Originally posted by JonMichael

Originally posted by Yunbei

This is NOT a review. It's an impression based on the early experience.

 

That much being said, I am quite astonished this game was ever cited as WOW killer. Don't get me wrong, Aion is decend fun and solid entertainment, but truth be told, it is more a retro game than anything. The first thing I noticed was it is an odd step back in graphics. The textures and landscape have indeed some WOW or WAR like simplicity. The WAR feeling of landscapes which don't transport emotion is the inevitable comparision for me. WAR wasn't a bad world design, but it kinda never transported the feeling I could relate to, maybe lacking soul if you want, and Aion's world has the same again. Technically not bad but at no point I felt at home in the this world, even tho some vistas are sure spectacular. Part of it sure are the low textures. Some rocky ground is absurdly low, grass is an oddly flat painting and even at max setting I never have this feeling of walking on a meadow. I won't take such graphic hogs like AoC, but just compare it to the rich mood the world breathes in LOTRO. Walking on a meadow here with all the flowers, the grass in the wind... LOTRO had so rich atmosphere and soul, and not having more in terms of polygons. By and large the world detail and soul of Aion isnt much better than say Perfect World.

 

Granted the big bonus is the detailled character design. Tho I might wonder why you can't change your appearance later, which is a common feature in games which such detailled chars, and generally becoming standard in todays MMOs. But given that you have merely 2 totally linear placed races it sorta makes the replay value limited. You actually see the same over and over again. Even playing Elyos after playing Asmodians, the zones had an odd deja-vu, like every zone and even many quests were like copy cats from the other realm, just that the quest for Elyos is hunt Wolves and for Asmodians it was cats or panthers. Compare Altgard the Asmodian lv 10 -12 zone with the same level for Elyos (forgot the name), its like a copy with different textures.

 

So far I have tried out about half of the classes to late 10s. Now sure you may jump on me, saying but wait with 25 it totally changes! Sorry, for me a game has to be fun right away. Especially since levelling in Aion is somewhat slower that you are used to. Which also makes replay just for trying out another class odd.

 

 

I stopped there.

You were hardly out of the newbie area by then.  I played LOTRO for over a year and your comparisons between the two are completely out of whack.

Half of your post is assumptions on your part.  Who told you that you can't change your appearance after character creation?  There are NPC's where you can even change gender.

It sounds like you really didn't even want to like the game.

 

I guess you have a really poor memory since he said, in his very first statement, that this is NOT a review but a first impression. I dont know what first impression means to you but for me it is maybe 15-20 hours of gameplay. And then you are bashing that he made assumptions about things he havent found yet. Well duh, it is called FIRST impression for a reason.

There were some before it but UO was the first with a significant subscriber base.

Getting back to Aion, I think it's criticizm comes not because it's a bad game (it's not) but that at this point in time, it doesn't bring anything new or even significant to the table.  The reason that's important is if you think long term, there isn't a whole lot of reasons why you would play this for any significant amount of time unless you were in a strong guild that stayed together.  For some they love it and that's great, but for others (me included), there are times when it does feel like I'm playing it just to see what's next, not because I'm enjoying what I'm doing, or because the world/character is engaging. 

Everybody says 'wait till level 25' but the idea that I actually have to go through 25 levels to experience what I want to experience is a tough sell.  I disagree with those that say early levels are important, because I think they are.  Most are going to base their purchase on that early experience. 

In that case was it Neverwinter Nights of 1991? Come to think of it I believe that came out before "ImagiNation". Meridian was the first 3D one but I never played that.

Originally posted by Xasapis

Originally posted by thamighty213

Originally posted by crusher143

Originally posted by Ephimero

I dont agree with your review, there are undeniable points like low res textures, but then again, its that way for a greater good, massive ammounts of people with minor FPS drops.

 

That seriously is just a stupid excuse, thats what graphics settings are for ....

 

No its not.

 

Textures are generally a single texture with a number of options graphically to put higher res textures in you have to physically put them in making the client size massive when you are duplicating them multiple times.

 

I do remeber reading somewhere that Aion Team are considering a optional download of higher res non character textures.

That would be great news if it happens. Same with DirectX 10/11, if they ever implement it.

Very much needed, the game looks pretty good but for the lame world textures, it really stands out as bad against the other good graphics elements.

