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AOC ..finally took the challenge.
Wizardry
Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
Well i got tired of all the boring games,or games that just didn't fit my liking ,so i decided what heck ,i'm going to try out AOC.
First up the character customization to start the game off.
It is not too bad,at least the models look realistic and pretty good,nothing cartoonish here.
Got myself into a PVE server 
Now the first impressions and gameplay/mechanics.
My firsat impressions were well it looks very good,i just thought i would see something that was above Vanguards graphics.Vanguard still owns that department,but there is nothing wrong with the looks in this game,just the odd out of place or misused shaders/shiny surfaces/lighting.These guys put a lot of BLOOM into there maps,the areas seem crowded because they put a lot of detail and stuff.
I guess i can sum it up short,everything seems pretty good,including the quests.I did some neat little quest thingy ,where you go into night time mode ,was something different.
The combat was pretty good,at first i was a little out on the setup as i didn't like using the default and the numbers 1/2/3/4.Got it straightened out by just clicking and putting the directional arrows with each ability,so no memorizing needed.For sure the battle system is tidier and less cumbersome than what i saw in TCOS.
Now here is my two pet peeves,not really big problems but my opinion.Everything so far is VERY linear,i mean Everything,you have to unlock everything before yo ucan advance or move on,i don't liek that concept one bit,but it's my opinion,mayb that changes later on?
The second thing is tha tthe KEY MAPPING works but it is bugged lol.You enter say the Letter "F"it says you entred the letter "B"lol but even though it looks messed up,my letter "F" really does get mapped,just the system thinks it's something different..weird.
The other little thing is the sliders in game,do not seem to be working very well if at all.I set everything to MAX and i did get a tad bit more lag,so it was working,but things stil lwere fogged out at a rather short distance.I imagine thye did this on purpose to avoid the Vanguard crying all over again.People trying to play a game without meeting the standards,causes more flaming than need be.
All in all the game is pretty good,with good mechanics and only the key mapping bug,nothing else is wrong.The game deserves MUCH better reviews and just like VAnguard ,lacks only players to make the grouping a possibility.So far al lthe quests have voice acting.
I usually take my time learning a game and it's mechanics,but this game is not too bad,i would say for the average gamer ,this game would not take any more than 1-2 days and you be playing like a pro,well aside from tanking and shields lol,i have not figured a way to simplify that yet.
There is nothing wrong with this game aside from linear /locking/unlocking areas,i would reccommend this game to anyone.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Comments
the game changes alot once you get out of tortage, lvl 20+.
don't quite know what you mean about the linear aspect. how is it more linear than other mmos?
personally feel with aoc its best to use the keyboard and left hand to move and strafe with wasd and que attacks with q123e. use right hand and mouse to click abilites off a hotbar and turn. and yes the keymapping in aoc is pretty fubar.
I really wouldn't play on a pve server, unless you want to get bored of it quickly.
My blog:
Also make sure you are on one of the highest populated servers otherwise you will get very frustrated with the lack of population.
Cimmeria RP-PvP
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Set PvE
Whaooo... This means a lot coming from a guy with your posting history (and that was not irony). Only thing I'd like to comment on in your post is the foggy business. Be aware of that AoC does not use that fog effect as much as other games as a means to reduce viewing distance (meaning, by turning slider up you wount get less fog). If you have fog in your map in AoC it's becasue it's really there, no slider settings will change that as fare as I am aware of. Just wait till you get till the mountains, you will get to see the most fogfree crisp air ever. Spectacular view.
I love how this game is linear from 1-20 and then you get thrown into the whole wide Harboria. It really makes the lands feel like something to be explored and learned.
The only problem is that those expansive mountain ranges that surround almost all of the zones can never be explored...
You can actually explore most of them but sometimes it takes "creative jumping" to get to places. And you might get stuck exploring places you shouldn't
But yes, the zones could have been bigger, is kinda the problem with the GFX engine, but you can make really nice looking models and background.
That said...
It's cool that you decided to give it a try, Wizardry.
