Nice review, this is however now a themeparkgame. It's a sandboxgame where the devs will not handhold you or tell you what you should do through quests. The mobs doesn't drop much items but they do drop resources for crafting and spellcasting There are plenty of mobs but you'll have to find them. They are not scattered around like wow mobs but have caves, camps or ruins they live in. Also there are alot of places where mobs are not turned on yet due to the debug mode.

I would like to point out a few things from your list... Just comparing it to my own experiences in beta.

You say quests are not repeatable. This is not completely true, there is a good number of repeatable quests out there, some on timers with rewards based on your performance. (Say you kill 10 goblins in a hour for 60g, and 20 for 120g... ect.)

You say mobs are hard to find and that there aren't any group encounters. Now, we already know not all the mobs have been enabled for beta, and that the world bosses have also been disabled, but from my experience and simply exploring, I found a lot of "big and bad" creatures out there which would take atleast 6-8 people to take down.

You mention the AI spotting you from miles away. This is correct, they do spot you from miles away in an open field... But they require line of sight to see you, and there aren't a whole lot of open fields without cover.

Finally I'd like to point out that losing your gear in DF really means little after you played the game a few days. By that time you will learn how to keep a backup supply in your bank, so should you get killed your downtime will be short.
 

Overall, good list.

PVE content is fine, it just takes time getting used to a game not filled wall-to-wall with mobs.  There are tons of different types and tons of camps, as well as tons  I could name at least 30 different mob classes I've seen myself, all with different models and categories within these models.  Also, there are special mobs, I've killed one with my guild and it dropped an enchanted axe.   They stated they wanted to leave some of the bigger boss mobs out of beta so beta testers didn't b-line straight for them on release day.   The loot tables are fine as well, though some of the really hard mobs don't really have the right loot for their difficulty yet, IMO.  I've tested the loot table updates when they were released and they are more on par, so I expect this to continue in release.

I'll say this:  If you expect to play solo PVE, you will be dissapointed.  This game is like FFXI in the fact that you have to to group to experience high-end PVE content. 

My biggest gripe is the AI and water combat.  They haven't addressed how the AI deals with water very well so you can exploit some stronger mobs with creative use of the ocean.  They recently corrected an exploit known as deathtanking, but now some of the mobs run around like chickens with their heads cut off.  I hope they polish the AI a little more.

I would definately wait to play this game, although most wil have to even if they wat to play right away. It needs quite a bit of work and should be delayed. They needed the money i guess, that said I would definately wait a bit and let the hardcore fans pay to test for the masses.

Nice review and I agree with most of what you said. One thing about the graphics that bothers me is the heavy outline around players and things, it's really ugly. I was really looking forward to this game but it's just not ready to be released and I seriously doubt they can fix enough by the 25th for me to drop my coin.

nics are just what I needed :) there are some things that need to be addressed before release but its been said that from here to release 3-4 giant patches will be implemented into the game turning on everything addresing exploits which they have done well so far.

 

The only people that have said any large patches will be released are the ever hopeful fanboys; no one from av has said anything of the sort. They have only ever released information on problems and what was being addressed once it had been patched and released, and never before.

As has happened with several other recent flops, fanboys start up rumours trying to explain away lack of content and/or polish with extravagant claims of extra graphics being patched in, mythical untested mega patches being released and gigabytes of hidden content being switched on, this is just more of the same tripe that has absolutely no bearing on reality.

The only disabled content the devs talked about were dissabled npc spawns, and NOTHING more.
 

This is Darkfail in a nutshell. Head clan leader "Godfather" tells a lowly little nublet. "Gonna make you an offer you can't refuse." Gank wars begin and game collapses in on itself cause it's made by a 2nd rate company who made an under budget steaming pile of crap for the last 6 years. Can't say it's Duke Nukem Forever anymore. Have to say it's Daikatana now instead. Tsk tsk 

Nice review

I gotta say though, you started off by saying "This is not Dark and Light" and made a comment almost suggesting that D&L never came out or was in an unplayable state at release .. im not really sure what you were getting at.  You then go on to explain the game in nearly a mirror image of D&L when it was first released:  A huge game world, sparsley populated if at all with mobs and hardly any quests.

