Who even talks about this game anymore ? Did it take years for the OP to come up with this and that's why it seem so out of date ? anyhow one of the worst articles ever posted by mmorpg.
I feel the exact same way as the title of this column. I have played TSW nearly every day for the last two years. I love the setting, the depth of the NPC characters, the cutscenes, the ability wheel, the combat, the minimal UI. Let me tell you what the article is trying to say, but doesn't really get to the point of.
It's OK if you have a negative opinion of some of the game systems, not everyone likes everything. Have you ever met someone who hates pizza, or bacon? They do exist, and it does not mean these items are objectively bad. But don't you dare try to tell Funcom to change it because it is not like the standard systems in other MMORPGs. I like it just the way it is, even if you don't. There is a reason I do not play those other games with the same level of enjoyment.
Enhancing a system, sure if it sticks to the same concept, but "it should be exactly like that other game I like but also don't play anymore" or "Crafting is a AAA MMORPG standard" isn't really valid criticism. I hate standard MMO crafting, HATE it. I like that TSW has NO real crafting system. In most games of this standard it is nothing more than a task timesink to keep you busy. I like that you get only 7 weapon skills, builds with super single target and AOE dps and 2nd bar full of OP cooldowns are not available. You can make legit endgame dps builds that include all 9 weapons, ability balance has happened several times to even out overused or exploitable mechanics. "If they did like that other game it is proven better because more people played it." Popular things are not always objectively better, but easily consumable by the masses, like Transformers 8, a $1 hamburger, or Justin Beiber. It is OK to have a niche game if you can develop with it in mind. Lack of budget control is a plague of the MMO gaming industry as a whole, the number of early rushes, FTP conversions, and years of wasted dev time on things that don't get out of internal testing spell that out.
Animation criticism I agree with, the motions don't flow together, they are all individual and don't have the same start/end point where it looks like there is fluid motion. The separation of the torso and the legs as 95% of skills can be used while running makes them lack weight and impact, but what can you do? You have powerful looking actions and reaction, but ice skating combat, which I think looks worse. I feel like they chose the lesser of two evils.
The Funcom staff hate really does burn me, in 12 years of playing their games I have never had a poor experience with GMs, devs, or forum mods. But I had no interest in AoC until very recently, maybe that's where all the bad employees worked, and got canned when (surprise) the 1/4 finished game that was rushed out by management bombed. You should give up shoveling coal into the hate train at this point, they probably don't work there anymore.
No, I do not play TSW, but I play another FUNCOM MMO called Age of Conan. That MMO dominates any other MMO on the market in my opinion. A real precious gem that game is. But I still can read now in 2014, "Back in 2008 or 2009 I tried this game, and... yaba yaba Blabb..." People are so damn shallow and full of hate toward FUNCOM that they can comment idiocy like above and still get away with it. 5 years of MMO development does change a MMO. If people got of that bandwagon the author speaks about. I think it could be to the good for a lot of people. FUNCOM have fucking good games and are the pioneers of the genre god damn it. Who cares that both Anarchy and Age of Conan had trouble in the beginning. Both of the games are very very very special and good MMOs today.
Great ....Funcom we made secret world combat worse than our last MMO .....company has great ideas horrible execution.....i enjoyed anarchy online won't be playing your next MMO....maybe it can have worse customizations than the secret world
If an argument about combat talks about how hack and slash with a sword is easy mode....then your trying to use bad combat balance to justify bad execution. MMO have way way too much combat to justify putting up with bad combat that's like saying hey wow combat sucks but the sparkle pony's are great. ( i don't think wow combat sucks just making a point )
I happen to like TSW. I like its world. I like its characters. I like its story. I like its skills system.
In some ways it actually accomplishes some of the best features of Guild Wars 1 better than Guild Wars 2 does.
But holy crap, has it got some of the worst PvP I have ever seen. Let's make a gear-based arena with imbalanced teams and poor skill balance. It's kind of like stacking together arena pvp and faction pvp and then taking all of the worst aspects of both without any of the good aspects.
