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My first 24 hours in DFO
Well it's been a bit more than 24 hours but here goes,
Purchase:
So I bought the game online with a CC, had some trouble but read the site and got it sorted out. The download was about 9.5 gigs but went fairly smoothly. It took about a day to get it done. Compared to the horror stories I heard before concerning the shop only being open at certain hours and all kinds of trouble with the online purchase, it seems none of that exists now.
DFO Lore 101:
So at login I had to create a race, and you get six choices,
Alfar: Sort of a twisted evil elf like race, very sadistic towards all others and having a preference to magic. they have no allies.
Humans: Well they're Humans, that think they're descendants of a sun God. Enemies are Orks, Mahirim and Alfar.
Mirdain: Elves that are arrogant but intelligent. Enemies are Orks, Mahirim and Alfar.
Dwarves: They're Dwarves as in Tolkien Dwarves. Industrious and Isolationist. Enemies are Orks, Mahirim and Alfar.
Mahirim: Kind of a wolfman race fierce, warlike predators. Enemies are Humans, Miridan and Alfar.
Orks: Well they're Orks, big brutish sadistic psychos. Enemies are Humans, Miridan and Alfar.
The world is called Agon which is a big continent with four other smaller continents surounding it and a plethora of archipelagos. Aventurine didn't spend masses of time writting a load of lore, there's enough in there for you to feel immersed but it's mainly all linked to your race. Which I personally appreciate, there's nothing worse than getting all juiced up and immersed reading the lore only to get in game to find it's nothing more than a button mash fest to level X surround by school kids all from the same inbred village in Wales!
Character Creation:
So I can select from the six races, either gender. From what I remember the character creation is quick concentrated on your face, hair and skin colour. I went for Ork and found it to be spartan yet satisfactory, no fiddling with details neither I nor anyone else would ever notice again.
Each race has their own starting cities, spread out around the map.
Starting Off:
You spawn in your selected city with nothing but a starter weapon. The starter weapon can never be lost but you gain no experience using it. Quests are no different from your average MMORPG, mostly gather this and kill that with a few fed ex here and there to get you to the next NPC. So far all the NPCs have been NPCs with other purposes, for instance mission givers will also be Blacksmiths or merchants and so an. Meaning they buy and sell goods and offer services also.
The game is full loot on death, but the starter city has NPC towers surrounding it so that you can Bank and do missions in peace. Although once in a clan if you're at war you can be killed by the enemy anywhere anytime. Though there are NPC towers they only afford protection inside certain NPC cities, outside you're on your own.
First Quest:
So I get a quest from the Ork councilour (spelling) and go to kill some Goblins. The Combat controls are like a standard FPS W,A,S,D set up. Space bar is jump, you equip a weapon get the enemy in your crosshairs and hit the left mouse button to attack. Since I play Battlefield frequently it was like second nature, and my Merc Stealth keyboard is set up for shooters 
. After a long time I managed to kill one of the weakest Goblins and loot him for his weapons, now looting is a whole new thing in this game! I then equiped the new items and was now in a position to gain some skill and gold.
Looting:
Looting in DFO is similar in some ways to EVE online, but alot more risky! To loot I have to put away my weapon, get the grave in my crosshairs and hit the interact key. This brings up the grave contents, then I need to open my backpack and put the items in ONE BY ONE! Yup you heard me, and all this time anyone can come along and rape me. So looting is serious business in DFO, you wait until it's safe and do it quick, there's no auto loot option or any way to do it other than manually. Alot of people don't like it but there is a distinct absence of "ninja looters" in this game, as they'd all be dogmeat if they tried it.
Skilling up:
You skill up by doing it, it's a bit like sex. In the begining you do a lot of it very badly, but over time your skill increases and you start doing it alot better but less frequently. I've been told it's similar to UO in this respect, but never played UO myself. So if I want to be good at archery I have to got out and hit others with arrows, no other way and this goes for all skills. Also players aren't limited to what they can train by race, anyone can learn anything and any amount. Although if you tried to max everything I should imagine you'd get sectioned under the mental health act eventually and locked away with the villa grinders from AoC!
So it seems you choose a few weapons skills and concentrate on them, as otherwise you'd end up being crap at alot of things and getting wasted constantly.
