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My impressions, for what they are worth
neschria
Member UncommonPosts: 1,406
I decided to try out the free trial. After playing it since last weekend, I have to say that it doesn't suck nearly as bad as I thought it would, based on what I had read. I've had quite a bit of fun with it, running around, doing little quests, getting some levels. I am not sure how it will hold up over time, and I don't know how I would feel about it if I were playing more hours/levelling faster, but at the slow, casual, occasional pace that I have been playing, it seems to have plenty to keep me occupied for a while. I find the crafting to be a nice alternative to killing maggots too, and the process of gathering resources and making them into things is amusing for me now, but, again, I don't know if I would feel the same way after doing it for a few months.
The lag is pretty bad for me in spots, but it is not bad enough to make it unplayable. It's just mildly irritating now and then.
People are ok. I have mainly been playing on Twilight, and I have met people some friendly people, and I have seen a lot of people not talking at all. I kind of think they may be chatting in guild, though.
I can't comment on the higher end of the game, as I am nowhere near that. I am still a newbie, doing newbie things, but I am having fun doing those newbie things. Considering the very limited time and energy I have to put into a game, due to real life circumstances at the moment, if I had the money, I might get Horizons as a game to play on the same slow, casual basis that I have been doing.
~*~
neschria
Bludgeoner of Bunnies
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Comments
Fine - I knew I am not alone :-)
I like the events in game too they really keep me busy cant wait to try Satyrs.
And you are right is best for causal players (like me 6h in a week)... I dont think that a hardcore or power gamer would like it....
MAKANE
(Horizons: Malakye Revan - Conjurer on Bounty)
Lords of Stonekeep
Horizons isnt near as bad as everyone says it is... I played it since release and I have had a lot of fun with it... Sadly it did not last for me, however it is still enjoyable.. It has a wonderfull crafting system and I really liked it alot.. I made it to a level 35 outfitter, a 15 gatherer, and a 35 miner... I did a little bit of adventuring and that really is what killed it for me... Other than crafting, there really isnt anything to do in the game... Sure you can adventure out and kill things.. But why, you don't get anything for killing mobs, they also don't drop any kind of decent money or loot... the game has 4 levels of money in it... copper, silver, gold, and mithral i think is the last one... Killing a level 80 mob.. might earn you 50 or 60 copper... Without any loot, and without any money involved in killing mobs there really isnt any reason to level up other than the ability to wear the items your able to make from the countless hours you spend swinging a mining pick... Like I said it was great fun, while it lasted.. only problem is it didn't last... Since the earlier days of EQ and before all the MASSIVE powergaming nothing really has been all that great... I've played them all too... DAoC was great, but the graphics are too bad to go back to after playing games like HZ or SWG or AC2... Shadowbane was good exept for the retarded graphics and controls... I guess we will just have to wait till Lineage 2 and EQ2 and see what happens... I hope the powergaming uberguildness is out.. that just makes games no fun...
Akuri Ashi
Dawn (HZ)
Most people that comment either give the game too little time, are greatly bored with their own life or are simply too saturated with playing games that they think that all the other players must have had that same experience. Mostly it is power gamers that play something for 24/7 and then after three weeks of playing they get bored. Now who wouldn't be. Then they start complaining and telling about a game that is worse than this or boring as that. They might feel cheated when another nerf wave hits them, anyways loads of reasons to be angry, discontented or greevious.
However I am a casual gamer and do not spend a lot of time playing a game. Also I like the idea of walking and talking in a world and playing a role. Horizons does that for me. I found a really nice guild and they all play roles, we have self made adventuretrips, we make our own world. Which is exactly the point where most people fall short on: Imaginative gameplay. When it is not served hot and steamy with all the little extra's the game is not good or it is quickly discarded as there is a lot more out there to test and to do, alas again for the attention span of a week or four.
Please make up your own mind before you decide what is good or what is bad. Try before spamming. And ignore things like "it sucks", "Boring" because that is the 24/7 power gamer talking with not much on their hands except talking in Capitals and annoying others. Any game can be played with fun, all it takes is a unbiased view and imagination and the willingness to give it a try.
I agree with you, SlightlyMad. And I don't normally take what people say to heart too much, since the only reviews I really trust are those of people that I actually know who also happen to play the same sorts of games that I do. Unfortunately, all the people I know who play MMORPGs at the moment are all still playing EQ and not looking for anything new until WoW or EQ2, so perhaps I paid too much attention to what people had to say here and on other sites. The howling and wailing about games on message boards isn't a really good predictor of whether or not I will like a given game.