Originally posted by tanoril

 

Getting back to Aion, I think it's criticizm comes not because it's a bad game (it's not) but that at this point in time, it doesn't bring anything new or even significant to the table.  The reason that's important is if you think long term, there isn't a whole lot of reasons why you would play this for any significant amount of time unless you were in a strong guild that stayed together.  For some they love it and that's great, but for others (me included), there are times when it does feel like I'm playing it just to see what's next, not because I'm enjoying what I'm doing, or because the world/character is engaging. 

I have done some testing during OB now and  as you say I feel that the game isn't bad, but it brings nothing new. The flying was a fun addition, until I realized it was exactly freedom of movement there. It seems to be quite  afew invisble walls and ceilings in the game whilst flying, maybe this iopens up in Abyss, I have no idea but I would hope so for the ones who plays the game. The quests were not really interesting at all, and I feel like I have grown properly sick of the same quest to help some sad ass retarded famrmer kill x amount of mobs to to save his farm. Give me a MMO where I can perma kills NPC's that asks that and I would be a happy npc slayer :P Aion however in itself isn't a bad game, it simply didn't catch my interest at all. It has some good things, but most of what I saw was noth new and just a polished but boring version of what other games have tried.

 Everybody says 'wait till level 25' but the idea that I actually have to go through 25 levels to experience what I want to experience is a tough sell.  I disagree with those that say early levels are important, because I think they are.  Most are going to base their purchase on that early experience. 

You should never have to endure boring grinding to get the experience your looking for. I have seen the same argument in many games and as you say majority of players will base their view on the first impressions. Level 6-10 was for me boring, once I got the wings I did the flying, but I simply couldn't get myself to go and do many quests. If a game makes me feel bored in the beginning I will simply stop playing. For me and probably many players the enjoyment of a game is not from certain level but the entire experience. A game can have dull starter content but still be fun if it's combat system makes up for it. Or if it has other qualities that makes the quests feel less boring. For my part aion had none of those, but I have no doubt the game will be a decent success as it isn't  a bad game in itself. It just isn't my type of game.

Originally posted by Larry2298

Originally posted by Jimmydean

The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO

 

I get it. People who never play EQ, DAOC and UO would be newschool so AION will not be their game. 

BTW, What game was the first P2P mmorpg in history?

 

The first MMORPG was Meridian59 back in 1996, as a matter of fact, 3DO actually created the MMORPG term itself. For its time it was an awesome game, still out there I hear too although not owned by 3DO anymore. Ran my first guild in that game, got my name in the Hall of Fame and awarded my MSH (magical spirit helm) for winning the first area tournament. Ah those were the days let me tell ya, and that tournement...been in nothing since that compares. My first 100+ man DAoC relic raid was close, but for a PvP tourney nope.

Originally posted by Kaocan

Originally posted by Larry2298

Originally posted by Jimmydean

The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO

 

I get it. People who never play EQ, DAOC and UO would be newschool so AION will not be their game. 

BTW, What game was the first P2P mmorpg in history?

 

 

The first MMORPG was Meridian59 back in 1996, as a matter of fact, 3DO actually created the MMORPG term itself. For its time it was an awesome game, still out there I hear too although not owned by 3DO anymore. Ran my first guild in that game, got my name in the Hall of Fame and awarded my MSH (magical spirit helm) for winning the first area tournament. Ah those were the days let me tell ya, and that tournement...been in nothing since that compares. My first 100+ man DAoC relic raid was close, but for a PvP tourney nope.

Might want to check out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_massively_multiplayer_online_games before deciding Meridian 59 was the first MMORPG ;)

What Meridian 59 did do for us is introduce the 3D engines that would help the industry move forward.  I played many of the COMPUSERVE games and I also played on TSN (The Shadows of Yserbius) which is its own MMORPG.

Enjoy!

Originally posted by Yunbei

This is NOT a review. It's an impression based on the early experience.

 

That much being said, I am quite astonished this game was ever cited as WOW killer. Don't get me wrong, Aion is decend fun and solid entertainment, but truth be told, it is more a retro game than anything. The first thing I noticed was it is an odd step back in graphics. The textures and landscape have indeed some WOW or WAR like simplicity. The WAR feeling of landscapes which don't transport emotion is the inevitable comparision for me. WAR wasn't a bad world design, but it kinda never transported the feeling I could relate to, maybe lacking soul if you want, and Aion's world has the same again. Technically not bad but at no point I felt at home in the this world, even tho some vistas are sure spectacular. Part of it sure are the low textures. Some rocky ground is absurdly low, grass is an oddly flat painting and even at max setting I never have this feeling of walking on a meadow. I won't take such graphic hogs like AoC, but just compare it to the rich mood the world breathes in LOTRO. Walking on a meadow here with all the flowers, the grass in the wind... LOTRO had so rich atmosphere and soul, and not having more in terms of polygons. By and large the world detail and soul of Aion isnt much better than say Perfect World.