now, I know theyre not the same game.. but they have extremely striking similiarities.  Do you know the history behind D&L and how it was percieved by gamers who anticipated it upon release?  well, replace darkfall in your review with Dark and Light and you have it.  I mean the main gripe (aside from the billing issues) was that the game was incomplete of content.  It was a shell.

now I may be a little off here, but your review suggests pretty much the same.  I did read however that crafting in the game you consider "excellent" which is great news.. especially for a PVP game like DF.  Could someone elaborate a bit on how the player driven economy along with crafting may be the key ingrediant in this game and not pve quest grinding?  Eve is pretty much set up like that, crafting..market.. pvp and its doing great.  Is this something to expect from Darkfall as opposed to a quest grinder?

Originally posted by ste2000

...
-MAGIC TREE: Acceptable
Many believe that the Magic at lower level (lesser magic) is not very effective.
Not many people reached high level in magic to tell if this changes at higher levels.
Can be improved.

...

Of all the things I have read - this is the biggest plus for me.

Magic should be tough and magic users should be rare with the higher level ones being VERY rare.
The way to do that is make it a very tough skill path to follow.  Clear out the ADD kiddies at lower levels IMHO.

Maybe Aventurine finally got this right?

I have to say despite the fact most reviews seems not to point to an amazing game but they do all seems to point to an ok/average game which in my books is a big plus for AV.

Lets face it most small indie companies have been releasing conjob games such as DnL and roma victor.Just to grab the money fast but at least AV kept effort in their game despite so little resources .

I might buy this game even if i drop it after the first month at least i would have kept money into a small company that for once deserves it!!!!

Decent review though you onbviously liked it, despite trying I did not. The client did not crash for me but the server did (or was taken down) many many times yeah its beta but you expect the server to be up more than a couple of hours a day. In this regard things are very similar to D&L. Are things better now?

Exploits are going to be a big issue too (they are now) unfortunately that will create a 2 tier community from the start those that cheat those that don't. Have people created macros to keep some one in a perma death loop yet? On a seperate but related subject you have to macro skills (magic for example) to compete. Same with gathering (unless you want to sit for hours left clicking a rock or tree).

Has potential but far from ready. Technology isn't to bad but the game needs a lot of work.

(UI is just a stinker....what where they thinking)

Originally posted by strongaxe

It is very obvious that some things are still turned off, like some raid bosses (chain + platform in the middle of the map).  Also I like pvp and pve and I have enjoyed the pve in darkfall, even though I know that it is not fully turned on yet.

 

Please remember the devs have stated MULTIPLE times that the beta we are playing =/ release client.

Devs have claimed that since the dawn of time....never ever has it been true. (Or put another way the release build has always been a simple incremental update to what is in test).

Originally posted by Gorilla

Originally posted by strongaxe

It is very obvious that some things are still turned off, like some raid bosses (chain + platform in the middle of the map).  Also I like pvp and pve and I have enjoyed the pve in darkfall, even though I know that it is not fully turned on yet.

 

Please remember the devs have stated MULTIPLE times that the beta we are playing =/ release client.

 

Devs have claimed that since the dawn of time....never ever has it been true. (Or put another way the release build has always been a simple incremental update to what is in test).

All games are tested and released this way.

What makes or breaks games is whether the company who owns the game does enough testing to fix enough bugs prior to release,which is where the games community and beta testers help,and yes in beta your not testing everything cause alot of the games stuff is kept secrete,still lately these companies have been putting out inferior product,that has alot to do with how much is tested and how big of a patch we need to dl at release.Alot of this is due to lack of communication with it community,heck you don't need to add everything the community wants in game cause then game would never be released but keep them upto date on the step by step progression of whats happening during beta,lack of this communication has been a big problem lately.

Originally posted by Hexcaliber

nics are just what I needed :) there are some things that need to be addressed before release but its been said that from here to release 3-4 giant patches will be implemented into the game turning on everything addresing exploits which they have done well so far.

 

 

The only people that have said any large patches will be released are the ever hopeful fanboys; no one from av has said anything of the sort. They have only ever released information on problems and what was being addressed once it had been patched and released, and never before.

