RIFT was one of the worst MMOs Ive tried to be honest. Every damn bolt as caster in this game looked exactly the same, just the color was different that was so damn boring as a caster class. Also the UI looked so damn horrible, I dont understand how you can make it look that terrible . Functional it was great but just plain black backgrounds and such ...
If you look at WoW, you really see the difference if you open up your spell book and so on, everything has just alot of style and everything fits together.
Yes sorry I do care about such things, it just annoys the crap out of me. It´s not like this would take months for developers to create some great graphics for their UI, spell book and such.
But anyway I still played to lvl20 but the game was so damn boring. Can´t point my finger on it but probably it were the spells, animations and graphics for it + the horrible looking UI.
If you really like RIFT, then stick with RIFT. TOR - the voiceovers that don't appeal to you anyway < RIFT. TOR is about the story, the journey to cap. No point in even considering switching if you're not really into that experience.
I recommend it. I played most of the MMOs since UO and this one is a gem.
This Even if you go back to Rift you wont regret the time leveling to 50. I cant say much about 50+, i am 30 and cant say much about daily endgame. I do think Rift is a very good game though.
Rift has quite a few similar features. Crafting is similar, but SWTOR's is "more". I think the biggest difference is the faction grind in Rift. Rift hast the souls and SWTRO has three trees you can mix or max one. For me its mixed, or full heal or damage.
I have a EleChloro in Rift and like it. But my sage in SWTOR is more fun. Cant say much about other builds, but the sage is damage, heal and cc without sacrifying to much in the spec. The companions are way more intelligent then in Rift. My tank companion,. really cant call them pet anymore, tells me if he wants a heal. He is solid, does quite smart taunting and tries to protect me. My healing companion is better then me, and sage is a healer subclass. They also craft and do crafter missions.
Combat is less about rotation then in Rift. Due to the companions and the mobs it more situational. After level 10 or so you wont see any single target encounter. Its always against multiple mobs. They are often mixed with the stronger silver con'd ones. So SWTOR has a bit more strat then Rift.
I didnt group much yet, but it seems group gameplay is a bit more forgiving. So far i couldnt see any "forced build" discussions.
You guys left the most important difference out. SPACE COMBAT.
In all seriousness, I'm an MMO junkie. I've played just about everything from EQ (which I still play on and off) to SWTOR. I was really skeptical of this game because I've dumped so much money into these games and end up quitting of boredom a few months later. My best friend IRL, who is known to push any new MMO as "THE BEST THING EVAR", actually told me it wasn't worth it from beta experience. I went against it because of the reviews and input from other friends. Now that said best friend is playing it with me and enjoying himself. As with any MMO, it's more enjoyable with friends.
The game has kept me interested due to a lot of points already made. I am only level 19 however. If you're truly concerned about end-game I have no input. However it is truly a pleasure to be playing an MMO outside of the fantasy scope. This is coming from someone who doesn't generally care for sci-fi. I am playing a Jedi Sentinel. I truly feel like a bad ass jumping into groups of mobs (normal questing) and cutting them down with dual lightsabers. Some of the other classes look like a lot of fun but I'm just too busy with the Jedi Knight. One thing that I will say too is, I'm not a big story person in MMOs. I'm the guy that skips the text and just goes for the objective. I haven't skipped a conversation yet. They are generally intriguing and you feel more of a part of what's going on because you get to choose answers that can ultimately deem you light or dark.
I played Rift for a few months after spending most of the last 5-6 years playing WoW. That same best-friend deemed it the best MMO and not like WoW. My first response when I started playing was "Oh look a WoW clone". Granted, there are some differences that well distinguish it, I got to 50 and just felt like the game was dead. That was probably a month or so after launch and I haven't tried it again since. I know that's a little unfair because of it being a new game and WoW was missing a ton at launch. However, us gamers are a stingy bunch and require quality. If a game is obviously going to take some elements from the most popular MMO, you better do a good job of making it into your own or it'll get boring and repetitive fast.
I think those of us who move from MMO to MMO are looking for something new and exciting. Not just a refresh on features from another game. Hopefully we'll find that sooner than later. I'm not sure SWTOR is the answer. However it is pretty fun for the time being. If money isn't a big issue, I suggest you simply buy it and try it. $60 could be wasted on it. Hell, a good meal with a friend would easily cost that. I can think of worse things I've lost $60 on.
I recommend it. I played most of the MMOs since UO and this one is a gem. Nothing revolutionary, but highly polished. It's not going to be a "Flavor of the Month" type MMO. This one is going to last a very long time.
What's really cool about this game is that you know what is going on. The story is well delivered and you know what's going on. In other games, i always felt like i was not part of the story. In SWTOR, you are the story.
I haven't crashed a single time in it. And guess what... i'm playing on a 3yo macbook pro booted on windows xp.
Not really polished if you ask. Rift was a polished game at launch and still is. TOR is uneven at best. Some things are shiny others are really lackluster.
First you could write a book on how unpolished and lacking is the UI. It's even worse than AoC, and that's saying.
Then it might be polished still there's not even AA at launch. Remember how people flamed AoC for not having DX11? TOR is worse.
How about the game feels like a huge graveyard because too many things are static, it lacks critters and you can't interact with NPC == lack of polish.