 

Granted the big bonus is the detailled character design. Tho I might wonder why you can't change your appearance later, which is a common feature in games which such detailled chars, and generally becoming standard in todays MMOs. But given that you have merely 2 totally linear placed races it sorta makes the replay value limited. You actually see the same over and over again. Even playing Elyos after playing Asmodians, the zones had an odd deja-vu, like every zone and even many quests were like copy cats from the other realm, just that the quest for Elyos is hunt Wolves and for Asmodians it was cats or panthers. Compare Altgard the Asmodian lv 10 -12 zone with the same level for Elyos (forgot the name), its like a copy with different textures.

 

So far I have tried out about half of the classes to late 10s. Now sure you may jump on me, saying but wait with 25 it totally changes! Sorry, for me a game has to be fun right away. Especially since levelling in Aion is somewhat slower that you are used to. Which also makes replay just for trying out another class odd.

 

Aion is filled with 1st gen MMOs remnants, stuff which I had thought to be left behind long ago, and mostly for good. I find it strange Aion has so many stuff every other MMO has by now left behind. Like, you start as generic class and get your real class later. Like you start as warrior and get Gladiator or Templar with level 10. And that takes longer than it sounds. Given that fact the game is totally linear, it makes trying out new classes a hassle. EQ2 used to have this branching, but it never was liked and today you start with your class right away, which I regard as the superior development into modern MMOs. I feel this starting as generic warrior or priest as a step back.

The mos odd step back however is IMVPO the return of the downtime. Fighting the downtime was one of the mayor progress of 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs, because essentially sitting around and waiting for health and mana to regen is never fun. It is a bad idea and a bad concept from the EQ1 and UO days. Sure you don't rest very long, but I always felt it was a bad disruption of my combat pacing. Especially in grouping this is a hassle, since Priest and Warrior classes need much less rest than scout and esp. mage classes. As mage and scout you will rest often, because mana for the mage and health for the scout will go down quickly. As scout you can compensate that with cheap bandages, with a healer, but as mage you are stuck, since mana potions are way more expensive and crafting them for hours in preparation of combat isn't to everyone's liking.

The greatest hindrance for Aion to become a hit in the western market IMO is that Aion is the most solo-unfriendly game of our days. Which is a result of the downtime. Sure you CAN solo with every class. But later on mobs are so crowded, that if you get additional mobs it can easily be your death, so its one at a time and you will have LOTS of time sitting and resting. The only class which can play with minimal to no downtime is priest, also warrior with bandages is ok. Still, the soloability is quite lacking compared to how well catered the solo experience in other 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs is. Its another of this odd step backs to 1st gen EQ era gaming. Some EQ vets may like it, but I doubt it will attract and keep the masses.

 

The lore and quests are alright. Nothing to rock me out of my boots but solid standard fare. Which isn't good enough in our competitive days, truth be told. When I think of the fascinating quests of LOTRO, where I virtually read every single quest, I find myself skipping the quest text in Aion all too soon, because it lacks the soul. Some quests are fun and nicely written, but most are quite boring. When you come to NPC-quest giving point X you don't really care why you have to kill 10 more wolves. I often had this feeling the quest hubs where quite artificially in their placement, not naturally and "right" like the LOTRO quest hubs. Its an emotional thing I can't exactly say why, but Aion always was much less a world than LOTRO, EQ2 or WOW (tho I have seen WOW only fleeting). It has this strong remniscence of the WAR world design: a linear quest tunnel, a theme park with NPCs standing, waiting for nothing but handing out quests to you in a very old fashioned and soulless manner. A good quest giver never feels like doing nothing else and again LOTRO did this the best. In Aion I often got this feeling that NPCs are here merely to hand me quests, cramped in some camp in a linear quest-tunnel.

I won't say Aion is all bad. Its a decend game, and in another, passed era, Aion would have rocked. But somehow the wheel of progress turned and today Aion is just a sort of MMO dinosaur, a remainder of the a passed MMO era in too many ways and not really fitting the refined and more demanding appetite of today.  I am quite surprise that after so much effort to westernize Aion this is the result. In just too many places the "simple, old Asia grinder" as you have seen legions, shines still through. So far I am still hooked and it is ok entertainment for a short time, but I am quite underwhelmed and at odds with many of the design decisions.

