I tried this game at release, but I honestly didn't feel like it had anything to pull me away from any of the other existing games, be it WOW, Lord of the Rings Online, AOC, SWTOR, etc. It had the worst story out of all of those games and to many of us story and good questing matters.
This was my problem. I liked the multi-classing/skill tree system to mix and match various builds. Combat was smooth with fluid animations. But the story didn't make a lot of sense and delivered very poorly. I wouldn't typically call myself a lore buff in mmos but I need at least a basic understanding of what is going on. I was just going through all the motions of leveling and questing without any clue what was happening. There was no hook to really pull me into the game and keep me there.
Yeah i did the same thing and redownloaded Rift. I finally got my two characters to level 64 so i could play in those high level zones and i'm having a blast. I forgot how freaking cool that wardrobe system was too. Forgot how cool my housing looked. Did some instant adventures and it was filled with players and really fun this weekend with the xp boost for everything. Now i hope it really doesn't shutdown.
This article is not being fair at all. Most people who get into a new MMO or go back want to reach max level asap that is where the people are its not a new MMO its 10 years old. You give FF XIV such high praise but one of the huge issues in that game is getting to the end game where all the players are.
This is so true. Once you get into the past level 60 zones you will see a ton of players and it really surprised me.
This article is not being fair at all. Most people who get into a new MMO or go back want to reach max level asap that is where the people are its not a new MMO its 10 years old. You give FF XIV such high praise but one of the huge issues in that game is getting to the end game where all the players are.
FFXIV has no business being on this list at all imo, as it's one of the most popular AAA MMOs on the market and is still considered modern, not dated. No comparison.
Waste of a once great and fun MMO. It was enough like WoW to make it popular, but still had several things that set it apart. Trion destroyed this game, period. Gamigo is just finishing it off.
Rift always felt like the bastard child of Warhammer and WoW......When i started playing it, it felt like I had done it before and was pretty boring.
The class/soul system is leagues beyond both of those games. It took the best parts of the games you mentioned and incorporated it into its own. Doesn't sound like you made it very far....
For as much shit as people (rightfully) give to Trion, they started out pretty decent. What other MMOs were handing out unlimited free spec and server changes? I feel like, at least in the beginning, that Trion really wanted the consumer friendly thing to work.
Whether the way they ended up was due to their monetization practices being the only way to stay afloat or whether it was outside pressure or whatever it was is something we can probably only speculate on.
The first few months of Rift were a lot of fun, though!
Trion started out amazing, and the Rift launch was one of the smoothest in MMO history. I think the success went to their heads, they quickly got to the "screw the player base" point.
I would love a "Reroll" article on Warhammer Online Reckoning- I know it is a private server... but it is 100% free and many feel superior to the live version with many improvements and some custom stuff. Very active (averages >1200 players concurrent 6-8 hours primetime on the one server).
MMORPG PvP and RvR doesn't seem your thing, but it's probably one of the best active games for it right now IMO. And you can be be decent at level 19 with the booster system ( a few hours to get to that level).
Even if you're bad at pvp, it's group pvp based game... so you can join a public 20 person warband, with a click, and tag along and do the best you can.
I also know a bunch of cool guilds that would let you play along and experience some of the more advanced dungeons and PvP stuff (end game City Sieges).
PS endgame Public quests (like raids) and dungeons are pretty busy. Their is a LFG global chat channel.
Well, I could write you a few paragraphs on RoR. I am not prosaic(more to the point and exact)and I am not official, but if you want...then again, you probably know already.
As for Rift, it's a tragic reminder on what not to do and how not to do it. There are few good things hidden somewhere here, but overall? Just mediocre, it's basically THE WoW clone(™). Up until halfway through Storm Legion it was fine, but then it quickly deteorirated after Nightmare Tide etc.
Storm Legion was pretty good, but it's also when the mismanagement started. If I recall correctly the original team had built much of the SL content but it wasn't finished. The problems with and following SL were due in large part to their internal issues.
[...]
Things didn't instantly go to pot, but the decline was definitely in motion and really easy to see now in hindsight.
You're probably right in that.
Since Rift wasn't my main game, I was just coming and going and probably that's why I started to notice the shift later.
But just did some digging now and yep, it's "really easy to see now in hindsight."
Looks like the time between SL and NT was a bumpy ride for Trion, with multiple layoffs, split focus on development which was taxing on a Trion-sized studio, Hartsman leave and then return, community management issues, etc.
With just 1-2 months of play occasionally, I pretty much missed all those drama to be honest.
Ok, not the multiple development at once, Defiance was actually good and I've played it for quite some time - though there was also End of Nations to suck up extra development resources, and really, anyone even remembers of that failure?
