Thats why I am play Horizons. 6/11 of the servers is full. Thats 2000 players per full server. Do the math and you get a TON of people for the first week of release. It is such a fun game.
Kiamde
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Alrighty, time to touch another subject. Question: Will DAOC surive next year, with the release of big names such as EQ2 & Wow. Answer: Yes. On December the 9th, Mark Jacobs posted monthly report on the going's on with the game and its future business standpoint. The following is a direct quote from his publication: 2003-12-09 17:58:38 First, let's take a quick look at what's going on in the world of Camelot and Mythic. Im happy to report that as of December 1st, our US server subscriber base is higher than a year ago at this time, and our subscriber base for our European partners is growing steadily as well. So, from a purely business standpoint, Mythic is better off today than it was this same time last year. For the full story visit; http://www.camelotherald.com/more/1247.shtml Now the reasons: Dark Age of Camelot is a massively multiplayer online game in the same vein as Everquest, Ultima Online and Asheron's Call and is those game's direct competitor in this rapidly growing and highly emotional genre. The theme is a pastiche of fantasy and Dark Age Arthurian legend, woven to produce a three-way conflict between the realms of Albion, Hibernia and Midgard. Players exist in a world that is comprised of two key areas of activity - player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP). Gamers can choose to explore and fight AI-controlled monsters in the PvE areas known as "The Homelands" within each realm. They can also then move into the "Borderlands" where they can partake in the more frantic PvP activity where every player from an opposing realm is your enemy. The lands of the three realms each comprise around 12 square miles -- eight in Homeland regions and four in Borderlands -- thus giving each player the chance to explore a total of 20 square miles. This does not sound like a huge gaming area but for many it represents a bewildering and vast landscape, not least because most areas can be crossed without the requirement to "zone" (a loading process that transitions you to the next area). Zoning is only required when actually passing from one realm to another or entering a major city or dungeon. The result is surprisingly open and immersive environments that are aided greatly by the competent, if not cutting edge, graphics. Additionally, travel (or rather: running) operates largely at a realistic pace meaning that traversing these areas can take some time. Of course alternatives to walking do exist; there are portals from the different realms for PvP gamers, speed spells for many of the different classes and also a unique series of horse routes whereby a player can hire a horse to ride them from one location to another. Although the system is basic in terms of the routes being fixed, it has added great versatility in moving around the realms without detracting from the sense of scale that the game still exhibits, especially for the newcomer who simply wants to charge about and see everything. The classes available to the player are interesting, although not very diverse. Each realm has different races, each capable of being taken down various class routes. The usual mishmash of fantasy classes are available with warriors, armsmen, heroes, bards and wizards, to name but a few - however, there are also the usual suspects of rogue-type and hybrid classes, such as paladins and thanes. Whilst the names may sound familiar, often the implementation of the classes, and particularly their skills and abilities, is different, which is what makes them somewhat more interesting than the normal class-based games. The player advances his character by fighting monsters and earning experience points -- you know the drill -- eventually earning enough to level up, whereupon they gain access to skill points, which they can use to specialise their character. Specialisation offers the player choices in the form of different paths in training, which grant them access to different spells or abilities depending on which path -- or combination of paths -- is chosen to be specialised in. The system is relatively robust, and at this stage, there are no apparent "best paths" that negates all others within a class. This bane of many other games, such as AC, was very much in the developers' minds when DAOC was designed and they have largely succeeded, albeit at the cost of some diversity within classes. That philosophy extends deeply into the PvP activities in DAOC. The game is designed to be group-based when fighting other players. Whilst it is feasible to fight solo, such encounters tend to be largely predetermined by level and class - there is very much a rock-paper-scissors environment for certain classes versus other classes. Once player operate in a group, however, levels and class abilities start to become more and more vague, whilst tactics and knowing how to combine class attributes comes to the fore. Levels always remain a factor, but in DAOC, the power differentials between levels change over time; for example, a level 20 player is immensely more powerful than a level 10 - not so for a level 50 over a level 40 player. PvP is fast, furious and great fun, and perhaps best of all, is cost free - you lose neither experience, money or items if you die to an enemy realm player or NPC guard, and are merely returned to the last binding point in your homelands (unless resurrected by a friend). At this stage, the single most frustrating aspect of PvP is the insane power of NPC guards, who are more than capable of single-handedly wiping out an entire force of level 30s in a matter of seconds. Indeed, this has rendered the "siegecraft" element of the game entirely obsolete until players reach the level 40+ areas. It is a real shame that this change was made right at the end of beta and hence, left untested. It's also a problem that the NPC guards can see you and attack before you can see them and, most ironically, if you go to see who controls a keep (by looking at which flag is flying over it), you are already in range of the guards and will die. Consequently, around 40 per cent of the entire PvP areas are currently out-of-bounds to 100 per cent of the players - and whilst this will change over time, it's still a rather bizarre design choice, and one that prevents players from participating in one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game until investing a lot of time. So, how hard is it to level? Some of the manic 24-7 gamers are already approaching the level 40 mark - the most serious of powergamers should therefore reach 45 in about one or two weeks. The rest of the population will probably be waiting two or three months. The levels come fast and furious initially, making it a blessing in comparison to games like Everquest, but