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First Review: IRTH ONLINE. Where are they at with their release Nov 1 ??
Zaxx99
Member Posts: 1,761
Irth Online. My experience:
Heres a link to some of my ingame photos while testing Irth Online
My first trial of the Irth online came only about 6 weeks ago. After downloading the game, and playing it for about 30 minutes, I gave up in disappointment and utter frustration. The game six short weeks ago was almost unplayable, and insanely boring to top it off. Graphical bugs, a boring terrain layout, and a game that looked just sheer sloppy was all I witnessed.
Since that time 6 weeks ago, Irth now has more then 300 MB of patches. Whoa. I think someone has been very hard at work to make bigtime improvements lately, and it shows. Trust me, six weeks ago, my overall score for this game would probably have been around a 15% from what I experienced then. I have seen a lot of games in beta, but never have I seen a game in beta make such drastic improvements so quickly.
I am here now only to give some kind of first "rough" impression of this game as it heads into its launch just a few short days away. If there was a time to give this game your money and sign up, doing it NOW (BEFORE Tuesday, Nov 1) would be very wise, as there is a $10 discount on the game down to $19.99, and the first 6 months prices drops to $9.95 per month if you pre-order now instead of $13.95 if you wait until Tuesday... Atleast this is the hype on the Irth website as of the moment.
First off, after several hours this time spent in the Irth game, I need to make one thing PERFECTLY CLEAR: Irth Online IS NOT COMPLETE. There is a lot of patching that still needs to be done, and the Irth world still feels quite empty and needs more "life". I would only have to assume that this will be taken care of sometime in the near future. I will therefore give only a QUICK and INCOMPLETE REVIEW which I will review in much more detail at a point in the coming weeks after the release of this game on Novemeber 1.
Let me start off grading this game in two of the key areas we all look at in a game of this type:
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GRAPHICS: 7 out of 10.
Yes, surprisingly, the graphics get "alteast" a 7 our of 10 now, a HUGE jump over what I would have given this score 6 weeks ago. If it wasn't for several graphical bugs I witnessed while playing, then it I probably would have given the graphics an 8 or possibly even a 9! Overall, the graphics in the this game are nothing less then what we see today in a very successful game, Dark Age of Camelot. This is a real shocker to me coming from such a small development team. Anyone who says that Irths graphics are not competitive simply a) Hasn't played it recently or b)Has not played the game with the graphics settings turned up to "max".
My computer is a P4 3.2 Ghz, 1 GB Ram, Nivdia 6800 Video card, and a really fast cable net connect. It handled the max graphics settings very smoothly... until I played my avatar in populated game areas such a towns. Even with no players, the number of NPCs and objects in the towns combined with max graphics settings was too much, and caused a very laggy experience. This is another reason my graphics score did not do better then a 7, as I was forced to turn down the detail settings to make for a smooth gameplay experience.
Even on lower settings, the graphics are still quite nice. Clouds float realisticly overhead. Water glistens and moves in waves and is clear. Trees now look very realistic. Tall grass grows in patches. Both tall grass and all the trees sway in the wind. The branches of tall trees individually sway realistically as if swaying to a stronger breeze then the grasses below. Snow falls. Foot prints can be seen for a seconds time as your cross patches of snow. All of this certainly help to immerse yourself into the game world they have created. When fighting, and you get hit, blood sprays from your body or head at the point of impact. Cool!
And I can only believe that the graphics will still get even better... expecially looking at how far they have come in only 6 weeks and the fact that this game is actually still in beta. A short six weeks ago, my graphics score would have been about a 2. Now I put them at a 7. Very impressive stuff, Magic Hat software to say the least.
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GAMEPLAY: 5 out of 10
Here's where it counts. And sadly to say, it is still lacking, even though a much stronger score here then what I would have given it only 6 weeks ago.
The game is still very empty. Not only did I not come across many players in my travels, I also didn't come across many monsters. Well. I did. I witnessed many interesting and cool looking monsters. Let me back up and say that the monsters are far too spread out. At times I would run through the game world for 15 minutes without seeing anything at all. In my opinion, when out away from a town and traveling through an unknown part of the game world, this needs to be fixed! There needs to be more to fight, and more danger to keep the game exciting, especially when hunting in the depths of Irths forests and plains.
I must say that this game looks VERY deep, and if only they fixed some minor bugs and filled in the world with more mobs, I can see the gameplay score going up a LOT! I mean I see the potential here for 9/10 gameplay within another month or two easy. If they can come as far as they did in the past 6 weeks, it would not surprise me to see this score go way up soon.
Movement in the gameworld is fairly of the conventional MMO type. The arrow keys move your avatar. The A key jumps. The I key for Inventory, the P key brings up your paperdoll. The mouse controls your arrow to point and click or double click objects and creatures. The Right mouse button is used to talk to npcs, and to change your angle. The mouse wheel zooms in and out from the 3rd person perspective behind your avatar. And all of the game windows can be resized, moved and all keys can changed to your likings. Nice.
NPCs in towns all have helpful information for you about what they sell or do for you. Almost all of them sell and buy goods based on what type of NPC they are. You buy books to read to train in what ever skills you want to train and advance in. These books from starter NPCs are very cheap and are very worthwhile. After reading the books, your skills increase, and the books blow up in what looks like an explosion in your hands. When buying goods, you can easily see which items you don't have either the skill or knowledge to use as they are clearly marked in red.
While I have not yet spent too much time with all the alchemy, cooking, and countless other skills, each skill has recipes and formulas to make useful items in the game There is a LOT of depth here however, that is obvious simply from just looking at the details in what these npcs give you and what they sell. I love this, and will play more to give a much better explanation of the finer details of this game after I have had ample opportunity to try out everything this game offers.
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OVERALL SCORE: With additional areas of the game taken into consideration at this point of the game I am going to give this game my overall score of a 64% (Keep in mind with more playtime and a little more development time by Magic Hat software, this score could very easily climb much higher)
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Other areas I graded with a very "rough" score and honestly don't wish to give details about simply because I feel thay they will change drastically with more of my game time and with more time from the devs of this game in the near future. I also don't have the time to put as much time as I normally would into this game now, but after playing it for only a few short hours, I saw enough to impress me enough to throw out a very rough draft review of a somewhat rough draft game the way I see it now.
My reasons for putting this information out NOW is simply because I promised I would take a deeper look at it and give some kind of review on another Irth thread about a week ago. Also because I think people should consider this game NOW before possibly paying more for the game only a few short days away.
Back to my overall score and conclusions, Irth Online sure looks MUCH better then a game like Mourning did last spring. It also looks to have much more promise, especially considering how far they have come in only the past 6 weeks of beta. If you like an mmo that it much more hardcore and deep then most of the bigger named stuff now days, this game is definately worth taking a closer look at if you haven't recently. It is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's easy to see how much time and effort they are putting into this game to try to make it one of the better mmos available.
Are they releasing the game and charging too soon? Probably just a bit. I would honestly either get in NOW before Nov 1 while it more affordable or wait probably 2 or 3 more months and see where it's at then. The beta trail is free NOW, and they seem to only send out emails with the free beta trail on weekdays, so you don't have much time if you wanna try it for free. So it seems anyhow. They may continue to offer a free trail once Nov 1 comes, but that is certainly not guaranteed or even likely.
The game is much better then all the recent thrashing that I myself and many others have given to it on these forums the past several weeks however. The game is still in beta, and in all liklihood it will improve again with much of the details left out of the beta once it officially releases. I honestly feel this a much better game with more promise then most people probably give it credit for. It does need more work. And I believe it will get the attention that it needs. Whether it gets the player base it needs for this game to survive is another story. It is kinda sad to me to see a game with obviously so much hard work and effort to put out to make a rare, hardcore fantasy mmo these days and simply not get enough players to keep it breathing long enough to develop into what it could soon become.
In the near future, when my life isn't quite so busy... I will give a much more detailed and complete review of this game as I think it deserves it. I will go into character creation, how the skill system works, how PvP works, how magic and alchemy work, etc etc. This is gonna be a deep game with a lot of playtime involved to give accurate details, and that time is something I simply don't have right now as I am trying to move my family, start a new job, and take care of a dying grandfather in the hospital. I am not saying that for excuses or attention, only to show that I truly think this game deserves more attention , which I hope to give it soon, but also to express to potential onlookers of a game like this that you may very well want to check this game out for yourself.
- Zaxx
Comments
EDIT: yeah first post
dam.. i did a skim read through that.. not gonna read it all.. gonna check this game out now
I uninstalled Irth last night after testing since June. I gave it a shot since then and it's not nearly ready for release, I don't care what anyone says. I'm not going to bash the game here on the boards but you must be aware that the low price and lower than normal monthly fee is telling you that the game is not done to 'final retail specifications'.
sounds great. too bad the monthly fee is in dollars =(
Man i miss wish... I would have paid alot to keep that game alive.
To me, it seems irth is a beta of wish - wish was pretty well advanced - music was awsome, good graphics, gameplay was tweaked ... concepts were awsome...
Im thinking of giving irth a shot just for that... its the game out there that most ressembles wish.
Zaxtor I think your review was very honest. I have been Beta testing this game for over a month now and have had alot of the same reactions you have. My name on those forums is Maugan Kar if you have participated in those discussions on the beta forum.
The game has come a very long way in the last month. Like many people when I dirst loaded this game up I thought it was in horrible shape and nearly stopped playing then and there. However the Skill based system and how it reminded me of the good old days of UOs first year persuaded me to stick around. It is a skill based game as opposed to the level grinders you find 95% of the time, this is a good change in my mind.
Since then the game has improved leaps an bounds graphicly (not its not as pretty as WoW, but this is a differant type of game than that, and if you want beauty just watch some of the sunrises or sunsets with the moon and a Jupitor like planet spiraling together in the sky. Its very nice).
Lag and gameplay have also improved alot. The world itself is still very empty, but this is because (the Devs have been saying) because they are holding most of the 'filler' back from the Beta so that they could wow even the Beta testers. Normaly I would scoff at this claim but the Devs have impressed me more than nay other Dev team in any Beta or Pay for Play game I have been a part of before. Bugs are looked into and fix;s started almost as soon as you report it on the forums. The Devs listen to and consider everything the players say (doesnt mean they impliment it all but that is unreasonable to expect). This reason alone is worth trying the game out, because to the other big games out there you are nothing more than a very small number in a very big income check.
There are issues that still need to be addressed, but I have every confidence that they will be promtly and satisfactoraly dealt with. The biggest thing Irth needs at this point however is a community, and this will come when release hits.
Your score of 64% is a bit lower than what I would give it, but that comes down to opinion (I would score it as it is at this moment at about a 76%). However I believe that at release when more content 'filler' is added in this will rise, and will continue to rise as the game progresses.
Irth was created by gamers and designed to be fun for true gamers. If you are looking for something flashy and light on substance and immediatly familure, then I would suggest many of the other big name game around right now. If however you are looking for something with some depth and true potential then you should check out Irth.
You can talk all you want about this type of game and the potential it has. But I have already done the talking that has the biggest effect, I pre-orderd the game and am going to continue playing it. I urge you to do the same.
Ok.
First off, for someone who has seen "a lot of games in beta", zaxtor's review is a bogus waste of time. It is no different than if I were to go out and review the new Harry Potter movie based upon the trailers.
Anyone who has ever played a beta version of the game and then played the release version knows that the beta version doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that a game has upon release. This is because there are a number of things that don't require testing in beta, thus aren't provisioned in it. This doesn't mean that the game will suck.
When a game is in beta, it's there for a reason. This is why beta testers (which I am proud to be one) play these games. By the time the game gets to beta, a lot of the minor stuff has already been tested and they are ready for a large-scale server test and gameplay test.
As for the graphics, I challenge anyone to name a MMORPG that DIDN'T have problems with fps drags in cities. I played UO and there were some town I literally could not enter because the lag was so great. What this person is not taking into account is that the release server may be able to handle this. Irth is being tested across 3 servers, allowing for people to be spread out and so that testers won't clog the server. Thus, there WILL be fps lag on test servers. Of course, anyone who has beta tested before would know this.
Gameplay. Again, anyone with ANY beta experience would know that the beta test servers WILL be low on players. Also, they should also know that some of the gameplay features won't even be turned on until release. The devs even said numerous times that "not everything is revealed on the beta servers". If they let the beta players know everything there was to know, you would have a hundred or so people ruling the game after about a month, thus losing the company money because NO ONE will want to play in a world that is run by a few players.
As for the company releasing the game too soon, that is THEIR decision. To even think that a beta tester has the decision power to release or not release is rediculous.
My bottom line is this: This review is bogus and should be given NO credit whatsoever. As I mentioned, it would be as if I went out and reviewed a movie based upon the trailers and the synopsis. It simply cannot be done. A beta tester only sees the parts of the game that the devs WANT them to see, the same as movie companies see only the parts of the movie that they WANT you to see. it's not fair and is really stupid to do.
I am looking forward to playing in the release of this game. Have I found faults thus far? Yes. However, instead of bashing this game publicly like some spoiled little brat, whining and crying, I reported these problems to the devs.
Undoubtedly, this review was written by someone who is what I call a "career beta". That is someone who signs up to beta test games so that he can play for free. All they do is bitch and moan because they know they won't pay to play, thus hve nothing to lose. Personally, I'd rather listen to a bull fart than to listen to their rants...and I would recommend others do this as well.
even in Beta you make impressions. And the reviewer acknowledged the game was not ready. Thanks for the read OP.
Good read... I played the beta up until about 2-3 weeks ago. Just don't feel up to ordering an unfinished game. I'm sick of companies releasing unfinished products and expecting people to pay for a beta test. While I like that they're reducing the price they should just wait and release when it's ready. Releasing now is foolish, imo.
I won't be purchasing until a free trial comes out that shows me the game is really ready. Because right now, even though it's improved some since a few weeks ago, it isn't ready.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Hello fanboi...
The review by the OP and your post reminds me so much of Horizons beta. David Bowman promising that this is a hellova lot of content to be released on release day. Guess what? It didn't happen. We all know the short fall of Horizons launch almost two years ago now.
In short...I haven't beta'd Irth, but I won't buy an incomplete game. Especially on the promising of someone that will make money by you believing them. I've stated before about other games...I won't pay to beta test a game. I quit UO for this reason shortly after the release of AOS, and Horizons when it became evident that David Bowman is just a lying sack of shit out to make a buck.
But that's just my 2 cents.
Ive been in BETA since about late June too and Id agree pretty much 100% with what Zaxtor has written.
I would strongly argue that the fastest way to kill off this poetentialy good game will be to stick to releasing it in November because it still needs a considerable amount of work.
Nice write up Zax
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"MMOs, for people that like think chatting is like a skill or something, rotflol"
http://purepwnage.com
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"Far away across the field, the tolling of the iron bell, calls the faithful to their knees. To hear the softly spoken magic spell" Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
I applied for Beta but havent gotten my Key yet, so I have no idea what the game is like aside from what I have been reading on the forums and now here.
From what I am reading, I am getting the feeling that the game isnt ready and an incomplete game will be released on Nov. 1. Some people will buy the game, some will wait, and some will turn away from it and never come back. I would love to try the game, but I agree with the people who said that they won't pay for an incomplete game at release. I understand that the game may have potential, and that is encouraging, but is it playable and enjoyable as it is when released as a Final game?
Dark and Light, I think, realized that their game wasnt ready when they expected it to be, and extended their development by 6 months, but invited players to play a portion of the game for free until the release in April. I dont know if this was their plan from the beginning (I doubt it) or if they were just caught with so much more to add to the game with no time left until a Nov. release date. Either way, they did the right thing by not going to the "final" version and charging players to play.
Perhaps Irth Online should follow this new and unique way of releasing a mmorpg, if it really isnt ready for a final release in a few days? The discounted price seems nice, and a step in the right direction. To be honest, I would probably go against my better judgement and pre-order the game, if it wasnt for Everquest II, which I still play often, and enjoy. In order to complete with the well established mmorpgs by the "bigshots", I think you at least have to come out with your best stuff upon release, not count on players to have faith that the game will eventually turn into something good.
I really don't doubt that Irth Online will turn out to be something very good, but at release, it should meet out expectations and be as complete as a mmorpg can be at release. We all know that these types of games are never finished so I give the benefit of the doubt if there are some things left out.
Saga of Ryzom shipped very much in an incomplete state, and I lost interest. But now it is much improved, from what I have been hearing (and seen from a recent two week trial). This is a good example of a game sticking with it and getting the support they need from the player community.
Just the fact that I have heard things about Irth Online such as "hardcore", "complex", and "deep" makes me want to try it. But it also has to be immersive and fun for me to stick with it. There's only one way to know and that is to try it, so I suppose I may be pre-ordering after all.
Edited: I think this game has a lot of potential. I hope it is realized. I am torn between buying the game to suport the potential or waiting until its more ready.
Just before I wrote my review of this game, I put "Irth Online Review" into google, and came up with no real reviews of the game as of yet. So I wanted to get atleast one solid opinion of what the game looks like just before release out to the public.
One thing to keep in mind is that most of the Irth community seem to LOVE the devs over on the Irth website. This is actually quite uncommon these days, especially with smaller dev teams. They also seem to have a lot of faith in the devs promise that most of the game "conent" that I said was lacking will be added at launch time on Nov 1 (more mobs, etc). They also heavily state that the players will be forming the game content as the game goes (an environment based on the players actions).
However, with my purpose of giving some kind of actual review of the game while it's still got a discount now before launch, I could not "assume" that the devs promises will come true at launch. I could only base my score on what I saw and witnessed. I did however state several times that I see a lot of potential, which I do. And I will be watching the progression of this game very closely myself.
- Zaxx
Well said Zaxx.
Bottom line: If you're between MMO's and are looking for one to play right now is probably the best time to Grab Irth and give it a try. If you're happy with the MMO you're playing then Irth will probably not be worth the money to you.
Personally right now I'm still having a blast in EQ2 so Irth won't be getting my money.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Yes, thanks Zaxtor
Because of your surprising review, I also gave Irth a try and have now pre-ordered the game. It looks a lot better then I imagined it would, and shows a lot of potential for the exact style of mmo I have been waiting a long time for.
People, with bigger names like Dark and Light and D&D on the horizon, this little game called "Irth Online" may very well be the shocker mmo of the year, already showing more depth and solid gameplay then games like EQ2 and WoW, even if the graphics aren't quite as good. The graphics are very pleasing, the lag isn't bad at all, and the mechanics of the game with open skills you can develop an way you like (much like UO) is very impressive.
I'm going to pick Irth Online as my surprisingly "best mmo of the year". I think they will deliver a knock-out game here.