Originally posted by aesperus

It's interesting that noone seems to be mentioning that they've already had 2 major downtimes on a 3day head start (totalling ~8hours down). Not to mention, the game still has bugs from closed beta.  Gear loadout still doesn't work right, some of the boss encounters bug out on occasion, some of the major quests are still bugged in certain dimensions (cerberus seems to have it the worst). The launch isn't bad, but I see a lot of people with rosy glasses over what is essentiall a paid beta.

Rift had a smoother launch, so did TOR, hell, most of the AAA games in the past few years have had smoother launches. It's definitely a lot better than AoC's, but that doesn't make it a good launch.

Considering they advertised 4h for patch but it did not even take 2h for one of them I would say that while you are not wearing rosy glasses you are just making the same ignorant post as done with every game, and every launch already.

Why not form your opinion based on your actual experience instead of conlcusions made from others?

I assume it have bugs, even if I never seen for instance boss encounters yet, hence any bugs there is not problematic for me... How about you, honestly? (You did not have any problems with them patching the game otherwise you would not have stated 8h downtime.)

The launcher said head start would be UP TO 3 days, also this must be your first mmo experience then.

The launch was relatively smooth but the broken quests kind of ruined it for me. Also, every time I load into London from Agartha, I experience severe FPS drops and freezes. I have to restart the game, then it goes back to normal. It's annoying but I can live with it. The broken quests annoy me to no end though. I can understand 1 or 2 but there is absolutely no excuse for the amount of bugged quests in this game.

I am enjoying the locations and the stories though. Savage Coast has a great horror feel to it and some places, like the amusement park and the Black House, are downright creepy.

Also, I'm a bit worried about the longevity of the game. Once you experience all of the story and mission content, it doesn't seem like there's a lot to do.

Great (early) launch, zero launch issues for me, besides the server being down on Sunday morning for 2 hours, no biggie as I was just waking up from an all night session of it lol.

Game itself compared to AoC (early days) has come on leaps and bounds. Quests are engaging and well thought out,  atmosphere is cool, setting is different, story is interesting,  graphics are to die for, combat could be better regards the smoothness, interface refreshing, progression system and skill system - revolutionary.

Well done Funcom and thanks for pushing the boundaries once again!

It was the best launch I have had so far, but I voted great. Still enough thing not going right. EXP balancing issues that needed patching, CTDs, some broken missions. Really well done especially by FC standard.

I give it GREAT. I came across couple of broken quests and one bug where i got stuck. otherwise smooth sailing and nothing major that stopped me from enjoying the game.

Bravo FC, you pulled an almost flawless launch.

So far, I'm fairly happy with the launch of the "Early Access".  The servers are currently down right now for another maintenance patch, so they seem to be scrambling to clean up whatever it is that people are finding prior to the "official" launch date.  Works for me.

There's a few clunky areas that I hope they address soon; a few quests fail to function properly, the DX11 could use some touching up, and I'm not a fan of long waiting times on loading screens from zone to zone, but otherwise that game is in pretty good shape.

I had one crash the entire time I've been playing during the "early access", and that happened after my game logged me out for sitting idle in one spot for too long.

I like the complex combat system, although I wish I had planned my course more thoroughly before starting out.  I changed my mind about my build going from Beta to "Early Access", so I've allocated some points in places I wish I wouldn't have, but considering how quickly I can make them back, I'm not too worried about it.

I'm disappointed that the community isn't quite what I thought it was going to be, but there are definitely some good folks out there running around.  I think the vocal ones I see in General chat are the real issue, the good folks are too busy playing to take part in the shennanigans.

Graphics: 8.5  I would have liked to see more customization at Character Creation, but the broad selection of outfits/clothing items/costumes are terrific. 

Stability: 9  I've had one maybe two events where the game briefly locked up due to a lag spike, but those moments were so short I was able to quickly dismiss them.  Considering the rouch launches I've experienced in other MMOs, this "early access" launch has been smooth running thus far-- I've definitely seen worse in some other "AAA" titles out there.  Anyone remember Vanilla WoW's launch?

