I didn't have my hopes up and I'm going to be completely blunt, this game is a big flop. It is not a good game, plain and simple. Sure, maybe compared to WoW or something, I will get to this, while making this simple and quick. I wouldn't be so harsh except I would really like for there to be a great MMO made in the world of one of the games that first showed me how great games can be, Baldurs Gate. There could be an amazing open world, mature MMORPG made in the Sword Coast with different cities to visit, a vast landscape, dungeons, different classes, a gritty look like BG1+2 and Icewind Dale, it could be amazing. This is not it.
Neverwinter Online has good things about it. A bit of a cartoony look But it is what it is and this look seems to pull in the big numbers so looks like MMORPG are stuck with it now. Character creation was pretty cool.
The graphics are pretty decent. I like the look. I like the noise and atmosphere of the city, even if it is a bit (a lot) for kids (I guess that's who should be playing games anyways)
So Combat. Arguably the most important thing in any game. The combat here, like the rest of the game, is a mix of good and bad, but I'm mostly going to lean for bad. If this was 2006, it would maybe be good. The Devs said in a video in a snarky tone "we are moving away from the 'tab targeting' of current games" except they failed to do this and instead delivered basically a tab targetting hybrid of DDO and WoW or something, except it often feels clunky when trying to attack and move or change directions of attacks in combat. Still, the blocking works quite well, and combat does feel fast and furious, if a bit clunky. Lots of attacks have a good oomph to them especailly the specials.
PVP combat, however, is another warzone que joke. Teamwork is very important and there is little room for a skilled player to really break the mold. The overall skill cap is very very low with no active dodging or aiming and a very very high time to kill for all classes. Overall the idea of 'no tab targetting' really fails here because it takes everyone way too long to die and pvp is just a running around big zerg-fest. PVP is a joke in this game, one of the worst PVP games I have ever seen. And before 'get good' or something, yes I came in top place in the 3 matches I forced myself through, even the 1 loss, thinking 'maybe it will get better' because I actually had a good time with the PVE.
The PVE is fun because again, the combat is decently fast paced. I like adventuring through the dungeons, each one has been well done so far. The PvE is well paced with boss enemies and quests you can follow and get into. The PVE matches the look of the game and is fun. but again this feels like a barely post-PS2/xbox era game. I don't have anything against old games, when they are real gems.
OK I forgot, character building, the second big thing in an RPG besides the combat system, however combat is done. It's a mix again. The stat building seems to follow D&D and is a bit simplistic but that's okay, because the feat system is quite awesome. There are a few trees you get points for and all the options are good. So good for the potting points into things, with this 'level up spend point on feat' system.
Gear, however, is not too good. Basically follows the basic WoW mold (I was going to tie WoW into this but this got too long already). Plus stats, etc. Basic crafting a la WoW or AoC. Overall, good skill system, bad gear.
This game is right on par with MWO and I will probably invest the same 10-20 hours of fun time into it. If TSO fails this hard that will be disappointing.
Originally posted by Burntvet To the OP: Nothing does. The only things this game has going for it, are the facts that it is: 1.New, and, 2. "Free to Play" or download, at least (although not really to play). Aside from that, it is nothing special at all.
so other MMOs have a completely robust dungeon creator that lets me make almost anything I want including adventures with other npcs my own maps, stories, quests, campaigns and seamlessly integrates this feature into the normal questing of the game?
That was not the question. If the Foundry turns out like it did in STO or the player made quest system in SWG, then no... it still means almost nothing. In STO there at least 50 (and more like 100) garbage player created quests for each one that was worth doing. And it has not helped that game in the long run, either. So the Foundry in Neverwinter is not inherently worth anything.
For you maybe, for others the Foundry breathes fresh life into the things that people like me enjoy most about MMO's. The questing and leveling up portion of a game. It extends that mode of play indefinitely.
Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!
Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!
Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!
Can someone explain why this game is better than WoW?
Is the foundry going to be THE differentiator?
That's fine and all...would be cool to maybe get my D&D group to move from RL to this...still, if not the foundry, I don't see what this game brings to the table.
I read the extended FAQ. Nothing special there. I've played to level 7. Nothing special there.
Am I missing something else?