I'll likely check it out again at some point when curiosity gets the best of me. For now, still not quite enough "distance" between myself and my initial experiences with it.
However, I'm sure I will check it out again at some point. Assuming it's around long enough for substantial improvements to be made, and that they actually are, I'd probably find it worth another try.
You mention Vanguard and that's actually a great example of the same situation. Tried VG at launch and was, like many, turned away very quickly. Allowed time for the dust to settle and things to progress, decided to check it out again and was very pleasantly surprised to see the improvements... in pretty much every aspect. Even the population seemed to be growing (on the starter isle).
I agree with you about VG though.. it desperately needs a healthy player-base to really flourish. Else it'll suffer that cyclical process of "a low population leading to players leaving, which leads to an even lower population... which leads to more people leaving..." and so on. A difficult cycle to break, for sure.
So.. we shall see.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
That said...
It's cool that you decided to give it a try, Wizardry.
I'll likely check it out again at some point when curiosity gets the best of me. For now, still not quite enough "distance" between myself and my initial experiences with it.
However, I'm sure I will check it out again at some point. Assuming it's around long enough for substantial improvements to be made, and that they actually are, I'd probably find it worth another try.
You mention Vanguard and that's actually a great example of the same situation. Tried VG at launch and was, like many, turned away very quickly. Allowed time for the dust to settle and things to progress, decided to check it out again and was very pleasantly surprised to see the improvements... in pretty much every aspect. Even the population seemed to be growing (on the starter isle).
I agree with you about VG though.. it desperately needs a healthy player-base to really flourish. Else it'll suffer that cyclical process of "a low population leading to players leaving, which leads to an even lower population... which leads to more people leaving..." and so on. A difficult cycle to break, for sure.
So.. we shall see.
Good points.. Thinking along the lines of core playerbase and minimum amounts of subs/fans we should absolutely not underestimate the need for a good core fan and known lore base behind a successful MMO. WoW has it, AoC has it, also WAR has it... These MMO's are MMOs based on such a strong fundament that they can take some extra time to develop something truly special and still be ok at the end of it. VG on the other hand does not base it's content on lore as rich as any of the games above. I think this is the biggest problem for VG. There are no fans that will stick around enough to get the population going.
Lol, another "deep" review by a guy who hasn't even finished Tortage, telling how haters are wrong and there is nothing wrong with the game
It is a known fact that the real problems of AoC become more clear once you get closer to endgame. Your "deep" review of AoC is very misleading and you should edit it saying you have only played Tortage.
Come back when you get to level 65+ and then you will see what I'm talking about.
-----------------------------
Originally posted by Frobner
"Massive sieges" "mounted combat" and "spellweaving" are just few words that spring to mind when I hear the word AOC.... But the word FAILURE will always top the list.
Whaooo... This means a lot coming from a guy with your posting history (and that was not irony). Only thing I'd like to comment on in your post is the foggy business. Be aware of that AoC does not use that fog effect as much as other games as a means to reduce viewing distance (meaning, by turning slider up you wount get less fog). If you have fog in your map in AoC it's becasue it's really there, no slider settings will change that as fare as I am aware of. Just wait till you get till the mountains, you will get to see the most fogfree crisp air ever. Spectacular view.
I agree with Cobra, the fog effects are in many cases cosmetic and not just to improve framerate/draw distance pop up. With a lot of the ui/mods out, you can push your draw distance insanely far and still manage some great fps. Like Orionman said recently in the community survey:
"Whaooo... Seems like most people are happy with performance and bugfixes now!"
I agree with that statement, having recently returned! Wizardy, I look forward to seeing how your gameplay continues; and perhaps a form of progress report as you make it through the different level tiers? Would be a good read for many considering playing during winter vacation and beyond.
You can actually explore most of them but sometimes it takes "creative jumping" to get to places. And you might get stuck exploring places you shouldn't
But yes, the zones could have been bigger, is kinda the problem with the GFX engine, but you can make really nice looking models and background.
Be carefull because that "creative jumping" can cause you to fall through the terain.
