SWEET! This is going to be a great weekend. I get to play Rift starting on the 4th, I will be 52 years old on the 5th (and still do not need Viagra!), and the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Originally posted by Timukas

 I use Mature for people who seem to be at least in their 40s or 50s like me!

Ah dang, I'll ding only 34 in a couple of months :)

 You kids!

Originally posted by Sorrow

Yes I know it is only the last day of January, and we have 11 more months to go with a ton of really anticipated games slotted to release this year, but I feel more confident in making this statement than I have ever felt about any game ever before.

 

I am not just making this statement wildly as hype.

 

I am making this statement as someone who has played every phase of the beta, and carefully and critically watched the progression of the game.

I am making this statement as someone who has sat thru the dev chats and listened carefully and asked many pointed questions.

I am making this statement as someone who has played all 4 bases classes to 30, and find each and every build I have tried equally fun and playable,

I am making this statement as someone who has spent many many hours in the pvp warfronts as well as the world instances on both factions.

I am making this statement as someone who reported over 1000 bugs and had EVERY one of them fixed in beta.

I am making this statement as someone who made first report on a bug only to have the devs bring the server down ten minutes later patch the fix for the bug and bring the servers back online within 20 minutes.

I am making this statement as a player who has spent endless hours off the main quests, roads, and story out exploring the world and finding all the amazing little things they did not have to add but did. (Hidden piles of treasure on mountain tops, complex and interactive puzzles to unlock secret rooms and quests, stand alone quests deep off the main tracks, random named monsters with unique loot drops, not to mention the best made world in any game ever. )

I am making this statement as someone who has weaved in and out of the roots of a banyan tree with PERFECT collisions on every root in a massive swamp. Most games would just make the tree, roots and all a solid object for collision, RIFT took the time and effort to make it virtually real.

I am making this statement as someone who knows RIFT took from other games, they took the BEST left the rest.

I am making this statement as someone who remembers 90% of this dev team from when they worked at Verant Interactive( creator's of Everquest ), Turbine ( creator's of Ascheron's Call ), and Blizzard ( creator's of WoW ).  The RIFT dev staff are tried and tested developers with vision and original thought. The RIFT devs are NOT part of  this new generation of tech school developers that are ruining the industry with thier lack of creativity, lack of imagination, and lack of inspiration. Many of the RIFT developers are the 1st generation of MMO developers when game developers were gamers first and foremost. This is a dev team that cares what players think and provide what players want.

I am not making this statement lightly or without careful forethought and I stand behind it,

RIFT will be the best MMO of 2011, possibly of all time

 This is a very bold statement but I have to say it might be a correct one. Rift might be the mmo so many of us here at mmorpg.com have been waiting for. There are a few more great mmos on the horizon but they will have to stand tall next to Rift. I also love that the development team comes from such a great mixed background of fantastic games. I have seen a few in interviews and some of them seem "Mature" I like that. I use Mature for people who seem to be at least in their 40s or 50s like me! Don't under estimate us 50+ gamers. Some of the best raiders I have played with in WoW were in their 50s. I am the first generation of gamers and never stopped. I begged my parents in 1972 for a Magnavox Odyssey 2000 and have played just about every system since. Game companies need more older developers and artist on their staffs. Some of us older artists still make "Young" images. Take a look at my art eccoton.deviantart.com Rift has me excited about playing a new mmo again. I got my pre-order collector edition and can not wait for early entry

Popinjay, I am not the only one who find the comparision to WoW, EQ2, and WAR an accurate description of Rift.

" I feel that Trion has a great chance to capture the attention of folks who want something like a World of Warcraft or a Warhammer or an Everquest 2, but don’t really want those games for whatever reason.  It’s shaping up to be a solid and finely tuned game which will likely please a lot of folks looking for something familiar but new." - William Murphy from his article here at mmorpg.com Rift: Beta event 5 report.

