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Unbiased Rift Beta Review
Hello all, This is one of the first of many posts I hope to make on here and just wanted to say how much I enjoy this forum for previewing and discussing up and coming games.
First off I'm going to try and explain how I can give an unbiased view... While not the biggest hardcore gamer around I've had my share of Diablo 2 addiction, and guild wars fanaticism to understand what I like in a game. While I haven't played EQ or some of the more prestigious mmo's out there I have played Guild Wars, WoW, Darkfall, LotRO, DAoC, WAR, D&D online, and FF XIV (*cringe*), and recently Rift...
Honestly with so many new games on the horizon that look amazing (TERA, GW2, BC) I really didn't read or hear anything about rift. That was until I got accepted to the recent beta. not exactly sure what to expect I installed the game and had a look around. The first thing that struck me as odd was God doing the voice over for the opening cinematic... This wasn't some mystical soft womanly voice... This was dump truck through a nitroglycerin plant. Definitely unique as far as opening cinematics go. After that I tried to create a character only to have some graphical glitch where I couldn't see any surfaces... I have 2 radeons 5770's and have never had so much as a graphic hickup when first starting the game, and when I first started Rift I couldn't see the ground, walls, or even my character that I was trying to create... Not a good start.
After I put the graphics to a low rendering setting I was finally able to play the dam thing. I rolled a mage since it's what I've always played, and started out with my first soul being a Necromancer (D2 love). I went ahead and started the questing area for the Guardians and enjoyed it more or less nothing really stood out to me though... I got to launch a cannon, and ride a horse... A few of the things that I noticed were that my skeletons pathing was the best pet pathing that I've ever seen! The thing wouldn't leave my side, defensive posture actually attacked when you right clicked, and it would automatically stop attacking when I turned the mob into a squirrel! Very nice indeed. I also noticed that the Music was appropriately suited to the environment. *spoiler alert* at the start you're the last resistance against an evil meglalomaniac, and you're losing... The music wasn't some cheery Bambi crap it actually gave me the feeling of being the Guardians last stand, and in all true last stand montages, I died... and then was brought back by the God's of Telara to a time when I could actually stop this big baddie from destroying the world. *end of spoiler*
So after finishing the starting zone I decided that I really wanted to see what this game looked like... So I took off low rendering and ramped up the graphics. Low and behold it worked and I could see a very intricate and detailed world full of color and fluid images. I was impressed, the reflections, shadowing, textiles, and art were unique, though the brightness of the world reminded me of WoW the detail and the appearance of the characters didn't remind me of the tooniness I saw in WoW. Everything was similar to the size it would be in real life and the buildings were actually straight! While I could see why some people thought it looked like WoW there was a completely different art style that was beautiful...
I was impressed enough to give the game a run and see what it had to offer so I customized my UI that was actually pretty easy to do with the customizability that Rift offered. And then I set off.. I did some standard quest some of which actually had some pretty witty dialogue I could see that the developers had a good sense of humor and cared about the game they were making. The quests were easy enough, and they went fast enough to where I didn't feel like I was grinding. Before I knew it I was up to level 10.
By this point I had expanded the soul tree and I absolutely loved this thing! I would be spending points to increase particular spells effectiveness and at the same time be getting new abilities, plus with new ranks of the spells every other level I was getting overwhelmed with the amount of abilities and trying to keep track of what each one did. It was definitely more intricate than I had originally thought. by level 12 I had close to 13 abilities and 2 summonable minions all second rank, and I still had some money to spare. I was ready to move onto the next area.
On my way to the second questing hub the screen went dark and some voice said they were going to claim this world... All I could think was Oh fuck what did I do! As I pulled up the map I saw 15+ fire rifts open up and close to 25 groups of level 15 elites spawn... Then I realized that everyone else was seeing the same thing too... What came after can only be described as bottled chaos. Everyone was shouting trying to get groups organized... Trying to get to towns to hold off these forces. While others were trying to attack the rift gates that were spawning the mobs. me being only level 12 tried to help as much as I could I ran to the nearest mob and tried to fight it back... I died... and it was not a graceful death... It was me getting chased by 13+ elite mobs crying for my mommie. After soul walking back to existence (more on this in a sec) I finally grouped up with some level 18 players that went on a butt kicking spree. We closed 3 of the 15 fire rifts that opened up all by ourselves 
Then The big boy decided to drop in to pay us a visit... a 40 foot tall burning demon that radiated fire damage to anyone that was close... luckily I didn't get caught in that though some of the other low level players weren't as lucky. The fight was intense This guy was dropping tanks left and right... he was moving around while others were shouting not to reset him... It was an incredible experience to finally kill him off. and I even got a purple badge for my work. So much fun!