Tortage is the reason why so many players hate Funcom right now
Tortage = what was beta tested
21-80 = What is broken, and what you spend 95% of your gametime in.
Any player who writes a 'review' of the game now based on Tortage, is doing exactly what beta testers were forced to do before launch. You write a good review of a good game only to slowly feel vomit fill your mouth as you level out of tortage and see the 'real' game....and then have to reread your own review you just made. It made me take a shower the first time I read my own review (from tortage) after leveling through the rest of the game. I also think I donated money to charity just to feel better about my actions.
I hated Tortage myself.
Too many loading screens, I mean I seemed to walk through one every 30 seconds and that is annoying for any game but mmorpgs need to be seamless and have no loading screens. WoW does this perfectly with having them for instances which is acceptable but it make sthe world feel like a real world in how it was made and the boat rides between islands are the only other time you'll see a loading screen but it still makes you feel immersed because you go on a boat ride and really theres only two of those in the whole game.
With SWG that was acceptable between planets and launching into space.
Just please not every frigging time I open a door or walk into a new zone. It break sup the world and makes it feel fake.
You are quite right about early reviews only reflecting Tortage. This was VERY missleading wen playing the game in full as Tortage is the starter area. Eventhough it is more creative and fun than other starter areas in MMOs it i still only a very small part of the game. Now since it was soo god (and Tortage is great) a lot of peopel got dissapointed when they got further into the game. Bugs, missing content, etc. Basically shit compared to Tortage.
There is now a general oppinion amongst AoC players that AoC is great untill you reach your 70s. After that it stops. This will be adressed in the next patch. When the game was released they had ok content to about lvl 40 if I am not mistaken.
I played Beta, early access and then stopped. Rerolled about 2 months ago and had a great time in Tortage. I really enjoyed it again. It is a great place to play, still you have to away from it for a while before enjoying it again.
Originally posted by BishopB:
Are a lot of the trolls just angry kids with old gaming hardware?
Hey, Cobra.
When you have multiple accounts (CobraSolidus, Orionman, PezzBomb.. etc.) it's generally a good idea NOT to use words like "Whaooo..." since you invented it yourself and other people don't use it.
Just use regular words and maybe you don't get caught. Good luck.
-----------------------------
Originally posted by Frobner
"Massive sieges" "mounted combat" and "spellweaving" are just few words that spring to mind when I hear the word AOC.... But the word FAILURE will always top the list.
Hey, Cobra.
When you have multiple accounts (CobraSolidus, Orionman, PezzBomb.. etc.) it's generally a good idea NOT to use words like "Whaooo..." since you invented it yourself and other people don't use it.
Just use regular words and maybe you don't get caught. Good luck.
I have been accused for all kinds of stuff multiple times. Banned for weeks,and what not for expressing my opinion. Guess what I will continue to do that, with any words I'd like. Also, guess what as my posting number increase I will probably gain another personality pr day by your logic.
Hey here is something for you to think of:
whaooo.com/epages/eshop180960.sf
jenteacherslife.blogspot.com/2007/11/whaooo-newbie.html
www.43things.com/entries/view/2868086
www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile
A random selection of places out on the web where Whaooo was used. A bit more common imprative than you first thought it to be Sherlock. For you Sin, your points are just getting plain old. Nice to know somebody read my posts though.
Did you ever get to move out of WOW long enough to test WAR, LotRO and AoC. I hope and I guess you should to be such a vigorous criticizer? Still, something tells me you didn't. Your posting history is probably as bad as mine if not worse. In fact when I think of it, it's much worse. I spend a lot of time talking about a game I like. I think AoC is getting a whole lot of unfair BS comments on forums. The amount of made up "trolling facts" on AoC out there is just breathtaking. You on the other hand (by your posting history) spend some time on your belowed WOW, and a whole lot of time on downtalking all other games (if you know them or not). It is a very notorius behaviour and I am sure you think it is good and all for your WOW, but no, we all just see your rant and then quickly learn to skip your post. Having said this, I would not advice anyone to take your expertise on any game. Not only AoC, but any of the games you rant about.
