Devilian | Life in the Alpha So Far | MMORPG

SBFord · September 2015

Devilian | Life in the Alpha So Far | MMORPG

It took a long time to bring ArcheAge over to the US and EU when Trion imported XLGAMES’ MMO. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Bluehole Ginno’s Action MMORPG, Devilian. Now just a few short weeks into the founder’s alpha the NDA has been lifted and Trion says beta is right around the corner. Today, we’re offering our thoughts on the alpha so far.

Read the full story here

onelesslight · September 2015

Thanks for the excellent first look, Bill

Vrika · September 2015

Good article, thanks.

Can anyone tell, how much are the character slots and inventory rows if you'd buy them through cash shop. The silver founder pack looks good enough that I might purchase it once beta starts.

Elvoc · September 2015

Looks pretty good Bill, I also coughed up some cash to get in, but I believe I have Beta access only so waiting for that. It always amazes me how all Korean games seem to be gender locked, that will probably be the only real turn off for me , I know it doesn't bother most people running around as the opposite sex in a game but it seems to really take away the gameplay and enjoyment for me, especially when they cant ever seem to put enough clothes on the female characters in KR games. Not really something I would want my younger children to sit and watch me play when I am trying to get them interested in gaming.

jesteralways · September 2015

Vrika said:

Good article, thanks.

Can anyone tell, how much are the character slots and inventory rows if you'd buy them through cash shop. The silver founder pack looks good enough that I might purchase it once beta starts.

I am going to compare them to AA and i think character slot will for 5-10$ each and inventory upgrade 5$ for each upgrade per character. So if you want free inventory upgrade for every character you create then silver pack is good to go. AS far as i have read in devilian forums, items will be given to all the characters you create but you should ask in forums for better clarified answer, And if they say inventory upgrade, pet and mount are for only 1 toon, don't waste your money.

Ozmodan · September 2015

Since Trion can't get the item shop right in AA, what makes anyone think this game will be different? Don't try to tell me it is the developer, Trion has full control what goes into the item shop and how it is priced.

Talonsin · September 2015

Thanks for the first look Bill.

psiic · September 2015

Wow looks like any other cheaply made korean on the rails mmo.

Wizardry · September 2015

Ozmodan said:

Since Trion can't get the item shop right in AA, what makes anyone think this game will be different? Don't try to tell me it is the developer, Trion has full control what goes into the item shop and how it is priced.

Well for one i hate cash shops and two this is a finished product LYING by claiming it is in Alpha.The few changes they are making is nothing more than what ANY game does after release.

Whenever a developer makes changes to their game,they don't turn around and call it Alpha testing ,,lmao,that is VERY misleading.

It was just immoral and WRONG that devs for years now have been using Alpha/Beta testing just to sell pre purchase orders.Now they are using it for what we call early access or founder pack sales.

For once i would like to see a developer be HONEST,sell the game,that is exactly what you are doing anyhow.the so called "testing phase" really lasts until they can no longer see any sales of founder packs.

rojoArcueid · September 2015

i still believe its a last attempt at milking the west. With BH Ginno shutting down the game in their native region, there is nothing that makes me think it will be successful here, just more whale fodder before finally pulling the plug.

SoloAnything · September 2015

rojoArcueid said:

i still believe its a last attempt at milking the west. With BH Ginno shutting down the game in their native region, there is nothing that makes me think it will be successful here, just more whale fodder before finally pulling the plug.

^ This sums it up. DOA RIP

jesteralways · September 2015

rojoArcueid said:

i still believe its a last attempt at milking the west. With BH Ginno shutting down the game in their native region, there is nothing that makes me think it will be successful here, just more whale fodder before finally pulling the plug.

You did not read the news properly, BH Ginno did not shut down their game, their publisher HANGames have decided to only publish mobile/smartphone games from now on, they have seen major cash in those formats. HANGames have scrapped all of their PC online games. BH Ginno is currently looking for a new publisher but if it doesn't get one they will publish it themselves.

BruceYee · September 2015

jesteralways said:

rojoArcueid said:

i still believe its a last attempt at milking the west. With BH Ginno shutting down the game in their native region, there is nothing that makes me think it will be successful here, just more whale fodder before finally pulling the plug.

