So I have only played Aion briefly for a few minutes at the beginning of the game on a friends account, so I have NO room to have an opinion about this game at all.  I am thinking of putting some more time into this and trying out the beta for myself, but I would love some honest feedback first from some of the beta players.  One thing that really bugged me is the graphics, not that they were bad, in fact they looked really nice, but compared to what everyone was saying on the forumns about how the graphics were AMAZING and how they were using the crytek engine and it was uber and all that...it didn't really live up to that for me...the game looks good no doubt...but i did notice how the character models stand out so much more from the rest of the environment...which is probably because this is a korean game...so koolkool...decent graphics...lol...but i really was wondering about the game play later on...I'm not a big fan of meaningless quests and grinding...and was wondering about what makes the game good?? and how good?? and why??...any feedback would be appreciated... could be my next mmo...we will see...

No, Aion is not amazing. It is just a good, solid MMO. If you bring more expectations than that you will be disappointed.

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Originally posted by Theos244
all that...it didn't really live up to that for me...the game looks good no doubt...but i did notice how the character models stand out so much more from the rest of the environment...which is probably because this is a korean game...

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Aion is made to handle large scale PVP.

What do you want? A game like AoC with awesome graphics but limited to instances with max 96 players (this is for battlekeep PVP, PVE zones are 48 players max) or something like Aion - great graphics with large scale battles with several hundreds of players on the screen?

In AoC 1 guild can't even have all of its players fighting together in 1 battle; only 48 guildies can fight at once (it is 48 vs 48)...

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Originally posted by Theos244
but i really was wondering about the game play later on...I'm not a big fan of meaningless quests and grinding...and was wondering about what makes the game good?? and how good?? and why??...any feedback would be appreciated... could be my next mmo...we will see...

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To make it short: Solid PVE, solid Raids (factions do also fight over raids), solid character progression with things worth fighting for like the stigma system and the fortresses (and of course a great gear and crafting progression), solid large scale PVP with a 3rd "AI" race, the Balaur, that comes out by itself to attack your fortresses and to help balance the game by joining your faction to help you crush them or joining the enemy to help them crush you.

All in all, it takes the best from the many games we already had and puts it all together in a very polished box.

As boardwalker said this is a very solid MMO, one thing I like in particular and its funny that you mentioned it "meaningless grinding and quests", while there isn't a whole lot of new added to a basic MMO quest style there is alot of story behind every quest you do, it may sound strange but with how story driven the quests are (especially the campaign missions) even killing wolves seems somewhat heroic and epic.

Crafting in Aion is a breath of fresh air, though not vastly different than whats out there it is more fun and less monotonous than other MMO's, plus the fact you can crit and get better items and gain xp from crafting makes it feel like less of a waste. NCsoft has incorperated private stores into Aion and they did it very well.

Aerial combat is a blast, some say thats its not as big of a deal as people make it sound,  but in a PvP situation this is another fun stategy that may give many people an edge and add another layer of difficulty to the game, speaking of PvP the way that NCsoft has done PvPvE just  feels right, after playing WAR for almost a year and never feeling like I was getting the game I wanted just makes Aion seem that much better.

I could go on all day about this game, but I won't, Though there may not be anything earth shattering new about this game, it is very well done and I hope it will go down in history as one of the great game of my time, so I think anyone who likes a fantasy based MMO's should at least give this one a try.  

After being burned out on MMO's for nearly two years, Aion was the first game that I could actually lose myself in and have fun...  If that isn't AMAZING, I don't know what is.

Will it do the same for everyone?  Of course not.  But the potential is there, depending on your tastes and what you're looking for.

Just played for 2 hours so I'm just talking about first impression (which is very important btw). It's very similar to WoW, with most features a bit improved, except smoothnes and animations, WoW is still on top of that, although Aion is pretty good.