For me, I enjoy it because the combat is fast paced and fun. The classes play the way that I feel they should. Also the accessibility of all the content is great. Theres nearly no barriers to jumping into a group for a dungeon, skirmish, foundry or PvP as soon as you jump online.
Being objective, for long term appeal they will need to release new classes, paragon choices and skills at a decent pace. But the foundation is there for a very entertaining game.
It wont appeal to everyone, but its free to try it for yourself. Jump on and see if you enjoy the combat.
Need to give this game until level 15 before you can make a decision.
The game is very boring at low levels. It's a combination of it being too easy and not having enough powers to use.
What got me right off the bat was the movement and world design. In the starter area there is a little rock hill with some shrubs up top. It couldn't have been more than 8 fight high with smooth slops. I still couldn't climb up it. I'm shooting MM's (look good), but can't walk or jump up a small hill.
That's pretty special to me... I may try to give the game a proper go this weekend, but Idk. Oh and sliding my mouse from left to right and spamming left click allowed me to hit everything on the screen. That's pretty special too.
I know this isn't fair, seeing that I played all of 4 minutes, but it is true. Like I said, maybe more this weekend.
The very first starter area was thrown together in the very last weekend of beta to explain some things a bit better. You cant really base the world design off that zone. The zones are still boxed in, but its more akin to GW2, with later zones being quite large and free to explore.
Until you reach level 20ish, you will be stuck inside the city of Neverwinter, which sort of leads to some false assumptions that the whole game is like that. After 20 the world outside Neverwinter opens up and the zones get much bigger.
The very first starter area was thrown together in the very last weekend of beta to explain some things a bit better. You cant really base the world design off that zone. The zones are still boxed in, but its more akin to GW2, with later zones being quite large and free to explore.
Until you reach level 20ish, you will be stuck inside the city of Neverwinter, which sort of leads to some false assumptions that the whole game is like that. After 20 the world outside Neverwinter opens up and the zones get much bigger.
So true.
Game really opens up at lvl20, when you get to leave the city of Neverwinter and visit other zones. Until then, it feels a bit cramped.
It's almost like this: up to lvl20 it's like playing Dragon Age 2 online and after lvl20 it's like Dragon Age Origins online.
Honestly, WoW is nothing special either. EverQuest is still a better game than WoW in my opinion.
This pretty much. I'd even play SWTOR over WoW. I really don't understand what people see in that dated turd.
As far as Neverwinter, I'm a big fan of the combat. It's like GW2's combat, but fun. As a CW I thought I'd hate the constant rooting, but I've realized that it actually makes the combat more strategic (along with the CC and dodge).
Who cares if the game has special new features or not (although this game does with the foundery), if a game has well made classes, dungeons, pvp, raids why should one not play it regardless if WoW has similar content?
I enjoy playing the rogue in this game more than virtually than any mmo class I've ever played and I've really enjoyed the solo and group dungeons while leveling. Seeing that the group dungeons start to get really challenging when one gets to the 30's was real encouraging. The last boss in the level 34 dungeon is taking people 20-30 minutes to kill on one attempt. Where the hell are you seeing anything like that in a leveling dungeon anywhere else? The pvp has been really fun so far as well, though I've heard some complaints about balance.
On top of that, the foundery alone has been worth the price of admission.
So in the last few day's I've played my halfling rogue up to level 21. I haven't done skirmishes or pvp yet. I soloed a dungeon mostly because I was feeling anti-social at the time, and partially to see if I could do it. I had a cleric follower, wiped twice on the final boss before I got it, but I did it. It took me a couple hours and was really fun. Don't take that as the game being way too easy, I had to go slow and carefully and went through a lot of potions despite having the cleric follower. That being said, I would put it at a medium-easy level if you know how to play your class and have some idea of tactics you won't die very often. If you actually take a group with you to a dungeon it will be a fun romp.
There is a fair amount of game mechanics borrowed from SW (or earlier games I've not played to know), the followers and the crafting system are very similar. I don't consider it a bad thing, the thing I disliked the most about SW was the repetitive quests and NW isn't nearly as bad about that.
The foundry is awesome so far, I've played 7, I think, Foundry quests now. Only one of the them was kinda dumb, none of them were broken. It really could go two ways.. it could be useless in 6 months and be filled with non playable crap, or it could be like Fallout/Elder Scrolls and be totally epic. And it's up to the players. So far so good.
