While I agree with this list that shows a lot has been done to this game since launch, its still the same style of game as it was before. Its a quest-grinder game. That sounds like a negative comment, but I don't mean it to be..... ....unless one doesn't like quest-grinder games.
While I haven't played in a few months, from what I can judge by these forums, the game seems much more stable, polished, content gaps filled, and general playability increased. All good things. Not to mention the server mergers will probably enhance the community aspect of this game.
But as to OP's question of "what exactly has changed?" I'm interperting that question more like "This game launched as a quest-grinder, does it offer me anything else now than it did back in May?" In my personal opinion - No.
I don't want to rip on a game just cause its a quest-grinder cause some people really dig that - and that's cool. Just cause I got a bit tired on doing quest after quest after quest, doesn't mean there aren't any people out there that totally get off on that sort of thing. But if you are asking "Has anything changed in this game to not make it a quest-grinder?" I'd say no, nothing really has changed. Its the same game as it was before. It does play a lot better due to the reasons Avery mentions.
I agree this game is a quest grinder game.
But so are pretty much all the other MMO's out there, like: EverQuest 1&2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, City of Heroes / City of Villians, Guild Wars, etc, etc.
So what's your point? Or the OP for that matter?
All MMO's these days offer these kind of gameplay, as it's more fun and engaging then just grind mobs day in, day out to level up / skill up.
Cheers
The point I was attempting to convey was to answer the OP's question of what exactly has changed. I think nothing has changed as far as core gameplay. It was a quest grinder before, its a quest grinder now. A lot of polish has been performed, stability, and content gaps filled as Avery pointed out. But at its core, its the same game now as it was when it was releaed.
The above comments aren't a positive or negative - it is what it is. If one really like doing a lot of quests, then this game is right up one's alley. So the statement "nothing has changed" is actually quite a good thing.
If one doesn't like doing a lot of quests, the statement "nothing has changed" maybe isn't so positive as others may perceive.
The fact that other games you mentioned are quest griders too bears no impact on this thread. The OP was asking about this game, not the other games. However the same type of thought process applies to those games to - They may be quest grinders - but that can be good or bad depending on what type of gameplay one enjoys.
The purpose of my original reply was to give my opinion to the OP to assist in formulating their own opinion of the game....
...or is posting my opinion to a question posed by a fellow poster not allowed in a forum? /me ducks
--edited for a typo
I'm not creative enough to have a signature
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by Deathstrike2
Originally posted by AmazingAvery
Originally posted by Netzoko
What exactly has changed?
90% of those people that played last some 7 months ago still think the game is the same. Of course there is reason to be upset and whatnot but they can't tell you what has changed properly without fully experiencing it. If your dubious, and there is reason to be from which history has shown, then simply wait for the trials which I am sure will come by within the next couple of months - or pick up the game cheap again?
Other than that here are a few changes:
In summing up a few that have happened and are coming:
Half a dozen re-vamped solo and group instances / dungeons in the 20 - 60 range.
Several Dozen new quests to help fill in blanks.
Over 40 quests received Voice Over additions and re-vamped rewards.
Biggest addition was Ymirs Pass zone, large, variation of terrain (bit of everything) makes it quite different to other zones.
2 new high end Dungeons and 1 mid level Dungeon will be released next patch (prob early feb)
Crafting received a boost with Cultural Armor designs, fixes in City Requirement resources and costs.
Continued optimization of game engine to the point where minimal bugs exist.
Fast travel and additional travel points has been added making it easier to get around making area travel free flowing from one to another.
PvP update in that the new Consequence System came in along with PvP levels and PvP armor and new sections called shanty towns for murderer's.
Raid content continued to be worked on, several issues addressed and some bugs still exist but quite minimal at this point in time T1 and T2 bosses are all ok. Itemisation changes in drops in quality and unique appearance.
Combination attacks has changed making it more accessible for melee classes.
PvP resources will now drop in the Border Kingdoms opening up an otherwise semi used area, which will promote PvP, crafted specific's, tactical processes in GvG wars.
Sever Merges is a big change which will be happening over a 2 week period in January now, cutting back on some 50 servers which all are not needed.
Some significant changes and improvements to crafting will be happening most likely in the next patch after the current one goes out live.
Another new zone aimed at players around 75-80 will also be out in the next few months (Tarantia Commons) further instilling new players with a sense that endgame is seriously being looked at.
