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Review after launch...
brihtwulf
Member UncommonPosts: 975
Well, after the launch of Guild Wars yesterday, some people are probably wondering how it went, what it's like, and whether or not they should consider playing it. I would like to offer one man's opinion, and break down the game at this early stage. Here is a categorized look at Guild Wars:
Graphics: 10
Ah yes, just about everyone's favorite subject. What are the graphics like in GW? The models are well made, and the quality of the environment is outstanding. The game has alot of the good visual components. Comparatively, the landscape has the intricacy of Lineage2, but it has its own distinct look and feel to it. It looks almost "dreamy", and really helps create a good fantasy setting. For quality and looks, it ranks right up there with the top. And the great thing is you don't need an IBM super-computer to see it all.
Sound: 9
The music isn't from The Lord of the Rings, but it's still quite attractive. There is a variety to background music, and the sound FX are unique and fit well into the game.
Cusomization: 9
While there are a variety of classes to choose from, and a relatively broad selection for physical appearance at creation, it certainly doesn't have the power to create a wholly unique look like you may see in SWG. But there is variety and better selection than a majority of MMORPGs. The beginner armor all looks the same, but this is the case everwhere. Luckily, there are a variety of items that can spice up your look and help set you apart from others.
Combat: 10
Simplified, but not "dumbed-down", the combat is fast-paced with next to no down-time. Skills are unique and roles are clearly defined by the class selection. Particulary in groups, strategy takes a front seat with the action. There is alot to do, and you don't need to spend your time watching TV while you rest.
Crafting: 6
The crafting system is definately not the focus of this game. It is more of an accessory aspect than a major component. With most other MMORPGs out there expanding their efforts to provide a robust crafting system, Guild Wars hasn't used such focus. You CAN craft in this game, but it is not the choice for those who take that as their primary role.
Roleplay: 9
Still in its early stages, it's hard to say how this aspect will play itself out in the end. But what you can see is that there is plenty of opportunity for roleplay, and if you find the right people you'll get what you're looking for. In the end, roleplay comes down to a more individual decision anyway.
Support/Service: 9
The only reason I'm not giving this game a 10 is that yes, it's NCSoft. They don't have the best reputation for customer service in the industry. So going into it, you have to be a little sceptical about their attitude. BUT, the "live" updating process simplifies things immensely, and the technical organization of the game seems to have been well though out. How many MMORPGs do you know of that don't crash all day long at launch?
Value: 10
Come on, no subscription fee? No seriously, how much is it? Well folks, the first major MMORPG to break the P2P barrier has arrived. The game costs as much as any other new PC game, but without the subscription fee, you can't beat its play value.
Lag/Servers: 10
I played for hours launch day, and with my machine I had only the faintest hints of lag. There are no "servers", but the worlds are divided into districts (which are just instances of the same zone), and these districts can be travelled to and from at will. So if your friend is in CityA-District23, you can pop over and see him, or vice versa. As for non-city areas, they are created instances for either the individual or their group. This means that when you go out to the "hills" zone, you're the only PC there, unless you're in a group (in which case they'll be there too.) There isn't mob camping, KS-ing or any of those other annoying things players have complained about.
This game is innovative on many levels, and I'm excited to see where it will go and how this will affect the rest of the MMORPG community. They've set the bar higher, realized they didn't need the bar, melted it into a baseball bat, and started hitting other MMORPGs on the head with it. 
Overall Rating: 9.1
Comments
About the Graphics: Anybody that played "Fable" on xbox will know what to expect. It kind of looks like that.
Lag 10 ....
Hmm, maybe before launch this was true... Just suffered unplayable lag - 3 secs response every 20 or so - and for over 20 mins. It could get worse since I'm on the european servers and the UK edition isn't on sale until tomorrow in a load of shops. I just hope this is a temporary thing.
For a second I thought your topic said, Review my lunch.
Does anyone know how long before they let the reviews show for the game. I reviewed and and its says n/a. WTF
be prepared to change your reviews, since this games intricate streaming system will allow them to add customizations on the fly if they want to.
That's the amazing part about this game!
I was a bit laggy later in the evening though, might be just my connection, but I'm not sure.
It wasn't laggy for me last night. I was playing with a friend across town in some instanced missions and he was having trouble moving for 30 seconds or so (happened a couple of times), but I was fine. I did the ratings things and it came out to 9.3.
DallasTX
www.wolfgaming.net
The lag is probably not as bad as I made out. It's almost as if there are 1 or 2 buggy servers, and if your instance is placed on one of those it will be *really* bad, otherwise fine. It could be that leaving the instance, and re-entering is enough to fix it. It could also be the client that is getting knotted up since I restarted that too. I certainly wouldn't give it a 9 or 10 though. 7-8 *when* performing well with a top video/network system.