You did not read the news properly, BH Ginno did not shut down their game, their publisher HANGames have decided to only publish mobile/smartphone games from now on, they have seen major cash in those formats. HANGames have scrapped all of their PC online games. BH Ginno is currently looking for a new publisher but if it doesn't get one they will publish it themselves.

People can and will say anything if it means putting a few extra $$$ in their pocket. Turbine said that they had developed champions for their game(IC) through 2016 then shut the game down 6 months after launch. If they planned on milking the game one last time in the west as the other poster above suggested then it would be wise for them to say something along the lines of what you wrote. I also luv the video btw, will def try it out at launch.

Burntvet · September 2015

Anyone who buys a $150 "founder pack" to a "F2P" game is an imbecile.

Especially on the heels of the same BS with AA, and the cash sucking farce that thing turned out to be.

jesteralways · September 2015

BruceYee said:

jesteralways said:

rojoArcueid said:

i still believe its a last attempt at milking the west. With BH Ginno shutting down the game in their native region, there is nothing that makes me think it will be successful here, just more whale fodder before finally pulling the plug.

You did not read the news properly, BH Ginno did not shut down their game, their publisher HANGames have decided to only publish mobile/smartphone games from now on, they have seen major cash in those formats. HANGames have scrapped all of their PC online games. BH Ginno is currently looking for a new publisher but if it doesn't get one they will publish it themselves.

People can and will say anything if it means putting a few extra $$$ in their pocket. Turbine said that they had developed champions for their game(IC) through 2016 then shut the game down 6 months after launch. If they planned on milking the game one last time in the west as the other poster above suggested then it would be wise for them to say something along the lines of what you wrote. I also luv the video btw, will def try it out at launch.

I don't follow you at all. Why is trubine coming here? Bluhole Ginno did not say or claim anything, it was reported by major gaming websites and not to mention gaming business website gamebiz where HANGames director had a long interview with them explaining to them why mobile gaming is the "future of gaming" and why they are scrapping all of their pc games. And did you actually play that crappy infinite crisis moba? it was horrible, Turbine thought they could put some dc comics heroes and villains in a generic moba and roll in cash, dc comics fans are not moba fans and most definitely they are not fan of isometric "Ant form" view, they are used too buying action figures of their favorite characters, they are most definitely not interested in seeing their favorite characters in "Ant form".

Octagon7711 · September 2015

Why do alpha and beta players say it's too easy when the casuals come in and all that extra difficulty gets nerfed? Easy to 20 is fine to get the hang of the game and try alts til 20. Making a game hard just for the sake of it being hard is no fun. Rewards should be equal to the work put in, imo.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My question as always, what is being put in place to stop gold seller spamming and bots which are usually treated as an after thought? I'm rather surprised the industry as a whole doesn't hire a specialist to set a system in place to combat botting and gold spamming.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good article though.

OhhPaigey · September 2015

Trying to buy the Obsidian pack and they declined my payment for no reason. I really hate buying stuff online. Companies are so scared of people getting hacked or something.

Graey · September 2015

Wizardry said:

Ozmodan said:

Since Trion can't get the item shop right in AA, what makes anyone think this game will be different? Don't try to tell me it is the developer, Trion has full control what goes into the item shop and how it is priced.

Well for one i hate cash shops and two this is a finished product LYING by claiming it is in Alpha.The few changes they are making is nothing more than what ANY game does after release.
Whenever a developer makes changes to their game,they don't turn around and call it Alpha testing ,,lmao,that is VERY misleading.
It was just immoral and WRONG that devs for years now have been using Alpha/Beta testing just to sell pre purchase orders.Now they are using it for what we call early access or founder pack sales.
For once i would like to see a developer be HONEST,sell the game,that is exactly what you are doing anyhow.the so called "testing phase" really lasts until they can no longer see any sales of founder packs.