As others have said, 1-10 is super fast. Even the first time took only 3 or so hours - even try after that much less time.

When it comes to downtime - you shouldnt be having it unless it was a particuarly tough fight, or if you havent upgraded gear in a long long time. Or if you used badly chosen mana stones in your gear.

I also question if you really got to the late teens, or if you only got to level 10 itself then went to next char. Why? Because you still were talking about bandages and mentioned casters have no method of regen mana. At level 10 you get herb treatment (which replaces bandages) and you get a mana treatment which regenerates your mana without using potions - all for a cheap cost.

Lets be honest. Any class/level based MMO is the same in low levels, so your comments that "a game should be fun from the start" is kinda silly. EQ2, LoTRO you both mentioned - they were the same ol same ol in low levels as well. Hell, EQ2 made me want to shoot myself in the lower levels - it didnt get more fun until mid levels working with a guild. They both probably took just as long or even longer to level up as well. Other class/level based games - WoW, FFXI etc - they are all the same in low levels as well (aside from FF being more heavily group based).

They dont become different until the classes pan out a bit and get more advanced/complicated, once gear starts making more of a difference, and once you are a high enough level that the developers feel you are ready for some of the tougher unique content.

Finally, all the complaints about "reaching level 25 to get to play what I want" are kind of rediculous. Especially since most of your sigs list WoW in there. WoW is a game where you need to reach max level before you reach your goal - which takes much longer then 1-25 in Aion. Just log in WoW and ask anyone leveling up - they will quickly tell you they cant wait till 80 because leveling sucks so bad. Hell I know quite a few that checked WoTLK out recently and just those 10 levels been hell for them - those 10 levels take longer then 1-25 in Aion. It's a pretty obvious double standard (in most of your cases - not all).

Originally posted by Kaocan

Originally posted by Jimmydean

I for one am glad that Aion brought back some of the oldschool elements of MMORPGs that made them MMORPGs. What Aion did is bring an EQ / UO / DAOC experience and Polish the hell out of them. We have the updated UI, Mouse look, and other small "updates" to the game that do not change how an MMORPG is played but merely enhance it. World of Warcraft is very successful, but I don't believe that is where Aion want's to draw its crowd from.

The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO, and believe me there are a lot more of us out there than you may think. Plenty enough of us to make Aion the number 2 MMORPG in the West which is what NCSoft is shooting for.

 

Finally.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Exactly!

I stopped reading the thread, there was just too much of it, but this post seemed like a good end to me.

Fully agree.

Originally posted by SBarastl

Originally posted by Kaocan

Originally posted by Larry2298

Originally posted by Jimmydean

The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO

 

I get it. People who never play EQ, DAOC and UO would be newschool so AION will not be their game. 

BTW, What game was the first P2P mmorpg in history?

 

 

The first MMORPG was Meridian59 back in 1996, as a matter of fact, 3DO actually created the MMORPG term itself. For its time it was an awesome game, still out there I hear too although not owned by 3DO anymore. Ran my first guild in that game, got my name in the Hall of Fame and awarded my MSH (magical spirit helm) for winning the first area tournament. Ah those were the days let me tell ya, and that tournement...been in nothing since that compares. My first 100+ man DAoC relic raid was close, but for a PvP tourney nope.

 

Might want to check out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_massively_multiplayer_online_games before deciding Meridian 59 was the first MMORPG ;)

What Meridian 59 did do for us is introduce the 3D engines that would help the industry move forward.  I played many of the COMPUSERVE games and I also played on TSN (The Shadows of Yserbius) which is its own MMORPG.

Enjoy!

 

Oh sure if you want to be all technical and all that. There were tons of pre-internet MMORPG like games out there, I used to run my own with a pay per hour base and two eight port digi-boards for subscribers to log in with. There was an entire community of us out there that got up at 5am just to try and get our 'first turn' on Tradewars, was a MOG, turn based yeah, but still a MOG. Compuserve was the first to provide outside the University networks, AOL shortly after, and most of us BBS providers jumped on the 'internet' as soon as we could (it was our cash cow at the time). Not to mention modem makers like USRobotics were dumping free modems on us just to hook people up as fast as we could. But without the pre-internet history, and without counting all the telnet based MUDs, MOOs, and MUSHs out there or the university net games, the first 'open to the public' MMORPG was Merdian59. Yes, I know it is coined as the first 3D modelled graphical MMORPG, but it was also the first to be able to use the title of MMORPG. 3DO, the company that created Merdian59 was the company to coin the term MMORPG, and they used it in thier marketing for Meridian59. And if I'm not mistaken, it was the first MMO with a PvP element in it (could be wrong there though). I hate to concider any game prior to Meridian59 as an MMORPG though, since the term didnt' exist then, and its like stealing from the the ones that made the term. So keeping that in mind, the first MMMORPG was in fact Merdian59 - before then they were just MOGs.

