The Saga of Ryzom

Hello to a community that has recently just sprang back to life! I have a few questions I would like answered but can not ask on the official forums:

1) As a new player, where do I begin to start out on this game? I heard they reopened the servers but I see no location to download the client to start playing.

2) Having played every MMO out there (ranging from AoC, EQ, Requiem, to WoW and SWG), I still can not find that one that captured my eye sense EQ. I love the sandbox gameplay of games like the older SWG but for some reason, this game looks and feels like a F2P asian MMO (which are pretty terrible). Please tell me I am totally wrong on this.

3) The Ryzom Ring expansion seems very unique. Does it produce any negative side effects to the game and community (i.e. using player-made content to grind levels/skills quicker ect)?

4) How is this PvP in this game? Sense my first MMO I have ever played was EQ on the Vallon Zek server. I have always been a big fan of PvP, it makes the game have much more replayibility than just doing quests/grinding.

5) Also, on that same note, does this game have the standard Western MMO idea of "raids"? Maybe the 2nd question will answer this as it still feels/looks like a F2P asian MMO where all you do is grind skills/levels and then just sit around all day after that.

Thanks for all future answers to this questions. Please feel free to add any additional comments that you would feel a new potential player would like to know before starting this game out. Just remember, I am a veteran MMO player, so no need to go into major details to explain things.

Apparently I did not do enough research on question 1. Just found out that the servers are indeed open but only open to the subscribing members before the game closed.

Originally posted by Zyllos

Hello to a community that has recently just sprang back to life! I have a few questions I would like answered but can not ask on the official forums:

1) As a new player, where do I begin to start out on this game? I heard they reopened the servers but I see no location to download the client to start playing.

2) Having played every MMO out there (ranging from AoC, EQ, Requiem, to WoW and SWG), I still can not find that one that captured my eye sense EQ. I love the sandbox gameplay of games like the older SWG but for some reason, this game looks and feels like a F2P asian MMO (which are pretty terrible). Please tell me I am totally wrong on this.

3) The Ryzom Ring expansion seems very unique. Does it produce any negative side effects to the game and community (i.e. using player-made content to grind levels/skills quicker ect)?

4) How is this PvP in this game? Sense my first MMO I have ever played was EQ on the Vallon Zek server. I have always been a big fan of PvP, it makes the game have much more replayibility than just doing quests/grinding.

5) Also, on that same note, does this game have the standard Western MMO idea of "raids"? Maybe the 2nd question will answer this as it still feels/looks like a F2P asian MMO where all you do is grind skills/levels and then just sit around all day after that.

Thanks for all future answers to this questions. Please feel free to add any additional comments that you would feel a new potential player would like to know before starting this game out. Just remember, I am a veteran MMO player, so no need to go into major details to explain things.

Hey there! Let's see if I can help ya out!

1) You start out on the starter island called Silan which by the wy is free to play to level 20 I believe unless they have removed the level cap for an unlimited amount of time.

2) I'm am a former Pre-CU SWG player too and this game is nothing like a F2P Asian grinder and the game is about as much a sandbox as you can get!

3) IIRC the ring was basically for telling your own stories and no skill exp is given nor can you gain materials for crafting in the ring! This was done so that players could not just go into thier own ring scenario and abuse it so they can get a ton of the best materials or just power level your toon. So it's just a story telling function that was given to the players.

4) There are certain areas in the game that are PVP zones and other areas that are contested areas fo PVP.

5) There is very little "Raid' content in the game, because all the best gear is player created!

If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask. 

This game has been accused of being a grind because it has 250 levels in each tier, that's 250 for harvesting, crafting, fighting, magic ect...  There is no one universal level, it seems daunting at first, but there's also no classes and you choose which specialization to go for, you pick where and how to spend your points. Also levels in this game are not the end all and be all of your experience. Once you understand that and stop pushing yourself to 'grind' and just enjoy being part of Atys and doing what you enjoy most, be it slashing mobs, or blasting them away or finding nodes and trekking the country side....

To me that's the charm of the game, I'm not pushed or rushed to do anything, for some people it feels like they are lost and it did feel like that to me the first times I tried it. Yes times, plural, it is so different from other games you really need an appreciation for free form leveling and playing to really get into it. But if you are sick of being led down a certain path, if a level cap makes you sad and you just want a world to explore that doesn't feel confined this is very much worth your time.

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Originally posted by Zyllos
Hello to a community that has recently just sprang back to life! I have a few questions I would like answered but can not ask on the official forums:
1) As a new player, where do I begin to start out on this game? I heard they reopened the servers but I see no location to download the client to start playing.
2) Having played every MMO out there (ranging from AoC, EQ, Requiem, to WoW and SWG), I still can not find that one that captured my eye sense EQ. I love the sandbox gameplay of games like the older SWG but for some reason, this game looks and feels like a F2P asian MMO (which are pretty terrible). Please tell me I am totally wrong on this.
3) The Ryzom Ring expansion seems very unique. Does it produce any negative side effects to the game and community (i.e. using player-made content to grind levels/skills quicker ect)?
4) How is this PvP in this game? Sense my first MMO I have ever played was EQ on the Vallon Zek server. I have always been a big fan of PvP, it makes the game have much more replayibility than just doing quests/grinding.
5) Also, on that same note, does this game have the standard Western MMO idea of "raids"? Maybe the 2nd question will answer this as it still feels/looks like a F2P asian MMO where all you do is grind skills/levels and then just sit around all day after that.
Thanks for all future answers to this questions. Please feel free to add any additional comments that you would feel a new potential player would like to know before starting this game out. Just remember, I am a veteran MMO player, so no need to go into major details to explain things.