Fun Factor:  7.5  Right now I'm going to mark this relatively low, but I feel it deserves to be higher once they fix some of the quests that have been holding people up.  Some of the quests require using outside resources to crack their clues (like looking up a web site I derived from a dead Orochi Group agent's I.D. card for a valuable piece of information), and I absolutely love that!  That's also why it's so disappointing when I come to a step in the quest that's broken, and it turns out it's a "known issue".

People seem to be delving into the various PvP functions with a fervor, and I see a lot of active groups running the starting zone instances, so there's been a LOT of activity going on. 

There never seems to be a shortage of things to do, and there seems to be a vast pool of friendly resources to draw information from if you get stuck on any one of the myriad of The Secret World's brain-twisting quests.

There are also a lot of friendly players that seem to be loyal fans that followed the game since early beta, and they don't hesitate to answer basic questions about the game as long as they're asked nicely, and NOT asked for "spoilers".  This leads me to...

Community:  8  I didn't delve into The Secret World until Beta Weekend #3, but I regret turning a blind eye to this title for so long.  I had no idea how in-depth the intrigue and mystery behind the lore of this game really went.  I only recently stumbled onto The Secret World's "Alternate Reality Game (ARG)" as the impending launch of Early Access loomed closer and closer.  I regret missing out on one of the most cerebral game experiences I've ever encountered

The contributions and participation involved in this ARG was simply astounding.  It showed me that there was going to be a seriously dedicated community attached to this game, and I'm sorry to have missed out on it as it progressed through the mind-crushing puzzles and clues that were systematically doled out to the participants over a period of months.  It was as intriguing as any episodic, mature-themed sci-fi/espionage series.

The carry-over from the ARG to the actual game doesn't seem as prevalent, a lot of people tend to take a "hold my hand" mentality in General chat channels, asking a lot of basic questions they could answer themselves if they bothered to experiment or do a little research.

However, there are definitely people watching the chat channels that DO contribute to the overall community.  They answer questions about game functionality and sometimes they offer a little quest help for people without giving too much away.  Usually I see people thanking someone publicly in General chat after receiving a private message with the answer they were looking for, thus sparing the rest of us from seeing a spoiler we'd rather not see.

Crafting: 8.5  While the interface and tutorials could use a little work, FunCom's approach to "crafting" for The Secret World is in a class all its own.  Luckily, someone in the community has already responded to the difficulty of grasping the concept of TSW's craft system (Thanks for your terrific guide, Raithwood!!!)  There is no gathering per se, but almost EVERYTHING you pick up from slain enemies has the potential to be disassembled into raw components. 

Those components can then be scaled up to the next level, then that next tier of compenents can be scaled up again to the next level... so on, so forth, depending on whether or not your crafting kit calls for it. 

You also pick up random kits, so the only thing really holding you back is the proper kit that accomodates your Q-Level, and the appropriate components for that level.

Since your outward appearance is affected by "clothing" and not gear (except for weapons), your abilities are affected by "Talismans" instead, somewhat falling in line with the overall premise of the game, which involves the enhancement of supernatural talents. 

The potentcy of those talismans is affected by how high your Skill Point proficiency levels are, and the ability to use higher Q-Level talismans requires you to spend more of your hard earned SP.  It makes sense in the grand scheme of things, it just takes getting used to. 

It also makes finding rare recipes/kits all the more rewarding, and saving up components to craft them all the more interesting.  Probably the most sought-after kits are "Glyph" kits.

Bonus stats in crafted items are usually introduced through placing something called "Glyphs" in the empty sockets of the items.  Glyphs are crafted using a component called Runes.  This is where you have the most flexibility in the game.  Runes offer a wide variety of different attributes (e.g. Defense, Crit Power, Heal Power, Penetration, etc., etc.), and you can craft a final Glyph using a variety of runes to add multiple attributes.  So far, glyphs are the only flexible kit in the game where you can play with different attributes in one item's assembly.

