Crossposted from Neverwinter Beta forums.  

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So, this is only a first impression, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

First, I think the gameplay is fun. I played a Trickster Rogue all the way up to 20 last night before I went to bed. I found that the Rogue isn't for me, so I've switched over to a Guardian Fighter. Its not that I find the trickster rogue bad, just that its playstyle isn't for me. I look forward to trying the 2H Fighter when he's available.

Second. I'm disappointed in the skill system that exists. This may simply be due to the fact that I'm coming from DDO, where they used the 3.5 skill system, but it seems to me that what's there is simply not enough. I'd like to actively be able to Search for Traps, have skills that adjust my haggling ability with merchants, etc. The random "ability boxes" that I've seen just don't quite cut it for me, and I simply with the system was a bit more robust.

Third. I think the amount of content is great. The foundry ensures we'll never run out of content to run, which means we won't have to worry about running the same stuff over and over. This is a HUGE win in my book. I've played through a few of the foundry missions that are available and think that they definitely showcase what the system is capable of.

Fourth (and this is the big one).
I think you've created a one-trick pony with this game. The one trick is fun, but the question is going to be how long will it stay "fresh". I've found that one trick pony's tend to grow tiresome quickly when people get bored with that trick. As it is right now the gameplay you have is fun, but that gameplay is all there is.

You need to expand on the available "things to do" in the game. It doesn't need to be big things, and it doesn't require a change to what you already have. It just needs to be MORE. For example:

• Tavern Games. DDO has pretty much the same problem. Why hang around a tavern? A tavern is a place to sit around talk, drink, socialize, etc. Its pretty much the center of the DnD universe. Yet with the exception of quickly dropping in to talk to a barmaid (very optional, since you can get the foundry from your main menu) there's absolutely no reason to stop into a tavern. Instead, add in some tavern games that players can hop in and participate in. Wizards put out a DnD card game a while ago called Three Dragon Ante. It was tons of fun, and would make an excellent table game in a tavern. There's also Liars Dice, and other types of games. These would add to the game, and help add immersion into people playing the game.
• Exploration. Again, this is a distraction type concept for people to do while not wanting to run dungeons. Take areas like the Tower and Blacklake district. I jumped around those districts, but found no great reason to do anything other than chase the quests in the region. They need a little spice added to them just to make them better. (Thankfully, the tower district had a few random things like the scavenger hunt going on). I would suggest hidden bosses, or even some sort of "Event System" similar to what's seen in GW2.
• More interaction in the "Safe Areas". This has much of the same problem as Taverns do. The protectorate is a simple shell, used to hold shops, and some quest givers. You hop in, do what you need to do, and get out. Like taverns it needs something more going on in it to entice people to do something. I'm not sure what, but SOMETHING.

 

The idea here is to make Neverwinter (the city) come alive and feel like a world, not just a hub for doing dungeon runs in. I like what's there, but feel the game needs to expand a bit beyond that to simply make the game feel more like a world instead of a game.

Anyways, that's my 2 copper.

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This goes back to a post I made on The Pub. As it stands right now (and being an early beta all normal caveats apply) the long-term fun of this game is in the iffy spot. The Foundry will keep content rolling, and there will be some sort of crafting, but beyond that, I'm not sure there's enough here to keep you playing long term.

The good part is that to me, many of the changes I would like to see are not reworks (skill system excepted) they are simply additions to what's already there.   There's room to grow in the game, and they have built, in my opinion, a VERY solid foundation for the game.

I remember this  sort of state when Planetside Beta was first out.  They had a few guns, and base capture was working.  The game itself was fun to play, but they needed to expand to a bit more meta-level gameplay (i.e. why capture this base and not that one) type thing.  They've since added that, and of course reworked alot of stuff since then.

So, the game isn't fundamentally flawed, so much as just very shallow at this point in time.  And there's room to broaden it up down the road.

Originally posted by robert4818

The good part is that to me, many of the changes I would like to see are not reworks (skill system excepted) they are simply additions to what's already there.   There's room to grow in the game, and they have built, in my opinion, a VERY solid foundation for the game.

I remember this  sort of state when Planetside Beta was first out.  They had a few guns, and base capture was working.  The game itself was fun to play, but they needed to expand to a bit more meta-level gameplay (i.e. why capture this base and not that one) type thing.  They've since added that, and of course reworked alot of stuff since then.

So, the game isn't fundamentally flawed, so much as just very shallow at this point in time.  And there's room to broaden it up down the road.

sounds good.. to me if the very foundations of a game don't work for me at all no matter what they add ill probably never get into it... but if its just a lack of things that could easily be added (ie more classes/skills, zones, dungeons, ect) to a strong foundation i think thats a great start for an MMO.. looking forward to giving it a try on the second beta weekend

Good post OP:

Two things... You mention lack of skills, what is funny is how Cryptic did so well with COH and Champions in those regards and then to come out with a very limited set. Not sure what the gain was there.

