Well, if somebody comes to Aion looking for a Pre-CU SWG MMO, they're in for certain disappointment, since the game is not designed that way.

I came under the impression that I will find an MMO that will be a fuse between Lineage2 and the latest released western MMOs. In other words, an eastern inspired MMO without the tediousness of its predecessor. From the three days I got to glimpse at the game, I think my assumption was not off.

Its all subjective. Like some say its a grind.. I yet to find that.. its easier for ME than WOW. It does not remind ME of wow at all. I dont find it group oriented at all lol. Most I see solo but might be diff  in the US when out. I level alot faster and I dont like that. I like it and will keep playing. But like Warhammer at the start it will look to be a hit but after 2-4 months will die down and we will see it for what it really is. There will me a lack of GM's, there WILL be alot of bots, gold sellers. There will be alot of times you feel like your playing  F2P game lol..

Jump in and try it ...if you dont wanna waste money for a tryout  simply wait till they offer a trial  in the future .

Xasapis, that is my point though.  I knew just by looking at the info page on this game that it wasnt even close to Pre-CU SWG.  And yes, it was designed that way... and that, in my opinion, IS the problem.  It is most definitely the problem I have with this game.  I never played Lineage2, so I dont really have a basis for comparison there.  But from everything that I experienced from level 1-10 in Aion, is it was very similar to WoW... just prettier, and slightly more linear.  Class system is a little more simple, and character creation a little more diverse... but ultimately, it is just another WoW clone.

Zeblade, when I say grind, I mean that for your first character, going from level 1 to level whatever(endgame), might be enjoyable... but then you create a new character, and that is when the grind starts.  I am curious as to what end game is like in Aion, how the gear grind is, since all the signs point to PvE based gear collection(aka WoW instances/raids), or a PvP grindfest to get gear(Warhammer).  But why should getting gear be a grindfest?  It certainly wasnt in Pre-CU SWG... hell, if you were good enough, you didnt need gear.

WoW, is the easiest game I have ever played in terms of leveling, you do it solo, regardless of class, because that is the most effective way to level in that game.  Do the same quests, from the same NPC's, and that is that.  EQ2 and Warhammer are the same way, CoH was also until they implemented the Architect quests system, unless you ran with a powerleveling group to rush your character past all the beginner levels.  Level based games, of any capacity, arent EVER about the leveling up process, the ultimate goal is to reach the highest level, and get your character into the end-game content.  I would honestly like to know of a level based game that isnt that way.

Like I said before, SWG's original idea was the most innovative and promising idea for an MMORPG that has EVER hit the market since EQ1.  It is just a shame that SOE ruined that game so badly, but it isnt the games fault for that, Sony can bear the burden of those mistakes all on themselves.  What I would like to see, since all these freekin game development companies have jumped on this god-forsaken WoW bandwagon is a game that models itself after SWG's original idea.  That would be the game of games, and, in my opinion, would end WoW's reign over the MMO industry.

-]V[Disciple

Originally posted by madeux

Originally posted by Syno23

Originally posted by Herodes

I didn´t play the game, so I just post my fears:

-that there isn´t much PvE-content. I.e. bad boring crafting, no housing or other things besides killing.

-that it is a standard 2 factions PvP, where the bigger side wins because the AI will be mostly exploitable.

-that in PvP the ranged classes will dominate because it is harder to find someone who is shooting you in 3D than in 2D (remember underwater battles in games like DAoC etc)

-that there will be many bots.

This is what I am guessing, because I did not have played it yet. So correct me I am wrong.

 

Aion at best has:

- Good graphics

- Great gameplay

- A lot of subscribers

- A lot of updates

- A lot of PvP ENDGAME content

Otherwise, the game sucks so bad.

 

Hmmm... Good graphics, great gameplay, lots of subscribers and updates, and lots of pvp endgame... sounds like a winner to me :)

But to answer the OP, again, yes, you should definitely give it a try.  What have you got to lose?

pvp is a little carebear but i guess its better then most,,,,

Well, the best part of Lineage2 was (as in five years ago):

• Playing a hard game with the help of friends (I'll explain what I mean hard in a bit)
• Keeping or attacking a castle with your alliance.

