I hear this game is rather sandbox, which is nice. However, before I dump 50 bucks into it (I've been duped enough by recent MMO's to do that again ) I want to clear up a few concerns and questions first.

Firstly - I understand that this game has a lot of solo and duo play, which is good - but to what extent can you solo or duo (spouse is also mildly interested and may play )?

How much of a "sandbox" is it, and at end game does it follow the formula of either farm, craft, or raid - or are there other gameplay options?

Just how awful are the graphics and the bugs? Screenshots often don't do a game justice so I'd like to know firsthand if they are really subpar, average, or decent graphics. I know that graphics don't make a game good or bad, but I really couldn't stand the graphics in say.... EQ2 or Aion. One was way too sparkly pretty and the other just had awful art design and animations (EQ2)

Lastly, how's the RP community? I'm a casual RPer and it seems that a post apoc. world would be a great setting for some roleplay, but I know MMO's often have a distinct lack of an RP community.

Thanks in advance
 

The game isn't sandbox at all.... it has cookie cutter classes, and linear quests (but there are a ton of quests)

Crafting is a huge grind... there is no community for craffables or resources... low to mid level characters can make all their own gear...

Basically the game plays like this -- do quests, get levels, then craft your own gear so your equpment matches with your level... repeat and rinse this every 3-7 levels.

Graphics are decent....

No RP, perhaps there's an RP guild.

I've been taking my time with the game and am mostly enjoying myself.  However, it definitely doesn't seem 'sandbox', even if that term seems a bit overused here anyway.  From what I've seen so far you're mostly forced to do all the various lowbie zones due to some quests offering AP in each of them and you'll want all the AP you want (it is used to purchase skills, stats, etc.).

In regards to the last poster...are there really 'cookie cutter' classes?  You can choose various templates to follow to develop your character, but you're definitely not forced to do so.  However, if you spread your AP across tons of skills, you'll end up a jack of all trades, master of none - and you can't respec to change your mind later.

The graphics are decent, but I think the graphics in Half-Life 2 were better?  The shadows are a bit blocky, and the colors are earthy tones and washed out a bit as well.  Either way, I'd not say the game looks 'awful' or anything. :)

Crafting is grindy (is it ever NOT?), but you get better items crafting that you'll find on mobs you kill.  Plus, you can do any crafting you want and you don't have to just be an armorer (only real limitation is based on your int and perception stats).

Community seems crap in my opinion, but at least the Help channel has people who will answer questions.  I've never seen RP (maybe there is some coordinated RP listed on the we somewhere), and the game is a bit crowded now so everyone is out for him or herself, making it hard to get gathering nodes and quest mobs sometimes.  This is compounded by the high-level character who roam lower areas (I'm just in Sector 1) grinding out quests for AP.

Anyway, I'm having some fun, don't get me wrong.  However, I probably won't renew after the 1st month is up.  What I plan to do is give it a few months and then come back.  I've not made up my minds in regards to resubbing or not, though - I'll do that just before the month is up. :)

Originally posted by momodig

The game isn't sandbox at all.... it has cookie cutter classes, and linear quests (but there are a ton of quests)

 

Crafting is a huge grind... there is no community for craffables or resources... low to mid level characters can make all their own gear...

 

Basically the game plays like this -- do quests, get levels, then craft your own gear so your equpment matches with your level... repeat and rinse this every 3-7 levels.

 

Graphics are decent....

 

No RP, perhaps there's an RP guild.

Do not listen to this person as they havent played at all. 

Uhm, okay well, yes the game is sandboxy, your classes are what you make them, if you want to specialize in rifle, pistol, melee, you can do that. If you want to specialize in healing and mutations and melee you can do that too.  You can craft items and harvest, and such based on the skills you know, which you can purchase skill books to raise skills. In later levels of crafting you can craft your own skill books as they get pretty expensive.

The game has guidelines on certain classes if you'd like to follow them, I currently am not following them as I'm going in between a pistoleer and a crafter.  It shows you what stats those types of players should favor most.  If you don't level up your crafting and harvesting skills you won't be able to do very much of anything later in the game.. but if you're strong enough in combat you can do just fine killing and selling items, as well as picking up drops along the way for gear thats usually more then adequate for your level.

The quests are sometimes linear, sometimes not.  Many people don't bother reading quests, but a few quests I've gotten have given me choices on whether I'd want to do something, or something else.  For instance, kill the person, or let it slide.. either one will yield a reward.  I haven't found too many of those, but then again, I've only done about 15 quests total as mostly I do other things to gain XP. 

End game is pretty much what you make of it, if you want to get a group together and raid a town of an opposing faction, you can do that, if you want to jump into the PVP areas and kill some people, you can do that too, if you want to grab nodes and craft and make tons of money you can do that.  As far as RPing goes, I've seen a little going on, but mostly when you first get in the game the chat is filled with the New Player channel, which you will probably want to keep open while you are learning the game.