I think we all kind of know this by now and just accept it. You always have people (myself included in some instances) that don't want to wait and just cough up the money. After the last expansion for World of Warcraft I decided never to do that again for any game, regardless of how it appeals to me. What I do like is that the OP suggested downloading the Thai version of the game. Honestly that is what I did, and I had no problems logging on and playing. Of course I could not read the text but they have so many usual elements that are most standard Asian MMOs that you kind of know what to do. The OP was spot on in everything he mentioned, including the suggestion to wait or play the Thai version. Let me stress that if you have not bought the Obsidian pack or really any of them, to just go and play the Thai version or wait...because seriously what you are going to pay for the revelation is not worth it by any means. That being said I agree again that the mobs are way to easy in that they do not aggro and I think that has to change. I do like that it has the look of a Action RPG. I don't like gender locking either and I feel that kind of restricts me to only certain classes as I like to make my character look as close to my real life self as possible (helps with immersion). I would like to comment on one other aspect and that is the play session of around 30 minutes to an hour. I am in that same boat, new father, job, school, studying for this that and the other so quick sessions here and there are a blessing from this game. However I do rather prefer a game with a bit more meat so perhaps I can get that in this game with it's layers in terms of character progression. I am curious to see what rating it gets once it is released. Good job OP on your impressions for me they were spot on.

Graey · September 2015

OhhPaigey said:

Trying to buy the Obsidian pack and they declined my payment for no reason. I really hate buying stuff online. Companies are so scared of people getting hacked or something.

Might I suggest downloading the Thai version. Some of the information is in English which is neat and you can pretty much tell what to do next. The questing is simplistic in that you can click on the highlighted text and it will auto move your character to what you are supposed to attack/do.

Graey · September 2015

Octagon7711 said:

Why do alpha and beta players say it's too easy when the casuals come in and all that extra difficulty gets nerfed? Easy to 20 is fine to get the hang of the game and try alts til 20. Making a game hard just for the sake of it being hard is no fun. Rewards should be equal to the work put in, imo.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My question as always, what is being put in place to stop gold seller spamming and bots which are usually treated as an after thought? I'm rather surprised the industry as a whole doesn't hire a specialist to set a system in place to combat botting and gold spamming.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good article though.

I'm not sure if you have tested the game for yourself, but for me the reason why I stated it was easy is that the mobs do not aggro at all, and that includes the "red named" mobs. That is just kind of weird when we are all accustomed to having it be that way. I have left my character and specific places and come back after being away from the computer for quite some time and nothing has happened to my character. I got to level 10-13 or so and it was fairly quick..probably within maybe 2 hours or so give or take. I can see them trying to get people used to the game, but what I noticed on Trions live streams is that the mobs acted the same way, even when they were high level. I was hoping that would change. They are playing on the idea that it's like Diablo which honestly is the only reason I"m even looking at this game, so hopefully they change the aggression level of the mobs and as the OP stated the hit box as well. I liked the beserker class but it seemed like I would click right through the mobs while playing.

Octagon7711 · September 2015

Graey said:

Octagon7711 said:

Why do alpha and beta players say it's too easy when the casuals come in and all that extra difficulty gets nerfed? Easy to 20 is fine to get the hang of the game and try alts til 20. Making a game hard just for the sake of it being hard is no fun. Rewards should be equal to the work put in, imo.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My question as always, what is being put in place to stop gold seller spamming and bots which are usually treated as an after thought? I'm rather surprised the industry as a whole doesn't hire a specialist to set a system in place to combat botting and gold spamming.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good article though.

I'm not sure if you have tested the game for yourself, but for me the reason why I stated it was easy is that the mobs do not aggro at all, and that includes the "red named" mobs. That is just kind of weird when we are all accustomed to having it be that way. I have left my character and specific places and come back after being away from the computer for quite some time and nothing has happened to my character. I got to level 10-13 or so and it was fairly quick..probably within maybe 2 hours or so give or take. I can see them trying to get people used to the game, but what I noticed on Trions live streams is that the mobs acted the same way, even when they were high level. I was hoping that would change. They are playing on the idea that it's like Diablo which honestly is the only reason I"m even looking at this game, so hopefully they change the aggression level of the mobs and as the OP stated the hit box as well. I liked the beserker class but it seemed like I would click right through the mobs while playing.