The cash shop hasn't bothered me at all, it's not shoved in your face all the time like is it in SOE games. The game has two main forms of currency, gold and diamonds. Don't confuse the diamonds with the cash shop, they are different. It is possible to obtain cash shop currency with the diamonds that you earn in game. Everything can be gotten completely free if you put the time into it. That being said, I haven't seen anything in the cash shop that's absolutely necessary or can't be gotten other ways. There is in-town clothes and armor dyes, completely not necessary, other consumables that can be purchased with normal game currency, mounts and followers that can also be purchased normally, just look different. Really nothing game breaking that I've noticed so far.
I will play it until I get bored with it, if I'm still playing it at least a few hours a day in a month I will buy $15 of cash shop currency to pay them for their service.
My opinion: < EQ 1 = EQ 2 >= WoW (will have to play more to know for sure, it's close so far) > Vanguard > SWG > GW2 (slightly, Foundry and decisive class roles is the deciding factor)
I love how people act like there was no palywer created content for any MMOs before STO and NWO and how it will be the saviour of the genre...coz it obviously saved the lives of the two best previous exampels SWG and CoX....oh wait...
Originally posted by Drakynn I love how people act like there was no palywer created content for any MMOs before STO and NWO and how it will be the saviour of the genre...coz it obviously saved the lives of the two best previous exampels SWG and CoX....oh wait...
SWG was closed because SOE thought that SW:TOR was going to be so good nobody would want to play SWG anymore (the people who thought this probably did a collective facepalm after seeing the reviews), and CoX was closed because NCSoft was being run by a bunch of jerks who had no idea of the potential CoX had. Player created content had nothing to do with the closings.
Originally posted by Drakynn I love how people act like there was no palywer created content for any MMOs before STO and NWO and how it will be the saviour of the genre...coz it obviously saved the lives of the two best previous exampels SWG and CoX....oh wait...
SWG was closed because SOE thought that SW:TOR was going to be so good nobody would want to play SWG anymore (the people who thought this probably did a collective facepalm after seeing the reviews), and CoX was closed because NCSoft was being run by a bunch of jerks who had no idea of the potential CoX had. Player created content had nothing to do with the closings.
Not saying it had anytihng to do with the closure but it certainly didn't prevent it.
Honestly, WoW is nothing special either. EverQuest is still a better game than WoW in my opinion.
This pretty much. I'd even play SWTOR over WoW. I really don't understand what people see in that dated turd.
As far as Neverwinter, I'm a big fan of the combat. It's like GW2's combat, but fun. As a CW I thought I'd hate the constant rooting, but I've realized that it actually makes the combat more strategic (along with the CC and dodge).
Not to defend WoW... but you should probably recognize the irony of using the word 'dated' when you're insutling WoW and promoting EQ.
As far as NW, I haven't tried the control wiz yet, but on my cleric I'm noticing quite a bit of strategy as well. Surprising for what I thought the game would entail. I'm not dissappointed yet, and coming in to the game expecting to hate it that's saying something.
Originally posted by Drakynn I love how people act like there was no palywer created content for any MMOs before STO and NWO and how it will be the saviour of the genre...coz it obviously saved the lives of the two best previous exampels SWG and CoX....oh wait...
there's been plenty of MMOs with player created content.. just in my experience never one with such a robust toolset and that was so well integrated into the main game.. many games its basically just a side part of the game not integrated into it like this one
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
The OP hasn't responded to anything that you people posting in here has said. I think him/her was doing it to get you guys going. Dance puppets dance!! You find alot of that on this site.
After looking at screenshots and knowing very little of the game i wrote this one off until i saw a forum post about the Foundry and the ability to design your own quests and dungeons which intrigued me. So I downloaded the game with the expection that this was another lame themepark, My only intention to play was to get to lvl 15 so I could create content.
Well after 4 or so days and lvl 14 I'm more interested in actually playing the game than creating content. The action combat is just that good. The game is fast,simple and just very FUN to play.
