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AoC vs Champions Online vs APB vs EVE
WhiteMirage
Member Posts: 2
I am looking for a new mmo to play that will keep me entertained at least until SWTOR comes out, or even after that. I have chosen these four for one real reason.
I have never subscribed to any (played some trials) and want a new experience. AoC is more a hint to my taste, but the other 3 my friends would be more willing to play (which I dont mind, playing with friends is more enjoyable for me).
I want to hear from people who have actually played past the first 2 levels of one of these games. I dont want to hear from people who have read this or that, cause I have done the same. I want real advice.
Just tell me how the start game is and is the haul to endgame worth it? is it easy to pick up? how is playerbase? community? what sets it apart from the others? etc.
Feel free to comment on all four if you have experience with them.
Thanks in advance!
Comments
You haven't actually said what you criteria are or what you like in games. Those 4 games are totally different.
But given that you said that what you're waiting for SWTOR, I suggest AoC. Given what I've read about TOR and the sort of experience it will provide players with, AoC should be the closest. It's very solo-friendly, story-driven, based on an established ip and has a fun combat system.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
Well I cant really comment on all 4 games but I have played 3 of them way longer than the first 2 levels. First of all the game I came back to recently AoC. The game is great with its superb graphics, music and combat system. I think the main draw of the game is the combat, graphics and diffculty, that is not to say these are the only good things about it. AoC is just about the only mmo in which I read the quest text. Its not just text boxes poping up, instead its more like single player rpgs where the effort is made to make the interaction between you and npc seem like a conversation. Tortage is the freet trial for the game but while it is of high quality it doesnt really do the rest of the game justice. AoC opens up after Tortage and only gets better from there. One thing that has to be said is that it is more difficult then WoW for example. If you have a group quest you need a full group there will be no soloing group quest in AoC. The population is fine you can usually find people although it make take some time on occasion, you mentioned friends so maybe that wouldnt be a problem for you at all. The PvP in the game is pretty good and its a good idea to join a guild. I would not expect much of the PvP servers though. On those its a gankfest like in all other games.
A game I played and was very disapointed with it Champions Online. Graphically I love it. I love the style and the detail and ofcourse the customisation which is bar none the best in any mmo. The thing is that making your character is alot more fun than actually playing. If you are looking for a more action oriented game but still an mmo you could give it a try. I found the game boring and limiting. The maps in the game are on the small side. The quest are your normal mmo fair so dont let the comic book theme fool you. If you are interested in PvP forget about this game, there is nothing. There is an arena type thing but its soooo bad. Since PvP is garbage balance doesnt really play a major role but still its worth mentioning that the game can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. You need to really think about how you spec your character becouse there are good ways to go and there are terrible ways that will make the game a nightmare. If you are interested in a superhero mmo I would suggest City of Heroes.
APB is a different beast altogether. I would not really call it an mmo. Quite frankly Global Agenda with its open world update coming up is more of an mmo. APB is a large scale tps. The game is amazingly fun starting from the insane character customisation to the pretty necessary team work. Team work is the key and its even better if you have real life friends to play. There is a feeling I get from this game I have not felt in a while. Ive had a ton of memorable moments happen that just beg to be discussed with friends over beer. I dont think ive felt the need to talk about the game I play with the people I play with since Tribes. The big question when talking about APB is whether its worth the monthly fee. To that I have no answer. I know I enjoy it, but is it worth a monthly fee. I will put it this way if you have friends to play with this will be a great choice and the atmosphere created by playing with friends and coordinating yourselves by mics will be worth the $10.
I cant really say much about EVE since that game scares me. Its too deep and too demanding for me.
Eve Online all the way. Age of Conan had some potential but was just bad and i can't even take APB or Champions Online seriously.
Yeah, what arieste said.
But if you are waiting on SWTOR because you believe it will have well written story lines and engaging group combat, I'd suggest AoC.
I'm still subbed and have several high level toons on AoC. Opinions vary a lot on the start of the game. I liked it but it is really not what I look for in an MMO. The game starts like a well-done single player RPG. You will see a lot of reviews about how instanced the game is (loading screens etc.). Many of these never got beyond this part. After around level 20 you are in larger and larger open zones that you don't need to leave for hours. End game, in my opinion, still needs tweaks. There is plenty to do and the repeatedable dungeons dont get old for a long time since they are unique and challenging. It has become a lot of a gear grind and faction grind now, that I think could be made more immersive.
I've also played EVE a lot, but unsubbed actually because this game to play it the way I would find fun, it sooo time consuming. Hard one to pop in and out of. But based on your interest in TOR, I'm not sure you'd like EVE. It is light on story. There are missions with lore, and they are fun, but they lack depth and personality. The real story in EVE is player made, which can be epic, but can be also hard to get into. There is no real noob experience and level to end game. You can participat ein end game event in a good corp after a few months, but you will never feel you've mastered this game. I actually probably played EVE more hours than AoC, can fly full t2 equipped battleships and assault frigates, and still felt I had a lot to learn.
both great games, but very different.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
fun thing is that EVE is the least demanding MMO out there. At least you are not forced to go raid 7d a week and you can go away from the game, come back a year later and be as competitive as before.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
That can be true. My problem was always that I'd get into a good corp, we'd set up industry, piracy, or whatever, and we'd get way into it. Soon, we've got new recruits, and I'm getting 15 emails every time I log in about 2 or 3 events that week.