I wish my character could jump...
Other than that I'm pretty happy so far.
Yeah, I'd do Betty....
But I'd be thinking about Wilma.
I havn't had a problem with lag, every once in a while I get a spike.. but I expect that on launch day.
So far I'm blown away.
I have to say something about the OP's rating system. He/she basically says 'I haven't experienced this' or 'This hasn't come up in the game yet' and gave it a 9 or a 10. Isn't that a bit biased?
The only thing innovative I see in this game is the streaming content technology. Apart from that, it's pretty much just a refined version of Diablo 2.
And Guild Wars is NOT a MMORPG. Even the developers themselves said so. Everything is instanced, there is no 'persistent' world that everyone can be in at the same time without instancing. Sure, this eliminates killstealing and whatever, but it also means that I can't chat with people in /ooc while running around, or help someone that's having a hard time with a mob, or find a pickup group in the middle of a quest.
Here is my take so far:
Pros:
PVE combat is smooth and fast
Gigantic selection of class combinations and skills allows for near limitless options
Roll out was fantastic but we will see what happens once we get into the thick of the weekend
Cons:
Avatar graphics for both players and NPCs are antiquated.
It is a trial by fire when you first start playing, no real ingame guidance for us true New-bs
Very limited number of equipment slots might lead to standardization of high end gear making the PVP heart of this game grow old quick.
In all I must say that at this point in time I am very unimpressed. The game feels like it was designed to rival the games of old (EQ, DAoC and the like). Actually feels like a modded DAoC a whole lot, complete with poor character models, skill specs, combat style and method of advancement. I guess I will have a chance over the weekend to dig into this and see if it is all that it was built up to be or if it is just a sad revamp of an antiquated system that is nothing more than a console PVP game with an ugly RPG facade.
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I wouldn't say that my opinion is a biased one. Having played a multitude of MMORPGs in my day, I have never seen one develop bugs AFTER the launch process. It's for this reason and the fact that as of yet no one has experienced ALL aspects and locations of gameplay that my ratings are higher ones. While there may be some bug that has yet gone unnoticed hidden deep in one of the zones, I have to say that compared to other launches, this is the smoothest I have ever seen.
I'm also a bit curious about a couple of the people who compared the modeling to games like DaoC and other similar games. I would suggest that you turn up the graphics to the highest setting, even if only for a moment to view them. In comparison, they out-match most games of then genre. The polygons and texturing are about in line with higher-end games like EQ2 and Lineage2. I was surprised to hear someone would consider them antiquated.
I have also thought about the reference that the game itself isn't considered a TRUE MMORPG. I like this line of thought. It really makes you think about what really IS an MMORPG. I would like to explore that further, but in another topic. This thread really doesn't pertain to that.
But good commentary everyone. In the end, aside from technical qualifications, each player is going to prefer their own type of game or title. For many, the graphics and other technical aspects have little meaning. (Consider those who still play Ultima Online.) I can't argue with anyone's opinion on whether or not they "like" this game, but by all comparative qualities it seems to be ahead of it's competition.
I am beginning to think that the outdated look is a result of the genius resource conservation that they used while creating the game. I play on a high end box (can actually play EQ2 fully pumped without much chop) and was distressed to find that even with the graphic settings on full GW never shook all the haze and muted color schemes used to disguise lower end engines attempting to pump out mid to high end graphics. Also while the background and movement across the landscape is smooth (despite the fact that there are collision blocks that extend too far past some collision objects) the avatar interaction does not seem to mesh properly (notice how you hover over your foot prints). Furthering the feeling that the avatar is running on an lower level than the background.
Seeing how this game was ready to go out of the box and that the developers plan on making money on biannual releases I have the sinking suspicion that GW has the potential to have fully rocking graphics but that the developers are not allowing us to see them at this point in time. When you think of all the people that complain that EQ2 requires a supper machine but in reality you can play it with stunning graphics on mid range setting without effecting game play on a middle of the road box it really makes good sense to cap the graphic output for all users until the average machine can use them.
Anyway, just did not fall head over heals for it like I was hoping I would.
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Here in Europe the game actually costs half of all the other games (on sites like www.play.com) you only pay £18(34 USD! shipping included) instead of the usual £35 for a game. So the value is quite insane, I dumped WoW without second thought to play guild wars. Especially since I don't feel good about wasting so much time as you do in WoW, and I dont have time to play many hours a day. Although this doesn't matter if you actually enjoy wasting lots of hours then you can.
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