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Content?
Ok, here's my little problem:
I'm quite interested in SoR but weeell... the review clearly pointed out that it lacked content. Is that true, or better - still true?
How's the questing, is there a major storyline... and is it well written? Does it keep you entertained or is it too much grinding?
Ok, that's really it. Maybe someone can help me there 
, but plleaaasepleaseplease... if you have bought the game only a few days ago.. I *know* you think it is great, but i would really like to hear opinions of some of the players who stuck with it a while... at least a couple of weeks or so. Thanks to all that care to reply!
Comments
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Kibs
Avatar by Ema
Playing: The Saga of Ryzom since march 2004
If you by content means allot of quests and such, well then there is close to no "content" at all. After the inissial tutorial on the trial island there is basicly no more quests.
There is outposts with can be contested over by players in a pvp battle. The outposts give some really nice rewards to
Regarding the storyline: It is very very well writen there is a ton of backstory on the official site. And there are some rites you can do to unlock more lore ingame. The gameworld and story is progressing via ingame events and they usually play out very nicely
I've been playing for close to a year and have yet to be bored ingame
Most MMO's drop in a bunch of kill task and call it content.
Very few games have any worth while content. WoW is not one of them. Devs adding in thousands of "quest" over the course of a few months isn't content. (remember EQII's launch???) It was a bunch of crap kill task and delivery task. It was all garbage.
FFXI has an excellent "mission" system..........hmmmmm.................Guild Wars had a nice linear story to it. AC had some great content. (I never played the original EQ) Thats all I can really think of, someone help me out......
Getting sent out to kill 10 rats for a ripped up pair of gloves is not a quest. Its busy work to make feel like you are doing something.
EDIT
City of Heroes had some pretty good content with branching story arcs. To bad I don't like superheroes
I really wish someone from mmorpg.com would re-review The Saga of Ryzom...so much has changed and evolved since it was written.
Ryzom is not a quest-based game, but the lore and scope for role-play are deep and compelling. Live events and player, guild, and faction actions drive the story and provide plenty of "content".
Donna Desborough
Staff Writer
www.mmorpg.com
Notice: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com or its management.
Content in Ryzom is what you make of it imo, you can do quests, but they're not really very interesting. However, engageing yourself in the comunity and in the live events and the roleplay part of the mmorpg will give you a whole lot of content
*hugs from lil me*
*Brain down for upgrade, don't try to understand my logic, I don't...*
there is a hell of alot of content,
its a strange game really though, you can dismiss this game as having no high lvl content easily if yuo look over it briefly, however if you get yourself involved in the game enough you find content everywhere.
for me its,
killing the boss mobs for their materials and making uber armour/weapons
making friends with many people (as with all MMO's but this game has a very special community)
attacking outposts and the politics involved (though I hate the politics and prefer the fun)
PvP, theres nothing quite like attacking yrkanis every now and again
Roleplaying - will leave this to others, but theres a very active RP community who hold their own events often
grinding levels (for those who like it)
fighting bandit bosses, which requires organisation and a little luck
missions.............bleh, some like them though
digging..........strangly addictive
following the ever evolving story
I've been playing for 18 months now (with 2 short breaks) and I'm still not out of content, I learn new stuff every day. The community as a whole I love (even the kara scum)
give it a shot
And I have to say that although I don't need such content, I'm starting to think the setup of the intiail tutorial island to include extensive, story-based quests, when there really aren't many others in the rest of the game, may turn out to have been a mistake. I undersatnd it is trying to teach you the game, and having done all the quests for all 4 'classes' (fighting, magic, etc) I found them very helpful. And I don't personally need quests to enjoy a game (I did SWG for 2 years, mostly the old way where there were few quests to do, and what quests there were, I mostly ignored).
But...
... it does give a bit of a false impression of the game, if these are the only quests. It may raise expectations that these kinds of story-based quests are going to continue in the main game, and when they don't, you could see a lot more complaints. It's almost misleading... People who like quest-driven games will get sucked into the relatively decent and fun quests in the newbie area... and then find out -- after they pay money! -- that the rest of the game doesn't jive with what they sampled in the newbie area.
Now, a small amount of research here or on the Ryzom forum (or in game on the region or universal channels) will help prevent this mistake... but I could easily see people feeling like they were "bait-and-switched."
