Originally posted by elocke

After trying the trial on this 2 weeks ago, I came to this conclusion. In order for this game to get any type of player base it needs to change 2 things. First a graphics overhaul. They are just horrible, secondly, controls need to be brought up to mmorpg standard. I shouldn't have to fight with the UI and keyboard to walk 5 steps, which I was doing.

Fix these and I would gladly play the game possibly even pay.

Hmm... went back in game and tried moving around - I'm not having any trouble moving using either arrow or wasd keys.  However I did cut my MMO teeth in SWG, which had similar limitations in being able to jump on objects or over things so perhaps that is it.  As far as regular movement I've found no issue. 

I agree that the graphics are dated.  Not on the level of Anarchy Online dated :-) but there is a gap between the level of say LOTRO graphics and the tech being used in Istaria.  The draw of the game is the content and the community so if those two things don't do it for you then you're not likely to be an Istarian.  

Originally posted by Reiden

...

However, I found your original statement to be innacurate.  The original trailers for the game before it launched were all about the tension between the races, coming together to fight against the blight.  PvP has never been a factor, and the tiny pvp arena which they implemented after the initial release, is so hidden that even many people that have played for several years don't even know it exists.

Istaria is about the story, and about being able to play as a dragon, which no other game to date has done successfully, and very few have even attempted.

Considering it's history, this game puts all others to shame. Bipeds may not be as exciting as dragons, but they are free to play and they all share the same world.  Try it out.

The original design of Horizons was based on PvP. It was dropped early to get the game out concentrating on PvE. Just like the original magic system was never implemented. Shame really, the original design specs were fantastic. They did follow through on the crafting part though. It was well done IMO.

Originally posted by Mysk

Yeah.  Horizons.

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setview/features/gameID/17/loadFeature/957

^ The comments should be fun, too.

vnboards.ign.com/ac2_general_board/b5427/70642079/p1/

I remember a funny story about someone complaining about being charged twice for a month of play and someone from EI called him up and threatened to sue him for libel.  Been so long I can't remember if it actually happened but it was funny to see how rediculous this "company" was. 

 The following link lists all the original intended races and some core mechanics that were never introduced. Was interesting to see how much was, and still is, let out of this game.

http://the-enclave.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/49570508/m/46770508

Nice link, and just the tip of the iceberg. As quoted from another site:

"Anyone who read the documents on his magic system would know that it was the most innovative system ever. The spatial, elemental, linguistic, and focus spell manipulations were pure art; magic in the old horizons was dynamic and fluid."

I was really looking forward to that design. It had much more depth than any game I know today, other than RPGs that are not online. Required study and research. I wish I could find more about the original game. All the games I have followed and loved the design have gone by the wayside.

EDIT: I also liked that you could combine different spells to get other spells.

I dunno.  Maybe some of that magic and astoundingness stuck around in Istaria.

I'm a pretty jaded player by now as far as MMO's go.  It took me about a week of Aion to say eh... wings.. right then... and I had BOUGHT the **** game lol.   I've played a wide range of games from paperbased D&D to that fun combat one where everyone hung around in the Serpent and made up spicy stories instead of leveling.  Istaria really has me hooked.

It might not be what folks were expecting 6 years ago but it is providing something as a game right now that I am not seeing anywhere else.  It's hard, intricate, difficult to research, and confusing at times.  It's older as far as graphics and there are so many choices at any given moment that sometimes my toon just spins around in circles as I decide to go here.. no here.. no whatabout here.. lol.  It has detailed lore that requires reading, and a leveling process that is nothing short of insane as the options for classes are so flexible you can't make up your mind what to level in first.

It's harder than WoW.  Harder than the current version of SWG but equal to the old pre-NCU version of SWG.  It's as intricate as LOTRO and even as crazy with the options as Anarchy Online.   Nothing happens fast in this game - you don't level fast, you don't craft upper level stuff fast, you don't learn the game fast.

I guess that's why I'm hooked.   I like to play games that are interesting and pull me into their reality, and while Istaria might not be all that it was supposed to be what it is now is very fun - and challenging- to play.

I beta-ed and played Horizons in the beginning.. it was cool to play a dragon for sure (and a shame no other MMO that I know of has dragons as a playable race) but the underpowered dragons, the unfulfilled promises, the pulling of the plug then the buying out by Tulga, then the change to Istaria.. the game became an epic fail and I am surprised it is still around. Good luck to all the players still holding out and playing the game... but I wouldn't go back to that mess for any amount of money.

Originally posted by Astrialla

 

It might not be what folks were expecting 6 years ago but it is providing something as a game right now that I am not seeing anywhere else.  It's hard, intricate, difficult to research, and confusing at times.  It's older as far as graphics and there are so many choices at any given moment that sometimes my toon just spins around in circles as I decide to go here.. no here.. no whatabout here.. lol.  It has detailed lore that requires reading, and a leveling process that is nothing short of insane as the options for classes are so flexible you can't make up your mind what to level in first.

