Originally posted by blacksac We are diametrically opposed thinkers, one negative, one positive, our thoughts will never meet at the same point... goodluck to you Jack
same to you Black. Although I think of myself more as a realist and I am not negative at all about most things. Most people think I am a bit overboard on the positive in fact. It's just that the only thing I am positive about with DnL is that the devs don't have a clue, and will say or do anything to sell one more box.
Originally posted by blacksac We are diametrically opposed thinkers, one negative, one positive, our thoughts will never meet at the same point... goodluck to you Jack
you only prove that only ppl who never played the game are positive, that and those paid by Farlan/NP3 to make good reviews... because if you play the game you will know it's terrible... not because the concept is bad or anything, but just the game already feels old at release, it's bug ridden, it got choppy animation, horrible art work, unbalancing economy, some mobs dont even have an animation, they attack and you just get hit without seeing it move, idem for most of the character attacks you dont see anything happen visually, that of course if after buying the game you get to actually log in, because the launcher is also bug ridden, and last but not least, you can even get your credit card infos over the net from entering their site...
How can anybody find anything positive about that... you are the one who should revise your thinking about a game you didnt even tried (or paid for it for that matter) or do you actually support trying to rip ppl saying this game is actually good?
Ok guys, let me step in here and say my piece now. DeadDOG is not a shill, he does not work for farlan, np3, clicknbuy, or alchamic dream (sp?). He is one my best friends in real life and I can vouch for that much, so lay off of his back, just because your thoughts are different than his doesn't mean you have to personally insult the man.
Now, about the game. I played SoG, was a pioneer, had fun pvp'ing. We ran a very sweet guild, and they are still doing awsome in DnL. I played DnL twice after realease, and personaly I think its biggest shitbag of a game i've ever seen. I've argued the fact with DeadDOG plenty of times and to him, he really likes it and has high hopes for it, but I dont insult him or call him a moron for it either.
My personal views are just the same as you guys. There's not a single "great" aspect to the entire game, only a few "decent" peices to it that you can count on 1 hand, and about a thousand "shitcan" aspects. I hate the game with a passion, and after they stole my money and didn't make me a pioneer in DnL when I was charged for it WAY before SoG even came out, makes me hate all 4 companies that work it. Their support is utter SHIT, their billing is twice that bad, and the game is about the quality of an upgraded UO.
Now, to DeadDOG, EQ, EQ2, and SWG NEVER had these kind of problems bro, EQ was the first of its kind and back when it released there wasn't a single thing anyone had to complain about. You can say the graphics are shitty, but when it was made, that was top of the line, comparable to Halflife 2 graphics nowdays. EQ2 had a few problems, but the release was spectactular, there was more than enough content to keep you busy and off the forums complaining about the issues. SWG was PERFECT until soe got a wild hair up there ass, more than once may I add, and fuck up the game later on down the road, the only thing it had a problem with was server stability.
Honestly, I dont think I could ever play DnL again due to its trashiness, but I'm going to stress this fact, that just because DeadDOG's opinions are different that mine doesn't mean he derserves to be publicly cruisfied. He enjoys the game, and runs a very successful guild, and although lots of people have quit the game, I know for a fact that there are still plenty of people holding on and having fun trying to wait it out for the future patches.
Speaking of patches... THEY WILL COME!!!! maybe not today, maybe not tommorow, maybe not a month or 2 from now, but they ARE working on the game, and it WILL improve in time. I'im just going to say that if your looking for a fun game to play, I would look elsewhere for now until DnL's devs and programmers get all the kinks in the hose out and market the game to be sold in stores.
Originally posted by DeadDOG have you even played a new released MMO before? to name a Few EQ, EQ2, SWG, all had alot of problems and still do. and they have a large team of Dev's working on them. so when a small group makes a game your going to hammer them?
Those games you mention do NOT have game stopping issues. This game and this team of Farlan do not have the experience, the knowledge nor the capacity to compare themselves to those games you mentioned. The fact that you and many other fans try to compare this game with such big companies as that only shows the ignorant arrogance of the DNL devs and fans.
DD&O, AA and RFO recently released in very good shape. Far far better than DNL. I do not see the comparisons to current games and why not? Because its a much more realistic view. Because it does not bode well on Farlan. Because Farlan believes themselves to be in the same league as EQ2,SWG. EQ btw released more than 5 years ago I believe.
Seed released in very bad shape with a small inexperienced crew. Do you see the amount of hate and unsatisfied customers as compared to DNL? No you dont. And why? SImply because the developers of this game were upfront in every aspect. Honest communication. Honest projections. Honest state of the game and guess what, the damn thing is getting stronger. It does not matter that it is not the same type of pvp game, what matters is that is indeed a mmo. The devs are honest, above board and are continuing their work and its improving. This is the type of game that DNL needs to compare itself to. You keep trying to swim with the big fish, you got WARHAMMER slowly making its way to your pool. Yet another, Mythic Entertainment, big boy company which has a successful game DAOC. You got Chronicles coming, Gods and Heroes, Age of Conan, LOTRO, Tabula Rose, PoTBS, Vanguard and Star Trek. Yet you still wish to align yourselves in the same boat as SOE. That in itself is also your downfall.
I dont understand this fan obsession with SWG. Is it because now SWG blew it with NGE and they wish to say they are better than a once successful game? Comparing their launch to SWG. Comparing their game to SWG. Accusing unsatisfied customers as SWG shills. SOE needs not to lower themselves to the point of volunteer shills. SOE will never accept the inadequate qualifications of the DNL developers nor its game. The arrogance of both the hardcore fans and its developers is its downfall.
comparing DNL to EQ and SWG and stating they still have problems is the utmost in arrogance. Those games do NOT have game stopping issues. The "bugs" in those games are not core problems. DNLs problem are all a result of inexperience, incompetence and an arrogance that shrouds their own sensibilities.
Originally posted by DeadDOG get off you ass and make your own game. we will all be there and all the trolls will be too. if you still getting that money from SOE to slam this game then keep on slaming but you will see me in game i am sure. and when you do be ready.
Nice.
We dont wish to make our own game. We pay companies for that. Using the "you dont like it make your own game" line is completely ignorant. Alluding to being a shill from SOE is the utmost in ignorance.
Your 'review" was taken at its face value. Many here, me included , have played the game, were there at SOG and at DNL. (Same damn place if you ask me). A 'review' with nothing of substance, the promises of things to come, what will be is all well and good. However the here and now is what generated this angry and unsatisfied mob. The state of the game is completely unfinished ,more so than the Devs stated. The problems are basic game play issues, core mechanics, engine inexperience. Patch work simply breaks something else. The promised features that are in are much less than expected and totaly illogical to the overall gameplay.
I am glad you like what is there as anything even in the minor sense of what they get working and stable will continue your joy with the game to the point of overlooking everything else. A beta testers dream. I believe you also think you have made yourself comfortable in their community which is also good and also another reason you will overlook the major issues and cling to the minor fixes.
Coming to an obvious one sided board and posting an opposite ideaology that simply is not supported is not a good idea if you do not wish to be blasted with the hard facts of the here and now of a game. Thinking you will make sense to the many who can and will tear this game apart in each of its own minute pieces is an incredible futile experience. The fact that you do so and then complain about the responses only shows how incomplete your thinking was in such an act and not that the responses are paid shills or whatever you may wish. You should neither be surprised nor feel attacked for such replies. It was a bad move when you claim that which cannot be supported and attack that which can.
