So I've been reading some pretty positive things about FE lately. I've also read some negative things. What I'm wondering is if anyone can give me as objective a verdict as possible on things so far.

I played the beta for a little while and it seemed to be going well. It did seem to be missing a little....something though. Combat just felt like it was stiff and missing that certain organic element.

Less worried about crafting since all I've heard on that has been positive. Mostly just curious about combat, latency and the general feel of the game. And do be honest. From what I've read the general sense seems to be 'wait a little more and it should be much better'.

there are some trial keys coming out  on the 23rd , so you should try and grab one

this game isn't anything you can decide from reviews , believe me... i had and have my doubts with it, but as awful as i thought it was in beta, i'm actually enjoying it somewhat now to where i will prob try it out for a few months without much thought

if your all about "awesome pve" i dont think you'll find it here, its kinda city of heros-ish imo

but like i said, there are keys coming http://www.fallenearth.com/node/207

Just to clarify - combat doesn't equate to pve. Combat means...combat, all of it, in general.

I already know the game doesn't have much in the ways of PvE and that is actually attractive in it's own way.

I have been playing the game on and off for a few days. Initially I wasnt very impressed with the way the game plays but it is growing on me a little bit each time I log in.....well......thats when the game actually lets me log in as I keep getting problems with the launcher. It keeps getting stuck on the "collating data" part and then sometimes when I am in the game it decides to display an "I have been disconnected" message which instructs me to log out.

But thats all irrelevant as you asked about how combat feels specifically right? Well to be honest I dont think it is very good. Its not totally terrible though. Its just about.....functional.....but only just. I feel disconnected from the action due to the game not quite synchronising my mouse clicks with the actions of my avatar......and the fact that the animations for those actions really dont look very good doesnt help matters. I also get no sense of impact when I strike an opponent. Sure I can see its health bar go down but it certainly doesnt look or feel as though anything is happening. Combat in Fallen Earth seems to be one of its weaker elements which is a shame because all mmos like this rely on combat. I think The Chronicles of Spellborn handled the FPS gameplay much better.

The general sense you say you have already got from other peoples posts is pretty much spot on in my opinion. "Wait a little more and it should be much better". Yep that sounds about right.

yep the combat is clunky, specially the melee... shooting isn't as bad, but still clunky

like i said, wait for the free keys and try the free 15 days.... win win situation for you

Well that's a little disappointing, but confirms my inferences.

Thanks either way. I'll probably get one of those trial keys to see how things go.

I think a lot of dev teams these days haven't quite figured out the formula that makes for great gameplay. And great game play can offset an IMMENSE amount. Visceral, engaging combat will trump lack of quests or other content long enough to get those things in.

Mmm, well I was just looking for FE to be another mmo to play in conjunction with Aion. Aion is great all in all, has it's own problems of which none are serious. It'd just be nice to have a good mmo around with the whole post-apocalypse thing down. Guns, infected zombies, Mad Max styled vehicles couple with engaging combat, good crafting, good pvp and a little pve sprinkled on.

It seems that's where it will be heading. I'll just wait for it to get closer before I buy it.

Yeah I think Fallen Earth has the potential to become a really good game. At the moment it isnt quite there......although thats just my opinion based on fairly limited gameplay.

I have to admit from what I have seen of the game so far, that the positive hype on these forums doesnt really match the reality of the game. I think people are perhaps so eager to play a new mmo that they are willing to overlook any shortcomings if it offers something a bit different........and thats just what Fallen Earth offers.......something a BIT different. It just doesnt really push the barrier enough though in my opinion.

Essentially its really just a standard themepark questing game that gives the slight impression of having sandbox qualities (although it doesnt really) due to its openness. The crafting is nice but it actually isnt as amazing as some people make it out to be. Get recipe, collect components, click "create". I've seen that before in EQ2, Vanguard and other games so its not really anything new. In fact I remember SWG being much better than that. Wouldnt a good crafting system allow me to customise the items I make?

The game is certainly worth having a look at though as its more interesting than any of its current competition. Just dont go into it expecting some awesomely complex sandbox world where you can do anything.

Guns - Yep its got those although they dont feel very impressive to me.

Infected zombies - Yep its got some of those although I havent met any yet.

Mad Max style vehicles - Sort of. You do get to make a few vehicles but as with all the crafting in this game you cant actually customise anything (I could be wrong there as I heard you can get different bridles for your horse) so that means no jagged blades on your wheels or spiked battering rams. In fact you cant damage mobs with your vehicles. So.....vehicles = yeah a few. Mad Max style = no not really.

