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Age of Conan the game for me?
Numquam
Member Posts: 24
I'm leaving WoW simply becuase I think PvP took to much focus by now, making PvE "only" about seeing the content. I believe that Blizzard have screwed the game up completely by now, pleasing the PvP'ers and the casuals so much that the game makes no sense anymore.
The games at the top of my list of possible replacements are Aion and AoC, but some information concerns me.
I'm asking the users here if they think this game will be something for me after having read the rest of this post.
My biggest fear is that this game will be to casual and/or to PvP-oriented. I like PvP, but as a bonus to good PvE experiences (like it was in WoW from the start, maybe just a little bit modified so endgame "raiders" are not that overpowered).
I like it when determination matters and I don't want a game in which skill matters a lot more than dedication. I want a game in which the main priority is gathering the gear and learning abilities, not a game that any FPS- or Tekken-fanatic can enter and dominate after 3 weeks simply because he's got faster reflexes than the next guy. Of course skill should matter - and always will - but if it was only about skill, why not just play any FPS on the market?
What I'm looking for in a game is:
• Dedication paying off in the long run
Upgrades should not be to easy to obtain, and they shouldn't be given to people for free after a certain amount of time. Working for your gear over an amount of time should benefit you and matter more than anything else.
• PvE-content and a point in building guilds
It should be required to find together in guild-like groups to see the endgame content. Also, PvE should be the main focus of the game. Abilities and skills should not be changed all the time due to the developers trying to balance PvP better.
• Not to much hybrid-fuss
A healer should be a healer and a tank should be a tank. All the hybrid confusion seems to me to make games to advanced for the developers to keep them balanced.
• Nice controls and Interface
One thing I really enjoyed about WoW was the nice controls and the possibility to tweak the interface a lot. These features are next to a must for me when I find my new game.
• Balanced requirements
I need a game in which it pays of to spend quite a lot of time, but not a game that requires me to play 10+ hours a day. I will probably spend 20-25 hours a week or so and I don't mind not getting the very best gear with that time put in, but I would like it to be enough for getting somewhere in the game.
What I'm really not looking for in a game is:
• PvP balance dictating all skills and abilities
• To many changes made all the time that requires people to change playstyle.
• A whole lot of people below the age of 17
With these things in mind, do you people think that AoC is the game for me?
Comments
I can't tell you whether you're going to like AoC, even on the premises of discussing the game in theoretical basis, let alone playing it and witnessing for yourself. But I'll give it a try.
Dedication paying in the long run: Hard to tell without the game running for some time. Also everyone's mileage differs so it's not easy to give an objective overview.
PvE content and a point in building guids: There are multiple tiered dungeons planned for launch. In comparison WoW did not have any dungeons when it launched. How hardcore these dungeons will be is a heated matter on these boards, since most people can only speculate on the matter. For guilds you have guild made towns for PvE and keeps for PvP. The PvP conflict will be limited in the borderlands in the PvE servers. The whole game seems to be structured around guilds and the conflict that will happen between them (at least on the PvP servers). PvE servers will also see conflict but it will be more restricted to specific zones.
Not too much hybrid fuzz: Tough luck here I'm afraid. All classes are hybrids even when maintaining their primary role. That in my opinion gives space for more diverse gameplay, instead of pigeonholing yourself in a certain role. Take the rogue archetype for example. You have the assassin, stealth damage dealer, the barbarian, raw damage dealer and the ranger, range damage dealer. Same archetype, all three play differently. Even among the same class the trees allow for diversity.
The general vision for the classes is that they can fulfil their primary role as a function of their class, while feats are used to spice up things in different directions. A necromancer for example is a damage dealer that can either focus on raw damage or minion damage. A guardian is a tank that can either focus on sword & shield or spears and still be able to tank in the same capacity. Healers also vary on the utility they bring along, not their healing capacity.