My blog is somewhat of an RP blog, but I don't usually RP in game, but I don't think you'll have to look very hard to find people that will want to RP.

The graphics will be based on the performance of your PC more then anything. If you can run the game on high settings it looks amazing, at low settings... well... my horse looks like a brown blob.  I play on medium and do fairly well, but lag in towns.  On low settings I stay above 25 FPS at all times.    Either way the graphics are adequate.

I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..

The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

Well the old SWG and UO is sandbox, FE is not.

Originally posted by momodig

The game isn't sandbox at all.... it has cookie cutter classes, and linear quests (but there are a ton of quests)

 

Crafting is a huge grind... there is no community for craffables or resources... low to mid level characters can make all their own gear...

 

Basically the game plays like this -- do quests, get levels, then craft your own gear so your equpment matches with your level... repeat and rinse this every 3-7 levels.

 

Graphics are decent....

 

No RP, perhaps there's an RP guild.

Dead wrong in all cases. You have not played the game. There are no classes, there is a tool that has some guides to possible combinations of skills, but no classes. Quests are also completely optional. Every successful action in the game grants XP. Quests are just another option to level, and also have the benefit of having funny stories to read and participate in.

This is 2009? Who the hell stands around in a video game saying "Forsooth, where for art thou prairie chickens?". Maybe your spelling and grammar that is on the level of not even trying, puts people off from even chatting with you? Maybe? huh?

Come on now.

Originally posted by momodig

I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..

 

The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

WTF are you talking about? Were you looking for the AION forums?

Originally posted by momodig

The game isn't sandbox at all.... it has cookie cutter classes, and linear quests (but there are a ton of quests)

Umm.. No. There are no classes... at all. There are builds you can work toward... but that's down to player preference. You're not *forced* into any playstyle based on decisions made at character creation. It's completely open. 

Crafting is a huge grind... there is no community for craffables or resources... low to mid level characters can make all their own gear...

Yes, at lower levels, players can be mostly self-sufficient... However, as in other MMOs with such systems, as players progress, they tend to pick specific tradeskills to work on and become proficient in. Thus, different people will have different specialties.

 

Basically the game plays like this -- do quests, get levels, then craft your own gear so your equpment matches with your level... repeat and rinse this every 3-7 levels.

Sure, that's one way you could choose to play it. Or, you can choose to explore, scavenge for materials to sell to make money to buy gear from others..or provide the materials for others to craft for you,  perhaps with a small crafting fee... and so on.

Graphics are decent....

Subjective... I think they're fine. Others think they're awesome. Others think they suck.

No RP, perhaps there's an RP guild.

Well, you sorta answer your own statement there. You haven't seen any RP... but there could well be guilds specifically for RP'ing.

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Originally posted by momodig
I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..
 
The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

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Originally posted by momodig

I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..

There are no cookie cutter classes because there are no classes, period. IF you're thinking of builds, then those are optional and players can choose to go with those builds, or they can choose to mix up something different to suit their own playstyle. That's the beauty of a classless system... you're free to combine skills as you wish.

The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

... yeah.

Okay, I see what's going on here. I've fallen prey to a troll. Ya got me.

 

Originally posted by cyrana

 

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Originally posted by momodig
I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..
 
The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

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Could you provide some explanation here? I'm fairly low level and would like to know if there really just a couple of builds that will work at 40. That sounds a bit doubtful, I'd at least expect the template suggestions to be viable, especially given the inability to respec your AP.

 

The troll class seems to be working very well for him at high levels with a very low IQ requirement in the attributes window..

Dead wrong lol??

I'm playing the game.

No there are not "classes" in warrior, thief, mage, ranger... but techincally there are classes... crafting, meelee, rifle, pistols, mutations -- really classes doesn't have to mean warrior, thief, mage, extra blue prints... but in reality there are class don't let the skills you decide to level up fool you otherwise...  if you spread you skills wide, you will have defficulty later in game... so if you concentrate your skills... ie maybe melee/pistol or just rifle... so technically you can call those classes

Again scavenging for minerals is grinding and boring as hell, but I do admit the quest are fun... and I like the real time crafting.

Originally posted by Mrbloodworth

Originally posted by cyrana

 

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Originally posted by momodig
I totally disagree with the classes... they are cookiee cutter..
 
The skills/attributes are so limited, there isn't very much variation... not many skills/attributes... and there are 2-4 builds that work and the rest don't.

---

Could you provide some explanation here? I'm fairly low level and would like to know if there really just a couple of builds that will work at 40. That sounds a bit doubtful, I'd at least expect the template suggestions to be viable, especially given the inability to respec your AP.

 

The troll class seems to be working very well for him at high levels with a very low IQ requirement in the attributes window..

