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First impressions?
I've seen a few scattered comments from people who have been able to try Ryzom for the first time the last couple of days.
I'd like to hear more from any of you, and also from anyone who tried it briefly before but didn't get far.
For the benefit of others who may be considering trying it out, what do you like, or dislike? What is fun? What gave you trouble?
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Sasi
Guild Leader of Pegasus Foundation
in Ryzom
Comments
Well my first impressions were that Ryzom has a great community and I felt at home straight away, I love the art style and music which seems to add to the immersion, I like the sandbox feel with the combat which gives so many ways to build my character. I've been playing a few days and I have joined a small guild who have been really helpful.
All in all, great game and it's a pity it hasn't been adverised more heavily in the past years as people who like sandbox games really have missed out, saying that I don't know if I will fall with the WAR craze or continue playing this.
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MMOs that I'm waiting for:
WAR
Aion
SGW
TCoS
Darkfall
STO
Graphics and sound are quite good, as well as some of the character animations. Much better than I was expecting, to be honest. Character customization is pretty good, you can morph your bodily dimensions and there is a wide selection of unique and really artistic tattoos and facial colorings available to each race & gender combination. Textures on characters, mobs and world geometry are colorful, diverse, and crisp. Most armor is made up of 3D meshes rather than just painted onto the player character. In screenshots, the UI looks kinda basic. But in game it's actually very fluid, well constructed and very clean. Every statistic and technical term has a tooltip explaining the game mechanics. The controls are fully customizable, I haven't found any keybindings that are hard-coded into the game which is very nice. Hell, I can even type in a custom display ratio--there's a lot of control given to the player even on the UI layer. The built in MP3 player is a nice touch too, no more alt-tabbing to Winamp.
What can I say about stanzas? Out of this world. For people that haven't played it, basically stanzas are actions/abilities which can be fully customized and defined by the player. For example, melee combat has a number of actions that you gain access to as you build your combat experience. You can use some skill points to learn a 'bleed' action and use it to customize attacks with a bleed effect. Using the editor you define your new stanza as a melee attack, add the bleed effect, and then you have to add a 'credit' which is basically a balancing component--it effects things like how much energy the skill requires, when it can be used (after a crit or a parry, for example) or timer until it can be used again. It then creates an icon on your toolbar, so the customization potential of characters is really amazing. It's not even limited to combat either, it's used in crafting and resource collecting as well. The custom stanzas for those disciplines can add special attributes to armor or make your 'digger' more effective at gathering resources. To me, this is the most impressive feature of the game that I have encountered by far.
What else? Crafting and resource gathering is really cool. The quality of materials affect the quality of crafting output. Resource gathering itself is a profession in its own right, with the more time you spend refining your character's custom gathering stanzas the more efficiently he or she can draw resources from the environment.
This is about all I have experienced so far. My character is level 20 in combat and high teens in crafting and gathering. I have not focused on magic yet but the stanzas there look like they will function much the same as they do in combat; essentially players can create their own spells rather than simply be limited to new ranks of the same old fireball, or what have you.
I am completely sold on this game. I'm loving it. It's unlike any other MMO I have ever played.
Oh, as for what gives me trouble. The questing system on the noob island, to be honest. Don't take a quest if you do not intend to read the NPC text and complete the quest immediately-- as far as I can tell, there's no way to drop the quest and get the instructions again. Sometimes when the NPC is talking to you they will tell you generally where you need to go, but only the objective is listed in your journal. So if you have to scout out one specific resource using the 50 meter prospecting ability, and forget which direction to start looking in...have fun running around endlessly. You can't spam the ability either, as it requires both time and energy to fire the thing off. That makes some of the resource quests quite painful and time consuming. It's not because you can't find resources, but because finding specific resources can take a good amount of effort. A typical flaw of quest systems in my opinion and I look forward to simply doing gathering on my own without an NPC breathing down my neck.
Here is the problem, next to impossible to join unless you had a previous account!
MMOs Played: I can no longer list them all in the 500 character limit.
