I was in the closed beta of AoC, and while it was a rather entertaining game at the time, it was riddled with bugs. I've played ALOT of MMO's so I understand that a game has problems at launch, but I tend to avoid games until a majority of the problems are fixed.

I've played WoW since launch, and I think I just quit for good as I'm not very happy with the direction of the game. Might resub to WAR as I had alot of fun in that game with friends. Darkfall does not have free trials and I'm not willing to drop 50 bucks on a game that has more problems then 3-mile island.

Since you can get AoC for 5 or 6 bucks online these days I was thinking of buying it, but I wanted to know how the game is doing right now? I'm not worried about "lol it does not have a billion subs so its obviously failing", just about the actual game.

Is sieging and such implemented fully now? Is PvP enjoyable? How are the guild cities?

Originally posted by ChaosTeen

 

I was in the closed beta of AoC, and while it was a rather entertaining game at the time, it was riddled with bugs. I've played ALOT of MMO's so I understand that a game has problems at launch, but I tend to avoid games until a majority of the problems are fixed.

Yep there were lots of annoying bugs, the game as it stands now in my opinion has no more bugs than any other mmo I play. 

I've played WoW since launch, and I think I just quit for good as I'm not very happy with the direction of the game. Might resub to WAR as I had alot of fun in that game with friends. Darkfall does not have free trials and I'm not willing to drop 50 bucks on a game that has more problems then 3-mile island.

If you have friends in WAR it might be good to check out the progress Mythic are making, worth consideration. DF, beta'd for a while, fun for 2 weeks ish, if you think AoC had launch issues....

Since you can get AoC for 5 or 6 bucks online these days I was thinking of buying it, but I wanted to know how the game is doing right now? I'm not worried about "lol it does not have a billion subs so its obviously failing", just about the actual game.

Forsure, you can find the game cheap like most others these days. It is not alot of money to give it a second look. AoC will do a free trial soon but we don't know officially when. Since the server merges the populations on the merged servers are pretty good all around, many people think the game is growing a little, but the server pop increase is really down to the merges and it is like launch for rivalry all over again.

Is sieging and such implemented fully now? Is PvP enjoyable? How are the guild cities?

As I was saying about rivalry above, there are lots of guilds now on each server pretty much, land is contested regularly. Guild rivalry, politics, alliance and emotions are mainstream. It makes for a fun atmosphere in this area. You can check out if you want a few of the links in my sig. The siege one, if you check the makers profile on Utube out he has many more than show smoothness and some bugs still. It is a whole lot better than it was, but no where near perfect. If you read threads on the official forums pertaining to sieging you will find the majority will say it is fun ableit bugs still than can be annoying. It is an area of focus for FC now and there is rampant talk and feedback on the test server forums in this area. The format for guild city building has changed a bit recently too.

PvP in general has now 5 levels and some awesome looking PvP gear which adds to it. The consequence system demotes ganking but again still has issues, just being upfront and honest. It needs tweaking more for better enjoyment, but being labelled as a murderer and visiting the new shanty towns for criminals is fun and their own quests + own particular chat windows which you only get access to when your a murderer puts a different perspective on things. The GUI has changed so you can search more for mini games and you have a time calendar to check out for what sieges are going on where and when they are vunerable.

They are getting there and on the right track, sometimes things pick up speed and then die back down again for a month. Lots of focus recently has been on making the raid encounters more enjoyable and focus too with DX10 the past 3 months on the test server which is not far off complete. There is a general feeling / consensus among subscribers that the new director is on the ball and getting the games act together. The next patch which we will hear more about over the next few weeks in depth is going to be going up on the test server which I reckon will be the best thing for the game yet. Complete re-itemization, which has been in the works internally since October. Many people are looking forward to that as stats will change, dps, defence and so on. There has also been some decent content additions including a whole new mid level zone. Focus is currently on end game content.