One of the points I was making is that Rift is a good game and will be familiar to players but new. I think if Rift is supported well by the developers it will be the next successful mmo and one of the top mmos out at least until The Old Republic and GW2 comes out. If Troin keeps content coming it may not even be effected that much by those releases. I hope they get housing in the game and not take the road of Blizzard. If WoW had housing and a feeling of ownership in the game I might still be playing it. In open world mmos I feel housing is important even if some players do not care about housing. It connects the player to the world better. I hated living on the streets in Azeroth.

Originally posted by Xzen

Originally posted by popinjay

 

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Originally posted by eccoton

 

Rift is a love child of a drunk evening encounter between EQ2, WoW, and WAR.

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This analogy seems okay, until you realize that flaw that no matter how drunk three people get, they don't have a baby collectively; only two do. This is why I hate bad analogies.

 

 

That said, it's probably easier to say that Rift shares elements of War, EQ2 and WoW (as well as other MMOs). When someone says something reminds you of several things, it's not a love child; it's so diverse that you can't put your finger on what makes it whatever it is and that's usually the charm.

 

I've seen this kind of comparision a few times and everytime I read it, it looks as bad as when the first guy made it up.

 

Conclusion: Rift has enough elements of MANY previous MMOs combined that it can be called it's own MMO and not a child of a menage e trois.

babies with 3 biological parents coming soon. =P

 

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/14/babies-parents-key-preventing-genetic-disorders/

 Fantastic!

Originally posted by popinjay

 

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Originally posted by eccoton

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Originally posted by popinjay
 

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Originally posted by eccoton
 
Rift is a love child of a drunk evening encounter between EQ2, WoW, and WAR.

---

This analogy seems okay, until you realize that flaw that no matter how drunk three people get, they don't have a baby collectively; only two do. This is why I hate bad analogies.
 
 
That said, it's probably easier to say that Rift shares elements of War, EQ2 and WoW (as well as other MMOs). When someone says something reminds you of several things, it's not a love child; it's so diverse that you can't put your finger on what makes it whatever it is and that's usually the charm.
 
I've seen this kind of comparision a few times and everytime I read it, it looks as bad as when the first guy made it up.
 

Conclusion: Rift has enough elements of MANY previous MMOs combined that it can be called it's own MMO and not a child of a menage e trois.

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 Thanks for clearing that up. I did not know 3 people could not have a child together. Lighten up I was just having a little fun not meant to be a serious comment or a complete description of the game. I just assummed everyone who read it would understand that and not take it seriously.  I also did not figure someone who thought it was a dumb comment would feel the need to correct it. I thought it was just a benign statement.  

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No problem and happy to help. After all, it IS the interwebz, right? :)

 

I didn't think you'd get sore about pointing out the obvious mistake you're making that does Rift no service though, especially since you liked it.

 

The point was you are doing what other people who talk about Rift do as a fatal mistake, and that leads some to not even get past level 10, or others to never even consider it. You know..

"It's a child of WoW and.. ". (gag reflex supressed)

I think it's just time for the bad analogies to stop and just accept that all games are a "love child" of something else using your parameters.

 

Let's for once try and set the record straight about a game BEFORE it's launched and not stereotype them anymore.

 

I simply don't understand why every 'reviewer' has to put things like this in it while basically ignoring what the true situation is.

 

 

Again, Rift isn't a product or child of some other MMO. That's just a bad analogy and noting wrong with pointing that out. The game stands alone as something made from other games which in itself, is enough to make it unique.

 

For future reference, you might want to try using a Frankenstein analogy if you must use them. It's actually a much better fit.

Frankenstein was made up of different parts of people, but was not a 'love child' of any of them and recognized as it's own distinct being.. not "Omg, here comes Harry/Bill/Ted rolled into one!"

