Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
I'm Just Playing ArcheAge
darkhalf357x
Member UncommonPosts: 1,237
This is my opinion but at least you will know its a real look at the game. I get bored easily especially with MMOs frankly because half of them aren't what I'm looking for. To sum it up I want an updated, expandeded EQ1.
I hate PvP. Or at least its current implementation I have experienced. The battle aspect is fun but the work you have to put in is rediculous and if you don't put in the work the competition (the fun part) becomes not fun because you get killed to easily. Then you have to go to the internet to research the best builds in the game taking away the point of uniqueness which is what I love.
I am so far loving ArcheAge.
I'm not a graphics whore. I still play Atari 2600 games for the challenge. This game is beautiful but it did take time getting used to its theme. It came off as awkward the first time I saw it - like something wasn't right. Its a mix of realistic type graphics with a slight whimsical touch to it. The more I played it the more it made sense.
What I love is the little details. Swimming backwards and you backstroke. When you move your mount sideways they side step (instead of turning instantly in that direction and moving). It gives a good sense of immersion when you play it long enough.
I'm sorry I am also a sucker for the music. Especially the two main tunes they play when you are in a city. Sometimes I will just sit there and listen to it. It's simple yet engaging that fits the game.
The PvE content is basic. Perform an action to kill mobs to return for reward. Next quest leads you to next area. I don't have a problem with this. It helps lead you into new areas. Exposing more content. What I don't like is when that questing structure becomes the entire point of the game. It makes it feel narrow no matter how grand the narrative is. I'm an explorer at heart. The exploration isn't that eventful. But I have not really run the full extent. I was hoping to find caves and other nooks and crannies for special rewards. But maybe I have to look harder.
The quest story is mildly interesting. I am an Elf. I like the motion comic cutscene and the dialogue is at least trying to be deep by speaking strongly around motive. I want to find out what happens and I listen to the cutscenes.
But I wont play an MMO (for long at least) if the combat is not attractive. I have a low bar for combat but I'm meticulous about what I like. Combat here so far is entertaining. It is a nice hybrid of static tab target with limited movement. When you hit something there is nice impact. Something like this will allow me to grind.
I like the skill trees and the freedom of its combinations. I finally get to build unique builds that I like. Now there is going to be a disconnection here. Some are going to say there are only so many optimal builds (and all the rest are not effective). I guess thats the case for PvP and thats what I find sad. What is the point of giving choice into skill builds if only a few of them are competent?
So far I don't give a shit and yeah I'll still PvP. I want to see how much of a factor is skill versus stats. I rolled an outrider (Archery/Shadowplay/Battlerage) and loving the archery 2H melee hybrid. I'm figuring out some nice combos that I hope will help me. Looking at the stats its a purely offensive build with little to no utility (health or CC breaks). But I like playing it - so that has to count for something. Games are for fun right?
I love crafting but never really do it. Anything I crafted wasn't as good as what I could get on the AH. Crafting for money took to long. Here the crafting is complex and is hidden beneath a simple interface. It operates like WoW crafting where you select what you want to craft and as long as you have the mats in your inventory you are given the one-button press to create it. The depth comes in to how they stack the crafting to craft a single item. I see it as Raw materials --> basic building block ---> item. Where that item may be one mat of many to craft another item to create a new building block or item. Not exactly accurate but hopefully you get the idea.
What makes me want to do something like that is the promise to build a ship, a submarine, and the best armor. I need to see how tedious I feel this is.
But the real draw is what I consider the sandbox elements. It starts with the glider. I dont know I can fly in WoW but gliding just feels better even when I'm doing it to practically move faster from one location to another. I still find myself looking at the scenery. The fact that I can have an underwater farm. I can grow my own mats. Its a ton of stuff outside of the Quest --> dungeons --> endgame --> repeatable content over and over ad infinitum --> to Raid to get gear --> repeatable... you get the idea.
Add in the component of guilds and you have some unique gameplay. Which guilds will hate each other? Who will be known as the one who ganks the most? What will everyone do about it? If anything at all? Will I ever be able to run a trade run and not lose my packs? Will I ever make a submarine? Will I ever have a battle on the sea with my guildmates?
Those are answers that a developer can't script and I can only find by playing and learning the game. That's something I will pour endless money into to support simply because it epitomizes what I want to play.
TLDR:
I dont know if ArcheAge is the game for me long term but so far I am enjoying what I am experiencing getting this skeptic excited which has not happened in awhile. I'm interested to see if it will provide what I am looking for or if I will get bored with it like the rest.