At the end of the day I really think it is worth another look for peace of mind, especially if you can pick it up cheap again. Although saying that if your account on Funcom.com is still going and you have buddy keys you can email youself one to an alt email address and try it out for a week.

Hope this helps a bit. If you are really dubious and with good reason from previous experience, hang on for the trial, otherwise by getting in there now you can check it out, get a good footing and be in good position for the next patch.

You experience in game is only as good as the server you pick. Server communities vary from excellent to plain freaky!

Regards.

DX10 capture:

Ymir's Pass zone boss:

Free the Frost Giant in Ymirs Pass:

PvP I think is better, more tweaked now. A lot of people only find a 1 or 2 classes overpowered.

And the chick from the trailer made it in!

Warhammer has win backs so at least go play that for 10 days, but before you do read my sig ;p

EDIT: what made you quit WoW, I have only played a few months duiring season 1 of TBC in the last three years but just picked it up again, so am curious. I'm still legend on my PvP server though = )

The Warhammer fanboi above is talking about lacking quests in the level range 72-78. So if your character is a level 72 something, you might do yourself a favor to wait until the next patch, if you want a grindless experience.

Everything below is smooth sailing.

Sieging is a lot of fun but harsh on your system and needs more polish.  I have a fucking blast in most PvP, especially group PvP, it feels and plays way better than WoW ever could- the combat mechanics are just 10x better in AoC than they are in WoW for PvP.  A 6 person group hunting other groups in the borderkingdoms over PvP resources was some of the most fun I've ever had in an MMO-It's all about staying in a tight group.  Sadly people got the resources they needed too easily and it went mostly back to keshetta after a while.  Guild cities have little reason to be visited, but every guild should have one for their bonuses.

Gear at most makes only about, like on average, a 12% difference in like... survivability only(for PvP purposes, in comparison to being naked+with a weapon).  It's pretty easy for gear differences to disappear up in player skill, but the con is that gear has little meaning then and you sometimes wonder why should you even bother.  Having a Tier 3 battlekeep does more for you than any gear.  The effect of gear will probably double after patch 1.05, which is next, although that is still not a whole lot, but at least you'll feel it's worth it.

Bugs are small and limited, and often are fixed quickly, and content seems to be being added at a fast rate(2-3 monthes apart).  The classes are almost all balanced(at 80), there are just some exceptions that prevent it from being near perfect.  I have fun, I consider the game fun, levelling was fun and raids are fun, as I like their dungeon and zone design.

Originally posted by finaticd

Warhammer has win backs so at least go play that for 10 days, but before you do read my sig ;p

EDIT: what made you quit WoW, I have only played a few months duiring season 1 of TBC in the last three years but just picked it up again, so am curious. I'm still legend on my PvP server though = )

PvP in WoW is such a far cry from what it used to be in vanilla, did not like the idea of Arenas. Hell I didnt even like BG's when compared to open pvp. 

Anyways, thanks for all the awesome feedback so far, and sadly enough I don't have a "real account", only my old beta account so I guess I cannot get a buddy key. Any chance anyone wants to toss me one?

Originally posted by ChaosTeen

 

I was in the closed beta of AoC, and while it was a rather entertaining game at the time, it was riddled with bugs. I've played ALOT of MMO's so I understand that a game has problems at launch, but I tend to avoid games until a majority of the problems are fixed.

 

I've played WoW since launch, and I think I just quit for good as I'm not very happy with the direction of the game. Might resub to WAR as I had alot of fun in that game with friends. Darkfall does not have free trials and I'm not willing to drop 50 bucks on a game that has more problems then 3-mile island.

Since you can get AoC for 5 or 6 bucks online these days I was thinking of buying it, but I wanted to know how the game is doing right now? I'm not worried about "lol it does not have a billion subs so its obviously failing", just about the actual game.

Is sieging and such implemented fully now? Is PvP enjoyable? How are the guild cities?

Yes.

Sure, at least mostly. Can still need some balancing and more stuff however.