beyond level 30, the comparisons draw closer. The ability to solo in PvE remains viable all the way to level 50, which is decidedly different to EQ, though unfortunately, no less mind-numbingly tedious. Grouping remains the best (read, quickest) means of levelling and is fun in PvE during the early levels. As with all of these games there is only so much enjoyment that even the enhanced monster AI of DAOC can provide and by level 40, players will be far more interested in PvP than PvE. The game also includes a task and quest system. Quests are rather simplistic with a somewhat random element to some of them - who you may visit in the course of quest can vary from player to player, although it certainly isn't a wide variance. Not being able to attain certain quests if you haven't done an associated one is a nice touch in some ways, but a total bugbear in others - often, players will have to go back and do stupidly easy (for their current level) quests so that they can trigger a higher level one. Tasks allow the player to perform simply delivery errands or even kill-tasks to assassinate an individual monster for friendly NPC guards. These are again very simplistic but it's another alternative and shouldn't be totally ignored - variety is the spice of life and whilst this element isn't really that spicy, it is at least something different to do. Of course, beyond the areas for experience and levelling junkies, there remains the player crafting system, where players can make their own armours and weapons, ranging from a simple dagger to a huge mangonel for taking keeps - all without the requirement to constantly level up. The crafting system is simple and not overly tedious in terms of repeat mouse clicks. Again there is some added variety by being able to do consignment tasks for NPCs who will order bulk goods to be made for them. Importantly, the DAOC economy is rather tight - this is great for the long term and a blessing for crafters who can undercut the extortionate prices of NPC vendors to sell items at a profit. Not only that, but player-made goods are of a higher quality than NPC goods and as such, the crafting system is robust, if not far ranging - the inability to enchant items remains a gaping hole in the system. Guilds provide some outlet also for socialising and fighting together. Guilds can differentiate themselves by buying unique Coats of Arms which can be emblazoned on their cloaks and shields. They also track their total realm points (given for killing enemy players), how many keeps they have taken and how many relics captured. This system works, though is of no use other than crowing rights - promises of giving such aspects an actual reason are long standing. Relics also remain a mystery right now... they were originally slated as providing a benefit to the entire realm (each realm has only two) but they remain a total and undocumented secret. Due to the nature of siege warfare, it is highly unlikely that anybody will capture a relic anytime soon to unveil the enigma. Before release, Mythic was immensely proud of its CSR team, its numbers and methodology for reporting almost every type of bug or player issue. Within two days of release, the entire system had practically melted down into a smouldering radioactive pile as player appeals went unanswered for very long periods of time. This has been historically solved by using volunteer players - something that most games companies now shy away from due to legal issues over minimum wages and various ongoing or partially resolved court cases. DAOC does have the ability to let players flag themselves as "advisors" after having played 15 hours of the game - somewhat of a joke in terms of the quality of answers one may receive and also a dangerous pursuit for high level players who immediately get swamped with "How do you level so fast?" and "Will you help level me please d00d?" - small wonder that the advice system is carefully and studiously avoided by many. DAOC is in many ways an improvement on Everquest -- the most successful MMOG too date -- yet it also isn't hugely different until one enters into the PvP aspects, whereupon its potential really comes alive. It isn't superb in purist terms, but it is easy, good fun, fast and furious, which is all many players ask for. The fact that they strive to improve DAOC, is a reflection of the people who work on the game - there is no lumbering corporate giant here, just a small team of developers outnumbered by their customer services staff and frantically trying to keep up with player demands. Newcomers to the genre, though, should consider no other due to its excellent combination of graphics, PvE, PvP, crafting and questing implemented in an easy to grasp format, which shouldn't tax the brain or require hours of surfing to find the best templates. Additionally, its overall stability, good looks, potential for growth, dedicated developer team and familiar theme make the game very much a winner. The first 100,000 units of this game were sold out almost before launch and the various servers have healthy populations on them (Mythic announced that 99,979 active accounts have been registered as of October 26). This includes the two "role-play" servers, another final minute addition by the developers and a gutsy one that has yet to be proved successful. DAOC has been working on adding depth and variety to almost every facet to make it a great game, but it's very good now, it's worth playing now, and it's better than the competition when all of the elements are combined, if not outstanding in most individual areas. Can the relatively small team at Mythic make this transition to greatness come about?
They came out with the Free Expansion "Foudations".
Then there was "Shrouded Isles".
Just recently the expansion "Trials of Atlantis".
And the biggest and most anticipated yet to come: "Frontiers". A huge overhall of their most distinctive feature - Realm v Realm. Only time will tell... - Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Originally posted by Malkavian So, how hard is it to level? Some of the manic 24-7 gamers are already approaching the level 40 mark - the most serious of powergamers should therefore reach 45 in about one or two weeks. The rest of the population will probably be waiting two or three months.
Uh, how old is this write-up?
Speaking as one who recently went back to DAoC, I think it will definitely hold its own. I do foresee the need to consolidate a few of the lesser populated servers down the road, but it must be done carefully, as it almost serves as an admission of defeat, or at least decline. Still, the player community in DAoC is great and Mythic allows level 50 players to creat new chars at level 20 to help boost under populated realms. Despite this, I still see many players running around playing new characters (lev 1-10). I think the DAoC gold box has sold pretty well and you see many new players in Caer Gothwaite (Shrouded Isles).