They are opening accounts, but there isnt a real 'create new account' feature yet. Looking at how things go now, I would expect it in the near future.
I'm really curious as to how payment is going to work. From what I have experienced so far, I think the game would get my subscription. It would be really nice to know who the new company is though, and what their intent is with the game. I am sure many Ryzom players would ideally like to see renewed development on the game but is that feasible? Maybe they are gauging interest with the batches of new sign-ups.
I'm not exactly new. I tried the game somewhere around the end of 2006. I remember thinking it was nifty, but Other Stuff dragged me from the game. So... mostly new. (“It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY new. There's a big difference between mostly new and all new...”) Here's my initial, offhand reactions, which I will change on a whim just to be contrary:
PROS:
The game system and setting work well together. In other words, the freeform skill system and stanza creation really compliment the sandbox style world. If the game had more rigid leveling/quest content the flexible character advancement might've felt out of place (or at least subject to balance problems); if the game had fixed class/level definitions the wide-open might feel curiously shallow, since there would be no real depth to character advancement.
In particular: Stanzas. These are great. Even more fixed class/level games could probably implement these in their magic/superpower system.
I love the look. It's stylized without being cartoony, emphasizing the otherworldy feel. (I'm reminded of “Fantastic Planet”, but maybe that's because it's my only other exposure to French animated Sci-Fi.)
Material type and material quality affecting the final crafted product? Fantastic. I loved this aspect of Star Wars Galaxies, and I'm glad to see it here.
Personally, I love the religious aspect of the setting and the somewhat murky nature of either side.
Tryker women are cute. I know, I know. Leave me be.
“MEH”s:
The starting island needs a rethink. On the one hand, it is a great introduction to the concepts and mechanics of the game. Again: stanzas. I could've been really confused by them, but the game explained them clearly. Harvesting, crafting, magic, combat – the game covered them well. However, the lore was not given as much emphasis. I suspect I glossed over it, but I'm still unclear how my character appeared on the island, or really much of the background for the game. I think those parts should get as much “air time” as the game mechanics.
I also agree that the quest-centric method of teaching the game sets up a false expectation that may confuse and alienate players once they get to the mainland.
In a broader sense, I'm wondering if there's enough sand in the box. I've just started the game so I may Not be There Yet, but I'm hoping there'll be more to do than just fight, craft, and harvest. (I'm tepid about PvP.) Player housing, badges, points of interest (places that are not only visually interesting but has special “stuff” going on), and whatnot. On the other hand: Ryzom Frackin' RING. I get to be a GM. Mwah hah hah hah!
CONS:
First, the Con system. Maybe I'm missing the elegance here, but it seems needlessly complex. Quoting olepi from another thread: “Say you click on a mob, and he cons blue. That means he is below you in level in most MMO's; in Ryzom, that blue (and the attendant number of stars) indicates an absolute level. So a 4-star blue is probably around a lvl 40.” If that's the case then why not just show, oh, 'level 40'...? Either that or do the relative con system everyone else does: Squishy, Slighty Squishy, Gamey, Tough, Will Eat Your Soul, and so on.
If you're going to tout cooperative play, have a damn Looking For Group tool. I strongly suggest taking City of Heroes tool, futzing with it to match Ryzom's setting (no classes, no instances), and releasing the result into the wild.
There's got to be a better way to steer people to quest goals. I loathe those floating question-marks and exclamation points in other games, but wandering around a town reading every single NPC name, trying to find your target, gets real old real fast. I suggest a mini-map/quest journal interface where the person/thing you want to see shows up on your radar. Or, for immersion fans, allow me to ask the town announcer/greeter/thingy “Hey, where's Vinnie 'The Bodoc' Lambcakes?” and have her tell me which way to go (which, in the UI, translates to showing up on your radar).
INITIAL VERDICT: Pretty damn cool.
The con system is pretty simple when you get the hang of it, if you hover over where it tells you what lvl it is it will tell you 21-30 for example which if your combat is anywhere between the 20 to 30 range you will get a lopt of XP for it, the nearer you get that skill to 30 the less XP you get.