Who's to say what builds work at the high levels and what builds don't?  Maybe there are only a certain number of builds for someone who does combat? Maybe there are countless variations?  If you find the build you are using now is more then viable for what you are trying to accomplish then obviously it works.. and it will keep working at high levels.  I'm a crafter pistoleer.. theres no build for that, but I'm having a blast and I do exactly what I want to do.  Just get a very clear idea of what you're looking for and let the builds guide you or give you some understanding on what you should use to achieve that.   

Can someone explain how the grouping is in FE. I play MMO's for interaction with real people. If I want to play a single player online role playing game i'll just play a single player game and feel all alone in the world. Since MMO's I havent been able to play a single player game since ...what....1992?? But here lately a lot of the so called new MMO's that have been released are just that. I have several on my shelf now that managed to make me feel ripped off or pissed off. Most of the new releases I havent managed to even complete my free month before cancelling.It's pitiful really no interaction hardly at all. I am really finding myself becoming more and more interested in Fallen Earth and any input would be great. Oh and can I play it on a single core 2.8ish GHZ machine /w like a 9500GT card?

I can live with not grouping a lot if there is at least an interactive economy of some sort. I just hate that feeling of all alone in the universe which to me is just wrong in an MMO.....

Originally posted by momodig

Dead wrong lol??

 

I'm playing the game.

 

No there are not "classes" in warrior, thief, mage, ranger... but techincally there are classes... crafting, meelee, rifle, pistols, mutations -- really classes doesn't have to mean warrior, thief, mage, extra blue prints... but in reality there are class don't let the skills you decide to level up fool you otherwise...  if you spread you skills wide, you will have defficulty later in game... so if you concentrate your skills... ie maybe melee/pistol or just rifle... so technically you can call those classes

 

Again scavenging for minerals is grinding and boring as hell, but I do admit the quest are fun... and I like the real time crafting.

How is what you just said different then in SWG pre NGE where you had class guides that you could build up to make special classes.. I was a rifleman/bounty hunter  ....  now I'm a crafter/pistoleer..

Hm, so less sandbox than what I've initially heard via the grapevine, with somewhat typical  quest/farm/grind set up, but open class development and (so far) limited RP options?

I think I'll wait on this one a little longer and see how it progresses. I just really don't want to spend more money on another game I end up sticking in the computer game box in the closet and never looking at again :/ so many of those these last 2 years.

Thanks for the replies.

Originally posted by KaitarBesh

Hm, so less sandbox than what I've initially heard via the grapevine, with somewhat typical  quest/farm/grind set up, but open class development and (so far) limited RP options?

 

I think I'll wait on this one a little longer and see how it progresses. I just really don't want to spend more money on another game I end up sticking in the computer game box in the closet and never looking at again :/ so many of those these last 2 years.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Well, if you are put off by a forum troll, then you are probably not ready to take advantage of what FE has to offer... kind of a pity as a LOT of us feel FE is the most refreshing game to come onto the mmo scene for a long time.

Regarding RP in Fallen Earth, I think people are just getting to know the game at the moment and an RP community will grow steadily. Just the other night someone posted if there was interest in an RP guild he was thinking of forming. I responded and we chatted a while. He said he'd had 5 other responses from just one comment in regional chat - and that was a faction specific RP guild.

If you'd like to make a decent, informed decision I'd head to the official site and read about the factions and the skill system for starters. I'm beginning to see that forums such as these are difficult to use for those truly wanting information. You could also ask people who do enjoy FE why they like it... that might give you some insight. In fact, there are quite a few threads which already answer this question.

Originally posted by momodig

Dead wrong lol??

 

I'm playing the game.

 

No there are not "classes" in warrior, thief, mage, ranger... but techincally there are classes... crafting, meelee, rifle, pistols, mutations -- really classes doesn't have to mean warrior, thief, mage, extra blue prints... but in reality there are class don't let the skills you decide to level up fool you otherwise...  if you spread you skills wide, you will have defficulty later in game... so if you concentrate your skills... ie maybe melee/pistol or just rifle... so technically you can call those classes

So basically, you ignore the definition of classes that's universally used for every MMO. You instead apply your own definition to it for the sake of making a point in this debate. Oooookay. Sorry, but that won't fly.

When people say a MMO is 'sandbox', there are myriad different ideas that people will have as to what that means; that leaves it up to some debate.

But when you say a MMO has classes, there's nothing nebulous about it. Classes are very specific setups with pre-determined skills and abilities available to them. The player is limited to train whatever skills are pre-determined for their chosen class and does not have the freedom to train something outside that particular 'box'.  That does not describe FE's system. Sorry, but your spin on it here is wrong.

What you describe... rifles, melee, etc. are different skill sets, not classes. A player picks and chooses their skills based on what type of playstyle they prefer... They are not, however, limited to specific choices based on a decision they made at character creation. The "flaw" you try to point out is a non-issue as players are going to gravitate toward a playstyle that works for them. That doesn't prevent them, however, from mixing a little of other skills they might be interested in.