Originally posted by SpyridonZ

 

As others have said, 1-10 is super fast. Even the first time took only 3 or so hours - even try after that much less time.

When it comes to downtime - you shouldnt be having it unless it was a particuarly tough fight, or if you havent upgraded gear in a long long time. Or if you used badly chosen mana stones in your gear.

I also question if you really got to the late teens, or if you only got to level 10 itself then went to next char. Why? Because you still were talking about bandages and mentioned casters have no method of regen mana. At level 10 you get herb treatment (which replaces bandages) and you get a mana treatment which regenerates your mana without using potions - all for a cheap cost.

Lets be honest. Any class/level based MMO is the same in low levels, so your comments that "a game should be fun from the start" is kinda silly. EQ2, LoTRO you both mentioned - they were the same ol same ol in low levels as well. Hell, EQ2 made me want to shoot myself in the lower levels - it didnt get more fun until mid levels working with a guild. They both probably took just as long or even longer to level up as well. Other class/level based games - WoW, FFXI etc - they are all the same in low levels as well (aside from FF being more heavily group based).

They dont become different until the classes pan out a bit and get more advanced/complicated, once gear starts making more of a difference, and once you are a high enough level that the developers feel you are ready for some of the tougher unique content.

Finally, all the complaints about "reaching level 25 to get to play what I want" are kind of rediculous. Especially since most of your sigs list WoW in there. WoW is a game where you need to reach max level before you reach your goal - which takes much longer then 1-25 in Aion. Just log in WoW and ask anyone leveling up - they will quickly tell you they cant wait till 80 because leveling sucks so bad. Hell I know quite a few that checked WoTLK out recently and just those 10 levels been hell for them - those 10 levels take longer then 1-25 in Aion. It's a pretty obvious double standard (in most of your cases - not all).

That's the whole problem. Most of these people have max level characters in those games by now and don't even know anymore what it was in the low levels back then.

Sure by now in WoW, LOTRO and EQ2 the devs have increased the speed of leveling in the lower levels. Simply because the majority of the playerbase is high up now. So they want new players to connect to the playerbase a bit faster.

I remember very well back then (thats over 2 -3 years ago) how long it took to reach level10 in WoW or EQ2.

It took at least 3 hours. Easily. Lot's of FedEx quests letting you run all over the starter place.

Aion is new. So they haven't dumbed down the starting experience yet. Simply because it's not needed yet.

The first 10 levels of Aion are no different then the first 10 levels in WoW, LOTRO, EQ2 years back when they released. Hence, reaching level 10 in LOTRO still takes longer today then in Aion!

The simple reason is, that people are just burned out and don't dare to admit it.

If you got bored now of leveling to level10 in Aion, then when you reroll a character in WoW, LOTRO or EQ2 will be just as boring. Hence, probably even more boring... as there are far less people around in the lower levels... making it a bit of a ghost town like experience.

Cheers

Originally posted by Guillermo197

Originally posted by SpyridonZ

 

As others have said, 1-10 is super fast. Even the first time took only 3 or so hours - even try after that much less time.

When it comes to downtime - you shouldnt be having it unless it was a particuarly tough fight, or if you havent upgraded gear in a long long time. Or if you used badly chosen mana stones in your gear.

I also question if you really got to the late teens, or if you only got to level 10 itself then went to next char. Why? Because you still were talking about bandages and mentioned casters have no method of regen mana. At level 10 you get herb treatment (which replaces bandages) and you get a mana treatment which regenerates your mana without using potions - all for a cheap cost.

Lets be honest. Any class/level based MMO is the same in low levels, so your comments that "a game should be fun from the start" is kinda silly. EQ2, LoTRO you both mentioned - they were the same ol same ol in low levels as well. Hell, EQ2 made me want to shoot myself in the lower levels - it didnt get more fun until mid levels working with a guild. They both probably took just as long or even longer to level up as well. Other class/level based games - WoW, FFXI etc - they are all the same in low levels as well (aside from FF being more heavily group based).