Quests for instance have a better feel overall, there aren't 20 quests in a village, just 2 or 3 and then 2 or 3 more, and well explained, and you say something different when accepting and handing them, it's a little thing but makes you feel more involved. In the end quests are exactly like in WOW, kill x animals, get y fangs, get z bottles. But there are two types of quest, a campaign line of quests and the normal ones, that looks interesting too. Will see.

Graphics are pretty, characters don't look as good as I was expecting from pictures. Mind you they are good looking but all have that kind of porcelaine doll look, well females. Guys seem to have more variety, or girls are only chosing the cute faces, I don't know. Some faces seem to be modelled after actors and actresses. The one I chosed for my warrior looks a lot like one actor... I can't remember the name now. One maybe minor thing, the characters seem to not blend too well with the landscape, they feel a bit like pasted there sometimes, maybe just a sensation I'm having now and will disappear. It's because the characters are more sharp than the background.

I got to mention it's cool to see different shapes. Although some people go too wacky.

Performance is very good. My computer will be 3yo in march, and runs the game very well at medium detail, and very playable at high. I'm just paranoid about smoothness and set it at medium. Very smooth. Only some stuttering now and then but for what people said in chat, it's being worked on and improved a lot over yesterday.

So will I go on playing but... hope people are right  about the cool flying combat and the great raids and pvpve, because otherwise there won't be a big reason to switch from WoW, except having a different feel to the basically same game. Again, this is just the first impression I got from playing 2 hours.

Originally posted by madeux

After being burned out on MMO's for nearly two years, Aion was the first game that I could actually lose myself in and have fun...  If that isn't AMAZING, I don't know what is.

Will it do the same for everyone?  Of course not.  But the potential is there, depending on your tastes and what you're looking for.

yes,  I feel the same way

AIon feels more meaningful than many MMOS that I tried before. AoC WAR etc.

I loved WoW when it was about the world, and I feel Aion can rekindle that sense of being in a magical world rather than a internet chatroom where you pick an instance to visit.

I wouldn't say its amazing, but it is a damn good game considering the shit we've had these past few years.

Feels like im playing DAoC over again, so its not like its anything new, however its refreshing in that it doesn't feel like WoW/WoW clone to me. It's a DAoC clone :D

The reason it probably gets a little over hyped is because again, we've had a string of shitty mmo's lately, and now finally something half decent comes out.

Originally posted by Wolfenpride

I wouldn't say its amazing, but it is a damn good game considering the shit we've had these past few years.

Feels like im playing DAoC over again, so its not like its anything new, however its refreshing in that it doesn't feel like WoW/WoW clone to me. It's a DAoC clone :D

The reason it probably gets a little over hyped is because again, we've had a string of shitty mmo's lately, and now finally something half decent comes out.

I don't post here much so when I do, it's about something I care about. I've been playing Aion for 2 days now, been through the ups and downs of the server lag problem. I commend the Aion staff on the swift action they are taking to fix the bugs and address the complaints of players. They fixed the lag right away, and on most servers even ones with high pop the lag is almost completely gone. I'm playing on Ishraphel and it still has lag spikes, but I tested almost all the other servers and they are running smooth, just mine needs more work, most likely due to the massive load of people playing.

I'm also a DAoC vet, so i know where you are coming from, and you are right, this game reminds me of DAoC a lot, but better. The thing I love most right now, is the fact you get exp for doing mundane things like Gathering and Crafting. I also love their Craft Request system to help you level up your Crafting skills without much effort or cost on your side.

This game was fun from lvl 1, the quests they give are interesting and serve a purpose of familiarizing you with the different aspects of the game and it's mechanics. The random stories quests are great, and the Campaign quests really give you a goal to achieve. i snatched every quest I could find, and I never once felt overloaded wtih quests. People who are used to getting max level in a week won't like this game. The highest lvl guy from my crew is 20 and he did that in 2 days. I don't know what the max level is, but I doubt even hardcore players can hit it in a week. Plus why would you? I stopped leveling around 16 to enjoy the crafting and other aspects of the game, although I did get 50% and hit 17 from Crafting hahaha. The game has an Auction hall as well as a way for players to set up private shops when they go AFK.