Well, they are guildcitys but they don't feel that alive and you don't get options where to place a building and how it should look.

The game is really worth the cash. Nice graphics, very good group dynamics and combat is fun. However the game still need more content to be truly complete. Particulary bad are the 70-80 zone on PvP servers, it is far to small for the number of players that are there. Another zone is coming ( Tarantia common) but we don't still know when.

 I would rule against going with WAR unless you're a big fan of WoW and gear collection. Lets put it this way, I love the Warhammer universe, loved DAoC, and used to love Mythic. I bailed after the first month because in additon to the world just feeling horribly disjointed due to you never going back to the previous tiers ever again once you leave them, but they managed to botch the main focus of the game, ORvR, by trying to appeal to too many people. Scenarios and gear incentives, along with a victory point system that was broken for months, completely hosed everything. Mythics new attitude isn't all that great either (way to completely back out on Origins with a lame duck excuse guys).

That being said, the game is pretty as hell, and I don't recall anyone ever truely complaining about an actual feature of the game, usually just lack of content and bugs which seem to have been AoCs only real big failing. Definitely worth a shot if you haven't played it before, especially since there is actually content between 20 and 60 now which is why a ton of people ditched and won't look back sadly. 

I've been playing AoC for a little over a week, have tried out 2 diff classes and have stayed with the Conqueror. Im now in the mid 20's and am having a pretty good time with it. I would definetly suggest trying it.

Worth a try for sure! Much better engine than WAR. Has a slightly different take on classes as well. Keeps an old burn-out gamer like me enjoying it.

Originally posted by orlac

Worth a try for sure! Much better engine than WAR. Has a slightly different take on classes as well. Keeps an old burn-out gamer like me enjoying it.

QFT. I've been playing it for a few days and I just unsubbed from WAR.

@ OP thanks, I figured and heard as much, think I just picked up WoW for nestalgia reasons as open world PvP before the honor system was amazing, and even afterwards my romps in Silithus were fun.    Or destroying 1 or 2 guilds on the way to molten core.

War is a better game, better engine, better PvP systems and forums (Scenarios, keeps, lakes) better PvE forums (6 times the leveling areas as the are 6 races, leveling through PvP, PQs, or solo quests - compared to AoC's pretty much just solo quest.  I found War's 4 end game group instances more challenging and better done than AoC's end game PvE.  I did quit after maxing out, but I eat through content fast.

Neither is an excelent MMO, it's just IMO War is better done at all levels.  The combat sytem, which I consider an engine, is rather silly as AoC's combat system didn't seem to factor in PvP, it's why PvP feels meh to me and I can circle around people all day without getting hit or sprint off and hide in AoC. Also, War can host much larger battles.

War's weakpoints...........you need a solid group to do anything well, PvP or PvE. Class balance, though not as bad as AoC's IMO but ya so many people played the same classes, No PvE raiding! No true open world RvR, I rolled on Dark crag an open server and guards block the way to the other teams zone.  There really isn't much end game gear, just like AoC, and stats arn't as large a factor as people think.

Originally posted by finaticd

@ OP thanks, I figured and heard as much, think I just picked up WoW for nestalgia reasons as open world PvP before the honor system was amazing, and even afterwards my romps in Silithus were fun.    Or destroying 1 or 2 guilds on the way to molten core.

War is a better game, better engine, better PvP systems and forums (Scenarios, keeps, lakes) better PvE forums (6 times the leveling areas as the are 6 races, leveling through PvP, PQs, or solo quests - compared to AoC's pretty much just solo quest.  I found War's 4 end game group instances more challenging and better done than AoC's end game PvE.  I did quit after maxing out, but I eat through content fast.

Neither is an excelent MMO, it's just IMO War is better done at all levels.  The combat sytem, which I consider an engine, is rather silly as AoC's combat system didn't seem to factor in PvP, it's why PvP feels meh to me and I can circle around people all day without getting hit or sprint off and hide in AoC. Also, War can host much larger battles.

