Even if that's how you define cheating, that's where the term exploiting comes into play.

If there is truth to the Deathwhisper OOC, they were banned for resource exploiting anyway, NOT gold storing on the guild leader.

Heh... you know.

If you want to ask the details, ask around in OOC why the leader was banned.

Apparently, they weren't banned for gold-storing at all, rather, abusing the Ravine Resource bug.

In other words, they had accumulated more resources than they were legitimately allowed to have total.

Seriously... ask around on OOC on the Deathwhisper server. That's what multiple different people have said to me, all from different guilds.

Hm

Right. The list is a summary of what people hate.

This doesn't mean you like/dislike all the things mentioned, but I would say everyone can find one thing they dislike about the game here.

I think the reason the Goons are under scrutiny is the simple fact that there's just no way for any guild to compete with them. Not because they're good (definitely not the case), but because in most cases, an entire guild could show up to battle the Goons and still be outnumbered. Don't they number to like 500 guys or something?

It destroy the fine balance of the game when 1/6 of your server is running around with the same tags. I think that's the issue; it's not FFA at that point.

However, I definitely have to say that, having read these GM convo's, my opinion of Funcom has deteriorated a bit...

1. Performance issues. People who thought they could run the game can't run it, or run it well. Zone crashes, frequent downtimes, over-camped grinding areas, the lack of content post 50.

2. The 1% of the population ruining the game for everyone else. The exploiters, dupers, cheaters, etc. These same people who are getting classes nerfed for finding ways to abuse skill sets.

3. People are finally getting what we wanted; a no-tolerance policy for hacking/cheating/exploiting. The problem with this is that Funcom is so serious about it, that even legitimate players are getting caught up in the crossfire.

4. Class imbalances. People are angry that their class simply can NOT win against every other class. (I happen to love the fact that the game is not perfectly harmonized; there's no reason a group of 3 priests should be losing to 3 melees who aren't focus-firing while there are 5 HoT's on each priest)

5. Missing features. Cities are buggy, crafting is not very effective, and traders are still FUBAR

6. Ganking. If you're on a PvP server, chances are you're getting weary of the endless spawn-camping, and guilds like the Hordes of Goonheim.

7. Weak item drops. Some of the same items that dropped at level 30 are still floating around at 60 (i.e., Pict Headband). On top of that, there are legitimately only a few randomly dropped blues, period (Challenger's Girdle, Challenger's Boots)

8. Repetitive quest rewards. The exp is alright, but items seem to focus only on specific things throughout the whole game (-1% hate modifier, +health, + mana, +0.x% invulnerability, + hiding, + perception usually)

9. Broken quests. Possibly the most irritating thing in the game, the quests that have been broken, and still are broken weeks after release (I.e. The Thief)

10. Horrible customer service. Nothing like having a problem, and being queued for several hours, to several days.

That's my opinion on what people hate about this game. Look about right?

I strongly disagree.

Unlike the rabid Vanguard fanboys, who would lead you to believe the game was flawless and perfect, and it was YOU, not the game, this board openly discusses the flaws. You've got the occasional Vanboi-style poster, but for the most part, the fans of this game will let you know it's buggy, and broken, but still fun.

While I don't know the details, I will say Funcom is "investigating" all guilds who have completed their Tier 1's.

We completed ours a few days ago, and our leader was told that we would be monitored.

The sad thing is, we're not exploiting. We're a hardcore guild. When you've got 20 level 80's farming money all day (which, at that level, enemies are dropping 40-65 copper each) it doesn't take that long to handle business.

I've seen a few of your members of "The Box", one of the few guilds that aren't full of lame gankers. You'll be missed if you guys have to disband.

Dear Funcom,

    I would really appreciate it if you'd start fixing the performance issues, insert the traders, and correct buggy quests BEFORE you'd continually nerf classes. Really, they're not even nerfs, rather tweaks to the classes most popular/useful skills. If you want us to suffer, and penalize everyone for taking the "easy" route, fine. Just let us know.

    I'm satisfied you've tried to fix the Tempest totem exploit. But why are Rangers, which have been ridiculously overpowered since Beta, still running around untouched? Yet you took the time to swing the nerf bat at Necro's, one of the most unpopular classes in the game.

    It would also please me to see some GM support in a more timely manner. I understand you released prematurely, and I'm ok with that, since i haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs. However, some simple respect and professional courtesy doesn't seem out of the question. Waiting 3 days on a petition is a bit absurd.

    Lastly, I would really like to see the city exploit fixed. Today.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

I'll start off by saying I don't believe this guy one bit. He speaks in broad, general terms, which anyone up to level 40 could do. I'm going to need to see video of you logging in to your account to see 2 level 80's for me to believe you, since a screenshot could easily be taken of 2 different 80 characters.

That being said, it is, sadly, possible to hit 80. MANY people exploited the exp/gold glitches on the Deathwhisper server. There were level 70's before early access was even over. I'm disappointed Funcom didn't ban/delete the characters/accounts in question.

Here's my thoughts on the ToS.

The class, in truth, is not that fun to play as. I enjoy it only because I have a guild that constantly supplies me with groups to level with. However, playing solo, ToS is incredibly boring.

From level 1-20, you'll legitimately be using the same 2 spells; Lightning Strike, and Charged Bolt. That's it. Press 1 and 2 for 20 levels. The occasional HoT will be thrown on for regen purposes, but other than that, that's your role in the game

Once you get storm field, and depending on your build, the game starts to get a little more demanding. As a Thunder spec (support) ToS, I rely on my totem, the use of a group, and Storm Crown + Storm Field for the majority of my damage, while being supported with melee attacks. There was an exploit in which you could produce 10 totems at a time, that was patched earlier this morning, albeit poorly (rather than limiting one totem out, Funcom put a 60 second recast on it instead. This makes it utterly worthless for grinding, and almost useless in my opinion, as it can't come with you when you move or 60 seconds)

For soloing purposes, it is beastly. You can probably grind faster as a ToS than any other class, save for the PoM before they were also nerfed. You have 2 HoT's, Storm Field, and other spells to cast to take out 5+ enemies at a time with ease.

For group purposes, the ToS shines. It has a nice HP buff, it has an HoT that is effective, Storm crown rocks socks in instances, Quicksand can be useful for agro control, and there's a burst heal if things get fuzzy (Note: This has been buggy since the patch; the burst heal occasionally doesn't fire/activate, even though it claims it does. HIGHLY frustrating). Totems also have a use when complimented with Storm Nimbus.

All in all, the class isn't that exciting. It's efficient, and I believe it was designed with the intention of being a grinder/farming class, and a good supporting group member class. In terms of excitement, I've give it a 4/10, in terms of utility I've give it a 9/10, in terms of PvE a 10/10, and for PvP a 6/10.

I hope that helps.
 

The ToS bug needs to be fixed within the week.

People have started grinding with ToS in areas and just grinded hundreds of thousands of exp an hour. That's just ridiculous that the totem exploit hasn't been addressed yet.

I wouldn't dismiss this game yet. I'm not going to personally. Even with the bugs, I can enjoy the community. We've kinda bonded BECAUSE of the bugs (notably the FotD area).

However, if you're not satisfied, I would recommend giving the game another look in 3 months, when it will be 100% complete. That seems like a sufficient amount of time to fix the glaring issues, and at the very least, begin the fine-tuning process.

Dkompoze, please, don't lie to people

The ToS exploit isn't fixed. I WOULD know, seeing as how I am a ToS. Do I need to video it with fraps to discredit you entirely?

Siege warfare is MIA because Tier 2 Cities aren't in the game yet. You can't have siege warfare until you have a level 3 city and a battlekeep, hence, the mode is temporarily disabled.

Do you play on a PvP server? Perhaps this is just a PvP server issue. On Deathwhisper, there is no immunity; if you die, you can be killed before you've even loaded the respawn screen. The same problem can happen with zoning.

The point I wanted to make was that this game has a lot of work to do, and I want people to know this game is very, very buggy. It's supremely fun! But it IS buggy as hell!

Well there are still quests, however, there just aren't enough.

For example, at level 50, it takes over 200,000 exp to level. When your quests are only providing between 8-20k tops, you usually have around 3 levels worth of content, and then 4-7 levels of grinding.

I hadn't really felt the grind until recently. Once I hit 50.... I noticed it takes a significantly longer amount of time to level. While I realize this is to be expected, the sudden drop from quest-quest-quest to quest-grind...grind is noticeable.

Ahhh yes, that was hilarious.

Engima, what's your name in-game? Message me sometime. I'm assuming you're also on Deathwhisper.

A guy entered the OOC channel in the FotD

"Hey Goons. Check your city out. It's gone. Have a good day. Lords of the Dead Guild"

1) The game is almost entirely instanced. 95%

2) Graphics are gorgeous. You'll need top of the line technology to play on the settings to see them though.

3) There is no economy. The traders have been removed from the game. As such, there is currently not a player economy at this time.

4) No, there is not housing.

5) Not that I am aware of.

6) Not very much at all, actually. It's more level-based than anything else.

7) Guilds will help you, but are entirely unnecessary.

8) Crafting is very...uninspired.

9) Yes, extraordinarily level-dependant. You will migrate to different areas based on your level.

I'd like to start off by saying that I like this game. I play on the Deathwhisper server, and have the same name in-game if you'd ever like to group. I roll with the Ominous Guild, a good bunch of guys there. I'm a 51 Tempest of Set.

With that said, I want people to know about this game.

This game may well be one of the most broken, underachieving titles this decade. Horrible, horrible performance problems, both server-side and individually, detract from the gaming experience as a whole. There are an obscene amount of bugs, rivaling that of Vanguard. Many quests don't work at all, markers are improperly placed, GM's are backed up by DAYS (usually takes between 19-50 hours to hear back in my experience). And I want you to know this before you buy this game, get really pissed off, and curse it to hell.

The GoodTh

Level 1-35 are extremely crisp. The zones run well, I encountered maybe 2 broken quests total. Performance was not an issue, and the game was very engaging. Combat is fun, and keeps you alert. Classes come in many different varieties which is a plus. Guilds are plentiful, and many have achieved special reputations already (for example, on our server, The Hordes of Goonheim are public enemy number 1). There's a very strong community which I enjoy interacting with all the time.

The Bad

Framerates vary so much based on where you're standing, and for no viable reason. There's tons of ganking, and there's no death penalty. People are playing sloppy, and not worrying about it. There's really no incentive to NOT kill someone. Walking distances are a pain in the ass, and frequent load times can get irritating. Also, the lack of spawn immunity leads to respawn pads (especially inside bars and taverns) being camped. If you happen to get camped inside a bar, you legitimately can't play until 1) Someone decides to help you, or 2) the campers leave the spawn point. Questing is great, when it works, and when there are quests available, however, as you get into the upper 40's, the grind begins to set in, and quests seem less and less useful and frequent.

The Ugly

YOU ARE PAYING FOR A BETA TEST. It becomes INFINITELY clear the longer you play that some zones weren't tested at all. For example, I'm going to go ahead and say that all players who don't get fed up and uninstall the game after the Fields of the Dead will play this game for years to come. It's that bad. Zone-crashes frequently. Game crashes if you play with your audio on. Massive, unexplainable lag spikes. NUMEROUS features that are ESSENTIAL to the game are missing. There is NO MARKETPLACE yet! In other words, the player economy is completely non-existent. Guild cities, which are supposedly not attackable, are burning down due to exploitations of bugs. People capped out in 4 days from exploiting an exp/gold glitch. Enemy pathfinding can be downright depressing, and the notorious "curious patrol" A.I. will wear on you within 2 days, tops.

Anonymous things you should know

- Tier 2 cities aren't in the game yet

- Cities are bugged, and broken. Sometimes buildings don't appear, their rewards don't appear to activate yet either

- There's no marketplace or player economy

- Siege warfare is MIA at this time

- Seemingly all content past level 35 is buggy. Examples: Fields of the Dead, Tarantia Nobles District (NUMEROUS broken quests), The Tombs in the Fields of the Dead are completely mismatched for level 50's.

- Terrible response times from the customer service teams

- Patches are coming so slow that many people will be level 80 before basic content issues are even addressed

- Without a monstrous rig, expect to run the game on lowest settings

- Numerous class exploits. For example, the Tempest of Set's 20 totem layout. Funcom managed to nerf PoM's before reducing the number of totems that a ToS can deploy to at max of say.... 3.

All in all, this game doesn't feel like it was beta tested at all. Everyone who plays this and loves this game can tell you that. I LOVE this game, but I want everyone to know what they're getting into. I'm not going to act like a Vanguard fan when the game came out, I want you to know what's coming. This game needs a LOT of work. I'll be here for it, but this needs to be known.

If you have any other questions, ask. I can give you a comprehensive list of what may or may not concern you.

Fantastic thread!

If any of you are interested in playing with me, I'm a part of The Ominous Guild. It's definitely not for everyone, but we're always looking for new, dedicated recruits :)

I will say this.

No, I don't think any game could ever achieve the massive level of failure that Vanguard had, but that's also because Funcom hasn't gone running around hyping their game up nearly as much as a certain Mr. McQuaid did.

In my opinion, the game should be delayed a little bit longer for optimization and tweaking, but I will say I was satisfied with performance, especially in comparison to Vanguard. Whether they release on time or not, I'm not certain, but I feel that whichever decision they make will be a fine one.

On a side note, the best advice I'll give; don't buy into the hype. Not yet. It's a good game, I think it's a fun game, but I don't believe it's going to revolutionize the genre either.