When that is said, let me add, I think AoC is better post Tortage. Way better, and you can ask any of the real AoC player here about that and they will agree. Out of curiosity, when was last time you played AoC?
i got off another month of AoC last month, the game has still come long way. Unfortunately, i still feel it's very shallow and crafting/economy is still fubard beyond belief. Performance has GREATLY improved though. I made it to level 50ish (i think 52) and Tortage is still the shining part of this game.
Lol, another "deep" review by a guy who hasn't even finished Tortage, telling how haters are wrong and there is nothing wrong with the game
It is a known fact that the real problems of AoC become more clear once you get closer to endgame. Your "deep" review of AoC is very misleading and you should edit it saying you have only played Tortage.
Come back when you get to level 65+ and then you will see what I'm talking about.
Well first of all i am no dummy lol.That was the first question i asked before getting this game .All i heard was the game lacked content after 20,that seemed to be the over all consensus,and that was answered by vets who and the game has also said to add new zones and content to carry you all the way through the game.
I think you are missing a VERY big point.You mention level 65?well geesh if i got 65 good levels out of a game ,that is more than most games give me at level 1.I can use a VERY simple analogy,what does WOW offer me at level 1?i played WOW BTW so i know it offers NOTHING.Cartoon graphics,the SAME quests as any other game or weaker quests than most and very poor looking player models.Also there maps are quite dead and dull looking AOC maps have a ton more content in them.WOW cities are quite large and full but so is AOC cities,so really the most popular game has nothing on AOC except the ylike to bribe players with a lot of mounts ..pfft sad marketing and sad realism.
I already mentioned that the linear part of the beginning of AOC i don't like and the lack of a desktop icon,but the mechanics and the game play is plenty good.It uses hotbars to keep everything organized and tidy and of course icons to click your skills/abilities/spells.The player models look very good as do the weapons and the game scenery,so as you can see,the base core of the game is already met at level 1 and they do a VERY good job of it.Even worse is the fact most players in WOW are more interested in raiding and there mounts,so they don't even care about ANY of the levels along the way.
Some games the player base has to tell others ,the REAL game does not begin unti llevel 20/30 whatever,those games fail bigtime.Unlike many i do not need any more than one day to tell the direction and mechanics of a game.Sure maybe the content can/could drop off,that is something i had addressed before joining so not a factor.Perhaps too many in the beginning were to worried about speed leveling and should have taken the game slower and enjoyed it.FAR TOO MANY worry about speed leveling,that is a major problem that is hard for any developer to address.They make it a grind then they complain it is too slow lol,can't win either way.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Yes, AOC is a really good game that has improved ALOT since lunch and will improve alot more.
Anyway i read that some people are saying that there is lack of content, well since lunch FC have added a hole new zone Ymir's pass lvl 55-65 a exremly fun and well done zone. They lunched this zone beacus there was a gap in the content at lvl 55-65, so they have fixed that gap. Second they have added alot of new quest for all lvls after lunch, they have also revamped many dungeons etc, so there is plenty of content in AOC. You will have content all the way to lvl 80, the only lvl that still lacks a bit of content is 72-80, in january they are lunching a new big patch with 2 new lvl 80 dungeons and ofc alot of other good stuff.
So end game is getting a bit more content, and after that patch they will propably lunch Common district, thats a lvl 75 zone so this zone will fill the last gap in the content, after the lunch of this zone you will never ever lack content.
Well i have 1 lvl 80 HoX and 1 lvl 72 Ranger and ofc some low lvl alts, anyway i never expreince the lack of content.
If you play right and explore all the zones / dungeons you will have content all the way to lvl 80. One more thing people say that lvl 80 have very little content, thats a lie either the person saying this have never been lvl 80 in AOC and is just talking BS or the person have never even played AOC, well ofcourse they can add more content to the end game. But there is still plenty of content at 80 i know many people that have played for many months and still havent done all the content in AOC.