Originally posted by DeadDOG i posted what i think about the game. and am i get attacked by people that want cake. get off you ass and make your own game. we will all be there and all the trolls will be too. i have hope for Dark and Light. if you still getting that money from SOE to slam this game then keep on slaming but you will see me in game i am sure. and when you do be ready.
Dude you really need to listen to your friends advice, this game will never go anywhere but farther down the sewer pipe. It's just a like a snake with it's head cut off, still twitching not even knowing it is dead already. Go find yourself a game and some developers worthy of your passion and quit trying to defend the undefendable. Lifes too short to waste time on crap games, either it is good or it isn't. I am not about to gamble my gaming time on waiting for the fun to be patched in.
get off you ass and make your own game. we will all be there and all the trolls will be too. ______________________________________________________________ This is rich.. Ok about 1 million years ago everyone had to do everything for themselves.. It was very inefficient.. Then someone came up with a great idea.. It was called barter.. Everyone started to specialize.. I grow corn and trade corn to you, you give me a pig for the corn.. Great, but still inefficient (sometimes I really needed your pig, but you didn't need my corn).. So they invented something call currency.. or money for some.. Now we can give money to someone to provide us a product.. This is a very good thing.. You see how that works? Farlan has been given money to provide a product. That product is a steaming pile and the customer is unhappy. So no I do not plan to build my own game, nor my next car, nor slaughter my next steak, nor brew my next beer, nor build my next house..
Ok guys, lets stop flaming posters please. Say what you want about the game, but dont bash any posters for their opinions guys, come on. The game sucks and we all know that, try to point out more facts to persuade him into following the path rather than bashing him down and making him defend the game even more. Also, something he didn't mention and I only breifly did in my first post, was that he runs a very successful guild in the game, perhaps he enjoys that more than playing the game itself and didn't want to toss that out there. We all have opinions, and everyone's entitled to it, you, me, and him, but verbal abuse isn't getting anywhere. Keep the peace on the forums, save the pvp for the games ok?
Originally posted by blacksac Even if there is a shill out there (no proof), what about all the honest fans getting done in by this smear campain? Thats got to be actual shilling
No honest fan could ask to spend hundreds of $ to upgrade a PC simplly to play DnL.
Honest fans could say "Ok, it's far from finished, full of bugs, looking like an alpha release with very few contents, but you might try it, it has "potential" ( potential is the new word to use instead of saying "it's vastly broken and not worth a penny yet )".
So it has been more than a week since the launch, which is a fair game for first impression and how I see it as well as where it might go.
I agree with the OP that the game need lot of work and it very may worth those work.
That is common sentiment I've seen in official forum and I share it. As well as logical conclusion that as it currently stands, it can't honestly be recommended to anyone. It maybe be, someday, but you don't recommend something to people on what something maybe, only on what something is.
So, the details.
Bit of confusion on graphics. Some love it, some hate it. As many people have pointed out, the background graphics such as the terrain, florals and sky graphics are good. Maybe even great. The other half, player graphics, icons, item graphics and many of the critters/mobs are not so great. They are not horrible if compaired to say UO or EQ1, and it feel "technically" more advanced than AO or DAoC, but even taking aside the stylistic difference between cartoony, photorealistic, etc, etc, it feels much weaker even when compair it to it's own environmental graphics. Many of the UI and Icons feel more like place holder than a real final ones.
Playability - It was horrible on first few days. practically nothing worked. I couldn't fight to gain FXP nor craft. I couldn't explorer nor even participate in pvp. It gradually have gotten better as patch came. The deveopers seem to be actively trying to stump out the bug, so things have been improving incrementally. After the latest patch (1.0.7), it is possible to level. (at least to lvl 10. More on it later.) most noticeable aspect of DnL's playability is it's unfinisheness (the sense of game not being polished). There are great deal of feedback missing from the game to you, the player. You get icons poping up left and right and you don't know what it is. If you try to spam invite someone to group, it don't work until you wait few minutes. If such is a feature, then it is a good thing, but if there is no feedback telling the players such is the case, it is nothing more than unresponsive GUI or buggy interface.
Combat - This one is all over the place. At first, I saw lvl 35 nerc with army of pet taking out lvl 50-60 mobs with ease. Then there were lvl 5-7 who were getting one-two shotted by lvl 4-5. It was too easy, too hard. There doesn't seem to be easily understandable reason as to why. General opinion among players who enjoy the game is that it is supposed to be hard game, if you can't handle it, then the game isn't for you. I'd take that sentiment to heart. If you are looking for an easy casual game to dip your toes in, this isn't and probably never will be for you.
Leveling - With last patch, you get good exp for killing equal level mob. However, since if you group with even 1 person you lose 50% of exp, grouping is not a common thing I saw. It is unfortunate since you already lose 1/2 the money and loot, this grouping penalty is excessive and does not promote a very group friendly environment. As to leveling speed, with latest patch, leveling past the newbie area is a pleasant experience and you move at a good clip. Unfortunately you hit a wall when you move out of the newbie area as you must spend long time finding mob to kill. couple of kills and 10-20 min running around looking for things to kill makes leveling past lvl 5-8 very very slow.
Content - This is one of the things that DnL have harolded most as their major achievement and attraction. they say it is huge and it is. It is HUGE!!! So since it is so huge, It can't help but have lot of content. But there lies the paradox of "perceived contents". If you look at one extreme, like WoW where the land is not big, but it is really pack in small place with all sorts of content, you get lost in things you have to do to reflect on it's flaws. Such as a WoW quest giver telling you there is URGENT quest you must do, which is to kill 15 of knoll that is infesting the area and wrecking havoc and there is nothing anyone else can do and you are there only hope! then you turn around and find group of Knoll just down the hill, 15 steps from quest giver with 50 guards doing nothing. Ofcourse this improve as you get higher level where quest location is often in another zone or even another continent.
In DnL, everything is so wide spread, it is very VERY hard to get anything done in short period of time. After getting past the initial newbie level, to find a mob to kill, I had to fly for 20 min, find group of 3-5 mob, kill them and take off flying hoping to find another group of mob. If there was a reason or some system of some kind you can follow such as moving away from newbie town/road toward wilderness will allow you to find a harder mob, etc. However, no matter which direction I take from newbie town. It seems liks there is a range of levels in particular area (and because it is DnL, a LARGE area). And a group of mobs are peppered all over the said area in random fashion. So, I would take random direction from newbie area and fly in straight line, I see dozen or so group of lvl 1-2, then 1 or 2 group of lvl 11-14,then back to lvl 1-2. It might be that you have to actually find the right duchess (zone) where the mob within that zone is right level for you, but since the world is so HUGE, it takes you hours to go from one area to another. So on a BEST case senario, where you are in right zone where many of the mob group are right level for you, you will have to kill couple of mob, travel 10-20 minutes, kill another group and so on. Again, general community's feeling is that this isn't CAMPQUEST. If you don't like to travel, the game isn't for you.
To be fair, I have to point out that to help with traveling, there is a birdpoints(basket/balloon) from one zone to another, but unfortunately it is a crap-shoot as more than half balloon I rode had (no more room left) error. Few days back, Dev turn on the instant teleporter for free, but again, almost everyone of teleporter I have tried gave me an error.
PvP - The biggest and only real draw the game has for most people is PvP. The ability to own a castle. Own a land, lay a siege and generally have a ball. Well the game is fairly level based. Where mobs one or two level above you can kill you and mob couple of level below you don't give you any exp or drop any loot. This scale follow to PvP as you gain 40 points you can put into raising your stats (3 - 7 pts per stat) as well as training point you can put into unlocking you skills. It supposed to level out as you approach lvl 60ish, but since no one is that level and on unforgiving world of PvP, unless you are at effective level, you don't PvP. And with leveling the way it is...