I'm not saying it's deliberate, and I'm really not sure what to do about it. The quests are very helpful in teaching you how to do the different mechanics of the game properly, and I learned a LOT by doing them. Plus they tell you the socio-political story and some of the physical backstory of Atys, and that was very interesting. I just think it's leading people who like "quest content" up to a big let-down after they finally pay for and get into the main game. Unfortunately I'm not really sure what else they can do...
C
Thank you all for the informative feedback!
<-- Cool smiley by the way. 
Well - as a master of minimalistic posting i will let the "thanks" stand for itself here...
Again I understand why they have done it this way... to get you used to the game without having to grind. But if the game does involve a lot of grind, then it turns out to be misleading.
C
I usually do this but mostly I prefer to hunt, which to me means killing a spawn a couple of times then change skills and move on to another spawn.
But when the hunting gets booring there is, as previously mentioned, allways digging and crafting left to do
Or you can allways hang about one of the capitols helping out new folks. Go down to the bar with some friends and just hang out
Ryzom is a rather diffrent game in the way that at first it might be really hard to find something to to but after a while you never seem to have enough time to do what you want
THe thing to remember is it is a game, so if you're not having fun do something else!
Most of the time, "grinding" is used as the opposite of "content", although "content" then usually means "doing quests." The idea here is, for example, that you have a mission to get over that distant hill, wipe out the orc patrol, defeat their boss, and return to base camp with the badge of the boss as proof that he has been killed. As you go along, either as a "quest reward" or just as part of the killing process, you will gain XP. But this is usually not seen as a grind, because the XP is a side-effect of accomplishing part of the story. You're not killing the orcs "just" to gain XP (though that may be one of your motivations) but rather, you're killing them to accomplish a goal other than XP, and the XP just happens to come along with it. This is generally seen as not being a grind, because you're accomplishing multiple purposes at once.
If we go back to Ryzom, look at the newbie area's setup. They tell you to "go hunt 10 javings." This is part of the story, with text associated. You go out and beat up the javings, as part of the story ("content", though very simplistic content). As you beat them up, since you're low level, you gain experience. Maybe you go from level 11 to halfway through 12 just in fighting XP. Now you go back to the quest-giver with the javing parts he asked for. He thanks you, and gives you another level worth of XP. By doing the quest you have gained XP enough for 2 fight levels, but you haven't been (by most people's definitions) grinding.
Now, imagine you're done with all the quests and you're 33rd level of melee fighting. You are advised by a friend not to leave the island till you're 50, but you have no quests to do. Your only option is to go hang out by the blight or the cray island and just kill the "3*" and "4*" monsters in the area over, and over, and over again, for the sole purpose of gaining those 17 levels. That is considered grinding.
Does this make sense?
There's nothing implicitly right, or wrong, about the quest-oriented or grind-oriented game style. Many games allow for both, in fact. Few games are quest-oriented only. DDO is one... they give XP for quests, not kills, so you can't go "grind orcs." A few games are grind-oriented, where all you do is kill monsters for levelling, and there are no real quests. SWG used to be like this (though with the "NGE" this has supposedly changed, at least for part of the levelling process). Most games offer more of one than the other, but at least a little of each.
The risk I think, here, is that there are 3 player types. One type likes quest-based games. One type likes grind games. One type (me) can enjoy both depending on the type of game and what the "grind" or "quests" are like, and depending on the community and various other traits. But the concern here is that the NPE island is likely to appeal to quest-oriented players, more than grinders, because it is quest oriented, but that once they hit the mainland, where apparently there are few if any real quests to do, and most of what you do is just "grinding" on whatever you find in the wild, the quest-oriented people who liked the NPE island will not like that. Also, grind-oriented people who would like the main game but don't like the quest stuff may be turned off by the NPE island and think the game is not for them, when it actually would be.
C
Good post Chessack.
I agree that the NPE might sucker quest-oriented players into paying and then be dissapointed by the mainland, but I don't think the reverse is true.
Also, grind-oriented people who would like the main game but don't like the quest stuff may be turned off by the NPE island and think the game is not for them, when it actually would be.
Grinder-type players will always find a way to grind, regardless of the type of game it is. Even with DDO, they grind the same quest/dungeon over and over again ...
I remember my old days of snes and Final Fantasy where i would just wander a zone randomly to "grind" my level and purse to get that sword so I can kill that boss ... I think FF and the likes are the causes of grind-style gameplay today (not necessary a horrible thing).