Comments
1.2 Updates
I'm not a min maxer so I only recognize the obvious differences or the subtle ones that fuck with my game. So far 1.2 is an improvement over what I have been playing. A new Alpha server but based in NA (Thank GOD!) which is a plus for me.
Finally english cut scenes. Makes PvE easier to get into. The Korean sounded nice but without subtitles it was fustrating looking at pictures but not understanding the context.
Quest rewards have changed. Mobs used to give me gold and gear me up. Gear seems to be removed as most mobs are giving me coin purses so I guess more gold. I'm level 12 still rocking level 1 gear in some spots. Prior to 1.2 I just quested and geared automatically (I didnt think about it or buy it).
The PvE questing was getting boring because I was running into the out-leveling issue, where just by questing you get stronger than the mobs and they no longer posses a challenge. I could force a challenge by taking on more than one at a time but only put me further back. Now? I die a LOT more. Maybe nothing has changed but the mobs definitely feel stronger. They changed the mana resource as I never thought about it before and now I am constantly managing it so I don't run out. Everything here is fine for me so far.
Skill trees changed. Some skills are moved from one tree to another. Some skills are locked at a higher tier than before. I had to change my skill loadout a little different due to this but nothing major.
I'll write more as I remember it or when I experience it.
Archeage is indeed a good game, but if you hate pvp then you better stop now and don't waste your time !!!
What I personally like in this game is that leveling is the intro into it and after 50 lvl comes the real endgame which is full of pvp, pve, sieges, naval battles, crafting, working together with guildmates...... meaning all those missing from eso and recent mmos !!!
First of all, your insight on the game helped me understand it from a similar perspective. I think much the same way you do and feel I would approach it similarly.
For PvP, you most likely understand that balancing 120+ different class combinations would be probably the most difficult aspect of any game with this depth. This would be difficult to both conceptualize, balance, and program. However if there are healing/pvp/pve/buffing/cc situations that all arise in the PvP scenarios, you could probably find a reasonable way to play just about anything and be viable in certain situations.
The crafting intrigues me in this game. I always find Crafting to be fun, but way to grindy in most games. However it seems that crafting is well worth the time you put into it in AA. In general, themeparks you would be better off doing a dungeon or questing for gear/xp. Crafting is a timesink with no real benefits until endgame and after dumping hours and hours into it. It also slows leveling etc. I believe that crafting is well rewarded in AA at all levels so I am looking forward.
Looking forward to: Crowfall / Lost Ark / Black Desert Mobile
I'm not sure this is necessarily true. I'm not THAT into PvP and I think it's fine running around the world doing PvE. You're not technically forced into it, just because there's so much else to do.
But I'll say that if you're not that into PvP but don't mind wetting your toes a little in it, then it's a good MMO to try. Do safe PvE most of the time, be a farmer, a trader, explore and fight, but then occasionally try and run a trade pack across the sea into hostile territory. It can actually be a big thrill, especially when you know you could be attacked at any minute.
I'm no hard-core PvP lover myself. I rather see it as a means to get things done and/or defend myself. Yeah, I can PvP just right and if there's no zerg I enjoy it as well.
But that remark about getting a tradepack into hostile territory is completely wrong and I'm on a crusade against it. Players doing this are doing it all wrong and deserve their pack to be stolen by dock campers. IMO you should get your mats to the hostile territory, make the tradepack there and get back to your own territory. It's pretty save to get to a workbench in enemy territory (except during weekend peak hours
), and you're not to be bugger by the dock campers on the other side...
Yes that's true, it can be a good tactic sometimes. It's often a pain though, because if the workstation is occupied you can be stuck just sitting there waiting for enemies to clear away (if they ever do).
I paid the 150 and so far recieved my value from it. Founders pack is the only guaranteed way to get in. You can get the cheaper version since Beta is starting July 17th (the 150 pack was for Alpha before Beta was scheduled).
I hate PvP but I wont be wasting my time playing this game :-) This might be the first PvP I tolerate... and even possibly... enjoy??
I can't wait for the rest.
Thanks. And yes, I do understand the balancing challenges of 120+ classes. I just had wishful thinking. Again not versed in PvP I would prefer to have unique builds go against each other... screw balance all together. But I'm probably being unrealistic.
This game does look grindy but the environment makes it fun to grind. I hoping it keeps my interest to achieve some of the higher end items. I like the fact that it takes time to earn.
What choice do we PvE only's have? It's not like any one will ever make a lovely PvE game again. Final Fantasy is it for PvE'ers and I've played that, got bored, and left.