In conclusion, I agree, I see potential with this game. But you don't play potential. You play the game as it currently is. And as it is, I can't say I recomment it. I will play until my free period runs out and I hope the next review is hapy glowing one.
You have to agree with that the game has beautiful graphics, and most of the people who rated the game gave 4 for it. It has worse ratings than Lost city of Vampires. If u rate the game rate it appropietly.
Originally posted by AhrumaN You have to agree with that the game has beautiful graphics, and most of the people who rated the game gave 4 for it. It has worse ratings than Lost city of Vampires. If u rate the game rate it appropietly.
Actually I gave it a 7, but I can see why the average is a 4.
My 7 was based on the far terrain/weather.. Since I don;t really care too much about what my toon looks like, I didn't hammer it much for the paperdoll character graphics..
People complain about the cartoon characters in WoW.. I found them ok, though not my thing
Some people love anime character models.. I find them to be androgenous and can't even begin to play those games.
DnL character models remind my of one of those old paper doll cutouts my daughter used to have. Flat, unispired, and feels as if features/equipment is layed on top of this paperdoll..
Some people really care about what the character looks like.. It matters more than how lighting looks mile away.
The MOBs look very poor too, at least at lower levels. Most are just tiny scale versions of MOBs you will later fight in the game. You can't even tell what they are at low levels.
A tree up close does not look very good, but the forest does look nice from afar..
UI icons are also very poor. As was already said, they look like placeholders for future icons that never came..
So is 4 fair? Sure.. You don't think it is fair that Vampires is higher, which is fine, but most here never played vampires. Your point is only valid if someone said Vampires was an 8 in their view and DnL is a 4.. But they are different games with different fans with different expectations..
Originally posted by Ilyamasool So it has been more than a week since the launch, which is a fair game for first impression and how I see it as well as where it might go.
Your first statement lost the interest of 99.9% of the people here. We dont really care what or where or how it MIGHT GO. We are interested in the reality of TODAY. Plz, if you give a review of the game , do so without the "what might be" and "future patches". Many of the improvements you say are happening are indeed making other bugs. The slipshod combat comments are a good example. Its illogical, combersum, doesnt work, bugged to hell and back and the "improvements" change to make it even more so. Then to come out with the tired, old "if you cant handle hardcore combat this game is not for you" -- what a line of crock. The combat sux. They havent been able to get it right since SOG, all they are doing is piling mistake on top of mistake.
The game is unplayable in any sense of the word. No matter how you wrap it, no matter how many times you say otherwise, the game is unplayable.
Originally posted by Cholayna Your first statement lost the interest of 99.9% of the people here. We dont really care what or where or how it MIGHT GO. We are interested in the reality of TODAY....
I am guessing here you haven't read 99.9% of the actual post? I might been very bad at it, but that was the whole point of my post. In fact, I believe I made that point of second line. As well as reiterate it on the last recap concolusion.
Originally posted by AhrumaN You have to agree with that the game has beautiful graphics, and most of the people who rated the game gave 4 for it. It has worse ratings than Lost city of Vampires. If u rate the game rate it appropietly.
I really dont agree with you, the graphic, in my point of view are HORRIBLE, can you actually say the character models are beautiful? there isnt a single one of them that looks good... the special fx of skills are terrible/inexistant, everybody prize the landscape, that you can look far away... (it only looks good from far away) and well nothing new there, CoH/V shows you the landscape far away but far better (with a decent setting, but DnL only works with high range setting anyway) with huge buildings and lot's of details, if you look closer at the trees in DnL (with max settings) they are pixelized, aliased and blurry, the buildings have terrible textures as well as most armors/characters... Mobs are bad looking, art wise they are boring/laughable, most mobs dont have/have little animations. The whole game animation is bad, the motion capture used for the characters dont fit the world, the character feels out of place. And i m not talking about the bugs... clipping, low fps, teleporting mobs etc etc
So please tell me how the graphics (that include animations in this site reviews) deserves more than 2-3?
I honestly dont see how fantastic being able to see far away is gonna do me any good except, yup, looks nice, next! Wheres that mob? Who cares that you can see 50 miles away when the mob is in front of you? Idunno, yeh, its nice but really, so what?
Originally posted by Galaxy Please note you did not list a single positive feature of the game.. For why, please refer to the previous post.. I have no desire to shut you up.. Just like Seph and MrsButterworth you do all that needs done to sink the game. We list the faults.. FPS, Unbalanced classes, XP rate, crafting, pioneer vs newbs, transports, features promised but not included, sparce MOBs of level to hunt, armor decay that exceeds logic, food costs more than armor (bread is 10X breastplate cost).. the list goes on.. You defend nothing and just say we are haters. We hate what farlan did to a great concept. We hate that some people will support total crap in the hopes others might put money into their pet project. We hate that game companies might think this steaming pile is an acceptable launch code..
Since you say your claims are unrefuted by anyone with in-game experience, I present your listed faults:
FPS - The game is completely playable on my laptop with only one exception, one city that lags the heck out of my machine when its loading. Is DnL groundbreaking? Not in the slightest. I'm OK with calling this a weakness compared to competition - its the rest of your list that's problematic.
Unbalanced Classes - How could anyone possibly know this at this point? Crafted equipment of high levels isn't even in the game yet (crafters still grinding). PvP is almost non-existent as everyone is still learning the game. I'll assume for the moment that this is true because every game with any sort of diversity launches unbalanced and is balanced over time. Don't believe me? Ever hear the word "nerf"? Its uttered on every forum of every game more than a month old. What do you think that is, if not balancing action by the devs?
XP Rate - Fixed via patch a week after general launch. Leveled from 9 to 14 tonight. Your information is out of date on this one.
Crafting - Umm, it's in there. It's crafting. What do you expect? Something that isn't a grind? How can it not be and still have any relevance? The grind is what keeps every character from crafting their own materials. Though come to think of it, below level 20, most people do craft their own materials.
Pioneers - I want a dragon and free levels as much as the next guy, but there's no point being bitter about it. How is this any different than any newcomer to a game who wants what all the high levels have?
Transports - Bugged at the moment, sure. No doubt this is the biggest issue with the game at present. Do you really, honestly, believe these won't be fixed in the short-term future (like this week)?
Features - I suppose no MMO has ever released an expansion? What is that but features added to make the game complete post-launch? In fact, I heard a nasty rumor that some money-grubbing greedy developers actually expect people to PAY for the added content!
Mob Population - You just have to know where to look. There are entire baronies so full of level 10-20 (the most common complaint level range) that you can't pick the names of the critters apart on your map. Don't believe me? Check Saerlith, Aideen or Bolrag, Light Kingdom. It's a simple matter of exploration and undoubtedly guides will be hitting the forums within the month.
Armor Decay - What's the quality rating on that armor? 0 out of 100? It is if you bought it off an NPC. What did you pay for it? 5 goth per piece - about two level 1-2 kills? I could walk a 1st level character through crafting better quality armor in 10 minutes, for about 100 goth. Quality 20 armor lasts about 3 times as long as quality 0 by my testing. A level 1 crafter - and all characters start as level 1 crafters - can produce quality 35 armor as their very first crafted item, if they know what to do.