As has happened with several other recent flops, fanboys start up rumours trying to explain away lack of content and/or polish with extravagant claims of extra graphics being patched in, mythical untested mega patches being released and gigabytes of hidden content being switched on, this is just more of the same tripe that has absolutely no bearing on reality.

The only disabled content the devs talked about were dissabled npc spawns, and NOTHING more.
 

Thats usally the case though :} cant think of any MMO ive played where you didnt have this drama playing out, over, and over, and well.

Originally posted by Lazzeras

Originally posted by Gorilla

Originally posted by strongaxe

It is very obvious that some things are still turned off, like some raid bosses (chain + platform in the middle of the map).  Also I like pvp and pve and I have enjoyed the pve in darkfall, even though I know that it is not fully turned on yet.

 

Please remember the devs have stated MULTIPLE times that the beta we are playing =/ release client.

 

Devs have claimed that since the dawn of time....never ever has it been true. (Or put another way the release build has always been a simple incremental update to what is in test).

All games are tested and released this way.

What makes or breaks games is whether the company who owns the game does enough testing to fix enough bugs prior to release,which is where the games community and beta testers help,and yes in beta your not testing everything cause alot of the games stuff is kept secrete,still lately these companies have been putting out inferior product,that has alot to do with how much is tested and how big of a patch we need to dl at release.Alot of this is due to lack of communication with it community,heck you don't need to add everything the community wants in game cause then game would never be released but keep them upto date on the step by step progression of whats happening during beta,lack of this communication has been a big problem lately.

You missed my point. In short there is no 'miracle patch'. Of course there will be incremental improvements over the next few days and on in to release. It remains to be seen if they will be enough to retain a healthy customer base.

Nice review. The fact that crafting seems to actually be quite viable has re-ignited my interest in this game a little. PvE content I don't care about - I get my fix from WoW. PvP I don't care for either - but if I can make a living in-game from gathering and crafting, and it still be fun, then I'll give it a try.

Originally posted by strongaxe

It is very obvious that some things are still turned off, like some raid bosses (chain + platform in the middle of the map).  Also I like pvp and pve and I have enjoyed the pve in darkfall, even though I know that it is not fully turned on yet.

 

Please remember the devs have stated MULTIPLE times that the beta we are playing =/ release client.

The devs for DnL and AoC both said that as well.

Sure you really want to highlight that as a good thing?

Originally posted by Zorvan

Originally posted by strongaxe

It is very obvious that some things are still turned off, like some raid bosses (chain + platform in the middle of the map).  Also I like pvp and pve and I have enjoyed the pve in darkfall, even though I know that it is not fully turned on yet.

 

Please remember the devs have stated MULTIPLE times that the beta we are playing =/ release client.

 

The devs for DnL and AoC both said that as well.

Sure you really want to highlight that as a good thing?

Yes and in PotBS they made a  very critical change from the Beta and introduced it into the game at release...
Then spent several days trying to make the game playable again for many users.
Then spent weeks trying to re-balance the game.

Originally posted by firefly2003

Im having a blast in-game this is the first fantasy themed MMO Ive ever played and the mechanics are just what I needed :) there are some things that need to be addressed before release but its been said that from here to release 3-4 giant patches will be implemented into the game turning on everything addresing exploits which they have done well so far. Heres a pic of a bunch of us going to seige a city there was a lot more but cant get everyone on screen :P

 

And for those that have seen me post before this is where I have been.

 

So, is the customization really so bad that everyone looks identical (looking at the avatars in your raid group there)? 8 identical bearded guys and 2 bald headed whatevers?

Originally posted by Zayne3145

Nice review. The fact that crafting seems to actually be quite viable has re-ignited my interest in this game a little. PvE content I don't care about - I get my fix from WoW. PvP I don't care for either - but if I can make a living in-game from gathering and crafting, and it still be fun, then I'll give it a try.

Not to throw water or anything. But from some of the other reviews, I find that this reviewers score of Excellent is from a PvPers point of view.

I may be wrong, but it looks like everyone can be self-sufficient, and that dedicated crafters are not really going to be a viable part of this world.

Pre-SWG had the right idea when it came to crafting. It's a shame that no other MMO has picked up on that, and expanded it.

Oh well.