A few things that I noticed, everyone that participated in the event go a purple badge... it wasn't like WAR where only the top get rewarded it was more cooperative since these events were rare, anyone that participated in them got rewarded with a purple level badge and this was the same for some of the smaller rifts that rewarded Blue badges. The rewards weren't overpowering and were only slightly better than the gear I ended the beta session with at level 20. Keep in mind that this was a level 15+ event I just got lucky to not die more than I did. While were on that topic soul walking is awesome! t it is a resurrection that keeps you in spirit form for about 10 seconds where you can't be attacked and then pops you back to life... great took to avoid those annoying gankers in the PvP realm and not overpowering enough to where you can continually use it, since it has an hour cooldown. a great feature.
While the item ranking bugged me it was something I recognized and was intuitive since it was the same type that was used in WoW and WAR, and it was also one less thing I had to learn. There were also artifacts that I collected from the rift mobs and later from around telara these are sets of items that you can turn in for a reward and are have a major pokemon mentality to them... I'm OCD about having complete sets and I can see many hours used trying to find all of these
After level 15 I obtained all 8 possible souls for the mage. So I decided to switched around my spec to a glass cannon pyromancer. All i have to say is that Everything died a lot, including me I love seeing those big numbers and it was a blast, a fire blast! ( tom, tom, high hat) The amount of options you have for your soul tree is outrageous... I could play as a defensive mage that would buff allies and provide shields, a support healer, crowd control specialist that has like 4 or so different crowd control abilities, The oh so hated damage over time class that sucks life and uses it as mana, 2 different pet specialists that have a total of 8 or so different pets between them, glass cannon blow shit up before it does the same to you, The annoying one! You know what I'm talking about that mage that slows you forever and stays just out of reach until he eventually kills you, and the pvp specialist that has specialized skills just for killing those pesky Defiant. This really was like having every mage class I've ever played all rolled into one character.
I ended the beta at level 20 right after I got my mount. I participated in 3 area large events, 50+ rift closings and 1 battle ground. While I would have liked to do more battle ground I just didn't find the time, between rift hunting and events it just didn't happen. I would also have liked to try the instance that is 17+ but by the time I got there it was pretty late in the beta and most weren't interested in running it.
From what I saw during my 3 day beta I think Rift is a solid game that I'm looking forward to playing again. Just some of the reasons I enjoyed this game were:
The cooperative area wide events were well constructed and challenging, as well as brought the whole area together in the spirit of cooperation.
The reward system is improved from WAR's public quest it's based on participation and not placement.
The artifacts are a collectors dream and have pretty good payoffs.
The graphics are astounding the resolution is top quality and the world has subtle triggered events that add to its charm.
good music that synchronizes with your enviornment.
A surprisingly mature population.
Rich lore and a personal history of every NPC you meet.
the Artwork is unique while vivid it also contains the lines and scale of real world objects.
the soul tree allows a vast array of customization for your character
all the things were there that you would expect from a normal MMO: good economy, proper quest rewards, enough bag space, auction house, guild customization, character customization, dyes, accessible multiple specs, mounts, battlegrounds, dungeons, raid and raiding customization and tools, a whole host of ui customizations, quick transportation, and manageable death penalty.
Never lagged, not once! Not even during the large events!
Some of the things that Just annoyed me:
The starting cinematic
the rift monsters wiping out a camp when I had to turn in a quest.
every troll and their mother talking about how this is just like WoW
Lack of flare in the starting area
Not being able to complete the Fire Plane Artifact Set before the end of the beta!!!
Some of the things that I want to still test before I fully endorse this game would be:
Battlegrounds functionality
Dungeon difficulty
End game content.
Overall, I went into this game cold I didn't know anything about the game, and I came out with an appreciation for a well constructed and well performing MMO that has great potential to be one of the best MMO's I've ever played.
Comments
Thanks for explaining the 'unbiased' part. That's why I clicked. Good read.
Yup. Good read. Thanks a bunch.
Could you also say something about what you think of the world and its layout? I read some comments from people having concerns about it in that it felt small / cramped / on rails and I really disliked that in WAR: it felt artificial rather than immersive.
How does it compare according to you? Is it open, vast and diverse enough? Can you go from zone to zone in a natural manner?
@ godzilr1: God ... is it nitpick-friday today?
My brand new bloggity blog.
This can't be a review since the game hasn't launched yet. And besides, after reading it, it's more of a description of your experience with the beta than an actual review.
Great preview. I agree with you on some of the things you didn't care for. The starting cinematic and the starting area to be specific. well done.
darkpony It feels small and cramped especially in he beginning when you go from one small quest camp to another just like WAR. Once I was around 15 and started ddoing rifts it seemed less small. This was either because I didn't focus on the quests as much, or there were less quest caps than the beginning.