Food Costs - Simply untrue. Was not EVER true. At least, wasn't true when I logged in 45 minutes after the first post on the official forums claiming this. This was simply the case of someone displaying their own lack of knowledge regarding fundamental game concepts, and other people making a story out of nothing in their lust to trash the game. Every usable item in this game has a crafting level, from Novice to Grandmaster. Novice equipment and consumables are intended for levels 1-20, Apprentice for levels 20-29, Companion (kinda like Journeyman) for levels 30-39. You may purchase all three food types at vendors. The items are clearly labelled with the crafting level. The person you're referring to was comparing food for levels 30-39 with a quality 0 breastplate for newbies. Levels 30-39 can actually use newbie food, but the buffs are much better on the higher grade food and drink.
Positive Features of game:
Hang gliders! - Awesome, awesome experience! Useful too, for getting out of tight spots fast. It's actually exciting getting from place to place. You won't look at a mountain near a plain again without thinking "Hey, I'll bet I can make it across that entire barony if I use the air currents properly."
Mob diversity - You have to know your enemy now. It's not safe to assume you can fight a mob with no risk just because the little level indicator has cyan numbers instead of red or purple. You have to learn that Yam'ahs, Auny'Ainahs, Epon'as all do less damage but have more hitpoints. Or that Hou'Yins will tear you apart at range, but melee them and they're pushovers while Mod'Gud are the reverse. You have to know your territory. You really can be a guide in this game.
Difficulty - The game is not easy. In fact, it's hard as hell. It is NOT impossible. I consider this a good thing. I want a challenge. I don't WANT to know that from level 20-30 I can go to Nektulos Forest and level on XYZ mob which will spawn at ABC coordinates in intervals of 15 minutes. DnL is a "No Camping Zone"!
Originally posted by Sarg01 Since you say your claims are unrefuted by anyone with in-game experience, I present your listed faults: Unbalanced Classes - How could anyone possibly know this at this point...
XP Rate - Fixed via patch a week after general launch....
Crafting - Umm, it's in there. It's crafting. What do you expect? Something that isn't a grind? How can it not be and still have any relevance?....
Mob Population - You just have to know where to look...
Food Costs - Simply untrue.....
Positive Features of game:
Hang gliders! - Awesome....
Mob diversity - You have to know your enemy now.....
Unbalanced class - Agree that it can't possibly be known until when we can finally PvP on equal footing. On most other MMO that is at max level, since fight between lvl 60 and lvl 10 isn't really all that telling. On this game, I assume the same, since higher level have more skill and better stats. Even if all the skills caps around 60ish as we were told, that would be long wait I would think. On the other hand, currently it is NOT balanced vs PvE. Melee class have distinct advantage at low level since caster cannot cast while moving and their CC doesn't seem to work well. This is common among all MMO, with nuker being glass cannon and what not. Again, we have to wait till much higher level to see since even at lvl 35 pioneers, this imbalance still holds.
Xp Rate - The 1.0.7 patch DEFINATELY helped. See how my exp gain jumped easily 3x. Unfortunately what hasn't change is that the number of mob in a group. I still travel 15 - 30 minutes to find appropriate level mob to kill. So although it would take me months to go from lvl 10 - lvl 35, I don't see it happening within a month at this rate. I guess that is target rate Farlan is going for and I guess most are happy with this. My personal opinion is that this is too slow by far. I am happy with EXP per kill, but the EXP per hour of my gaming time is fairly blah.
Crafting - I can't agree. Sure with the fact that you can buy all the resource from vendor at cheap price, if they had the auto-craft system of WoW, everyone with enough goth will be master crafter without much effort. but So? With complexity of crafting in DnL, best "casual" crafter, even master one can make is low quality junk only newbie would want to use. Only real dedicated crafter who knows the resources, ingredients, time of day, system of gods, elevation and hundred other thing that supposed to affect crafting can generate a good usable sword. In WoW terms, casual master crafter can make lvl 60 sword, but it will be grey or at best white quality while real master crafter can make purple, orange and red quality swords. Why would want to say your best achievement in crafting is your ability to grind mindlessly for months at an end? why wouldn't you want it to be your KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE that set you apart and make you a great crafter?
Mob Population - I have found that out as well, that the level of mobs are separated by barony and not really distance from starter town. What I also found out, (and please correct me if I am wrong) is that for some reason, they have taken entire barony as level playing field and randomly peppered the entire barony with the mobs of all kind in that range. that is I can't find easy mob by staying close to town or find harder mob by moving into wilderness as I would expect. I have to run from group to group finding right level range, then kill it, then move again, rinse and repeat. If you take every mob in even single barony in DnL and drop it in WoW, it will crowd even biggest zone, but since each barony is size of whole WoW landmmass, the "Accessability" of these mob are NOT easy. At least that has been my experience. And ofcourse I agree with your all sorts of game guide will hit the net on DnL. But do you think the have made this game so that you would NEED such guide to play?
Armor Decay - Since I am crafter at heart. Equipment decay is good for me. The existance of it. I can't make head or tail out of the rate nor find out how to repair my own equipement, but it isn't the biggest issue for me at the moment.
Food Cost - It isn't a issue at my low level since with the current spell timer bug, I die so often hunger was never an issue.
Hand-gliders, Flying Mounts - great experience. If it were my first time. But after Free-Form Flying in AO, CoH, etc, etc, I expected flying and not a "hop-and-glide" way of DnL. With hand-gliders it makes perfect sense. But with a flying mount, it is very weird to take off flying then after about 5 minuts or so I find myself back on ground. On rough terrain or on a mountain range, it is pretty much hop-and-glide every 30 seconds. I expected for flying mount to actually fly following the terrain, not fly at perfectly straight line with respect to some in-game x,y,z plane.
Mob Diversity - again, relate to XP rate and Mob population above. BECAUSE the game world is so huge, and mobs per group so small, and I have to get to KNOW the behavior of the mob, and what faction the said mob is related to, and....
Difficulty - General opinion is that the game is supposed to be complex and they are very proud of this fact. If you can't handle it, go play WoW or Pac-Man is most often heard comment. I guess among all the achievement a person has, their ability to "play" the game with proficiency is important. If you are looking to play a game as entertainment, well I think this isn't it. I guess I shouldl repeat the Farlen company line and say that if you just wanna play a game where you wanna just have mindless fun playing and not learn and think and be patient and... well the game isn't for you. I suggest minimun of 3 years of college. I guess this is for braggin right. "hey I am so smart I can play DnL! your probably have to play WoW".
FPS - The game is completely playable on my laptop I get 5-7 FPS in any location with other players, which is town since I've only come across a single player any ditance from a town. Out of town is 15-20 FPS. The game is capped at 25 FPS by design, which is still only moderate performance. Isee no way this engine can support the very foundation of the game, mass PvP battles. Unbalanced Classes - How could anyone possibly know this at this point? I wasn't speaking of endgame class vs class. You are correct that we can't know that yet. I'm speaking of my experience starting the game. You must take warrior 1, no matter what you want to do later. Casters are completely unplayable at lower levels, and don;t even try a healer unless you have a guild to hold your hand.
XP Rate - Fixed via patch a week after general launch. Leveled from 9 to 14 tonight. Your information is out of date on this one. I totally disagree here. First XP was not fixed. Farlan purposely gimped XP the previous patch, said it was by design, then changed their mind when they saw money walking out the door. Further your 9-14 story sounds like all the other stories I hear. Like some fable that sounds great but is never actually seen. Yes, it is clear that certain race (dark elf)/class (hunters) combos have been able to kill things well above their lvl, while other race/class combos have trouble with much of anything. Maybe you are playing one of the unbalanced combos.