I bought this game a few years ago and I really liked the idea of the game, like the story, which seem so realistic and the voice-overs are cool. The main reason I don't stick with it, is the lag and the fps spikes are so bad at times, it frustrates me some much. I even updated my video card and its still bad.sigh. The animations are not the best and the graphics could be better, but this game has so much potential, to be as it could be. This is game I would like to see it grow for sure, however it needs some work. Here's hoping
im playing this since start but the last 6 month im only raiding 2*/week with friends.
its still funcom, they did not change. still lying basterds, still fucking up patches, still the same arrogant attitude, still implementing shit that will upset players but then removing it after riots
addons over the last 12 months were major ginds only, and silly on top (AEGIS & Scenarios)
broken stuff left and right, suprise bugs every other patch, reintroducing once patched bugs
combat IS actually stupid click a button every 1 sec. + abilities that are without global cooldown (and the way AEGIS is atm 7 buttons is not enough anymore). enemies with fast AOEs again and again, players with 300ms+ are often screwed. too much oneshoting
animations do look strange, major LOLs about the chaos weapon which is just a copy of the claw weapon in another color
worst thing overall is that the game was advertised as "play as you want" which is not true anymore, some weapons/builds are favored
I actually like and a lot TSW but hate immensely that ONE toolbar for active abilities. Today was my last day of playing Wildstar for exactly the SAME reason. I can only ignore all pros for 1 toolbar fans would like to sell ... fact is that makes game BUTTON MASHER. And to easy to play, removing complexity. Oh, forget about "but also in wow you use only 4-5 abilities". This can say only somebody never actually played it as it should.
the article had good intentions, to promote a severely overlooked game. sure it has some big flaws, but there are other aspects to TSW that people really enjoy. it's just too bad that the execution of the article turned off more people than anything.
I loved TSW, esp with its innovative adult horror theme, graphics, innovative investigative missions, interesting progression system, and strong story, but you'd be blind not to admit its problems.
1) On NA servers, the game's deserted until you hit cap (excluding after the occasional sale), so new players quit after realizing they'll never find a group for the first dungeon or to team up. This also means outside the noob zone, below cap, chat is dead.
2) Funcom - their customer service is probably the worst in the business and their forum bans are often hilarious. Mention a bug? It's a feature. Banhammer strikes.
3) Fanboys - I don't know why, but the game has too many OMG I'm so L33T fanboys. Not to say all, or even most ppl, but they're very vocal in chat and on forums. If you mention any difficulty or bugs, they'll say stuff like, "Go play WoW." They're also anti-noob. When you hit cap, there'll always be someone who'll complain you never ran X/Y/Z before.
4) Playing a healing deck is hard and virtually no one levels using one. Healing raids is hard. Some groups insist on leech healers, which is heavily gear-dependent. When your game's already short healers, much less good ones, probably not a good idea to do this.
There are, as of last I played, no smart AoE heals, too. Combine this with server lag, gfx lag, and the occasional bug and you have a problem.
The title is sufficient - the author likes TSW and doesn't care if people don't. Cool, I wish more people could see the MMOs they like this way. So why, then, write the rest of the article trying to demonstrate why people's opposing opinions are poorly founded or simply wrong? I thought the author didn't care? It's just tribal fanboy nonsense and utterly puerile.
The author should have written the article about what she likes about TSW, not trying to counter what people don't like.
Come on mmorpg.com. Someone posts this in a forum (like they do every day) then fine. But as a featured article? You shouldn't be featuring this kind of stuff.
By the way people, the article is by Shannon Doyle not Suzie Ford. Suzie is capable of journalism.
I will always speak up for TSW. after the distaste for MMOs I had soon as pandaria hit I was at a loss, flew through swtor and remained unsatisfied. I can't recall how I came across TSW originally but I did like the sound of what it offered so I was in there at launch. it was totally different, riddled with bugs and felt too barebones, lacking in luster.
but the environment, ambiance, rich characters, storyline and interaction was amazing.
