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AOC Review
gamaray
Member Posts: 39
Take from this what you will. There is no hidden agenda or bias concerning my review of the game. I had anticipated this release and was hopeful it would replace some other mmo's my time is currently invested in. I won't rebut or delve into any responses, it's simply what I've experienced and had to critique in a positive form. From a post count standpoint (being at 0) it's virgin territory.
On the specification's of the rigs that the game was installed on. Both PC's are fully optimized strictly for gaming and gaming only. I used a single core and a dual to see how wide the gap was on performance. Anyway..
Athlon fx57 2.8ghz
Gforce 7800 gtx 256
10k raptors
2g DDR2
roughly 15 to 55fps sometimes higher/lower
Gforce 7800 gtx 256
10k raptors
2g DDR2
roughly 15 to 55fps sometimes higher/lower
Intel core2 3.2ghz
Gforce 9800 gtx 512
10 raptors
2g DDR3
Roughly 55 to 90fps sometimes higher/lower
Gforce 9800 gtx 512
10 raptors
2g DDR3
Roughly 55 to 90fps sometimes higher/lower
Both PC's handled the game fine and loading times were minimal on both. SO folks with older single string cores shouldn't be discouraged. Just have your pc optimized for gaming and understand you'll have to compromise some with the game options.
To let the cat out of the bag early, I'm extremely disappointed with this title and I'm very unhappy with the hype it received from the mmo community. It goes without saying but it will be said anyway, take any opinion on any upcoming title with mammoth grains of salt.
Graphics - with a high clip plane setting this game is gorgeous. Flora, fauna and structures are beautiful and they banked heavily on water and shadows. Just outstanding in regards to viewing the environments from intermediate to long distances. So, this is awesome when your running around in the 3rd person view and swinging the camera angle around to enjoy your surroundings. Unfortunate you'll have to shift your distance to close up, or relatively close and both PC's experienced frequent glitching with textures and NPC's in nearly all zones. Up close and personal just isn't 2008 type quality and certainly doesn't live up to it's billing.
Questing - I mentioned running. Well, yeah...you better get used to it because redundant quests are at hand. Very little in the way of imagination or originality in the quest department. Your typical A to B and back to A again. They were kind enough to throw C & D in there from time to time, just in case you weren't growing accustomed to /autorun. The quest windows are elderly and unimaginative to say the least. Nearly all quests arrive via cinematic w/voice perspective initially and then when your off the noob Isle they destroy it with horrible "uh huh's" or just a grunt here or there from the npc. It's old school all the way, not a sliver of what one would expect from 2008 type quality and five years of development.
NPC's - Beginners isle offers some voice_overs (I think they used one woman for all female npc's) and they're fair. The locals, city guards and vendors are nothing to write home about. It doesn't take too long to discover it's not 2008 quality and perhaps the multiple years of development went elsewhere. Mobs/monsters doesn't paint a better picture for things to come. Alligators and Pirates with poor pathing mechanics doesn't help the cause.
NPC's have generic italic tags that include their level and sometimes the title (minion) or (Boss). Here is a review of an NPC tag.
Mr. Nobody
(BOSS)
(BOSS)
It looks nearly no different above than it does ingame. And that include your target window, and that adds insult to injury considering they use the term (Boss) quite loosely. Many bosses that offer very little in the way of reward loot/exp or otherwise.
Character & Movement - Another in the loss column. Character creation has many options hair/ facial/color, etc. And that's where your unique features end, because you'll look the same as nearly all other characters. The gear, looking nearly the same for all toons will reduce any uniqueness you were looking for. By lvl 30 ( 15-30 hours) you'll look identical to all other similar classes. It continues as Robe/armor and sword/staff are generic at best and you'll fail if your looking to be unique in any way.
Much of the gear comes with modifiers that add to offensive and defense, whether you be caster or melee. A big problem a couple of guildies had were the offensive spell bonuses. We equipped and unequipped for multiple parses and there was zero indication that the modifiers were effective in anyway. It appears to only create some decisions you'll make on which gear to equip i.e. which gear is an upgrade.