Crafting - Umm, it's in there. It's crafting. What do you expect? This is more big picture.. Farlan clearly looked at other games and saw inflated economies at endgame and is trying to code a response. Sadly they can't code. Goth sinks exist everywhere, and at very low levels. Like a few games in the past that have tried to make everything crafted, we will see crafters being rich, and the warriors that protect the realm being poor. I prefer a game with a balance of drops and crafting, and even purchased vendor items. For this player based economy to work you need players, and that doesn't appear to be likely at this point.
Pioneers - I want a dragon and free levels as much as the next guy, I don't want a dragon given to me, or free levels. My point on Pioneers is I believe that so much of the FUBARed patched have been a result of Farlan being unable to get a handle on level 35 players.. XP gimp because the endgame isn't ready, crafting component prices skyroketed last week because pioneers unable to level stated power crafting. Farlans coding response continues to be with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel.
Transports - Bugged at the moment, sure. No doubt this is the biggest issue with the game at present. Do you really, honestly, believe these won't be fixed in the short-term future (like this week)? I'm more concerned design issues vs bugs. But I don't know how long it will take to fix. I'd expect a major bug, that hurts game play this much to be a #1 priority. So why wasn't it fixed the first 24 hours? Can they not find the code? But it isn't the biggest issue, not even close.
Features - I suppose no MMO has ever released an expansion?
Perhaps the biggest reach for an explaination ever. You are talking about expansions when they don't even have a working game. developers actually expect people to PAY for the added content! Indeed, and that is why so many a mad.. They paid for content they never received. Mob Population - You just have to know where to look. Same old BS.. Reality, I did explore (I like to explore, 1 reason I paid for this game). There is no design to the MOB density. Pure random placement. No hunting areas exist.. The whole game is one sparely populated hunting area.
Armor Decay - What's the quality rating on that armor? 0 out of 100? It is if you bought it off an NPC. What did you pay for it? 5 goth per piece - about two level 1-2 kills? I could walk a 1st level character through crafting better quality armor in 10 minutes, for about 100 goth. Quality 20 armor lasts about 3 times as long as quality 0 by my testing. A level 1 crafter - and all characters start as level 1 crafters - can produce quality 35 armor as their very first crafted item, if they know what to do. 5 goth is not 2 kills.. Unless you are in some zone with unbalanced Goth drops (which is certainly possible in this game). Armor decay is fine, keeps the Goth sink alive, but they need to adress how quikly items decay.
Food Costs - Simply untrue. Uhh.. Yeah it is true. In the first week of the game I saw food prices (same type and quality) change by over 300% (up and down). Farlan clearly can't figure out the proper price point for much of anything.. be it crafting or food. Of course the vets will tell you the smart thing to do is just die to get a full belly. It is cheaper than buying food. Amazing that players that want a game that is real and complex favor suicide to avoid buying food.
Positive Features of game:
Hang gliders! - Gliders are fun.. But if Ii wanted a flight sim this wouldn't be the one I bought.
Mob diversity - You have to know your enemy now. It's not safe to assume you can fight a mob with no risk just because the little level indicator has cyan numbers instead of red or purple. You have to learn that Yam'ahs, Auny'Ainahs, Epon'as all do less damage but have more hitpoints. Or that Hou'Yins will tear you apart at range, but melee them and they're pushovers while Mod'Gud are the reverse. You have to know your territory. You really can be a guide in this game. This is the most illogical line I've ever heard, and I hear it alot. Please tell me why levels exist at all? Really think this through.. Why show MOB levels and color code them at all if they mean nothing and it is all based on knowing your enemy? Comeon, why spend all that time coding, so we can see MOB levels, and see it in a certain color if it is not meant to mean anything? You are making an exuse for a company that can't code balance into a game, at any level. They want all those numbers to mean something, but they have no clue how to pull it off.
Difficulty - The game is not easy. In fact, it's hard as hell. It is NOT impossible. I consider this a good thing. I want a challenge. I don't WANT to know that from level 20-30 I can go to Nektulos Forest and level on XYZ mob which will spawn at ABC coordinates in intervals of 15 minutes. DnL is a "No Camping Zone"! This is where this game will eventually end up.. It will have a niche that will support it thinking poor design means complexity, poor communication means challenge, and poor gameplay means fun.
Originally posted by holycannoli I have to wonder now if people who are praising this game on various forums are just "shills" asked by Farlan to go out and give positive reviews etc. Not saying the OP is a shill, just that I now suspect every positive post; just like I suspect every negative post that simply bashes the game without giving reasons why.
It's even postedn on DnL's website that Vuuar wants people there to come here to MMORPG.com and try to up their reviews/rating. People are always crying and crying about the "potential" of DnL and that changes are coming, but we didn't pay $54+ to finance "potential." The potential was supposed to be there during beta, not release.
Originally posted by vortigen7 It's even postedn on DnL's website that Vuuar wants people there to come here to MMORPG.com and try to up their reviews/rating.
Proof? Like I said I played sog and dnl and was active in the forums, never did I see them sink that low. I know there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, but you can't make acusations like that without throwing us a link to stare at and take your side...
Originally posted by KittyHawk Originally posted by vortigen7 It's even postedn on DnL's website that Vuuar wants people there to come here to MMORPG.com and try to up their reviews/rating.
Proof? Like I said I played sog and dnl and was active in the forums, never did I see them sink that low. I know there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, but you can't make acusations like that without throwing us a link to stare at and take your side...
For you KittyHawk , ask and you shall receive (there are a few threads in this forum with the same link. The thread about this at DNL was locked by the moderators)
rofl that's awsome, I wouldn't have actually believed it without that link, thanks. But i will vouch for DeadDOG still, he's not a shill, just can't get him away from the game for some reason.
Originally posted by KittyHawk rofl that's awsome, I wouldn't have actually believed it without that link, thanks. But i will vouch for DeadDOG still, he's not a shill, just can't get him away from the game for some reason.
Perhaps he is a self flaggulator. Check his arms for cut and burn marks. Probably spends time waiting for the next patch by punching himself in the nuts over and over.
Comments
I miss DAoC
you only prove that only ppl who never played the game are positive, that and those paid by Farlan/NP3 to make good reviews... because if you play the game you will know it's terrible... not because the concept is bad or anything, but just the game already feels old at release, it's bug ridden, it got choppy animation, horrible art work, unbalancing economy, some mobs dont even have an animation, they attack and you just get hit without seeing it move, idem for most of the character attacks you dont see anything happen visually, that of course if after buying the game you get to actually log in, because the launcher is also bug ridden, and last but not least, you can even get your credit card infos over the net from entering their site...
How can anybody find anything positive about that... you are the one who should revise your thinking about a game you didnt even tried (or paid for it for that matter) or do you actually support trying to rip ppl saying this game is actually good?
Ok guys, let me step in here and say my piece now. DeadDOG is not a shill, he does not work for farlan, np3, clicknbuy, or alchamic dream (sp?). He is one my best friends in real life and I can vouch for that much, so lay off of his back, just because your thoughts are different than his doesn't mean you have to personally insult the man.
Now, about the game. I played SoG, was a pioneer, had fun pvp'ing. We ran a very sweet guild, and they are still doing awsome in DnL. I played DnL twice after realease, and personaly I think its biggest shitbag of a game i've ever seen. I've argued the fact with DeadDOG plenty of times and to him, he really likes it and has high hopes for it, but I dont insult him or call him a moron for it either.