Troll Inc:
Just to clarify, most rift events have rewards based on placement. The mega zone wide events pretty much rewards anyone who is logged in at the time.
And..Every server is probably different, but as of beta 4 the community is atrocious. I've never seen so much sexism, racism, or homophobia in any game beta or otherwise.
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I would concur this is more journal of events than review, but good nontheless.
Hope to see you in game!
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
What server were you on?
I mean every game has its fair share of sexism, racism and gay jokes in pub chat. My experience on Lotham was very positive where public chat was fun to read and chat in with everyone else. There were two stinkers but everyone blocked them and we continued to have fun.
I guess you never played on the AOC PVP servers than (or any FTP PVP servers). They are all like that and I can't stand to watch the chat.
Once people have to pay to play RIFT that should diminish as the freebie kiddies who think it is cool to talk like that won't be there.
I thought the OP did a good job. RIFT is a solid game.
I actually think I'm on Lotham. It was a PvP server. If you were on the same server as me, you'd recognize my name =P
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I do think PvP servers do sort of draw the undesirables like me. I played on a PvE server in 1 and 2 and it was a different atmosphere.
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
1. I'm afraid you are wrong in this one. Unlike in WAR here your contribution points depend only on your actual contribution. There is no way that you just hit one mob or cast one heal and you get anything. There is no way to fill completely contribution bar without using skills all the time pretty much with as few breaks as it's possible. Finally I have tested it with 3 different roles: healer, mdps and rdps. In all cases rewards depended only on my own performance.
2. Have played in beta 3 and beta 4. Never really saw any racism whatsoever atleast not as much as it exists in WoW. It's hardly even comparable.
On the contribution needed to gain rewards point.
It was in the Massivly Interview that just spamming skills is not the best way ( though it can work I guess). You dont even have to be grouped up and 'tagging' a mob has no impact on contribution points ( you just miss out on the XP for the mob kill but still get the XP from the stage completes and such) SO as long as you play your class properly and are a team player you will be getting rewards no matter your soul choices.
First off thank you all that read and commented on the post. A couple of clarifications... I think the title is fine I was reviewing my experience of the beta... Maybe I'm just misinterpreting the word "review" but it's a minor point.
Darkpony thanks for your comment. To answer your question it depends on where you are... some of the areas felt a bit crowded... the first questing hub after the starting zone felt crowded, but then again they were under siege from the flame forces so a little crowding can be understandable, I also felt a little crowding whenever I tried to cut across a zone... If you're the kind that likes to forge their own path and not use the roads (which might be a good idea from time to time since the rift legions travel on the roads as well) then you might find yourself having a problem or two.
That being said, Overall I thought It was spacious It wasn't too much walking the starting area was easy to navigate and the questing hubs were safe (for the most part), and at the same time you could stay in one area complete your quest without having to worry about other mobs from other quests coming up behind you. A few notes on the topic: I had flicker that acts similar to the blink ability in WoW so I had a little faster traveling time and avoidance than say a cleric. Also every class has a pet that can serve as a distraction. That's my two cents.
As far as the PQ or rifts loot return I can't say for sure if it was one or the other I want to say that the system rewards you as long as you try (I.E. do 1% damage to the mob) because I know I wasn't close to the top on a few of the fights and still walked away with a purple or blue medallion. If I find out more information I'll let you know.
Thanks all keep the comments coming
Very well thought-out review of the beta. I enjoyed the read.
I am confused about something though.
When you go into it with no pre-conceptions about the game but end up liking it a lot. Doesn't that end up with you becoming biased? which again motivates you to write something positive about it.
It may be me that has a wrong notion of what being biased is. If that's the case then I apologize in advance
You're totally right Fibsdk. When writing this I couldn't help but be biased since I had already played the game and already decided that I liked it.
The point that I was trying to relay with the title is that I didn't know anything about the game before I got into the latest beta session. I didn't know about the soul shards, the rifts, or anyone's opinions on the game. Basically I went in not having any preconceptions or biases. I feel that this perspective gives me a unique vantage point, because it's the same position that many newcomers to the game are going to be in.
I think those that research the games and have preconceived notions are going to be seeing the game through a colored lens, they may have already decided before testing if they like it or not and they will find things in game that will support their original assumption. I had no such preconception.
I know many people are capable of reading something and having an open mind, but it's rare to have someone who is truly ignorant about everything with the game and then report on their experience.
Perhaps it would have been better to entitle this "A Virginistic Beta Review," but then there's no hope the thread will stay on topic.