The flying is great, you can't fly anywhere you want, but you can Glide anywhere you want. And places where you are free to fly, you will love it. Just be careful not to fall to your Death ^_^

I would have to say I LOVE THIS GAME. I was playing RF online on a private server, one of the TOP ones too, and I gave up my Spot as RACE LEADER to go play this game, even though it's still only OBT. Take from my post what you will, if you can get into OBT and try it out, DO IT, if not, find a friend who has the game, and play on his account, you will be hooked. I'm on Asmodian side cause thats what my guild Original Swagger choose. It's not as dark and ugly as you might think, it has it's own charm, but I would have to say, the girls on Elyos are soo dam CUTE!

It's capably well balanced and it's very, very pretty... but also relatively shallow.  In a way, it's sort of a like a streamlined World of Warcraft.  That's all it is... but you know, perhaps that's all the casual player wants.

yes it amazing OMG SO GREAT GO buy FAST FAST FAST FAST

NOT kidding !

*I swear I didnt use any form of sarcasm*

lol kk

seriously Aion is good, pretty and fun but nothing extraordinary. It's just a good game that I will play with my friends

aion is meanless conbination of other popular mmos.

Definitely a good, solid game but not anything "new" technically. Still after playing WoW for so long, it feels fresh

@OP

If you don't like pointless quests and grind, then you probably won'y like Aion.

Originally posted by Nihilist

@OP

 

If you don't like pointless quests and grind, then you probably won'y like Aion.

 

 

Please define "pointless".

Some people find the quests to be boring, but plenty of others do not.  Personally, some of your most basic "go here, pick up this item, and come back" are a bit tedious (admittedly I skip through even bothering to read those), but the campaign quest lines have been well translated and offer plenty of reward for the effort, making them feel like a nice accomplishment once finished.  The cut-scenes are a very nice addition in many places, and in all it's quite entertaining so far.  I'll also add, that the questing is very streamlined in that you can round up a handful, go to an area, and get them all done.  On top of that, in spite of reading the idiots in chat, there's no excuse for not knowing where to go for a quest - the game includes a dictionary as part of the quest log with saved locations for quest mobs/items which will highlight your radar and map with their location.  It's about as anti-grind as it can be, and no player should need to grind killing mobs, at least for what I've seen thus far with exp rewards on the quests.

So far, I'm only level 11, and frankly I was beginning to get bored by the time I hit level 8 (only a few offensive skills as a priest - got a bit boring), but then I got into my ascension quest line, and the other finisher for the starter area, and the boredom quickly went away.  Joined a group to do a very mob-intensive area, which was quite fun (being a priest), got it all wrapped up, then finally got my wings, chose my class path, and got to go to the city.  New skills, nice weapon reward, and fresh armor and suddenly combat became different, much more involved, and exciting all over again.

In all honesty, though, reading about this game from the outside did nothing for me.  I wasn't hyped, or excited... merely curious at a point.  Then I played.  Is it ground-breaking?  No.  Is it better than I expected so far?  You betcha.  I'd say try it in beta if you can, or wait for a trial if not (unless buying a game you might not like doesn't bother you).  My expectations were low, and have been exceeded to a huge degree.  Would I have found this out if I'd not pony'd up $7 to FP to get into beta?  Probably not.  Curiousity just got the better of me.  Screw the speculations from the fanboys and haters.  Try the game and decide for yourself.

Originally posted by Shiymmas

Originally posted by Nihilist

@OP

 

If you don't like pointless quests and grind, then you probably won'y like Aion.

 

 

 

Please define "pointless".