They dont become different until the classes pan out a bit and get more advanced/complicated, once gear starts making more of a difference, and once you are a high enough level that the developers feel you are ready for some of the tougher unique content.

Finally, all the complaints about "reaching level 25 to get to play what I want" are kind of rediculous. Especially since most of your sigs list WoW in there. WoW is a game where you need to reach max level before you reach your goal - which takes much longer then 1-25 in Aion. Just log in WoW and ask anyone leveling up - they will quickly tell you they cant wait till 80 because leveling sucks so bad. Hell I know quite a few that checked WoTLK out recently and just those 10 levels been hell for them - those 10 levels take longer then 1-25 in Aion. It's a pretty obvious double standard (in most of your cases - not all).

 

That's the whole problem. Most of these people have max level characters in those games by now and don't even know anymore what it was in the low levels back then.

Sure by now in WoW, LOTRO and EQ2 the devs have increased the speed of leveling in the lower levels. Simply because the majority of the playerbase is high up now. So they want new players to connect to the playerbase a bit faster.

I remember very well back then (thats over 2 -3 years ago) how long it took to reach level10 in WoW or EQ2.

It took at least 3 hours. Easily. Lot's of FedEx quests letting you run all over the starter place.

Aion is new. So they haven't dumbed down the starting experience yet. Simply because it's not needed yet.

The first 10 levels of Aion are no different then the first 10 levels in WoW, LOTRO, EQ2 years back when they released. Hence, reaching level 10 in LOTRO still takes longer today then in Aion!

The simple reason is, that people are just burned out and don't dare to admit it.

If you got bored now of leveling to level10 in Aion, then when you reroll a character in WoW, LOTRO or EQ2 will be just as boring. Hence, probably even more boring... as there are far less people around in the lower levels... making it a bit of a ghost town like experience.

Cheers

I see, it is starting to happen with FFXI, but now that FFXIV is released, no point in coming back to FFXI. Lol.

lol love the timmy mammy reference

What is it with this forum and the "quote 5 pages and  contribute 2 lines of your own "...

Originally posted by 43%burnt

What is it with this forum and the "quote 5 pages and  contribute 2 lines of your own "...

QFT

2lines

Originally posted by SpyridonZ

Originally posted by Yunbei

This is NOT a review. It's an impression based on the early experience.

 

That much being said, I am quite astonished this game was ever cited as WOW killer. Don't get me wrong, Aion is decend fun and solid entertainment, but truth be told, it is more a retro game than anything. The first thing I noticed was it is an odd step back in graphics. The textures and landscape have indeed some WOW or WAR like simplicity. The WAR feeling of landscapes which don't transport emotion is the inevitable comparision for me. WAR wasn't a bad world design, but it kinda never transported the feeling I could relate to, maybe lacking soul if you want, and Aion's world has the same again. Technically not bad but at no point I felt at home in the this world, even tho some vistas are sure spectacular. Part of it sure are the low textures. Some rocky ground is absurdly low, grass is an oddly flat painting and even at max setting I never have this feeling of walking on a meadow. I won't take such graphic hogs like AoC, but just compare it to the rich mood the world breathes in LOTRO. Walking on a meadow here with all the flowers, the grass in the wind... LOTRO had so rich atmosphere and soul, and not having more in terms of polygons. By and large the world detail and soul of Aion isnt much better than say Perfect World.

 

Granted the big bonus is the detailled character design. Tho I might wonder why you can't change your appearance later, which is a common feature in games which such detailled chars, and generally becoming standard in todays MMOs. But given that you have merely 2 totally linear placed races it sorta makes the replay value limited. You actually see the same over and over again. Even playing Elyos after playing Asmodians, the zones had an odd deja-vu, like every zone and even many quests were like copy cats from the other realm, just that the quest for Elyos is hunt Wolves and for Asmodians it was cats or panthers. Compare Altgard the Asmodian lv 10 -12 zone with the same level for Elyos (forgot the name), its like a copy with different textures.

 

So far I have tried out about half of the classes to late 10s. Now sure you may jump on me, saying but wait with 25 it totally changes! Sorry, for me a game has to be fun right away. Especially since levelling in Aion is somewhat slower that you are used to. Which also makes replay just for trying out another class odd.