I didn't have the pleasure to play DAoC, so the people who enjoyed that game will excuse me. The main difference that I think L2 had from DAoC (besides the insane amount of exp to level) was that one was a faction game while the other was a free for all game, meaning that you could attack anybody at any time.

The hard part (in my opinion) comes from the unforgiving game mechanics. Some were more tedious (what somebody would call a grind) than others, like the levelling speed. I remember that at level 65+ I was gaining 1% exp per hour, with constant mob pulling and killing (grouped) in the best exp spot in the game. At 70+ that amount dropped to 0.5%. Dying from a mob (which was very easy to happen even for tanks without timely healing) costed 4% exp. Yep, that's eight hours gameplay lost per death. Dying in PvP cost 1% exp. On top of that you always had the chance to drop an item you were carrying or wearing. Items were all craft made, but the materials were mob dropped and it took a bit over a month to gather enough for a weapon for example when playing 10+ hours per day (yes, I had tons of free time back then).

That's the rough part. You really need the support from your guild so as:

• Not to get attacked by random people when you were minding your own business. Top guilds were top guilds because they were retaliating against unprovoked attacks. We were literally hunting down (for days, weeks) those who attacked our members or were meddling in our wars. It usually involved killing offenders so many times that sometimes they were de-levelling.
• Linked to above, we were supporting each other. Attacking a member meant guild wide alarm. People were dropping whatever they were doing to help & retaliate.
• Losing something like a weapon in such high levels meant a broken character, if it wasn't for the guild (aka everyone) contributing to cover losses.

The result was a very bonded guild atmosphere, something that its impossible to replicate in the era of instanced battlegrounds, arenas and lightweight PvP. There are many skilled PvPers in these instanced sheltered PvP games, but the "war-like" atmosphere is lost to them.

What killed the fun part for me was the amount of time that was required to be competitive. Killing mobs for countless hours both for materials and experience was a necessity. And when I say a necessity, I don't mean it in the selfish self improvement way, but more in the collective guild overall power. But it was too much for a totally legit player like me, so I gave up at some point. The game has changed considerably from what I hear, but it's hard justifying going back at this point.

So here comes Aion, which cuts down the tedious part of levelling considerably, while from the first glimpses, maintains the other good qualities of L2 (sans FFA, we'll see how that will work out). The main differences from L2 (that I've seen) is the speedier levelling, the addition of countless quests (L2 had just the class advancing quest when I was playing it) and the faction PvP. From what I've managed to see in the closed beta, the game is definitely an improvement compared to its predecessor (although L2 will probably have a direct descendant, in the form of L3).

That's why I'm saying that the game is an evolution of L2 with the addition of modern western MMO mechanics. I guess it's easy to mistake Aion for a WoW clone when somebody never played L2, in the same manner that it's easy to mistake LOTRO for a WoW clone when somebody never played AC2.

I was wondering the same thing myself a few weeks ago.  I eventually took it upon myself to get the Chinese client and try it out.  Unless something dramatic changes from the Chinese client to the English client, I'm not going to be continuing my investment into this game.

I started playing Runes of Magic, and, honestly, it is MY OPINION (note the word "opinion")... it is my opinion that Runes of Magic, a f2p title, is better than Aion, a "AAA" pay-to-play title.

I don't know, maybe I have cheap tastes, or maybe I'm just stupid, but I like Runes of Magic a hell of a lot more than Aion.  Additionally, I like Runes of Magic more than WoW (because of the subclass system).

Is Aion just another WoW with a different skin?  No (you could say that about any MMORPG).  Aion is just another MMORPG, doing what most MMORPGs out there do: utilize features that have been proven to work, and improving on the features.

Aion:

combat =  "been there, done that"

quests = "been there, done that"

classes = "been there, done that" (those three statements can be said about almost all new MMORPGs)

just about everything in Aion has been done before (better or worse), and the pretty graphics and angel-wings just aren't enough to keep me interested.

If you're looking for something new and refreshing, with ground-breaking innovation and never-been-done-before features, you won't find it in Aion.

Finally, the feeling I get from Aion is this: Aion is a very well-done, very polished F2P asian grinder... only, it's not F2P

Look folks...

