I posted something like this in the other thread that got deleted. I can't stand when that happens, so I'm reposting it here.
I'm not going to tell people that they didn't have fun playing the beta. That would be silly. But I do have reservations about the longevity of the game.
Think of how the hype dropped during Beta 1 and 2. The game has one starting zone for each faction, one progression path per faction up through the beta content. The quests are extremely linear and uninspired. Kill 20 guys, loot 10 things. Over and over and over. Rifts were 3-5 waves of static mobs waiting to be zerged. Invasions were bland. Major cities are small and poorly designed.
I really do believe that they spent from whenever they started until November 2011 making a safe, bland MMO. The hype was dropping and Trion knew that for all their polish, their game wasn't going to sell as well as they would like. So what did they do? They turned on the rift faucet. And it worked. People are eating it up. Not only that, but it's like they've been working overtime feverishly adding all sorts of flavor to the rifts and invasions. Raid mobs, elites. You can't find ANY interesting rift footage online from before December at all. It's all new.
On one hand, that's a great thing that the company is listening to its player base. But I do think that they laid down a poor foundation that I don't think can be fixed before release. That's what I think it's going to hurt it in the long run. If you've played through the faction once, you've pretty much played that half of the game. If you get sick of rifts and invasions and don't want to deal with them, then what you're going to be left with is what people didn't like about betas 1 and 2.
Maybe it's just that I'm overly critical, or maybe because money is tight right now, but I can't see subscribing for Rift. I feel like it's going to be a good game because they're taking the shackles off in the 11th hour. I think maybe it could have been a great game had they set out to design a great game and not just a polished one.
But who cares what I think, that's just my opinion. If you subscribe for Rift, no matter how long you play it, whether it be one month, six months, or years, the only thing that matters for you is whether you think it was worth it.
I do agree mostly with what you say. But I also do think Trion is passionate. However, as you said, the foundations have been laid, and no amount of passion can rebuild the entire thing.
Check out what people are saying, what the previews are saying, not a bloody hype meter. Wait for the first reviews after launch, check what players are saying as well, then make your decision.
Finding out if any game is worth playing takes more than the two seconds to look at a hype meter, sorry about that.
Well being on the site for years, I would say the hype meter is a good indication of how people feel about the game's release. Since closed betas are in progress, and people tend to feel good about the game after participating in the beta, the meter is probably going to go up as people play the beta and give it a good review. There are also bad reviews, but the meter indicates more positive reviews than negative reviews.
I notice that the hype meter and the ratings a game receives afterward are seldom the same. Usually almost all titles go down. WoW, probably one of the most popular MMOs carried a fairly lackluster rating for years. It is the MMO with the most subs and around here it isn't even in the top 10.
F2P really brings up a score. I have played games I thought were a 5 but have solid 7 or higher ratings, I am sure only because they are free. I think Rift will have a good value score though due to the fact that the founder's price is probably one of the best values out there for a P2P game. If their level of customer service continues they will have loyal customers and there is value added there too.
I still see this game hovering in the 8 range, it is a good title with some real staying power.
True Neutral Half-Elf Ranger Mage Follower Of Silvanus
Comments
I do agree mostly with what you say. But I also do think Trion is passionate. However, as you said, the foundations have been laid, and no amount of passion can rebuild the entire thing.
Check out what people are saying, what the previews are saying, not a bloody hype meter. Wait for the first reviews after launch, check what players are saying as well, then make your decision.
Finding out if any game is worth playing takes more than the two seconds to look at a hype meter, sorry about that.
Well being on the site for years, I would say the hype meter is a good indication of how people feel about the game's release. Since closed betas are in progress, and people tend to feel good about the game after participating in the beta, the meter is probably going to go up as people play the beta and give it a good review. There are also bad reviews, but the meter indicates more positive reviews than negative reviews.
I notice that the hype meter and the ratings a game receives afterward are seldom the same. Usually almost all titles go down. WoW, probably one of the most popular MMOs carried a fairly lackluster rating for years. It is the MMO with the most subs and around here it isn't even in the top 10.
F2P really brings up a score. I have played games I thought were a 5 but have solid 7 or higher ratings, I am sure only because they are free. I think Rift will have a good value score though due to the fact that the founder's price is probably one of the best values out there for a P2P game. If their level of customer service continues they will have loyal customers and there is value added there too.
I still see this game hovering in the 8 range, it is a good title with some real staying power.
True Neutral Half-Elf Ranger Mage
Follower Of Silvanus
Kings of Chaos! Free to play! Great PvP!
it is to bad i ant vote for rift.I will give i think 9 ,it is a great game and i pllay the 4 beta
IM hell