Nice controls and interface: That's a bit subjective. The melee plays differently than what you're generally used to. Ranger combat follows the melee system more or less. Healer plays differently (well, depending on the healer class you played in WoW), since for the most part is directional and HoT based. Magic I'd say it's 50/50 new/conventional system, depending on class and spell.
Balance requirements: That's totally subjective. The requirements are something that you make them. But generally I believe it'll follow the general MMO model, aka the more you play, the better you become, the more people you meet, the more you see. But since you're an adult (as it's meant to be played by adults), the limits are yours to enforce.
PvP balance: The game for the most part will be about the conflict, either between players or guilds. Therefore, I would expect PvP to influence the balance a lot I'm afraid.
Changes: That's a given in any MMO really. I just can't see it not happening as there isn't a game out there that hasn't rebalanced since launch.
A whole lot of people below 17: The game is targetted towards an adult audience. Not a mature audience I'm afraid, that's impossible to regulate. So even if they were able to keep the under-aged away from the game, it is impossible to keep the immature out. So, sorry, but I fear that this game will have an equal amount of immature people as any game out there.
Hope I helped. By the way, you forgot to change the name of the game, seems that you posted this on the Aion forums as well.
Thanks a lot for your reply. Can't ask for much more than that, really
I didn't think that AoC was based primarily on PvP untill now, I thought that it was mainly a PvE game. My bad.
(Getting kinda tired of PvP taking up so much focus in the larger MMORPGs, tbh. I like PvP, but the game shouldn't evolve around it - basically that takes the RPG out of MMORPG, doesn't it?)
You main point seems to be, though, that I should try the game out for myself? Think I'm going to do just that.
Regarding rebalancing, some tweaking will always be needed of course. I just think that some changes in WoW has been over the top. (Like removing deadzone for hunters, increasing mana regen from spirit for priests by 30% while casting etc).
Yeah, posted on the Aion forums aswell, these are the 2 games I'm considering. Maybe someone knows a game that might suit me better, after having read my initial post?
Thanks again for the reply, much appreciated.
This looks like it's shaping up to be another game that caters to the kids who play 20 hours a day and join 1337 guilds. So if that's you, and your computer can handle it's graphics requirements this might be for you. Personally I was dissappointed that the game is shaping up like that, but that appears to be the case.
The thing that will hurt it though is that WoW already offers those features. and doesn't require a high end computer. I think AoC will have a small player base, composed largely of angry tier 2 guilds who decide they hate their current WoW servers and want to start over somewhere else where they dominate....
Best thing to do is wait it out for an open beta stress test or a free trial when it hits the net. If you happen to know someone who bought the game when it releases, ask them to let you have a crack at it.
Even the most honest review of the game will still be based on the writers likes/dislikes. Many people here can give you thier honest opinion (once they have played it) but even if what they say sounds like something you might like, its still worth waiting till you can give it a whirl without an upfront commitment.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
To wihtgar:
Wish all the great guildmates that I played with all these years had the same taste as me but, alas, this is not the case. It's just too awesome to consider but it won't happen (not talking WoW specifically here). Ultimately, we pick the entertainment we enjoy best and unlike the younger population, adults are swayed harder towards other games. AoC will live by it's own merits or die by it's own shortcomings. Hoping that the failure or boredom of other games will bring revenue is a fool's hope.
All in all, I'm glad plenty of good AAA MMOs are scheduled for release this year. Hopefully the homeless gamers among us will find a new shelter.
By the way, I'm 35 but refuse to grow up. Does that make me a kid?
To fyerwall:
Great advice. The best thing one can do is disregard anything written on these forums and have a first hand experience for him/herself. Beyond a general description of what the features of a game are, noone can give as good an overview as a first hand experience.
In all honesty, even the most anticipated games have a probability of failure. The AoC developers took serious gambles on several game mechanics, most prominent being the M rating. In three months, if the game launch is not moved, we'll be able to judge for ourselves if the deviations were well implemented and worth the gamble.