Ganking:
OK so far I've been PK'd three times, not ganked (ganked = gang kill). All three times a much more skilled player game along whilst I was skilling up by wasting Goblins and splatted me. From what I had read concerning DFO I expected the starter area to be surrounded by headcases baying for noob blood and slaughtering me at every opportunity. Well it didn't happen, I stayed off the beaten track and kept hidden as much as possible. I kept close to the starter town and when I saw another player I stopped what I was doing and prepared to leg it.
I never kept much on me and banked at the starter city on a regular basis, the times I was killed twice they didn't even loot me and one even apologized and offered my gear back! Yes a DFO player apologized for PKing me, from what I've read that just isn't possible as everyone playing the game is meant to be an arsehole.
However it is a good idea to remember everything you have on your person is lootable by anyone after death. You are killed by a player or NPC and your mount is left out? Anyone can run up jump on it and gallop of into the sunset like a horse rustler in those old cowboy movies. So whereas DFO isn't filled with tossers (though there are plenty) everyone is an opportunist in DFO, never carry with you what you can't lose.
Clans:
So after my first day I decided to find a clan, asked in race/alliance chat and got some offers and ended up joining one. Everyone was very helpfull, I got a load of gear and advice that was much needed. I moved to the clan owned town (player owned cities ... YAY!) and set up there. We do have our enemies and once you've had another clan declare war on you even the NPC guard towers in starter cities are no use.
Whilst playing DFO I noticed how system messages would come accross the screen with a sound effect when one clan/alliance declares war/peace on/with another. Also alliances are anounced and other stuff, so despite my starter town being very quiet I new something was happening when it was anouncing hamlets changing hands and sieges being started. It seems the mechanics are in place to wage war properly without silly constrictions.
Player owned housing:
YES! Something I've waited for since SWG. I'm not certain how it works exactly but I know you can buy a house (different sizes) and put it down and bind yourself and others to that location. Also players can build and own cities, towns and hamlets which can be sieged and razed by the enemy. I haven't experience this but this is what I've learnt.
Crafting/gathering:
OK I hate both of these in any MMORPG, but here goes. Everything you see in DFO trees/rocks/bushes/mushrooms can be harvested. You just need the right tool, also you have fishing in game which bares all types of sea life from lobsters to swordfish. Like everything else your skill improves at gathering the more you do it, objects produce many different products and at random. So for instance a bush can provide several different herbs and berrys, From one bush I got mandrake, blueberrys and snake weed I think!
These ingredients are then used with a tool say a cooking pot to make a dish, or some can be eaten raw. That's about all I know and all I wish to, sorry but I hate crafting and gathering with a passion!
Player owned boats:
Players can build and use anything from a raft to a war hulk, a raft being manned by one player and a war hulk by many. They can be used in battle but it seems something like a hulk costs so much only a guild can afford to build it. I have yet to see boats in game with my own eyes so that's all I know.
Open world:
No instancing ... YAY! It's a massive open world, some describe it as empty and compared to other MMORPGs it is. I'd describe it as a frontier, that's what it feels like. I've found underground cave systems (I fell off a cliff) and abandoned temples on my limited travels. It feels like a real world, not an instanced fabricated track that leads from one quest to the next.
Summary and first impressions:
Well I haven't had anything bad to say, but I've only played two days so give it a few weeks and I'm sure I'll have a gripe or two. However my first impressions are good. Perhaps the playerbase needs to increase? I'm not sure, would it make a visible difference in such a large game world? Again I'm not sure. What I really love is the combat system, although I'm not very good at it there is no button mashing. The last MMORPG I played was AoC and that was full of button mashing that left my fingers numb! In fact DFO is the game AoC should've been, a harsh unforgiving world where anything goes. Siege warfare and the ability to "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of the carebears!".
Despite all I've been told DFO isn't populated soley by sexually repressed wankers, although every MMORPG has a fair share of them. I wasn't the victim of multiple gang rapes from the moment I started until I finished. I played with a ping of 60-100 (in the UK playing on EU-1), had a moment of lag once or twice that was hardly noticeable. The graphics are nice, certainly not AoC standards but the trees sway there is night and day with nice effects when there's a full moon and there's rain and weather effects too. Nothing fancy but satisfactory. People complain about the UI, I'm not certain why but then again I've been playing computers since the days of the ZX 81! Still the UI is satisfactory in my opinion.