While I haven't sprung for TOA (I will after Christmas), word is that it is a big success. Many players are spending time there, but it hasn't caused the SI or original worlds to be underused. DAoC may start to look long in the tooth by the time EQ2 and WoW get to market, but it won't be dead for a long time.
In fact, I predict AC and AC2 will fold before DAoC.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate. (written on the SW:G CD)
I was speaking from a standpoint when a new character is born. Or someone who has never played the game before can understand the leveling diffculty compared to most.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Originally posted by Koltrane In fact, I predict AC and AC2 will fold before DAoC.
Actually at this point in time it is hard to tell. Just recently Turbine bought out all rights from Microsoft to the Asheron's Call Series.... As we all know AC2 was one of the first big names at the time to indeed consolidate servers due to the rapid decline in popularity. And since then has been suffering since, with only dedicated loyalists still subscribed. Maybe Turbine can put some life back into the series. Here's hoping. AC1 had some teeth. AC2 released itself too early in open beta form, unadmittingly of course. (much like Ultima Online did) and it lasted a few good golden years. But alas everything must come to a close. With Ultima Online's future looking shady, unless Turbine can preform some miracles, the AC series will soon follow. - Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Before I quit DAOC, I can assure that TOA was barren. Noone was there except for a few level 40-45. DF was just way better and people used DF instead of TOA. This is Merlin.
Kiamde
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Originally posted by Kiamde Before I quit DAOC, I can assure that TOA was barren. Noone was there except for a few level 40-45. DF was just way better and people used DF instead of TOA. This is Merlin.
Kiamde
Excuse me, but what time was this? I play on Merlin as it is the largest populated server of DAOC (Dark Age of Camelot). Either you logged on and decided to play at some wee hour of the morning during a weekday or your just looking to make another notch in your post tally and flame a game that has no reason to be.
When TOA (Trials of Atlantis), came out RvR (Realm v Realm), died for a brief time. I will admit that. Everyone wanted to check it out. This was expected and only natural of ones curiosity. The same goes for DF (Darkness Falls), when it came out. However, Darkness Falls is more level friendly for those under 40. It also is VERY different from TOA. DF is a Realm controlled Dungeon. TOA is another LAND! For one to even consider comparing the two indicates to me they have very little experience in the game itself and should not have even attempted to.
So with the anticing new armour, relics and quests for Mastery Level's in TOA, it finally gave those characters 40+ something else to do than farm, RvR or craft. But this was to only last for awhile.
The entire concept of the Mastery Level's and their associated quests was to bring player's together and work as a team. This was brought about by the concept of "Battle Groups. (Where by numerous Groups could merge as one within a chat dialogue and share the experience gained from the entire BattleGroup) This i thought, was a great Idea. And being Mythic, this is the 1st game (Dark Age of Camelot) to ever release such a concept. However, with this in mind it did not leave much to be said when your on at a remote server time and you wanted to play in TOA. (It truely isn't for the weak of heart, mind or soul)
Now that the majority of higher level'd players have completed their Masteries, its to RvR again to test out their new skills and kick some frontier a$$.
So for whatever reason it was that made you decided to quit DAOC is of course your choice. However I would think it ill-minded of you to even attempt to slander the largest US server and blame TOA's activity to be non-existant due to the lack of population and popularity.
This is the server I play on everyday to this date. You, however do not...
For those who have yet to try and experience Dark Age of Camelot, I urge you to think of No Other game in the new year till you have. If you play MMORPG's you will want to at least try DAOC.
* Don't forget when your register a new account, you get 1 month's subscription free! So if you do not like it, unsubscribe. *
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Mythic is doing a fine job of adding new things to the game. If one was to release barage of new conecepts, skills, monsters, items etc, the game would get too complicated for some and boring for most. You could never achieve dominance in a game that changed so rapidly. Think also, of how long it would take a dev team to write all this up and apply it on a regular basis.
Already Mythic applies monthly updates to the game at a standard pace.
If Mythic and their game "DAOC" is doing so crappy because of all the reasons i have had to argue with you for the past 5 days, then why the heck are they doing so good and why the heck are you playing it again!?!?
Go figure....
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I quit EQ for DAOC, then quit DAOC after a year. I went back to EQ, quit again after getting frustrated with the forced grouping, particularly in LDON. I think, however, that DAOC will not be competitive. One big difference is instancing. This 'personal pan dungeon' concept will pretty much become a standard and expected feature of MMORPGs. Any game without it will be at a disadvantage. I also think a dynamic story will become one of the standards. I also dont see DAOC able to compete with the volume EQ (and soon EQ2) can pump out in terms of variety. One of the major nails in DAOC's coffin is that in the time it has taken for it to put out 2 expansions, DAOC has put out 4 or 5. (Depending on where you start counting). I will say that I really, really like the vision of the DAOC designers vs. that of EQ's designers. I think Mark Jacobs commitment to retask their full team to coming out with new content for the existing players, not as an expansion but as free added content, says a lot about the quality of the folks at Mythic.
Nonetheless, I have a hard time getting psyched up for DAOC. The bottom line is I dont groove on PvP and the PvE experience in DAOC simply isnt that great. The servers are also WAY down in size since when I played. Even the most crowded server rarely has more than 1800. And assuming that about 300 of those are buff bots, thats not a lot of people playing the game.