It's harder than WoW.  Harder than the current version of SWG but equal to the old pre-NCU version of SWG.  It's as intricate as LOTRO and even as crazy with the options as Anarchy Online.   Nothing happens fast in this game - you don't level fast, you don't craft upper level stuff fast, you don't learn the game fast.

I guess that's why I'm hooked.   I like to play games that are interesting and pull me into their reality, and while Istaria might not be all that it was supposed to be what it is now is very fun - and challenging- to play.

I think you hit the nail on the head. This game isn't for everyone -- but if you're looking for something with flexibility and challenge, you'll find it here. It's improving all the time... new content is rolling in. Things can only get better, IMHO.

It's sad that the game still seems to be judged by what people remember it didn't do when it was released... more than half a decade ago. I understand disappointments, I really do. However, I think there is a lot that it DOES do now being overlooked, especially  in the right development hands. Hopefully there's people out there, even those who have never heard of it before, willing to give it a shot - especially with a free to play type account available. :)

I too,  am amazed when players that never even tried this game will talk about things that didn't make it into the game. Other will go on and on about being disappointed about  this or that. Some, will even spend years trying to make everyone feel what they feel about the disappointments they perceive. 

The fact is that this game is certainly not going to appeal to everyone.

It is complex, it is unapologetic about it's game play, it is not a game where you can speed to the top. When I see new players that are trying the game comment about how "hard" it is and that the game does not lead you by the hand, I feel a sense of pride in what I have accomplished in this game.

The most notable thing about Istaria to me, is that it really cannot be compared to any of the games out there directly, since none of them have the same features. There is a uniqueness in all aspects of game play.

Where else can you actually play all sides of a game on a single character?  ( 19 crafting classes, 28 adventure classes ) 

What other game allows you to craft everything you need?  ( weapons, armor, potions, tools, foods... ) 

Where else can you build a structure that is seen in the game world by any other player, and that affects their ability to get around or access content?  ( Bridges, crafting stations, access tunnels... ) 

This is just the beginning of the richness that is in Istaria. If you spend time comparing it to other games you are just wasting time that could be spent trying it out to see for yourself.

And before anyone thinks that this is just another blind fanboi post, you should know that I have been in Istaira off and on for 6+ years, my main ( Aamer Khan )  has often had it out with the developers, and many times had posts deleted or been chastised for my opinions. I have played almost all the other MMORPG's like EQ, EQ2, AOC, WOL, Vanguard, and many of the F2P ones as well.

So I am not blind. If anything I see very clearly why everyone should try Istaria, and see for themselves what awaits them...

Istaria was the first MMO I fell in love with. I am very happy to see that they are getting new content and maybe pulling in a new player base. Dragons FTW

 Does the game now support Vista or 7? i used to love this game. BTW does anyone happen to know a current population status?   Any answers would be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Originally posted by Munkyman1

 Does the game now support Vista or 7? i used to love this game. BTW does anyone happen to know a current population status?   Any answers would be most appreciated.

 

Thank you.

Yea it works on Vista and 7. 

Well, I did play the game in beta. I am not commenting on a game I never played.

In any case, I am not knocking the game as it is today, I am sure it is fine. It had potential when I played in beta, it was just not ready. It may be now. I am sure a lot of people will like or even love this game, especially now that it is in the hands of someone that cares about it.

I just have to keep searching until I find the game that I have been wanting. Not every game is for everyone.

I''m very happy for the Horizon's players. I know many of  yall have played through a ton of crap. I played Horizons 40-50 hours a week for over 3 years and know what a great game it is. I endured all the bugs, client crashes, new owners...ect because Horizons truely was a game ahead of it's time. 

I left to play Vanguard simply because there where so few people playing and I wanted to start over in something new. Vanguard was yet another game of great potential....the road to mmorpg hell is paved with stones of great potential it seems....

I bought my son WoW ( thats my story and I'm sticking to it !!) ..started playing it too and having more fun than I care to admit ...it's a much better game than I thought it would be. 

I only game around 10 hours a week now..WoW is great for the casual player.

Anyways....grats Horizon players ! There have been many attempts at a dungeon and yall finally got one!

I sure miss playing Horizons. I miss the multi classing, dragon toons, crafting, player housing, land ownership, the many races and professions available, great player base...all that. * wonders if the Legendary Heroes guild is still in game *

I don't miss the lag, low player populations, and the extreme disappointment of watching a true gem of a game continue to live on life support.

My hope is that some day a Horizons 2 will launch with all the great features of Horizons combined with the refinement of WoW.

Beta and 3 years of release here and I can tell you exactly what made me finally call it quits. I loved my friends there and even met one of my best friends in Horizons but it just wasn't enough to overshadow the memory leaks, the immense lagfest that would ensue after even an hour of said memory leaks (we're talking playing at 4FPS people; it was an "inside joke" with us players. I even did a 12 days of Christmas song together with the other players on the forums and guess what day 5 was... "Fiiiiive, F P S" :P), and... the grind.

OMG the grind was horrid.