Also look for the high quality textures... or the lack of it due to a bug.
Finally check for the error 9000, you'll find out many players are having connection issues.
And before I leave don't forget how some voice dialogs tone and volume don't fit at all in the sequences or the texts and consequences are illogical, and not to forget too many camera angles totally off.
Comments
RIFT was one of the worst MMOs Ive tried to be honest. Every damn bolt as caster in this game looked exactly the same, just the color was different that was so damn boring as a caster class. Also the UI looked so damn horrible, I dont understand how you can make it look that terrible
. Functional it was great but just plain black backgrounds and such ...
If you look at WoW, you really see the difference if you open up your spell book and so on, everything has just alot of style and everything fits together.
Yes sorry I do care about such things, it just annoys the crap out of me. It´s not like this would take months for developers to create some great graphics for their UI, spell book and such.
But anyway I still played to lvl20 but the game was so damn boring. Can´t point my finger on it but probably it were the spells, animations and graphics for it
+ the horrible looking UI.
If you really like RIFT, then stick with RIFT. TOR - the voiceovers that don't appeal to you anyway < RIFT. TOR is about the story, the journey to cap. No point in even considering switching if you're not really into that experience.
This
Even if you go back to Rift you wont regret the time leveling to 50. I cant say much about 50+, i am 30 and cant say much about daily endgame. I do think Rift is a very good game though.
Rift has quite a few similar features. Crafting is similar, but SWTOR's is "more". I think the biggest difference is the faction grind in Rift. Rift hast the souls and SWTRO has three trees you can mix or max one. For me its mixed, or full heal or damage.
I have a EleChloro in Rift and like it. But my sage in SWTOR is more fun. Cant say much about other builds, but the sage is damage, heal and cc without sacrifying to much in the spec. The companions are way more intelligent then in Rift. My tank companion,. really cant call them pet anymore, tells me if he wants a heal. He is solid, does quite smart taunting and tries to protect me. My healing companion is better then me, and sage is a healer subclass. They also craft and do crafter missions.
Combat is less about rotation then in Rift. Due to the companions and the mobs it more situational. After level 10 or so you wont see any single target encounter. Its always against multiple mobs. They are often mixed with the stronger silver con'd ones. So SWTOR has a bit more strat then Rift.
I didnt group much yet, but it seems group gameplay is a bit more forgiving. So far i couldnt see any "forced build" discussions.
You guys left the most important difference out. SPACE COMBAT.
In all seriousness, I'm an MMO junkie. I've played just about everything from EQ (which I still play on and off) to SWTOR. I was really skeptical of this game because I've dumped so much money into these games and end up quitting of boredom a few months later. My best friend IRL, who is known to push any new MMO as "THE BEST THING EVAR", actually told me it wasn't worth it from beta experience. I went against it because of the reviews and input from other friends. Now that said best friend is playing it with me and enjoying himself. As with any MMO, it's more enjoyable with friends.
The game has kept me interested due to a lot of points already made. I am only level 19 however. If you're truly concerned about end-game I have no input. However it is truly a pleasure to be playing an MMO outside of the fantasy scope. This is coming from someone who doesn't generally care for sci-fi. I am playing a Jedi Sentinel. I truly feel like a bad ass jumping into groups of mobs (normal questing) and cutting them down with dual lightsabers. Some of the other classes look like a lot of fun but I'm just too busy with the Jedi Knight. One thing that I will say too is, I'm not a big story person in MMOs. I'm the guy that skips the text and just goes for the objective. I haven't skipped a conversation yet. They are generally intriguing and you feel more of a part of what's going on because you get to choose answers that can ultimately deem you light or dark.
I played Rift for a few months after spending most of the last 5-6 years playing WoW. That same best-friend deemed it the best MMO and not like WoW. My first response when I started playing was "Oh look a WoW clone". Granted, there are some differences that well distinguish it, I got to 50 and just felt like the game was dead. That was probably a month or so after launch and I haven't tried it again since. I know that's a little unfair because of it being a new game and WoW was missing a ton at launch. However, us gamers are a stingy bunch and require quality. If a game is obviously going to take some elements from the most popular MMO, you better do a good job of making it into your own or it'll get boring and repetitive fast.
I think those of us who move from MMO to MMO are looking for something new and exciting. Not just a refresh on features from another game. Hopefully we'll find that sooner than later. I'm not sure SWTOR is the answer. However it is pretty fun for the time being. If money isn't a big issue, I suggest you simply buy it and try it. $60 could be wasted on it. Hell, a good meal with a friend would easily cost that. I can think of worse things I've lost $60 on.
Not really polished if you ask. Rift was a polished game at launch and still is. TOR is uneven at best. Some things are shiny others are really lackluster.
First you could write a book on how unpolished and lacking is the UI. It's even worse than AoC, and that's saying.
Then it might be polished still there's not even AA at launch. Remember how people flamed AoC for not having DX11? TOR is worse.
How about the game feels like a huge graveyard because too many things are static, it lacks critters and you can't interact with NPC == lack of polish.
Also look for the high quality textures... or the lack of it due to a bug.
Finally check for the error 9000, you'll find out many players are having connection issues.
And before I leave don't forget how some voice dialogs tone and volume don't fit at all in the sequences or the texts and consequences are illogical, and not to forget too many camera angles totally off.