I can only be impressed at how quickly they add content and major changes. They really seem to be delivering to their niche market. I can't stand their art direction and haven't seen a single screenshot that looks appealing. Everything just kind of blurs together and nothing stands out. I'd say that's the one area that suffers from their quick development cycle.
So now it's down to alternate universe Telaras to make the PvP work? Seems a bit out there but hey if they can make it work...more power to them. It does seems like a reactionary measure though, perhaps Trion is seeing that 2 faction PvP lacks dynamics, balance and gets stale and boring.
Unfortunately my interest in Rift is long gone, ;he focus on macro's and dps parsers that became central to the game early on killed it for me, just felt too mechanical and stat grindy.
Won't save a fatally flawed PvP design/dynamic at it's foundations.
Where Trion went WRONG with level 50 PvP was making is subservient to The Grind, instead of (more as opposed to less) participatory between players. I'm referring specifically to the horrific power scaling that basically made the original Rank 8's gods and everyone else, including Rank 7's, frogs under an SUV's tire, coupled with the huge grind to get to R8 + farming ALL the R8 gear once you got to R8.
So the entry to level 50 PvP was basically a reroute to a dull, painfull, completely unsatisfying Gauntlet called The Grind and Being Roadkill, instead of designed for participation and competition.
A three faction add-on to PvP in Rift is like trying to tack on a fancy new rudder on a boat who's hull is full of holes.
It sounds like a GW2 ripoff, or more preceisely a DAoC ripoff. Not that this is a bad thing, but they should have designed the game with 3 factions from the start. Or planned the 3 server conflicts from the start, like GW2.
It looks like an attempt to keep hold of players they know are planning on leaving as soon as GW2 releases by trying to provide them with a similar W v W v W setup in Rift. Can't blame them for trying.
Only, DAoC has 24 races and 44 classes. Trion will have the same old broken lore of same races and classes killing each other. Still, it is better than what they have now, but too little, too late.
I will wait for Elder Scrolls Online, they have the brains and courage to create different classes and races per faction.
People might say it is a rip off, but name another company that released with 2 faction game and then just decided to add another one.
Name another game so threatened by a release of a competitor they have to completely break lore/immersion to desperately add in a big feature of that competition.
They arent adding a third faction, they are pooling everyone together and having them choose one of three teams 100% unrelated to the original two factons.
On the flip side, I can name several titles who's developers refused to listen to what the playerbase wanted and watched that title go down the tubes. Titles that could/should have been viable. It's funny how fans of other games will trash Rift no matter what Trion does. If they do nothing, they are unresponsive and arrogant. If they change the game to give the players what tehy want, they are ripping someone off. What would you have them do? It may be that Rift in it's current state is no threat to any other game. But Trion as a developer should not be taken lightly. And to go one step further, they could put Rift back on the map with a solid expansion that shakes it up a bit. As it is, I might resub to Rift if this 3way PVP works out.
People might say it is a rip off, but name another company that released with 2 faction game and then just decided to add another one.
Name another game so threatened by a release of a competitor they have to completely break lore/immersion to desperately add in a big feature of that competition.
They arent adding a third faction, they are pooling everyone together and having them choose one of three teams 100% unrelated to the original two factons.
On the flip side, I can name several titles who's developers refused to listen to what the playerbase wanted and watched that title go down the tubes. Titles that could/should have been viable. It's funny how fans of other games will trash Rift no matter what Trion does. If they do nothing, they are unresponsive and arrogant. If they change the game to give the players what tehy want, they are ripping someone off. What would you have them do? It may be that Rift in it's current state is no threat to any other game. But Trion as a developer should not be taken lightly. And to go one step further, they could put Rift back on the map with a solid expansion that shakes it up a bit. As it is, I might resub to Rift if this 3way PVP works out.
The problem here is in your very words.
All we hear from each other in "the community" are things like "give the players what they want", or "if they don't give us what we want they are unresponsive", or "put out a "solid expansion" that shakes it up a bit".
What a bunch of baloney, no offense intended.
On the one hand not giving customers "what they want" might be bad, of course. None of us jack-tards in "the community" has a clue however that just giving someone "what they want" can be as equally bad.