Grinding can be fun, expecially in Ryzom, if you're with a good group of people. I can spend an entire weekends grinding and not be bored.
Still, I have known grinders that get ticked off at "having" to do quests to get certain things, so it depends on how it's set up. The NPE setup doesn't really give you anything critical the way some quest awards can be in other games, so in Ryzom's case, it's unlikely that grinder-based people would get too upset at the way NPE works.
I definitely think the reverse is a problem though. If you are into quest rewards and like that about games, you could be very upset when, only AFTER paying your fee, and AFTER they take your money, you find out that oops! there are no other quests in the game.
C
hmmm.. I have been really enjoying the trial. If there aren't any more quests after the noob area.. i really doubt i will continue my subscription after the first month. If there are no quests, and i am not interested in PvP.... then it sounds like it will really just be an endless grindfest. I really don't care about the storyline if it just exists as background to my grind. Leveling on noob island without the quests would be extremely tedious. It really sounds pretty pointless. Like it is just random mob hunting for xp.
I guess that's why they don't let you leave the noob area until you subscribe.
-----Zero Punctuation Eve Online Review-----
You do not have to do any of them -- you can leave for the mainland right away (of course, then you do have to pay). But most people do them because they are fun, and even the vet players seem to be having a blast doing new toons on the newbie area.
Again, I don't think it's intended to be deceptive, but it may turn out to feel like it is, to people such as yourself who like doing quests.
As to it being a grindfest, that all depends. If you're just doing "combat" for your character, that's probably very much the case. I am doing that mainly, but secondarily I am doing harvesting and crafting, and I intend to at least make most of my own equipment, and possibly start a bit of a "crafting business" on the side if there is a way to do that without sucking up too much of my time. If you have a larger goal in mind then it is not just "grinding", because there's something else to it. For example, killing enough slavenis to get the ingredients to make a better weapon, is something that doesn't bother me so much as killing slavenis to gain xp and for no other reason.
Ryzom is very much a "sandbox" type game where you make your own way in the world and do sort of whatever you want. I don't mind this... in fact there are many times in quest-based games where the quest forces me to do something I don't want to do, but to advance the "story" I have no choice (see, for reference, ANY City of Villains mission that puts me on the indoor arachnos lab map, which I utterly despise -- if I want to move the story along I have to play on those maps whether I want to or not).
Just look at the newbie quests. Killing yelks is a bit annoying. I had to kill 250 or so to get the stuff I needed for the two newbie quests involving Yelk. It was decent XP, but I have to tell you: I probably would not have gone near Yelk had it not been for the quests, after the first few times, because of their stupid death-gas. I'd much rather fight something else, like a nauseous frippo. So here, the quest worked to my detriment because it was basically forcing me to fight creatures I found somewhat annoying -- much like the COV missions sometimes force me onto a map that kills my FPS and ruins my gameplay.
Therefore, I think quests can be a double-edged sword. However, clealry, if you want a quest-based game, Ryzom's probably not for you. I don't think it's that big of a deal to pay them for a month and try it, of course... but that will depend on how you feel at that point.
I don't agree with the assertion a sandbox style game can't have quests. I don't want a story driven mission throughout the entire game like guild wars, but I still want something in the game to drive me along.
I don't have any downtime in the game really, as I have been progressing all 4 major skills pretty evenly so far. I am at about 30 in forage, magic, fight and both weapon and armor crafting. I appreciate the fact that can have the goal of building a better chestpiece, through which you can earn XP in fight, harvest and magic all before getting to the crafting armor. It feels a lot like old SWG in that respect.
What I don't understand is what the motivation for all of that work is? I mean, what is the goal further out, beyond creating that chestpiece? There has to be something that you are eventually working toward... other than ability to repeat that process over and over at slightly higher levels. Without the ability for players to build houses and cities or control areas of land, the sandbox quality of the game really doesn't lead anywhere. At least not on it's own.
It seems like the entire point of the game is character experience progression, through grinding... to infinity. SWG was a decent version of a sandbox game, and had a pretty open skill progression.. but you still had tons of quests you could go do, at varying levels of difficulty. As you leveled up through a similar grind to this game, you were able to complete tougher and tougher quests... giving you a reason for progressing you character other than the simple satisfaction of leveling itself...