I'm tracking City Of Heroes (!!!!) and Ultima X Online as the next MMORPGs I will be interested in.
Being a hardcore daoc player since about 6 months after its release I will have to say that it has changed a lot.... Some of it for the better some of it sucks. If mythic would stop concentrating on "nerfing" most of the good classes and beefing up some of the crappier ones everyone will be happy . ToA has the best MMO graphics I have seen yet, lookin at SWG, and Screen shots for EQ2 I would have to say DAOC is still the best The RvR concept could use more strategy then mindless zerging fun, but w/ the RvR expansion they are working on it might work out fine . The only thing imo daoc really needs to be lotsa fun, is horses that u control! Horse back warfare as well . Other than that I am very happy to say I love DAOC, even tho ToA ruined all the good raids . And most of the ML abilities are really crappy!
Originally posted by Batlas Being a hardcore daoc player since about 6 months after its release I will have to say that it has changed a lot.... Some of it for the better some of it sucks. If mythic would stop concentrating on "nerfing" most of the good classes and beefing up some of the crappier ones everyone will be happy . ToA has the best MMO graphics I have seen yet, lookin at SWG, and Screen shots for EQ2 I would have to say DAOC is still the best The RvR concept could use more strategy then mindless zerging fun, but w/ the RvR expansion they are working on it might work out fine . The only thing imo daoc really needs to be lotsa fun, is horses that u control! Horse back warfare as well . Other than that I am very happy to say I love DAOC, even tho ToA ruined all the good raids . And most of the ML abilities are really crappy!
I am with you on this. They need to make transportation more interactive. Granted they did this within TOA, using your own boat system. However the main lands and SI still lack something of this nature. In Albion SI you have huge dragon flies to ride on at one section. In Hibernia you can ride a wyrvnn! Not sure what Midgard has got as I haven't played too much of them yet. Toa has a rideable Hammer Head Shark route to Methos and so on.... If it were possible indeed like you say, to have or control a charmed creature for those with such an ability to use as transportation.... again like you say horse war-fare ie. back in the stone-ages (as i think this game is set) Jousting Tournaments! as an example... or my favorite somewhat influenced my dragon empires.... rideable dragons that you could use in RVR.... fry the suckers from a high... Imagine a roleplaying elf ranger on a giant eagle/griffin shooting away at the little people below hehe ok im getting carried away here.....
Such great ideas cannot be looked down apon, for it is thoughts and ideas from the fan that truely shape a game's future. These and any others anyone else has should be put to the devs of the game. Best way to do it is via Camelot Heralds's links of contact.
Nice going Batlas
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I am curious about WoW once they fix the bugs I hear they have in it. A friend of mine is a beta tester for it. Anyways, I've been with DAoC for 2 yrs.
I agree, that there are some things I wish they would have fixed rather then make another expansion pack. For one, I was disappointed with ToA after a week, and went back to using SI instead.
Did you notice the frontier maps they did for Midgard and then how poorly they addressed Hibernian's frontier maps. Either you get them too big to read, or too small.
As for the ride in SI, yes, that is cute. Another form to get around rather then by horse. But I still don't see the true help it gives to the game, other that you have to kill a few monsters to change the faction to be allowed to enter the city to be able to ride the creature anyways.
Another thing disappointing is being in an alliance and feeling like most the time you're talking to yourself. Oh well, right now I am rethinking of changing alliances. Time will tell.
The game though itself, is better to me then UO had become in my final year playing it. I have no regrets moving on from that game.
I did talk to a lady who houses many different guilds from different games though. She said that DAoC ranked the highest, and that SWG ranked next.
That has to say something for us diehards. *chuckles*
I don't think I'll be interested in EQ though, because I hear unless you're one of those "vets", they don't give you the time of day if you're new. Or so I hear.
Basically, I want to stick with a good MMORPG game that keeps the chars looking realistic enough, and not cartoony. Ones where the graphics don't look like the designer should have finished art school.
And I am holding my breath somewhat to see what I'll think of the frontier change when it happens, before I finally give up on the game and call it quits and look for a new and better MMORPG game that will bring challenge and fun to my free time when I have it.
I don't live online anymore, real life and work keeps me busy as well.
I think the only thing that keeps me from quitting now is my friends I've made, and the time my husband and I share still online from time to time.
I wish you all the best on your search for the better MMORPG. As far as DAOC goes, I would stick around just long enoguh to see if the Frontiers expansion really does make a difference. Being the main focus of the game.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
But don't you agree..ToA..I mean come on..its so lame.
My husband was in ToA with Smukeen, and then logged out. He forgot, and logged in under SI. You know what happened? Every time he tried to sit down to log out, it kept standing him back up. So finally he just rebooted it!
Not to mention the lag. I have a good connection, and yes, I understand lag, like when a huge group is on their way to either a Dragon Raid, or a Relic Raid..but just to move around ToA sometimes? Now that's annoying!
I would like to see Indisar get to LGM though. *grins* Going to have to rough up Smukeen to give her some coin to do so. *laughs*
Ever wonder though, once they do the new frontier, how they will top it?
I too have had that problem where u log out and get stuck and it tries to place you back at a safe spot but u stick and rubber band and fall back into an endless cycle... I forget what i did but needless to say my inf was kinda pissed...