I can't really get rid of my bias after I've played the game, but I did try to relay the original experience that I had with the game to help us all gain a perspective as to what a curious fan may experience on release day.
Good read. Don't sweat the 'biased' stuff. As long as your honest with yourself it's good enough for me. I personally loathe fantasy games and things with pointy ears make me laugh. Imagine my shock and dismay to realize that I was having loads of fun. I really like the notion of having to retake a camp to turn in a quest. There are armies and raiding parties walking around like it's an actual invasion or something. Keeps you on your toes. Fighting together with ,asses of other players made me feel like I was actally an imortant part of the effort to close rifts and retake territory. Color me surprised.
It ammuses me greatly that there is no one path to uberness. i really like being able to create a unique warrior that can not only survive but actually prosper. Good game.
There is NO miracle patch.
95% of what you see in beta won't change by launch.
Hope is not a stategy.
______________________________
"This kind of topic is like one of those little cartoon boxes held up by a stick on a string, with a piece of meat under it. In other words, bait."
Thanks for the good read. I personally went into the game with a negative mindset. I didn't think the souls were going to matter much, and I thought that rifts = public quests. But being in the midst of searching for a new game, I decided to give it a try when I got an invite to beta 3 and give whatever feedback I could. At first I thought it was pretty meh, but right about the time that I was trying to decide how I wanted to pair my second soul with my first, I completely lost track of time. Five hours later I realized that I was having quite a bit of fun, and that it was WAY past when I needed to go to bed. Now I'm a complete convert. I normally play tanks or healers, but with the soul system, I actually found a mage build that I love, and will be rolling at launch. I actually pre-ordered a game for the first time since CoH. It's already pretty well polished, the rifts make the world at least feel very dynamic, and the soul system makes me feel like I can create a class that is almost exactly what I want it to be. On top of that Trion seems to do a great job of listening to feedback. Most importantly though I've had tons of fun as hours melted away. I was pleasantly shocked. I hope it stays that way, and if it does, they'll have my money for quite some time.
@ Eventide and Leethe I agree with you both the soul tree really is a amazing feature. I know it has me constantly tweaking builds on the soul-planner http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14031925/rift/index.html#. I think that your right Eventide this is going to add a whole new dimension to customizing your character.
For example, I've found 5-6 different builds I want to try where the main soul tree I'm using is the Pyromancer... My friend hasn't even looked at the Pyromancer tree he's more focused on necromancer builds and he has 5 or 6 of his own builds he wants to try, between the two of us we have barely scratched the surface of what one class has to offer. The options available are numerous to say the least.
Thanks for the comments I'm glad to see that there are other like minded individuals out there
A game isn't something that can be quantified in a dispassionate way, ultimately it all boils down to how you feel about it. In terms of bias I'd say starting cold with no pre-existing notions is about as fair as you can get since the experience after that is largely down to the individual playing the game.
I just wish my computer wasn't currently sitting in another country or I would have preordered it now for the beta and head start. Never mind.
Potentially the best MMO ever. I went into this one cold, I got an invite from nVidia and I had never heard of the game.
After playing a couple of days in the beta I am hooked and have preordered.
It might take a while but this will pull in a lot of people over time.
The problem with rift is that really there is only 4 classes in the game.. seen as every other warrior will have all the souls.. every scout will have all the scout souls etc. Once the popular builds come out around 75% of player will be running with those builds, meaning every warrior will be the same, every scout etc.
Only 4 optimal playstyles, only 4 classes.
Any talent tree system will have cookie cutter builds. This is no different and we all know it. Most of us don't have issues with it or enjoy finding builds outside the cookie cutter templates. There's just no avoiding them really. Just because you have the cookiecutter builds doesn't mean you don't have any freedom, or that it's just a percieved freedom with every class
Not everybody is a min/max type of player. If you have problems with games that garner cookie cutter builds then you need to forgo every game that has some kind of talent tree system and stick to set class systems or skill based games like Darkfall. Talent trees will have the cookie cutter issue no matter what
I understand that, but I'm talking from a hardcore point of view here. For example, a serious raiding guild would use the optimal builds and that would result in only 4 class choices for a serious raider. This is considering the current soul combos that work with each other, as I see it there are no more than 3 or 4 soul combinations that make sense for each class type(considering roles like tank, healer, DPS). This of course could be increased by adding lots more soul into the game, which they probably plan to do, or by changing how some souls work.
Removing the threat that Reavers generate for example would make it a viable option to pair with DPS souls, whilst increasing the threat generated by the tanking souls to keep thigns even. Or at least having the option to choose whether your Reaver soul generates threat or not in the soul tree. But as it stands, that sort of customization is not in the game.