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Is there ANY way to try this game before buying?
gannonreid
Member Posts: 172
in Aion
I want to get this game. I really do, but since it's $50 and a subscription, I have to know if it's worth it. I am definitely in the market for a good MMO (especially now that I have some time to enjoy one), and have been eyeing Aion for a bit now.
But an MMO requires a commitment, and I need to know if it's worth it before taking the plunge. So is there any way to try this game out before buying it?
Comments
Currently, Aion is not offering any game trials.
I, however, did play Aion in beta, and then roughly three months afterwards. So for a total of four months, I had the privilege of playing this game. However, It wasn't my style, and as such, I gave up on it. Yes, I ordered the collector's edition, and as such, I received some pretty decent in-game items. In hindsight, this game was worth the purchase for the amount of time I actually put into playing it.
Everyone has different tastes. If you like good-looking character models and environment graphics, this is a game that shines in both areas. Yet to what cost? Aion offers an almost endless grind (in crafting AND leveling). To elaborate further, there were huge gaps in content where you simply had to kill the same monsters in the same area until you can get to do the next set of quest chains safely or be allowed to accept a quest in a new area.
Coupled with both endless spams by the developers (Message of the Day) AND gold farmers, you'd surely be one to pull your hair out. By the time I left, it was unplayable. At this point in the evolution of the game however, I hear good things about the measures the developers have taken to reduce spam. Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of witnessing this event firsthand.
It's a standard MMO with superb graphics, and an added dimension: flight. Flying isn't dull, its kind of breathtaking in a sense. Yet your character gets tired after a certain amount of flight time. What the developers intended to be a challenging feature of limiting our flight time, ultimately became one of the game's downsides. I think I had a maximum flight time of one minute and thirty seconds, if memory serves me right.
Also when you got to the Abyss it was kind of dissapointing. You could gank, or be ganked, basically. It was usually a group of twenty or so legion (term used for guilds) members flying from point A to point B to point C, etc., in order to claim an area of the Abyss (and gain points for your legion for its ranking thereof). This gets boring after a while.
To conclude, the combination of these factors: the seemingly endless grind, incessant spam, definite gaps in content, and general dissappointment when reaching the Abyss totally did me in.
I briefly mention these points because they have been stated many times in these forums. They have also been argued more times than necessary. Yet if you want a detailed analysis, just reply and I'll try to answer any question you may have.
As for forking over the $49.99 to play this game, well the decision ultimately rests with you. Hopefully this response can lead you to a decision that will be appropriate.
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EDIT: Grammar. It's late at night, and the first post didn't make sense. Forgive me, just got home from work and I'm pooped.
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"Your pride, good sir, far exceeds your worth." -x3r0h
Oldest mmorpg.com member with the least amount of post counts. That counts for something, right?
A decision that I can't make until I actually try the game for myself. I refuse to purchase an MMO I've not tried myself. All the conjecture and media in the world can't convince to invest in an MMO before trying it just because MMOs are really hit-or-miss (many misses).
But again, I'm in the market and Aion seems like a good fit, but I'm very disappointed that I can't find a way to try it.
A decision that I can't make until I actually try the game for myself. I refuse to purchase an MMO I've not tried myself. All the conjecture and media in the world can't convince to invest in an MMO before trying it just because MMOs are really hit-or-miss (many misses).
But again, I'm in the market and Aion seems like a good fit, but I'm very disappointed that I can't find a way to try it.
I really don't know what to tell you then. Seems like a reply wouldn't have influenced your decision either way.
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"Your pride, good sir, far exceeds your worth." -x3r0h
Oldest mmorpg.com member with the least amount of post counts. That counts for something, right?
Don't know anyone who's subscribed though...
I heard this wasn't being done any more.
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"Your pride, good sir, far exceeds your worth." -x3r0h
Oldest mmorpg.com member with the least amount of post counts. That counts for something, right?
Subscribers can send a 3 day demo under the refer-a-friend program with 4 invites outstanding at a time. Give me your e-mail address and I can hook you up with one. 3 days isn't long, but it's what they offer.
I've always wanted to try this game as well, but like another person has said, without a demo, I would rather not pay for a game that I might not enjoy, which would then be a waste of money for me.
[Mod Edit]
Main characters:
Jinn Gone Quiet (Guild Wars)
Princess Pudding (Guild Wars)
Got your invite. Thanks man, DLing right now.
Think Aion is still doing pretty well. So I doubt there will be a free trial for a whilr yet either. GL finding a key
Other people will tell you its a grind after lvl 35-40. But they are making big changes in the next patch to revamp this issue.
I have debated over and over again for the last couple weeks whether I should spend the money on this game.
[Mod Edit]
Don't bother, Aion really is a waste of money.
AoC or EQ II would be better choices than this.
About the only thing it has going for it is the graphics of the characters, other than that it fails in every other way compared to either of the above titles. Vangard would be a better choice as well, if there were anyone playing it anymore. I never liked WoW, played it for a couple of months so I can't recomend that.
Heck even Star Trek Online is more interesting than Aion.