DFO isn't a flashy game full of mind blowing graphics and effects, it is a solid game though that does what it says on the tin. Also it has alot of features that larger more well funded studios have failed to implement *ahem* Funcom *ahem*, such as player housing, player cities/towns, open world sieges, sailing and a skill system without levels.
I used to think DFO was vapourware, until it released. I stayed away from it due to the horror stories and the fact I didn't trust Aventurine. Well I've changed my mind on Aventurine, they remind me of CCP before they sold out for a larger playerbase, think large free expansion and keeping the playerbase happy rather than doing what they think will net them a larger playerbase. There are frequet updates and a large expansion (free) is coming soon with extra housing options and some racial traits added to characters. I'm not saying this game isn't a pile of shit, just that it isn't as of the time I write this. Right now I'm glad I tried out DFO and feel it was worth the cash.
Agricola
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
Comments
Come back in a month's time and post another review. Two days of play cannot tell us anything the professional reviews have not already told us.
I will, just was giving first impressions of DFO from a gamers perspective not a full blown review of the game.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
Hey, I'm from the UK too, recently transferred to NA-1. I had the same impressions as you bro, actually I also expected there to be something I didn't like about it, but to tell you the truth I absolutely love it. When all these new flashy MMOs come out I'm now refusing to even bother looking at them, whereas before I used to pretty much order every new MMO out and play for about a day or two and never subscribe again. Still, my view of DF is strong and I can happily say I've been subscribing for about half a year now so far
Choosing the EU server is a pretty good call, it's a lot quieter over there, but that means there is a lot less chance of getting jumped as there is on NA, before I transferred I managed to get a 100 magic school over there really quickly and the archery skills. Good luck for the future, best thing to do it get yourself into a clan. DF is really all about the sieges and politics, and once you get on vent and meet friends, you'll really start getting attached to it and personal about some of the stuff going on
Just a small information about Player Housing that you need to know:
House Deeds/Village Deeds/Cottage Deeds can be either bought from another player OR dropped from a Chaos Chest. (low drop rate).
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The first day is fun. The second day is still fun but on the third and fourth day, it's getting somewhat boring. But after 5+ days, you managed to save enough money (1000+), your skills are strong enough to kill the first 5 monsters in the game (goblin, skeletons, zombies, trolls, centaurs) and now you are basically strong enough to go out and discover. That's when the game actually becomes really fun. So should you get bored, just bare with it a tiny bit longer.
Also, personally I would've recommanded you join Clan NEW. This clan is made specifically for new players and they own one of the most important hamlet location (Hammerdale). This is without a doubt the best location to raise most of your crafting skill as the surrounding land is filled with all you need (herb spawn, tree, rocks, metal, fish, etc). While the clan does have a few issue with Clans such as CareBears and Backstreet Boys who just comes in and PK/gank, Clan NEW is protected by a vast amount of the strongest clans on the server.
I think it's important to note that you're now trying the game well after launch, after Aventurine has managed to work out a number of issues and implement new features. As such, even your initial impressions can vary wildly from those at launch. The game is more polished and stable than it was, which is a good thing. It's probably a great time to try it out. I considered coming back myself, because I like the PVP, but my time is too limited to devote to a game like this.
~Ripper
Nice little review! Don't listen to the trolls saying "Oh just wait you will hate it, its so terrible wah wah wah"
I haven't had the time to resubsribe for awhile but I had a great time playing and had the same type of experiences
I thought that was a good thorough review, and I'm glad you're enjoying DF.
I've played for just about 2 months now and I'm still enjoying it, not that I haven't been ready to throw the computer out the window a few times during that 2 months. Just when you think you've got enough spare gear and some gold stashed away it disappears.
I've been on a ship, and to me the lack of true Sea Battles is the single most disappointing part of the game. Ships are just awesome, they don't have all the realism of PotBS, but that's better for gameplay. They should cut the cost and time of ships by 1/10th in my opinion. Enough so an average guild can make a ship a day. It would be the icing on a great game.