My personal views are just the same as you guys. There's not a single "great" aspect to the entire game, only a few "decent" peices to it that you can count on 1 hand, and about a thousand "shitcan" aspects. I hate the game with a passion, and after they stole my money and didn't make me a pioneer in DnL when I was charged for it WAY before SoG even came out, makes me hate all 4 companies that work it. Their support is utter SHIT, their billing is twice that bad, and the game is about the quality of an upgraded UO.
Now, to DeadDOG, EQ, EQ2, and SWG NEVER had these kind of problems bro, EQ was the first of its kind and back when it released there wasn't a single thing anyone had to complain about. You can say the graphics are shitty, but when it was made, that was top of the line, comparable to Halflife 2 graphics nowdays. EQ2 had a few problems, but the release was spectactular, there was more than enough content to keep you busy and off the forums complaining about the issues. SWG was PERFECT until soe got a wild hair up there ass, more than once may I add, and fuck up the game later on down the road, the only thing it had a problem with was server stability.
Honestly, I dont think I could ever play DnL again due to its trashiness, but I'm going to stress this fact, that just because DeadDOG's opinions are different that mine doesn't mean he derserves to be publicly cruisfied. He enjoys the game, and runs a very successful guild, and although lots of people have quit the game, I know for a fact that there are still plenty of people holding on and having fun trying to wait it out for the future patches.
Speaking of patches... THEY WILL COME!!!! maybe not today, maybe not tommorow, maybe not a month or 2 from now, but they ARE working on the game, and it WILL improve in time. I'im just going to say that if your looking for a fun game to play, I would look elsewhere for now until DnL's devs and programmers get all the kinks in the hose out and market the game to be sold in stores.
PS. DONT USE CLICK AND BUY!!!!!!!
Those games you mention do NOT have game stopping issues. This game and this team of Farlan do not have the experience, the knowledge nor the capacity to compare themselves to those games you mentioned. The fact that you and many other fans try to compare this game with such big companies as that only shows the ignorant arrogance of the DNL devs and fans.
DD&O, AA and RFO recently released in very good shape. Far far better than DNL. I do not see the comparisons to current games and why not? Because its a much more realistic view. Because it does not bode well on Farlan. Because Farlan believes themselves to be in the same league as EQ2,SWG. EQ btw released more than 5 years ago I believe.
Seed released in very bad shape with a small inexperienced crew. Do you see the amount of hate and unsatisfied customers as compared to DNL? No you dont. And why? SImply because the developers of this game were upfront in every aspect. Honest communication. Honest projections. Honest state of the game and guess what, the damn thing is getting stronger. It does not matter that it is not the same type of pvp game, what matters is that is indeed a mmo. The devs are honest, above board and are continuing their work and its improving. This is the type of game that DNL needs to compare itself to. You keep trying to swim with the big fish, you got WARHAMMER slowly making its way to your pool. Yet another, Mythic Entertainment, big boy company which has a successful game DAOC. You got Chronicles coming, Gods and Heroes, Age of Conan, LOTRO, Tabula Rose, PoTBS, Vanguard and Star Trek. Yet you still wish to align yourselves in the same boat as SOE. That in itself is also your downfall.
I dont understand this fan obsession with SWG. Is it because now SWG blew it with NGE and they wish to say they are better than a once successful game? Comparing their launch to SWG. Comparing their game to SWG. Accusing unsatisfied customers as SWG shills. SOE needs not to lower themselves to the point of volunteer shills. SOE will never accept the inadequate qualifications of the DNL developers nor its game. The arrogance of both the hardcore fans and its developers is its downfall.
comparing DNL to EQ and SWG and stating they still have problems is the utmost in arrogance. Those games do NOT have game stopping issues. The "bugs" in those games are not core problems. DNLs problem are all a result of inexperience, incompetence and an arrogance that shrouds their own sensibilities.
Nice.
We dont wish to make our own game. We pay companies for that. Using the "you dont like it make your own game" line is completely ignorant. Alluding to being a shill from SOE is the utmost in ignorance.
Your 'review" was taken at its face value. Many here, me included , have played the game, were there at SOG and at DNL. (Same damn place if you ask me). A 'review' with nothing of substance, the promises of things to come, what will be is all well and good. However the here and now is what generated this angry and unsatisfied mob. The state of the game is completely unfinished ,more so than the Devs stated. The problems are basic game play issues, core mechanics, engine inexperience. Patch work simply breaks something else. The promised features that are in are much less than expected and totaly illogical to the overall gameplay.
I am glad you like what is there as anything even in the minor sense of what they get working and stable will continue your joy with the game to the point of overlooking everything else. A beta testers dream. I believe you also think you have made yourself comfortable in their community which is also good and also another reason you will overlook the major issues and cling to the minor fixes.
Coming to an obvious one sided board and posting an opposite ideaology that simply is not supported is not a good idea if you do not wish to be blasted with the hard facts of the here and now of a game. Thinking you will make sense to the many who can and will tear this game apart in each of its own minute pieces is an incredible futile experience. The fact that you do so and then complain about the responses only shows how incomplete your thinking was in such an act and not that the responses are paid shills or whatever you may wish. You should neither be surprised nor feel attacked for such replies. It was a bad move when you claim that which cannot be supported and attack that which can.
I miss DAoC
Honest fans could say "Ok, it's far from finished, full of bugs, looking like an alpha release with very few contents, but you might try it, it has "potential" ( potential is the new word to use instead of saying "it's vastly broken and not worth a penny yet )".
So it has been more than a week since the launch, which is a fair game for first impression and how I see it as well as where it might go.
I agree with the OP that the game need lot of work and it very may worth those work.
That is common sentiment I've seen in official forum and I share it. As well as logical conclusion that as it currently stands, it can't honestly be recommended to anyone. It maybe be, someday, but you don't recommend something to people on what something maybe, only on what something is.
So, the details.
Bit of confusion on graphics. Some love it, some hate it. As many people have pointed out, the background graphics such as the terrain, florals and sky graphics are good. Maybe even great. The other half, player graphics, icons, item graphics and many of the critters/mobs are not so great. They are not horrible if compaired to say UO or EQ1, and it feel "technically" more advanced than AO or DAoC, but even taking aside the stylistic difference between cartoony, photorealistic, etc, etc, it feels much weaker even when compair it to it's own environmental graphics. Many of the UI and Icons feel more like place holder than a real final ones.
Playability - It was horrible on first few days. practically nothing worked. I couldn't fight to gain FXP nor craft. I couldn't explorer nor even participate in pvp. It gradually have gotten better as patch came. The deveopers seem to be actively trying to stump out the bug, so things have been improving incrementally. After the latest patch (1.0.7), it is possible to level. (at least to lvl 10. More on it later.) most noticeable aspect of DnL's playability is it's unfinisheness (the sense of game not being polished). There are great deal of feedback missing from the game to you, the player. You get icons poping up left and right and you don't know what it is. If you try to spam invite someone to group, it don't work until you wait few minutes. If such is a feature, then it is a good thing, but if there is no feedback telling the players such is the case, it is nothing more than unresponsive GUI or buggy interface.
Combat - This one is all over the place. At first, I saw lvl 35 nerc with army of pet taking out lvl 50-60 mobs with ease. Then there were lvl 5-7 who were getting one-two shotted by lvl 4-5. It was too easy, too hard. There doesn't seem to be easily understandable reason as to why. General opinion among players who enjoy the game is that it is supposed to be hard game, if you can't handle it, then the game isn't for you. I'd take that sentiment to heart. If you are looking for an easy casual game to dip your toes in, this isn't and probably never will be for you.