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MMOs that I'm waiting for:
WAR
Aion
SGW
TCoS
Darkfall
STO
...which still seems needlessly complicated to me. If it's 21-30, or, 25, or whatever, just put that in the display and be done with it. I think the less newbies need to do to get the hang of the game the better they'll manage.
...which still seems needlessly complicated to me. If it's 21-30, or, 25, or whatever, just put that in the display and be done with it. I think the less newbies need to do to get the hang of the game the better they'll manage.
That's part of the design. To know the exact level of a mob (a class of mobs, really, ie: Ferocious, Weanling, etc...) you have to kill the mob and loot it. The level of the loot will tell you the exact level of the mob. I imagine what you would say: you learn the real level after?? Well, it can seems a bit harsh, but that's the concept around experiment first and then you can apply the knowledge in the future.
It can seems complicated to you, but if you have experienced the game, you sure understood that game has in the 'personal knowledge' one of the best features, not trainable at trainers (same for the 'sneaking' ability). That's one of the things that make players doing differently in game, regardless of the level of the skills trained.
It adds some diversity in the evolution of a player in game. That's just my opinion tho, and i admit that showing the exact number would not change the game much, apart of losing some unpredictability that is one of the fun (and deadly) things of ryzom.
Nickname registered on www.mynickname.org
I just cant get into it.
In wow I was known as the jumping tanking bear and in this game you can't jump!
I might give it more time or play war when it is out.
It does what it does well but it might not be for me.
...which still seems needlessly complicated to me. If it's 21-30, or, 25, or whatever, just put that in the display and be done with it. I think the less newbies need to do to get the hang of the game the better they'll manage.
I've found that the con system in Ryzom really isn't that important, in fact I hardly ever see it.
Basically you know what area you're in, you know what animals are there, how dangerous they are and how hard it is to kill them.
Anyone who lacks the skills to figure this out in a reasonable amount of time might have a hard time in any MMO.
I started the game 2 days ago and have played at a real steady to slow pace. i have taken time to read through all texts and look around the place. i have spent around 5 hours in the world of ryzom so far and here are my first impressions.
When i first logged in i found the graphics to be a bit dissapointing to be honest, then i realised the game had defaulted to a low res. i changed this to the max my monitor could handle and wow what a difference! dont get me wrong they are not up to the standards of say AoC or VG but they are very tidy and have a unique style to them. i would give them a solid 7 - 10.
I have manged to get my char up to these skills so far, so as you can see i havent raced and hvent experienced much outside the new player area's ( didn't use the word Noobie, the game makes you feel like you shouldn't )
Fight = 17
Magic = 11
Harvesting = 5
Crafting = 14
i wandered around exploring the new lands and before long found i was imerssed! trying different skills out and changing things around, then going to fight a mob that just slaughtered me and winning gave me a great feeling. i can't wait to get of the mainland and explore the world more as i feel the starting area can be a little too quiet ( though i havenot gone too far at the min ). i dont mind the grind at all, i have played many other mmo's and ll of them have it. at least here i can choose where and what to grind. i love the fact that you gain experience in the skills you use. if i just melee all the exp goe's to fighting. if i mix between melee and throw a few spells i get exp in mgic and melee, great!
My only worry for this game, and it's onlt due to me not knowing, is that i dont seem to have any purpose at the moment. i dont need to be handheld, i just want to be fighting for some cause. maybe a faction or maybe protecting a small town from invading forces. i dont mind having to rp it either. in EQ my char would stiop what he was doing to kill orcs if he came across them due to his lothing of how they destroyed the Faydark, my friends just had to put up with this and it became a big characteristic of mine. I am just hoping there are things i can do to feel like i have a purpose.
If any can give me a few tasters, without spoiling anything for me, then please do. All in all i am having a great time in ryzom i just need to take the next step
Yours, Tuor Falconeye.