After the frontiers expansion im not too sure what they will come up with next.... the toa concept was a mind blowing one at that. it just came out of nowhere and the ideas behind it were great... pity they just didnt put much work into it as i would have liked. but it was a definate improvement graphic wise.
i guess they will come up with another concept. Something I would like to see is another dungeon that is Realm controlled, much like DF is atm.
Just a thought....
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I thought about this a little more. DAOC's devs have missed the window. They have gotten a rep as 'great RvR, bad PvE', when they should have gotten 'Great PvE AND Great RvR'. Most players arent interested in RvR. Or they dont know they are. Also DAOC is really wide open for getting robbed of the RvR/PvP title. The way they did it, they LIMITED the playable space drastically, so that they had to duplicate everything three times. A much smarter way would be smaller zones, like the battlegrounds, where guilds or factions could battle for control of key points that gave advantages like +5% hp, or +5% atk speed to those who held them, and you scored points in the zones that could be used to boost up your character. Outside of the conflict zones you could adventure together and the devs could focus on more playable content for EVERYONE.
I'll be REALLY surprised if one of the new games coming out doesnt come up with a way of doing PvP/GvG so that it matters, but not so that it interfere with gameplay for those who arent interested. Getting the best of both worlds.
Originally posted by quix0te I thought about this a little more. DAOC's devs have missed the window. They have gotten a rep as 'great RvR, bad PvE', when they should have gotten 'Great PvE AND Great RvR'. Most players arent interested in RvR. Or they dont know they are. Also DAOC is really wide open for getting robbed of the RvR/PvP title. The way they did it, they LIMITED the playable space drastically, so that they had to duplicate everything three times. A much smarter way would be smaller zones, like the battlegrounds, where guilds or factions could battle for control of key points that gave advantages like +5% hp, or +5% atk speed to those who held them, and you scored points in the zones that could be used to boost up your character. Outside of the conflict zones you could adventure together and the devs could focus on more playable content for EVERYONE. I'll be REALLY surprised if one of the new games coming out doesnt come up with a way of doing PvP/GvG so that it matters, but not so that it interfere with gameplay for those who arent interested. Getting the best of both worlds.
Didn't AC2 brush on this concept somewhat ? Kingdom v Kingdom. Special areas including towns could be fought over and controlled by a Kingdom which further enhanced all faction members? ie. Bonuses to crafting, damage inflicted, armour values etc...
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Comments
Thats why I am play Horizons. 6/11 of the servers is full. Thats 2000 players per full server. Do the math and you get a TON of people for the first week of release. It is such a fun game.
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Alrighty, time to touch another subject.
Question: Will DAOC surive next year, with the release of big names such as EQ2 & Wow.
Answer: Yes.
On December the 9th, Mark Jacobs posted monthly report on the going's on with the game and its future business standpoint.
The following is a direct quote from his publication:
2003-12-09 17:58:38
First, let's take a quick look at what's going on in the world of Camelot and Mythic. Im happy to report that as of December 1st, our US server subscriber base is higher than a year ago at this time, and our subscriber base for our European partners is growing steadily as well. So, from a purely business standpoint, Mythic is better off today than it was this same time last year.
For the full story visit; http://www.camelotherald.com/more/1247.shtml
Now the reasons:
Dark Age of Camelot is a massively multiplayer online game in the same vein as Everquest, Ultima Online and Asheron's Call and is those game's direct competitor in this rapidly growing and highly emotional genre. The theme is a pastiche of fantasy and Dark Age Arthurian legend, woven to produce a three-way conflict between the realms of Albion, Hibernia and Midgard. Players exist in a world that is comprised of two key areas of activity - player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP).
Gamers can choose to explore and fight AI-controlled monsters in the PvE areas known as "The Homelands" within each realm. They can also then move into the "Borderlands" where they can partake in the more frantic PvP activity where every player from an opposing realm is your enemy.
The lands of the three realms each comprise around 12 square miles -- eight in Homeland regions and four in Borderlands -- thus giving each player the chance to explore a total of 20 square miles. This does not sound like a huge gaming area but for many it represents a bewildering and vast landscape, not least because most areas can be crossed without the requirement to "zone" (a loading process that transitions you to the next area). Zoning is only required when actually passing from one realm to another or entering a major city or dungeon. The result is surprisingly open and immersive environments that are aided greatly by the competent, if not cutting edge, graphics. Additionally, travel (or rather: running) operates largely at a realistic pace meaning that traversing these areas can take some time.
Of course alternatives to walking do exist; there are portals from the different realms for PvP gamers, speed spells for many of the different classes and also a unique series of horse routes whereby a player can hire a horse to ride them from one location to another. Although the system is basic in terms of the routes being fixed, it has added great versatility in moving around the realms without detracting from the sense of scale that the game still exhibits, especially for the newcomer who simply wants to charge about and see everything.
The classes available to the player are interesting, although not very diverse. Each realm has different races, each capable of being taken down various class routes. The usual mishmash of fantasy classes are available with warriors, armsmen, heroes, bards and wizards, to name but a few - however, there are also the usual suspects of rogue-type and hybrid classes, such as paladins and thanes. Whilst the names may sound familiar, often the implementation of the classes, and particularly their skills and abilities, is different, which is what makes them somewhat more interesting than the normal class-based games.