Leveling - With last patch, you get good exp for killing equal level mob. However, since if you group with even 1 person you lose 50% of exp, grouping is not a common thing I saw. It is unfortunate since you already lose 1/2 the money and loot, this grouping penalty is excessive and does not promote a very group friendly environment. As to leveling speed, with latest patch, leveling past the newbie area is a pleasant experience and you move at a good clip. Unfortunately you hit a wall when you move out of the newbie area as you must spend long time finding mob to kill. couple of kills and 10-20 min running around looking for things to kill makes leveling past lvl 5-8 very very slow.
Content - This is one of the things that DnL have harolded most as their major achievement and attraction. they say it is huge and it is. It is HUGE!!! So since it is so huge, It can't help but have lot of content. But there lies the paradox of "perceived contents". If you look at one extreme, like WoW where the land is not big, but it is really pack in small place with all sorts of content, you get lost in things you have to do to reflect on it's flaws. Such as a WoW quest giver telling you there is URGENT quest you must do, which is to kill 15 of knoll that is infesting the area and wrecking havoc and there is nothing anyone else can do and you are there only hope! then you turn around and find group of Knoll just down the hill, 15 steps from quest giver with 50 guards doing nothing. Ofcourse this improve as you get higher level where quest location is often in another zone or even another continent.
In DnL, everything is so wide spread, it is very VERY hard to get anything done in short period of time. After getting past the initial newbie level, to find a mob to kill, I had to fly for 20 min, find group of 3-5 mob, kill them and take off flying hoping to find another group of mob. If there was a reason or some system of some kind you can follow such as moving away from newbie town/road toward wilderness will allow you to find a harder mob, etc. However, no matter which direction I take from newbie town. It seems liks there is a range of levels in particular area (and because it is DnL, a LARGE area). And a group of mobs are peppered all over the said area in random fashion. So, I would take random direction from newbie area and fly in straight line, I see dozen or so group of lvl 1-2, then 1 or 2 group of lvl 11-14,then back to lvl 1-2. It might be that you have to actually find the right duchess (zone) where the mob within that zone is right level for you, but since the world is so HUGE, it takes you hours to go from one area to another. So on a BEST case senario, where you are in right zone where many of the mob group are right level for you, you will have to kill couple of mob, travel 10-20 minutes, kill another group and so on. Again, general community's feeling is that this isn't CAMPQUEST. If you don't like to travel, the game isn't for you.
To be fair, I have to point out that to help with traveling, there is a birdpoints(basket/balloon) from one zone to another, but unfortunately it is a crap-shoot as more than half balloon I rode had (no more room left) error. Few days back, Dev turn on the instant teleporter for free, but again, almost everyone of teleporter I have tried gave me an error.
PvP - The biggest and only real draw the game has for most people is PvP. The ability to own a castle. Own a land, lay a siege and generally have a ball. Well the game is fairly level based. Where mobs one or two level above you can kill you and mob couple of level below you don't give you any exp or drop any loot. This scale follow to PvP as you gain 40 points you can put into raising your stats (3 - 7 pts per stat) as well as training point you can put into unlocking you skills. It supposed to level out as you approach lvl 60ish, but since no one is that level and on unforgiving world of PvP, unless you are at effective level, you don't PvP. And with leveling the way it is...
In conclusion, I agree, I see potential with this game. But you don't play potential. You play the game as it currently is. And as it is, I can't say I recomment it. I will play until my free period runs out and I hope the next review is hapy glowing one.
Actually I gave it a 7, but I can see why the average is a 4.
My 7 was based on the far terrain/weather.. Since I don;t really care too much about what my toon looks like, I didn't hammer it much for the paperdoll character graphics..
People complain about the cartoon characters in WoW.. I found them ok, though not my thing
Some people love anime character models.. I find them to be androgenous and can't even begin to play those games.
DnL character models remind my of one of those old paper doll cutouts my daughter used to have. Flat, unispired, and feels as if features/equipment is layed on top of this paperdoll..
Some people really care about what the character looks like.. It matters more than how lighting looks mile away.
The MOBs look very poor too, at least at lower levels. Most are just tiny scale versions of MOBs you will later fight in the game. You can't even tell what they are at low levels.
A tree up close does not look very good, but the forest does look nice from afar..
UI icons are also very poor. As was already said, they look like placeholders for future icons that never came..
So is 4 fair? Sure.. You don't think it is fair that Vampires is higher, which is fine, but most here never played vampires. Your point is only valid if someone said Vampires was an 8 in their view and DnL is a 4.. But they are different games with different fans with different expectations..
DnL has earned everything it is getting.
I am guessing here you haven't read 99.9% of the actual post? I might been very bad at it, but that was the whole point of my post. In fact, I believe I made that point of second line. As well as reiterate it on the last recap concolusion.
I really dont agree with you, the graphic, in my point of view are HORRIBLE, can you actually say the character models are beautiful? there isnt a single one of them that looks good... the special fx of skills are terrible/inexistant, everybody prize the landscape, that you can look far away... (it only looks good from far away) and well nothing new there, CoH/V shows you the landscape far away but far better (with a decent setting, but DnL only works with high range setting anyway) with huge buildings and lot's of details, if you look closer at the trees in DnL (with max settings) they are pixelized, aliased and blurry, the buildings have terrible textures as well as most armors/characters... Mobs are bad looking, art wise they are boring/laughable, most mobs dont have/have little animations. The whole game animation is bad, the motion capture used for the characters dont fit the world, the character feels out of place. And i m not talking about the bugs... clipping, low fps, teleporting mobs etc etc
So please tell me how the graphics (that include animations in this site reviews) deserves more than 2-3?
I honestly dont see how fantastic being able to see far away is gonna do me any good except, yup, looks nice, next! Wheres that mob? Who cares that you can see 50 miles away when the mob is in front of you? Idunno, yeh, its nice but really, so what?
Since you say your claims are unrefuted by anyone with in-game experience, I present your listed faults:
FPS - The game is completely playable on my laptop with only one exception, one city that lags the heck out of my machine when its loading. Is DnL groundbreaking? Not in the slightest. I'm OK with calling this a weakness compared to competition - its the rest of your list that's problematic.
Unbalanced Classes - How could anyone possibly know this at this point? Crafted equipment of high levels isn't even in the game yet (crafters still grinding). PvP is almost non-existent as everyone is still learning the game. I'll assume for the moment that this is true because every game with any sort of diversity launches unbalanced and is balanced over time. Don't believe me? Ever hear the word "nerf"? Its uttered on every forum of every game more than a month old. What do you think that is, if not balancing action by the devs?
XP Rate - Fixed via patch a week after general launch. Leveled from 9 to 14 tonight. Your information is out of date on this one.
Crafting - Umm, it's in there. It's crafting. What do you expect? Something that isn't a grind? How can it not be and still have any relevance? The grind is what keeps every character from crafting their own materials. Though come to think of it, below level 20, most people do craft their own materials.
Pioneers - I want a dragon and free levels as much as the next guy, but there's no point being bitter about it. How is this any different than any newcomer to a game who wants what all the high levels have?
Transports - Bugged at the moment, sure. No doubt this is the biggest issue with the game at present. Do you really, honestly, believe these won't be fixed in the short-term future (like this week)?
Features - I suppose no MMO has ever released an expansion? What is that but features added to make the game complete post-launch? In fact, I heard a nasty rumor that some money-grubbing greedy developers actually expect people to PAY for the added content!
