped for. Mobs are hard in this game, they will flank you and they will lure you into dangerous situations.
During my adventures, my paranoia of other people was so great, I ran back to town everytime I saw someone! Of course I soon realised these guys were probably just as new as me, so I watched one or two of them for a while. Thats when I decided to whip out the staff I used and test some magic. Now I cant be sure, but it seemed that magic didnt suffer the same gravity issues as arrows did, but perhaps someone could correct me on this? (or confirm it).
Now I have built up a few skills and got to grips with what to do. I ran through the starter quests and got a few bits and pieces stored in my bank. I'm not sure what I plan on doing next, but it will involve leaving Monkfield.
Next will be a continuation of my journey, hopefully delving into crafting and clans and a little exploration of the world.
See you in game and in the meantime remember, don't gank the noob!
Salem
Comments
The cell shaded effect comes from a black border that surrounds a lot of the objects. If you go into your video options, and disable post processor effects, it removes that and makes the game look (and possibly run) better. For whatever reason, it is turned on by default when you first install the game.
TwitchTV Partnered Streamer
MMORPG.com Spotlight Blog Writer
Co-Leader of Inquisition
Youtube Channel
The cell shaded effect comes from a black border that surrounds a lot of the objects. If you go into your video options, and disable post processor effects, it removes that and makes the game look (and possibly run) better. For whatever reason, it is turned on by default when you first install the game.
I actually quite like the effect, though of course it comes down to personal preference, but if I do see a substantial drop in performance I'll be sure to drop that to see what effect it has. So far I cant complain!
Salem
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Some magic arches like an arrow but most is straight with varying distances and speeds.
Good review, its good to see people who actually put together what they do and arent afraid to let everyone know they are new.
The more I hear about this game, the more I think ill be picking it up this week.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
As long you like or at least can handle the harsh rule set I doubt you will regret it.
Woohoo !
Disabling postprocessing enabled anti-aliasing!
Last week I tried for a couple hours to get antialiasing to work (via the nvidia control panel, nhancer, etc..., using nvidia 8800GT). Whatever I tried it didn't work.
Today I disable post processing and baaaam, antialiasing works on its own and the jaggies are finally gone
As long you like or at least can handle the harsh rule set I doubt you will regret it.
Im an original UO player that played during the pre trammy period, Im used to running from town to town naked and having people cook my corpse while I watched and then eat me. I think I less can handle the games that claim to be pvp centered like Aion when its all just easy stuff.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
Draw distance also has a lot to do with weather. For example, in Sandbrook...once in a while the fog will roll in off the water, and you can't see shit. Other times, it will be nice and clear, and you might be surprised how far you can see.
By the way...I recommend migrating to Sandbrook as your n00b town...it's a bit more....quiet, and certain resources are more plentiful there, and easier to get to.
If you join a clan....make sure they have their own city. Walking around a n00b town with a clan tag is just begging to get ganked and looted when you are attempting any kind of crafting....there are pseudo-guilds designed just for this purpose (IE, they war dec your clan just so they can gank you in town without penalty).
Yeah, Ruby has some sandstorms in which you can't see far at all.
The cell shaded effect comes from a black border that surrounds a lot of the objects. If you go into your video options, and disable post processor effects, it removes that and makes the game look (and possibly run) better. For whatever reason, it is turned on by default when you first install the game.
Paragus....try and make this a sticky!
And a fun and interesting read OP : ) Keep it comming.
Thanks for the tip. I think heading to Sandbrook will be my next mission! Currently I'm playing around with magic a little more but I'll cover that in the next post. Of course should I join a clan beforehand, I'll be sure to move to their city for fear of being ganked. 'Course right now even walking around puts me at fear of being ganked.
I think I've learnt the definition of paranoia thanks to Darkfall!
Salem.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7