Or... more specifically...
In a class-based game, if you choose a Mage, you are not going to be able to wield a rifle or swing a sword on that character no matter how much you want to, because your class don't allow it.

In FE, or another sandbox-like MMO, you can choose to train in magic and swords, or be a shotgun wielding brawler.... You are not restricted by pre-defined classes. 

 

Originally posted by Strap

Originally posted by KaitarBesh

Hm, so less sandbox than what I've initially heard via the grapevine, with somewhat typical  quest/farm/grind set up, but open class development and (so far) limited RP options?

 

I think I'll wait on this one a little longer and see how it progresses. I just really don't want to spend more money on another game I end up sticking in the computer game box in the closet and never looking at again :/ so many of those these last 2 years.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Well, if you are put off by a forum troll, then you are probably not ready to take advantage of what FE has to offer... kind of a pity as a LOT of us feel FE is the most refreshing game to come onto the mmo scene for a long time.

 

Regarding RP in Fallen Earth, I think people are just getting to know the game at the moment and an RP community will grow steadily. Just the other night someone posted if there was interest in an RP guild he was thinking of forming. I responded and we chatted a while. He said he'd had 5 other responses from just one comment in regional chat - and that was a faction specific RP guild.

 

If you'd like to make a decent, informed decision I'd head to the official site and read about the factions and the skill system for starters. I'm beginning to see that forums such as these are difficult to use for those truly wanting information. You could also ask people who do enjoy FE why they like it... that might give you some insight. In fact, there are quite a few threads which already answer this question.

 

 

I wasn't "put off" by what the supposed troll said. I was trying to see if the game had a bit more to offer than most MMO's. So far it seems that most people here have said that you can craft, farm, or quest.  Which currently I can sort of do in the other MMO's I already own, so for now I'll hold off buying another one that offers those same things. I was asking if there was -more- to this game than crafting, questing or farming. If there's not, that doesn't mean it's a bad game, but I'm hoping for something a little more innovative and less same ol' stuff. That's all.

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Originally posted by KaitarBesh 
I wasn't "put off" by what the supposed troll said. I was trying to see if the game had a bit more to offer than most MMO's. So far it seems that most people here have said that you can craft, farm, or quest.  Which currently I can sort of do in the other MMO's I already own, so for now I'll hold off buying another one that offers those same things. I was asking if there was -more- to this game than crafting, questing or farming. If there's not, that doesn't mean it's a bad game, but I'm hoping for something a little more innovative and less same ol' stuff. That's all.

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Originally posted by cyrana

[quote]Originally posted by KaitarBesh 
I wasn't "put off" by what the supposed troll said. I was trying to see if the game had a bit more to offer than most MMO's. So far it seems that most people here have said that you can craft, farm, or quest.  Which currently I can sort of do in the other MMO's I already own, so for now I'll hold off buying another one that offers those same things. I was asking if there was -more- to this game than crafting, questing or farming. If there's not, that doesn't mean it's a bad game, but I'm hoping for something a little more innovative and less same ol' stuff. That's all.[/b][/quote]
Well, is there ever somehing else to do? The only thing ever different in games is the presentation of the same things from what I can see. At least its mixed up a bit in FE.

Almost never is there anything new.

Hence why I am WAITING for an MMO that does offer something new. That's why I came to ask about this game, because the term "sandbox" was used in describing it. I'm not bashing the game, it's probably just not my thing if it's following the usual MMO template, is all.

Originally posted by KaitarBesh

Originally posted by cyrana

[quote]Originally posted by KaitarBesh 
I wasn't "put off" by what the supposed troll said. I was trying to see if the game had a bit more to offer than most MMO's. So far it seems that most people here have said that you can craft, farm, or quest.  Which currently I can sort of do in the other MMO's I already own, so for now I'll hold off buying another one that offers those same things. I was asking if there was -more- to this game than crafting, questing or farming. If there's not, that doesn't mean it's a bad game, but I'm hoping for something a little more innovative and less same ol' stuff. That's all.[/b][/quote]
Well, is there ever somehing else to do? The only thing ever different in games is the presentation of the same things from what I can see. At least its mixed up a bit in FE.

 

Almost never is there anything new.

 

Hence why I am WAITING for an MMO that does offer something new. That's why I came to ask about this game, because the term "sandbox" was used in describing it. I'm not bashing the game, it's probably just not my thing if it's following the usual MMO template, is all.

What kind of different are you looking for? There is only so much without making a real life sim you can do. Its how its presented that will make it different for folks. If you have never tried EVE give that a go. It has politics, you can be a pirate and all sorts of open ended options. Beyond that I think you may be looking for a Nirvana of MMOs that will never exist.