The character movement and terrain don't appear to get along much. You'll find many a invisible stone or wall that will stop you in your tracks while running on what appears to be smooth flat surfaces or unimpeded paths. Sprint is pathetic, it offers roughly 5 seconds of improved run speed, slightly less if your caster & slightly more if your melee and your stamina is high. Jumping and overall character movement fails miserably if you factor in, once again the year -> 2008 and the 5 years development. The movement is just so bad, nearing the embarrassing quite frankly.
Instancing - They tried and succeeding on a few of the mid-high and high lvl stuffs, I'm just not sure many people will be around much longer to enjoy them. The lack of quality and quantity on the mid to low lvls doesn't add longevity to ones subscription. Nearly all of them are your generic mob's in a box ballgame and fails again.
UI - If you've played, you know the deal. Same ole same ole and ole means old, really old. This is as old school as it gets..nothing is 2008 here. You can flip some things vertical that were otherwise horizontal, but it's static and bland. Less truly would have been more here. Just fail on existing fail.
Spell graphics - non existent. If your looking for razzle dazzle out of your finger twidler, you'll find none here. This is bottom of the barrel for gamers who prefer glitz with their gaming. True mmo caster type peoples are gone or will be very very soon. Absolutely zero to see and nothing even remotely close to 2008 or 5 years of development. It's either a insulting fail or an intentional absence. I feel kinda bad for my caster type buddy. But then again...he's already gone.
PVP - Yessir...this is what this title is all about. And rightfully so, since it has nothing else.
We heard the talking point buzzword "Skill based" far too often leading up to this titles release. Well, if you've got skills you'll be too busy using them to overcome the character movement, which reduces any skill you thought was going to be exercised here. When you factor in the glitches and character movement feebleness your going to look elsewhere for your ownage. Class imbalance is a lot of whining on the pvp server we're killing on. But character movement is so unclean that we're about done with it. in either case, after the beta fail and release neglect, coupled with "where the heck is 2008 here" old school everything, we're left with one option.
If you were wondering why the free trial or the buddy key came in your box without a number? 2 +2 =4 with 4 (let alone 7) being more than enough days to expose or discover, it should be free. And then again, sometimes free is too much.
That's quick and basic after our 30 peep guild pretty much dropped the game today.
Comments
Yikes.
Ok well back to the bench.
/DND till WAR
Clever things.
Happy I preordered the game, sold the preorder codes and left the game sealed
. Not sure if I will try it or not, but even if I try it and never play it again, still got the game for free.
I wasn't even considering getting this game until the hype about it in the last couple weeks. It really does seem like a love it or hate it type of game. And a game like that with no open beta or trial, will keep a lot of people (such as myself) from actually trying it.
Time to wait for Aion and WAR!
then why mention it?
This is the dumbest review I have read yet. You havent told me anything that any troll hasnt already told me.
In fact I COULDVE WRITTEN THIS REVIEW AND I HAVENT PLAYED THE GAME YET FFS.
Please in future when you write a review dont be baised it makes you look like a troll ..
If you say whats bad say how they couldve done it better ..etc etc . Tell us good things and bad things , obviously its not all bad because other players are saying how awesome the game is
I concur with the op on many things. I'm getting a lot of static for talking folks into the pre-order.
The caster issue is very real. All of my gaming friends won't play at all anymore and it's only been a few days. Although, they're mostly PVE types and enjoy the spell graphics, being a PVP nut, I can understand why spell graphics are non existent. It would have probably made an unplayable (for some) game even moreso.
You simply can't deny the player movement is weak at best, it's not as fluid as I would have liked. Things aren't getting any better on the servers, making characters on multiple PVP servers as I try to find a solid PVP base to share in the carnage.