Unless you are okay with considerable grinding to get to fairly hardcore PvP, I wouldn't recommend Aion. I did the closed beta, the open beta, bought the CE and gave them four months of subs before calling it quits. I'll wait to see the responses to changes before I re-sub because in its current state the game isn't fun at all.
Good luck.
Well, lots of grinding to get to fairly hardcore pvp sounds alot like Lineage 2, which i played and enjoyed for about 2 years. Also, i played STO in beta and i have a hard time believing ANYTHING is less interesting than that game, watching paint dry on a wall is more engaging than STO was sadly...but yea i'd love to try Aion if anyone has one of those demo keys, just want to see how it runs on my machine before i drop 39.99$ on it.
Most MMOs take a while to actually churn out a Free Trial, hell Aion is still trying to get up server transfers. If you would like another opinion of the game here is mine. Otherwise just skip this post.
If you played/liked WoW, reached endgame and are waiting for cataclysm, you may wish to try this until then. The game plays very similar to WoW. Before you read any farther my roots are from FFXI so the differences between Aion and WoW are negligible. The game looks pretty and is really cool looking on max graphics. The combat is push numbers as fast as you can and watch things die. You can not fly in most zones, you glide. Eventually you learn how to glide and this helps you travel faster from time to time. Quests consist of kill X number mobs turn in. Eventually you move into a new area called the abyss which is PvP. You start unlocking and using stigmas which let you enhance your class and give abilities to classes that may not normally have them. (example is gladiators get a stigma that allows them to dual weild, kinda cool). As an assasin myself I get skills that eventually chain together, ( I am sure other classes do as well) which is kind of a cool feature.
Overall the game is fun if you are looking for that style of game. It is very simple, community is....better than WoWs if you which to compare the games, however it still is not the greatest. This does depend on your server as well. Essentially Aion is a pretty WoW. I have never liked WoW and for whatever reason I liked Aion. The style of gameplay is not for everyone as things like gathering and crafting are really simple (literally you click and it happens for you, no real difference from any other MMO, however some do implement some sort of difficulty.)
Final result, up to you, if you are looking for a simple game, or a game that has the exact formula of WoW, only with relatively balanced classes and a prettier look, give it a shot. Otherwise try like Age of Conan, atleast combat differs there and they have a free trial.
My buddy looked over my shoulder when I started FFXI and hated it and made fun of me saying the combat was to slow. 1 week later he bought the game. That same buddy tried this game (Aion) thought it looks awesome, bought it and hated it. Didn't realize how simple it was. Good Luck and I hoped this helped.
-Maltos-
Trust me, even STO is better than this.
Keep in mind that Aion has absolutely no character progression. You level up, buy the skills from your trainer (The same skills everyone else of your class have) and then grind to level up again. You have no ability stats, no skills points to customize your character in any way. The only thing that you can customize is your gear, which there is a standard template for, and a thing called Stigma, which is choosing one of two paths to follow, each have three levels in the tree, so not much to customize there either.
You end up having pretty much the same exact build as half of the other characters of your class. The other half all have the other build.
I tell you this because my wife and I made the mistake of purchasing two copies of the game, only to be bored with it in a few weeks. It is a real disappointment.
I most certainly recommend finding a trial key if you can, if you cannot find one, please do not waste your money on it like we did.
Thanks, I've played most MMO's out there, i've been around this site for along time and been playing MMORPGs even before i decided to type in MMORPG.com and see what was there, Aion seems like a good game to try if for no other reason than well, its an MMO i havn't played it, i liked certain aspects of WoW, and i liked Lineage 2 alot, from what i've seen, Aion seems kind of like a mix of the 2 games. I heard that people who have an active account for so long get demo keys they can hand out to people to try the game, was hoping i could get one from someone to see how this game plays for myself.
Nah, Aion is not even close to lineage 2 in leveling. People who come from easier leveling games seem to have a problem with aion's leveling.
If you come from Lineage 2 it will be a walk in the park.
People don't realize what a grind game actually is unless they played L2 and played it in the higher lvls. You could grind for months in L2 without ever seeing a new level (at higher levels that is). And people complain about drops in Aion. I went several levels in L2 before seeing a drop at times. Aion's economy is far more forgiving than L2's.
Aion is FAR easier than L2.
However it plays far differently as well. If you were a die hard L2 player and are looking for a successor then Aion will not be that game as it plays more along the wow school of game play. Not exactly but it is closer to wow then it is to L2.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
It essentially is.
Last night a legion mate of mine commented about Aion saying that he felt they had gotten it right and addressed all of the difficulty that Lineage 2 had but mitigated all of the simple nonsense of WoW. But that's one man's opinion.
One thing that Aion doesn't have, which is a shame, is a more open world like L2. Or even wow for that matter.
It's world is a bit more like archlord's in many spots where there is a path or a wide area that runs through the map.
The world is very pretty but feels like a set. Meaning that every inch is accounted for and there are very few spots that you can go to that don't have a purpose. Its world is very economical in that way.
Unfortunatley I can't give any keys as I've given out all of mine and am holding the next two for people which will be in the middle of April.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
To the member who posted his willingness to send out the 3 day trial to friends...(gannonreid?)...care to send me an invite?