Comments
I didn't have my hopes up and I'm going to be completely blunt, this game is a big flop. It is not a good game, plain and simple. Sure, maybe compared to WoW or something, I will get to this, while making this simple and quick. I wouldn't be so harsh except I would really like for there to be a great MMO made in the world of one of the games that first showed me how great games can be, Baldurs Gate. There could be an amazing open world, mature MMORPG made in the Sword Coast with different cities to visit, a vast landscape, dungeons, different classes, a gritty look like BG1+2 and Icewind Dale, it could be amazing. This is not it.
Neverwinter Online has good things about it. A bit of a cartoony look But it is what it is and this look seems to pull in the big numbers so looks like MMORPG are stuck with it now. Character creation was pretty cool.
The graphics are pretty decent. I like the look. I like the noise and atmosphere of the city, even if it is a bit (a lot) for kids (I guess that's who should be playing games anyways)
So Combat. Arguably the most important thing in any game. The combat here, like the rest of the game, is a mix of good and bad, but I'm mostly going to lean for bad. If this was 2006, it would maybe be good. The Devs said in a video in a snarky tone "we are moving away from the 'tab targeting' of current games" except they failed to do this and instead delivered basically a tab targetting hybrid of DDO and WoW or something, except it often feels clunky when trying to attack and move or change directions of attacks in combat. Still, the blocking works quite well, and combat does feel fast and furious, if a bit clunky. Lots of attacks have a good oomph to them especailly the specials.
PVP combat, however, is another warzone que joke. Teamwork is very important and there is little room for a skilled player to really break the mold. The overall skill cap is very very low with no active dodging or aiming and a very very high time to kill for all classes. Overall the idea of 'no tab targetting' really fails here because it takes everyone way too long to die and pvp is just a running around big zerg-fest. PVP is a joke in this game, one of the worst PVP games I have ever seen. And before 'get good' or something, yes I came in top place in the 3 matches I forced myself through, even the 1 loss, thinking 'maybe it will get better' because I actually had a good time with the PVE.
The PVE is fun because again, the combat is decently fast paced. I like adventuring through the dungeons, each one has been well done so far. The PvE is well paced with boss enemies and quests you can follow and get into. The PVE matches the look of the game and is fun. but again this feels like a barely post-PS2/xbox era game. I don't have anything against old games, when they are real gems.
OK I forgot, character building, the second big thing in an RPG besides the combat system, however combat is done. It's a mix again. The stat building seems to follow D&D and is a bit simplistic but that's okay, because the feat system is quite awesome. There are a few trees you get points for and all the options are good. So good for the potting points into things, with this 'level up spend point on feat' system.
Gear, however, is not too good. Basically follows the basic WoW mold (I was going to tie WoW into this but this got too long already). Plus stats, etc. Basic crafting a la WoW or AoC. Overall, good skill system, bad gear.
This game is right on par with MWO and I will probably invest the same 10-20 hours of fun time into it. If TSO fails this hard that will be disappointing.
When you say Ranger in reference to D&D I'm thinking Minsc ... ahh good times.. good times...
GO FOR THE EYES BOO
For you maybe, for others the Foundry breathes fresh life into the things that people like me enjoy most about MMO's. The questing and leveling up portion of a game. It extends that mode of play indefinitely.
Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!
Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!
Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!
For me, I enjoy it because the combat is fast paced and fun. The classes play the way that I feel they should. Also the accessibility of all the content is great. Theres nearly no barriers to jumping into a group for a dungeon, skirmish, foundry or PvP as soon as you jump online.
Being objective, for long term appeal they will need to release new classes, paragon choices and skills at a decent pace. But the foundation is there for a very entertaining game.
It wont appeal to everyone, but its free to try it for yourself. Jump on and see if you enjoy the combat.
The very first starter area was thrown together in the very last weekend of beta to explain some things a bit better. You cant really base the world design off that zone. The zones are still boxed in, but its more akin to GW2, with later zones being quite large and free to explore.
Until you reach level 20ish, you will be stuck inside the city of Neverwinter, which sort of leads to some false assumptions that the whole game is like that. After 20 the world outside Neverwinter opens up and the zones get much bigger.
So true.
Game really opens up at lvl20, when you get to leave the city of Neverwinter and visit other zones. Until then, it feels a bit cramped.
It's almost like this: up to lvl20 it's like playing Dragon Age 2 online and after lvl20 it's like Dragon Age Origins online.
Honestly, WoW is nothing special either. EverQuest is still a better game than WoW in my opinion.