I know, its like I pray for rain and get flooding type o thing. Really testament to the awesomeness of the game - to be clear, I'm not knocking EVE, its just too immersive for me, end up feeling like its a second job, albeit one I love to work at.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
I've only played AoC out of those Games, but as long as your Rig can handle it, I would recommend Conan to anyone who asked...The only MMO I've liked better than Conan (overall) is LOTRO...The problems I had real early on in the Game were all technical and I don't have any of those issues any longer...I still prefer AoC's Combat system to any I've played. It's a blast...I like all the different Prof's I've rolled, and I've rolled just about everyone...lol...I'm not saying Conan is perfect...not by a long-shot...But it is one of My favorite MMO's...And I think the bad launch, as bad as it was for some, has left a stain that is a little unfair at this point...It's a real solid Game overall...Especially if you get in a good Guild...
I am playing Champions, if you like superhero games you should give it a try. However, for what I read in your post, I would recommend AoC since it is more in the line of the classic mmo. I don't have anything to say about APB, it might be fun. Eve is pretty much a gamble you either love it or hate it( I played for 2 days).
AoC hands down....
Iv played eve plenty of times, but I voted aoc. I think your looking for the standard mmo experience to get your hands dirty with, and aoc will give that to you more then the others. Eve is of course a space sim, which while fun, might not be the mmo you want to jump into as your first mmo, like wise with apb, as fun as it sounds, I dont think the end game your looking for is in this game. Champions online, while fun also, might be something you could look into after aoc, or as a secondary mmo outlet for you. I like being able to have two subscriptions to games, as you do get tired of even the best mmo after so much playing, and having a second subscription kinda meshes very well and gives you an excitement feeling when you log into your main mmo again. Could be just me.
I'm torn between EVE and AoC. They're both great games and there's no way on earth am I going to chose between them.
I would have to say Eve online. Champions and AoC are similar, by both being heavily instanced. If you want pure story, I would say AoC. APB I have no comment on since I have never played. However Eve, Champions and AoC are good games worthy of a free trial atleast.
AoC all the way
I'd only recommend EvE to people who get an erection when looking at an excel spreadsheet and find snail races the apex of thrilling experiences
When talking of APB I wouldnt even talk about end game since this is not an mmorpg. Its a shooter like CoD, CS and so on so there is no end game. There are new weapons, customisation weapons and so on but there is no end game in a shooter.
Fortunately, I've played all 3.
I'll start with Age Of Conan! AoC is a good game. Kind of like a mix between Guild Wars and mmm... Champions. (Yes I know, champs came after, spare me, please). Its got a fairly inthralling storry, but it was just never my style of game, so I never got that far into it. Deffinately worth a try if thats your thing.
APB: Currently my game of choice. Some may argue that its not big enough, or its not finnished enough, or it isn't an MMO. Well, yes, its NOT an MMO. Its really a massive 3rd person shooter where anywhere from 1v1 to 8v8 matches take place throughout a fairly large map while others around you (not technicaly on your team or able to interact with you violently at any point durring your mission) have their 8v8 matches going on. There is a rank system, akin to levels, and there is "gear" technicaly, in the form of character upgrades and weapon upgrades, (Think, more health, less falling damage for characters, and longer effective range and faster refire rate for guns) but other then that its perfectly possible for someone to drop in at rank one and completely dominate a rank 50, or even a rank 100. I'd say a goof 60% of the gameplay is customization though, so if you're not creative you may find the game extremely boring. Aside from just shooting other people up there are other "side quest" like activities you can do, like stealing cars and robbing stores as a criminal, or making an arrest as an enforcer.
Champions: Boy, was that my dream game when it came out. I followed the forums, was in EVERY beta, almost, and the game was looking FANTASTIC, untill launch. I swear, the last few weeks of open beta were the best state that game was ever in aside from some of the leveling bugs. I was always a PvPer too, and the way people CRY now a days on forums is terrible, (Yes, I see the hypocracy in that previous sentence), and the constant reballencing of skills made it neigh impossible to create your own PvP synergy with you and your aside from the obligatory "NUKE NUKE NUKE" or "STAB STAB STAB" with the regeneration passive defense ability. At any rate, it would be a good game if people stoped crying out for "CHANGE THIS CHANGE THAT" and instead found viable counters and used their reflexes in a game where timing a crucial and judgement is key. (I can see this happening to APB if Realtime Worlds isn't careful enough)
Eve: Played it with my friends for a while, and after about 6 months of on and off, I realized I was spending 80% of my time skill training, 20% of my time fighting to get money to make my skill training faster. I understand its a sandbox, and its got a steep learning curve, but I just couldn't be assed. When I was out getting shit done though, it was fun and combat felt like it had a real meaning to it, i've just played other sandboxes before in my life and they certainly weren't as wait-around-y as Eve.