Spending half an hour or more mining/harvesting massive amounts of raw materials out in BFE only to spend 5-15+ minutes trudging back to a work station in order to spend a minute or two TOPS to mass refine the raws then mass construct + mass deconstruct, rinse and repeat until it's all gone wasn't my idea of fun after leveling every crafting school with about half of them at 100 before I left.

Or maybe you'd change it up a bit, spend 45 minutes filling up with raw materials, trudge back for about 15, refine it all and leave it in your disk which you just parked at the workstation area. Then you'd spend over an hour or two running back and forth gathering your cargo armor's fill of raws, refining, storing those in the disk. You'd finally reach the point where your disk is full and your so full of refined materials that making any further trips for raws would be fruitless so you begin the mass construct/deconstruct madness. Oh! I managed a level that time... That took >.< 5 minutes... Back to spending 3+ hours gathering and refining again! YIPPEE!!!

Don't get me wrong, HZ had me hooked for 3 years and there are wonderful people there (some of my friends do still play after all ;) ) but I couldn't take it anymore and when I heard about the sell to EI just before the Confectioner revamp patch was meant to come - and it never did until Vitrium took over - I felt it was the perfect time to bow out (and a damn good decision on my part IMO after hearing all the horror stories as they went down for that dreaded year of failed ownership).

There are things I miss. It has some awesome music and a darn good community. I'll always remember that first time I stepped into a blighted area and the sky darkening gave me a chill up my spine. The freeing of the Dryads. The blight cleansing event for the home of the Elves. Being the only dedicated Spearman. LOL  All fond memories but that's all HZ/Istaria will ever be for me.

I'm glad those of you sticking around are getting more content but for those of you who don't understand how this game didn't just take off and soar, I hope I've elucidated that point a bit without delving too much into HZ's sorted developer history.

Howdy Snow! Aamer Khan here, and let me say its is diff now.

Back in your day truging with a disk load of anything would be very slow, as the disk would limit your speed. Now, the disks still limit your speed, but very little.  My tarbash Marble only lowers your speed by say 32 points .. so with normal buffs even with a totally full disk I still run faster then unbuffed. 

And where as I fully understand how you feel, a few in the forums have commented on how they like the relaxing nature of gathering while chatting with friends.

The reality is that its better now then when you last played.

Let me add that the game itself plays far better than it used to, as well. I remember the lag-bog Tazoon once was and the dread of porting from the early days, too.

VI has done a lot of work to the client -- especially making the jump to compatibility for Vista and Windows 7. I run on a Win 7 box myself and have been pleasantly surprised with the stability of the game for such a new OS. That's not to say I never get glitches, bugs or crashes -- you're always going to have some issues with just about any game. But they've certainly been putting a lot of work into getting it running well for the majority of people and snuffing out bugs when they are reported.

Im stepping away from the herd here and saying I am going to give the game a try. If its fun and the community is good I may even go as far to sub this game. I believe in second chances when a company (or new company) steps up and tries to keep a title going that obviously has something going for it.

Ive smacked talked my share of games as well in the past but have also revisited them after a major overhaul or improvements have been made to them, this game is no exception.

So heres to giving things another chance and with a free account you really have nothing  to lose but the DL time. Heres to Istaria for trying to make a comeback, who knows maybe the shadow of the past will be forgiven considering the circumstances.

I must say I kinda miss the game and the community. Top notch and I wish another game had crafting anything like it.

But after playing so many modern MMOs with far superior graphics it was too ahrd going back to Istaria. If you don't need eye popping fresh graphics and enjoy a community game and can enjoy flying around as a dragon or crafting your own town you should try the game. I'd love to see what the development team could do with some money.

If they ever got that old expansion idea resurrected with Dryad housing and a graphics make-over I could gladly come back to this game.

[UPDATE on Istaria (formerly Horizons]

What can I say but this game is what a REAL MMO SHOULD BE! Ive spent 13 hours non stop playing this game yesterday and I cant wait to get back in it today! I took the free account over the trial but now I want to check out the trial so I can get my hands on all the humanoid characters as well as the dragons!

I had never played this title before till now cause I thought it was totally dead, but thats further from the truth. If there was a MMO utopia where total sandbox gameplay and a really down to earth and helping community was ever to be, this game is it!

Where do I start on the features I love best? I cant get enough of the crafting, the classless system, not only being able to create your own home but a entire town if you choose, I hear you can actually design your own dragons lair the way ya want and a ton more. The learning curve for UI and overlal gameplay is a bit tedious at first, but because of the elite community thats in place now, it made it a lot easier to get used to the game than normal. A Fantastic community I might add!

now for the cons...

Before i say anything about the graphics Ill state that though thats not the most important thing to me, it is something for me that creates immersion. For as old as Istaria (Horizons) is I was pretty impressed with how well the graphics stood up. Imo what would really make this game come back to life is either a new overhaul on the engine, a quality increase in models and some textures as well as a more user friendly UI. I could see this game get a face lift like AO got and then some if the subs go up considerably, and they should, this game is becoming a blast to play!

All I can say is if you havent tried this game and you love a real sandbox PvE type MMO, give this one a try as Im almost sure you will end up playing, like I did, for 13+ hours straight.

Back to Istaria. Game on!