 

" Fatal mistake"? No one is doing a disservice to Rift. Do you even play it? I have not read anyone elses comments on Rifts, I could careless, I simply wrote about my feelings and experience with the game. So comparing me to what others have said means exactly nothing to me. It most certainly has a lot in common with EQ2, WoW, WAR, it also has a lot in common with LOTRO and Asheron's Call. However, using a 5 way love child comment would force you to explain to the world how babies are made. The love child comment was nothing more then a little humor.

You mention the true situation so enlighten me to what the truth is about Rift. You never do that, you simple comment about my silly remark, that is why I wonder if you have even played it. If you read the whole thread people enjoyed my post and some agreed, nothing in it would turn anyone away from the game. You are making to much out of that benign comment that does no damage to Rift in any way.

Your gag reflex to comparing Rift to WoW, to me, is an insult to WoW and players like me.  Having played WoW since the closed beta (6 years) I think WoW is a great game and comparing any game to the three I mentioned is a compliment and shows that Rift is a fantastic game worthy of being compared to those games. I love WoW and do not like WoW haters always trying to tell me how crappy it is. Not all of us gag at the mention of WoW. There is a reason it has over 11 million players, it is good and Rift is good. For years to come whether you like it or not mmos will be compared to WoW and EQ and from what I read there are people from both those games working on Rift hence the love child comment. Take your gag relflex somewhere else because I love WoW. I finally left WoW, EQ2, and LOTRO to play Rift, not because they are bad games but to try some thing new and support Trion with my hard earned dollars.

Originally posted by popinjay

 

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Originally posted by eccoton

 

Rift is a love child of a drunk evening encounter between EQ2, WoW, and WAR.

---

This analogy seems okay, until you realize that flaw that no matter how drunk three people get, they don't have a baby collectively; only two do. This is why I hate bad analogies.

 

 

That said, it's probably easier to say that Rift shares elements of War, EQ2 and WoW (as well as other MMOs). When someone says something reminds you of several things, it's not a love child; it's so diverse that you can't put your finger on what makes it whatever it is and that's usually the charm.

 

I've seen this kind of comparision a few times and everytime I read it, it looks as bad as when the first guy made it up.

 

Conclusion: Rift has enough elements of MANY previous MMOs combined that it can be called it's own MMO and not a child of a menage e trois.

 Thanks for clearing that up. I did not know 3 people could not have a child together. Lighten up I was just having a little fun not meant to be a serious comment or a complete description of the game. I just assummed everyone who read it would understand that and not take it seriously.  I also did not figure someone who thought it was a dumb comment would feel the need to correct it. I thought it was just a benign statement.  

Well I have put in a few more hours of play. I have also just pre-ordered the game, I guess you know what my feelings are now about Rift. The more I play the better it gets. I have played them all! Never have I felt more part of a world and a big battle then Rift. It really is amazing the atmosphere in Rift is fantastic. There is shit happening everywhere. Lava meteors fall all around you as you fight incoming armies. Trees are blowing, birds are flying, and fights are breaking out all over. The world feels alive with activity and it does not feel robotic or repetative. The npcs seem to have purpose. The art style is fantastic, the color and light pallette is wonderful. Some of the short comings I mentioned earlier still stand but this game is a winner and I hope people try it out. I can not wait for the live launch. I have cancelled LOTRO, EQ2, and WoW because I know this game will be taking all my time at least until The Old Republic launches. Then I plan to play TOR and Rift because I think they will compliment each other. I woke up this morning thinking about the game and it has been years since an mmo has done that for me. I hope Trion can keep this experience coming for years to come but for now Rift even with it's flaws is one of the best shows in town!

Thanks, I just wanted to express my feelings on my first trip into Rift. Trion did a great job and I hope they do well. Next generation no but fun and immersive yup. The art is opinion but they have some creative artist in their employment.

Well I decided to join the Rift beta. I did not go in with any expectations. I have not followed this games development or paid attention to any hype or really anyone's opinion. I just jumped in and give it a try without doing any research. My experience and comments are based on about 5 hours of play.

