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So whats wrong with this?
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Having read a lot of the posts here and having never played or looked at WoW I thought I would give it a go.
Firstly, I found the graphics and character models ok. They have a flavour to them which if you haven't been tainted by 'the other game', are ok. Customization was limited though. I expected more considering the size of the download. Funny thing was, I bumped into another player who was identical to me in every way. It made me laugh because he was the only player I ever encountered.
Animations, sound etc are also ok. WASD to move and jumping.
The combat to my horror was just click and sit back and wait until it was over. As an introduction this does the game no favours. There was no 'WOW look what my character can do!' and there was no skill involved hence nothing to strive for. There may be later on, but as an introduction to brand new players it is as much fun as watching dust settle. Not many will stick around to see if it improves later.
There is an ambiguity to everything as well which is somewhat annoying. On registering it states that you are sent a confirmation email. Other systems use this to verify and finalize accounts so naturally you go to it and read "Please visit http://www.myalganon.com/account/confirm/user_name/**** to confirm your account and get started in seeing what the MyAlganon community is all about."
This takes you to a payment details/card details form. All well and good but aty no time is there a message saying its not necessary. I wonder how many have just followed the steps indicated and wound up paying. Ignore it and just start the game if you are thinking of giving it a go.
The quest descriptions follow the same ambiguous route with 'go see/kill x,y,z' with no indication about location be it 'head north a ways' or 'turn left after exiting the portal' etc etc. Not really an issue, it just seems a bit lazy when it comes to quest flavour.
Finally, despite not findiing it overall unpleasant or unwieldy, its just plain old dull. You create your character, talk to a few static NPC's, go through a portal and start on the grind mill. The same as every other game out there. There is nothing innovative or new and as I have said with other games, it is just another bland copy/paste amalgam of every other boring pile available out there.
The population is one other guy that is the mirror of me. The combat is initially dull and does not fill you with the desire to progress further. Same quest/grind mechanic as every other game out there. Same multiple kingdoms guff as a hundred other games out there.
If it turns out to be pay to win on top of everything else, I dont think much for its future.
Uninstalled and wont be returning to it as there are far better games out there.
Nice. Someone directly involved with a game giving a completely frank and honest assessment of it, without spin. There's something you don't see very much... at all... elsewhere. Kudos to you for that Derek.
I've recently created a new account for Alganon and started to give it a try.
One thing I will say is that it's definitely running much better than I remember it last time I played (when David Allen was still involved). There is still rubber-banding and I notice delays quite a bit when casting on my mage... sometimes I'm almost through casting a second spell before the first one registers on the mob. I believe I read, though, that that's being addressed. In terms of the client performance itself... very smooth, and I have everything maxed ot.
I've done a bit of running around the newbie areas and am actually very impressed with what the world designers have created. I'm an aspiring game designer, and a fan and "student" of world and environment design in particular. As such, I pay really close attention to things like that. I'm always trying to see what I can pick up and learn from in games I play. I can easily spend more time running around, investigating and analyzing environments in a game than I do actually playing it... occasionally dying since I'm not paying attention to everything else around me.
Many games I play, I find the world building is very rudimentary... purely functional, without a lot of attention to detail given. I think of it in terms of "passes". A first, "macro level", pass might be to block out the area. The second pass would be to fill in the major features... hills, roads, mountains, settlement locations, etc. The third pass would be to bring more detail to each element of the 2nd pass. And the 4th and final pass would be to bring in the "micro level" elements that wouldn't necessarily jump out at the player, but become subtle details of the whole... helping the world "feel" much more complete.
Alganon definitely dips into that "4th pass" I've found... and that's refreshing to see. Many MMO's I play - particularly from non AAA developers - seem content to stop at the 3rd... sometimes barely taking it past the 2nd. They're uninspired and merely functional.
One simple example... roads. How many MMOs can anyone think of here where roads - especially paths cutting through forests, or through open fields - are always perfectly laid, perfectly lined and perfectly textured? No sign of aging, overgrowth, damage, etc? You'd think they have a 24/7 road cleaning service or something. Roads in Alganon, though, are very weathered, very aged and quite overgrown in some places.... and that's exactly what I would expect to see if running through those types of environments. It helps the world seem that much more "lived in" and believable, to me.
So... at least in the world design category... I'm very impressed by the work the designers have done. Definitely some good attention to detail there. It shares the "painterly" art style of WoW, which is certainly where the comparisons come from (at least partially). To me, though, it still has its own look and feel at the same time.
Gameplay wise. It's standard fare so far. Pick up quests, complete quests, turn in quests, get rewards. Nothing stand-out there. Combat is a bit on the dull side. I've actually found myself looking around at the environment while fighting, rather than focusing on the fight. So, combat could possibly use some spicing up.
The Kujyx (I think I butchered the spelling) look pretty cool from what I've seen. The Ashar.... eh. Not a fan of them. But then, they're generic humans, which I'm never a fan of.