Sounds like you're doing things the way I would if I started over, good luck.
Asdar
Nice review Agricola
Great review! im thinking of firing up my DF account again.
I loved the game also for the first few months. In the end its just one big pvp battleground...
Playing Darkfall EU1 Server
There is, or at least was back in April, a way to auto-loot. A bunch of people around the noob areas, which is where I played since I was a noob and didn't get a chance to play much since I was by my cousin that has slow internet then had to go back to classes, but when I did play there was always someone around the goblins that would hit the grave I was trying to loot and did so in a blink of the eye. By the time I could even get my cursor to an item they were all gone. I don't know if they made it so this macro or whatever it is (since apparantly it uses an external program), doesn't work anymore, or if everyone just caved in and uses it, but that, and seeing players walking and hiding in the walls of houses and then seeing some of the youtube videos of other hacks convinced me not to resub. I'm terrible at FPS games as it is, but I do want at least a somewhat level playing field since I refuse to cheat.
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"Chemistry: 'We do stuff in lab that would be a felony in your garage.'"
The most awesomest after school special T-shirt:
Front: UNO Chemistry Club
Back: /\OH --> Bad Decisions
OMG finally someone who has something REAL to say about this game. For the first time I dont feel like I have had sunshine forced up my arse or feel like the developers are just waiting to gang rape me. Good work on a good review and I hope you will continue to post as it might just get me into this game, and I do not like PVP style games.
And You have no Idea how happy I am to see a fellow Gary Numan fan! My ipod has all of his older work including Tubway Army. God I miss my old Moog!
Thanks for a wicked write-up. I appreciate your no nonsense approach. I'm looking forward to your follow-up, and how things will pan out for you as you seem to have an open mind going in (much like I did).
Enjoy.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Well done! Your experience is similar to how mine has been going as well. I still haven't been PKed or ganked yet. I did get killed by a gang of knolls though. I still have to join a clan too.
I'm looking forward to reading your next update.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
Sounds good. I really want to give this game a shot. Still, I am going to wait around for a trial. Its had a rough history.
DFO is not flashy, but it can handle more players in one area than any other game on the market.
The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
Great writeup Agricola1, I really enjoyed reading it.
Any chance on a chapter two?
Regardig graphics, Ork area is IMO one of the ugliest in the game, have you been to other race's home lands for comparison? Elf and Mahirim lands are IMO the nicest looking.
I'll do another review after a week then a month, I've moved to the Mahirim area of the game as my clan's hamlet is located there. When commenting on how it looked I was commenting on the quality of the art without taking my personal tastes into account. For instance the Ork lands are meant to look like a harsh lands similar to Mordor in Tolkiens books, a place where very few would like to live or enjoy going on holiday. However despite that they created a Mordor look very well with some uniqueness, wether you like magma flows smoke and the odd smelly swamp or not I think it was done well.
AoC has better quality of graphics, why I don't know maybe more polygons better textures or probably both. AoC grphics look very polished, DFO looks a bit rough around the edges in places depending on your graphics setting. Having said that I have no complaints about DFO graphics personally as they are more than satisfactory in my opinion, perhaps my only real gripe is that character models could do with being a bit more diverse (give us a few more options in char creation concerning the body)?
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
tl;dr
[troll]OH NOEZ GAME IS BAD HURR DURR DURR. EVE,EVERQUEST,UO,ARE BETTER[/troll]
Who cares. EvE like Darkfail is just as much as a time sink like any other MMO. Want open ended fighting outside of town rather play Diablo since I didn't have to wait years and years to button mash that. Just download and script kiddie it like every other lazy berk does today.
Taking 9 years from the first game announcement. The constant money transfer issues. Double charging the own zealot customers twice when they were switching to local US servers. Personally, if people wont put up with Sony or Smed. Why put up with a small indy group of retards. Honestly.
When did you start playing "old school" MMO's. World Of Warcraft?
Yeah!
Why play computer games at all, when something might go wrong?
Good read, thanks for the time summarizing your impressions. I tried Darkfall during the first days of release, but left it early after, however I'm still interested in the game.
REALITY CHECK