Thank you all for keeping the responses mostly contructive. Also thank you for the - key...dunno how I missed that. All the same you STILL have to use the mouse to navigate menus and it's slow.
Now several people brought up controllers here, and it's something I forgot to mention in my review (and part of why I didn't completly butcher the UI score). IJKL to control the camera was again, clunky and annoying. I actually was OK with the mouse on camera. It was just when I needed the mouse for menus that I wanted to cry.
The game IS going to be multi-platform, and I supose that a lot of our issues with the menus and UI stem from having to make it work for consoles. This was a thorn in FFXI's side too.
As to the graphics thing you're right it's a little subjective, but from a pure power standpoint I think AoC has a better engine.And was just as notorious for performance problems. Hopefully they will clear up after beta.
i lol'ed at the part where you said AoC has better graphics.
That's a hard one to judge but overall I would say AOC is indeed a better looking game.
O.o
AoC graphics aren't that good.
FFXIV graphics are clearly better,this is not an opinion,it's a fact.
You really must not have been playing the FFXIV i was. I have 1 year old machine with top of the line videocard, and visually AoC graphic looks plain better. FFXIV look like FFXII graphic with a bit higher detail. At least the part i've seen in CBT. It was pretty but nothing spectacular.
i lol'ed at the part where you said AoC has better graphics.
That's a hard one to judge but overall I would say AOC is indeed a better looking game.
O.o
AoC graphics aren't that good.
FFXIV graphics are clearly better,this is not an opinion,it's a fact.
You really must not have been playing the FFXIV i was. I have 1 year old machine with top of the line videocard, and visually AoC graphic looks plain better. FFXIV look like FFXII graphic with a bit higher detail. At least the part i've seen in CBT. It was pretty but nothing spectacular.
Do you have Ambient Occlusion and Depth of the field on?
This game,with everything at max graphics,is amazing,i never played a game with better graphics.
Limsa Lominsa is so gorgeous,not only the city,the woods,the mountains,go to the South and explore that area,its amazing.
I really think the graphics are much better than AoC,and the world design is at least 10 times better.
Graphics: 9/10 Sound: 8/10 Performance: 6/10 UI: 4/10 Gameplay Innovation: 8/10 New Player Experience: 3/10 Storyline: 9/10
Graphics: 8-9, sure. Sound: 7-8, VERY Nice ambient effects, music I turn off after listening to it once or twice. Performance: 4-5, pretty bad, feels like the vanguard beta... generally performance doesn't jump massively from OBT->Launch, but we can hope. It's going to exclude a lot of people with pc's that run everything on the market OTHER THAN this. UI: 1-2 (kb/m) 3-4 (controller), It's awful. In some ways its as bad as FFXI... of modern mmo's it is by and far the worst and I'm stunned to find a company even considering releasing a game with an interface this poor. Gameplay Innovation: 7-8, It's so nice to see a non-wow clone. Yay for a little sandboxiness. New Player Experience: 0-1, Pure Misery. I pity the foo who tries this as their first mmo at least at the state its in during beta. Storyline: 7-8, good but not great, some story I've seen thus far is better in one area than another, but thats to be expected.
New Player Experience: 0-1, Pure Misery. I pity the foo who tries this as their first mmo at least at the state its in during beta.
I agree with you on every point except this one. I think that someone who's never played an MMO before would probably have an easier time picking up FFXIV than MMO vets.
Someone who has played MMOs for a long time is going to have preconceived notions as to how certain things should work (as they do in other games). Where someone new to the genre would have no such preconceptions, and therefore may be able to pick up the game better and be more open minded to the differences the game has from other MMOs.
Just a theory.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
New Player Experience: 0-1, Pure Misery. I pity the foo who tries this as their first mmo at least at the state its in during beta.
I agree with you on every point except this one. I think that someone who's never played an MMO before would probably have an easier time picking up FFXIV than MMO vets.
Someone who has played MMOs for a long time is going to have preconceived notions as to how certain things should work (as they do in other games). Where someone new to the genre would have no such preconceptions, and therefore may be able to pick up the game better and be more open minded to the differences the game has from other MMOs.
Just a theory.
If you look from that point of view then yes your argument that is valid. But NPE here means NOT only to the ones who are new to the genre, but ALSO to the mmo vets (but never played FF before).
And yeah i could give it -1 if i can...totally non-existant.
New Player Experience: 0-1, Pure Misery. I pity the foo who tries this as their first mmo at least at the state its in during beta.
I agree with you on every point except this one. I think that someone who's never played an MMO before would probably have an easier time picking up FFXIV than MMO vets.
Someone who has played MMOs for a long time is going to have preconceived notions as to how certain things should work (as they do in other games). Where someone new to the genre would have no such preconceptions, and therefore may be able to pick up the game better and be more open minded to the differences the game has from other MMOs.
Just a theory.
While you do have a valid point. MMO vets also have a far better grasp at where to look for certain things and actions while new players might be totally in the blue and get frustrated and give up.
I have not played the game yet but I read a lot about the almost non-existant tutorial so I reckon MMO vets are able to adapt more quickly
Thank you all for keeping the responses mostly contructive. Also thank you for the - key...dunno how I missed that. All the same you STILL have to use the mouse to navigate menus and it's slow.
Now several people brought up controllers here, and it's something I forgot to mention in my review (and part of why I didn't completly butcher the UI score). IJKL to control the camera was again, clunky and annoying. I actually was OK with the mouse on camera. It was just when I needed the mouse for menus that I wanted to cry.