 

Aion is filled with 1st gen MMOs remnants, stuff which I had thought to be left behind long ago, and mostly for good. I find it strange Aion has so many stuff every other MMO has by now left behind. Like, you start as generic class and get your real class later. Like you start as warrior and get Gladiator or Templar with level 10. And that takes longer than it sounds. Given that fact the game is totally linear, it makes trying out new classes a hassle. EQ2 used to have this branching, but it never was liked and today you start with your class right away, which I regard as the superior development into modern MMOs. I feel this starting as generic warrior or priest as a step back.

The mos odd step back however is IMVPO the return of the downtime. Fighting the downtime was one of the mayor progress of 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs, because essentially sitting around and waiting for health and mana to regen is never fun. It is a bad idea and a bad concept from the EQ1 and UO days. Sure you don't rest very long, but I always felt it was a bad disruption of my combat pacing. Especially in grouping this is a hassle, since Priest and Warrior classes need much less rest than scout and esp. mage classes. As mage and scout you will rest often, because mana for the mage and health for the scout will go down quickly. As scout you can compensate that with cheap bandages, with a healer, but as mage you are stuck, since mana potions are way more expensive and crafting them for hours in preparation of combat isn't to everyone's liking.

The greatest hindrance for Aion to become a hit in the western market IMO is that Aion is the most solo-unfriendly game of our days. Which is a result of the downtime. Sure you CAN solo with every class. But later on mobs are so crowded, that if you get additional mobs it can easily be your death, so its one at a time and you will have LOTS of time sitting and resting. The only class which can play with minimal to no downtime is priest, also warrior with bandages is ok. Still, the soloability is quite lacking compared to how well catered the solo experience in other 2nd and 3rd gen MMOs is. Its another of this odd step backs to 1st gen EQ era gaming. Some EQ vets may like it, but I doubt it will attract and keep the masses.

 

The lore and quests are alright. Nothing to rock me out of my boots but solid standard fare. Which isn't good enough in our competitive days, truth be told. When I think of the fascinating quests of LOTRO, where I virtually read every single quest, I find myself skipping the quest text in Aion all too soon, because it lacks the soul. Some quests are fun and nicely written, but most are quite boring. When you come to NPC-quest giving point X you don't really care why you have to kill 10 more wolves. I often had this feeling the quest hubs where quite artificially in their placement, not naturally and "right" like the LOTRO quest hubs. Its an emotional thing I can't exactly say why, but Aion always was much less a world than LOTRO, EQ2 or WOW (tho I have seen WOW only fleeting). It has this strong remniscence of the WAR world design: a linear quest tunnel, a theme park with NPCs standing, waiting for nothing but handing out quests to you in a very old fashioned and soulless manner. A good quest giver never feels like doing nothing else and again LOTRO did this the best. In Aion I often got this feeling that NPCs are here merely to hand me quests, cramped in some camp in a linear quest-tunnel.

I won't say Aion is all bad. Its a decend game, and in another, passed era, Aion would have rocked. But somehow the wheel of progress turned and today Aion is just a sort of MMO dinosaur, a remainder of the a passed MMO era in too many ways and not really fitting the refined and more demanding appetite of today.  I am quite surprise that after so much effort to westernize Aion this is the result. In just too many places the "simple, old Asia grinder" as you have seen legions, shines still through. So far I am still hooked and it is ok entertainment for a short time, but I am quite underwhelmed and at odds with many of the design decisions.

 

As others have said, 1-10 is super fast. Even the first time took only 3 or so hours - even try after that much less time.

When it comes to downtime - you shouldnt be having it unless it was a particuarly tough fight, or if you havent upgraded gear in a long long time. Or if you used badly chosen mana stones in your gear.

I also question if you really got to the late teens, or if you only got to level 10 itself then went to next char. Why? Because you still were talking about bandages and mentioned casters have no method of regen mana. At level 10 you get herb treatment (which replaces bandages) and you get a mana treatment which regenerates your mana without using potions - all for a cheap cost.

Lets be honest. Any class/level based MMO is the same in low levels, so your comments that "a game should be fun from the start" is kinda silly. EQ2, LoTRO you both mentioned - they were the same ol same ol in low levels as well. Hell, EQ2 made me want to shoot myself in the lower levels - it didnt get more fun until mid levels working with a guild. They both probably took just as long or even longer to level up as well. Other class/level based games - WoW, FFXI etc - they are all the same in low levels as well (aside from FF being more heavily group based).

They dont become different until the classes pan out a bit and get more advanced/complicated, once gear starts making more of a difference, and once you are a high enough level that the developers feel you are ready for some of the tougher unique content.