So how do you decide? What's the criteria? What actual gaming / human measures are used to decide when something is good versus bad? If none of you can actually answer that with some thought and intelligence, go sit in a corner.
The problem in Rift PvP has ZERO to do with "giving us what we want". They are simply THROWING stuff in dyslexic fashion hoping to just patch up the wound any ole way. The problem in Rift PvP is that it's very structure is FOUNDED on a principle of exclusion.
That's the problem with Rift PvP. Not that it lacked a needed faction, not that we "needed more". That's all frosting. Rift, like so many other MMOs before it (/smackhead, don't we LEARN?) castrated PvP entertainment during login hours by subverting those hours in a redirect to a slave-grind, not participation in PvP (to too high a degree).
You can't escape having grind mechanisms. They need to be there. But the hallmark of a dev house that understands human nature and principles of motivation as well as being able to paste together code to run on a CPU is having The Grind calibrated properly against the human dynamic, which is what is paying the sub.
When you place participation in PVP (at level 50) only at a top level (Rank, originally R8, then fiddled to R40 in a restructure that didn't really fix the issue IMO), leaving EVERYONE else below as cannon-fodder . . . for a very long time in butt-hours in a chair . . . you've destroyed the basic principles in gaming that relate to:
Participation. Ability to participate.
Competition. Ability to compete.
And instead overtly state in game design and structure: You must TAKE hopeless wipings because you just have to, so if you don't like it Grind It Out through the Grind, and someday it'll get better. Assuming you have the game time per week to keep up with releases and expansions.
You know why I don't trust the convenient slogan "If they don't give the playerbase what they want it'll be bad" much anymore? Because it's just an emo-tweak that SOUNDS profound, while hiding a terrible truth: 85% of the gaming community can't put together their lunchbox every day, much less knowing what would actually work, for everyone, in the long term, in gaming design and structure. All they know is what they want, gimme, right now.
As to the third faction in Rift being a good idea or not, already stated in a prior post of mine:
"A three faction add-on to PvP in Rift is like trying to tack on a fancy new rudder on a boat who's hull is full of holes.
It still isn't going to float."
PvP in Rift at level 50 was already DESIGNED to fail by virtue of a failed motivational structure during play, which removed participation and time-in-competition through a redirect to a Grind, specifically as a road-kill target to the top ranks, which were put in warfronts with low ranks.
The Moment Rift goes B2P or F2P, I will play it again. I wasted money on it the first time and only reason I don't play it is cause I don't wanna play the sub fee for it, when I can pay a sub for a better game.
Comments
I can only be impressed at how quickly they add content and major changes. They really seem to be delivering to their niche market. I can't stand their art direction and haven't seen a single screenshot that looks appealing. Everything just kind of blurs together and nothing stands out. I'd say that's the one area that suffers from their quick development cycle.
The Rift devs are very good at adding new content and copying other games' features.
Unfortunately they often end up copying bad features, too.
Rift's PvP is bad so it's 3 faction PvP will also be bad... but it'll be a nice feature for the people who enjoy Rift's gear based PvP.
So now it's down to alternate universe Telaras to make the PvP work? Seems a bit out there but hey if they can make it work...more power to them. It does seems like a reactionary measure though, perhaps Trion is seeing that 2 faction PvP lacks dynamics, balance and gets stale and boring.
Unfortunately my interest in Rift is long gone, ;he focus on macro's and dps parsers that became central to the game early on killed it for me, just felt too mechanical and stat grindy.
Won't save a fatally flawed PvP design/dynamic at it's foundations.
Where Trion went WRONG with level 50 PvP was making is subservient to The Grind, instead of (more as opposed to less) participatory between players. I'm referring specifically to the horrific power scaling that basically made the original Rank 8's gods and everyone else, including Rank 7's, frogs under an SUV's tire, coupled with the huge grind to get to R8 + farming ALL the R8 gear once you got to R8.
So the entry to level 50 PvP was basically a reroute to a dull, painfull, completely unsatisfying Gauntlet called The Grind and Being Roadkill, instead of designed for participation and competition.