The player advances his character by fighting monsters and earning experience points -- you know the drill -- eventually earning enough to level up, whereupon they gain access to skill points, which they can use to specialise their character. Specialisation offers the player choices in the form of different paths in training, which grant them access to different spells or abilities depending on which path -- or combination of paths -- is chosen to be specialised in.
The system is relatively robust, and at this stage, there are no apparent "best paths" that negates all others within a class. This bane of many other games, such as AC, was very much in the developers' minds when DAOC was designed and they have largely succeeded, albeit at the cost of some diversity within classes.
That philosophy extends deeply into the PvP activities in DAOC. The game is designed to be group-based when fighting other players. Whilst it is feasible to fight solo, such encounters tend to be largely predetermined by level and class - there is very much a rock-paper-scissors environment for certain classes versus other classes. Once player operate in a group, however, levels and class abilities start to become more and more vague, whilst tactics and knowing how to combine class attributes comes to the fore. Levels always remain a factor, but in DAOC, the power differentials between levels change over time; for example, a level 20 player is immensely more powerful than a level 10 - not so for a level 50 over a level 40 player.
PvP is fast, furious and great fun, and perhaps best of all, is cost free - you lose neither experience, money or items if you die to an enemy realm player or NPC guard, and are merely returned to the last binding point in your homelands (unless resurrected by a friend). At this stage, the single most frustrating aspect of PvP is the insane power of NPC guards, who are more than capable of single-handedly wiping out an entire force of level 30s in a matter of seconds.
Indeed, this has rendered the "siegecraft" element of the game entirely obsolete until players reach the level 40+ areas. It is a real shame that this change was made right at the end of beta and hence, left untested. It's also a problem that the NPC guards can see you and attack before you can see them and, most ironically, if you go to see who controls a keep (by looking at which flag is flying over it), you are already in range of the guards and will die. Consequently, around 40 per cent of the entire PvP areas are currently out-of-bounds to 100 per cent of the players - and whilst this will change over time, it's still a rather bizarre design choice, and one that prevents players from participating in one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game until investing a lot of time.
So, how hard is it to level? Some of the manic 24-7 gamers are already approaching the level 40 mark - the most serious of powergamers should therefore reach 45 in about one or two weeks. The rest of the population will probably be waiting two or three months. The levels come fast and furious initially, making it a blessing in comparison to games like Everquest, but beyond level 30, the comparisons draw closer. The ability to solo in PvE remains viable all the way to level 50, which is decidedly different to EQ, though unfortunately, no less mind-numbingly tedious.
Grouping remains the best (read, quickest) means of levelling and is fun in PvE during the early levels. As with all of these games there is only so much enjoyment that even the enhanced monster AI of DAOC can provide and by level 40, players will be far more interested in PvP than PvE.
The game also includes a task and quest system. Quests are rather simplistic with a somewhat random element to some of them - who you may visit in the course of quest can vary from player to player, although it certainly isn't a wide variance. Not being able to attain certain quests if you haven't done an associated one is a nice touch in some ways, but a total bugbear in others - often, players will have to go back and do stupidly easy (for their current level) quests so that they can trigger a higher level one.
Tasks allow the player to perform simply delivery errands or even kill-tasks to assassinate an individual monster for friendly NPC guards. These are again very simplistic but it's another alternative and shouldn't be totally ignored - variety is the spice of life and whilst this element isn't really that spicy, it is at least something different to do.
Of course, beyond the areas for experience and levelling junkies, there remains the player crafting system, where players can make their own armours and weapons, ranging from a simple dagger to a huge mangonel for taking keeps - all without the requirement to constantly level up. The crafting system is simple and not overly tedious in terms of repeat mouse clicks. Again there is some added variety by being able to do consignment tasks for NPCs who will order bulk goods to be made for them.
Importantly, the DAOC economy is rather tight - this is great for the long term and a blessing for crafters who can undercut the extortionate prices of NPC vendors to sell items at a profit. Not only that, but player-made goods are of a higher quality than NPC goods and as such, the crafting system is robust, if not far ranging - the inability to enchant items remains a gaping hole in the system.
Guilds provide some outlet also for socialising and fighting together. Guilds can differentiate themselves by buying unique Coats of Arms which can be emblazoned on their cloaks and shields. They also track their total realm points (given for killing enemy players), how many keeps they have taken and how many relics captured. This system works, though is of no use other than crowing rights - promises of giving such aspects an actual reason are long standing. Relics also remain a mystery right now... they were originally slated as providing a benefit to the entire realm (each realm has only two) but they remain a total and undocumented secret. Due to the nature of siege warfare, it is highly unlikely that anybody will capture a relic anytime soon to unveil the enigma.
Before release, Mythic was immensely proud of its CSR team, its numbers and methodology for reporting almost every type of bug or player issue. Within two days of release, the entire system had practically melted down into a smouldering radioactive pile as player appeals went unanswered for very long periods of time. This has been historically solved by using volunteer players - something that most games companies now shy away from due to legal issues over minimum wages and various ongoing or partially resolved court cases. DAOC does have the ability to let players flag themselves as "advisors" after having played 15 hours of the game - somewhat of a joke in terms of the quality of answers one may receive and also a dangerous pursuit for high level players who immediately get swamped with "How do you level so fast?" and "Will you help level me please d00d?" - small wonder that the advice system is carefully and studiously avoided by many.