I don't play TSW anymore after I found myself at the endgame grind I eventually moved on. but I have to say that there is no game that I have left behind with as fond memeories with TSW.
the combat was a steep learning curve but well worth working at. so many options, no cookie cutter load outs.
the fact that it was funcom had no impact on me since I had not come across them before. but regular expansions, store of cool aesthetic items, and bug fixes came fast and steady.
you get used to the combat like any other game. and the boss fights were so dependent on precise movement and tactics you have to learn how to attack and defend. yes actual difficult dungeon bosses! animation is a little clunky but you do see past it.
it was very immersive and to my surprise had one of the best gaming communities I've ever played with friends made even cross faction. minimal PvP griefers, spam and trolls.
I loved TSW, esp with its innovative adult horror theme, graphics, innovative investigative missions, interesting progression system, and strong story, but you'd be blind not to admit its problems.
1) On NA servers, the game's deserted until you hit cap (excluding after the occasional sale), so new players quit after realizing they'll never find a group for the first dungeon or to team up. This also means outside the noob zone, below cap, chat is dead.
2) Funcom - their customer service is probably the worst in the business and their forum bans are often hilarious. Mention a bug? It's a feature. Banhammer strikes.
3) Fanboys - I don't know why, but the game has too many OMG I'm so L33T fanboys. Not to say all, or even most ppl, but they're very vocal in chat and on forums. If you mention any difficulty or bugs, they'll say stuff like, "Go play WoW." They're also anti-noob. When you hit cap, there'll always be someone who'll complain you never ran X/Y/Z before.
4) Playing a healing deck is hard and virtually no one levels using one. Healing raids is hard. Some groups insist on leech healers, which is heavily gear-dependent. When your game's already short healers, much less good ones, probably not a good idea to do this.
There are, as of last I played, no smart AoE heals, too. Combine this with server lag, gfx lag, and the occasional bug and you have a problem.
I really like TSW. And that being said I highly doubt this column does the game and its reception any favour. There are many good things that could be said about this game. This column concentrated completely on the wrong ones: those that are actually a matter of taste. You can't argue about taste without looking like a complete moron ....
Agree 100%.
I love this game. I played all themepark out there and only this one kept me addicted, but I didnt like this article at all. As a veteran I could write something relevant for each aspect presented AND without offending anyone here. And although I like TSW a lot, I know that theres a lot of good games out there. This is not a competition and I hope people dont start to hate the game because of a bad and offensive article.
I loved TSW, esp with its innovative adult horror theme, graphics, innovative investigative missions, interesting progression system, and strong story, but you'd be blind not to admit its problems.
1) On NA servers, the game's deserted until you hit cap (excluding after the occasional sale), so new players quit after realizing they'll never find a group for the first dungeon or to team up. This also means outside the noob zone, below cap, chat is dead.
2) Funcom - their customer service is probably the worst in the business and their forum bans are often hilarious. Mention a bug? It's a feature. Banhammer strikes.
3) Fanboys - I don't know why, but the game has too many OMG I'm so L33T fanboys. Not to say all, or even most ppl, but they're very vocal in chat and on forums. If you mention any difficulty or bugs, they'll say stuff like, "Go play WoW." They're also anti-noob. When you hit cap, there'll always be someone who'll complain you never ran X/Y/Z before.
4) Playing a healing deck is hard and virtually no one levels using one. Healing raids is hard. Some groups insist on leech healers, which is heavily gear-dependent. When your game's already short healers, much less good ones, probably not a good idea to do this.
There are, as of last I played, no smart AoE heals, too. Combine this with server lag, gfx lag, and the occasional bug and you have a problem.
5) Pvp is kinda meh
what is game what you talking about ?
I also would like to know, because except for 5 (matter of taste) the other points are so wrong... It made me laugh loud.
So can we look forward to more articles about games that you like which some other people don't like, and how you don't care, but apparently care enough to write an article about?
Comments
Anyone know how well this game did financially?
Funcom is a public company so we should know.
http://gnomophobia.com
love the game.
and so true abt all the critsim this game gets.
like the comparisons, kinda funny.
Herald of innovation, Vanquisher of the old! - Awake a few hours almost everyday!