DX10 is on the test server right now and being implemented in parts till its live release, it looks awesome, it adds more immersion and feeling within the game world, many people are experiencing less CPU usage without a big hit on FPS as things cross over and continued optimization happens. Some have some issues - overall shaping up good though!
lots has happened and the roadmap for the next few months looks really good. In short the fundamental situation with zones won't change, this is the core of the game world. The quality of those zones has changed with new content and updates and continues to do so.
No disrespect intended, but the question was what has changed, and about 1/2 your answer is stuff that is still coming -- some of which has been coming since release or before.
I resubbed to the game last month to see what all the talk was about. The game is more stable, has fewer bugs, takes less swings in melee to do damage, and has YMir's pass. Other than that, I really did not notice any large changes to the game.
None taken there Deathstrike. Obviously people have different experiences.
It is not as though there will be a time when FC puts their hand up and says "I've finished!" it's always going to be worked on.
The reason why I put the stuff you lit up in red in is it is important to know the short term goals too. Especially as most of that you can log in and see on test server right now. Which is going to be patched in soon, in incremental stages of course. It's my opinion we will see DX10 and the one dugeon followed a couple of weeks later by the lvl 80 stuff if it needs more time.
There has been a huge amount of balance tweaks here and there, quest fixes, additions, voice overs, raid boss fixes, timers etc. There is all the Shanty Towns all over, the whole PvP system. Did you get ganked alot before? well it probably won't happen so much now
There most likely will be just the 1 red highlight in 2-3 weeks time.
As I said it is just a few changes off the top of my head, there are full patch notes out there too.
90% of those people that played last some 7 months ago still think the game is the same. Of course there is reason to be upset and whatnot but they can't tell you what has changed properly without fully experiencing it. If your dubious, and there is reason to be from which history has shown, then simply wait for the trials which I am sure will come by within the next couple of months - or pick up the game cheap again?
Other than that here are a few changes:
In summing up a few that have happened and are coming:
Half a dozen re-vamped solo and group instances / dungeons in the 20 - 60 range.
Several Dozen new quests to help fill in blanks.
Over 40 quests received Voice Over additions and re-vamped rewards.
Biggest addition was Ymirs Pass zone, large, variation of terrain (bit of everything) makes it quite different to other zones.
2 new high end Dungeons and 1 mid level Dungeon will be released next patch (prob early feb)
Crafting received a boost with Cultural Armor designs, fixes in City Requirement resources and costs.
Continued optimization of game engine to the point where minimal bugs exist.
Fast travel and additional travel points has been added making it easier to get around making area travel free flowing from one to another.
PvP update in that the new Consequence System came in along with PvP levels and PvP armor and new sections called shanty towns for murderer's.
Raid content continued to be worked on, several issues addressed and some bugs still exist but quite minimal at this point in time T1 and T2 bosses are all ok. Itemisation changes in drops in quality and unique appearance.
Combination attacks has changed making it more accessible for melee classes.
PvP resources will now drop in the Border Kingdoms opening up an otherwise semi used area, which will promote PvP, crafted specific's, tactical processes in GvG wars.
Sever Merges is a big change which will be happening over a 2 week period in January now, cutting back on some 50 servers which all are not needed.
Some significant changes and improvements to crafting will be happening most likely in the next patch after the current one goes out live.
Another new zone aimed at players around 75-80 will also be out in the next few months (Tarantia Commons) further instilling new players with a sense that endgame is seriously being looked at.
DX10 is on the test server right now and being implemented in parts till its live release, it looks awesome, it adds more immersion and feeling within the game world, many people are experiencing less CPU usage without a big hit on FPS as things cross over and continued optimization happens. Some have some issues - overall shaping up good though!
lots has happened and the roadmap for the next few months looks really good. In short the fundamental situation with zones won't change, this is the core of the game world. The quality of those zones has changed with new content and updates and continues to do so.
No disrespect intended, but the question was what has changed, and about 1/2 your answer is stuff that is still coming -- some of which has been coming since release or before.
I resubbed to the game last month to see what all the talk was about. The game is more stable, has fewer bugs, takes less swings in melee to do damage, and has YMir's pass. Other than that, I really did not notice any large changes to the game.
None taken there Deathstrike. Obviously people have different experiences.
It is not as though there will be a time when FC puts their hand up and says "I've finished!" it's always going to be worked on.