My question is, what does this game have for you to reach for? Is there anything other than leveling for leveling's sake? I am not criticizing the game. I am playing it and really enjoying it. I am little disappointed to learn that I may have already completed all the content in the game... but i wasn't saying they were trying to misrepresent the game with the demo. I just think if they let me out in to the game world and I found it to be empty of content and lacking direction, i probably wouldn't subscribe... as it is now, i just have to take the word of the vets on the issue, because i am hesitant to pay to find out.
Before anyone gets offended that am trashing the game, I am not saying the game lacks content. In my experience, there has been plenty. However, my experience is limited to the noob island... and it is the subscribers that are saying it lacks content once you get in to the world... not the new players
-----Zero Punctuation Eve Online Review-----
"I really don't care about the storyline if it just exists as background to my grind."
The storyline is the point of the game, IMO. It is the Saga of Ryzom.
But the story is not fed through conventional (quest-based) means. I've said this many times before, and I expect I'll have to repeat it many more times.
The story is advanced and evolved via roleplaying and live, dynamic events. Just because there is little of the usual static questing content on the mainland, does not mean there is no content. The content is, IMO, anyone who takes initiative to get involved in the story.
So, the story can exist as a background to your grind...or, the grind can exist as a background to the story. It's up to you.
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In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on August 13, 2008.
I have a friend starting the game six months after me. Now he's been playing 3 months and outleveled me in harvesting and crafting, but he works with only one craft and one recipe, so leveling means little else than getting more money and materials. To him it's starting to feel like a grindfest to level 250.
I, myself, just can't be that focused, giving myself smaller projects, like finding an efficient recipe for ammo, buying an apartment, doing missions for tribes to gain their trust, learning to shoot with an autolauncher, and roleplaying a lot. I have worked on many different crafting branches, not being efficienct at all, but is not feeling the burnout. And in Ryzom, a crafters level means less than his knowledge, better to be a respected lowlevel crafter than a medioker highlevel crafter.
So, Ryzom can be a grindfest if you play it like that. In these types of games what you get depends on what you put in.
The motivation for all the work we do is different for every homin, but from a story point of view, it is in being able to defend (or attack!) a guild outpost, being able to outmaneuver the opposing faction in preparation for the next chapter in the Saga, and generally being able to defeat an opposing race/faction/guild/homin. For some homins, it's so they can have some influence in maintaining some kind of balance between the factions, and so they have some peacekeeping ability.
The quests which do exist on the Ryzom mainland are missions designed to help you get to know the region better, but they do not give experience or rewards other than fame or dappers. There are some larger quests (Rites) which are more involved with better rewards (permanent bonus to a stat, free crafting plan, etc) but on the whole Atys is not driven by quests or missions. It is driven by player actions and live events.
Players are most definitely able to control areas of land, these are the guild outposts I referred to. Outposts produce valuable resources and are highly sought after. There are not enough to go around, so they become hotly contested from time to time. It is another thing which is not present on the new player island. The next chapter of the Saga looks to involve even more player control (via factions) of the land and its resources. Ryzom Ring around the corner also will allow for entire player-made areas, some of which will be temporary and some of which won't.
I hope this helps you with your decision to subscribe or not. Good luck!
Outposts.. well it's sort of true looking at the current state of the game.
From the lore perpective the long time goal is to fight back the kitins and rebuild the old ruined civilizations. There is a prophecy that says Jena (the space ship goddess in tight white jumpsuit) will return in time to save us from the sleeping dragon who will consume the planet in flames.
MMORPGs differ from stand-alone game because they're actually never "done". The game you play today is not the finished product, and might not be the game you play in a few months (be it good or bad >_<).
I used to LOVE the idea that the ultimate goal of leveling in a mmorpg game is to prepare for the ongoing saga, for future live events, the evolution of the story, new expansions, new areas, new bosses, etc ... and the initial vision of SoR was to provide that (invasion events, the saga unfolding chapters by chapters ...)
This is sorta still the case, but with the rate of updates that Nevrax provided for PvE contents (live events, new areas), I know can't blame them because of their small size, I sorta lost that feeling. So I took a break.
Most games End Goal is PvP now aday: GW, EVE, WoW to some extent (but with the other endgame goal being the RAID dungeons, which is pretty nifty), but to have a the end goal be to PREPARE yourself for the evolving story, that was what got me excited about Ryzom. It can still be true ... if they grow more.
So I am pretty excited to see the new level of hype that SoR is receiving now aday, let's hope it keeps up