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Thinking of trying or returning to Asheron's Call?
Blisterjuice
Member Posts: 3
To all who are thinking about coming or returning to Dereth, I highly recommend you do. I quit AC back in 2000 or whenever AC2 came out (I know I know)...and recently came back in Jan 09 and I am hooked all over again. The game play pretty much remains the same however the content has vastly improved. Many new areas that will keep you busy and entertained include Coliseum (coli), Graveyard (GY), Valley of Death (VoD), and Dark Isle (DI). Also, Turbine has introduced something called Mana Forge Chest which I am completely addicted to. The chest includes some really nice armor, weapons, lvl 8 spells (yep, they have lvl 8s now!), etc…
What server to choose?
Back in the day I started on Solsclaim but ended up on Darktide. This time around I personally chose a server at random and picked VT without doing any research and I am so glad I did. If you research the servers you will see that VT has the lowest population however I have met some of the nicest and most helpful people ever. I cannot speak of other servers but I doubt you could go wrong with any of them. With the population low on VT it is sometimes alittle hard to find a full group to do certain quests however most of the good hunting spots are open with no traffic to compete with. If you want to go PK Darktide is still the only pk server, however the regular servers have pklite now and you still can choose to turn red.
Is it too late to start a toon and invest all my time to level him/her?
This was my biggest concern. So far I have leveled to 190 since Jan. 17th 2009 and I am able to join in on most of the quest my guild (KoH) runs. With the new Coliseum mini bosses(a mini XP quests that you can do once every day) and buff bots it doesn’t take long to level up. I was also worried if AC’s population got too low that Turbine would pull the plug on AC but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. I do wish that they would advertise alittle more, especially their 14 day free trial. The 14 day trial is what got me hooked again.
Fill free to look me up if you chose the VT server and good luck.
Blisterjuice
lvl 190
3school UA toon
Comments
Sounds fun, tempted
EQ1-AC1-DAOC-FFXI-L2-EQ2-WoW-DDO-GW-LoTR-VG-WAR-GW2-ESO
I'm very tempted, i cant believe you manage to level up to 190 in a matter of months. I played this game for 2-3 straight years and highest toon i ever got was 110ish, and that' was with hundreds and hundreds of hours. Wondering if it's best to start over, leveling seems much easier nowaday.
That's because we went from 2.5-5mil an hour fellows hunting Corals to 55+ mil an hour in VOD, then higher in Caulcano (that was when I quit), but after the last expansion dropped my brother said the XP rate past a certain level was just insane.
My first toon I played for months and only got to like 85. I shouldn't of started with a life mage and not knowing how to play one. In the VOD/Caul days, tho, my Archer went from 1-120 in like a week or two. Meh, good ole' days. Never find nothing like how this game used to play.
I had established characters on LC, SC, and FF. Originally started on SC, had some RL friends on FF, and ended up on LC. All three of those servers at peak hours were completely deserted everywhere I went. Granted, I'm not sure if people flock on the higher level landmass or not, but all the oldschool hubs were completely deserted.
Well... I haven't played AC in a billion years (I bought it at release, but only played a few months-- couldn't pry my husband out of EQ, so I went back there). I just activated my trial. I expect it's kind of old school, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
You can make 200 million xp an hour in Egg Orchard (EO) and more in Path of the Blind (PotB).
It's easier to level up now, not only do monsters and dungeons give more xp, but quests give a lot more now too. A lot of quests are based on percentage now, giving anywhere from 5% to 50% of the xp needed for your next.
Quest items are also decent now. They don't match top of the line loot items, but the gap isn't as wide as it used to be.
I have a mule who is 160 and leveled only from quest xp and uses quest weapons only.
I just signed up for the 14 day free trial, first time playing. My cousin used to play this game when it came out but I never did. Hope it turns out well.
http://www.facebook.com/DEATHREAT
I've played various MMO's since first starting AC in about 1995 and I can honestly say that it still stands up as probably the best MMO I've played to date. OK, the graphics aren't up to WoW and other more modern efforts, but if you're looking for gameplay, variety, fantastic character development and control, then this is the game for you....
....if, of course, you can actually connect to the game server....