A lot of games I've played 1 through 20 is orientation to the game (the mobs don't aggro and stand there like they're on death row, waiting to be next). L2, and a lot of others is pretty easy going through 10 or 20, after that you start to play the real game. It just seems like no one has played this past twenty and are already suggesting changes base on lower level experiences only. Still, it's early in the development of the game and I'm sure lots of changes and adjustments will be made. Just my thoughts.

FrodoFragins · September 2015

I'll definitely try it at some point, but probably not until it's in a state where there will be no character wipes and free to play.

mmcmichen85 · September 2015

As someone who has invested into the 150 dollar Alpha back and played many, many hours Let me warn anyone who is thinking or either upgrading their pack or purchasing... DO NOT. This game is not put together well at all and lacks a lot of elements that many people are looking for in an MMO. Game-play is the most linear I have ever seen. You just run down narrow paths and kill mobs. No exploring. No interacting with the world. No interacting with water or land elevations. It's just small zones filled with tons of monsters. Questing is very generic, you literally never have to read a quest and probably wont drop below 90% health until around level 35-38 (Depending on class) Melee combat is very awkward. Doesn't work smoothly at all. Seems like hit-boxes for mobs are off. Character also flips-and flops around while using skills. Gender locked classes. If you want to play the only classes that work correctly then you have to play either a loli-type cannoneer or female evoker. Both are fun, if you can get past the nighties and matching panties, while weilding massive cannons. graphics are very basic. World feels generic and empty. Nothing has a purpse. Many zones, buildings and dungeons copy pasted around the world. I've seen mobile games with more detail. Cash shop is going to be a problem. They are already offering items with stat bonuses, which will cause problems in endgame min-maxing. Trion has full control of cash shop and cannot blame this on the devloper of the game, as they have already stated they have blocked some items already in the cash shop in other regions. Must unlock all character conveiences individually, rather you are subscibed or not. Got 4 different characters? Must unlock storage for all 4. Having A patron status is ---- Extra.

Save your money here and wait for free to play. There are many other games that are doing what this game claims to do alot better.

TiamatRoar · September 2015

mmcmichen85 said:

As someone who has invested into the 150 dollar Alpha back and played many, many hours Let me warn anyone who is thinking or either upgrading their pack or purchasing... DO NOT. This game is not put together well at all and lacks a lot of elements that many people are looking for in an MMO. Game-play is the most linear I have ever seen. You just run down narrow paths and kill mobs. No exploring. No interacting with the world. No interacting with water or land elevations. It's just small zones filled with tons of monsters. Questing is very generic, you literally never have to read a quest and probably wont drop below 90% health until around level 35-38 (Depending on class) Melee combat is very awkward. Doesn't work smoothly at all. Seems like hit-boxes for mobs are off. Character also flips-and flops around while using skills. Gender locked classes. If you want to play the only classes that work correctly then you have to play either a loli-type cannoneer or female evoker. Both are fun, if you can get past the nighties and matching panties, while weilding massive cannons. graphics are very basic. World feels generic and empty. Nothing has a purpse. Many zones, buildings and dungeons copy pasted around the world. I've seen mobile games with more detail. Cash shop is going to be a problem. They are already offering items with stat bonuses, which will cause problems in endgame min-maxing. Trion has full control of cash shop and cannot blame this on the devloper of the game, as they have already stated they have blocked some items already in the cash shop in other regions. Must unlock all character conveiences individually, rather you are subscibed or not. Got 4 different characters? Must unlock storage for all 4. Having A patron status is ---- Extra. Save your money here and wait for free to play. There are many other games that are doing what this game claims to do alot better.

This along with the non-aggro mobs even at high levels sounds like the usual point and click browser RPG game which are a dime a dozen on facebook except pretending to be an AAA title. Oo

AngryElf · September 2015

Much appreciated look, Bill. Thank you for saving the rest of us the time and money. This is a f*cking joke, and we all know it.

Albatroes · September 2015

You gotta respect Bill for coming out of his own pocket for it though.

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Devilian | Life in the Alpha So Far | MMORPG

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"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey

"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey

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Devilian | Life in the Alpha So Far | MMORPG

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Comments

"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey

"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey