Originally posted by 9Nineven

And so what ? People will download the game, try it, if they don't like it bye bye.

I don't see any problem.

This. ^^ It's a free to play game after all. Remember, kids. Paranoia will destroy ya.

Originally posted by Josexph

Downloaded tonight, hopefully you guys are right. I usually stay far away from games with an item mall but hell.

Well, lemme see if this'll help you. I belong to a RPG-focused forum community that is full of the most cynical, angry cunts of gaming ever assembled in one place. Hell, I consider myself to be pretty cynical with regard to gaming in general, and RPGs specifically. Anyway, MMOs are a target of some of the more extreme hatred, because of the fact that they're RPGs in name only. I would agree with this, but that's bound to go into semantics that are neither here nor there in the context of this thread and post.

Suffice it to say, I was rather shocked and amazed at a thread in their MMO subforum where some of the more outspoken of the aforementioned cynical angry cunts were praising the game. So much so that I had to check it out myself. If these guys said it was good, it must be something special. So I did.

It's not perfect by any means, but it's fun as all hell. It feels to me similar to how NWN could have felt free of the constraints of the Aurora engine. Granted, I've only played up to the first warehouse mission on the newbie island (protecting the crystal from the cultists), but I was very impressed with the atmosphere. That tomb quest before the warehouse was great. Nice and creepy. The game's got some rough edges, but I do think it's worth checking out. It's not your typical MMO, and to me, that's one of the perks. As has been mentioned already, it DOES feel almost like a good single player RPG.

Not for me.

Hey, is it just me, or do the first couple of posts sound like ad copy?

Does anyone else miss the days when AOL was still prominent and most of the stupidity on the net was contained within? Looking back, I'm coming to believe AOL was providing more of a service to the rest of us than its subscribers.

Give it a couple weeks after release. That whole RIGHT ARM! .... LEFT ARM!.... POOF!! bit will get old.

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

biggest expansion how?

raise level cap

allow diff races to play other classes

..etc..etc..

its all re-hashed shit that your getting, don't kid yourself

 

Well, it's certainly big in terms of content that had to be created. Yes, it's using old locations, but they're old locations in name only. the two original continents basically had to be rebuilt to accomadate both flying mounts and the drastic landscape changes. People saying they're re-using old content are pretty narrowminded to what is actually going on here.

 

honestly, its not that big of a deal what they're doing here, don't fool yourself into thinking its more then what it is

the "New Frontiers" free expansion in DAOC was far larger and more difficult then what blizzard is doing with this expansion, you are all mindless drones controlled by strings thanks to blizzard/wow ... and i feel bad for you all

 

yet, you'll defend this game's honor like its your mother/sister/wife/girlfriend/imaginary friend being harassed in the worst ways, its funny

Relax, cupcake. What I like or dislike will not affect you one bit, I assure you.

Plus, unlike some here apparently, I'm physically able to keep an open mind without it exploding.

 

listen princess, i know it won't.. i could give a care less about the game, i'm simply being a troll , though what i say holds truth to 95% of WoW players

and the expansion isn't that big, you guys are making it out to be alot more then what it actually is

You binary thinkers are a funny lot. It's either savage hatred or rabid fanboyism with you. The very notion that someone can like some parts, dislike others, and still manage to squeeze out some enjoyment, or in this case, anticipation, causes your brain to fry. You're intellectually incapable of dealing with that, so you have to assign a blanket title to the entire thing in order for you to be able to ridicule it.

Keep it up! This amuses me.

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

biggest expansion how?

raise level cap

allow diff races to play other classes

..etc..etc..

its all re-hashed shit that your getting, don't kid yourself

 

Well, it's certainly big in terms of content that had to be created. Yes, it's using old locations, but they're old locations in name only. the two original continents basically had to be rebuilt to accomadate both flying mounts and the drastic landscape changes. People saying they're re-using old content are pretty narrowminded to what is actually going on here.

 

honestly, its not that big of a deal what they're doing here, don't fool yourself into thinking its more then what it is

the "New Frontiers" free expansion in DAOC was far larger and more difficult then what blizzard is doing with this expansion, you are all mindless drones controlled by strings thanks to blizzard/wow ... and i feel bad for you all

 

yet, you'll defend this game's honor like its your mother/sister/wife/girlfriend/imaginary friend being harassed in the worst ways, its funny

Relax, cupcake. What I like or dislike will not affect you one bit, I assure you.

Plus, unlike some here apparently, I'm physically able to keep an open mind without it exploding.

Originally posted by Vinterkrig

biggest expansion how?

raise level cap

allow diff races to play other classes

..etc..etc..

its all re-hashed shit that your getting, don't kid yourself

Well, it's certainly big in terms of content that had to be created. Yes, it's using old locations, but they're old locations in name only. the two original continents basically had to be rebuilt to accomadate both flying mounts and the drastic landscape changes. People saying they're re-using old content are pretty narrowminded to what is actually going on here.

"open betas" are no more beta than Windows Vista was a release candidate at launch. Very little changes between open beta and launch. This conditions people into thinking beta stage is one thing, and when a developer does decide to have beta available to it's potential playerbase, said playerbase bitches about stuff not working right.

Open beta is 95% hype generation and 5% stress testing.

Storylines matter to me. I figure the writers put some effort into writing the quests, so I'll put a little effort into reading them and following the stories they tell. Since PvP means "Kill anything with a life bar" nowadays, I stick with PvE. I take my own sweet time, currently in WoW once again. I try to hit up every faction I can, including going after racial mounts by starting from the very beginning of allied races if necessary. Once I've done it all and seen it all on my way to level cap, I call it a day. Raids to me mean playing the games at the whim of other people. I'll group up when necessary on my journey, but when I have to schedule days and times to do crap that lasts upwards of 5 hours and beyond, only to wind up getting ZIP at the end because the final boss didn't drop anything I could use, it stops being fun.

So, yeah, I prefer the levelling game. I don't even pay attention to the levelling itself, only so far as to allocate a new talent point, or hit up my trainers. Other than that, I just get quests, do the ones I can, hold the ones I can't in reserve until I can do them, and just play. To me, endgame is when I click "Exit to desktop" the last time and move on to something else.

I like cartoony graphics with bright, contrasting colors like WoW. It's more pleasing to my eyes and more cohesive to the fantasy setting. It's sort of like how you can read a comic book, with superheroes dressed in all sorts of ridiculous costumes, and you overlook it because it just fits with the setting. Take those same superheroes and put them in a live action movie, and you start to realize how ridiculous those same costumes could look. That's why, I'm sure, that the X-Men ended up with single-color jumpsuits. My biggest problem with realistic graphics in MMOs is that the inconsistencies stick out like a sore thumb. I know what real people and places look like, and I can form a pretty detailed mental image of what a fantasy element should really look like if it existed in the real world, and some things in games that attempt a realistic look fall flat. 

Really, though, it depends on the setting. If it's a modern day MMO set in a close approximation of the real world, where tech replaces magic, realistic graphics would fit well. In fantasy, I'd rather it be more cartoonish, because the very nature of a cartoony look allows the artists to be more free and wild to come up with outrageous things that are perfectly believable within the context of the world.

I've always wondered why I try to play MMOs that are more in keeping with what I want gameplaywise, such as Vanguard, but I always gravitate back to WoW. WoW's gameplay is nowhere near my ideal MMO, but I feel... well, for lack of a better word, more comfortable with it. I think the graphics have as much to do with that as anything else, and probably moreso.

It's way too repetitive, and Ubi didn't endear me with the continuously respawning checkpoints. If they'd at least stay dead until the next mission, I wouldn't have had a problem.

So... I wonder how or if the Emerald Dream fits into all of this. What I'm reading means that when this is released, bye bye pre-Wrath WoW.

So what about the people who don't get the expansion? The changes sound too wide spread to be accomplished in a simple patch. Previous patches prior to the expansions included little things to match with the expansion content, such as the Stormwind Docks, various NPCs and such. Going by this, the entire world is going to change, which means some SERIOUS, DVD sized clumps of data to be installed.

So, I'm thinking if any of this is true, it'll be inside the Emerald Dream. The problem with that theory, though, is that the Goblin and Worgen player race additions are tied directly in to the cataclysmic events.

Don't really know what to think. This guy has a track record of accuracy. Maybe we'll start seeing legacy guilds form en masse to give the old content a last hurrah before the world (of Warcraft) is turned completely upside down.

One thing I'm still unclear about, though. I've been talking to some of my older friends from back when WoW first came out, and we've been kicking around the idea of making a Legacy guild to start from the beginning again and just hit ALL of the game's content. We've got our 80s and pretty much have done it all. Now we want to just enjoy the game from a PvE angle. I know we're not the only ones doing this sort of thing.

I'm just curious if this does anything to the original quest line that culminates in the quest to take her down. I haven't seen anything conclusive about this. I'm sure there's probably a blue post about it, but  I got sick of reading 30+ pages of "AWESOME!" and "LAZY BLIZZARD!" posts at the official forums.

So called "Beta tests" like this one are all about hype. If any testing is being done, it's on a more superficial level and is more like Delta or Gamma testing, if there even is a progression like that.

That's why REAL beta tests, such as the one going on right now with a certain indie MMO developer, are tainted by idiots that don't know WTF is going on.

Originally posted by Sunioj

Normally 2nd place is first place for losers.

I don't get this. I really don't. I mean, take a martial arts competition 2nd place winner, for example. He could still kick your ass in his sleep. The loser of the Superbowl is still better than the rest of the league. The examples are endless. Any game that takes second place to WoW in terms of marketshare has got to be pretty damned good.

Graphically speaking, there's a whole host of games out there that beat it. It suffers from the same "plastic/clay" look that EQ2 does. The artwork is good in places, but the overall graphics quality is dated. WoW has better graphics in some places.

Oh yeah, I DID say that, and I can already see the foam frothing up on the lips of some of you, feverishly clicking to rip me a new one, but before you do, consider this. WoW is MEANT to be cartoony. That's the graphical style of the game, and within that context, the artwork is phenomenal in places. Each expansion upped the ante with higher polycounts and higher texture resolutions. As a game that's meant to have a cartoony look, it's done with flair and pizzazz.

Aion is another one. Sure, the anime stylings may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as an anime game, it looks great. The water is some of the best I've ever seen in any game, MMO or otherwise. Too bad you can't swim.

And then there's Age of Conan, which is absolutely gorgeous. It's true, the graphics details take a slight dive after Tortage, but overall, I think it's the most detailed MMO in terms of scenery that's out.

LOTRO isn't a slouch either. I'd say it's graphics are a cross between cartoony and realistic. Cartoony in the color palette, but realistic in the way characters and scenery are represented. There's no exaggerated meatheads like the humans of WoW and WAR, for example, and the locales appear like one would expect them to if they were in the real world. There's just a little too much bright vibrance to everything, which is what I mean by cartoony in this case.

Now, the feelings about the above games are wide and varied. Some hate, some love. That's beside the point. Remove your general hatred of the game itself, and your personal taste in graphics, and let yourself see that it's perfectly fine to hate a game but appreciate one or two aspects.

Having said all this, I love Vanguard. It's a great game, warts and all. I'm just not so overcome by blind fanboyism to think the graphics are something special. They're nice, and they serve the game well. To say they're the best out there is a little bit disingenuous, though.

Originally posted by cfurlin
 

DFO isn't for everybody. I'm not judging people for choosing a different style of gameplay. A lot of the time, however, people come into DFO with the idea that combat is somehow like all the other games they've been exposed to, and its simply not like that. I expect people to hate the game for that reason and that's OK.

I'm not so sure that's the case. Well, sure, for some people it might be, but there's a whole other subset of people seem to be discouraged by the game. In the course of it's looooooong development, Aventurine cited Ultima Online as the inspiration for the game. In UO, PvP was simply a feature among features. PKing was a real possibility, but there was so many things to do in the game that it wasn't much of a concern. With DFO, it seems the only source of enjoyment is all-out deathmatch against anything with a health bar.

I think people were expecting a UO-like game with a robust set of features to enjoy. So, when the reality ended up being that it was simply a gankfest, it sort of left a bad taste in customers' mouths.

Originally posted by vaylha

Biggest problem I have been having on their website is the sudden influx of the Dork-n-Fail kiddies that are making wonderful troll posts.

 DnF is so fun to play that they have to head over to another forum to spam.

Guess they have been given marching orders by his high lord tacos to put down all competition in a vain attempt to save his steaming pile that is on its way down the sewer pipe.

LOL yeah, well, regardless of where they're coming from, the thing that troubles me most are the people raising a stink about buying the game and beta access. IMO, I think SV should have held off a bit. Not because they didn't have anything to show, but because the gaming public has been conditioned to think that beta means "release candidate". They don't understand that real testing of systems is boring. You're not allowed into the game to simply play it and bitch when something doesn't work. You're supposed to play it and REPORT when something doesn't work. That's the whole point of the process! 

I think SV was in error for not having a stable system to report bugs, and had there been a beta forum with restricted access, the problems we're seeing over there wouldn't be nearly as bad. I just hope SV can rise above the crap and still deliver a game close to their design concept. It's a shame that people feel the need to air their grievences in the public forum, because nothing begets negativity better and faster than negativity. Add in a heaping dose of ignorance, and you've got the recipe for a PR wildfire that ends up consuming far more resources to put out than should have been necessary.

I want the game to succeed, and for that, I'm likely to be labeled a fanboy. I have to ask, though, what's worse? A fanboy cheerleading the cause or a prolific naysayer who only appears to have "Total failure of MO" as a goal? That's not to say that negative opinions about the game are invalid. On the contrary, pointing out flaws in a constructive way is necessary to help them improve and is a lot more practically useful than blind fanboyism. The key word there is "constructive" and I see none of that in most of the negative reports. The one post I've seen there that was genuinely constructive with negative criticism over there got flamed to hell and back, even despite one of the developers acknowledging the validity of the poster's points.

Sometimes, you just can win in a war vs. rampant stupidity.

Well, it appears to be up. There's nothing on their Twitter page about their website status, so it's probably nothing major. Routers hiccup every once in awhile, so it's probably nothing. Looks like it's around lunchtime in their offices, so hopefully if thee is a problem, someone's around to deal with it.

I guess I'm a little paranoid with all the trumped up controversy of late.