Due to what appears to be hideously archaic technology, a significant proportion of the people who try to rejoin the game or try it out experience the dreaded "cannot connect to server" error, due to what I believe is a clash between the existing connection setup of the game/servers and the rapid evolution of modern broadband and wireless connections.
Try as I might, spending time and effort talking through the issue with tech support (who tried very hard to help admittedly), I still went through 2 free trials - 28 days - without actually beijng able to get into the game once. A great shame, but there is a limit to my patience and available time to pursue what is likely to be a dead end.
Bottom line - if you can get in, then grats - you will love the game. I don't expect you to though unless you are a technical genius or running old rig yourself (you know, P2, dial up connection....)
Hahaha, I got on last night after install on with my i7 rig. Verizon vios internet btw.
http://www.facebook.com/DEATHREAT
I had a little bit of trouble connecting, but I was able to fix it with a look at their technical support section on the website. First I ruled out firewall issues (making sure that the client and the launcher were on the "allowed" list), and then I went into my router and set up the ports as recommended-- Voila! I was able to connect.
I had a great time playing last night. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the look of the character models, as shallow and vain as that might sound, since I wasn't even all that fond of them back in the day, but I got into what I was doing, so I didn't really care so much what I looked like while I was doing it. Play>Graphics, I guess. Now we have to see if the usual "initial rush" gives way to contented playing or boredom.
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Some exageration there. I wouldn't say it is a significant proportion of people who try to connect can't, at this point the only problem remaining is that some routers require port forwarding. Occasionally you find a modem that doesn't allow loose UDP packets but that is a bit more rare. Usually a person posts saying they can't connect, someone tells them about port forwarding and then they get in.
AC does have compatability problems. I b!tch about it a lot on the official forums. The devs just ignore me. Somewhere along the line they determined that the number of subsribers lost does not out weigh the time they would have to spend fixing the issues. You will never catch me playing LotRO or DDO because of the poor support AC receives. You can be bet when the subscribers in DDO and LotRO drop, they will receive similar poor support.
I found it funny that Turbine was voted the best company in the Escapist contest over other companies like Blizzard and Valve. Turbine is no where near Blizzard or Valve in terms of customer service and technical support. Blizzard and Valve would have never let AC fall into such disarray.
Yes I've read your posts, and the truth is the situation you try to post about is not always accurate.
The game hasn't fallen into any disarray, the game is built on 10 year old technology and as such is limited by it. Loose UDP was a very normal format 10 years ago, however it isn't used that much now so some cheaper modems just block the packets all together. But as I said before this is the exception of modems not the rule.
As for most of your complaints on other forums, they are all smaller them you make them out to be. You don't agree with some of the content and systems they have put in, but there are players who do. You also fail to normally make the distinction between coders and content designers. And finally you always post in a manner as if this was a newly coded engine and certain things should be very easy to do that are in fact most likely quite difficult.
But none of this is really applicable here, I was letting the person know that majority of players never have any type of connection issue, but some routers do require port forwarding to work correctly. However and easy way to figure this out is to try the game for free for 14 days, if you have connection issues then don't sign up.
I just re-subbed like 3 days ago. Last time ive played was like 2002 lol. I have vista 64 and have had zero issues with getting the game to run and work, Having alot of fun revisiting all the old places
i played for a couple weeks in april. i miss the game so much. played from 2000 till 2004 then off and on for yrs. but i just can't stick with it. population so low. you have to solo or duel-log . which is ok. but the marketplace for gear. there was no more then 10 there.
so the game is a solo game. allegences still there and good to chat with. but you need to lvl up to the 100's first on your own.
if the game was free. or even $5.00 a month. or better yet. had a lifetime mmebership like LOTRO does i'd pay for that. so i could just log in and play when i felt like it.
i even suggested to turbine to alow AC for free if we currently were subcribed to their other games lotro and DDO. the guy who reads the email said that would help bring others back and like the idea and said he'd pass it on. but this was over a year ago.
shadowbane is closing down. AC 2 died on us. and tubila risa also died . i'd hate to see AC go. please please find away to get us old players back. i have 6 accounts with lvl's 40 to 130 on them. if i could get lifetime membership i'd even invite my freinds to play with my accounts
You need to try a server like Frostfell if you want more population. If you play on wintersebb or verdantine, those are very small servers and the people who tend to play on those ones like it solo and like a small server. Making the game free wouldn't make them keep it open longer, it would become a money sink for Turbine and there would be no point in that. If you want to come back just come back, invite some friends, join a higher pop server like FF, TD, LC and have fun.