Overall, there isn't much I have in the way of crticism.  I find myself losing track of time when I play, I'm so deeply involved in what I'm doing-- whether it's trying to solve an intricate puzzle to open a secret passage, pouring over the specifics of a combat build I want to try and calculating how I'll spend my ability points to achieve it, or putting together a cool outfit from the various pieces of clothing I bought at the merchant.  The Secret World was probably one of the last games on my radar that I ever considered playing, and I really doubted that I'd be interested in it.  Ever since Beta Weekend #3, I'm pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this game a LOT! 

EDIT:  I added the Crafting portion after the intial post.  I like the system a lot, just takes some getting used to.  Nothing is ever wasted!  I like it!

You also pick up random kits, so the only thing really holding you back is the proper kit that accomodates your Q-Level, and the appropriate components for that level.

 

 

You make that seem minor. Kits are few and far between and really make it difficult to make anything of note due to their RNG availability. Something as simple as crafting should have been much better thought out. I have stacks and stacks and stacks of materiels and no kits to make things with.

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Server stability is great PvE side. PvP side it's another story. The lag can make Fusang unplayable at times, mainly at night. That seems really strange because the map is limited to a total of 225 players. The PvP has crashed out a few times also.

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The weekend nerf of PvP rewards seems a bit harsh. I believe the rewards are somewhere around 60% of what they were. This is fine for the wells because that takes about 5 or 10 minutes of time to complete, and can be done solo. If PvP dies down a bit, or one side starts dominating the other, the Facility one will be more difficult.

Kill count for the third PvP quest needs to be adjusted or the reward increased. Unless I run solo or a DPS build I have to spend 2 to 3 times as much time completing that quest for much much less reward.

Originally posted by Terronte

You also pick up random kits, so the only thing really holding you back is the proper kit that accomodates your Q-Level, and the appropriate components for that level.

 

 

You make that seem minor. Kits are few and far between and really make it difficult to make anything of note due to their RNG availability. Something as simple as crafting should have been much better thought out. I have stacks and stacks and stacks of materiels and no kits to make things with.

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Server stability is great PvE side. PvP side it's another story. The lag can make Fusang unplayable at times, mainly at night. That seems really strange because the map is limited to a total of 225 players. The PvP has crashed out a few times also.

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The weekend nerf of PvP rewards seems a bit harsh. I believe the rewards are somewhere around 60% of what they were. This is fine for the wells because that takes about 5 or 10 minutes of time to complete, and can be done solo. If PvP dies down a bit, or one side starts dominating the other, the Facility one will be more difficult.

Kill count for the third PvP quest needs to be adjusted or the reward increased. Unless I run solo or a DPS build I have to spend 2 to 3 times as much time completing that quest for much much less reward.

Really?  Sorry to hear that.  I've actually seen a few people say this about crafting kits, but I'm literally selling off spares left and right.  I find that I have better luck with getting crafting kit drops if I move into the "tougher" portions of the zones I'm questing in (e.g. the earthspewers around the airport in Kingsmouth, the academy in Savage Coast, etc., etc.).  The higher level mobs tend to drop weapons, talismans, and kits like crazy. 

Originally posted by Orphes

Originally posted by aesperus

It's interesting that noone seems to be mentioning that they've already had 2 major downtimes on a 3day head start (totalling ~8hours down). Not to mention, the game still has bugs from closed beta.  Gear loadout still doesn't work right, some of the boss encounters bug out on occasion, some of the major quests are still bugged in certain dimensions (cerberus seems to have it the worst). The launch isn't bad, but I see a lot of people with rosy glasses over what is essentiall a paid beta.

Rift had a smoother launch, so did TOR, hell, most of the AAA games in the past few years have had smoother launches. It's definitely a lot better than AoC's, but that doesn't make it a good launch.