I feel the exact same way as the title of this column. I have played TSW nearly every day for the last two years. I love the setting, the depth of the NPC characters, the cutscenes, the ability wheel, the combat, the minimal UI. Let me tell you what the article is trying to say, but doesn't really get to the point of.
It's OK if you have a negative opinion of some of the game systems, not everyone likes everything. Have you ever met someone who hates pizza, or bacon? They do exist, and it does not mean these items are objectively bad. But don't you dare try to tell Funcom to change it because it is not like the standard systems in other MMORPGs. I like it just the way it is, even if you don't. There is a reason I do not play those other games with the same level of enjoyment.
Enhancing a system, sure if it sticks to the same concept, but "it should be exactly like that other game I like but also don't play anymore" or "Crafting is a AAA MMORPG standard" isn't really valid criticism. I hate standard MMO crafting, HATE it. I like that TSW has NO real crafting system. In most games of this standard it is nothing more than a task timesink to keep you busy. I like that you get only 7 weapon skills, builds with super single target and AOE dps and 2nd bar full of OP cooldowns are not available. You can make legit endgame dps builds that include all 9 weapons, ability balance has happened several times to even out overused or exploitable mechanics. "If they did like that other game it is proven better because more people played it." Popular things are not always objectively better, but easily consumable by the masses, like Transformers 8, a $1 hamburger, or Justin Beiber. It is OK to have a niche game if you can develop with it in mind. Lack of budget control is a plague of the MMO gaming industry as a whole, the number of early rushes, FTP conversions, and years of wasted dev time on things that don't get out of internal testing spell that out.
Animation criticism I agree with, the motions don't flow together, they are all individual and don't have the same start/end point where it looks like there is fluid motion. The separation of the torso and the legs as 95% of skills can be used while running makes them lack weight and impact, but what can you do? You have powerful looking actions and reaction, but ice skating combat, which I think looks worse. I feel like they chose the lesser of two evils.
The Funcom staff hate really does burn me, in 12 years of playing their games I have never had a poor experience with GMs, devs, or forum mods. But I had no interest in AoC until very recently, maybe that's where all the bad employees worked, and got canned when (surprise) the 1/4 finished game that was rushed out by management bombed. You should give up shoveling coal into the hate train at this point, they probably don't work there anymore.
[mod edit]
No, I do not play TSW, but I play another FUNCOM MMO called Age of Conan. That MMO dominates any other MMO on the market in my opinion. A real precious gem that game is. But I still can read now in 2014, "Back in 2008 or 2009 I tried this game, and... yaba yaba Blabb..." People are so damn shallow and full of hate toward FUNCOM that they can comment idiocy like above and still get away with it. 5 years of MMO development does change a MMO. If people got of that bandwagon the author speaks about. I think it could be to the good for a lot of people. FUNCOM have fucking good games and are the pioneers of the genre god damn it. Who cares that both Anarchy and Age of Conan had trouble in the beginning. Both of the games are very very very special and good MMOs today.
The Ultimate Breakdown
Great ....Funcom we made secret world combat worse than our last MMO .....company has great ideas horrible execution.....i enjoyed anarchy online won't be playing your next MMO....maybe it can have worse customizations than the secret world
If an argument about combat talks about how hack and slash with a sword is easy mode....then your trying to use bad combat balance to justify bad execution. MMO have way way too much combat to justify putting up with bad combat that's like saying hey wow combat sucks but the sparkle pony's are great. ( i don't think wow combat sucks just making a point )
Have you read any of the GW2 articles on this site?
I happen to like TSW. I like its world. I like its characters. I like its story. I like its skills system.
In some ways it actually accomplishes some of the best features of Guild Wars 1 better than Guild Wars 2 does.
But holy crap, has it got some of the worst PvP I have ever seen. Let's make a gear-based arena with imbalanced teams and poor skill balance. It's kind of like stacking together arena pvp and faction pvp and then taking all of the worst aspects of both without any of the good aspects.
I don't have any opinions on TSW, but this article is.. ugggh, just bad.