It is pretty much the same for all games, to some extent or another. There's a particularly vocal minority of rabid powergamers who (a) don't like any game that is built for a more casual playstyle, and (b) spend a lot of time on the web posting angry messages on message boards, and then assuming that they are the majority view just because they are the only ones posting. Or maybe they think they are the majority view because they lack the imagination to consider that there might be some other way of playing a game than the way that they play. Perhaps they can't imagine that many, or even most, people who play games don't bother to post on message boards, regardless of how they feel. This goes not only for game reviews, but for reactions to changes in existing games.
Under better circumstances (i.e., when I am not broke and when I have leisure time to spend playing games), I tend toward playing harder than casual, but without the determination of a powergamer. I also have a really short attention span. I am, however, not one to go posting "it sucks" all over message boards. But I had a generally good time in Horizons, so that's pretty much why I bothered to post-- to say something more positive, since the game just isn't as bad as THOSE people say. And I have to admit, I always love an underdog.
~*~
neschria
Bludgeoner of Bunnies
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Well I almost hate to post this but its sorta good to hear form both sides of the coin.
I'm a pretty serious gamer. I have played nearly all of the major and some of the minor games to fairly high level. My favorites being EQ for off the hook content and diversity, and AC for superior gameplay dynamics. I liked Shadowbane purely for the pvp aspect, UO for housing and skill system and DAOC for rvr.
I don't like horizons. Part of the problem is I expected to play a dragon. I expected that dragon would fly. When it came to pass that i found out they had certain time and level requirements to gain flight I grumbled a little but went on ahead building him. Then I found out that dragons flying is not even in the game. They hadn't worked out the mechanic's nor had they finished the quests needed by dragons to acquire the stats and skills they would need at higher levels. They have recently started to fix these things and I am sure at some point everything would be fine. But I did not intend to BUY "sometime" that was strike one.
I have no complaint with the artwork or graphics it looks nice and when your solo it feels fine. However when your working in a group or waiting for a friend at the bind/alter chances are he is standing right next to you but the game isn't rendering him. I have a high end machine on a cable connection there is no way that he shouldn't be rendered. The upside to this is there isn't a ton of lag in towns (you only see about 12 the people in new brommel for instance.) but if you like to SEE your buddies it might aggravate you.
The general quest system is horrible. There are a very few exceptions. "Kill 10-20-30 of these and return" is about the jist of it. small exp and paltry coinage as a reward. Not very immersive.
The class build mechanic is not really too bad lots of ways you can screw yourself but with a little information you can play the type of character you want with IMHO the exception of archer and dragon. Dragons are weak and complicated and not fully implemented. Archers MUST kite or be prepared to fight things at half your level past the 20th level.
The game is solo centric there are no real rewards in grouping you can make much better exp (if your neither dragon or archer) solo then in even the fastest double tanking groups. I think its nice that you CAN solo I just wish that it was as more group favorable.
If your a crafter you may love the game. No useable loot falls from monsters save craftable items formulas and techniques. I hate this aspect of the game. A byproduct is a real lack of player customization regarding armor and weapon. You will wear this certain armor and this certain weapon at this certain level range period which means everyone looks more or less the same.
My guild built a house on a big plot it took 8 people 3 weeks tons and tons of resources now that its finished we realize its completely worthless, except as a target for AE "live events" where they paste a highlevel monster spawn down on the map and the players come out and die repeatedly until the GM shuts it down. Yah it was fun the first time. 25 death points later it was not really any fun at all.
Overall its an immersion problem for me. I just don't get the feeling I have gotten with so many other games. I don't see any reward for leveling my characters past about 50 much of the high end class skills are messed up and theres nothing new at higher levels just go here kill 10-20-30 of these and return.
Server pops are dropping which can be expected. The game did not really deliver what's on the box. But some folks are having a good time.
But I say to each his own.
I give it a 5 out of 10
Refugee from UO,EQ,AC,AC2,AO,DAOC,L2,SB,HZ,CoH,PT,EQ2,WoW,VG,SWG,EVE,WAR,DF,MO,AI,GA,LOTRO, SWTOR... Gw2 on Deck
I thought that was a good and thoughtful post, explaining what you didn't like, without resorting to anything insulting, inflammatory, or obnoxious. It was pretty informative. That's a good thing.
~*~
neschria
Bludgeoner of Bunnies
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.