Engaging combat - Nope sorry.....not in my opinion anyway

Good crafting - Yeah I guess so although its not really that great

Good pvp - Maybe although there isnt any in the beginning. I hear there is a tiny arena in S1 and then they get bigger the further into the game you go. Judging from the way the PvE combat plays out I'm not sure if I'm gonna find the PvP in this game to be particularly interesting.....but I could be wrong I guess

A little PvE sprinkled on - Nope sorry. I get the impression that its the other way around. So far this is a solo PvE questing game where most of the players are too busy running around doing errands or killing stuff for crafting components to bother interacting with each other. Thats not the players fault mind you. Its just that they dont need to group up to get anything done.......so they dont.

Originally posted by Lord_Ixigan

So I've been reading some pretty positive things about FE lately. I've also read some negative things. What I'm wondering is if anyone can give me as objective a verdict as possible on things so far.

I played the beta for a little while and it seemed to be going well. It did seem to be missing a little....something though. Combat just felt like it was stiff and missing that certain organic element.

Less worried about crafting since all I've heard on that has been positive. Mostly just curious about combat, latency and the general feel of the game. And do be honest. From what I've read the general sense seems to be 'wait a little more and it should be much better'.

The game grows on you.  It's far from perfect, but its definitely something different, and it has a charm of its own.  You'll probably dislike it for the first few levels... I know I was perfectly unimpressed with the game for the first few hours of playing.

Try to stick it out to level 10 or so, take the time to learn how the crafting system works, and get a hold of some good gear/weapons and you might find yourself enjoying the game.  

I definitely think its one of those game's you just have to try to figure out whether you'll like it or not.

Originally posted by neonwire

Yeah I think Fallen Earth has the potential to become a really good game. At the moment it isnt quite there......although thats just my opinion based on fairly limited gameplay.

I have to admit from what I have seen of the game so far, that the positive hype on these forums doesnt really match the reality of the game. I think people are perhaps so eager to play a new mmo that they are willing to overlook any shortcomings if it offers something a bit different........and thats just what Fallen Earth offers.......something a BIT different. It just doesnt really push the barrier enough though in my opinion.

Essentially its really just a standard themepark questing game that gives the slight impression of having sandbox qualities (although it doesnt really) due to its openness. The crafting is nice but it actually isnt as amazing as some people make it out to be. Get recipe, collect components, click "create". I've seen that before in EQ2, Vanguard and other games so its not really anything new. In fact I remember SWG being much better than that. Wouldnt a good crafting system allow me to customise the items I make?

The game is certainly worth having a look at though as its more interesting than any of its current competition. Just dont go into it expecting some awesomely complex sandbox world where you can do anything.

Guns - Yep its got those although they dont feel very impressive to me.

Infected zombies - Yep its got some of those although I havent met any yet.

Mad Max style vehicles - Sort of. You do get to make a few vehicles but as with all the crafting in this game you cant actually customise anything (I could be wrong there as I heard you can get different bridles for your horse) so that means no jagged blades on your wheels or spiked battering rams. In fact you cant damage mobs with your vehicles. So.....vehicles = yeah a few. Mad Max style = no not really.

Engaging combat - Nope sorry.....not in my opinion anyway

Good crafting - Yeah I guess so although its not really that great

Good pvp - Maybe although there isnt any in the beginning. I hear there is a tiny arena in S1 and then they get bigger the further into the game you go. Judging from the way the PvE combat plays out I'm not sure if I'm gonna find the PvP in this game to be particularly interesting.....but I could be wrong I guess

A little PvE sprinkled on - Nope sorry. I get the impression that its the other way around. So far this is a solo PvE questing game where most of the players are too busy running around doing errands or killing stuff for crafting components to bother interacting with each other. Thats not the players fault mind you. Its just that they dont need to group up to get anything done.......so they dont.

My list was of what FE could potentially be after more work. The context of what I was saying made that fairly clear.

Originally posted by Lord_Ixigan

So I've been reading some pretty positive things about FE lately. I've also read some negative things. What I'm wondering is if anyone can give me as objective a verdict as possible on things so far.

I played the beta for a little while and it seemed to be going well. It did seem to be missing a little....something though. Combat just felt like it was stiff and missing that certain organic element.

Less worried about crafting since all I've heard on that has been positive. Mostly just curious about combat, latency and the general feel of the game. And do be honest. From what I've read the general sense seems to be 'wait a little more and it should be much better'.