War's weakpoints...........you need a solid group to do anything well, PvP or PvE. Class balance, though not as bad as AoC's IMO but ya so many people played the same classes, No PvE raiding! No true open world RvR, I rolled on Dark crag an open server and guards block the way to the other teams zone.  There really isn't much end game gear, just like AoC, and stats arn't as large a factor as people think.

WAR is without a doubt a great game, and I'm actually an avid tabletop Warhammer player. I really do like WAR and what its got going for it. With that being said I think it needs some work in the PvP department, mostly in keep sieges and helping out MDPS.

I think I'm going to go pick up AoC tomorrow and give it a shot. You can get it for the same price as a months sub, so I really don't have much to lose since I just closed my WoW account.

Finatic is at it again. He has been bashing AoC for months, i can hardly understand why somebody would put so much effort into something he doesn't like. Maybe funcom killed his dog? Who knows.

On a serious note, before resubbing to AoC over a month ago i was playing WaR, played for 2 months. It's wasn't bad but honestly i found it to be just plain average. Open rvr was fun at times but it was pointless, war isn't a bad game at all, but not good enough to keep me interested.

One day after quitting i was bored and i spotted my AoC that had been collecting dust for some months. Came to this site and checked the forums, saw a couple of trolls but people were still saying plenty of good things about the game so i decided to give it a go again even though i played at launch and it was horrible because of all the bugs.

Know what? I have been playing every day ever since. I like most things about this game, combat, dungeons, pvp, quests, graphics. It's the most fun i had playing an mmo, ever. Granted i didn't play many.

If you still aren't sure, there is a free trial that is supposed to come "soon". I quote soon cause it's supposed to come after the next patch, next patch is supposed to release in a couple of weeks, but i don't know how long it will take them to set a free trial up.

Originally posted by ObliviousX

next patch is supposed to release in a couple of weeks,

I would make that months... If we are lucky, we will see the patch released somewhere in may.

I do not dare think it will come any sooner, seeing as 1.5 has yet to be put out on testlive, and these patches usually stay there for at least a couple of months.

 I'm glad I gave AOC another look. It runs much better now. The new RPG changes are coming also.

AOC combat is the best in any avatar mmo. Graphics are very nice. It's not my "mecca" MMO but it's a blast to play

Awesome game, definitely worth picking up!!!

There is no doubt that Funcom has a ways to go, but I resubbed almost 5 months ago, and have resubbed again just recently.

I cannot find any other MMO to satisfy me now. AoC has broken me on the standard MMO fare. Thanks to many fixes, the game is running great. Content is good for all levels so far, and patch 1.05 and the revamp could be a total winner.

Good luck on this, and let us know how it went.

I never really had that many bugs to start with in AoC.  I bought it at launch and played it for 2 months (got to 80).  At the time there was no endgame content, or well there was, but it was only two things you could do.  I resubbed about a month ago and they have added several things you can do now and the sieges are fun.  I'd suggest playing on Set (my server hehe).  Even with the addition of the murder system there still seems to be a bunch of 12 year old kids on pvp servers that run around towns killing people for the fun of it while they're in quest dialog (have absolutely no clue how they see this as fun).  In the General servers, you get to chose if you want to pvp.  The border kingdoms and sieges are a blast now.  I've been in 2 sieges so far and they rival the fun I had in the frontiers of DAoC.  A bunch of my friends run around the border kingdoms and the mini games (which blow WoW's battlegrounds out of the water!).  PvP is a blast in this game now.  It's based alot more on skill than items (although I hear they're going to be increasing item effectiveness soon).  I've been in a couple of PvE raids as well, they're remind me of the days of raiding MC and Onyxia in the original WoW (which was the best, boo expansions lol).  I hope you come back and give it a try, anyone saying the game still stinks hasn't played it recently, or played it for 5 seconds and quit because of bias or pre-trial hate.

it's a trap! a big, bad marketing trap!