The reason why I put the stuff you lit up in red in is it is important to know the short term goals too. Especially as most of that you can log in and see on test server right now. Which is going to be patched in soon, in incremental stages of course. It's my opinion we will see DX10 and the one dugeon followed a couple of weeks later by the lvl 80 stuff if it needs more time.
There has been a huge amount of balance tweaks here and there, quest fixes, additions, voice overs, raid boss fixes, timers etc. There is all the Shanty Towns all over, the whole PvP system. Did you get ganked alot before? well it probably won't happen so much now
There most likely will be just the 1 red highlight in 2-3 weeks time.
As I said it is just a few changes off the top of my head, there are full patch notes out there too.
Just one you forgot here that is pretty huge
*Fixes to Massive PvP and Sieges in general. War mounts, Sieging engines, etc. Sieges are running very well now.
I tried the game again 4 months after I quit. This is my honest opinion.
It was actuallly really fun to level again upto 80. The lag/crashes have gone. It is nothing like release was back in May. The games graphics and sound are gorgeous.
But....its still sucks big time at end game. The pve side of it is aweful. The pvp side of it (sieges) really suck and are nothing like i expected the hype they gave out. The crafting is the worst part still.....it has to be the worst in any game.
So in conclusion the leveling now is excellent. The end game is poor poor poor. I will probably return in a few months to lvl another char and hope end game is sorted......but hopes are low.
Damn if they released this game May 2009 it would of been a winner...... . . .. but they never.
I tried the game again 4 months after I quit. This is my honest opinion. It was actuallly really fun to level again upto 80. The lag/crashes have gone. It is nothing like release was back in May. The games graphics and sound are gorgeous. But....its still sucks big time at end game. The pve side of it is aweful. The pvp side of it (sieges) really suck and are nothing like i expected the hype they gave out. The crafting is the worst part still.....it has to be the worst in any game. So in conclusion the leveling now is excellent. The end game is poor poor poor. I will probably return in a few months to lvl another char and hope end game is sorted......but hopes are low. Damn if they released this game May 2009 it would of been a winner...... . . .. but they never.
Well it is not too late. There is a lot of people rejoining AoC these days.
Comments
While I agree with this list that shows a lot has been done to this game since launch, its still the same style of game as it was before. Its a quest-grinder game. That sounds like a negative comment, but I don't mean it to be..... ....unless one doesn't like quest-grinder games.
While I haven't played in a few months, from what I can judge by these forums, the game seems much more stable, polished, content gaps filled, and general playability increased. All good things. Not to mention the server mergers will probably enhance the community aspect of this game.
But as to OP's question of "what exactly has changed?" I'm interperting that question more like "This game launched as a quest-grinder, does it offer me anything else now than it did back in May?" In my personal opinion - No.
I don't want to rip on a game just cause its a quest-grinder cause some people really dig that - and that's cool. Just cause I got a bit tired on doing quest after quest after quest, doesn't mean there aren't any people out there that totally get off on that sort of thing. But if you are asking "Has anything changed in this game to not make it a quest-grinder?" I'd say no, nothing really has changed. Its the same game as it was before. It does play a lot better due to the reasons Avery mentions.
I agree this game is a quest grinder game.
But so are pretty much all the other MMO's out there, like: EverQuest 1&2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, City of Heroes / City of Villians, Guild Wars, etc, etc.
So what's your point? Or the OP for that matter?
All MMO's these days offer these kind of gameplay, as it's more fun and engaging then just grind mobs day in, day out to level up / skill up.
Cheers
The point I was attempting to convey was to answer the OP's question of what exactly has changed. I think nothing has changed as far as core gameplay. It was a quest grinder before, its a quest grinder now. A lot of polish has been performed, stability, and content gaps filled as Avery pointed out. But at its core, its the same game now as it was when it was releaed.
The above comments aren't a positive or negative - it is what it is. If one really like doing a lot of quests, then this game is right up one's alley. So the statement "nothing has changed" is actually quite a good thing.
If one doesn't like doing a lot of quests, the statement "nothing has changed" maybe isn't so positive as others may perceive.
The fact that other games you mentioned are quest griders too bears no impact on this thread. The OP was asking about this game, not the other games. However the same type of thought process applies to those games to - They may be quest grinders - but that can be good or bad depending on what type of gameplay one enjoys.
The purpose of my original reply was to give my opinion to the OP to assist in formulating their own opinion of the game....