First downloading the client was by far the best and fastest client download I have ever experienced. 7.5 gigs in about an hour. Game launched with no issues and I was in. My first reaction to the visual feast was impressive. I bit of graphic tweeking was needed, I hate glow effect so they were turned off which I feel made the game look better. I run a intel 7 quad, ati 5800 series, 16 gigs ram, my box is pretty good but not the top. I got a smooth fps of between 40 and 50 with most of the graphics maxed at 1920 x 1080. I did turn AA down to x2 and the game looks great. I should get a bit higher fps on my rig so I think a bit of optimizing is needed to the client. Performance issues were a topic in the chat channels. It took only a few minutes for the game to grab me.

Character creation was a bit of a let down. However, the characters look pretty good but more options are needed. Game play is fun and familiar but not next generation that is claimed. Rift is a love child of a drunk evening encounter between EQ2, WoW, and WAR. The world is fun to explore but is pretty linear. The feeling of being in a big war is pretty cool. The world is alive with lots of action. The landscape and the building structures look fantastic.

The combat system is ok but needs work. Fighting feels a bit slow but looks good. I have been enjoying DC Universe so that might be why the combat feels a bit slow. The skills and soul system are pretty neat and pretty ease to understand. I only grouped once and it was ok but felt a bit flat. The public quests were fun and reminded me of WAR. In short fighting felt a bit like a button masher but again I am only level 10 and a few hours into the experience.

I think this game will be a success but not a WoW killer or even a WoW denter. It took me a couple days to warm up to WoW but Rift grabbed me faster. I love the art direction in Rift but the expereince playing needs to match that. It is close but needs work.  With some attention Rift will be around for years to come. If it was released a couple years ago it would be huge. I will probably play it when it goes live but with The Old Republic coming out soon that may effect Rift. I give Trion Worlds a big high five they jumped into the deep end of the WoW pool and they did not and will not sink. This is a game to try but if you are looking for a different experience the WoW or the EQ francises this might not be it. They barrowed from many good games and put together a well made polished fun experience at least for my first few hours. Good job Trion but listen to your players and take it to the next level.

Originally posted by Mardy

EQ2 as a game went through 2 years of revamps, changes, tweaks, and engine performance improvements before Smed finally came out and said, yeah, we probably should've called this a different name, because EQ2 is nothing like EQ1.  By the way, EQ1 remained to be a higher populated game than EQ2 up until recently about a year and half ago.   Please don't use Vanguard as a benchmark when comparing games like EQ1.   EQ1 is a success story all around, the game that was #1 on the market for 4 years, the game that jump started the 3D MMO genre.  Vanguard....failure all around, from beginning to the end, everything about Vanguard was a failure.

 It was Meridian 59 that started the 3d mmo market in 1996.

 

Originally posted by Daffid011

No one is saying the game doesn't run fine for 1,000s of people, but at the same time it doesn't run fine for many others.  Nor is anyone saying soe doesn't do anything for EQ2.  Obviously they put a lot of effort into the game, such as releasing expansions like clockwork.  . 

Also, just because your opinion and experience differs from others doesn't mean you get to run around calling people stupid, telling them to shut up and say they are inaccurate.  The experiences I have read so far look pretty accurate to me, even yours.  I'm not sure why you think that entitles you to sling out so many personal attacks, especially when you feel you are a victom of such criticisms.  that is a pretty nasty double standard if you ask me.

 

One last thing, I didn't suggest you bought your computer to fix EQ2.  When you said

"This box is a nice gaming box but not even close to top of the line and cost under 1000 bucks not including monitor. This rig play EQ2 extremely well and did not break the bank. So stop complaining about EQ2 graphic it is not SOE's problem you do not have a rig or take the time to educate yourself on EQ2 and it's graphic possibilities."

you are in effect blaming people for not rushing out to buy computers like yours to run the game or hunting around the internet to find a guide to make the game look decent.  Which oddly enough means you are saying people need to upgrade their computers and rely on player driven efforts in order to make the game look like it should.  I find that really strange, because both of those statemetns support exactly what this thread is about. 