Mob Population - You just have to know where to look. There are entire baronies so full of level 10-20 (the most common complaint level range) that you can't pick the names of the critters apart on your map. Don't believe me? Check Saerlith, Aideen or Bolrag, Light Kingdom. It's a simple matter of exploration and undoubtedly guides will be hitting the forums within the month.
Armor Decay - What's the quality rating on that armor? 0 out of 100? It is if you bought it off an NPC. What did you pay for it? 5 goth per piece - about two level 1-2 kills? I could walk a 1st level character through crafting better quality armor in 10 minutes, for about 100 goth. Quality 20 armor lasts about 3 times as long as quality 0 by my testing. A level 1 crafter - and all characters start as level 1 crafters - can produce quality 35 armor as their very first crafted item, if they know what to do.
Food Costs - Simply untrue. Was not EVER true. At least, wasn't true when I logged in 45 minutes after the first post on the official forums claiming this. This was simply the case of someone displaying their own lack of knowledge regarding fundamental game concepts, and other people making a story out of nothing in their lust to trash the game. Every usable item in this game has a crafting level, from Novice to Grandmaster. Novice equipment and consumables are intended for levels 1-20, Apprentice for levels 20-29, Companion (kinda like Journeyman) for levels 30-39. You may purchase all three food types at vendors. The items are clearly labelled with the crafting level. The person you're referring to was comparing food for levels 30-39 with a quality 0 breastplate for newbies. Levels 30-39 can actually use newbie food, but the buffs are much better on the higher grade food and drink.
Positive Features of game:
Hang gliders! - Awesome, awesome experience! Useful too, for getting out of tight spots fast. It's actually exciting getting from place to place. You won't look at a mountain near a plain again without thinking "Hey, I'll bet I can make it across that entire barony if I use the air currents properly."
Mob diversity - You have to know your enemy now. It's not safe to assume you can fight a mob with no risk just because the little level indicator has cyan numbers instead of red or purple. You have to learn that Yam'ahs, Auny'Ainahs, Epon'as all do less damage but have more hitpoints. Or that Hou'Yins will tear you apart at range, but melee them and they're pushovers while Mod'Gud are the reverse. You have to know your territory. You really can be a guide in this game.
Difficulty - The game is not easy. In fact, it's hard as hell. It is NOT impossible. I consider this a good thing. I want a challenge. I don't WANT to know that from level 20-30 I can go to Nektulos Forest and level on XYZ mob which will spawn at ABC coordinates in intervals of 15 minutes. DnL is a "No Camping Zone"!
Unbalanced class - Agree that it can't possibly be known until when we can finally PvP on equal footing. On most other MMO that is at max level, since fight between lvl 60 and lvl 10 isn't really all that telling. On this game, I assume the same, since higher level have more skill and better stats. Even if all the skills caps around 60ish as we were told, that would be long wait I would think. On the other hand, currently it is NOT balanced vs PvE. Melee class have distinct advantage at low level since caster cannot cast while moving and their CC doesn't seem to work well. This is common among all MMO, with nuker being glass cannon and what not. Again, we have to wait till much higher level to see since even at lvl 35 pioneers, this imbalance still holds.
Xp Rate - The 1.0.7 patch DEFINATELY helped. See how my exp gain jumped easily 3x. Unfortunately what hasn't change is that the number of mob in a group. I still travel 15 - 30 minutes to find appropriate level mob to kill. So although it would take me months to go from lvl 10 - lvl 35, I don't see it happening within a month at this rate. I guess that is target rate Farlan is going for and I guess most are happy with this. My personal opinion is that this is too slow by far. I am happy with EXP per kill, but the EXP per hour of my gaming time is fairly blah.
Crafting - I can't agree. Sure with the fact that you can buy all the resource from vendor at cheap price, if they had the auto-craft system of WoW, everyone with enough goth will be master crafter without much effort. but So? With complexity of crafting in DnL, best "casual" crafter, even master one can make is low quality junk only newbie would want to use. Only real dedicated crafter who knows the resources, ingredients, time of day, system of gods, elevation and hundred other thing that supposed to affect crafting can generate a good usable sword. In WoW terms, casual master crafter can make lvl 60 sword, but it will be grey or at best white quality while real master crafter can make purple, orange and red quality swords. Why would want to say your best achievement in crafting is your ability to grind mindlessly for months at an end? why wouldn't you want it to be your KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE that set you apart and make you a great crafter?
Mob Population - I have found that out as well, that the level of mobs are separated by barony and not really distance from starter town. What I also found out, (and please correct me if I am wrong) is that for some reason, they have taken entire barony as level playing field and randomly peppered the entire barony with the mobs of all kind in that range. that is I can't find easy mob by staying close to town or find harder mob by moving into wilderness as I would expect. I have to run from group to group finding right level range, then kill it, then move again, rinse and repeat. If you take every mob in even single barony in DnL and drop it in WoW, it will crowd even biggest zone, but since each barony is size of whole WoW landmmass, the "Accessability" of these mob are NOT easy. At least that has been my experience. And ofcourse I agree with your all sorts of game guide will hit the net on DnL. But do you think the have made this game so that you would NEED such guide to play?
Armor Decay - Since I am crafter at heart. Equipment decay is good for me. The existance of it. I can't make head or tail out of the rate nor find out how to repair my own equipement, but it isn't the biggest issue for me at the moment.
Food Cost - It isn't a issue at my low level since with the current spell timer bug, I die so often hunger was never an issue.
Hand-gliders, Flying Mounts - great experience. If it were my first time. But after Free-Form Flying in AO, CoH, etc, etc, I expected flying and not a "hop-and-glide" way of DnL. With hand-gliders it makes perfect sense. But with a flying mount, it is very weird to take off flying then after about 5 minuts or so I find myself back on ground. On rough terrain or on a mountain range, it is pretty much hop-and-glide every 30 seconds. I expected for flying mount to actually fly following the terrain, not fly at perfectly straight line with respect to some in-game x,y,z plane.
Mob Diversity - again, relate to XP rate and Mob population above. BECAUSE the game world is so huge, and mobs per group so small, and I have to get to KNOW the behavior of the mob, and what faction the said mob is related to, and....
Difficulty - General opinion is that the game is supposed to be complex and they are very proud of this fact. If you can't handle it, go play WoW or Pac-Man is most often heard comment. I guess among all the achievement a person has, their ability to "play" the game with proficiency is important. If you are looking to play a game as entertainment, well I think this isn't it. I guess I shouldl repeat the Farlen company line and say that if you just wanna play a game where you wanna just have mindless fun playing and not learn and think and be patient and... well the game isn't for you. I suggest minimun of 3 years of college. I guess this is for braggin right. "hey I am so smart I can play DnL! your probably have to play WoW".
Proof? Like I said I played sog and dnl and was active in the forums, never did I see them sink that low. I know there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, but you can't make acusations like that without throwing us a link to stare at and take your side...
Proof? Like I said I played sog and dnl and was active in the forums, never did I see them sink that low. I know there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, but you can't make acusations like that without throwing us a link to stare at and take your side...
For you KittyHawk , ask and you shall receive (there are a few threads in this forum with the same link. The thread about this at DNL was locked by the moderators)
http://vnboards.ign.com/dark_and_light/b22601/97173638/p1/?3
you can also check out threads here on the board
http://mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/81075
there are a few others, but that is the main one.
This board isnt known for just throwing out bs without backup..this isnt the DNL boards