Considering they advertised 4h for patch but it did not even take 2h for one of them I would say that while you are not wearing rosy glasses you are just making the same ignorant post as done with every game, and every launch already.

Why not form your opinion based on your actual experience instead of conlcusions made from others?

I assume it have bugs, even if I never seen for instance boss encounters yet, hence any bugs there is not problematic for me... How about you, honestly? (You did not have any problems with them patching the game otherwise you would not have stated 8h downtime.)

Yes, ignorant, like saying it's not still offline now (and has been for over 4hours). And no, this is not done w/ every game, and every launch. Reason I bring this up, is because I see a lot of people giving free passes out for issues with this game.
People much like yourself.

My issue is this. One, there are people that are claiming that this game is 'bug-free'. Claiming such to the extent as to call people who mention that there are bugs 'liars'. I'm glad you aren't one of them, but it doesn't change the fact that they are there. Secondly, the game is launched. Beta is over. We are now out of the 'headstart period'. A headstart is not a beta, it's early access to what is supposed to be a finished game. I expect MMOs to have downtime. Hell, I expect new games to have bugs. I do not expect a new AAA game to be down for 2 of the 3 days of a headstart. I do not expect a new AAA game to still have the majority of the bugs that were mentioned over a month ago in closed beta. Bugs they fixed, and then reintroduced into the game. Is this launch better than Age of Conan's? Absolutely. But to pass this launch off as a stellar launch is very much a joke. I don't want to see this become the new standard of what's acceptable with MMOs. I'd rather see games getting better, not see us settling for worse.

Again, I'm glad they are working to improve the game. However, that doesn't mean that these things shouldn't have been taken care of before release. It's no different then people who praise TOR for implementing features now that should've been implemented months ago.

Pretty good experience thus far.  The game still has a few bugs but the dev team seems to be working hard through the release with a few patches cleaning things up.   The story and quest system is very cool and requires some thinking that is nice to see in an MMO.  I have heard some complaints on the graphics but it's some of the best I've seen in a MMO is quite a while.   The combat is fun in my opinion and I think anyone who plays MMO's on a consistent  basis should give this game a try.   I'm going to be in TSW for a long time....

Yes, ignorant, like saying it's not still offline now (and has been for over 4hours). And no, this is not done w/ every game, and every launch. Reason I bring this up, is because I see a lot of people giving free passes out for issues with this game.
People much like yourself.

My issue is this. One, there are people that are claiming that this game is 'bug-free'. Claiming such to the extent as to call people who mention that there are bugs 'liars'. I'm glad you aren't one of them, but it doesn't change the fact that they are there. Secondly, the game is launched. Beta is over. We are now out of the 'headstart period'. A headstart is not a beta, it's early access to what is supposed to be a finished game. I expect MMOs to have downtime. Hell, I expect new games to have bugs. I do not expect a new AAA game to be down for 2 of the 3 days of a headstart. I do not expect a new AAA game to still have the majority of the bugs that were mentioned over a month ago in closed beta. Bugs they fixed, and then reintroduced into the game. Is this launch better than Age of Conan's? Absolutely. But to pass this launch off as a stellar launch is very much a joke. I don't want to see this become the new standard of what's acceptable with MMOs. I'd rather see games getting better, not see us settling for worse.

Again, I'm glad they are working to improve the game. However, that doesn't mean that these things shouldn't have been taken care of before release. It's no different then people who praise TOR for implementing features now that should've been implemented months ago.

This is one of the best MMO head starts I have seen.. remember the game launches today..

Yes of course there are some bugs there is no MMORPG out there that has none.. The fact they are finding these bugs and fixing them with patches is bloody good..

So im very impressed with this laucnh and very happy with it.. sure the server went down for a few patches but its not the end of the world.

They had a release timetable they had to stick to maybe all the bugs could not be fixed before launch date that again happens with every MMORPG.. its just the way the industry works.