The major hurdle I'm dealing with right now... population. I've started a character on both sides and have yet to see another player. Not even in chat do I see anyone talking. It's really kind of a downer.
I've tried locating other players to talk to... at least find some other sign of life. But, so far it's been unsuccessful.
Is it just that people aren't that social when they are logged in? Is it that there's some chat channel I don't have active or something?
Anyway... long read. Sorry :-p.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Gotta admit I don't understand why it is so dead either.
Having a look at the mo to see the new update and can't really find any fault with it that would render it such a ghost town. Its no better or worse than hundreds of other games out there and yet I heve never seen the pop get into double figures.
I doubt I will stick with it as it is not really my style and this format bores me to tears. Plus, having visited their forums and read the posts here, a certain representative has an attitude that leaves a lot to be desired and I cannot sleep well knowing I will be supporting someone like that.
If you are new to this section tho, or have not played it yet, ignore everybody here and give it a go. In short find out for yourself. Visit their forum as well, it needs the hits
Well i was in the first Alganon beta soft launch even 2 days before release,the devs were promiseing an uber patch which of course never materialsed and the game at that point was a buggy mess.And subsequently gained the reputaion and stigma attached to failed launches.
But am willing to try again as this ship seems to be on a steady course at last ,now haveing tried the MO trial after my initial foray into the beta which was basically watching the launcher crash did not leave a good impression,but the trial actually suprised me i was expecting a real shambles but was close to signing up !! So with a bit of effort maybe Alganon can attract a player base as MO seems to be doing after a shaky but then steady trial.
Why should anyone play this game ?
There are so many other , better , and even free games. What does Alganon gives that is any better or even on the same level ?
Nothing.
Rift has shown how much good word of mouth can help a game. Alganon had a decent chance of making a mark on the MMO world but that time has long since sailed away.
The alganon forums are very heavily moderated and statements arguing against those made by Mr. Smart are all considered trolling/flaming.
Please do not bait others into arguements or make personal attacks on other users. Read the Rules of Conduct before posting. Thank you.
That's kind of a knock on the game disguised as a question, to be honest.
Here's a question in response, though... Why do you play the game(s) you choose to play, instead of any of the many others on the market that provide a similar experience?
What's so special about the game you choose to play instead of those? If you were to list the game(s) you play, I guarantee there are people who could just as easily ask you that same question. What's so great about the games you like that you'd play them over any other?
Of course, there is no objective "right" or "wrong" answer to that, because it all comes back to personal preference.
People would opt to play Alganon over other MMOs simply because something about it (or perhaps a few things) clicks with them, even while you see nothing appealing about it.
Different strokes. Different folks.
Does it really have to be any more "involved" a reason than that?
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Tried Allods this weekend. 3+gb of download and a stunningly boring game.
Alganon has a character design system with its studies, skills and abilities that gives you a chance to be different from the herd. Allods and a hundred others have the same old assign ability point to stats on level up and a really tedious ability tree that seems to have no effect on your character.
Alganon also appears to have a cash shop that does not kill the game for those that can't afford to pay. Allods like hundreds of others has cash shop items that appear to be required to stand a chance at surviving end game and these items cost loads when put together.
In short there are for more games that suck a lot harder than Alganon its just that sh*t was thrown at this game and it stuck.
Some of the best games I've played in the last two days are indie games. World of goo is my favorite game of last year together with Fallout 3. This year I've enjoyed Audiosurf and Braid. All these games offer great ideas and incredible polish, especillay World of Goo.
Another game I enjoyed this year is Defense grid. A fun tower defense game in a nice genre.
It's sometimes possible to compete with the big boys but it's a rare thing. Zeno Clash comes to mind.
But as for mmorpgs? How can you compete with the 200 men Blizzard has on WoW?
I like this game a lot too. I don't know why there are so few people giving it a try. Bad press, I guess.
The EVE skill system is one of the perks I love so much about it as well.
I advised all people who asked, and even some who didn't to stay as far as they can from Alganon.
The problems with Alganon beside developers/publishers being rude and impolite towards their potential customers and players? Maybe we should ask ourselves if we can find even one reason making this game worthing to try. Some issues:
-yet another "free" MMO;
-instead of being free to play as advertised it's just free to try
-why waste money on Alganon when you ca pay for Rift or WOW?
-why waste your time with Alganon when there are much better free MMOs with better content: ROM, Lotro, Allods?
-lack of content
-lack of players
Alganon will die, that's for sure. It's developper's problem if they want to kill it fast or tu put more money in that money sink.
The only good think that maybe would have saved Alganon would have been selling it to a better dev company and finding some good publishers. And making it true "f2p". And adding content. And trying to keep the players happy.
Now it's too late.
I would have agreed with you prior to the past month or two, but the population really has been steadily growing as of late.
This, I would assume would have to do with how much more polished the game is becoming everyday.
This thread has turned into back and forth baiting. Ill be locking this now.
Locked.