This pretty much. I'd even play SWTOR over WoW. I really don't understand what people see in that dated turd.
As far as Neverwinter, I'm a big fan of the combat. It's like GW2's combat, but fun. As a CW I thought I'd hate the constant rooting, but I've realized that it actually makes the combat more strategic (along with the CC and dodge).
I enjoy playing the rogue in this game more than virtually than any mmo class I've ever played and I've really enjoyed the solo and group dungeons while leveling. Seeing that the group dungeons start to get really challenging when one gets to the 30's was real encouraging. The last boss in the level 34 dungeon is taking people 20-30 minutes to kill on one attempt. Where the hell are you seeing anything like that in a leveling dungeon anywhere else? The pvp has been really fun so far as well, though I've heard some complaints about balance.
On top of that, the foundery alone has been worth the price of admission.
So in the last few day's I've played my halfling rogue up to level 21. I haven't done skirmishes or pvp yet. I soloed a dungeon mostly because I was feeling anti-social at the time, and partially to see if I could do it. I had a cleric follower, wiped twice on the final boss before I got it, but I did it. It took me a couple hours and was really fun. Don't take that as the game being way too easy, I had to go slow and carefully and went through a lot of potions despite having the cleric follower. That being said, I would put it at a medium-easy level if you know how to play your class and have some idea of tactics you won't die very often. If you actually take a group with you to a dungeon it will be a fun romp.
There is a fair amount of game mechanics borrowed from SW (or earlier games I've not played to know), the followers and the crafting system are very similar. I don't consider it a bad thing, the thing I disliked the most about SW was the repetitive quests and NW isn't nearly as bad about that.
The foundry is awesome so far, I've played 7, I think, Foundry quests now. Only one of the them was kinda dumb, none of them were broken. It really could go two ways.. it could be useless in 6 months and be filled with non playable crap, or it could be like Fallout/Elder Scrolls and be totally epic. And it's up to the players. So far so good.
The cash shop hasn't bothered me at all, it's not shoved in your face all the time like is it in SOE games. The game has two main forms of currency, gold and diamonds. Don't confuse the diamonds with the cash shop, they are different. It is possible to obtain cash shop currency with the diamonds that you earn in game. Everything can be gotten completely free if you put the time into it. That being said, I haven't seen anything in the cash shop that's absolutely necessary or can't be gotten other ways. There is in-town clothes and armor dyes, completely not necessary, other consumables that can be purchased with normal game currency, mounts and followers that can also be purchased normally, just look different. Really nothing game breaking that I've noticed so far.
I will play it until I get bored with it, if I'm still playing it at least a few hours a day in a month I will buy $15 of cash shop currency to pay them for their service.
My opinion:< EQ 1
= EQ 2
>= WoW (will have to play more to know for sure, it's close so far)
> Vanguard
> SWG
> GW2 (slightly, Foundry and decisive class roles is the deciding factor)
SWG was closed because SOE thought that SW:TOR was going to be so good nobody would want to play SWG anymore (the people who thought this probably did a collective facepalm after seeing the reviews), and CoX was closed because NCSoft was being run by a bunch of jerks who had no idea of the potential CoX had. Player created content had nothing to do with the closings.
Since when is Tuesday a direction?
Not saying it had anytihng to do with the closure but it certainly didn't prevent it.
Not to defend WoW... but you should probably recognize the irony of using the word 'dated' when you're insutling WoW and promoting EQ.
As far as NW, I haven't tried the control wiz yet, but on my cleric I'm noticing quite a bit of strategy as well. Surprising for what I thought the game would entail. I'm not dissappointed yet, and coming in to the game expecting to hate it that's saying something.
there's been plenty of MMOs with player created content.. just in my experience never one with such a robust toolset and that was so well integrated into the main game.. many games its basically just a side part of the game not integrated into it like this one
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
After looking at screenshots and knowing very little of the game i wrote this one off until i saw a forum post about the Foundry and the ability to design your own quests and dungeons which intrigued me. So I downloaded the game with the expection that this was another lame themepark, My only intention to play was to get to lvl 15 so I could create content.
Well after 4 or so days and lvl 14 I'm more interested in actually playing the game than creating content. The action combat is just that good. The game is fast,simple and just very FUN to play.
Aloha Mr Hand !