At one point, they held Kitin Invasions where the community would have to get together and help combat the endless waves of death and destruction. There were also many RP Events and story-lines that helped bring more of the lore into Ryzom. Though... those were during the reign of Nevrax long ago. Personally it would be a sin if Spiderweb didn't make any attempts to bring back those aspects that helped to diversify the gameplay. For the meantime, patience and waiting for the future plan is all we can do.
Now, if you want to take on such a personality similar to what you had in EQ, there are many ways you could such. Ryzom has a diverse climate with a diverse amount of creatures, and our guild uses them to its fullest potential. Before the last closure, we would develop mini-RP Events for the guild that may focus itself around killing or protecting a certain area. We were fortunate to have a very creative guild that could divise these scenarios and it worked well. Just added more spice to the genre.
So it is possible to do as you mentioned, just finding the right angle will be up to you. Also there is a RP-Event going on this weekend at the Tryker Tavern in Thesos. Also a good spot for hunting right across the pond. Perhaps you could RP something to get the hunt moving.
Ahh, asinine smugness: Yes, you're right, it's a wonder I'm able to operate this here computing box, much less access my webs.
Guys: It's the First Impressions thread. Those were my first impressions. I appreciate the explanations, from Olepi's elsethread and Gil's here (Gil, I may PM you later about my minor quibble which seems to have gotten a bit more airtime here than warranted.)
Yes, please keep this thread to first impressions. Feel free to make new threads to discuss any points that are raised. (Maybe post a link to your other thread here.)
I'm hoping for a good, consistent collection of people's thoughts and experiences, be they good, bad, or "MEH".
Also, if you would like to, share your in-game name here, so we can get to know you in-game. Or not, as you like.
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Sasi
Guild Leader of Pegasus Foundation
in Ryzom
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
Ahh, asinine smugness: Yes, you're right, it's a wonder I'm able to operate this here computing box, much less access my webs.
Guys: It's the First Impressions thread. Those were my first impressions. I appreciate the explanations, from Olepi's elsethread and Gil's here (Gil, I may PM you later about my minor quibble which seems to have gotten a bit more airtime here than warranted.)
I'm sorry, I may have been unduely harsh. In my defence I might say I'm a survivor of the infamous "Patch 1" that made some profound changes to the way the game worked causing an exodus of people complaining things had gotten too hard...
I do think though you'll have to agree that MMO's in general do require some amount of figuring out.
As for the the con system; like most people I initially thought, like most people, that is was relative to my level but when I found out it wasn't I never bothered to figure out how it worked I picked that up as I went...
The fact that the mob names, by default, only show up when you point at them and the con system only appears when you target a mob could, however, give you a clue to it's importance. They call Atys the living planet and there's a reason for that. In Ryzom the environment is very important, it is a living entity (or as close as a computer symulated world can be) Atys requires the player, like his or her character, to learn through experience the con system fits into that by not giving you absolute information but merly a guideline.
Community seemed great. I loved the world, art style and the graphics. BUT....I just sadly couldnt get into the game. I too like others tried to love it, but I just couldnt.
I know its a "Sandbox MMO" but the lack of aim made me feel rather bored pretty quick. The gameplay felt like taking today's popular MMOs then just ripping out any kind of aim given to you such as quests etc, and giving you a little poke and nudge to run along and "play". I guess it just wasnt for me
I tried guys I really did. Maybe I'll return in a few months if the new devs show a positive sign of progression.
Well this game ain't that bad. Communty is great, but after the noob zone the game feels like an ordinary korean grinder, yea it's a player driven world and it's something different from your "WoW-like-MMO", and if you enyoy to kill the same monster 1000x times you gonna love this game, otherwise you gonna just uninstal it.
I'm playing Ryzom for the first time. While it was in it's first couple livinginess I was playing WurmOnline thus why I didn't bother to get a hold of this game.