The other the Tavern Games, I think I comment somewhere about every mmo I've tried, yes we need Taverns where we can go into and sit at a table and then play card style games with those at the table, think Pogo.com'ish. And as you state WOC has additional games they could play at these tables. It could be DnD inside of DnD. But I don't know of one mmo that has ever done this and it bothers me that it hasn't been attempted. Seems like a no-brainer. It gives you non-combat social and that is so needed.

Heck if you could make loadouts of skills and change them on the fly... that could work to.

Originally posted by Aerowyn

Originally posted by robert4818

The good part is that to me, many of the changes I would like to see are not reworks (skill system excepted) they are simply additions to what's already there.   There's room to grow in the game, and they have built, in my opinion, a VERY solid foundation for the game.

I remember this  sort of state when Planetside Beta was first out.  They had a few guns, and base capture was working.  The game itself was fun to play, but they needed to expand to a bit more meta-level gameplay (i.e. why capture this base and not that one) type thing.  They've since added that, and of course reworked alot of stuff since then.

So, the game isn't fundamentally flawed, so much as just very shallow at this point in time.  And there's room to broaden it up down the road.

sounds good.. to me if the very foundations of a game don't work for me at all no matter what they add ill probably never get into it... but if its just a lack of things that could easily be added (ie more classes/skills, zones, dungeons, ect) to a strong foundation i think thats a great start for an MMO.. looking forward to giving it a try on the second beta weekend

Exactly.

The question now comes in whether or not they will BUILD on that foundation.  

Originally posted by robert4818

Crossposted from Neverwinter Beta forums.  

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• Exploration. Again, this is a distraction type concept for people to do while not wanting to run dungeons. Take areas like the Tower and Blacklake district. I jumped around those districts, but found no great reason to do anything other than chase the quests in the region. They need a little spice added to them just to make them better. (Thankfully, the tower district had a few random things like the scavenger hunt going on). I would suggest hidden bosses, or even some sort of "Event System" similar to what's seen in GW2.

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There's a hidden boss and chest in the tower district, you just need dungeoneering skill to find him.

Originally posted by HorrorScope

Good post OP:

Two things... You mention lack of skills, what is funny is how Cryptic did so well with COH and Champions in those regards and then to come out with a very limited set. Not sure what the gain was there.

I think you misunderstand what he means by skills. He is not talking about abilities he is talking about skills - non-combat things that alter the way your character interacts with the world. As far as abilities you have to realize they basically sub-divided each class into 2 classes so instead of having a fighter who could "specialize" in tank or dps you have 2 classes, a fighter who is DPS and a fighter who is a tank. I think the level of abilites in the game looks awesome and I can see a lot of depth in builds considering it appears your become locked into your paragon path and your upper level abilites are determined by that path.

Back to skills... I think they should allow us to choose our skill point allotment as it would add more flare to the game. However, I can understand from a development side how that could complicate things. They would then have to build into the game a who new system of checks and challenges for your characters skills to go up against. Might be something they could work on for a future release but I don't see any way for them to add it in now.

I don't think this is going to be your typical MMO. I see this a DnD for your computer. Yeah there are some sacrifices but that will always happen when you move from a medium with no limits(PnP) to a medium with limits( computer program). I see a lot of potential for fun here as long as you don't take it too seriously. I am looking forward to trying to write some of my DnD tales into the game through the foundry system and see how the masses react to them. I am also looking forward to classes they have hinted at adding in the future after launch (Paladin, Ranger, etc). 

I am not and will not be expecting this to be the game changer everyone seems to keep looking for but I will most likely put the $60 out before the next beta to support the cause. If I get a few months of fun for my money then it will be well spent as the last game I spent that much money on I beat once and haven't touched it since...

Originally posted by grimfall

Originally posted by robert4818

Crossposted from Neverwinter Beta forums.  

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• Exploration. Again, this is a distraction type concept for people to do while not wanting to run dungeons. Take areas like the Tower and Blacklake district. I jumped around those districts, but found no great reason to do anything other than chase the quests in the region. They need a little spice added to them just to make them better. (Thankfully, the tower district had a few random things like the scavenger hunt going on). I would suggest hidden bosses, or even some sort of "Event System" similar to what's seen in GW2.

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There's a hidden boss and chest in the tower district, you just need dungeoneering skill to find him.

There are actually a few hidden places. I don't feel that they need to do the exploration thing with this game, there are other games out there for that. I find the regular events to be incentive enough to run around exploring.