 

Some people find the quests to be boring, but plenty of others do not.  Personally, some of your most basic "go here, pick up this item, and come back" are a bit tedious (admittedly I skip through even bothering to read those), but the campaign quest lines have been well translated and offer plenty of reward for the effort, making them feel like a nice accomplishment once finished.  The cut-scenes are a very nice addition in many places, and in all it's quite entertaining so far.  I'll also add, that the questing is very streamlined in that you can round up a handful, go to an area, and get them all done.  On top of that, in spite of reading the idiots in chat, there's no excuse for not knowing where to go for a quest - the game includes a dictionary as part of the quest log with saved locations for quest mobs/items which will highlight your radar and map with their location.  It's about as anti-grind as it can be, and no player should need to grind killing mobs, at least for what I've seen thus far with exp rewards on the quests.

 

So far, I'm only level 11, and frankly I was beginning to get bored by the time I hit level 8 (only a few offensive skills as a priest - got a bit boring), but then I got into my ascension quest line, and the other finisher for the starter area, and the boredom quickly went away.  Joined a group to do a very mob-intensive area, which was quite fun (being a priest), got it all wrapped up, then finally got my wings, chose my class path, and got to go to the city.  New skills, nice weapon reward, and fresh armor and suddenly combat became different, much more involved, and exciting all over again.

 

In all honesty, though, reading about this game from the outside did nothing for me.  I wasn't hyped, or excited... merely curious at a point.  Then I played.  Is it ground-breaking?  No.  Is it better than I expected so far?  You betcha.  I'd say try it in beta if you can, or wait for a trial if not (unless buying a game you might not like doesn't bother you).  My expectations were low, and have been exceeded to a huge degree.  Would I have found this out if I'd not pony'd up $7 to FP to get into beta?  Probably not.  Curiousity just got the better of me.  Screw the speculations from the fanboys and haters.  Try the game and decide for yourself.

Thats just one of the game changers for me at least. Once you get past the typical questing BS and hit lvl 9 and get that quest. Bam, everything just changes. For me the Cutscene was really cool and I enjoyed that moment jumping off the landing area in the abyss and starting to fly.  Quick kill, hit lvl 10, go to the main city, pick up my new weapon and skills. I was hooked. I really had to convince myself to stop playing after 20 because I didn't want to get any higher and know that my toon was gunna get deleted before the game got released. 

Sad thing is quite a few people just want to give in before they even hit lvl 5. They do one quest and already start bitching that "It's another get this and go there quest." A bit true but... isn't every MMO like that? What game hasn't asked you to do that? Even bloody EVE a space MMO tells you to do that and it's even more annoying in that game because getting to places can take a day... A whole day to get to a starsystem... really? come on. 

Ranting again but anyway, back to topic. The more you stick it out in Aion the more you grow to love it. As many people already said, the best stuff comes towards the endgame. It's not just a "clone".

It is a well done game. I like that there are only a few guests at any given moment, no 25 long questlogs. You got a few tasks you take care of them. I liked how  grouping worked, there is far more reason to group up.

Combat is fun and it looks good. The point is to have fun,.

Far from amazing but the thing is that Aion will benefit greatly because nothing that good out and it is really a polished game. About the time i got to level 12 in open beta I think I just got really tired of fed ex quests.

i agree, aion is going to be released at a very fortunate time

Champions online is the only mmo i can think of that stirr'ed up any interest these days, save the gw2 trailer, news of thw wow expansion, and a few other small things

With this drought Aion is a sizable game to be brought about. I mean most gamers are in need of a new game and here it is.

Played it for a bit, but i seriously can't get past the Korean look. Its very polished and well done though.

It's not amazing, but it's not WoW. It's different, has its own unique features, mimics some of those used in other MMO's.

But it's new, it's sorta different and it's the new game. This hype happened with AoC, WAR and now Aion. But guaranteed Aion will be much more successful than AoC and WAR. Simply because the devs aren't cocky or arrogant. They never jumped on the stage and overhyped the game like with WAR. They simply stated what the game has, lived up to what they said. Had tons of betas, people are playing exactly what the devs said. The service is good, the customer support is great. Everything it was supposed to be it is. And it's also a lot of fun. More so than AoC and WAR. There's nothing unexpected or nothing that was left out. What's in the game is in the game and it's fun, interesting and different. The PvP is great, the PVE has some new features that make it slightly different.