Good so far.

Some bugged quests...pretty much the same that have been jacked up. Would be nice if those get fixed. Was a patch this morning so maybe they are finally fixed so they will work in all shards regardless the population.

Honestly outside of that I haven't had any issues. think my brain almost melted from figuring out the Gravity quest. I finally got it but man alive did it take me forever. Was a great feeling when I finally did though. Nice to get a sense of accomplishment like that from a video game.

I have only had 2 actual problems with the game

1. sometime starting up the game the game isnt in proper full screen it is  full screen but windowed, I can alt and enter to switch it to full screen but then boxes and buttons are out of line (e.g. I have to click above the password box to get the cursor in it) this is remedied by just changing the video settings to something else and back.

2. everytime I quit out of the game it crashes and asks if i want to send a report.

neither of these issues impact my actual enjoyment of the game and im sure what ever causes the problems will be fixed shortly

So far, no bugs. The game has been running smoothly for me. Totally different than AoC's launch.

I'm almost done with Kingsmouth and still no issues yet.

Originally posted by s1fu71

 Totally different than AoC's launch.

 Like night and day really comparing the launches of  those two games.

One of the better launches I have been involved in. Not the best as some seem to say but it is pretty impressive compared to how many other launches have gone. Only two that come to mind that were better were LotR and Rift. So that says something. Especially considering FC's track record.

EDIT: Amazing how after all this time the quote/edit feature on these forums still sucks ass. Wish they never would have changed it.

Only two that come to mind that were better were LotR and Rift. So that says something. Especially considering FC's track record.

Totally agree with LotR and Rift. Those were great launches too.

The only other game by Funcom I have to compare TSW to, was AoC. I don't recall it being as bad as people say. The game wasn't broken for me. I just recall a few quests in Tortage that were bugged. Atleast for me, it was nothing major.

So far in TSW, I haven't come across any issues with combat, missions, cutscenes, graphics, etc...

I've still yet to try crafting. But, so far, I'm happy with it.

So far the launch has been outstanding compared to many. I would put it up there with the RIFT launch or close to it. Someone above mentioned extensive downtime. I guess I was lucky because I never noticed it. the downtime must have been off hours for me. I was able to play every time I logged in which was quite a bit.

I ran into only 2 bugged quest so far. One was Men in Black Vans (last tier) and the other was Runway lights (last tier). Runway Lights fixed itself when I had logged back in a bit later and appeared to be a spawn timer type issue.

There are, of course, little buggy, quirky things like the store saying "coming soon" every once in a while and some animation hicups (Boons hair sticking out of his cowboy hat in front)  but nothing game breaking at all.

I am a Lovecraft, X files fan and this game fills a gap that has been missing. I am also really starting to see the synergies in the skill wheel and how to set up a great deck that I want. I was in Closed Beta so have had some time to absorb that and too be honest, is just now really clicking for me in creating builds. That said, you just strive for one of the pre-built decks and your set up is pretty good.

Will be playing TSW for a good while if the game continues to provide this level of enjoyment for me.

Originally posted by s1fu71

Only two that come to mind that were better were LotR and Rift. So that says something. Especially considering FC's track record.

 

Totally agree with LotR and Rift. Those were great launches too.

The only other game by Funcom I have to compare TSW to, was AoC. I don't recall it being as bad as people say. The game wasn't broken for me. I just recall a few quests in Tortage that were bugged. Atleast for me, it was nothing major.

So far in TSW, I haven't come across any issues with combat, missions, cutscenes, graphics, etc...

I've still yet to try crafting. But, so far, I'm happy with it.

It was really bad at launch. Actually there wasn't much wrong with Tortage really. It was later areas of the games that were jacked and initial game design issues. Not going to get into it though because you could go on forever about the amount of issues that game had. Don't want to derail the thread. It does look like they learned from the experience which is good to see.