Trails keys are coming oct. 23, you'll be jumping in during "day's of the dead" event. See you there. Just remember this game is new and done by an indie company. They're fairly new to this genre. Give them some slack, and credit.

Initially I thought the combat and movement was a little off key but since playing for a few weeks I actually like it now. I am surprised that I use melee more than range and I find it fluid enough.  Still love range though and my only gripe is using small range weapons that really give you 1, maybe 2 shots before they are on top of you. However its perfectly viable to shoot something in the head and then pull out a sword to finish it off.  Right now my only issue with the game is the amount of hours I play.  I can't stop.

Originally posted by chryses

Initially I thought the combat and movement was a little off key but since playing for a few weeks I actually like it now. I am surprised that I use melee more than range and I find it fluid enough.  Still love range though and my only gripe is using small range weapons that really give you 1, maybe 2 shots before they are on top of you. However its perfectly viable to shoot something in the head and then pull out a sword to finish it off.  Right now my only issue with the game is the amount of hours I play.  I can't stop.

Its been standard operating procedure for me to head shot, then dual weild a pair of police batons on the hurt baddy when they close.

Well, let me put things in some context of what I'm looking for.

Have you played Mass Effect?

I expect the combat to handle at least as smoothly and organicly as that. If I fire a bullet I want the feeling as if...well...I just fired a bullet heh. That means some semblance of a physics system.

I know it's generally considered taboo to compare a single-player aspect to an mmo, but it's what I've decided to start doing...well to some degree at least.

This doesn't apply to Mass Effect per se...but....my rule has become that if a single-player game has done X, Y number of years ago then it should be in an mmo of the same genre. X represents a feature and Y represents a reasonable amount of time, 5+ years usually. Which means if single-player games from 5+ years ago (Y) had visceral, engaging combat (X) then all MMO's coming out currently should also.

It may not be an entirely sane formula, but it's what I've started to use. I'm a little tired of playing MMO's and really loving a lot of it, but growing bored to the point of wanting to cut myself because of the combat. Gameplay, which has combat as a central component, should come before anything else in my book. Start with making engaging, visceral, organic gameplay as your foundation and work from there.

It seems these days mmo companies are starting in the reverse. Using their more abstract concepts to try to shove out something "unique". This is just my opinion of course, but it seems like a very backwards way to approach game design.

Originally posted by Lord_Ixigan

Originally posted by neonwire

*A load of gumph*

 

My list was of what FE could potentially be after more work. The context of what I was saying made that fairly clear.

Oh I see. Sorry I get carried away with analysing what is rather than what could be. Yes I guess the game could indeed become the things you listed.

Originally posted by Lord_Ixigan

Well, let me put things in some context of what I'm looking for.

Have you played Mass Effect?

I expect the combat to handle at least as smoothly and organicly as that. If I fire a bullet I want the feeling as if...well...I just fired a bullet heh. That means some semblance of a physics system.

I know it's generally considered taboo to compare a single-player aspect to an mmo, but it's what I've decided to start doing...well to some degree at least.

 

Mass Effect is an extremely polished game. Fallen Earth on the other hand is buggier than a nest of rad roaches. A lot of the game mechanics and features are incomplete and not well developed. Lets not forget that the developers ran out of funding and had to push this game out of the door which is why the game the way it is today. If you're not willing to put up with the clunky FPS combat then you might as well avoid the game or wait, I dunno, a year before this game is anywhere near release ready. Because frankly  there are deeper issues than rough FPS combat.

For example the FE is supposed to launch their free trail period on Oct 23rd but the servers are still crashing like mad. They had to restart the server three times today and they're still not done. Then there's the lack of compelling PvE content in the mid and late game which will bore you to death as you grind out factions.

Originally posted by Lord_Ixigan

Well, let me put things in some context of what I'm looking for.

Have you played Mass Effect?

I expect the combat to handle at least as smoothly and organicly as that. If I fire a bullet I want the feeling as if...well...I just fired a bullet heh. That means some semblance of a physics system.

I know it's generally considered taboo to compare a single-player aspect to an mmo, but it's what I've decided to start doing...well to some degree at least.

This doesn't apply to Mass Effect per se...but....my rule has become that if a single-player game has done X, Y number of years ago then it should be in an mmo of the same genre. X represents a feature and Y represents a reasonable amount of time, 5+ years usually. Which means if single-player games from 5+ years ago (Y) had visceral, engaging combat (X) then all MMO's coming out currently should also.