...or is posting my opinion to a question posed by a fellow poster not allowed in a forum? /me ducks
--edited for a typo
I'm not creative enough to have a signature
90% of those people that played last some 7 months ago still think the game is the same. Of course there is reason to be upset and whatnot but they can't tell you what has changed properly without fully experiencing it. If your dubious, and there is reason to be from which history has shown, then simply wait for the trials which I am sure will come by within the next couple of months - or pick up the game cheap again?
Other than that here are a few changes:
In summing up a few that have happened and are coming:
lots has happened and the roadmap for the next few months looks really good. In short the fundamental situation with zones won't change, this is the core of the game world. The quality of those zones has changed with new content and updates and continues to do so.
No disrespect intended, but the question was what has changed, and about 1/2 your answer is stuff that is still coming -- some of which has been coming since release or before.
I resubbed to the game last month to see what all the talk was about. The game is more stable, has fewer bugs, takes less swings in melee to do damage, and has YMir's pass. Other than that, I really did not notice any large changes to the game.
None taken there Deathstrike. Obviously people have different experiences.
It is not as though there will be a time when FC puts their hand up and says "I've finished!" it's always going to be worked on.
The reason why I put the stuff you lit up in red in is it is important to know the short term goals too. Especially as most of that you can log in and see on test server right now. Which is going to be patched in soon, in incremental stages of course. It's my opinion we will see DX10 and the one dugeon followed a couple of weeks later by the lvl 80 stuff if it needs more time.
There has been a huge amount of balance tweaks here and there, quest fixes, additions, voice overs, raid boss fixes, timers etc. There is all the Shanty Towns all over, the whole PvP system. Did you get ganked alot before? well it probably won't happen so much now
There most likely will be just the 1 red highlight in 2-3 weeks time.
As I said it is just a few changes off the top of my head, there are full patch notes out there too.
90% of those people that played last some 7 months ago still think the game is the same. Of course there is reason to be upset and whatnot but they can't tell you what has changed properly without fully experiencing it. If your dubious, and there is reason to be from which history has shown, then simply wait for the trials which I am sure will come by within the next couple of months - or pick up the game cheap again?
Other than that here are a few changes:
In summing up a few that have happened and are coming:
lots has happened and the roadmap for the next few months looks really good. In short the fundamental situation with zones won't change, this is the core of the game world. The quality of those zones has changed with new content and updates and continues to do so.
No disrespect intended, but the question was what has changed, and about 1/2 your answer is stuff that is still coming -- some of which has been coming since release or before.
I resubbed to the game last month to see what all the talk was about. The game is more stable, has fewer bugs, takes less swings in melee to do damage, and has YMir's pass. Other than that, I really did not notice any large changes to the game.
None taken there Deathstrike. Obviously people have different experiences.
It is not as though there will be a time when FC puts their hand up and says "I've finished!" it's always going to be worked on.
The reason why I put the stuff you lit up in red in is it is important to know the short term goals too. Especially as most of that you can log in and see on test server right now. Which is going to be patched in soon, in incremental stages of course. It's my opinion we will see DX10 and the one dugeon followed a couple of weeks later by the lvl 80 stuff if it needs more time.
There has been a huge amount of balance tweaks here and there, quest fixes, additions, voice overs, raid boss fixes, timers etc. There is all the Shanty Towns all over, the whole PvP system. Did you get ganked alot before? well it probably won't happen so much now
There most likely will be just the 1 red highlight in 2-3 weeks time.
As I said it is just a few changes off the top of my head, there are full patch notes out there too.
Just one you forgot here that is pretty huge
*Fixes to Massive PvP and Sieges in general. War mounts, Sieging engines, etc. Sieges are running very well now.
I tried the game again 4 months after I quit. This is my honest opinion.
It was actuallly really fun to level again upto 80. The lag/crashes have gone. It is nothing like release was back in May. The games graphics and sound are gorgeous.
But....its still sucks big time at end game. The pve side of it is aweful. The pvp side of it (sieges) really suck and are nothing like i expected the hype they gave out. The crafting is the worst part still.....it has to be the worst in any game.
So in conclusion the leveling now is excellent. The end game is poor poor poor. I will probably return in a few months to lvl another char and hope end game is sorted......but hopes are low.
Damn if they released this game May 2009 it would of been a winner...... . . .. but they never.
Well it is not too late. There is a lot of people rejoining AoC these days.
About endgame I love it. Sieges rocks.