Anyway this game is really cool and fun, and i strongly recommend people to Buy or resub AOC.
------------------------------
Bear Grylls : I need to get out of this frozen hellhole!
Bear Grylls : (Holds a beetle in his hand) 4 times more protein then Beef
Good to have you on the team. What server you play?
Too many things on the go,my memory is shotty anyhow,but i think server is juju or something like that,it is a PVE server.
I kind of went in blind,didn't read any background,i find it more fun to discover for myself than read off the interent and follow a pattern.Well...lol,guess i should have read a bit..haha.
Made a dark templar,my mind was set on ranger,but played that class in every game,so i figured a change.Well i found the DT not so good,so i made a RANGER anyhow lmao,yep he is a lot stronger.I also am playing the night time quest series ,i think it leads to some specialized version of your class or something but not sure.Anyhow following that quest series right away instead of wandering like i did with my DT,i find it levels real easy as you pretty much get a level upp each time you finish a section of the quest line.
I wouldn't mind more than one ranged attack for my level 8/9/10[cant remember lol] ranger.The reason i would like a follow up attack is because i have the trap and bind abilities,so would be nice to get in more than the one shot before i have to melee.I know i will get more ranged attacks as times goes by so no biggie.Plus i am sure they didn't design the game for me to solo ..lol,and own several mobs at once,the trap and bind is nice for a tank/party setup.
This game is pretty good,just wish there was players to party with,i can't do the elite versions of the instance zones
.That is the ONLY thing the game lacks is players.Quite a few players in the guild that took me in,but everyone seems to pop in and out and i figure are playing other games,because no one sticks around too long and many are taking several days off in between.Probably the time of season,many are shopping and doing the Christmas things.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Hey, Cobra.
When you have multiple accounts (CobraSolidus, Orionman, PezzBomb.. etc.) it's generally a good idea NOT to use words like "Whaooo..." since you invented it yourself and other people don't use it.
Just use regular words and maybe you don't get caught. Good luck.
I have been accused for all kinds of stuff multiple times. Banned for weeks,and what not for expressing my opinion. Guess what I will continue to do that, with any words I'd like. Also, guess what as my posting number increase I will probably gain another personality pr day by your logic.
Hey here is something for you to think of:
whaooo.com/epages/eshop180960.sf
jenteacherslife.blogspot.com/2007/11/whaooo-newbie.html
www.43things.com/entries/view/2868086
www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile
A random selection of places out on the web where Whaooo was used. A bit more common imprative than you first thought it to be Sherlock. For you Sin, your points are just getting plain old. Nice to know somebody read my posts though.
At least youve gotten beyond denying that you have the multiple accounts. You seem to making progress.
Oh and dont cut yourself short, you earned all of that time being banned. Hard work does not go unrewarded
i think the game is very bad. Same old same old. Combat is worse but the exact same. I cant stop kicking my self for wasting 40 buck on this pile.
bars+girls+no condoms= babies
Your first mistake was picking a PvE server. Combat in AoC isn't much different against mobs, but against players you can see how active it really is. Secondly, the end game for PvE is pretty much the same as it is in other games except it requires 24 people for each of the raid sections. There are problems with lack of content in the end game; however, this is getting fixed albeit slowly. The next update should breath some life into the game with a the additions of two lvl 80 dunegons and the update after should fix the one remaining content gap. Now, as someone mentioned the voice acting decreases as you get past Tortage but sine update 2 there have been a lot of voice acting added to the game and most major quest chains, meaning the ones that last a couple levels, have voice acting,
I'd like to see you write a review at each major level achievement that being 40, 60, 70, and 80 (after you stated raiding) this will give players a real review of the game in its entirety.
Games:
Currently playing:Nothing
Will play: Darkfall: Unholy Wars
Past games:
Guild Wars 2 - Xpiher Duminous
Xpiher's GW2
GW 1 - Xpiher Duminous
Darkfall - Xpiher Duminous (NA) retired
AoC - Xpiher (Tyranny) retired
Warhammer - Xpiher