DAOC is in many ways an improvement on Everquest -- the most successful MMOG too date -- yet it also isn't hugely different until one enters into the PvP aspects, whereupon its potential really comes alive. It isn't superb in purist terms, but it is easy, good fun, fast and furious, which is all many players ask for. The fact that they strive to improve DAOC, is a reflection of the people who work on the game - there is no lumbering corporate giant here, just a small team of developers outnumbered by their customer services staff and frantically trying to keep up with player demands.
Newcomers to the genre, though, should consider no other due to its excellent combination of graphics, PvE, PvP, crafting and questing implemented in an easy to grasp format, which shouldn't tax the brain or require hours of surfing to find the best templates. Additionally, its overall stability, good looks, potential for growth, dedicated developer team and familiar theme make the game very much a winner. The first 100,000 units of this game were sold out almost before launch and the various servers have healthy populations on them (Mythic announced that 99,979 active accounts have been registered as of October 26). This includes the two "role-play" servers, another final minute addition by the developers and a gutsy one that has yet to be proved successful.
DAOC has been working on adding depth and variety to almost every facet to make it a great game, but it's very good now, it's worth playing now, and it's better than the competition when all of the elements are combined, if not outstanding in most individual areas. Can the relatively small team at Mythic make this transition to greatness come about?
They came out with the Free Expansion "Foudations".
Then there was "Shrouded Isles".
Just recently the expansion "Trials of Atlantis".
And the biggest and most anticipated yet to come: "Frontiers". A huge overhall of their most distinctive feature - Realm v Realm.
Only time will tell...
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Uh, how old is this write-up?
Speaking as one who recently went back to DAoC, I think it will definitely hold its own. I do foresee the need to consolidate a few of the lesser populated servers down the road, but it must be done carefully, as it almost serves as an admission of defeat, or at least decline. Still, the player community in DAoC is great and Mythic allows level 50 players to creat new chars at level 20 to help boost under populated realms. Despite this, I still see many players running around playing new characters (lev 1-10). I think the DAoC gold box has sold pretty well and you see many new players in Caer Gothwaite (Shrouded Isles).
While I haven't sprung for TOA (I will after Christmas), word is that it is a big success. Many players are spending time there, but it hasn't caused the SI or original worlds to be underused. DAoC may start to look long in the tooth by the time EQ2 and WoW get to market, but it won't be dead for a long time.
In fact, I predict AC and AC2 will fold before DAoC.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate. (written on the SW:G CD)
A: 73% E: 73% S: 40% K: 13%
-----
Old timer.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I actually do play at the weeeee morning hours and weeeee twilight hours. The only way you could get a group going was to plan a raid.
Also, I looooove the newest patch that was created while I was gone. No more sticky bugs at the BGs.
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Then you just proved my point, lol.
Aye, Mythic has done a great job of fixing bugs.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Mythic is doing a fine job of adding new things to the game. If one was to release barage of new conecepts, skills, monsters, items etc, the game would get too complicated for some and boring for most. You could never achieve dominance in a game that changed so rapidly. Think also, of how long it would take a dev team to write all this up and apply it on a regular basis.
Already Mythic applies monthly updates to the game at a standard pace.
If Mythic and their game "DAOC" is doing so crappy because of all the reasons i have had to argue with you for the past 5 days, then why the heck are they doing so good and why the heck are you playing it again!?!?
Go figure....
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I quit EQ for DAOC, then quit DAOC after a year. I went back to EQ, quit again after getting frustrated with the forced grouping, particularly in LDON. I think, however, that DAOC will not be competitive. One big difference is instancing. This 'personal pan dungeon' concept will pretty much become a standard and expected feature of MMORPGs. Any game without it will be at a disadvantage. I also think a dynamic story will become one of the standards. I also dont see DAOC able to compete with the volume EQ (and soon EQ2) can pump out in terms of variety. One of the major nails in DAOC's coffin is that in the time it has taken for it to put out 2 expansions, DAOC has put out 4 or 5. (Depending on where you start counting). I will say that I really, really like the vision of the DAOC designers vs. that of EQ's designers. I think Mark Jacobs commitment to retask their full team to coming out with new content for the existing players, not as an expansion but as free added content, says a lot about the quality of the folks at Mythic.
Nonetheless, I have a hard time getting psyched up for DAOC. The bottom line is I dont groove on PvP and the PvE experience in DAOC simply isnt that great. The servers are also WAY down in size since when I played. Even the most crowded server rarely has more than 1800. And assuming that about 300 of those are buff bots, thats not a lot of people playing the game.
I'm tracking City Of Heroes (!!!!) and Ultima X Online as the next MMORPGs I will be interested in.
I have not heard much of City of Heros, yet Ultima X is something I too look forward to. I must admit I too am getting bored with DAOC.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I am with you on this. They need to make transportation more interactive. Granted they did this within TOA, using your own boat system. However the main lands and SI still lack something of this nature.
In Albion SI you have huge dragon flies to ride on at one section. In Hibernia you can ride a wyrvnn! Not sure what Midgard has got as I haven't played too much of them yet. Toa has a rideable Hammer Head Shark route to Methos and so on.... If it were possible indeed like you say, to have or control a charmed creature for those with such an ability to use as transportation.... again like you say horse war-fare ie. back in the stone-ages (as i think this game is set) Jousting Tournaments! as an example... or my favorite somewhat influenced my dragon empires.... rideable dragons that you could use in RVR.... fry the suckers from a high... Imagine a roleplaying elf ranger on a giant eagle/griffin shooting away at the little people below hehe ok im getting carried away here.....