It may not be an entirely sane formula, but it's what I've started to use. I'm a little tired of playing MMO's and really loving a lot of it, but growing bored to the point of wanting to cut myself because of the combat. Gameplay, which has combat as a central component, should come before anything else in my book. Start with making engaging, visceral, organic gameplay as your foundation and work from there.

It seems these days mmo companies are starting in the reverse. Using their more abstract concepts to try to shove out something "unique". This is just my opinion of course, but it seems like a very backwards way to approach game design.

Your little formula sounds quite reasonable actually. There is no reason why MMO's cannot find ways to have decent fluid gameplay like single player games had several years beforehand. I think MMO's are certainly getting more interesting and creative though. Global Agenda is one in particular that I really have my eye on. It has been getting a lot of complaints from people because of its heavy reliance on instanced battles with a limited number of players in each zone but this is actually a great way to have high quality fluid combat with great graphics that doesnt suffer from lag......and yet still be able to contribute to a war effort taking place in a larger game world. It also has other potential benefits over the attempts we have seen so far so I'm really looking forward to seeing how that turns out.

On that note I actually think Fallen Earth isnt doing a bad job with its combat despite the fact that it is very weak and clunky at the moment. They have a very large zoneless map to wander around in populated by quite a large number of people. The fact that they have been able to introduce FPS gameplay into that is actually quite impressive in my opinion.

In general though I'm quite excited by the way the MMO genre is developing. It seems that companies are beginning to branch out a bit with the way they design games. Sure we will still keep seeing the old standard MMO's based on EQ getting produced but we are also starting seeing MMO's that have decent gameplay in them as well.......games where the combat is fast paced and more open to the skill of the player than the stats of his avatar.

Originally posted by Sora2810 

Trails keys are coming oct. 23, you'll be jumping in during "day's of the dead" event. See you there. Just remember this game is new and done by an indie company. They're fairly new to this genre. Give them some slack, and credit.

Credit, yes, for what they have managed to pull off as an indie, which seemed quite impressive 

But as someone else correctly noted on another thread, the $50 box price and $15 month fee means they are competing with the big boys and need to be judged as such.  No slack given that is not offered to NCSoft, SOE or Vivendi.

Originally posted by tman5

Originally posted by Sora2810 

Trails keys are coming oct. 23, you'll be jumping in during "day's of the dead" event. See you there. Just remember this game is new and done by an indie company. They're fairly new to this genre. Give them some slack, and credit.

 

Credit, yes, for what they have managed to pull off as an indie, which seemed quite impressive 

 

But as someone else correctly noted on another thread, the $50 box price and $15 month fee means they are competing with the big boys and need to be judged as such.  No slack given that is not offered to NCSoft, SOE or Vivendi.

True. I respect what Icarus has achieved but their "indie status" is irrelevant when they are charging the same price as their competitors. They are not some charity company comprised of bumbling students who are offering their services for free.

Originally posted by tman5

Originally posted by Sora2810 

Trails keys are coming oct. 23, you'll be jumping in during "day's of the dead" event. See you there. Just remember this game is new and done by an indie company. They're fairly new to this genre. Give them some slack, and credit.

 

Credit, yes, for what they have managed to pull off as an indie, which seemed quite impressive 

 

But as someone else correctly noted on another thread, the $50 box price and $15 month fee means they are competing with the big boys and need to be judged as such.  No slack given that is not offered to NCSoft, SOE or Vivendi.

The game really doesn't need the slack. As many flaws as it has, and there are many, they still released a better game in better shape than 90% of the recent big buck titles.

Originally posted by tman5

Originally posted by Sora2810 

Trails keys are coming oct. 23, you'll be jumping in during "day's of the dead" event. See you there. Just remember this game is new and done by an indie company. They're fairly new to this genre. Give them some slack, and credit.

 

Credit, yes, for what they have managed to pull off as an indie, which seemed quite impressive 

 

But as someone else correctly noted on another thread, the $50 box price and $15 month fee means they are competing with the big boys and need to be judged as such.  No slack given that is not offered to NCSoft, SOE or Vivendi.

It's for that exact reason that I am judging FE like I am. If it were a 30 dollar game with a <$15 monthly fee then it would get a LOT more slack. They decided to throw their hat in the ring with the big dogs though. I -will- say that even back in the closed beta it was about as polished as WAR was on release. And that's not taking into account the stuff people complained about because I didn't experience them.

However as I stated earlier I've adopted a certain standard. FE still isn't up to my standard, which is quite reasonable. So for now I'll wait. If they keep making progress as they have been I imagine I may be more interested in a couple of months.