It's a stinker too, I was really banking on this being kick-ass gameplay where I could hang my hat for a while. Sadly it isn't gonna happen, not for any other reason than quality. As the op mentioned, 2008 seemed to be his theme and this isn't even remotely close to 2008.
The environment is stunning for the most part, with distance viewing being really enjoyable. Man, it's just beautiful in many of the zones, I've found myself stopping and scoping out the ruins or castle from a distance and admiring that quality. But then, up close and personal isn't so stunning and I wouldn't mind booting some folks off of my Ventrilo server. The rendering has caused a lot of moaning and complaining.
I enjoyed watching two chickens (they named them Cocks) plucking one another too death. Blood pooled around them as the massive thumps of each pluck gave life (or death) to the empty small town. To seek fefuge from the epic battle, I entered the pub. Belches and flatulence permeated the otherwise cozy pub. Some of the locals must have ran off the band because I was really looking for some good toons, none to be had. Two of the patrons had a disagreement and began fisticuffs, I think they were faking though. They were drawing blood from the air, cause they certainly weren't hitting one another.
Not wanting the blood that was spewing out of the air to stain my Tunic, I ventured out once again. I notice a exclamation point over the head of a local. After a few grunts and multiple hand gestures I received a quest, which I will now go and seek out some wildlife and collect body parts.
As for the buddy keys? You get a guest pass that has no key on it, the instructions point you towards your account page, where you will be provided with the key. No key exists there and rightfully so. There is virtually no way, none, that a reasonable human being would drop a fifty dollar bill and a monthly on this product.
Their announcement is, that they will wait for the smoke to clear on paying customers before allowing a free glimpse to potential buyers. And, on a business standpoint, I couldn't agree with them more. They would lose massive coin if they allowed consumers the chance for a taste test.
In 90 days 70% of the servers will be barren or a consolidation or merger will occur. A promotional campaign will be launched to entice consumers before Warhammer launches as to influence any potential buyer and pocket a few more buckles before new titles destroy whatever is left of their subscribers. So, take an inventory of the servers now, for the vast majority will not exist in a few months. Nor will the subscribers.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
I agree with OP 100% its honest review of how game realy is, its justa 6 year old mmo with new grafics thats all.
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
I agree with OP 100% its honest review of how game realy is, its justa 6 year old mmo with new grafics thats all.
I think you spoke the truth here, a 6yo game with good graph.
----------------------------------------
If you dont understand what i write, ask a damn question instead of going into autoflaming-mode.
And dont read in stuff between the lines, i say what i mean.
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
It seems to me, the reviewer isn't the biased one; You are.
You stated that you didn't even play the game. How do you know if the reviewer brought up any valid points or not?
Before flaming someone for their review, play the game first, and then decide if the game is valid or not.
It's not just the reviewer who's saying it, it seems like most of the critisism seems to be how linear the gameplay is, so it must be valid to a certain extent.
Thanks guys, for a reasonable read.
We also use a Ventrilo server and I'm tempted to blow the thing up by inviting the aoc forum users to access it. An extremely high percentage of the vent folks can't stop discussing the poor quality of the game. It never ceases to amaze me why folks take personal insult of criticism about a game.
Negative comments about a game are not personal insults, it's totally unfair to themselves and others. Needless to say, the game lends itself to so much criticism it's hard to keep up. The bugs, glitches, exploits, performance and overall poor quality just keep slapping you in the face. It's undeniable, this isn't (as the op said) 2008 stuff we're witnessing here. It approaches embarrassing to some extent.
Couple things that trouble me about the longevity of the server pops.
First is the broker/trader and player commerce. I don't know about how most feel here but I believe commerce is vital and of the utmost importance in an mmo. MMO's are pretty much about acquisition of gear and coin. Those things play a vital role for the crafting community as well as your general player. From quest items to crafting components and gear upgrades, these are of significantly high importance and yet they don't exist. Where precisely did five years of development go in this department? If your an mmo gamer, remember listing your items or stopping by to check on a gear upgrade or snag an aug for a new piece of gear? Crafters! What's best? Farming for hours or hitting up the broker for components, or listing your crafted items/spells for the community
If anyone downplays the importance of trade and commerce, or how it's absence is a positive aspect in an mmo. Please offer an opinion as to why it's absence is good. It's nice to not have gold farmers or whatever but who cares eh? Their presence is a positive as well as negative sign, one that indicates the power and upside of a games economy.