The game IS going to be multi-platform, and I supose that a lot of our issues with the menus and UI stem from having to make it work for consoles. This was a thorn in FFXI's side too.
As to the graphics thing you're right it's a little subjective, but from a pure power standpoint I think AoC has a better engine.And was just as notorious for performance problems. Hopefully they will clear up after beta.
You could navigate through the menus with the cursor keys
i lol'ed at the part where you said AoC has better graphics.
^ This.
Also: OMG another Beta review woot woot! Gotta love'em.
New Player experience: 10 Perfect ie, barrier to entry, this game doesnt run the chance of having a dismal population, so the less impatient and inept the better.
I love snails. I love every kinda snail. I just want to hug them all, but I cant. Cant hug every snail.
A good review thanks OP. I have never played an MMO with a controller, so I tried the xbox360 controller with this game and the keyboard, I wanted to compare. It is true, the controller was fluid and responsive unlike what you all know about the keybd and mouse. I can use either but for this game, at least for now, the controller definately beat the keybd/mouse setup.
Now combat is another thing all together, it's a bit too slow for my taste. As a matter of fact, I was quite embarrased to get killed by a Naked Mole Rat because I had the wrong creature targeted. This isn't the game's fault, just my learning curve to the UI.
But come one!!!! Killed by a naked mole rat.....can you see me blushing.
Comments
Thank you all for keeping the responses mostly contructive. Also thank you for the - key...dunno how I missed that. All the same you STILL have to use the mouse to navigate menus and it's slow.
Now several people brought up controllers here, and it's something I forgot to mention in my review (and part of why I didn't completly butcher the UI score). IJKL to control the camera was again, clunky and annoying. I actually was OK with the mouse on camera. It was just when I needed the mouse for menus that I wanted to cry.
The game IS going to be multi-platform, and I supose that a lot of our issues with the menus and UI stem from having to make it work for consoles. This was a thorn in FFXI's side too.
As to the graphics thing you're right it's a little subjective, but from a pure power standpoint I think AoC has a better engine.And was just as notorious for performance problems. Hopefully they will clear up after beta.
O.o
AoC graphics aren't that good.
FFXIV graphics are clearly better,this is not an opinion,it's a fact.
You really must not have been playing the FFXIV i was. I have 1 year old machine with top of the line videocard, and visually AoC graphic looks plain better. FFXIV look like FFXII graphic with a bit higher detail. At least the part i've seen in CBT. It was pretty but nothing spectacular.
Do you have Ambient Occlusion and Depth of the field on?
This game,with everything at max graphics,is amazing,i never played a game with better graphics.
Limsa Lominsa is so gorgeous,not only the city,the woods,the mountains,go to the South and explore that area,its amazing.
I really think the graphics are much better than AoC,and the world design is at least 10 times better.
Graphics: 8-9, sure.
Sound: 7-8, VERY Nice ambient effects, music I turn off after listening to it once or twice.
Performance: 4-5, pretty bad, feels like the vanguard beta... generally performance doesn't jump massively from OBT->Launch, but we can hope. It's going to exclude a lot of people with pc's that run everything on the market OTHER THAN this.
UI: 1-2 (kb/m) 3-4 (controller), It's awful. In some ways its as bad as FFXI... of modern mmo's it is by and far the worst and I'm stunned to find a company even considering releasing a game with an interface this poor.
Gameplay Innovation: 7-8, It's so nice to see a non-wow clone. Yay for a little sandboxiness.
New Player Experience: 0-1, Pure Misery. I pity the foo who tries this as their first mmo at least at the state its in during beta.
Storyline: 7-8, good but not great, some story I've seen thus far is better in one area than another, but thats to be expected.
Shadus
I agree with you on every point except this one. I think that someone who's never played an MMO before would probably have an easier time picking up FFXIV than MMO vets.
Someone who has played MMOs for a long time is going to have preconceived notions as to how certain things should work (as they do in other games). Where someone new to the genre would have no such preconceptions, and therefore may be able to pick up the game better and be more open minded to the differences the game has from other MMOs.
Just a theory.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
If you look from that point of view then yes your argument that is valid. But NPE here means NOT only to the ones who are new to the genre, but ALSO to the mmo vets (but never played FF before).
And yeah i could give it -1 if i can...totally non-existant.
While you do have a valid point. MMO vets also have a far better grasp at where to look for certain things and actions while new players might be totally in the blue and get frustrated and give up.
I have not played the game yet but I read a lot about the almost non-existant tutorial so I reckon MMO vets are able to adapt more quickly
Just my 2cents
You could navigate through the menus with the cursor keys^ This.
Also: OMG another Beta review woot woot! Gotta love'em.
New Player experience: 10 Perfect ie, barrier to entry, this game doesnt run the chance of having a dismal population, so the less impatient and inept the better.
I love snails.
I love every kinda snail.
I just want to hug them all, but I cant.
Cant hug every snail.
A good review thanks OP. I have never played an MMO with a controller, so I tried the xbox360 controller with this game and the keyboard, I wanted to compare. It is true, the controller was fluid and responsive unlike what you all know about the keybd and mouse. I can use either but for this game, at least for now, the controller definately beat the keybd/mouse setup.
Now combat is another thing all together, it's a bit too slow for my taste. As a matter of fact, I was quite embarrased to get killed by a Naked Mole Rat because I had the wrong creature targeted. This isn't the game's fault, just my learning curve to the UI.
But come one!!!! Killed by a naked mole rat.....can you see me blushing.