Such great ideas cannot be looked down apon, for it is thoughts and ideas from the fan that truely shape a game's future. These and any others anyone else has should be put to the devs of the game. Best way to do it is via Camelot Heralds's links of contact.
Nice going Batlas
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind..-'Jim Morrison"
"When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out." ~Abbie Hoffman
Once again you fail to post anything of consequence to the disscussion at hand!
We are NOT talking about the Teleportation Pads located within the Frontier Forts!
Rather the transportation routes located within the Realms themselves!
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I am curious about WoW once they fix the bugs I hear they have in it. A friend of mine is a beta tester for it. Anyways, I've been with DAoC for 2 yrs.
I agree, that there are some things I wish they would have fixed rather then make another expansion pack. For one, I was disappointed with ToA after a week, and went back to using SI instead.
Did you notice the frontier maps they did for Midgard and then how poorly they addressed Hibernian's frontier maps. Either you get them too big to read, or too small.
As for the ride in SI, yes, that is cute. Another form to get around rather then by horse. But I still don't see the true help it gives to the game, other that you have to kill a few monsters to change the faction to be allowed to enter the city to be able to ride the creature anyways.
Another thing disappointing is being in an alliance and feeling like most the time you're talking to yourself. Oh well, right now I am rethinking of changing alliances. Time will tell.
The game though itself, is better to me then UO had become in my final year playing it. I have no regrets moving on from that game.
I did talk to a lady who houses many different guilds from different games though. She said that DAoC ranked the highest, and that SWG ranked next.
That has to say something for us diehards. *chuckles*
I don't think I'll be interested in EQ though, because I hear unless you're one of those "vets", they don't give you the time of day if you're new. Or so I hear.
Basically, I want to stick with a good MMORPG game that keeps the chars looking realistic enough, and not cartoony. Ones where the graphics don't look like the designer should have finished art school.
And I am holding my breath somewhat to see what I'll think of the frontier change when it happens, before I finally give up on the game and call it quits and look for a new and better MMORPG game that will bring challenge and fun to my free time when I have it.
I don't live online anymore, real life and work keeps me busy as well.
I think the only thing that keeps me from quitting now is my friends I've made, and the time my husband and I share still online from time to time.
Live Life to its Fullest!
Veilyne - 50 Celtic Bard - Percival/Hibernia
I wish you all the best on your search for the better MMORPG. As far as DAOC goes, I would stick around just long enoguh to see if the Frontiers expansion really does make a difference. Being the main focus of the game.
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
Mal, that's what I figured too.
But don't you agree..ToA..I mean come on..its so lame.
My husband was in ToA with Smukeen, and then logged out. He forgot, and logged in under SI. You know what happened? Every time he tried to sit down to log out, it kept standing him back up. So finally he just rebooted it!
Not to mention the lag. I have a good connection, and yes, I understand lag, like when a huge group is on their way to either a Dragon Raid, or a Relic Raid..but just to move around ToA sometimes? Now that's annoying!
I would like to see Indisar get to LGM though. *grins* Going to have to rough up Smukeen to give her some coin to do so. *laughs*
Ever wonder though, once they do the new frontier, how they will top it?
Live Life to its Fullest!
Veilyne - 50 Celtic Bard - Percival/Hibernia
I too have had that problem where u log out and get stuck and it tries to place you back at a safe spot but u stick and rubber band and fall back into an endless cycle... I forget what i did but needless to say my inf was kinda pissed...
After the frontiers expansion im not too sure what they will come up with next.... the toa concept was a mind blowing one at that. it just came out of nowhere and the ideas behind it were great... pity they just didnt put much work into it as i would have liked. but it was a definate improvement graphic wise.
i guess they will come up with another concept. Something I would like to see is another dungeon that is Realm controlled, much like DF is atm.
Just a thought....
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"
I thought about this a little more. DAOC's devs have missed the window. They have gotten a rep as 'great RvR, bad PvE', when they should have gotten 'Great PvE AND Great RvR'. Most players arent interested in RvR. Or they dont know they are. Also DAOC is really wide open for getting robbed of the RvR/PvP title. The way they did it, they LIMITED the playable space drastically, so that they had to duplicate everything three times. A much smarter way would be smaller zones, like the battlegrounds, where guilds or factions could battle for control of key points that gave advantages like +5% hp, or +5% atk speed to those who held them, and you scored points in the zones that could be used to boost up your character. Outside of the conflict zones you could adventure together and the devs could focus on more playable content for EVERYONE.
I'll be REALLY surprised if one of the new games coming out doesnt come up with a way of doing PvP/GvG so that it matters, but not so that it interfere with gameplay for those who arent interested. Getting the best of both worlds.
Didn't AC2 brush on this concept somewhat ? Kingdom v Kingdom. Special areas including towns could be fought over and controlled by a Kingdom which further enhanced all faction members? ie. Bonuses to crafting, damage inflicted, armour values etc...
- Malkavian
"When you find yourself sinking into Madness, dive"