Originally posted by Vrazule

It certainly isn't casual like WoW.  Between the slow leveling starting at 6 and higher and the constant scrounging for Kinah to afford new skills or spells, I found the experience to be frustrating.  I can't even imagine the horror of it when things really slow down.  Add to this, the only reasonable way to progress beyond the 20's is through PvP.  Don't expect a lot of WoW players to even want to play this game, let alone stick with it.  I'm glad I got to test it out, saved me the box price.

Yeah I agree with the others, you dont know what you are talking about, it took me about 2 hours with 30 minutes of played time with my templar to get to level 10, Level 10 in Aion Equals Level 16 in WoW, It takes me about 5 hours or more to get from 1 to level 16 in WoW.

Something else to note:

While the game post 25 has been heavily focused on PvPvE in the Abyss the devs are implementing a lot of PvE encounters within the Abyss and tied into the RvR in the game.  Things like PvE instances within the fortresses if your group controls them, new huge PvE instances with time limits where your group receives a score or rating based on how they did and the final boss adjusts based on this score including better loot and harder bosses for higher scores.  They are also adding an instance for two full groups, one from each side, where the groups compete to achieve goals and also has a score increase/steal from the opposing team for killing them.

They are really focusing on enhancing the overall experience instead of expanding the end of the game with a ton of level cap increases which is very cool.  I like the direction they are taking and look forward to meaningful RvR along with the PvE instances.  It will be fun to devise strategies for completing some of these instances.  Most of them reward Abyss Points on top of the loot and experience which should be a fun way to gain Abyss Points without straight up PvP'ing.

Also you should read through kilkil2's thread about RvR and how the game plays out in the Abyss.  You can clearly see the different approach the devs have taken towards end game, pvp, rvr, and faction warfare.  It might start off with linear questing and such, but you can see a clear contrast with the direction the devs are taking with Aion against what Blizzard has done with WoW.

Would you go to the Micheal Jackson fan club to ask if people like his music? What kind of answer do you think you'll get?

Overall, the gameplay is almost exactly like WoW but with flying combat, RvR, and Chain Attacks. But for every feature in Aion that is different from WoW, there are five that Aion doesn't have but WoW does.

• Character development is much less complex. In WoW you start your talent tree customization at level 10. Aion's Stigma system doesn't have as much variety and doesn't start until high levels.
   
• Gear is less interesting. The attribute mechanics (str, agi, int, etc) don't exist on gear. Its not bad, but it make gear less interesting IMO. There is nothing crazy that I have seen in Aion gear. At least nothing that makes you think like WoW's Lightning Capacitor and other items that have their own mechanics to them.
   
• Crafting feels more simple (I'd call it dumbed down, but that will make the fans scream... just watch). There is only one collecting skill and it doesn't require utensils like the mining pick, skinning knife, etc. It seems like crafting will be even more of a time and money sink. And like WoW its only really useful for end game gear.
   
• Combat feels a bit less varied. Every class uses a mana bar unlike WoW where you may have a rage bar, energy bar, and a few other unique mechanics. I felt like the abilities in Aion were somewhat generic and didn't seem to have the diversity that WoW had. It seems like they do this to make PvP more fair. Combos are cool, but not enough to make it feel like a whole new game or anything.

In the positive reviews of Aion you'll see that 90% of the compliments are about the graphics and stability rather than the gameplay. It really proves that rehashed game mechanics with pretty graphics really is a recipe for success.

Many of the fans will swear all day that its a lot different than WoW. I'd agree if all I ever played was EQ, WoW, DaoC, and WAR. People that played Tabula Rasa, Spellborn, D&D Online, Fallen Earth, City of XXX, Darkfall, and UO would know that it has much more in common with WoW than it does any of the other games I just mentioned.

If you like familiar mechanics with a twist then you'll love Aion. If you're into RvR and were a big fan of DaoC then you'll love Aion. If you're looking for a new experience that is nothing like WoW then you may not like Aion so much.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of either WoW or Aion. I played WoW for years and enjoyed its style for a while, but now I'm ready for a new experience and Aion isn't it.

---

Originally posted by Aganazer
Would you go to the Micheal Jackson fan club to ask if people like his music? What kind of answer do you think you'll get?

Overall, the gameplay is almost exactly like WoW but with flying combat, RvR, and Chain Attacks. But for every feature in Aion that is different from WoW, there are five that Aion doesn't have but WoW does.
 