Anyhow, I can get now why many of you say the downhill started after SL.
Too bad you didn't give Rift a chance. You should have spent time in the Carnival of the Ascended World Event for the 10th anniversary. That event has pinatas to break, carnival games, a special Carnival instant adventures series, daily and weekly quests, raid rifts, achievements, artifact sets to collect, lots of mounts, pets, dimension items and wardrobe items as rewards, etc. There was also no mention of dimensions and the wardrobe/dye system, which are popular features.
It's not true that you can't level via footholds, rifts and zone events. Many rifts can easily be soloed, and there are daily quests to close rifts and defeat planar invaders in most zones. You can even summon a group of 5 NPCs to help you destroy a foothold.
Zone events often attract enough players to complete them especially the World Event ones and twice monthly Call to Action ones. You can always ask for help in chat.
About level 50, there are Onslaughts. where you can summon 4 cannons and 4 healing stations, each with 2 NPCs, to help you defend a foothold from hordes of invaders. You can repair the cannons and healing stations if they are damaged and resummon them if they are destroyed. If the invaders destroy your foothold and build theirs, you can then summon your 5 NPCs to join the fight.
Trion started out amazing, and the Rift launch was one of the smoothest in MMO history. I think the success went to their heads, they quickly got to the "screw the player base" point.
Rift was in trouble very early because players bought the game but then many did not maintain the monthly subscription for very long. Had Rift gone FTP from the start it might have done better.
Trion tried the lucrative Asian markets in 2012 but the subscription model proved very unpopular there too. Rift lasted less than a year in Asia despite an expensive advertising campaign in China with 3 American celebrities.
I don't think it was "screw the player base" as much as just trying to stay afloat and satisfy their investors. Rift promised frequent updates but that required sufficient revenue.
Waste of a once great and fun MMO. It was enough like WoW to make it popular, but still had several things that set it apart. Trion destroyed this game, period. Gamigo is just finishing it off.
Rift always felt like the bastard child of Warhammer and WoW......When i started playing it, it felt like I had done it before and was pretty boring.
The class/soul system is leagues beyond both of those games. It took the best parts of the games you mentioned and incorporated it into its own. Doesn't sound like you made it very far....
I think I made it to level 20 or so but found it very boring...That was all I could take...Thanks for your response though...it sounds like the players that drudged through past level 60 really liked the game, but I just couldnt stomach any more.
Comments
This was my problem. I liked the multi-classing/skill tree system to mix and match various builds. Combat was smooth with fluid animations. But the story didn't make a lot of sense and delivered very poorly. I wouldn't typically call myself a lore buff in mmos but I need at least a basic understanding of what is going on. I was just going through all the motions of leveling and questing without any clue what was happening. There was no hook to really pull me into the game and keep me there.
This is so true. Once you get into the past level 60 zones you will see a ton of players and it really surprised me.
FFXIV has no business being on this list at all imo, as it's one of the most popular AAA MMOs on the market and is still considered modern, not dated. No comparison.
The class/soul system is leagues beyond both of those games. It took the best parts of the games you mentioned and incorporated it into its own. Doesn't sound like you made it very far....
Trion started out amazing, and the Rift launch was one of the smoothest in MMO history. I think the success went to their heads, they quickly got to the "screw the player base" point.
Well, I could write you a few paragraphs on RoR. I am not prosaic(more to the point and exact)and I am not official, but if you want...then again, you probably know already.
As for Rift, it's a tragic reminder on what not to do and how not to do it. There are few good things hidden somewhere here, but overall? Just mediocre, it's basically THE WoW clone(™). Up until halfway through Storm Legion it was fine, but then it quickly deteorirated after Nightmare Tide etc.
It's not true that you can't level via footholds, rifts and zone events. Many rifts can easily be soloed, and there are daily quests to close rifts and defeat planar invaders in most zones. You can even summon a group of 5 NPCs to help you destroy a foothold.
Zone events often attract enough players to complete them especially the World Event ones and twice monthly Call to Action ones. You can always ask for help in chat.
About level 50, there are Onslaughts. where you can summon 4 cannons and 4 healing stations, each with 2 NPCs, to help you defend a foothold from hordes of invaders. You can repair the cannons and healing stations if they are damaged and resummon them if they are destroyed. If the invaders destroy your foothold and build theirs, you can then summon your 5 NPCs to join the fight.
I think I made it to level 20 or so but found it very boring...That was all I could take...Thanks for your response though...it sounds like the players that drudged through past level 60 really liked the game, but I just couldnt stomach any more.