Finally, all the complaints about "reaching level 25 to get to play what I want" are kind of rediculous. Especially since most of your sigs list WoW in there. WoW is a game where you need to reach max level before you reach your goal - which takes much longer then 1-25 in Aion. Just log in WoW and ask anyone leveling up - they will quickly tell you they cant wait till 80 because leveling sucks so bad. Hell I know quite a few that checked WoTLK out recently and just those 10 levels been hell for them - those 10 levels take longer then 1-25 in Aion. It's a pretty obvious double standard (in most of your cases - not all).

I think the point was that yes, leveling in any game is tedious but Aion doesn't bring anything new or exciting to those first 25 levels to make you want to go through that again.  That's probably why everyone says the only people that will want to play this are those that are either a) not playing anything currently or b) bored with their current MMO because as it stands right now, Aion doesn't give you anything to draw you away from your current game.  Most will make those decisions based on levels 1-20. 

You're right, levels 1-20 in WoW is boring, but it's boring because it's 5 year old content.  It sure wasn't boring initially.  If it was, then how did WoW manage to get all those subscriptions?

The only strange thing about Aion for me is the linearity, if it is only the first 10/20 level, and few places then it's all good. But if the linearity stay the same at high level it might turn me off.
 

Originally posted by tanoril

 

I think the point was that yes, leveling in any game is tedious but Aion doesn't bring anything new or exciting to those first 25 levels to make you want to go through that again.  That's probably why everyone says the only people that will want to play this are those that are either a) not playing anything currently or b) bored with their current MMO because as it stands right now, Aion doesn't give you anything to draw you away from your current game.  Most will make those decisions based on levels 1-20. 

You're right, levels 1-20 in WoW is boring, but it's boring because it's 5 year old content.  It sure wasn't boring initially.  If it was, then how did WoW manage to get all those subscriptions?

Thats a pretty good point, but if you think about it a little more, would WoW have been boring had there been something like it back then? Would it have brought enough to draw you away from your game if you had "already done that"? Or would you have the same argument of needing something to "make you want to go through that again"? Maybe the problem isnt' that the content is lacking in Aion (or any of the games out there) but that WoW has pummeled everyone with this SO MUCH that we can't stand to do it anymore and need that "new and exciting" to get us to want to again. Maybe, just maybe...........

Originally posted by altairzq

Originally posted by Kaocan

Originally posted by Jimmydean

I for one am glad that Aion brought back some of the oldschool elements of MMORPGs that made them MMORPGs. What Aion did is bring an EQ / UO / DAOC experience and Polish the hell out of them. We have the updated UI, Mouse look, and other small "updates" to the game that do not change how an MMORPG is played but merely enhance it. World of Warcraft is very successful, but I don't believe that is where Aion want's to draw its crowd from.

The people who play and enjoy Aion will be the people who played and enjoyed oldschool games like EQ, DAOC, and UO and are looking for a more polished and up-to-date experience in an MMO, and believe me there are a lot more of us out there than you may think. Plenty enough of us to make Aion the number 2 MMORPG in the West which is what NCSoft is shooting for.

 

Finally.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Exactly!

 

Guys you are delusional.

Actually I disagree with the delusional part..

I played EQ for 4 years and have been searching for the "Feeling" I got from that for the last 7 or 8 now.. I forget how long.. And I have played damn near everything that has come out since.. And I for one really liked Aion.. It did give me that "Ok I really can wait till tomorrow to put the laundry in" feeling like I just needed to get that one quest finished first.. So I for one defiantly got the EQ feeling from it.. Course everyone is different and you can disagree.. But you cant speak for all the EQ, UO, DAoC vets cause some of us are thrilled with Aion ;)

One of my favorite things here. Aion supporters will say "The game offers nothing groundbreaking. They've only polished what was done in WoW or EQ." Then in the same breathe they'll say "STFU and go back to WoW n00b. This game isn't for the WoW crowd." Just something I find funny.

I played EQ for 5 years or so and Aion felt nothing like EQ. In EQ, I felt an urge to log in and play. Aion made me uninstall the software after 3 beta weekends. I've never felt the urge to quit playing a game as fast as I did Aion. Well, I suppose I have if you count the F2P Eastern mmo's.

Some of you love it and that's great. But don't get so defensive when people come here and say "I don't like it and this is why." They aren't attacking you and a game that isn't released yet needs both sides of the story to be out there. Not everyone is going to like it and people who haven't played deserve the right to hear all sides of  the game. Someone comes on here and says they don't like it and explain why and the supporters are quick with their "STFU n00b. You don't know anything about these games."