• Character development is much less complex. In WoW you start your talent tree customization at level 10. Aion's Stigma system doesn't have as much variety and doesn't start until high levels.  
• Gear is less interesting. The attribute mechanics (str, agi, int, etc) don't exist on gear. Its not bad, but it make gear less interesting IMO. There is nothing crazy that I have seen in Aion gear. At least nothing that makes you think like WoW's Lightning Capacitor and other items that have their own mechanics to them.   Crafting feels more simple (I'd call it dumbed down, but that will make the fans scream... just watch). There is only one collecting skill and it doesn't require utensils like the mining pick, skinning knife, etc. It seems like crafting will be even more of a time and money sink. And like WoW its only really useful for end game gear.   Combat feels a bit less varied. Every class uses a mana bar unlike WoW where you may have a rage bar, energy bar, and a few other unique mechanics. I felt like the abilities in Aion were somewhat generic and didn't seem to have the diversity that WoW had. It seems like they do this to make PvP more fair. Combos are cool, but not enough to make it feel like a whole new game or anything.

In the positive reviews of Aion you'll see that 90% of the compliments are about the graphics and stability rather than the gameplay. It really proves that rehashed game mechanics with pretty graphics really is a recipe for success.

Many of the fans will swear all day that its a lot different than WoW. I'd agree if all I ever played was EQ, WoW, DaoC, and WAR. People that played Tabula Rasa, Spellborn, D&D Online, Fallen Earth, City of XXX, Darkfall, and UO would know that it has much more in common with WoW than it does any of the other games I just mentioned.

If you like familiar mechanics with a twist then you'll love Aion. If you're into RvR and were a big fan of DaoC then you'll love Aion. If you're looking for a new experience that is nothing like WoW then you may not like Aion so much.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of either WoW or Aion. I played WoW for years and enjoyed its style for a while, but now I'm ready for a new experience and Aion isn't it.

---

I'm just going to simply disagree completely with your post.

To start off, with the gear variations.. WoW has a ton of useless stats you don't want, and therefore you get a TON of junk gear for 90% of the classes you play. Aion has a lot of gear that will work for your class and it can be manastone socketed to further support your class.

Character development is less complex, but skill required to play the classes are MUCH more intense.

Crafting is crafting, I could care less, it's fun enough for me. There's one gathering skill, which is fine for me, and there is enough secondary skills to keep me happy. Not a big crafter myself, so I could care less.

And finally combat.. well.. it's INCREDIBLY different. First up would be the fact that you don't just spam one move all day like you usually have to do in WoW for 90% of the classes until end game where you actually have to press other buttons for escape. Aion has a lot of different damaging abilities that you'll want to use.. unlike WoW where most people have 1 main nuke and a ton of utility-type attacks. Which was the first thing I noticed after getting to around 20 in Aion.. lots of combat fun instead of 1 button spam. Also think they varied plenty .. lots of different effects for different classes and abilities most of the time.

In conclusion, i'd like to add that i've been playing WoW since a couple of months before TBC.. so I know what i'm talking about to an extent, and that I think unless you fully appreciate both games you can't compare them. If you hate both games it's easy to just throw them both under the bus like you did. And I didn't even have to mention the fact that there's flying combat and the PvP is WAY WAY WAY more extensive and thought out instead of WoW's wimp PvP.. 2v2, 3v3, 5v5.. and they killed World PvP.

Three months till release and the haters are flocking, wonder how bad it will get by Sept. 22 and how long after release it will continue? Guess it gives them something to do as obviously in their eyes all games suck so bad they cant find anything to do besides bestow their eternal wisdom upon all who will listen.  Come thursday none you try so hard to convince will be here, they will all be in Aion beta, so i guess you all will have to decide which game to unleash your anger upon until next monday when you can start over again and who knows, by then maybe you can come up with something besides the worn out  WOW clone crap.

Originally posted by Tykero

Originally posted by tanoril

So basically what I'm getting from the responses is if you're not into having PvP endgame (which a majority of people are NOT into, I'm talking NA only)

 

I'm curious as to how you came to that conclusion.

 

 

Regardless, Aion has both a strong PvP and PvE offering. They're intertwined. Imagine WoW raids. Now give them a meaningful goal other than loot (ownership of a keep, dominance over the other side). Now throw in a bunch of enemy players along with the boss.

 

It's extremely exciting. DaoC was a popular game in its time, and Aion follows a similar formula.

 

The main point I have about Aion is that the combat is enthralling, smooth, and fairly balanced. There's plenty of good content, and good design. The game overall feels fantastic and complete.

The only similarities it shares with WoW are the clear interface, two warring player factions (albeit in a very different setting), and incredible attention to detail that made WoW (and will make Aion) such a great game.

 

 

I've came to that point because numerous people have mentioned that it doesn't have the PvE content that WoW had at launch. DAoC was good but it was never hugely popular, in fact at it's peak it never hit EQ numbers (200-300000? maybe). PvP players are a minority as far as MMO players in general. My point is if it doesn't have meaningful endgame content where players who just want to PvE (ie, a majority of WoW players), then it's not going to be a huge success in NA (1 million + players).

Everyone wants to be like WoW, but yet they never get the forumula exactly right to be successful