 

 

 

 I do not run around calling people stupid but many's comments are, that I have read in the EQ2 forums. This thread is stupid. Nothing I say supports the OP. I never doubt your intelligence in the slightest but you of all people should see this thread is nothing but trolling. That is why I rang in. Read it with new eyes and you will see this belongs in the WOW form with the title "I like WOW better then EQ2 but I need to bash SOE" He is trolling. He came to the EQ2 forums bashs a number of SOE games then praises Blizzard, you make your own conclusion as to why they started this thread, my conclusion is trolling.  Some of the things people have written are good and thoughtful but the OP is far from that. I never said everyone is inaccurate but the OP is. However, I am glad they like WOW better at least that was productive to learn.

I will add why I respond like I do to post like this. So many put down EQ2 because of the graphics and performance but they come here and claim how crappy EQ2 is. They don't say "I know EQ2 could look so much better and play better on a better PC but it played bad on my PC" They always claim it is the game and that their experience is only what EQ2 is capable of so don't but or play it. I am the voice that says bologna it can be an incredible experience don't listen to the limited dialog of these naysayers. However I always let people know EQ2 is a game that does not work well for a lot of people. That is why I try to help them because the game is capable of a lot more then people like this OP claim. The downside is a lot will miss out on the experience because of some bad decisions SOE has made.

Originally posted by Sympatico

Originally posted by eccoton

Here is another screenshot that shows how crappy EQ2 looks. How dare SOE present this crap as a game.

I'm really sorry man, but I just don't see what your seeing. I don't think it's art style...the game just looks terrible to me. I'm not saying your wrong, just saying I'm not seeing what your seeing in the slightest. I look at games like wow, aoc, aion, etc. and I see fluid graphics and multiple tone skin, living breathing worlds etc etc etc. I played EQ1 for like 8 years, gameplay is more important to me than graphics...to a certain degree. I don't feel immersed in EQ2 at all...

I am a HUGE fan of Everquest...the world, the lore, everything...but when I tried EQ2 I just felt so dissapointed. I think thats why there is so much hate. So many of us loved EQ1 so much and still have huge amounts of nostalgia towards it, then to jump into EQ2 just breeds disappointment.

I hope, I just hope that if EQnext is real which I assume it is...that they take their time and make it as innovative and immersive as EQ1 was in it's time. 

 This is a fair response. This person does not like the graphic style, I do. All that stuff like fluid movement, multiple skin tones are all there, you just need to have the right box and setup to enjoy them. I get totally immersed in Norrath because of the graphic and performance of the game. It is a shame you do not because I find EQ2 has so much to offer. This is the type of post I like not bashing SOE just saying why they disagree. I never played EQ that much so I jumped right into EQ2 and loved it from the beginning despite all the shortcomming of it's premature launch. However SOE has work hard to correct those issues. To say they have not bothered is totally inaccurate.

LOL did not take long for Daffid001 to ring in on my post even after a year. Nice to know somethings don't change. EQ2 looks and performs fine for 1000s of players. It does not translate well for some not my problem. I am just giving those who might want to try it a balanced view to offset these inaccurate threads. I respond in a negative way when a thread title and topic like this has nothing to do with people playing and enjoying EQ2.

People like Daff  are here to tell everyone how much they dislike a game and bash SOE. If Daff and the OP played the game since release they would know SOE does bother and works hard on EQ2 and has for the last 5 years. I know this because I have been playing EQ2 since beta. No other game I play has had so many patches and fixes as EQ2 and that includes WOW.

 I understand some games people do not like but many post untruths and inaccurate information in an attempt enlighten the world on how misdirected those who play and like EQ2 are. Daffid0011 also makes a  statment suggesting I bought my computer to just play EQ2. Actually I am a college art instructor and I teach computer art. My computers are for my art first not gaming. The point I was making was that in fact you do not need a top computer to play EQ2 as many post here claim.