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1) Yes the servers are up but they are close to the public. An official announcement hasn’t been made yet and from what I understand only those who had paying accounts before the servers went down are allowed to play. The rumor is that the owners will make official announcements to the public by the end of the month. I’m hoping there will be an interview and hopefully some questions will be answered. Maybe a rep from MMORPG will post an article.

As for where you start in game, that would be Ruins of Silan. Silan is the free trial island for those who want to test the game before they decide to commit a subscription. The pros about the island are that new comers get a nice impression of the fauna and flora of Ryzom plus learn how to use the mechanics of the game. The cons is that Silan is basically all quest driven and this gives new comers the wrong impression about the game.

Silan is only there to help new comers learn the tools and basics skills so that when they come to the mainland they are more prepared. Once new comers leave Silan the real game starts.

2) I’m not sure what you mean by referring Ryzom to an asian F2P MMO. I’ve never play one so I have no idea. There is nothing on the forum or on the main site that would indicate Ryzom is a FTP game. My suggestion is don’t assume unless you’ve actually given the game a try. If we were to go by what most Fan boys say about their games we all be playing WoW. And if player reviews really had any weights on our decisions to play any game nobody would still play AOC. :P

On the other hand you sound like me. I’ve played most of the games you mentioned, except Requiem, looking for the one game that would capture my gaming style. For me is Ryzom. From your list the one game that is very similar to Ryzom is old SWG. The world of Ryzom is very much alive and like SWG then it gives that feeling of actually living in the world as oppose to just playing in it. The freedom to go anywhere is liberating, exploring and learning the behavior of the animals and the seasons is a skill with no levels and yet essential to surviving the perils of the land. Plus there is nothing like being able to switch from harvesting to melee or range or magic skills on the spot, the freedom to play any skill with one character is wonderful. The versatility of changing skills on the spot is a nice perk that Ryzom gives players. And also even a master player of 250 can team with some one of say lvl 50 provided they both use skills within the same level range, that my friend is another perk that I’ve only seen in Ryzom.

3) The Ring was the one expansion I was waiting for. My guild was actually created to focus on hosting events inside the ring. I wanted to tell stories and host events for players; I wanted to create a Saga for my main character. I started a comic book with the intention of setting up the plots for my ring scenarios, and I used the ring to get the visual effects I wanted that were otherwise not possible on the mainland. But it was riddle with bugs and often I couldn’t get it to work as I liked. Even when I invited friends to test the scenarios some would make it in and others couldn’t. The ring is a nice feature but still needs testing. Of course this was my experience before GF took it over so it may have change since then. Still weather the ring works or not doesn’t influence the Ryzom experience.

4) Most of the PvP I ever did was in Outpost wars and those were always fun even if I was on the losing end. I’m not much of a PvP fan though I do like it when it involves player events and live events; it doesn’t influence my gaming style. I’m afraid I can’t give you a PvP’ers point of view so I will leave this question to be answer by someone else.

5) The only raids in Ryzom are made by the Kitins. :P All of the items in Ryzom are player made. What players hunt are the Boss mobs which are up when seasons change. Sometimes, those who are crazy will start a team and enter a kitin nest looking for kitin larva. But rarely there are any survivors. Perhaps there is more grinding skills but there is never any sitting around. There is just too much to do and nobody wants to fall behind on raising the 80+ skills. Grinding is part of all MMO’s, how one does it is what entertains us, and if you prefer PvE over PvM then you will enjoy Ryzom.

Thank you all for the posts! Sorry that I am making assumptions about the game feeling/looking like an asian F2P but having played a greater number of them to find a game that I liked, honestly, when you see one, they are all basically the same.

Maybe I should list every game I have played at one time or another, here it goes (in order of current hype/votes @ www.mmorpg.com):

Lord of the Rings Online / EVE Online / Everquest II / Guild Wars / City of Heroes and Villains / Tabula Rasa / Dark Age of Camelot / Sword of the New World / Vanguard: Saga of Heroes / Requiem / Everquest / World of Warcraft / Rappelz / Voyage Century / Myth War Online / RF Online / Dungeon Runners / Dungeons & Dragons Online / Shadowbane / Age of Conan / A Tale in the Desert / (beta) Warhammer Online / Zu Online / Fury / Star Wars Galaxies

Now some of those games I loved at one time or another. Everquest, WoW, Shadowbane, Warhammer Online (might come back several months after release), and SWG was all great during the time I played the games.

As you can see, there are very few that I listed becaues they are only listen on the www.mmorpg.com website. Now, I have played others, but their names have totally left my mind. Now, having played those type of games, the reason why I feel Ryzom is like an asian F2P mmo is that all there is to do is grind your skills/levels, socialize, or craft. I love to quest in games, but is it true that there is basically no quests on the mainland? I am not sure, for some reason, that makes me think asian F2P mmo when there are very few quests.

Oh, on at same note, is there any dungeons? They could easily have raid bosses/dungeons for specialized crafting materials and whatnot for a game like this. I dont know, I feel like this game is going to be missing a void somewhere. Of course, I may be just losing faith in MMOs in general. Either way, sense there is a free trial, I will definitely be trying the game out, but sense it requires the mainland (and a subscription) to see what the actual game looks/feels like, then this could present a problem. Guess I will just have to see and find out.

Either way, thanks for all the replies. Maybe I will be seeing you guys and gals out there or not.

Originally posted by Zyllos

the reason why I feel Ryzom is like an asian F2P mmo is that all there is to do is grind your skills/levels, socialize, or craft. I love to quest in games, but is it true that there is basically no quests on the mainland? I am not sure, for some reason, that makes me think asian F2P mmo when there are very few quests.

From my limited experience I would have to say "no" there are not a lot of quests no the mainland. This is an open game. You make your own reasons for playing.