Final Verdict: Play Champs next Free weekend they have, if you're looking for a Classy MMO, on the other hand, go with AoC. If you just want to have fun and become infamous, APB. If you have TONS of time on your hand, however, go with Eve. Those are my suggestions in that order.
I have played all of them but APB, at least for a few levels.
I loved AoC, but the introductory zone last for 20 levels, I personally like to keep moving along even early on so for me it got stale kinda fast, even though I loved the gameplay. The gameplay is fantastic though. It feels more like playing an action rpg, than an MMO, especially with it's fatality system.
Champions Online is one of my all time favorite games. The customization is insane, and the combat is fast paced and fun. The only thing I feel like this game is missing is low level instances.
EVE, like one of the other posters said is a love it or leave it game. I have tried it multiple times and only playe a couple of days each time. This is primairly because I work weekends making my game time during the week, when I am a stay at home dad. The learning curve is so steep and the game so imersive it would simply take too long to get into for a family man like myself.
Anything BUT AoC. You will have nothing but problems and frustrations, go read their own forums, so many issues over there, retarded decisions being put in that make no sence, bugs appearing daily, patches screwing up the game, lag, red line, latency, exploited content...and a shady billing company, be warned.
Fallen Earth - Great leveling experience, huge open seamless world, great to explore, best leveling experience I've ever had personally. End game is lacking some content.
DDO - Free to try. VERY impressive dungeons. Best instances in ANY game ive ever played. I actually subbed to it and have not regretted it. Yes the game is very instanced, but Im enjoying not having to spend 30 minutes to travel to a far off destination. Again, the dungeons = badass, very challenging and fun with different traps and strategies and each class bringing something unique and usefull
EVE - Once you get over the learning curve, it does become addicting
Pimpwars/Cripplesmash/Legend of the Red Dragon/TradeWars 2002/TrollMud/Usurper
Present: Wurm , Fallen Earth
Sorry on my late post folks. Thanks for all the feedback. I have played many mmos from WoW to WAR. These are just four I knew I have never really played.
I will rule out eve, I dont want it to become a second job. Seems fun, but way to time consuming for me. APB doesnt seem like it will last past a few months with the current content they have, its fun but it cant hold.
Now its between Champs and AoC really. Which one of the two is more polished? which one has more things to do (content), which one has a faster paced start (or are they both slow grind games?), etc.
I always wanted to get deep into an mmo and stick with it, but constantly adhere to what my friends and the reviews says. I have never played an mmo well into the endgame. In WoW I got to 79 and quit. I just couldnt take the mindless questing and lame instances. And then my friend said the highpoint is 80 where you SCHEDULE raid times like work, I mean jeez. I am not bashing hardcore gamers, I like to be hardcore too, but I like more relaxed play. Overall what do you think will hold my interests the longest?
Thanks again!
AoC hands down imo, unless you must have a superhero game. AoC is a lot better now than it was before.
AoC all the classes are somewhat similar so there is little replay value.
Champs is fun to design a hero and then it gets boring.
APB is a joke.
EVE you will be ganked, but you might enjoy it.
AoC or EVE will give you the best longest lasting experience.
die.
I've played all of them and my two choices would be AoC or EVE. EVE is pretty much a galactic sim/space sandbox game. AoC is more by the books and more traditional in the MMORPG sense, combat cn be a bit more complicated than the standard click hotkey, rinse and repeat; the combo system requires you to pay attention in PvE and can keep you engaged but isn't quite that effective in PvP.
Didn't really care much for Champions Online, character creation is pretty extensive and customizable but I found the gameplay to be lacking. APB has more action oriented gameplay, but I found it to get repetitive quickly and it focuses a lot on PvP so you have to be up for that. Didn't mind the forced PvP aspect of it, just found the gameplay to get old quick.
AoC is really easy to pick up and seems like you can lvl up much faster now than in the early days of the game. Champions Online isn't oo hard to get into, but some mechanics like gear and character upgrades are not as standard as other MMO's. APB is failry easy to get into if you have experience with shooters at all, if not then might have a hard time of it with the lack of tab targeting and the need to manually aim. EVE is harder to get into because of the more space sim nature of it and the sandbox nature of the gameworld.
Personally, I would go for eve or APB (champions has so many things wrong right now). But if you're going to play with friends (and assuming they aren't the patient types) then I would go for APB. It is FUN.
I play both Eve and AoC. Eve is a good long term fallback MMORPG as you can progress while not playing. I play Eve on and off for like 4 years now. I would say that for a traditional fantasy MMORPG, AoC is easily the best right now and I am having fun playing it. I think the only thing coming out within a year that will challenge AoC is Guild Wars 2.