Every MMO has a variable lifespan. The length of time you play it,  has a lot more to do with you than any game feature.

I'm not saying that "end-game content" is not an important factor in keeping you there, but other factors such as the atmosphere within your guild, what your friends (both RL and game friends) are playing (and how often) and most important, your own tolerance to repetition are the main factors.

I have more than once drifted away from MMOs due to a combination of the above personal criteria. It had very little to do with the game: it didn't begin to suck overnight. My time there was just done and it was time to move on.

It sems like a lot of people don't get that it's fine to do this. Hence, the cliched "I'm leaving because______(insert exagerated pet peeve here)" posts we are all familiar with and the equally cliched "can I have your stuff?" replies.

My take on the OP was that it was just time for him to move on and the soda pop WOW ad really had SFA to do with his decision.

The other part...the one about whether Aion is much like WOW has also become a cliche because just about every single solitary fantasy themed MMO out there has similarities to WOW...and to Everquest, the pre-wow gorilla of the MMO world... and there's not a damn thing wrong with that: "things", be they MMOs, rock music, movies or whatever evolve taking what was good before and putting new spins or new takes on it: even rock music and movies evolved from something else at the beginnin (R&B and theater)...just like MMOs evolved from stand-alone CRPGs...which evolved from pen and paper RPGs and so on.

Inevitably Aion will be compared to WOW and people will see similarities...big deal! I also see a whole s--tpile of innovations and refinements that make it most definitely not WOW just like it's not Dungeons and Dragons.

Every new MMO is going to be compared to WoW

Unless a new company comes up with their own MMO, like how EVE is, everyone is going to compare every new MMO to WoW

I unfortunately did not get to test out Aion but I'm sure it is going to be a lot better than WoW

---

Originally posted by LogothX

... the early game is one of the grindiest pieces of trash I've ever seen,...

---

Why is it every single person that says the game is a grind don't have a single shred of evidence to backup their claim?

The game plays like just about every other Western mmo as far as leveling. You quest, you level and the pace is similar to some of the most popular Western MMOs.

"should I even bother with Aion?"

No.

I agree with the guy above, Aion doesn't want you, so GTFO. I'll enjoy it on your behalf...yum!

Should you even bother getting up in the morning?

I mean after all you're probably going to do the same thing you've been doing for a long time, with a few variances and twists here and there.

What's my point? All mmos are tailored the same way you have figured out if there's something that calls to your sense of fun. Do't worry about what people say, sheep follow what people say... Go read up on the official site and make up your own mind, lots of info here as well.

Its better then wow and L2. not to mention most the new games out there. but to be honest this is a lame post. i say you should try to run across the freeway and start a thread about it...

This is a valid question, and a valid post.  The OP is asking this due to that fact that there are SO MANY games out there than CAN be compared to WoW.  Which lead me to my answer.

The running opinion seems to be that all new 'western mmo's' are all going to be WoW clones, as in, some variation of a level based EXP grinding, quest based linear game, with some sort of end game content. 

I say... to hell with WoW, and all the games that have spawned from its idea... there has to be some sort of game company that isnt so snowblinded by the amount of money that WoW has pulled in over the last 5 years that they can take the time to pull their heads out of their proverbial programmer/developer asses, and come up with something original, or something that is a variation of a different approach to MMO gameplay.

I use Star Wars Galaxies as an example of that... because, in my opinion, I think it was the most innovative idea for an MMO that has ever been released, it is just a crying shame that the people at SOE had their heads firmly placed so far up their backsides that they ruined that game completely, and turned it into something it never should have been.

Lineage2 sounds like it is another level based game that is alot more painful than it should be. 0.5% exp per hour?  Exp debt?  Exp debt from PvP kills?!!?  Are you kidding me?  That is insane, and I am glad I never played it... no offense intended.  I will never understand why there are penalties in any game for something as simple as death, ESPECIALLY in a PvP environment.  That is just rediculous.  Solid guild based bonds werent founded based upon the interaction in the game, they were founded out of absolute necessity... which is retarded.

