Thinking about DAOC

Comments

• Illius Member UncommonPosts: 4,142

  March 2007

  DAoC is an all around good game, back when I played it, I did so from launch untill about 3 months before the launch of Wow.  When I started with DAoC it was full of people, they didn't RP all the time unless you went to an RP designated server (yes they had those, 2 I believe) where it was concidered propper to stay in character.  I stayed away from those servers. 

  Seeing how you want to get into this game now you will have to overcome some of the inevitable problems that arise when you decide to play an established game that's been running for 4+ years.  The "noob" or starter areas will probably not have all that meny people in it.  The ones you find there are probably gonna be as new to the game as you or the veterans who are bored with rvr and want to roll an alt for one of the battlegrounds.  Meny of the people playing DAoC at ths time are going to be max level, have all the right gear and are probably going to just keep out in the RvR zone killing other players with little regard for pve as it was never the focus of their gaming expeience, they were more concerned with fighting for towers and keeps then killing mobs as it was in my case.

  With the multitude of expansions both free and paid and the latest graphics improvements you'll have plenty of things to explore and see and since you mentioned that you're not in a hurry you might end up liking what you see and might get the rush I got when I first tried the game almost 5 years ago.  The crafting in itself is not a very fun process, and it will take you a decent ammount of gold/platinum and quite a bit of time to get to the point that you can make items you can use that will be at your level.  It is a repetitive process where you have to make different pieces of the final item then you have to combine them to make the final product but it will just be you sitting next to a forge or lathe or near the npc that sells you your material and you'll be watching a line move across the screen with a high pitched "ding" if you succeed and a "gong" noise if you fail to make the item you were crafting.

  I have not played the game in some time and have not seen the new graphics as well as the last x-pac.  My post may sound a bit depressing and detering you from playing this game is the last thing I want to do.  All I'm trying to do is paint a picture for you so that if/when you decide to pick this up don't get your hopes extremely high.  Play the game, do some RvR (DAoC term for pvp) and even give the crafting process a try, I for one hated it and didn't bother.  Hats off to all those people who suffered through it to make me my MP weapons and stuff.  I especially recommend the classic servers, but I'm kinda biased toward them since I didn't enjoy the Trials of Atlantis expansion and the classic servers do not have that particular expansion on them but all the others are running.  And if you want to participate in early RvR I suggest you get to lvl 20 wich is fairly easy and go into a battleground called Thidranki,  that's where I spent the majority of time in the months leading up to me leaving.  It's a BG that limits the players to lvl 20-24, it has a castle on the center island with 3 bridges connecting each realm to it.  You can knock huge holes through the keep walls, run around the large area as you please and kill the enemy where you find them, hopefully before they kill you.

  PvP in camelot is still concidered to be top notch by meny people and I'd have to side with them on that.  I have yet to find a game that gave me the same enjoyment out of pvp as camelot did.  In the end I say try it with reasonable expectations.  You just might be surpised by the outcome.  I believe you can pick up a Platinum Edition box set that will give you all the expansions along with the game by now so it shoulsn't be a big hit to the walet.

  If you decide to try it I hope you have fun

  No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-
• matheis83 Member Posts: 11

  March 2007

  Hi Sonicring,
  
  
  
  I also have played D2,Eq2,Dungeon Seige,SWG, and a handfull others. D2 was my first mmorpg I played. I am a 24 year old man from California who enjoys online gameing. DAOC was my 2nd game I played and probebly my most favorite mmorpg of all time. Allthough I have not played DAOC for since early  2005 about over 3  years ago i have had some nice memories of it. This game has the best combat system out of all the games I played (shadowbane closley matchs to it)
  
  
  
  Basicly to sum it up about 4 different combat styles.
  
  
  
  -RVR (REALM VS REALM) possibly my most favorite basicly there is 3 factions Albion (king arthur/scottish) Hibernia(celts/Ireland) Midgard(Vikings/saxons) you fight in battle fields attacking/defending  castle keeps/fortresses using historicly accuret seige equiptment.
  
  
  
  -PVP (player vs player) basicly anarchy combat no rules you can attack anyone anywhere I found this less fun inless you like to roleplay a bandit or like gang fights.
  
  
  
  -Single player (COOP) no pvp or rvr just killing monsters with friends (i found this one the least fun)
  
  
  
  -roleplay server ( i liked to roleplay not really a hardcore roleplayer but just enjoyed a more mature enviorment)
  
  
  
  The beauty of DAOC is it is pure realism/history combined with fantasy/fiction the details in combat  are really nice. Most fantasy games now lack realism and are standerd cookiee cutter crap that does not even bother to add a little history to it. (EQ/Diablo 2) for instance.
  
  
  
  However, The current state of the game has made me leave. towards the middle part  of 2004 I didnt like the path mythic was taking DAOC. By then the game interface was way out dated. Insted of making a DAOC 2 (following everquest 2) and rebuilding a newer interface they just kept making more expansions and making software upgrades to DAOC. Which didnt really change the buttons/interface. Furthermore, i noticed the population starting to decrease they started moveing to other games such as shadowbane/WoW/swg and others.
  
  
  
  A few months ago I found some more disturbing news Mythic had sold us out to EA GAMES, take note EA games is one of the worst gameing companys in history, they don't give a shit about there consumers they care more about money & making shitty cookiee cutter games without putting effort into them to make them fun. I guess Mythic didnt want to make a DAOC 2 and just let DAOC die out which is probebly a good thing cause in my view that game is legendary and it will always hold a place in my heart with the good memories I had in it.
  
  
  
  Honestly I would not recondmend going to DAOC. The game is not dead yet it still has some life in it but pretty much the death warrent was signed when EA games had taken it over. This game is real time conusming and if you are a casuel player you will not be able to get high level inless someoen power levels you. Which is highly unlikely most people playing now are hardcore vetrens who have stayed with the game. This game was meant to have a high player base with massive battles. Now that the population has decreased its a ghost town. The numbers may increase depending on how well EA can maintain it. A average life span for a MMORPG is about 5 years DAOC has made it way past that its now been about 7 years.
  
  
  
  I think if you are into realistic fighting and enjoy history particuly the medieval times you will enjoy this game but the current state of decay it is in might draw you away. I really recondmend shadowbane insted its a bit newer and is alot like DAOC mixed up with diablo 2 however I think shadowbane may be worse off then DAOC.
  
  
  
  It seems like the "golden age" for mmorpgs is over everyone now is addicted to these crappy "cartoonish" mmorpgs like everquest and world of warcraft.
  
  
  
  If you have any further questions about DAOC contact me on xfire my name is rambomatt
• Ogrelin Member Posts: 636

  March 2007

  Hi and welcome to the daocboards!

  DAoC is very much alive and kicking atm, the most active servers are the classic server and the startareas are very active with new players and if you need advice from more experianced players just type /advice and you probably will find a few volounteers ready to ask your questions.

  I just started anew on the us-classic servers and I'v had no problem finding new friends ect.

  Give it a try!
• DOAWolf Member Posts: 1

  April 2007

  Hi, DOAC has just gone thru some very nice changes imo. the bow class have gotten some much need love and are now fun to play. the catacombs and LoM class cant be /leveled or auto 20ed, so there are lots of ppl in the starter zones. also they are giving X2 exp in those zone for faster leveling..i left and played wow for a time, wow was disappointing so came back.. i think you would enjoy the game.

  perfection is obtainable,,you just gotta work at it.