Also leveling to 100 or higher if that is your goal (plenty of people who return want to power level) is easy enough to do and won't take you very long. The nice thing about AC is it gives you the ability to level really fast to get up where other people are, or take your time and explore a ton of content while you level slower.
US Navy Nuke huh, I was stationed on the USS Tennessee for several years as a nuke electrician.
LOL frostfell is my server since 2000
one other idea, although most say it runes games. but some think it can help. SOE is now doing it. real cash marketplace
exp potions, visual effects for armor and weapons, even things for our homes. nothing that would give an advantage to PVP combat though. heck i 'd even pay $20 just for a mount in game
please don't flame me for this. lots of free to play games survive because of real cash marketplace.
I wish AC would become f2p. It would be easier if they just made the original AC free and then made a premium subscription that gave access to all the expansions. However, I agree a marketplace to buy game items for real money would work out better in the long run. It's just a lot more work to make a marketplace system.
Turbine has other options for revenue, like charging to rename characters and charging people to transfer servers, but apparently it's too complicated.
I say disarray, not only because of the tech issues, but because of the mess of systems and concepts the game is now. Also in recent years the game has shifted from its roots.
Derrr, the current players don't have any issues as they are obviously successfully connected and playing.
At least once or twice a week you can go on the official forums, here, or VN and see posts from people who cannot connect to the game. AC has problems with routers, ISPs, antivirus, and firewalls. You think it's acceptable to turn away potential new customers because Turbine refuses to devote a large amount of time fixing them. It can be fixed. It's not impossible. I never EVER say it's an easy task. I always say I'd rather have them fix the many tech issues rather than add new crap (quests, items, monsters) every month.
In the previous sentence I somewhat compared tech issues to content. Is this what you're referring to when you say I don't know the difference in programmers and designers? New content is often new tech (e.g. roaming mobs, mobs that attack based on your society, no dropping items in certain dungeons). Also who knows how advanced the dev tools are and how much programming it takes to produce even simple content.
I have a feeling the dev team is very small now as the content updates have become increasingly smaller and the support is so poor. The quality and quantity of the art has gone down, I'm betting someone who isn't really an artist is doing some of the art now as a side job. The duty of designer and programmer can over lap. This is all speculation of course.
I played this game when it was released back in 99. I loved it back in the day and I want to play it again. Myself and 5 RL friends have been trying to play but we cant get pass the the first portal. I'll explain. We can DL and patch the game NP. We logg in and make our toons NP. When we portal in , we get stuck in puple bubbles. We can see chat and the that npc in blue in a room for about a min then we lose connection. We've been talking to tech support for about a month and are about to give up. We've tried everything but nothing works
. Anyways, I hope turbine makes another type of game like AC. Call it Dereth or somthing.
I say disarray, not only because of the tech issues, but because of the mess of systems and concepts the game is now. Also in recent years the game has shifted from its roots.
Derrr, the current players don't have any issues as they are obviously successfully connected and playing.
At least once or twice a week you can go on the official forums, here, or VN and see posts from people who cannot connect to the game. AC has problems with routers, ISPs, antivirus, and firewalls. You think it's acceptable to turn away potential new customers because Turbine refuses to devote a large amount of time fixing them. It can be fixed. It's not impossible. I never EVER say it's an easy task. I always say I'd rather have them fix the many tech issues rather than add new crap (quests, items, monsters) every month.
In the previous sentence I somewhat compared tech issues to content. Is this what you're referring to when you say I don't know the difference in programmers and designers? New content is often new tech (e.g. roaming mobs, mobs that attack based on your society, no dropping items in certain dungeons). Also who knows how advanced the dev tools are and how much programming it takes to produce even simple content.
I have a feeling the dev team is very small now as the content updates have become increasingly smaller and the support is so poor. The quality and quantity of the art has gone down, I'm betting someone who isn't really an artist is doing some of the art now as a side job. The duty of designer and programmer can over lap. This is all speculation of course.