I have also posted many time players should not have to work so hard to get a good look in EQ2. That is why I started my guide way back to help those who want to enjoy their experience better in EQ2 since SOE did not do a good job in that area. I have post both the goods and the bads about EQ2 and SOE many times.

Here is another screenshot that shows how crappy EQ2 looks. How dare SOE present this crap as a game.

I was one of the most active members here at mmorpg.com for years. I stopped posting months ago because of the personnel attacks and stupid post people make that are not based on any facts about the games.  This is the post that I had to respond to. I love this crap about how bad EQ2 looks. Just because someone does not have the rig or is ignorant to how to adjust graphic does not mean they are bad. EQ2 still after 5 years has the best graphics, animations, and sound, currently out. Try doing your research before you open your mouth and complain about something you are ignorant about. I have made dozens of post about how to adjust your graphics try reading one. This is game play screen shot at 1920 x 1080 I get from 60 fps to over 200fps with this look. While it is close to maxed graphic it is not totally maxed.

Now you may not like the art style but to say these graphic are bad is plan ignorant. I have a pretty good rig but not top of the line. I play on an aquos 38 inch monitor by box is a windows 7 64 bit system with 16gigs ram (a bit over kill on the ram) i7quadcore with a ati 5800 series card. This box is a nice gaming box but not even close to top of the line and cost under 1000 bucks not including monitor. This rig play EQ2 extremely well and did not break the bank.  So stop complaining about EQ2 graphic it is not SOE's problem you do not have a rig or take the time to educate yourself on EQ2 and it's graphic possibilities.

After 5 years it is still one of the best mmos out. As a note I also play LOTRO, WOW, and AOC. EQ2 stand strong graphically with all these games.

I am glad to see this one coming back. I was in the closed beta for a few months and felt the game was going in the right direction. There were still many issues in the game but I really like it as a whole. If they can get it out in about a year it will have a good following and not feel dated. The game play was fun and the graphics were very immersive and consistant. I hope they can get it rolling and in the market place polished and in a timely manner. If not it will be just another unresolved mmo.

Originally posted by championsFan

The website was undergoing maintenance while the OP posted this message, it had nothing to do with canceling because the forums, etc were down for maintenance as well.  I know this because upon those forums going down I came here and saw the OP, but did not have time to write this post explaining that it was just a coincedence and had nothing to do with the OP trying to cancel, the website was down for everyone at that time.

This is a good game, and this thread is an example of dishonest bashing.  It is not like this is an ongoing problem, it was just a coincedence.  I mean Cryptic refunds subscription moneys (say for a six month of lifetime sub) anytime within 30 days, they are pretty good about billing support.

No this thread is not dishonst bashing. I have been trying for 3 months to cancel my account and can not. I am having Bank Americ dispute it now. On top of that I can not even get to anyone at cryptic about this issue. I either get an answering machine or am put on hold for about 10 minutes and disconnected. It is a serious ongoing problem.

I thought I would post a warning here. I am in dispute through Bank America with Cryptic Studios. I have been trying to cancel my champions online accout since oct. Everytime my account is cancelled as soon as I check the account it is reactivated. Cryptic has not returned my calls. When I call their billing department you get an answering machine that say you can not leave a message since it is full. Once I got the operator and she lost it with me saying she get lots of calls like mine and she can do nothing about it and sends me to an answering machine. At this point Bank America is disputing the charges but I just checked and my account is activated again.

Obviously I will not be playing any games by Cryptic Studio again. I have been in mmos since Meridian 59 in 1996 and have never had a problem like this. So be warned. I would be interested if anyone else is having or had trouble with Crypic billing and cnacelling your account.

Originally posted by Roin 

Eccoton why are you even replying to this guy? I've read quite a few of your post in the time I spent here.  You are better then that.  Don't play his game, just ignore him.  Remember the saying. "It is pointless to argue with an idiot.  He'll just drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience."

I my years here sometime I forget. Thank you for reminding me.