The combat in the game is really bad game design wise
One of the poorest choices i seen to date
+ Tab targeting
+ reticle targeting
+ 1,2,3,4 skill activiation
+ no auto attack
So all the redundant MMO mechanics in one combat system thats supposed to be FPS like but its not at all.
Result clusterfuck
Lets see another game with actually sucessful "action combat" mechanic
+ reticle targeting and turning (like FPS games)
+ main attack skills mouse button activated - no cooldown
+ 1,2,3,4 skills are only power skills with cooldown
Clever combination of FPS and MMO. Result fun gameplay
im playing this since start but the last 6 month im only raiding 2*/week with friends.
the article had good intentions, to promote a severely overlooked game. sure it has some big flaws, but there are other aspects to TSW that people really enjoy. it's just too bad that the execution of the article turned off more people than anything.
I loved TSW, esp with its innovative adult horror theme, graphics, innovative investigative missions, interesting progression system, and strong story, but you'd be blind not to admit its problems.
1) On NA servers, the game's deserted until you hit cap (excluding after the occasional sale), so new players quit after realizing they'll never find a group for the first dungeon or to team up. This also means outside the noob zone, below cap, chat is dead.
2) Funcom - their customer service is probably the worst in the business and their forum bans are often hilarious. Mention a bug? It's a feature. Banhammer strikes.
3) Fanboys - I don't know why, but the game has too many OMG I'm so L33T fanboys. Not to say all, or even most ppl, but they're very vocal in chat and on forums. If you mention any difficulty or bugs, they'll say stuff like, "Go play WoW." They're also anti-noob. When you hit cap, there'll always be someone who'll complain you never ran X/Y/Z before.
4) Playing a healing deck is hard and virtually no one levels using one. Healing raids is hard. Some groups insist on leech healers, which is heavily gear-dependent. When your game's already short healers, much less good ones, probably not a good idea to do this.
There are, as of last I played, no smart AoE heals, too. Combine this with server lag, gfx lag, and the occasional bug and you have a problem.
5) Pvp is kinda meh
This is not journalism, even in amateur form.
The title is sufficient - the author likes TSW and doesn't care if people don't. Cool, I wish more people could see the MMOs they like this way. So why, then, write the rest of the article trying to demonstrate why people's opposing opinions are poorly founded or simply wrong? I thought the author didn't care? It's just tribal fanboy nonsense and utterly puerile.
The author should have written the article about what she likes about TSW, not trying to counter what people don't like.
Come on mmorpg.com. Someone posts this in a forum (like they do every day) then fine. But as a featured article? You shouldn't be featuring this kind of stuff.
By the way people, the article is by Shannon Doyle not Suzie Ford. Suzie is capable of journalism.
after the distaste for MMOs I had soon as pandaria hit I was at a loss, flew through swtor and remained unsatisfied. I can't recall how I came across TSW originally but I did like the sound of what it offered so I was in there at launch. it was totally different, riddled with bugs and felt too barebones, lacking in luster.
but the environment, ambiance, rich characters, storyline and interaction was amazing.
I don't play TSW anymore after I found myself at the endgame grind I eventually moved on. but I have to say that there is no game that I have left behind with as fond memeories with TSW.
the combat was a steep learning curve but well worth working at. so many options, no cookie cutter load outs.
the fact that it was funcom had no impact on me since I had not come across them before.
but regular expansions, store of cool aesthetic items, and bug fixes came fast and steady.
you get used to the combat like any other game. and the boss fights were so dependent on precise movement and tactics you have to learn how to attack and defend. yes actual difficult dungeon bosses!
animation is a little clunky but you do see past it.
it was very immersive and to my surprise had one of the best gaming communities I've ever played with friends made even cross faction.
minimal PvP griefers, spam and trolls.
what is game what you talking about ?
Agree 100%.
I love this game. I played all themepark out there and only this one kept me addicted, but I didnt like this article at all. As a veteran I could write something relevant for each aspect presented AND without offending anyone here. And although I like TSW a lot, I know that theres a lot of good games out there. This is not a competition and I hope people dont start to hate the game because of a bad and offensive article.
I also would like to know, because except for 5 (matter of taste) the other points are so wrong... It made me laugh loud.