Secondly is feats and spell/combat mods on gear. We ourselves parsed dps mods. They're broke! Can't honestly say all of em, but everything we've parsed up to lvl 50 is broken! Feats? Feats are broken!
With gear mods broken, I must admit that it reduces the importance of the broker for gear upgrades, but what about ascetics? We can certainly try to buy some gear that makes us look at least a little different then other players. Because as it stands now, all toons look alike, depending on whether your melee or caster and wear a robe and yield a sword or bow.
The biggest hurdle is convincing my gaming brutha's to hang in there. TO continue playing with me, since we're a fairly decent pvp group. It's not going well in that aspect at all.
This game has so much potential, it could've really broken the mold. I'm hopeful they fix some things and focus more on game content/fixes then their glorious advertising campaign.
Cheers
Good honest review.. Now get ready, their on their way, you didnt praise the game.
Thanks for the warning.
I'm about finished with it myself. Not really because of the technical aspects, but because it just doesn't hold my interest. You might say it simply doesn't "WoW" me.
Just cancelled my account. I will play here and there for the remaining time i have left. Perhaps I will check in about 4 - 6 months from now. All I can say is that Aoc is an MMO with really great graphics. I need more than great graphics to keep me interested. I have more fun playing FPS games and console games such as GTA 4. I dont know, perhaps I have grown out of MMOS? Good luck AoC...
I figured it would happen soon. Any game that puts skill into it will have people who just plainly suck. They can't handle the stress and function of combat. You have to be very careful when fighting players, it's not likefighting npc. With time I think you'll be able to be ok, don't let getting own'ed bother you. Just get back in there and fight... you'll learn some time.
Good review. As for me I like AoC, this format does interest me. I played WoW for quite some time and needed to let it go..... It is a masterful MMO but enough is enough. AoC has its flaws but a lot of them do not concern me. I like what I see up till now and hope it continues to be like that in the future, and hopefully even better after several patches.
Feats
Pet damage increase appears broken.
Player stealth movement appears broken.
spell crit chance appears broken.
Mana regen crit chance appears broken.
Combat art crit chance appears broken.
Pet proc chance increase appears broken.
Increase of radius on AOE combat/spell appears broken.
Either broken or the percentages are so miniscule that no noticeable difference can be observed or parsed.
Spell/combat art dmg increases on gear offer no noticeable differences. Yet
If anyone's guild has formatted Yalp/Jalp (just looking for additional parse options) to diagnose spell/combat art damage, Please cough it up, or any other parse program. Perhaps we can share some data.
We're still questing and running around hitting up all the named for gear, in hopes of finding some neat stuffs. Gonna head back to pvp to lvl up some more and snag some more gear as well. And just as someone mentioned above, if your getting owned or whatnot, just jump back in as repetition will inevitably increase your skills.
And yes, I wouldn't mind spending coin on stuff other than potions. We need us an economy over here.
If you don't have a dual core processor, then don't buy this game. You'll be able to play it, but you'll be missing about 70 per cent of the point of it all.
The Athlon does surprisingly well. I always thought the higher FSB the Athlons had a couple years ago gave it a little more umph.
The fps do run as high as 55 but of course it depends on what's being rendered at the time. It's also dipped into the single digits with 25-35 being the norm. I would consider the setting somewhere very close to what folks would consider medium. I've just altered so many settings that the description is "custom".
One thing that could have helped the old 7800gtx is the driver.
The 9/2007 driver is working really well with this game.
V 6.14.001.6371
Changing to that driver gave a slight increase to performance for the evga 7800 gtx 256