A three faction add-on to PvP in Rift is like trying to tack on a fancy new rudder on a boat who's hull is full of holes.
It still isn't going to float.
Wherever you go, there you are.
Only, DAoC has 24 races and 44 classes. Trion will have the same old broken lore of same races and classes killing each other. Still, it is better than what they have now, but too little, too late.
I will wait for Elder Scrolls Online, they have the brains and courage to create different classes and races per faction.
On the flip side, I can name several titles who's developers refused to listen to what the playerbase wanted and watched that title go down the tubes. Titles that could/should have been viable. It's funny how fans of other games will trash Rift no matter what Trion does. If they do nothing, they are unresponsive and arrogant. If they change the game to give the players what tehy want, they are ripping someone off. What would you have them do? It may be that Rift in it's current state is no threat to any other game. But Trion as a developer should not be taken lightly. And to go one step further, they could put Rift back on the map with a solid expansion that shakes it up a bit. As it is, I might resub to Rift if this 3way PVP works out.
The problem here is in your very words.
All we hear from each other in "the community" are things like "give the players what they want", or "if they don't give us what we want they are unresponsive", or "put out a "solid expansion" that shakes it up a bit".
What a bunch of baloney, no offense intended.
On the one hand not giving customers "what they want" might be bad, of course. None of us jack-tards in "the community" has a clue however that just giving someone "what they want" can be as equally bad.
So how do you decide? What's the criteria? What actual gaming / human measures are used to decide when something is good versus bad? If none of you can actually answer that with some thought and intelligence, go sit in a corner.
The problem in Rift PvP has ZERO to do with "giving us what we want". They are simply THROWING stuff in dyslexic fashion hoping to just patch up the wound any ole way. The problem in Rift PvP is that it's very structure is FOUNDED on a principle of exclusion.
That's the problem with Rift PvP. Not that it lacked a needed faction, not that we "needed more". That's all frosting. Rift, like so many other MMOs before it (/smackhead, don't we LEARN?) castrated PvP entertainment during login hours by subverting those hours in a redirect to a slave-grind, not participation in PvP (to too high a degree).
You can't escape having grind mechanisms. They need to be there. But the hallmark of a dev house that understands human nature and principles of motivation as well as being able to paste together code to run on a CPU is having The Grind calibrated properly against the human dynamic, which is what is paying the sub.
When you place participation in PVP (at level 50) only at a top level (Rank, originally R8, then fiddled to R40 in a restructure that didn't really fix the issue IMO), leaving EVERYONE else below as cannon-fodder . . . for a very long time in butt-hours in a chair . . . you've destroyed the basic principles in gaming that relate to:
Participation. Ability to participate.
Competition. Ability to compete.
And instead overtly state in game design and structure: You must TAKE hopeless wipings because you just have to, so if you don't like it Grind It Out through the Grind, and someday it'll get better. Assuming you have the game time per week to keep up with releases and expansions.
You know why I don't trust the convenient slogan "If they don't give the playerbase what they want it'll be bad" much anymore? Because it's just an emo-tweak that SOUNDS profound, while hiding a terrible truth: 85% of the gaming community can't put together their lunchbox every day, much less knowing what would actually work, for everyone, in the long term, in gaming design and structure. All they know is what they want, gimme, right now.
As to the third faction in Rift being a good idea or not, already stated in a prior post of mine:
"A three faction add-on to PvP in Rift is like trying to tack on a fancy new rudder on a boat who's hull is full of holes.
It still isn't going to float."
PvP in Rift at level 50 was already DESIGNED to fail by virtue of a failed motivational structure during play, which removed participation and time-in-competition through a redirect to a Grind, specifically as a road-kill target to the top ranks, which were put in warfronts with low ranks.
Wherever you go, there you are.
So..is it instanced or open world? Sounds like it's going to be instanced....so by definition, not open world.
Desperation breeds immitation it seems.
Expresso gave me a Hearthstone beta key.....I'm so happy
The Moment Rift goes B2P or F2P, I will play it again. I wasted money on it the first time and only reason I don't play it is cause I don't wanna play the sub fee for it, when I can pay a sub for a better game.