SWG's envirionment fostered interaction and a close community due to game design, but not based off of penalty.  You, if you wanted, could get along just fine by yourself, making money, buying armor, and pvp'ing without really talking to a single person.  But the mechanics, and ingenious design of that game pulled you into an environment that you just wanted to be a part of, and socialize in... regardless of faction

I was imperial, and some of my 'best friends' in that game were rebel, we pvp'd against each other, and had a blast doing it.  I havent seen a game other than SWG that has EVER been like that.

Anyways, I have said my piece.  To the OP, I played Aion, its pretty, the graphics are nice, SFX are cool enough, class system is simple, UI is straightforward.  If you know how to play WoW, or EQ2, or any variant of the two, you will have no problems with Aion... it might even hold your attention for a couple months... but I really dont see this games lasting power at all... its just more of the same.

Good luck, have fun.

]V[Disciple

Newsflash for the Pre-CU "veteran" above. This game is not SGW nor it was ever designed to be one. I knew that you'll hate it from the first paragraph you posted. And you know why? Not because it's a bad game (it might actually turn out to be quite good), but because the design is not compatible to what you like.

As for lasting power, if WoW can keep people entertained for years, then certainly that kind of design can keep people subscribing. I really hope somebody makes a sandbox you all people will like and backup. No luck so far though, besides EVE. Ryzom was never really adopted by the sandbox community, don't know why.

Originally posted by Disciple42

Lineage2 sounds like it is another level based game that is alot more painful than it should be. 0.5% exp per hour?  Exp debt?  Exp debt from PvP kills?!!?  Are you kidding me?  That is insane, and I am glad I never played it... no offense intended.  I will never understand why there are penalties in any game for something as simple as death, ESPECIALLY in a PvP environment.  That is just rediculous.  Solid guild based bonds werent founded based upon the interaction in the game, they were founded out of absolute necessity... which is retarded.

Sorry, but your comment is way off.

Yeah, the grind was painful at certain points, yeah, penalties were a pain in the ass and sometimes they made weak minded people log out in frustration.

Penalty exp made people think twice before flagging, you can't just kill someone and get away unpunished in L2, this made the PvP more of a "I want to be there pvping with those cool kids" than the typical lobby style keep coming back it's not like if you were losing anything, if I killed you in L2, I gained control of your PvE area, if you wanted to take it back, you had to kill me, how many times would you come to annoy me after receiving a 4% of penalty everytime I killed you? That's risk vs reward, who says PvErs are  the only ones who want consequences for their actions? I also want to kill someone and feel victorious in more ways than an epeen increasement.

But do you know what they say about the love-hate relationships? They are the best ones. Guilds being founded out of necessity isn't a con in my book, if anything, it made guilds stronger and way more united than your "we raid every day at 8PM, be there" kind of guild.

L2 might have done many things bad (imho, devs failed to foresee their intended model was too easily corruptable, so it's a cheaters playground) but the PvP system wasn't one.

A small disclaimer, since somebody missed it:

My experience with Lineage 2 is almost 5 years old now. I'm sure that the game has changed. Perhaps not much, but games do change over time. Take for example WoW classic and WoW + two expansions. Yes, it's the same game, but also it's not exactly the same game. I hope that makes sense to you.

Originally posted by maverick1127

Every new MMO is going to be compared to WoW

Unless a new company comes up with their own MMO, like how EVE is, everyone is going to compare every new MMO to WoW

I unfortunately did not get to test out Aion but I'm sure it is going to be a lot better than WoW

That because alot of the new generation of mmo's players have only played wow and that the only thing they can compare it too ,

when i started playing mmo's there wasnt as many mmo's out there and even less mmo players , to me mmo's are now way too mainstreamed more and more of them are inspired from wow ( not a good thing ) .

But Aion is looking good it nothing new to the mmo market but we all knew that , vets of this genre know what to expect in these type of games , no matter what mmo you choose it all come to the same thing were all ganna quest . xp , grind and pvp at some point to attain max level and brag how good we are .

Still i thinkAion  will a winner and in the end what do we have to loose try it or let it go by and wait for another mmo with the exact type of gameplay to come out .

Yeah, the grind was painful at certain points, yeah, penalties were a pain in the ass and sometimes they made weak minded people log out in frustration.

I love the ego on this giant douche.

Don't ever change.