The only people who ever mentioned antivirus problems were on Vista before the Vista hotfix was released. There hasn't been a single mention of that kind of issue since. Microsoft said they had found a problem with their code that was confusing antivirus programs. No way AC could control that.
Yes there are a couple router/modem/firewall issues, but truthfully I think it is silly when people have a firewall or router in their system and don't know a single thing about it. Half the time the way they had it setup was all around wrong and when AC couldn't get through it was when they found out. Sure newer games tend to get right through these setups, but this game was created 10 years ago, not today. Based on that alone I don't seen an issue with it since most people who do have a problem can be told how to port forward and then they can make it through. Some of the issues are as simple as using Vista and installing AC into the defaulr Program Files directory, that causes issues for a lot of programs and is a flaw in Vista.
Not sure what new art you are referring to because at this stage new art isn't common place, I think you might be seeing old items that you hadn't come across which were put into a new dungeon and you saw for the first time. The only new art I can think of off the top of my head lately was the new olthoi armor, the society armor, and the T'thuun weapons in the blackmarket (and now in the PK dungeon).
" Is this what you're referring to when you say I don't know the difference in programmers and designers?" No I'm refering to specifically your VN post about how it is ridiculous that we are getting new content when they should be fixing the connection and other tech issues. Which says that you don't realize the people who make the content and those who work on the tech issues are two totally different groups of people. So us getting new content does not slow down the work on those issues.
Also the reason I said this isn't the best thread for these arguements is because it doesn't accomplish anything. First off every post you make every where on AC is overly negative, which then portrays the game as worse off then it is. You've already said how you don't like some of the new systems they've put in, which is fine it's your opinion, but the way you talk about the game here you make it sound like all the new systems are broken. They are working as they planned and there are plenty of players who do enjoy them. So when you say you want them to server merge and you want higher populations, but then mislead people on forums like this to the state of the game, you hurt your own cause.
The game is still running well, there is still new content on a monthly basis. They've already said they are working on some big things for the 10th anniversary, one of the leaks in an interview was something to do with quest panels which a lot of people are looking forward to. A lot of players do enjoy the new systems. More people never have an issues connecting to the game then do. And the simple fact is there is a free 14 day trial, if someone was worried about if they had connection issues or not they could go try the FREE trial and if there is no issue then great they get to try this game that is still fun after 10 years, if there are connection issues they can either see if they can set up the port forwarding and get it working or give up on it. Either way they used up a whole 2 minutes of time trying it out.
So I'll end with everyone should go get the 14 day free trial and see for themselves how fun this game still is. http://trial.ac.turbine.com/
I haven't played since the days when the game was launched via the MSN Gaming Zone, but I sure did love it. Was my first MMORPG when I had to choose between AC or EQ. I did some digging and found out while there is a way to possibly get those characters from the old Billing system moved over, I don't have the slightest idea what my login name, etc. even is. So I'd be starting from scratch, which might be just as well.
However, I simply can't justify the current monthly fee. And its not about the number, as I can afford it, I just can't stomach paying almost the same price for WoW as I do for AC, with AC showing its age.
I might do the free trial though, just to bring back some memories.
I haven't played since the days when the game was launched via the MSN Gaming Zone, but I sure did love it. Was my first MMORPG when I had to choose between AC or EQ. I did some digging and found out while there is a way to possibly get those characters from the old Billing system moved over, I don't have the slightest idea what my login name, etc. even is. So I'd be starting from scratch, which might be just as well.
However, I simply can't justify the current monthly fee. And its not about the number, as I can afford it, I just can't stomach paying almost the same price for WoW as I do for AC, with AC showing its age.
I might do the free trial though, just to bring back some memories.
The monthly fee makes more sense for AC when you think about it. If you are an older game with a smaller base you need more per customer to keep everything running. When you're a game with 11 million players you could charge less and still keep everything running just fine.
If you played that long ago then you wouldn't really benefit from an old character, you'd be able to get a brand new character past where the old one was in no time at all and would have him setup to take advantage of the changes to AC since that old character stopped playing.