Well first things first the game cut off my password making it shorter than what it should have been. and choosing wasd at started still had it go to arrows. the first couple of times I tried to load the game up it froze before I got into world just on the last loading bar, since I was tired from work I didn't want to mess with it. Then I tried today and it loaded up right away. After those issues nothing else.
Well I picked the t harvester and tryker(all the other races seemed psycho devote to some king or another) start and did the hello quest where you go meet the class trainer introducer. Then in true habit of my play style run into the world not caring about anything else for a little while, used all the skills I had access to and did some more harvesting to and made a boot which I put on right away. after some messing around and user face adapting I went back to the trainers and started the harvester and crafter ones and will eventually get to the combat ones(I could care less about quests just don't want to read the entire manual when I can play the game).
lets see crafting and resource harvest are sweet. Completely suits my needs and why I'm going to play this game.
Skill system is fun and works, I'm surprised more companies aren't using the stanza system since it's so nice and makes soo much sense. The character custimization gained from it is very useful.
Combat is ok I guess I can't really judge it to much since I've only used newbie stuff.
As for other features the lack of oddles and oddles of quests is a feature, I won't explain why but it is. Territory control is nice, and then lots of other MMO stuff. To be honest I mostly care about crafting and when I play a MMO I need to be able to focus on it.
Basically I found my MMO home.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
The interface is terrible. Having to spend minutes hunting for a way to close an information window is a huge minus. Very huge.
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In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on August 13, 2008.
It isn't like an Asian grinder. I tried Lineage 2, it's nothing like that (although Lineage 2 has just about the best art of any MMO). After I arrived on the mainland I worked out where it was safe to harvest, where I could kill without being attacked by level 40-50 dogs. Initially I intended to continue leveling up my armour crafting, but as I wasn't finding the materials to do that I changed tack and looked in my inventory to see what crafting materials I was getting a lot of. I found that I was getting more jewellery mats so I bought the jewellery crafting. Now as I level up my magic and harvesting skills I am getting materials to make jewellery and sell that for dappers. The thing that makes this more fun than in most MMOs is the variety of harvesting and crafting options. It means that the items you create are constantly different and you use a variety of different strategies to harvest mats. I can only assuime that the options become more varied as you progress and get access to different techniques.
If this kind of freedom appeals to you you will like Ryzom, if you want to be told where to go, what to do then it won't. To be honest I'm enjoying the fact that I know what to do when I log in from my experiences and I don't have to wander around to find quests. If I wnt to do something new I have to work out how for myself. It's quite satisfying.
I was fortunate to get a 'new' account a few minutes after they became available. So I entered the game yestertay a complete Ryzom 'virgin'.
It took me a while to get used to the UI and how the various systems worked. I decided to be patient and take things nice and slow....Im still learning, but after 2-3 hours, I felt at home with the systems of melee, magic, crafting, and harvesting.
So far, I love the game. The graphics are charming, the animations are sufficient, and the environment is immersive. Unlike others, I have no need to be directed toward some mission goal to feel I have a purpose. This is a role-playing game' (RPG), where character growth and development serve as the primary goals--i.e., to become the 'best that you can at what you do'--in whatever way you can. In fact, I LOVE the freedom.
In my earlier days, I was an avid real-life hunter and fisherman, and enjoyed just going out in the woods to explore, observe the animals, and hunt or fish. This game has that kind of feel to it, and Im happy with it. Add in complex harvesting and crafting systems, and the game obtains additional depth. I suspect Ill be here for a good long while, and will subscribe if that becomes necessary.
...which still seems needlessly complicated to me. If it's 21-30, or, 25, or whatever, just put that in the display and be done with it. I think the less newbies need to do to get the hang of the game the better they'll manage.
I've found that the con system in Ryzom really isn't that important, in fact I hardly ever see it.
Basically you know what area you're in, you know what animals are there, how dangerous they are and how hard it is to kill them.
Anyone who lacks the skills to figure this out in a reasonable amount of time might have a hard time in any MMO.
Thats differents between sandbox and themepark some can cope with sandbox high learning curve and majority dont, thats why they play games like wow.
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.