All-in-all. It's a good MMO, not amazing, not fantastic. But it's good, especially for a Korean MMO. I'd say its equal to or slightly better than WoW, but that's subjective and many won't like it. But I know a lot will and this game shouldn't have issues with getting at least 1mil subs and that's all it needs. I can't see any issues with it like in WAR. Everyone that's been playing it is enjoying it. The devs are responding to the players, rapidly updating, enhancing, fixing and improving the game. It will be all that you thought it would be and more. And what it is, is a lot of fun.

Definitely nothing revolutionary. It's simply just new, and for those bored of WoW. This is one of the best alternatives to WoW on the market. AoC is ok, but the customer support is bad and the game is lacking in content. WAR PvP is terrible(better than Wow), the customer support sucks, devs dont seem to care and dont fix issues like class balance.

As long as the devs for Aion continue to work hard, listen to the players and sort out of known issues before it's to late. This will be a great alternative for tired WoW players. Until a better MMO comes out, which will be a while.

So ya, it's nothing spectacular, but it is new, it is different, it does have some new features, great graphics, awesome pvp, amazing game world and a nice balance of classes. I'm enjoying it atm, but at this point I was also enjoying WAR. So anything could happen.

It FEELS fresh and that's all that matters. Doesn't matter if it's orginal or not... even though I think it has plenty of different features and thus I would call it orginal. The art design really pulls you in. It's pretty stable for a NA launch and so yeah... I would say it's amazing.

Of all the MMOs I've played I would say this better than WAR, Champions Online, Vanguard, CoX, The Chonicles of Spellborn, D&D Online, EverQuest 2, and Age of Conan. It's at least as good as WoW and Lord of the Rings. The only MMOs out there that are better than this one are Guild Wars and FFXI. (That is all my opinion but it should give some people an idea of where I think it falls in the list of MMOs.)

Originally posted by altairzq

Just played for 2 hours so I'm just talking about first impression (which is very important btw). It's very similar to WoW, with most features a bit improved, except smoothnes and animations, WoW is still on top of that, although Aion is pretty good.

 

 

I know this was way up there but.... How can you think WoW has better animations.

Casting a spell looks like your about to blow someones arm off.  In wow It looked like I was playing dance dance revolution.

But then again all of WoWs style seemed like a 80s saturday cartoon. 

Maybe you have a old card or something. But the movements are fluid and so is the cloth.  Sound is even top notch.

About the topic....

I wouldnt say amazing cause its not my favorite type of mmo (Big on "sandbox") But the game is realy immersive.

Ive even found myself reading some quets.  One of em I dont know if it was a quest chain or something but I had to give a guy a book about nymphs and I started killing stuff.  Got a book as a drop and it was about the same guy but long story short im hiding out at a waterfall trying to steal a girls dress.

Graphics and art style mesh good.  Animations and sound are solid (for the classes I played).  Weather and NPC mob interaction are a plus aswell.

The potential is there.

Nothing ground breaking just a solid mmo that might be able to pull off a game with pve & pvp that does not suk.  Time will tell.

NA peeps can play OB, just reg at FP (not paying customer):  www.fileplanet.com/promotions/aion/beta/

Originally posted by natuxatu

The only MMOs out there that are better than this one are Guild Wars and FFXI.

Guild Wars is a good game, but how can it compare on the MMO level?

You can only meet other players in the cities. Once you are playing in the world you are completely alone with you 6 people party (or completely alone if you are not in a party). You will never ever see any other players in the game world.

To me, the fun in mmos is the community interaction. You meet people when you are playing, you help people / people help you, you make/join parties, you make friends you would never meet otherwise, you see player events happening around you,...

Guild wars doesn't have this. It's a good multi-player game, but an mmo? don't think so.

edit: I agree with the rest of your post though.